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Browsing by author: Kevin

Surrender to Chance Surrender & Coldwater Canyon ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 21 January 2015 6 Comments

hyrax

All it took for me to be interested in Surrender (the new perfume from sample/decant retailer Surrender to Chance) was learning it contained petrified hyrax urine (hyraceum).1 It didn’t hurt that Surrender was developed by perfumer AbdesSalaam Attar (Dominique Dubrana) of La Via del Profumo (one of my favorite perfume lines).

Surrender

(jasmine absolutes, licorice, carrot, myrrh, gourmand notes and hyraceum)

If anyone reads “petrified hyrax urine,” cringes, and marks Surrender off his perfumes-to-try list…DON’T! It’s an interesting fragrance…

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Hiram Green Shangri La ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 14 January 2015 21 Comments

Hiram Green Shangri La

I’ve never believed in Santa Claus, Sasquatch, the Loch Ness monster or Shangri La. If Shangri La is hidden somewhere “out there,” it’s now probably suffering from drought or too much rain, and hotter-than-usual temperatures. I see the appeal of a hidden paradise, an exotic, clean, beautiful, calm retreat. But if all that were true…Shangri La would be a people-free zone. And in Hiram Green’s newest perfume, Shangri La,1 people seem absent; only plants and animals thrive and produce aromas.

Shangri La opens with strongly acidic citrus: green in tone; the perfume becomes tarter still with almost-ripe peach…

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DSquared2 Wild ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 7 January 2015 29 Comments

DSquared2 Wild advert

When it comes to the new DSquared2 Wild perfume for men, I broke many of my rules for reviewing: I fell for advertising and the list of (supposed) fragrance notes, and I ordered expensive samples…from Germany…because the scent is not widely available in the U.S. (are DSquared2 perfumes EVER eagerly anticipated here?)

I feel most ashamed for believing the fragrance would be “…a raw roll in the hay — the whole idea is to be a bit raw.” Look at the horse in the ads, summoning aroma-ideas of sweat, leather, hay…neighing in the video starring the wild-man model Robin Here at NST(TM) awarded the best abs in perfume ads for 2014. I was swayed by Wild’s list of enticing notes: humus, neo-labdanum (NEO!), vegetable amber, santolina, opoponax, and resins galore.1 With “all that,” how could Wild NOT live up to its promises…

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Bruno Fazzolari Au Dela Narcisse des Montagnes ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 17 December 2014 7 Comments

narcissus
When I read perfume descriptions these days my eyes (usually) begin to tire and a nap seems a better use of my time; rarely do descriptions of perfumes come close to what’s in the bottles. But the mention of certain notes shakes me awake and rouses my interest: notes like rosewood, hay, camphor, myrrh…and narcissus, perhaps my favorite scent of springtime.

Au Delà Narcisse des Montagnes (containing narcissus absolute)1 was created by indie perfumer (and artist) Bruno Fazzolari.2 The fragrance starts with a punch of furry and vibrant oak moss.

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Bvlgari Man in Black, Nasomatto Blamage & Commes des Garcons Wonderoud ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 10 December 2014 29 Comments

Bvlgari Man in Black advert

2014 is drawing to a close (this year really didn’t “register” for me…as late as last month I wrote “2013” on a personal check)! In an effort to wrap-up some reviews before Christmas, and 2015, I’m tackling three fragrances this week.

Bvlgari Man in Black

Bvlgari recently launched Bvlgari Man in Black — a flanker to 2010’s Bvlgari Man (and let’s not forget Bvlgari Man Extreme either). I was excited about Man in Black for one reason: its notes list1 included…TUBEROSE!

Man in Black goes on smelling sweet…

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