Belgian researchers report the enticing aroma of chocolate inspired bookstore shoppers to stick around longer, and boosted sales of certain genres.
— Read more at Chocolate: The Scent That Could Save Struggling Bookstores at The Inquisitr.
La Via del Profumo Milano Caffe ~ fragrance review
If I could live in many places all at once, I’d start my day in Naples…or Venice…or Rome…so I could sip several cups of espresso with breakfast. I live in Seattle and, yes, I can get some great coffee here, but none that matches the distinctive flavor of the cups of coffee I’ve enjoyed in Italy. And I can assure you, there is NO cafe in Seattle that compares to the grand Italian coffee houses you’ll find from Turin to Syracuse.
La Via del Profumo (also known as AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo) just released Milano Caffè. Perfumer Dominique Dubrana wasn’t born in Italy, but moved there from France over 25 years ago. He is celebrating his adopted homeland with five “Italian” fragrances, paying homage to the cities of Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence and Naples. Milano Caffè was the first release in the Italian line. Dubrana said: “This perfume, named for Milan, is centered on the omnipresent and most characteristic smell of the city, the aroma of coffee…
Jo Malone Bitter Orange & Chocolate ~ fragrance review and a quick chocolate perfume poll
Jo Malone’s new limited edition Sugar & Spice collection, inspired by “quintessential British pudding” flavors,1 has much in common with their last limited edition2 collection, 2011’s Tea Fragrance Blends — this is a quintet of mostly sheer, food oriented (but not over-the-top gourmand) fragrances. They’re relatively linear and relatively clean, and can be easily layered or worn alone.
I smelled all five on paper, and immediately dismissed four of them as not my thing. Lemon Tart and Ginger Biscuit were too pale and quiet to interest me at all — a quick spritz of Ginger Biscuit (I really wanted to like Ginger Biscuit) on skin was interesting for all of 2 minutes. If the two stores I visited were any indication, those two are also the biggest sellers of the collection, which shows how perfectly Jo Malone knows their customer base — “they’re so clean and fresh”, enthused the sales associate who helped me at one store. Redcurrant & Cream was more attractive than I expected, but ultimately not me; Elderflower & Gooseberry, I’m sorry to say, I’ve already forgotten.
So that leaves Bitter Orange & Chocolate…
Sweets for the sweet: five chocolate bars, two teas
We haven’t talked about chocolate around here in a good long time, so in honor of Valentine’s Day, here are quick reviews of five chocolate bars. Plus two Kusmi teas just because. Do share any of your own chocolate or tea favorites in the comments!
MarieBelle Dark Chocolate Banana (65% cacao)
This is a spendy New York brand that reportedly makes great hot chocolate, but I’ve never tried any of their products except this admittedly sort of strange bar. Numerous little bits of dried banana translate into an oddly bumpy exterior similar to a puffed rice chocolate bar, and lend a satisfying chewy-crunchy texture. I frequently complain that bars don’t have enough “additives”, but this one arguably doesn’t have enough room left for the chocolate — chocolate purists would probably not like it, but then, chocolate purists probably wouldn’t like any of my favorite bars…
Thierry Mugler Angel Taste of Fragrance / Angel Gout du Parfum ~ fragrance review
I know, I know, we’re all sick of flankers, right? The worst case scenario — maybe, the most common scenario — is a trite variation on a fragrance that wasn’t all that imaginative or important to begin with, followed by two or three or eleven more, evenly spaced over the coming months and years, whether the world needs them or not. Eventually, inevitably, we get the flankers of flankers, with their vaguely ridiculous names as though they just could not stop themselves — Victoria’s Secret Sexy Little Things Noir Tease Temptation, seriously?
But then there are those rare cases where we get creative and just-plain-fun twists on iconic fragrances. Props to Thierry Mugler on that score; they’ve done a great job over the years. The “Pure” series of A*Men flankers (Pure Coffee, Pure Malt, Pure Havane) have been highly enjoyable, and have accomplished exactly what flankers ought to accomplish: they’ve made me appreciate the original A*Men all the more. The Angel Garden of Stars series (Peony Angel, Lily Angel, Violet Angel and Rose Angel) did the same for many people, but did not manage to break through my long-standing dislike of the original Angel. Then lo and behold, they got me too, first with Angel La Part des Anges and then with the similar (and more affordable) Angel Liqueur de Parfum. If you had told me five years ago that they’d ever make an Angel I wanted to own, I’d have shaken my head in disbelief.
Now they’ve done it again…