Italian niche brand Blood Concept has launched Red +MA, a new unisex fragrance…
Etat Libre d’Orange Secretions Magnifiques ~ fragrance review
Sécrétions Magnifiques burst (seeped? dripped? spurted?) onto the perfume scene in 2006. Though I’ve been intrigued by many Etat Libre d’Orange perfume descriptions, I’ve not had any luck with the fragrances. The perfumes are usually rather mild compared to their PR claims, names and artwork. On its packaging, Je suis un Homme features a handgun with the barrel in the shape of a firm penis, but it smells like Hermès Bel Ami — calm, reserved and a tad conservative. The woman Rossy de Palma is bold and quirky; her eponymous Etat Libre d’Orange fragrance is an Eau d’Italie Paestum Rose clone. Tom of Finland? About as raunchy as an éclair. Belatedly, I’ve found that Sécrétions Magnifiques does live up, in part, to its name (keep the sécrétions, nix the magnifiques).
Breast milk, blood and semen are but a few of the ‘inspirations’ for Sécrétions Magnifiques. Nourishment, preservation and orgasm comprise the Sécrétions Magnifiques manifesto; the perfume salutes the human body and its fluids…
Comme des Garcons Wonderwood ~ fragrance review
The short film that the Brothers Quay made to promote the new Comme des Garçons fragrance, Wonderwood, opens with the words “Someone who loved wood more than words can say…”, and Comme des Garçons describes the fragrance as a “positive overdose of woods, woody notes and synthetic wood construction (wood gone mad)”. They’re not kidding. Have they not yet made the fragrance that screamed WOOD loud enough to suit you? Then do try Wonderwood.
Wonderwood was developed by perfumer Antoine Lie, and it includes all the wood notes a wood freak could ask for, plus some spices to liven things up: Madagascan pepper, bergamot, incense, nutmeg, cristalon (a floral fruity note with rosy, plum and apple nuances), cashmeran, gaiacwood, cedar, caraway, javanol (sandalwood), sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli and oudh. What is smells like, mostly, is — you guessed it — wood…
Comme des Garcons Wonderwood ~ new fragrance
Next up from Comme des Garçons will be Wonderwood, due to launch in late June:
An evocation of exuberance…
Comme des Garcons + Daphne Guinness Daphne ~ fragrance review
For me this will be the winter of Comme des Garçons Daphne Eau de Parfum. Within half an hour of a dab from a sample tube, I was at my computer ordering a bottle, budget be damned. Its warmth, complexity, and femme fatale vibe were irresistible. At the same time, I think hordes of perfume enthusiasts will detest Daphne. Its sweet thickness might drive comparisons to marshmallow fluff and talcum powder. But I’m smitten.
Perfumer Antoine Lie created Daphne using notes of bitter orange, incense, saffron, rose centifolia, Tunisian jasmine, tuberose, iris, patchouli, oud, amber, and vanilla. Essentially, Daphne is an oriental scent featuring tuberose with all the baroque fixings. It’s named for Daphne Guinness, a British celebrity who seems to have earned her fame mainly through eccentric chic and a prominent family.
Daphne opens with bitter orange and tuberose…