• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives
Browsing by author: Jessica

Les Parfums de Rosine La Cologne de Rosine ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 30 July 2015 18 Comments

Les Parfums de Rosine La Cologne de Rosine

Today was one of those hot-hazy-and-humid summer days in New York when the air had a palpable, spongy weight, the subway stations could only be described as “infernal,” and every trash receptacle was emitting its own unique stench. As a consequence, everyone was sweaty and miserable, and everyone — including me — was in a bad mood. One of the small comforts of my day was a sample vial of La Cologne de Rosine, the latest release from Les Parfums de Rosine, which refreshed me at a moment when I couldn’t have tolerated my usual powdery or spicy-sweet floral fragrances.

La Cologne de Rosine is a rose-tinted interpretation of a traditional Eau de Cologne, with notes of bergamot, mandarin, rose, freesia, violet, white musk, cedar and amber. It was developed for Rosine by perfumer Nicolas Bonneville. If you’ve read Robin’s recent posts on “old school” and “new wave” summer colognes, you may be in the mood to break out your own favorite colognes, regardless of the weather…

Read the rest of this article »

Tocca Isabel ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 23 July 2015 41 Comments

Park Güell, Barcelona

Isabel is the latest in Tocca‘s collection of feminine-named fragrances, and its scent-personality is described this way: “A chic city girl from Barcelona, Isabel is an unconventional yet remarkable beauty. Like her hometown, she is eclectic, unpredictable and captivating.” Isabel includes top notes of bergamot, Mediterranean orange, pear and sangria accord; middle notes of Spanish rose, leather, vetiver and Turkish rose petals; and base notes of guaiacwood, amber and vanilla.

I’ve tried a fair number of Tocca’s perfumes, and they tend to fall into two categories for me: ones that I like and then can’t remember much about later, and ones that are complete scrubbers for me…

Read the rest of this article »

Jul et Mad Les White (Nea, Nin-Shar & Garuda) ~ short fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 16 July 2015 9 Comments

Jul et Mad Les White

Jul et Mad recently launched Les White, a trio of fragrances inspired by ‘distant locales and long-ago civilizations’. I’ve been a fan of this niche brand since Jul et Mad released its debut trio three years ago, so I was naturally curious about these new perfumes that venture beyond France and New York in their inspirations.

Néa is meant to evoke the opulence of the “Golden Age in Byzance,” with notes of date, davana, pomegranate, palm leaf, black pepper, jasmine, rose, plum, patchouli, cashmeran, vanilla, benzoin, caramel, tonka bean, ambroxan and musk. It was developed for Jul et Mad by perfumer Luca Maffei. Néa starts with the date note, and it’s chewy-sweet but not overwhelmingly so…

Read the rest of this article »

Marc Jacobs Mod Noir ~ fragrance review, and a quick poll question

Posted by Jessica on 9 July 2015 42 Comments

Marc Jacobs Mod Noir

Mod Noir is the latest fragrance release from designer Marc Jacobs (through a licensing deal with Coty), and it’s being billed as “bold, modern, unique – a chic juxtaposition of classic and contemporary.” It was developed by perfumer Jean-Claude Delville, and its composition includes clementine, yuzu and green notes; waterlily, magnolia, gardenia and tuberose; and musk, orange blossom and nectarine. It’s supposed to balance “sophisticated” and “lush” aspects with “dewy” and “sparkling” notes, just as its bottle contrasts black against white.

I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a Marc Jacobs fragrance here — Robin usually does the honors — but I’ve smelled most of them in stores, and I find them pleasant enough, but too safe and youthful for me to covet. Mod Noir, with its white-floral concept and its graphic bottle design, seems to skew a bit older than Lola or Dot, or most (if not all) of Jacobs’s recent fragrances…

Read the rest of this article »

Gabriella Chieffo Lye, Hystera & Ragu ~ short perfume reviews

Posted by Jessica on 2 July 2015 7 Comments

Gabriella Chieffo Ragù and Lye

I recently reviewed two fragrances (Acquasala and Camaheu) from Gabriella Chieffo, a niche perfume line based in Italy. This week I tested the remaining three, all released in 2014: Lye, Hystera and Ragù. Yes, let’s get those names out of the way: they don’t necessarily transfer well into an English-language context. I tried to concentrate on the actual fragrances, instead.

Lye is inspired by memories of laundry day: “The smell of the sun drying the clothes just hung out…Ash, like alpha and omega, become real protagonists in this fragrance. Lye, used once to whiten, to clean, dramatically returns to our fragrance memory, evoked by a unique and absolute scent.” This fragrance includes notes of bergamot, lemon, incense, iris, leather, patchouli, opooponax and vanilla. It’s described as “woody” and “spicy,” but that doesn’t sound quite right to me…

Read the rest of this article »

« Newer articles
Older articles »

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

6 January ~ damage poll

31 January ~ winter reading poll

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2026 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.