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Vilhelm Parfumerie Chicago High & Imaginary Authors The Soft Lawn Edition 2.0 ~ fragrance reviews

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This news item hasn’t received the attention it might have attracted at a less fraught moment in history: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel The Great Gatsby has entered the public domain in 2021. (Just in time for us to realize that our own Twenties might not be quite as Roaring as we hoped — at least, not yet, thanks to Covid-19.) Over the past ninety-five years, The Great Gatsby has given rise to dozens of adaptations in all media. (Do you have a favorite film version of this novel? I don’t.) Even a few perfumes have attempted to capture the spirit of this classic book, with Vilhelm Parfumerie’s Chicago High joining the group in 2020.

I wondered about Chicago High’s inspiration when I read this description…

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Floraiku In the Rain, Regime des Fleurs Rock River Melody, The Observer Collection Homesick. ~ fragrance reviews

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I’ve mentioned before that I’m a city-dweller and a homebody with a very low degree of wanderlust. However, after the forced confinement of 2020 and early 2021, I felt the need to escape my urban surroundings and my daily routine for a few days. A few days at an inn in a wooded riverside landscape turned out to be just what I needed; even two hours’ travel from New York, there’s enough greenery and quiet solitude to shift my perspective.

Returning to my metropolitan perch, I found myself reaching for a few nature-themed, “green”-heavy fragrances that I’d gathered into a little pile earlier in the summer. They’ve been helping me to extend that outdoorsy mood a little longer, even as I settle down at my laptop with my window view of adjacent apartment buildings. Here are three I can recommend for sensory refreshment and mental wanderings…

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Thierry Mugler Aura ~ fragrance review

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Mugler Aura brand image

Aura is the latest pillar from Thierry Mugler (I know, I know, it’s Mugler now, not Thierry Mugler, but my brain is not quite ready to make the switch). I have an ambivalent relationship with the brand’s feminine pillar fragrances. Their debut fragrance, 1992’s Angel, was a masterpiece, but not one I want to wear. I really like a few of the flankers, though, and have almost bought Angel Liqueur de Parfum any number of times. I thought Angel Eau Sucrée was fun and I thought Angel Muse was fantastic, but I didn’t buy either of those either.

The success of Angel is often attributed to its unusual (at the time) overdose of patchouli and candy; Alien followed in Angel’s footsteps with an overdose of jasmine, vanilla and cashmeran. I did not love Alien but I didn’t really hate it either. If I had found it more appealing than I did, I probably would have tried more of the flankers…

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2 for Tuesday ~ Nomenclature Shi_so & Cire Trudon Deux

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Quick reviews of two niche variations on green: Nomenclature Shi_so and Cire Trudon Deux (II).

Nomenclature Shi_so

Nomenclature Shi_so

I am rather late with this one — Shi_so is exactly the sort of crisp and light fragrance that comes in handiest in high summer. Like the others in the Nomenclature line, it’s highlighting a synthetic aromachemical, in this case, glycolierral, which is meant to capture crushed ivy leaves…

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Rodin 3 ~ fragrance review

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Rodin 3

A few years ago, I spotted Linda Rodin walking briskly along Christopher Street in Manhattan. She looked slim and energetic, clad in minimalist black (including dark sunglasses), with her silver hair pulled back in a twist and her smile accented by shocking pink lipstick. I admired her style, and I privately regretted (not for the first time) that I just couldn’t enjoy her signature Olio Lusso facial oil. My skin likes its formula, but my nose detests its raw, indolic jasmine scent.

When Rodin released her first fragrance, Rodin Perfume, I skipped it because it was supposed to smell just like Olio Lusso. (Shudder.) Her second fragrance, Bis, somehow escaped my notice. Her most recent launch, Rodin 3, caught my attention with its promise of being “a personal throwback to her favorite breezy, fresh scents of the 1970s. . .lingering gently with a touch of nostalgia.” I added it to my sample order list…

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