Calvin Klein CK One Summer 2012, Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport & Light Blue Living Stromboli ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 13 June 2012 25 Comments

Calvin Klein CK One Summer 2012, Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport and Light Blue Living Stromboli fragrance bottles

I don’t mind being thought of as the “niche man” at Now Smell This but that doesn’t mean I avoid (or dismiss) mainstream releases. I own and wear mainstream scents (imagine!) Right now, among my 50 or so “summer” perfumes in rotation, fifteen are mainstream. So, it’s time to tackle some of the recent department store launches — two limited editions and another (unnecessary) “sport” fragrance.

Calvin Klein CK One Summer 2012

Calvin Klein CK One Summer 2012 aims for “surfer chic” and “a splash of refreshment… at the beach.” CK One Summer’s fragrance notes include cucumber, mint, lime, bergamot, green apple, rosemary, aquatics, rum, sandalwood, driftwood, ‘sea moss’ and ‘water’ lotus (as opposed to ‘land’ lotus or ‘tree’ lotus? Who writes this stuff?)

CK One Summer begins with sweet, minty cucumber…

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Bois 1920 Oltremare ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 6 June 2012 16 Comments

Bois 1920 Oltremare

Italian niche perfumery Bois 1920 makes several perfumes I enjoy (Vetiver Ambrato, Sandalo e Thé, Sutra Ylang), but the company isn’t known for outré or highly original fragrances. Bois 1920 makes well-formulated, high-quality, good-smelling scents. Recently, Bois 1920 launched a limited edition marine fragrance for men: Oltremare (so limited they didn’t even bother to update their website with any info on the fragrance); Oltremare was made to conjure “the sea breeze,” “the smell of waves” and “the winter sea.”

Usually I don’t pay much attention to aquatic-fragrance launches, but curiosity (how will Bois 1920 tackle an aquatic cologne?) and the recommendations of people I trust made me want to try it. A Now Smell This reader kindly sent me a sample of Oltremare from Santa Barbara, California…an appropriately oceanic locale…

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Father’s Day 2012 ~ scented gift ideas, part 2

Posted by Kevin on 30 May 2012 11 Comments

Day number two of my Father’s Day gift ideas post focuses on fatherly types personified by the likes of Ward Cleaver, Rick Steves, and J.I. Rodale.

Traditionalist

Fathers who still insist on safety razors and shave creams might appreciate the Edwin Jagger Shaving Cream Gift Set ($55) at Luckyscent; the boxed set contains the Edwin Jagger DE89L chrome-lined razor, a 75 ml tube of Edwin Jagger natural shaving cream, two sample sizes of shave creams, and five Derby Safety Razor Blades. Choose between Aloe Vera or Sandalwood shave cream formulas. Another good shave cream at Luckyscent is Crema da Barba Almond Shaving Cream ($10/150g).

Carbon 2 Cobalt black coffee soap is not “prissy” ($8/5 oz bar) and the Gents Shave Kit is also “macho;” it includes a 4.5 oz shaving soap (in a glass tumbler) made with Rhassoul clay and Sierra Nevada Stout Beer, a 5 oz spiced rum body soap, a 1 oz bay rum aftershave, and a pure badger hair shaving brush…

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Father’s Day 2012 ~ scented gift ideas, part 1

Posted by Kevin on 29 May 2012 14 Comments

Father’s Day looms; better get shopping! In choosing gift suggestions for men, I’ve tried to provide a wide variety of choices for different personality types. My father was outdoorsy, sporty, and I’ve included gifts for that sort of guy. I live in an organic-loving town, so I’ve recommended products that are just about free of everything deemed harmful (see tomorrow’s post). I don’t have two-legged children, and my four-legged dependents won’t be buying me anything, but I’d be happy with any gift from my lists. If you’re still looking for a gift, here’s hoping something here will suit you and your father.

The Minimalist

Everyone seems to love the simple designs of Malin+Goetz products. For perfume-adverse dads, ease them into fragrance with the light and bright Rum or Lime tonics (30 ml/$48). On the “hair front,” Malin+Goetz offers the Hair Gift Box with a Peppermint Shampoo and Cilantro Conditioner (8 oz each/$42) or naturally fragranced Hair Pomade (2 oz/$20) with meadowfoam seed oil, cannabis sativa seed oil, soybean, yucca and aloe. (This is a crossover product; see the “Homebody” category tomorrow.)

Mjölk (Milk), based in Toronto, represents Scandinavian and Japanese designers. The concrete shaving kit ($98) includes a shaving dish made from soft concrete, a shaving soap, and traditional beech wood brush with badger hair bristles…

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Cartier Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 23 May 2012 36 Comments

Cartier Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois ad visual

Sometimes I’ve wished for the woody equivalent of a light, clean, citrus Eau de Cologne — Cartier has just answered my wish with Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois, a watery concoction “accented by oud wood.”

Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois includes notes of yuzu, bergamot, violet leaf, violet flower, lavender, musk, patchouli, ambergris and oud wood. That combination of notes sounds a LOT richer than anything you’ll experience. The Cartier image shown at the top of this review is apt; the character of Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois is of aged wood floating in water (this is a simple cologne, nothing that will tire your nostrils or test your perfume I.Q.)

When first applied, Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois gives a nano-second of sharp citrus that immediately leads to a close-to-the-skin aroma of pencil shavings…

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