Bois 1920 Sutra Ylang ~ perfume review

Posted by Angela on 22 December 2008 22 Comments

Bois 1920 Sutra Ylang fragrance

I don’t know about you, but most of the fragrances in my stash have definite personalities. So, by instinct I arrange the mild florals together, not far from the aldehyde-heavy fragrances, and then put the insistent florals on another shelf near the green chypres where they’ll get along. The woody scents and leather hang out together not far from some of the vintage divas, and the 1980s blockbusters party by themselves on another shelf altogether. That way, bossy Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum doesn’t scare the wildflowers out of the gentle Caron Fleurs de Narcisse, and Dana Tabu’s trashy intensity won’t freak out the happy-go-lucky Guerlain Chamade. Bois 1920 Sutra Ylang is one of the rare fragrances that could be at home just about anywhere in my perfume cabinet…

Read the rest of this article »

Montale Red Aoud & Agallocha Tedallal Homme ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 18 June 2008 45 Comments

I love the richness and unabashed potency of Middle Eastern and Indian fragrances. One of my first ‘exotic’ fragrance purchases was a tiny jar of waxy sandalwood-amber paste from India; a few dabs of that dense perfume paste on my collar bone scented me all day long. The perfume paste also came in the scents of orange blossom, rose, lotus and jasmine, and the entire line was advertised using the image of a turbaned man applying the perfume paste to his throat. Slowly and, unfortunately, turban-less, I ventured into floral territory with my fragrance purchases. The simple, inexpensive Indian perfumes opened up a new world to me: I started reading about the history of perfumery, I created “to-smell lists” of individual plant and animal perfume notes, and I started burning incense and wearing fragrances from India, Nepal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Both Montale Red Aoud and Agallocha Tedallal Homme were inspired by Middle Eastern perfumery…

Read the rest of this article »

Comme des Garcons 8 88 & Monocle + Comme des Garcons Scent One: Hinoki ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Robin on 25 March 2008 37 Comments

Comme des Garcons 8 88 perfume

One of the interesting discussions that came out of my recent post about perfume snobbery was the inevitability of brand influence. We most of us have our favorite perfume brands, and we get excited when they launch something new (and, of course, we are disappointed if the something new turns out to be dull and unexciting). It is nice to be surprised once in awhile, but then, life is just easier and simpler when Burberry's The Beat turns out to be appropriately Burberry-ish, and so on and so forth. It might be interesting if you picked up Ralph Wild and found a weird little milky wood pudding with incense and Costume National 21 turned out to be a strawberry soda, but it certainly wouldn't help you navigate the overcrowded fragrance market, would it?

So I expect certain things from certain brands, and if I'm disappointed, I grumble…

Read the rest of this article »

Sonoma Scent Studio Fireside & Fireside Intense, and a “why do you wear perfume?” poll

Posted by Robin on 26 February 2008 117 Comments

Fire

Last week I was wearing a little dab of Sonoma Scent Studio’s Fireside Intense, and I offered my hand to a friend to smell. “It smells like that little piece of meat that’s fallen through the grill and is burning to a crisp on the coals” was the apologetic response, and I suppose that should join Kevin’s master list of perfume insults, but you know, I wasn’t insulted at all. That little piece of sizzling meat smells awfully good, after all, doesn’t it? When pressed, my friend agreed it smelled good, just not like perfume.

Fireside Intense is, as you can guess from the above (assuming you didn’t already pick it up from the name), intense…

Read the rest of this article »

Burberry The Beat ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 4 February 2008 76 Comments

The Beat by Burberry fragrances

The Beat is the latest feminine perfume from Burberry, and in keeping with the iconic brand's ongoing efforts to stay trendy and of the moment, it is aimed (what else is new) at a young audience:

With model Agyness Deyn as its face, Beat is targeting a young, urban and hip crowd, said Burberry's creative director Christopher Bailey. “The mood of the fragrance is young, modern, energetic, dynamic, expressive, fun, vigour, verve and spiritedness … All words that describe the mood, inspiration and sense of ebullience that we wanted to evoke.” (via Cosmetics International, 12/14/2007)

The Beat is described as a sparkling floral woody fragrance; the notes feature bergamot, mandarin, Ceylon tea, cardamom, pink pepper, bluebell, iris, white musk, vetiver and cedarwood. It starts very bright, with tart fruit and juicy citrus. There is lots of pink pepper (can anybody remember what perfumes smelled like before pink pepper became obligatory?)…

Read the rest of this article »

« Newer articles

Older articles »

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Bois 1920 Sutra Ylang ~ perfume review

Montale Red Aoud & Agallocha Tedallal Homme ~ fragrance reviews

Comme des Garcons 8 88 & Monocle + Comme des Garcons Scent One: Hinoki ~ fragrance reviews

Sonoma Scent Studio Fireside & Fireside Intense, and a “why do you wear perfume?” poll

Burberry The Beat ~ fragrance review