June is almost over! Rabbits coming up on Tuesday, then Donatella will drop by on Thursday.
Meanwhile, we’re whiling away the weekend with our standard open thread poll. Talk about anything you like — the fragrance you’re wearing today, the fragrance you’ve worn the most so far this summer (or winter), whatever.
Or, ask a question about fragrance, then see if anyone else has asked a question that you can answer…
Comme des Garçons has launched their fifth fragrance in collaboration with Monocle magazine, Scent Five: Syros. (Scent One: Hinoki launched in 2008, followed by Scent Two: Laurel in 2009, Scent Three: Sugi in 2013 and Scent Four: Yoyogi in 2019…)
In the 1950s, botanist Wilhelmina Jashemski identified traces of pollen, spores and plant fossils in the ancient city of Pompeii. The discovery suggested that the site had once been a lush, cultivated garden.
Now, that garden has been restored to its former glory, complete with thousands of roses, ruscus plants, violets, cherry trees and vines, according to a statement from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
— Read more in The 2,000-Year-Old ‘Perfume Garden’ in the Ancient City of Pompeii Has Been Restored to Its Former Glory at Smithsonian Magazine.
As I’m writing this review, a “heat dome” is gathering over my part of the world. What better time to test and review two summer-themed fragrance samples that have been waiting patiently on my desk for weeks? Every year, of course, I emphasize that I’m a heat-hater and sun-avoider who craves salt-air scents and suntan oil-inspired fragrances. These two seemed to fit the bill, but I had more luck with one than the other. Just like a long holiday weekend, a fragrance often lives up to expectations but can fall short in other instances.
Thomas de Monaco is what I think of as a “nouveau niche” brand — I tend to confuse it with a few other companies that have men’s names, vaguely similar backstories, and/or packaging that looks like a love child of Byredo and Nasomatto. However, several people recommended this particular brand to me over the past year or two, so I finally focused on it during a visit to an indie fragrance boutique. I sniffed a few ceramic discs that had been pre-spritzed with de Monaco scents, and the one that captured my interest was Sol Salgado (developed by perfumer Maurus Bachmann, 2023). My initial reaction was, “Ooh, beach-y doll-head!” I don’t recall ever thinking before that a beach-y doll-head perfume was something I needed, but inhaling the scent off that tester disc, I had to refrain from purchasing a bottle on the spot…
Carolina Herrera has launched Cedar Chic, a new unisex woody floral addition to the Herrera Confidential collection…