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Browsing by category: perfume talk

5 perfumes ~ vanilla fragrances for spring

Posted by Robin on 11 May 2018 30 Comments

It’s been a very odd spring in my little corner of Pennsylvania: first way too cold, then way too hot, and only just recently approaching the happy sort of spring temperatures I look forward to all winter. That’s probably made it a little easier to think about which vanilla perfumes might work best for the gamut of spring weather (I’ve already covered fall and winter). As always, do chime in with your own picks in the comments!

Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune: With a creamy powder finish and a hint of warm amber, Cierge de Lune is probably best suited to the cooler days of spring…

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Hermes Caleche ~ vintage fragrance review

Posted by Angela on 7 May 2018 47 Comments

Some fragrances have a knack for separating the dabbler from the enthusiast. Hermès Calèche is one. If you sprayed a scent strip with Calèche and waved it in front of people at the bus stop, you’d probably get a lot of wrinkled noses, along with comments like “old lady” and “perfume-y,” even among people who like perfume and happily stock their bathroom shelves with Jo Malone and the latest Dior flanker. Calèche is hard to love.

Unless you’re dedicated to perfume, that is. Then, Calèche is Grace Kelly with a French count for a father, a mother whose linen never seems to wrinkle, and an aunt who’s a nun with a penchant for romance novels. The fragrance aficionado might never want to wear Calèche, but it’s irresistible to explore…

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Kerosene Walk the Sea ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 3 May 2018 22 Comments

The latest release from Michigan-based indie perfume house Kerosene is Walk the Sea, a fragrance “like high tide dried on skin, memories of the waves, sun and shore.” Like all Kerosene releases, it’s a unisex scent; its notes include sea salt, white florals, cedar, ambergris and musk.

This fragrance is titled Walk the Sea, not Walk the Beach, and I think there’s a certain distinction being made there. For me, the “beach” has a whole set of associations that the “sea” alone does not — summer, vacation, suntans, children with sand toys, nearby amusement parks. Walk the Sea doesn’t evoke any of this imagery or its accompanying smells and tastes. There’s no Coppertone, no piña colada, no cotton candy…

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Cinq Mondes Eau Egyptienne ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 2 May 2018 12 Comments

Now Smell This folks, meet Sekhmet; my favorite goddess and today’s cover girl for Cinq Mondes Eau Egyptienne. If I could find an un-copyrighted image, I’d include another ‘goddess,’ too: Olivia Giacobetti, Eau Egyptienne’s creator, and one of my favorite perfumers.

Cinq Mondes describes Eau Egyptienne (inspired by ancient kyphi recipes) as an “aromatic ritual for body, hair and pillow,” a therapeutic mist to calm the mind and moisturize the body…

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Stella McCartney Stella Peony ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 26 April 2018 16 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Stella McCartney’s Stella since it was launched in 2003, so I’m not sure how I missed the Stella In Two fragrance duo that was released as a flanker set in 2006. (Was it really that long ago? Yes.) The peony half of Stella In Two was reformulated and relaunched as Stella Peony in late 2017, so I thought I should catch it this time around. I’ve loved peonies since I was a child and spent time examining the peony bushes in my grandparents’ backyard. Peony flowers have become something of a cliché in recent years (“basic,” as the kids say), but I’m still partial to the idea of a peony-inspired perfume.

Stella Peony was developed by perfumer Alberto Morillas and includes notes of mandarin, freesia, lotus flower, peony, geranium, amber and patchouli. (Jacques Cavallier was credited with the original In Two duo.) The card for my sample describes it as “a daring blend of peppery florals and amber gris.” To my surprise, that description is pretty accurate…

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