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Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Dark Moon ~ fragrance review

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moon

2016 is winding down to its close, and I’ve just tried Dark Moon, this year’s holiday fragrance from indie perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. It’s named for one of the phases of the moon: according to Hurwitz, “The Dark Moon signals a new beginning… This Holiday Season, the New Moon/Dark Moon comes just after the winter solstice and in the northern hemisphere, the darkest day of the year.” So it’s timely, and heaven knows I’ve been eating more than my share of chocolate lately, which makes Dark Moon a perfect pick for my review this week.

Hurwitz describes Dark Moon as a “chocolate chypre” with notes of red wine, dark chocolate, bergamot, spice, jasmine, rose, resins, vanilla, and oak moss. Intrigued? Yes, me too…

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Dasein Winter Nights ~ fragrance review

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Safe in the woods

I began writing this review on Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day and longest night of 2016. What better occasion to review a fragrance called Winter Nights? This unisex scent from indie house Dasein includes notes of “coastal forest, driftwood bonfire, cardamom tea, lavender flowers and wild musk” and was developed as a collaboration between Dasein perfumer Sam Rader and Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors.

Dasein is based in Los Angeles, and its fragrances are all inspired by the seasons of the California landscape…

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L’Artisan Parfumeur Bucoliques de Provence ~ fragrance review

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L’Artisan Parfumeur Bucoliques de Provence

L’Artisan Parfumeur was, once upon a time, one of my favorite niche brands. This was way back in the day when I could count my favorite niche brands on one hand, and probably could have listed all the niche brands on a piece of paper (remember paper?) while sipping a cup of tea. Times have changed — niche brands are so plentiful that niche has very nearly become a dirty word, and L’Artisan has changed owners and directions several times over. I don’t dislike them, but they are no longer the first brand that comes to mind when I think of my favorites.

Bucoliques de Provence, which launched this past spring, is the first fragrance in a projected series inspired by the different regions of France, and was the first to sport L’Artisan’s latest packaging design.1 It sounded awfully nice…

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The Holiday Song Smell-track

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stereo red

It’s time for the “scent a Christmas carol” game! Here’s how it works: someone tosses out the name of a carol, and the rest of us pitch in with suggestions for fragrances to accompany it. I’ll get us started.

We Three Kings: “Frankincense to offer have I…myrrh have I: it’s bitter perfume.” As Robin pointed out when I proposed this post, Eau d’Italie Baume du Doge has frankincense and myrhh. For frankincense alone, you have a hundred choices. Start with the new Tauer Perfumes Au Coeur du désert. For myrhh, try Annick Goutal Myrhhe Ardente. You kids in the back are undoubtedly remembering this song’s alternative lyrics: “We three kings of orient are / Trying to smoke a rubber cigar.” I’ve got you covered, too. Bulgari Black should do it.1

The Christmas Song: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Caron Nuit de Noël is a sure winner here. Not only does it have “Noël” in its name, it wafts a sweet nuttiness that’s a bulls-eye for this song…

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Etat Libre d’Orange Vierges et Toreros ~ fragrance review

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tuberose and bullfighter

Almost ten years have passed since Etat Libre d’Orange released Vierges et Toreros.1 I’ve never come across it in a store and no one ever gave me a sample of the fragrance. The only reason I just smelled it is that I got a tiny vial of the perfume along with the recent Etat Libre d’Orange Attaquer Le Soleil Marquis de Sade release. I ignored Vierges et Toreros all these years because bullfighter images aren’t my thing, and people I trust gave it lukewarm reviews. I never added it to my to-try list. Mistake!

As usual the Etat Libre d’Orange PR text is worth reading for a good laugh and head-scratch…

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