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Browsing by tag: kerosene

Top 10 Winter Fragrances 2016

Posted by Robin on 22 January 2016 74 Comments

Mikhail Vrubel, The Snow Maiden, detail

I am on record, here and elsewhere, as hating winter. The forecast for this weekend — snow, snow, and then more snow — just adds insult to injury. I’ve mostly managed to avoid the winter rotation in our seasonal Top 10 lists, but I did get stuck with it back in 2011, and reviewing that list, yes, I could easily go through the winter with just those 10 (and I am convinced I could make it through any winter with just Fendi Theorema, if I had to).

To avoid repetition with my 2011 list and the winter lists we’ve done since, I decided to come up with a cold-weather wardrobe based solely on newer fragrances…and then once I’d decided on my 10, I realized, too late, that this post is essentially an abridged and annotated version of the Best of 2015. So much for good intentions. If you have some new ideas for winter, do comment! And do check out the lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc and The Non-Blonde…

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Kerosene Broken Theories ~ fragrance review & a quick poll

Posted by Robin on 25 September 2015 59 Comments

Kerosene Broken Theories

I almost reviewed Kerosene’s new Broken Theories alongside The Different Company’s Le 15 on Wednesday— they have little enough in common otherwise, but both scents went into my (imaginary) “incense box” just as soon as I smelled them. And the respective juices fit nicely into the (other imaginary) boxes you’d expect: Le 15 is smooth and sophisticated, and perfectly plausible as an anniversary fragrance of an established (and expensive) niche brand. Broken Theories is indie, and it’s not particularly smooth, and it’s about, well, broken theories, or existential dread, or garden-variety anxiety-induced insomnia, or somesuch…

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Kerosene Broken Theories ~ new fragrance

Posted by Robin on 4 September 2015 4 Comments

Kerosene Broken Theories

Indie line Kerosene will launch Broken Theories, a new unisex fragrance, next month…

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Kerosene Unknown Pleasures ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 27 August 2015 18 Comments

Side street, Manchester

The Michigan-based indie fragrance line Kerosene released Unknown Pleasures in 2013. I first read about this fragrance with mixed emotions. The notes sounded appealing — Earl Grey tea, lemon, bergamot, honeycomb, tonka bean, caramel, vanilla and waffle cone. On the other hand — could it really be an homage to an iconic album by British post-punk group Joy Division? Yes, apparently: Kerosene’s product description continues, “You’re walking down a cold street in Manchester, listening to Joy Division, sipping on a warm cup of London Fog…”

For two years I’ve postponed trying this fragrance, partly because Kerosene isn’t widely available, and partly because I’m always hesitant to try anything inspired by a favorite work of art. Unknown Pleasures was integral to my college years and twenties, playing on steady rotation in my various dorm rooms and apartments (all decorated with a large poster of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis). I love everything the band recorded…

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Top 10 Spring Fragrances 2015

Posted by Robin on 10 April 2015 59 Comments

orange tulip

At last, spring! It’s taken long enough, and if your local weather has been anything like mine, you might be wondering if winter is not quite done playing games with you yet. Here are 10 perfumes (and another 10+ alternatives, because everyone needs choice, right?) to cover the full range of (crazy) spring weather, from boots to sandals and back again. As always, do add your own picks in the comments, or go read the lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Perfume Posse and The Non-Blonde.

Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk: When I reviewed Forest Walk, I said you could wear it year-round but that the outdoorsy blend of earthy notes and pine-y woods was perfect for chilly fall evenings. Turns out it suits a brisk spring night just as well…

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