All posts filed under: Parfums

Aesop Othertopias EDP Collection

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Aesop’s new Othertopias eau de parfum range is a poetic ode to the wild landscapes that inspired photographer/artist/nose Barnabe Fillion. From the stormy sea (for Miraceti – a hint of oud, whiskey and incense), the rugged shore (for Karst – metallic salty notes, cumin spice, sandalwood), to the rustic country (for Eremia – white musk, yuzu, resinous galbanum). Perfect for when travelling to strange lands is not an option for us during the pandemic. The Othertopias range is in Singapore stores 5 Jul. These are great additions to the others in Aesop’s unisex EDP range: Tacit, Hwyl, Rozu and Marrakech Intense. All sensual, smoky, and bound to make heads turn.

Aesop Rozu

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It’s a strange feeling. To be cocooned in my own home but feel such anxiety. The cycle has just been: answering work emails, Zoom/Skype/Whatsapp meetings, watering my plants, reading scary media headlines; repeat. But relaxing scents help to calm me down. Rozu, the latest one by Aesop is an EDP that smells like a walk through a romantic, deciduous forest. Inspired by French modernist designer Charlotte Perriand, it is a bouquet of rose, incense, woodiness… 🥀 🌲 I spritz this on my skin, and keep my Shoyeido Kyoto Horikawa incense burning for some Zen-ness. Rozu will be in Aesop Singapore stores, when they re-open; or get it online from April 20. In the meantime, you might want to bust out your fave scented candles or perfumes to soothe the soul too. Stay at home and practice social distancing so we can all get through this, stronger.

Puredistance: Parfums with excellent sillage

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When you have creatives at the helm of a fragrance label – instead of shrewd marketers out to make a quick buck – you get a nice range of standout perfumes. At Puredistance, the scents are noteworthy for their long-lasting sillage due to an exceptionally high content of perfume oil. All seven Parfum de Extrait in the range contain between 25 and 38 per cent of perfume, “hence the higher cost and prices”, explains the brand’s founder Jan Ewoud Vos. His rationale for using so much perfume oil in the juices: they fuse with the skin’s natural scent for longer. Prices of Puredistance parfums start from 175 euros for 17.5ml. Pick a crystal and 24 carat gold flacon and prices go up to 1,890 euros for 17.5ml. “As I give a perfumer a brief, I also give them an unlimited budget and time,” says Vos, who is also a photographer. This freedom is rare in the tightly-controlled perfume industry where profit margins rule the day. For that reason, when Vos announced in 2007 that he …

Aesop Hwyl EDP

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The latest fragrance from Aesop is an olfactory hideaway from the steeliness of urban landscapes. One or two (or three) pumps of Hwyl will spirit your imagination away to a deep Hinoki (cypress) forest with its earthy, smokey incense layers with a hint of spice and dried citrus. Cypress, frankincense, vetiver. An intense EDP that is as perfect on cashmere as it would be on crisp linen. Hwyl is the third fragrance in Aesop’s stable, after Marrakesh Intense and Tacit. Aesop collaborated with Barnabé Fillion, who developed Marrakesh Intense in 2014. For inspiration, Barnabe took a walk amongst 300 year old Hiba trees in an ancient Japanese forest. And now you have that moment bottled in Hwyl on your dresser. Landscape photos: Aesop

Flower by Kenzo Eau de Lumiere

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The red poppy has no scent, yet it is immortalised as an iconic sensual powdery and musky floral perfume launched in 2000: Flower by Kenzo. Over the years, Kenzo has created a series of various iterations of Flower, each one distinct yet familiar with the undertones of the original. This May, Kenzo launches a new version: Eau de Lumiere, inspired by another scent-less blank slate, a ray of light. Like rainbows, the morning sun, a shining prism. Eau de Lumiere is bright, fresh, soft, floral, angelic. Notes of this pink juice: Bulgarian rose, jasmine sambac, bergamot, white musk.

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia

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Creative genius Alessandro Michele had a hand in this latest concoction from Gucci.  Like his fashion creations for the label, this juice is colourful, shiny, and poppy.  It still has the signature Gucci sexy muskiness, but lighter, brighter, fruitier, more sparkling, fresher.  Like a glass of rose at the hippest party in town. The notes: opens with fruity red berries, white floral gardenia at its heart; winds down with patchouli and brown sugar. Sillage is moderate, and relatively long-lasting. 

Gucci Bamboo Limited Edition

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Gucci’s new limited edition EDP is the latest addition to its Bamboo fragrance line-up. The brand says: “Soft and intense at once, the scent blooms with notes of exotic Casablanca Lily and Tahitian Vanilla. Sandalwood and Grey Amber balance the femininity with a woody contrast, to create a statement of strength and sophistication.” The Beauty Gazette: “Fruity with a hint of musk. A relatively sparkling floral with a hint of gourmand notes. Moderate sillage. Slight smokey undertones.”

Gucci Guilty Platinum

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Ever since Alessandro Michele took over the reins at Gucci as its creative director, the label has been on a roll. Churning out gorgeous clothing, accessories, bags and shoes with an interesting vintage patina, accents and details. Unfortunately, most fashion labels and their corresponding perfumes are often not the brainchild of the designer. Still, I was keen to find out how the shiny new Gucci scents fair. Especially when they have been inspired by Michele’s sartorial work. Like most Gucci perfume launches, the Platinum range comes in a pair. My thoughts on the Gucci Guilty Platinum EDT: Nothing like the original Gucci Guilty, it is a warm, fruity-floral (if such a thing were possible). Gucci says: “Top notes – geranium and pink pepper; heart notes – lilac and peach; base notes – amber and patchouli” My thoughts on the Gucci Guilty Platinum Pour Homme EDT: Fresh, citrusy, a whiff of pine needles, warm. This may be made for men, but I’d wear it. This juice turns a little sweet on my skin, which gives it …

Chloe Fleur de Parfum

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Chloe parfums are fail-safe. Catching a whiff of this range of ultra-feminine, powdery, full-bodied white floral scents is always a pleasure. In the world of mass-produced brand-name perfumes, Chloe always holds its own. Its signature floral-soapiness is distinct. This new olfactory cocktail – Chloe Fleur de Parfum – is a fresher, more floral (the notes evoke pink roses maybe) youthful, and brighter version of the beloved Chloe Eau de Parfum. How Chloe describes this perfume: “A tender floral blend. Chloé Fleur de Parfum is a generous bouquet exclusively composed of the most tender and quintessential part of flowers, their hearts. The fundamental note comes from the rose heart. The heart of verbena flower adds a fresh and luminous verdant dimension while the heart of cherry blossom diffuses milky almond notes. Tender. Modern. Feminine.”    

Louis Vuitton’s first fragrances in 70 years: Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection

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Luxury trunk-and-luggage maker Louis Vuitton created its first parfums – Je, Tu, Ii (I, You, He), and Eau De Voyage – in the 1920s. They were made to fill the beautiful crystal flacons that came with Louis Vuitton’s sturdy trunks. But the brand’s perfume ambitions were curtailed during the wartimes of the 1940s. Fast forward to 2016 Fall, Louis Vuitton will be introducing seven new scents under its Les Parfums collection. Just like the perfume houses of Chanel ( helmed by Olivier Pole, son of the legendary Jacques Polge), Dior (Francois Demachy), and Hermes (the very famous Jean-Claude Ellena), Louis Vuitton will have its own in-house perfumer. This ensures that its scents have an air of exclusivity and signature, that keep them distinct from the regular run-of-the-mill perfumes. Most of the juices from other luxury labels are usually made by the oft-nameless perfumers in the flavours and fragrance conglomerates such as Firmenich, Givaudan, and IFF. To re-embark on its olfactory journey, Louis Vuitton hired Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud. A native of Grasse – the age-old French capital of …