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Browsing by tag: citrus

Raw Spirit Winter Oak & Summer Rain ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 17 December 2015 12 Comments

Raw Spirit Summer Rain and Winter Oak brand images

Last week I reviewed Desert Blush and Wild Fire, two fragrances from the new-ish brand Raw Spirit, both inspired by the landscape of the Australian outback. This week I tried Winter Oak and Summer Rain; once again, these fragrances were developed for Raw Spirit by perfumer Harry Fremont, but they refer to seasons in California and Florida, respectively.

Winter Oak is “a smooth, creamy, warming scent” inspired by “the oak-lined trails of the Chumash Lands of California on cool winter mornings.” Its composition includes clary sage, bergamot, pepper, lemon and geranium; saffron, maté, clove bud and olibanum; leather suede, oakwood, oakmoss, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli and musk. It feels more nuanced than the woody Wild Fire…

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Tom Ford Venetian Bergamot ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 19 August 2015 42 Comments

Tom Ford Private Blend Venetian Bergamot1 was just released. (Does anyone know the connection between Venice and bergamot? Me neither.) A nice, but distracted — there was a Seattle Seahawks’ player standing next to me — sales assistant at my local Nordstrom made me a huge sample of Venetian Bergamot, and he let me know it was selling, selling, selling (sotto voce) “…as all Tom’s things do.”

Venetian Bergamot starts with dark bergamot seasoned with pepper, ginger and indistinct, cheap-smelling, “flowers”; the ginger is of the preserved, not fresh, variety. Venetian Bergamot then presents a so-so bergamot-ginger-light floral combo for about an hour on my skin. Then: things turn unexpectedly nasty…

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5 perfumes: (great) new wave summer colognes

Posted by Robin on 24 July 2015 75 Comments

grapefruits

Earlier this week I talked about old school summer colognes. Today’s focus: the modern equivalent. These fragrances aren’t classic Eau de Colognes, but they function in much the same way: they’re light, they’re citrus-y, they’re refreshing in the worst dog days of summer. Bonus: some of the newer models last a bit longer on skin than the classics.

I’ve listed my picks in order of release date. Do add your own picks in the comments!

Guerlain Mandarine Basilic ~ From 2007, this lovely sparkling orange with plenty of herbal bite is the oldest fragrance on today’s list…

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5 perfumes: consider the creamsicle

Posted by Robin on 13 March 2015 74 Comments

Creamsicle

I’ve never been overly fond of the creamsicle (for the uninitiated, it’s a vanilla popsicle covered with a fruit-flavored ice, usually orange).1 Creamsicle perfumes, on the other hand, are a favorite, and they’re perfect for this time of year, when the sun finally comes out and the bulbs start to peek out of the soil — it feels like winter might finally be over (knock on wood) but it isn’t really spring just yet. Until the temperatures reach at least the high 50s (or preferably, the 60s), your favorite summer citrus might not have enough heft, but add some cream and sugar to the mix, and voilà. Spring is just around the corner.

Anné Pliska ~ Anné Pliska is a three season creamsicle…

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Hermes Le Jardin de Monsieur Li ~ fragrance review, with an aside on Rose Amazone

Posted by Robin on 3 March 2015 46 Comments

Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li, brand drawing and bottle

“I remembered the smell of ponds, the smell of jasmine, the smell of wet stones, of plum trees, kumquats and giant bamboos. It was all there, and in the ponds there were even carp steadily working towards their hundredth birthday.” — Jean-Claude Ellena1

Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is the fifth fragrance in the Jardin series from Hermès, and reportedly the last.2 I do not know if it is also the last scent we’ll see from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, but either way, smelling it gave me an advance pang of nostalgia. I will miss Jean-Claude Ellena when he retires.3

Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is an aromatic citrus, reportedly inspired by a Chinese garden. The notes (something like kumquat, mint, jasmine and sap) sounded tantalizing, but as is often the case with Hermès and Jean-Claude Ellena, the juice is not quite what I expected…

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