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2011 / Browsing by date: April 2011

Maison Martin Margiela Untitled ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 26 April 2011 95 Comments

Maison Martin Margiela UntitledMaison Martin Margiela UntitledMaison Martin Margiela Untitled

Untitled, the debut fragrance from the Diesel-owned fashion house Maison Martin Margiela, launched last year. It took its own sweet time getting to the US, and when it finally got here, it was (and so far as I know, still is) exclusive to Saks, which means it has taken me very nearly forever to try it. And now that I have, well, it’s quite nice but I am not weeping inconsolably over the lost time. (There, now you needn’t read the rest of the review).

The original newsletter from Colette announcing the fragrance noted that it “includes of course the codes of the brand, while cultivating its personality”. I know little enough about the codes of the Maison Martin Margiela brand, other than the obvious: they’re too hip to pander to the sort of consumers who want things like, say, names on their fragrances; they’re fashionably arty; and they do a darned nice minimalist bottle. Vogue helpfully informs me that the “biggest insult to a Maison Martin Margiela runway collection is that it’s wearable.”

The perfume, sorry to say, or perhaps, not sorry to say, isn’t really much of a fit with all that…

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Givenchy Dahlia Noir ~ new perfume

Posted by Robin on 26 April 2011 24 Comments

Givenchy Dahlia Noir

Givenchy will launch Dahlia Noir, a new fragrance named for an imaginary flower and inspired by Givenchy’s haute couture under creative director Riccardo Tisci, in August…

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Puma Jam! ~ new fragrance

Posted by Robin on 26 April 2011 4 Comments

Puma Jam! Man

Puma will launch Puma Jam!, new “fresh and sporty” summer fragrances for men and women, in June. Like last year’s Animagical, the duo will be fronted by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt…

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Online fragrance shopping

Posted by Robin on 26 April 2011 2 Comments

New at luckyscent: By Kilian Arabian Nights travel sprays.

Deal at sabonnyc: get free shipping on orders of $50 or more, no coupon code needed, offer good through 5/1.

Oscar de la Renta Esprit d’Oscar ~ fragrance review

Posted by Angela on 25 April 2011 67 Comments

Oscar de la Renta Esprit d'Oscar

These past few years we’ve seen a number of “modernized” versions of classic fragrances. Some of them, like Yves Saint Laurent Belle d’Opium and Christian Dior Miss Dior Chérie, don’t smell at all like their parent versions. Others, like Chanel No. 5 Eau Première, Estée Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude, and (to go back a few years) Hermès Soie de Calèche are recognizable kin of their forebears. Oscar de la Renta Esprit d’Oscar stands apart from the pack in that it is both clearly related to the original Oscar de la Renta of 1977 and yet has its own personality. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up outselling its parent.

Perfumer Frank Voelkl created Esprit d’Oscar, which launched this month. Esprit d’Oscar’s notes include lemon, bergamot, citron, jasmine, orange flower, tuberose, heliotrope, vetiver, tonka bean, and musk. Although I hadn’t smelled Oscar, the original, in years, Esprit d’Oscar called to mind the original’s tuberose and sandalwood signature right away. But there was something different — softer, lighter, and not as insistent, yet complex and much more than a watered-down version of the original…

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