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Browsing by author: Kevin

L’Occitane Eaux de Provence ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 1 August 2012 51 Comments

L'Occitane Eaux de Provence trio

This summer L’Occitane released Eaux de Provence: three fragrances inspired by “the beautiful fountains that can be found across the villages of southern France, bringing life and refreshment to all.” Sounds lovely…quaint, doesn’t it? Not to me.

When Robin here at Now Smell This asked me to review the Eaux de Provence fragrances, I got the stress-induced stomach ache I always get before visiting a L’Occitane store. I’d just as soon show up at an inner city boxing ring and ask the toughest looking boxer with a freshly blackened eye if he’d mind taking off his briefs so I could try them on as go into L’Occitane and ask for samples. L’Occitane sales people are tough and aggressive (at least at the two stores I visit). They are determined you will buy something if you invade their “turf.” If you ask for a free sample, they look at you as if you’re asking for the clothes off their backs…they are NOT amused. I’ve yet to get a freebie from L’Occitane unless I buy something. Thankfully, on this visit, I needed some honey-scented soap.

Now, to Les Eaux…

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Robert Piguet Casbah, Nasomatto Pardon & Linari Fuoco Infernale ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 18 July 2012 33 Comments

Robert Piguet Casbah, Nasomatto Pardon, Linari Fuoco Infernale fragrance bottles

I do not exaggerate; at this moment, I have SIXTEEN perfumes on my desk that ‘deserve’ reviews…for summer. The best I’ll be able to do (summer is going by fast) is combine these fragrances into four or five reviews; so today I’m writing about three fragrances I like and never got around to reviewing when they were released.

Robert Piguet Casbah

Robert Piguet Casbah (from the Nouvelle Collection and “dedicated” to Morocco) was developed by perfumer Aurélien Guichard and includes notes of cedar, iris, pepper, nutmeg, angelica root, vetiver, tobacco leaf, smoky floral accord and incense.

Casbah is a rich, leather-incense fragrance (it would fit in perfectly with the Comme des Garçons incense line). As I sniff Casbah, I detect pepper, nutmeg, smoke and vetiver (while wearing Casbah, the spice notes sometimes blend with the incense smoke to create the aroma of an exotic, well-spiced dish cooking on a hearth). Casbah is a well-blended incense fragrance; the note that stands out most forcefully is leather (a smooth, semi-sweet leather). As I wear Casbah, I notice a shift from the early “food-y” stage of the fragrance to a more “churchy” incense scent near the end of the perfume’s development…

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Rochas Moustache ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 11 July 2012 38 Comments

Rochas Moustache vintage adverts

Most of us at Now Smell This have ‘suffered’ a Perfume Chain Reaction. Here’s my most recent:

1. I was looking at a glossy book about perfume advertisements and came across some ads for Marcel Rochas Moustache (introduced in 1948-1949);

2. I read that Moustache was formulated by one of my favorite perfumers, Edmond Roudnitska, who worked on the fragrance with his wife, Thérèse;

3. I went to the Rochas website to read about the current formulation and discovered that Moustache has been removed from Rochas’ fragrance line-up; so

4. I researched the fragrance notes online, liked what I read; and

5. I went to eBay to look for a bottle of Moustache;

6. I purchased a 100 ml tester of Moustache without ever sniffing it.

Today, in part 8 of the chain reaction (part 7 was wearing the fragrance for a week) I’m reviewing Moustache…

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By Kilian Water Calligraphy and Bamboo Harmony ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 27 June 2012 36 Comments

By Kilian recently launched its Asian Tales perfume collection; the debut fragrances, Bamboo Harmony and Water Calligraphy, were developed by perfumer Calice Becker, who used iconic symbols of Asian art and culture as inspiration — bamboo/tea and calligraphy/water lily (why not lotus, Ms Becker?) I was looking forward to this new collection and hoping it was truly an ‘Asian-infused’ line and not a line geared toward Asian consumers (who, we are told by marketers, prefer modern, super-light, non-perfume perfumes).

Water Calligraphy

(grapefruit, reseda blossom, water lily, jasmine, magnolia, cardamom, vetiver)

Water Calligraphy begins with sweet citrus and mignonette (fleeting, alas); within seconds of application, a water lily-jasmine-magnolia accord appears (accent on sheer, sugary jasmine). In the quickly arriving heart of the fragrance, Water Calligraphy piles on the aquatics and it reminds me of Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey (all those fresh, watery floral notes). Water Calligraphy is all about clear, clean aquatic notes mixing with white florals…

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Histoires de Parfums Petroleum ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 20 June 2012 47 Comments

gas pump

Admission: I was a clandestine gasoline sniffer. As a child, whenever I filled the gas tank of the lawn mower or outboard motor, I’d save, and sniff, the cotton rags I’d use to mop up the gas can; those gasoline-drenched rags smelled heavenly to me. Enter: Histoires de Parfums Pétroleum (by perfumer Gerald Ghislain). In the Pétroleum PR materials, reference is made to “Black Gold”…and I’m not sure if that’s describing oud or petroleum (both would qualify for that title, I guess, and both aromas are present in Pétroleum).

Pétroleum includes fragrance notes of oud, bergamot, orange, aldehydes, rose, amber, civet absolute, leather, patchouli and white musk; the fragrance opens with strong aldehydes tinged with orange and smooth, almost powdery, leather. As this rather “lush” opening subsides, I detect the “petrol” aspect of the fragrance…

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