All posts tagged: Parfum

Top picks from escentials for Holiday 2016

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unnamed, Byredo To mark the 10th anniversary of the Swedish perfume house, its founder Ben Gorham decided on offering its fans a bottle of juice that is open to interpretation. A concoction of  pink pepper notes, gin accord, orris stem, violet, moss and fir balsam. “The names of the BYREDO fragrances often describe the origin of an idea, a thought that leads to a brief presented to the perfumer. With fragrance being completely subjective these names spark the imagination of the perfumer and finally the customer. They each experience the fragrance even before they smell the ingredients in the bottle. We still find it fascinating that people interpret our fragrances in so many ways. To celebrate BYREDO’s 10 year anniversary we created an unnamed fragrance that allows our customers to choose a name meaningful to them, and customize the label of their bottle.” -Ben Gorham The festive fir tree: A lush, pine-laden forest, woody tones of resin, cedar and patchouli       3. A la Rose set, Maison Francis Kurkdjian The A la Rose EDP – …

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 …

Armani Code Profumo

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This new Pour Homme is made to be worn with a sleek tux. Giorgio Armani Parfums: “Alluring, powerful, fiery, the classic Code base of tonka bean has been amplified by a sensual woody-ambery accord and notes of burnt styrax wood.  …The green mandarin essence, crisp green apple and cardamom essence…the freshness continues with aromatic lavender notes and nutmeg essence coloured by … orange blossom at its heart…Warmed by tonka bean absolute with its accents of tobacco…enveloped in a suggestive woody-ambery accord. The supple leather of notes of the styrax essence meld … with praline sweetness.”    My thoughts: I did not get a single whiff of freshness. What hit me immediately is a heavy tonka bean, and ambery sweetness. With just the slightest hint of tobacco.  This eau de parfum is not made for the faint-hearted man; you would need enough confidence and sophistication to wear it. And for sure, it is made to be worn with at least a shirt and pants. This is not your T-shirt and jeans fragrance. And because this perfume …

Hugo Boss Woman Extreme

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To be honest, I don’t usually like the bottled juices of run-of-the-mill luxury labels. They pretty much all smell the same if you ask me. Just because the marketers only want the perfumers to make tried-and-tested accords that they know (or think) will sell, based on past successful blockbusters. Anyway back to Hugo Boss’ latest offering.  It is actually quite good for a regular department store juice. An EDP, here’s what it says on the box: “A boost of freshness and feminity where floral notes collide with revitalising black tea.  Top notes: boosted boysenberry and Himalayan red grass Heart notes: revitalising black tea and jasmine Base notes: feminine osmanthus” — My thoughts: Light and youthful floral with a berry accord that is not sickly saccharine sweet. Probably because a hint of the tea accord lends it some earthiness. Smells better when sprayed on clothes; relatively long-lasting.

How to wear scents

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Spritz and go? A no-brainer right? Not really.     There is an art and science to wearing scents. Especially in humid weather.  Here’s what to note: 💦 Slathering on unscented body lotions first to help a perfume “stick” is one way. But in this hot and humid weather, body creams might be the last thing you want to wear.  An alternative is to let the scent “cling” elsewhere, such as your clothes and hair.  I find that scents hardly last all day on my skin – unless it is super duper expensive such as Frederic Malle’s potions.  A point to note though: spritz scents onto clothes from an arm’s length away. So only tiny droplets settle on your dress or blouse, not a direct spray that leaves behind a splotch that is inpossible to remove (from silks especially). 💦 Imagine the warm spots of your skin as “diffusers”. They are keep the scent molecules wafting towards your nose and others’. 💦 Sprtiz, dab, press; but don’t rub on perfumes. The scent molecules should settle on …

Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial L’eau 

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Guerlain: “Fresh Amber. Delicate, enveloping, crystalline. Shalimar Parfum Initial L’Eau highlights an unexpected concentration of citrus notes, bergamot and neroli. Jasmine blends with the fresh top notes and leaves a delicate, sensual and luminous trail. The vanilla and tonka bean base adds a gourmand almond facet, the very essence of Shalimar. For Shalimar Parfum Initial L’Eau, the Guerlain Perfumer composed a unique jasmine absolute. Jasmine is used in a communelle, a blend of different natural essences. It combines grandiflora jasmine from Grasse, India and Egypt to give a subtle and evanescent character to the fragrance.” My notes: This reinterpretation of the 1925 classic by Jacque Guerlain is a light floral, with hints of the gourmand accord. Although much fresher than the original, it still maintains that old-world glamour character. 

L’Artisan Parfumeur Skin On Skin Eau de Parfum 

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L’Artisan: “Skin on Skin awakens our animalistic instincts – to touch, to get closer, to smell. It merges a sensual iris with a suede, velvet leather. The intertwining of saffron, whisky, lavender and rose, melts into musks and skin effects. A carnal creation to be used without moderation. Notes: Safran, leathery notes, Iris, Musc ” My thoughts: Deep and rich saccharine sweet with the heart of a sensual and musky floral. Classic and rather old-fashioned.

Etat Libre D’Orange Like This Eau de Parfum

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Etat Libre D’Orange: Ginger from Indonesia, pumpkin, tangerine, immortal flower, Moroccan neroli, rose, spicy notes, vetiver, woody notes, musk, heliotrope, carrot seeds, cumin seeds A fragrance by the ethereal Tilda Swinton, inspired by the poet and sage Rumi My thoughts:  So unique. And one of the most beautiful perfumes I’ve ever sniffed. A gourmand fragrance; warm, cosy, aromatic, candied ginger, cinnamon, heady, seductive, musky