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Browsing by author: Kevin

Home fragrance: Jing Kwan incense

Posted by Kevin on 19 August 2006 12 Comments

Monk burning incense

I’m always amazed at the moods, seasons, plants and flowers that Asian incense can evoke — considering the basic building blocks of most Japanese, Chinese and Korean incense are few (benzoin, frankincense, aloes wood, sandalwood, clove, cinnamon). Jing Kwan (Clear Gaze) incense from Korea is made from all-natural ingredients and contains frankincense, aloes wood, sandalwood and some “secret” spices.

Jing Kwan was formulated by Zen (or “Son” in Korean) monks for use in temples. It was created to aid meditation by calming mental or physical distress. Korean incense, and Buddhism, made their way into Japan in the sixth century, and the aromas and formulations of Korean and Japanese incense are similar, with the focus on sweet, powdery woods and spices…

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Home fragrance review ~ Aveda Shampure candle

Posted by Kevin on 8 August 2006 2 Comments

Aveda Shampure fragrance candleHow often does the fragrance of a shampoo lead to product offshoots? Shampure shampoo is one of Aveda’s best-selling and most lauded products and its success led to the creation of the Shampure candle.

I’ve used Shampure shampoo for years. Though I love the shampoo’s mildness and effect on my hair, it’s the fragrance of the shampoo that keeps me buying. Aveda uses natural oils and essences in its products and Shampure’s fragrance is a combination of over 25 pure flower and plant essences, including: lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, rosemary, peppermint, and orange. Of these notes, ylang-ylang stands out…

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Home fragrance: Diptyque Feuille de Lavande (Lavender Leaf) Room Spray

Posted by Kevin on 15 July 2006 6 Comments

Diptyque Feuille de Lavande room fragranceIs there a room in your house with “bad breath” — a stuffy attic or closet, a damp basement, or maybe a hallway where the dogs sleep, or the nook where the litter box is kept? Even an entire house can suffer from architectural halitosis: a mountain cabin or beach house that’s been closed for months has a stale, musty smell. We’ve all entered a hotel room, inhaled too deeply, and smelled yesterday’s cigarettes and coffee, the previous guests’ hairspray or perfume that’s permeated the carpets, curtains, upholstery.

I have found the perfect “breath freshener” for such malodorous spaces and odeurs — Diptyque’s Feuille de Lavande (Lavender Leaf) Room Spray. It is bracing, astringent and energizing; it zaps the air of staleness…

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Diptyque L’Eau Trois fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 7 July 2006 15 Comments

Diptyque L'Eau Trois fragrance

L’Eau Trois, Diptyque’s third fragrance release, is one of my favorite colognes. It launched in 1975 and has notes of myrrh, myrtle, oregano, cistus, pine, laurel, thyme, and rosemary. L’Eau Trois is described by Diptyque as “the resinous scent of aromatic shrubs from the mountainous coastline of Northern Greece.”

I love the smell of myrrh and it is the main attraction in L’Eau Trois…

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Parfums de Nicolai Vie de Chateau Eau Fraiche fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 5 July 2006 17 Comments

Chateau Cheverny

What makes a life-long Francophile and perfume lover, with fantasies of living in the Loire Valley, sit up and take notice? A fragrance entitled Vie de Château…commissioned by a modern-day count no less — the Comte de Cheverny. Perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï’s aromatic take on aristocratic country living contains notes of: grapefruit, hay, tobacco, patchouli, musk, fern, cut grass, oak moss, vetiver, and leather.

Vie de Château starts off powerful and sweet with notes of grapefruit (think grapefruit lollipops), hay, and to a lesser extent, dried tobacco leaf. It has a “blonde,” sugary, sunny feel. A clean patchouli and minimalist musk are the next notes to appear (within five minutes of application) and they do little to lessen the fruity sweetness of Vie de Château. I do not find the ‘greens’ at all noticeable in this perfume — fern, oak moss, grass and vetiver are barely there. The leather is not apparent either, but Vie de Château is a great layering scent — add your own spice, leather or black tea fragrances to it for added dimension and variety…

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