Watkins is a company best known to me for their baking products, so imagine my surprise when I ran across their gourmand bath and body line while browsing the drugstore aisles one day. I figured that it was well worth testing however, since who better to create such products than the makers of my favorite vanilla extract, and sure enough, the line did not disappoint.
I adored the Vanilla Dry Oil Spray ($11.99 for 4 oz), a great moisturizer with a rich, deep bourbon-y vanilla scent…
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz introduced Piment et Chocolat in 2003. The fragrance features notes of black pepper, paprika, pimento, red chili, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, cocoa beans and chocolate. It starts with sweet chocolate and very strong, almost sneeze-worthy pepper notes. As it dries down, the sweetness largely disappears, and the initial kick from the pepper is tempered by the other spices; just enough red chili remains to add some heat. The end result is a warm, almost dusty combination of spices and dry cocoa.
It strikes a nice balance — it is foody, but not candied, and softer than the notes might indicate. It is a cozy kind of fragrance, perfect for a cold winter night spent by the fire. But it is in the Parfums des Beaux Arts line, and it isn’t cheap: 1/3 oz of Eau de Parfum is $60, 1 oz is $135. I like it, but after three tries, I don’t adore it enough to pay the price…
Chandler Burr has an article about Aedes, the West Village niche fragrance boutique, in yesterday's New York Times. Thanks to Laura for the link.
And Hannah Betts has an article about the Clive Christian fragrance line (and other things) in the UK Times Online. Thanks to Marcello for that one.
What if you love the perfume, but hate the celebrity who is marketing it? Columnist Jennifer Byrne of the Philadelphia Inquirer can't bring herself to purchase a Celine Dion scent (link to article no longer working, sorry!).
Yves Saint Laurent will launch another limited edition of their In Love Again fragrance in early 2006: In Love Again Jasmin Etoilé. With mandarin, anise, cassis, starfruit, jasmine, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla. (via parfumessence)
New from Parfums de Rosine: Rose de Feu, a fragrance with notes of orange, ylang-ylang, magnolia, cardamom, spiced-bread accord with cinnamon and brown honey, rose, jasmine, white musk, sandalwood, vanilla, amber, patchouli and vetyver. Available at Liberty in the UK or at first-in-fragrance in Germany. Update: Parfums de Rosine Rose de Feu was created by perfumer Francois Robert, and is a spicy floral…
For A., can anyone think of a fragrance similar to Kiehl's Musk oil, but without any synthetic ingredients?