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Lalique Hommage a l’homme ~ fragrance review

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Lalique Hommage a l'homme

Lalique, in the U.S. anyway, seems to be an almost-forgotten perfume house; the fragrances are hard to find. The first Lalique scent I tried (I believe) was Encre Noire in 2006: I sniffed; I bought; I still adore. Lalique launched Hommage à l’homme* in 2012; it was created to commemorate Lalique’s 20th anniversary as a perfume house. This review deals with the Eau de Toilette version of Hommage à l’homme; I’d love to try the Extrait de Parfum (but realize that’s an almost impossible wish).

Hommage à l’homme goes on liquor-y with sweet violet leaf and candied violet flower notes; the violet leaf is especially sophisticated in this formula…

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DSquared2 Potion for Men & Potion Blue Cadet ~ fragrance reviews

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DSquared2 Potion Blue Cadet advert

Dsquared2 knows where its perfume customers are — Europe. Except for its first fragrances (He Wood and She Wood), DSquared2 perfumes just don’t show up here in the U.S. (or in Canada, if the Vancouver, B.C., Sephora is any indication). Perfume launches are expensive, so why spend money on the U.S. when it doesn’t generate a huge amount of revenue? I’ve gotten used to this situation and can eventually find almost all Europe-only perfume launches I’m interested in at online U.S. discounters (even Amazon.com) or on eBay.

DSquared2’s fragrance aesthetic, for men at least, is usually centered around woods — warm and pungent (He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood, He Wood Silver Wind Wood) or cool and aquatic (He Wood, He Wood Ocean Wet Wood). Potion for Men* falls into the first category; it goes on smelling like a cinnamon cookie, its spiciness enlivened with a drop of mint oil (and perhaps a squirt of angelica). This “cookie” is not too sweet because its aroma is layered with toasty, incense-y, cedar wood. Discreet iris/gentian mingles with all the notes, adding softness to the overall feel of the fragrance…

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Etat Libre d’Orange Bijou Romantique ~ fragrance review

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Etat Libre d'Orange Bijou Romantique packaging

When I read the initial announcement for Etat Libre d’Orange’s release of Bijou Romantique, I had a feeling that I would enjoy this perfume; now that I’ve tried it a few times, I’m happy to say that it has fulfilled all my expectations. Bijou Romantique was developed by perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui (whose earlier Like This is one of my favorite Etat Libre fragrances), and its composition includes notes of bergamot, Italian lemon, pink berries essence, ylang-ylang, sage, iris of Tuscany, EVEE (apparently a molecule from Mane’s laboratories), coconut JE, Haitian vetiver, benzoin, and vanilla.

According to the Etat Libre d’Orange website and other sources, Bijou Romantique’s inspirations are diverse and colorful. They include cameo jewelry; a phrase from the Old Testament, “Her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10); a line from the French writer Alfred de Musset, “J’ai souffert souvent, je me suis trompé quelquefois, mais j’ai aimé” (“I have suffered often, sometimes I have been mistaken, but I have loved,” from On ne badine pas avec l’amour, 1834); and (via Luckyscent) a reference to the cult comic-book series Corto Maltese. Got all that? (If there’s also a sexual double-entendre in the name or concept, as there often is for Etat Libre, I may be missing it.)

So, what do we have inside the bottle…

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