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Browsing by tag: oriental

Halle by Halle Berry ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 7 April 2009 122 Comments

Halle by Halle Berry fragrance bottleHalle by Halle Berry fragrance advert

Halle by Halle Berry is the debut fragrance from the very popular actress, launching this month under licensing arrangements with Coty. According to Ms. Berry…

[Before my fragrance] I was mixing other brands that shall remain nameless to make my own scent with fig and mimosa. With Halle, I added olibanum, which is an African root, which brings spice to the fragrance, and sandalwood, which smooths everything out and makes it yummy. It’s very sensual, very natural, very much reflective of the outdoors.*

The two nameless fragrances are rumored to be from L’Artisan Parfumeur; if that’s accurate, they’d presumably be Premier Figuier and Mimosa Pour Moi? Olibanum is another word for frankincense, which as any seasoned perfumista knows is a tree resin and not a root, but we needn’t split hairs: Halle is darned good for a celebrity fragrance, especially given the price — Halle is geared towards “mid tier” and mass market stores, so you’ll find it at Kohl’s and Sears instead of Nordstrom and Saks.

Halle opens FRUITY and SWEET (and yes, I’m screaming on purpose), as is very nearly requisite for a celebrity fragrance…

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Bond no. 9 Brooklyn, Ormonde Jayne Zizan ~ brief fragrance reviews

Posted by Robin on 18 February 2009 83 Comments

Bond no. 9 Brooklyn fragrance

Brooklyn, which launches next month, will be Bond no. 9’s 33rd fragrance. As is the case with many of the brand’s recent offerings, the packaging is half the fun; some people objected to the graffiti-covered bottle as a representation of Brooklyn, but I’m in love. Really, Bond ought to start letting their customers choose the bottle they’d like with their favorite fragrance, don’t you think? And as long as we’re dreaming, have all the empty bottles available in, say, 15 ml?

Brooklyn is a unisex fragrance from perfumer Laurent LeGuernec…

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Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare ~ fragrance review

Posted by Angela on 5 January 2009 32 Comments

Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare fragrance

This is a review of Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare. But first, let’s talk for a moment about how men — clean, fresh men — smell.

Some men smell vaguely musty. You walk into their houses or sit next to them on the bus and you know what their laundry baskets smell like. (My theory, based on many years of membership at a food co-op, is that many of the musty men are vegans.) Some men smell intensely personal, like you’re smelling their raw flesh. Smelling this kind of man makes me uncomfortable. It’s too intimate. Other men have a natural tantalizing fragrance that is gently spicy and musky. A whiff of this scent is more intoxicating than a cocktail. To me, Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare smells like that type of man after he’s showered with lavender and bergamot soap…

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Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet & Elixir ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 18 December 2008 35 Comments

Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet

Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet

There are two perfumes for men that I’ve been forced to defend for almost 20 years. Friends, and strangers, to my face, have called these two fragrances “dandyish” “old fashioned” “of another time” and (for me, the worst) “grandfatherly.” There’s nothing wrong with grandfathers; my maternal grandfather was a sweetie who spent his leisure time reading and collecting stamps; he ran a small, country general store, geared more towards small talk and checkers than merchandise, and he smelled of vanilla, pipe tobacco and beagles. What bothers me about the “grandfatherly” adjective when it comes to describing perfume is this: “grandfatherly” implies a scent is passé. What are the two perfumes I’m always ready to defend? Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur and today’s review subject, Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet…

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Amouage Lyric Woman ~ perfume review

Posted by Angela on 30 September 2008 84 Comments

Amouage Lyric Woman

Sometimes it's tempting to compare perfume to music. For instance, Chanel No. 22 smells like singing aldehydes and white flowers with a whispering contralto of sandalwood, vetiver, and incense. Guerlain L'Heure Bleue smells melodic and moody like a Fauré tone poem. Balenciaga named a whole series of its perfumes after forms of music and rhythm: Prélude, Quadrille, and Rumba. And let's not even get started on Valentino Rock 'n Rose. Amouage counted on the natural sympathy between scent and music when it named its latest fragrance “Lyric”.

Amouage describes Lyric Woman (there's also a Lyric Man) as a fragrance in a “lyric-spinto” voice. A lyric-spinto soprano sings with the lightness of a lyric soprano, but with a slightly darker timbre…

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