All posts tagged: parfum

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

New fragrance label to watch: Mirko Buffini Firenze

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A bottle of perfume, when done right, can lead to magical moments. Such as a chance encounter with a stranger. Or evoke a beautiful memory from the distant past. For Florentine Mirko Buffini, a vial of patchouli-based juice from one of Firenze’s last artisanal perfume workshops, led him to create his own fragrance label.   A friend gave him the fateful bottle five years ago. “On the first spritz, I hated it. But 10 minutes later, the scent developed on my skin with a woodiness that was unlike any fragrance I’ve ever worn. I thought it was the best thing I’ve ever put on my skin,” says Buffini.  Intriguingly, when he wore the perfume again the next day, it smelled different, but in a good way. He thought to himself, how did the scent change? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Those ruminations set him on a path towards the art of perfumery. Buffini, who was already in the cosmetics manufacturing business with his company Aroma Firenze, had the connections to readily turn his …

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.”

Christian Louboutin Fragrances

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Shoe designer Christian Louboutin has an uncanny ability to make women desire whatever he creates.  Famous for his red-soled spindly stilettos – inspired by showgirls he admires – Louboutin cracked into the beauty market in 2014 with his Rouge Louboutin Nail Lacquer. Just so that he could have the perfect polish shades match his open-toed creations. The ombre glass bottles come with dramatic caps that resemble a spike, and stiletto heel. Next, came the range of lipsticks that are constantly sold out; even when they cost US$90 a pop. Gorgeously packaged, the lipsticks are shaped to look like bullets with intricate rococo designs.  That’s the appeal of Louboutin’s femme fatale aesthetic: ultra-feminine and sexy  but always a little bit dangerous (and intimidating).  This fall, Louboutin expands his beauty range with three fragrances.  The bottles of twisted ombre glass are beautiful and ornamental as all things Louboutin. Tornade Blonde:  “The scent of love and adventure, a gorgeous red rose lies deep in a bed of sweet violet and cassis. Feminine and potent, animalistic yet floral, Tornade …

Tom Ford Velvet Orchid collection

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I love the idea of a make-up extension line that is inspired by a perfume. There is a cohesiveness in the story line. And if make-up were part of the outfit that a woman slips on before a night out, the fragrance completes it. Tom Ford’s Velvet Orchid EDP was launched in 2014, to complement the house’s iconic Black Orchid EDP.   How the brand describes the scent: “An oriental floral that evolves the carnal grandeur and seductive power of the iconic Tom Ford Black Orchid into an uber-feminine fragrance lavished with notes of cool citrus, dramatic petals, suede accord, and vanilla. Rich, spicy, and intensely floral, it evokes a warm exotic garden. Notes: Orange Blossom, Hyacinth, Jonquil, Cattleya Leopoldii Orchid, Suede Accord, Vanilla Tincture. Lavish. Dramatic. Seductive.” What it smells like to me: Rich and sexy, sweet and musky; suede, relatively intense, warm and womanly. Like the perfume, the new make-up from the Velvet Orchid collection is encased in luxe and hefty, gold and purple packaging. The Velvet Bloom blush is a light pink mauve …

Loewe 001 Woman

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Inspired by the unbearable delicacy of the ‘morning after’, Loewe 001 Woman is part of a duo of fragrances by the brand’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. The Loewe 001 range is the first by the designer. “This is a very personal project for me. I spent alot of time working on it because it’s something I really believe in. Above all, I wanted the fragrance to feel credible, an organic extension of what Loewe stands for today.” The brand says it smells like: “…an upper register of tangerine and bergamot and a sandalwood middle section with lower hints of jasmine and vanilla.” What this EDP smells like to me: vanilla, tonka beans, caramel, balanced with white florals and a hint of musk and suede. Feminine with an edge.