Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
Browsing by author: Kevin

Penhaligon’s The Tragedy of Lord George & Much Ado About the Duke ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by on 27 Comments

Penhaligon's Tragedy of Lord George bottle cap

The Penhaligon’s Portraits Chapter 1 collection includes two perfumes for women and two for men. Today I’m reviewing the men’s offerings: The Tragedy of Lord George and Much Ado About the Duke. I dutifully sniff any Penhaligon’s perfumes that come my way (I never go to any trouble to seek them out); I don’t feel excitement when the company announces a new perfume because, with a few exceptions (and no matter the perfumer) Penhaligon’s perfumes lack pizazz and many recent Penhaligon’s releases are downright wishy-washy in character. And now we have an “aristocracy” collection, or chapter…

Read the rest of this article »

Arquiste El ~ fragrance review

Posted by on 24 Comments

Arquiste Él brand image

Arquiste Él’s1 backstory is based in 1970’s Acapulco, at Armando’s Le Club:

Nighttime at Acapulco’s sultriest disco. Revelry on the dance floor. In the heat of the moment, he smiles coyly and motions to the beach outside, hinting at a midnight swim. He unbuttons his shirt, flashing bronzed skin and the scent of his cologne, a virile muskiness loaded with patchouli, oak moss and elegant woody notes. A masculine impression of a day under the sun, intensified by the thrill of the night.

If a guy started undressing in a club after motioning to the beach…it would give me pause…

Read the rest of this article »

Fig Leaf Syrup (or Jelly) ~ recipe

Posted by on 7 Comments

fig leaves 1

I enjoy making fig jam in late summer (especially rich Mission Fig jam), but fruit isn’t the only culinary ingredient a fig tree yields — fig leaves make an unusual syrup that’s perfect for glazing savory and sweet foods (it’s a nice alternative to maple syrup for pancakes, too). My recipe below presents you with two options: liquid fig leaf syrup or fig leaf jelly. If you want jelly, all you need to do is set the syrup with pectin in step no. 6 below and use jars instead of bottles…

Read the rest of this article »

Cartier L’Envol ~ fragrance review

Posted by on 36 Comments

French postal card showing Santos Dumont flying the 14 bis

Cartier just launched L’Envol (the flight). If you read about the fragrance online, you’ll see it compared to the scents of mead and ambrosia; there’s even a connection with one of Louis Cartier’s favorite people, aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. Santos-Dumont has a Cartier watch and perfume named after him, and you may have seen “him” (wearing his Cartier watch) in the beautiful L’Odyssée de Cartier film (he’s the guy in the sky bringing the leopard back to Paris).

I got a kick out of L’Envol’s sample card’s wording, which shows even super-rich companies fall short in PR and translation: ‘”Un nectar aérien et boisé. Une potion de vie pour prendre son envol” was translated as “An airy and woody nectar. A life potion for men to take off.”1 After spraying on L’Envol, I didn’t want to take it off; I wanted to spray on more…

Read the rest of this article »

Sarah Jessica Parker Stash SJP ~ fragrance review

Posted by on 64 Comments

Sarah Jessica Parker Stash SJP brand image

I forgive Stash many things:

1. its name (to me, “Stash” doesn’t jibe with the advertising or bottle);

2. the fact I could only smell Stash at Ulta Beauty (I went to two Ulta stores in order to get a sample of Stash. At Ulta No. 1 the S.A. said: “Uh, nope, we have Stash but not a tester bottle…I have a bottle here I’m making into a tester.” Me: “Can I sniff it?” S.A.: “I’m making a tester…SOON.” She chuckled and moved on. The store was empty.

3. Sarah Jessica Parker (whose roles never resonate with me). SJP: hie thee to a desert, strip your face of all makeup and play a character with little money and no “wardrobe;” perhaps a graveyard-shift nurse who also runs an animal rescue farm near Albuquerque with her lazy-ass teen sons and bitch of a mother…Sissy Spacek? Kathy Bates?

I admit I didn’t have much hope for Stash…

Read the rest of this article »

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