• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives
Browsing by category: perfume talk

Carine Roitfeld George & Sebastian ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 24 March 2021 19 Comments

I “know” fashion stylist/editor/consultant Carine Roitfeld from hundreds of interviews and media profiles, her book Carine Roitfeld: irreverent and the self-mythologizing documentary film Mademoiselle C (could have been called Carine Roitfeld: interminable). Though I didn’t know much about Roitfeld personally (outside her 10-year editorship at Vogue Paris where her tastes and style made American Vogue look like Family Circle magazine in comparison) I did my research. All those here at Now Smell This who have commented on Tom Ford’s “soft-core” editorials and advertisements (for Gucci and his own brand) — blow Carine a kiss…or give her the finger. Roitfeld’s vision as a stylist influenced those ‘porno-chic’ photo shoots.

Admissions: When it comes to editors-in-chief at Vogue Paris/French Vogue, I’m more of a Joan Juliet Buck and Emmanuelle Alt kinda guy AND I’m two years late to the Carine Roitfeld perfume party…

Read the rest of this article »

Hermes H24 ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 15 March 2021 18 Comments

I’ve been working from home over a year now, hiding from COVID-19. During that time, several bottles of perfume have joined the family but not one stitch of new clothing has taken up residence in my closets or dresser drawers. (I’ve not even had the chance to wear clothes I bought in anticipation of last summer.) When I saw the Hermès H24 fragrance ads, my eyes did not land on the H24 bottle but strayed to the H24 model’s jacket and shirts, in those beautiful, soft, calming colors of stone, sky and clouds. The clothes interested me more than another bottle of perfume, especially one in such a sporty, Lacoste-type bottle.

The transition at Hermès from house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena to Christine Nagel has been a bumpy one for me. Since Nagel’s arrival and the debut of her perfumes, I’ve not bought one new Hermès fragrance…

Read the rest of this article »

Zoologist Snowy Owl ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 11 March 2021 14 Comments

A thick carpet of silver envelops the landscape, untouched but for the dazzling reflection of the sun. Snow stretches as far as the eye can see, while a bitter wind rolls silently across the sky, its hush barely broken by the powerful beat of an ivory wing…

Thus we are introduced to Snowy Owl, the newest perfume from independent fragrance brand Zoologist. A real-life snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), I’ve learned from the National Audubon Society, is a “large, powerful owl of the high Arctic tundra, colored for camouflage during northern winters.” Its namesake fragrance was developed for Zoologist by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz…

Read the rest of this article »

Quick Sniff / Cheap Thrill ~ Fragonard Bigarade Jasmin fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 3 March 2021 10 Comments

Bigarade Jasmin is a member of Fragonard‘s Garden Collection of perfumes but its character reminded me of another “garden” — Hermès garden range of fragrances.

On first spray, Bigarade Jasmin provides a scented blast of grapefruit, tangy orange peel and indolic jasmine aromas. The scent is brisk but summery…

Read the rest of this article »

BDK Parfums Rouge Smoking, Pas Ce Soir, Nuit de Sable & Gris Charnel ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 25 February 2021 11 Comments

I’ve been thinking again about Kevin’s recent post about samples. I recognize his frustration with so many niche brands: the ever-higher prices and well-designed websites don’t always guarantee novel or memorable olfactory experiences. I deliberately stalled on trying the new-ish brand BDK Parfums (founded in 2016, but only available in the United States since 2020) because I had a hunch that, despite a wave of online adulation, this would be more of the same. But then I had a chance to receive a BDK sample set as a gift-with-purchase, so I gave in; why not?

If you’re familiar with French and French-inspired niche perfumery brands of the twenty-first century, you’ll recognize this checklist of familiar elements…

Read the rest of this article »

« Newer articles
Older articles »

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

6 January ~ damage poll

31 January ~ winter reading poll

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2026 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.