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Browsing by author: Jessica

Top 10 Winter Fragrances 2017

Posted by Jessica on 20 January 2017 49 Comments

I tried not to get too Grinch-y over the holidays, and I did pretty well, considering the world events of late 2016 plus the fact that I was suffering occasional bouts of Instagram ennui. So many exotic vacations, so many artful table settings, so many #thankful embraces scrolling past my eyes; you may know what I mean.

I’m happy with my own lot in life, truly, but sometimes I worry — not on my own behalf, but on yours, dear readers. My taste in perfume may be glamorous, but my life is pretty quiet. I hate to let you down. Still, rather than fabricate some picture-perfect fantasy life, I’ll just come clean and share my own mundane activities, with the fragrances that I wear to dress them up a bit.

Just a regular day at the office: Byredo Rose Noir. This was my most-worn fragrance of 2016, because it’s a “no brainer” for me: a blend of citrus, rose and modern patchouli that doesn’t come on too strong. It’s my olfactory equivalent of my many basic black dresses…

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Ellis Brooklyn Rrose ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 12 January 2017 28 Comments

Belle Haleine Man Ray

As a New York City local, I’ve enjoyed observing the growing wave of independent fragrance lines based in the borough of Brooklyn. CB I Hate Perfume may have been one of the earlier and better-known names to set up shop, but now there are enough options to suit various tastes. One relative newcomer is Ellis Brooklyn, founded by Bee Shapiro, a former corporate lawyer and current beauty writer for The New York Times. I recently received a sample of Ellis Brooklyn’s Rrose in a Sephora order and gave it a try.

Rrose is a rose-centered “olfactive ode to Rrose Sélavy (a pun of Eros, C’est la Vie), the feminine alter ego of the author, artist and provocateur Marcel Duchamp.” It was developed for Ellis Brooklyn by perfumer Jérôme Epinette…

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Andrea Maack Soft Tension & Dual ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 5 January 2017 8 Comments

Foggy Iceberg at Glacier Lagoon

Soft Tension and Dual are the two latest releases from Andrea Maack, an Icelandic multimedia artist who established an independent perfume line in 2011. Both are inspired by Icelandic landscapes. Soft Tension is a “sensual white musk inspired by a thick mysterious fog,” and Dual is “inspired by the calming water of the natural hot springs in the Icelandic highlands” and “mimics the feeling of fresh water on the skin and the intense color spectrum surrounding the hot spring lagoons.”

I’ve never traveled to Iceland, but I’ve heard fascinating accounts from friends who’ve been there. Would Soft Tension and Dual provide an olfactory substitute for a Nordic getaway? I tried Soft Tension first…

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Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Dark Moon ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 29 December 2016 5 Comments

moon

2016 is winding down to its close, and I’ve just tried Dark Moon, this year’s holiday fragrance from indie perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. It’s named for one of the phases of the moon: according to Hurwitz, “The Dark Moon signals a new beginning… This Holiday Season, the New Moon/Dark Moon comes just after the winter solstice and in the northern hemisphere, the darkest day of the year.” So it’s timely, and heaven knows I’ve been eating more than my share of chocolate lately, which makes Dark Moon a perfect pick for my review this week.

Hurwitz describes Dark Moon as a “chocolate chypre” with notes of red wine, dark chocolate, bergamot, spice, jasmine, rose, resins, vanilla, and oak moss. Intrigued? Yes, me too…

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Dasein Winter Nights ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 22 December 2016 12 Comments

Safe in the woods

I began writing this review on Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day and longest night of 2016. What better occasion to review a fragrance called Winter Nights? This unisex scent from indie house Dasein includes notes of “coastal forest, driftwood bonfire, cardamom tea, lavender flowers and wild musk” and was developed as a collaboration between Dasein perfumer Sam Rader and Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors.

Dasein is based in Los Angeles, and its fragrances are all inspired by the seasons of the California landscape…

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