Posted by Jessica
on
3 February 2012
Every February, we consumers are reminded in many not-so-subtle ways that the rose is the flower of romance, and that we should be buying roses, giving roses, and wearing roses in all their forms. I happen to believe that rose fragrance is a perfect choice for any day of the year, not just Valentine’s Day, but I’ve decided to wear and review some recent and new rose releases all the same. One is a 2011 launch from the classic house of Caron, and the other is the latest offering from A Dozen Roses, a new niche collection that was itself founded in 2011.
Caron’s Délire de Roses Eau de Parfum is described as “an exquisite concoction…redolent of a spring garden in full bloom,” with top notes of blended rose petals and lotus flowers, a heart of lily of the valley and rosebush leaves, and a base of jasmine and lychee. It opens with a sheer cluster of rosebuds and lily of the valley, and it eventually dries down to a soft, fruity rose that stays close to the skin. Between these two floral phases, the fragrance’s mid-development is warmed by an unexpected salty-amber aquatic note. Since Délire de Roses has a transparent feeling and light staying power, it would work well as a rose fragrance for warmer weather. Other than that salt-breeze heart, it reminds me a bit of Crabtree & Evelyn’s Evelyn (now Evelyn Rose), one of my favorites during the early 1990s.
Overall, Délire de Roses is pretty and girlish and bright…
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Posted by Jessica
on
27 January 2012
We’ve seen a few amber-focused fragrances surfacing amongst the new releases of late 2011 and early 2012, and that’s fine with me: I’m tired of oud being the “it” note, since I don’t care for it at all, and I usually enjoy some amber in my floral fragrances. Two of the recent arrivals are Aroma M Geisha Amber Rouge, a sister fragrance to the line’s Geisha Rouge, and Atelier Cologne Amber Nue.
Aroma M’s Geisha Amber Rouge (shown below right) perfume oil is packaged in a roll-on dispenser wrapped in the line’s signature Japanese paper, and the notes of its composition include amber, cinnamon, clove, star anise, resins, and incense. It’s much less peppery-clovey than the original Geisha Rouge…
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Posted by Jessica
on
20 January 2012
Diptyque was one of the first “niche” fragrance houses to edge its way into my consciousness, and I still remember the day I purchased my first bottle of L’Ombre dans L’Eau at a boutique in Philadelphia. (That was eight years ago, and I still wear L’Ombre every summer.) More recently, I wished aloud that Diptyque would create a rose-centered fragrance, and my request has been noted by the fragrance gods and goddesses: Diptyque’s newest release is Eau Rose, “a totally new fragrance that pays tribute to the queen of flowers, the rose,” with notes of bergamot, blackcurrant, lychee, hedione, geranium, Turkish rose, cedar, musk, and honey.
I must say that Eau Rose’s label and box, with their pink-accented illustrations of trellis-climbing roses, are among the prettiest designs I’ve seen in a long time. They also raised my expectations before I had even smelled the fragrance itself. So, what did I think? According to the description on the Diptyque website, Eau Rose is composed to “to celebrate the multiple aromas of the flower in its natural state, as it blossoms over time.” That works for me. Eau Rose begins on a fresh-flower note, with the citrus and black currant giving it a certain brightness while never translating as an obviously “fruity-floral” blend…
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Posted by Jessica
on
13 January 2012
I’m a city-loving, sun-averse individual who doesn’t even own a bathing suit, and I can’t remember my last visit to a beach. (Oh, wait, there was that weekend in Montauk. In April 2006.) Despite, or perhaps for, this very reason, I find myself testing beach-themed and tropics-themed perfumes more often than you might expect. The latest such fragrance to cross my desk was a sample of Sarah Horowitz Coconut Milk, a recent release from this California-based independent perfumer.
Coconut Milk, the latest addition to Sarah Horowitz’s “Perfect” line, includes top notes of coconut and almond, heart notes of orange blossom and gardenia, and base notes of tonka bean, vanilla, and Egyptian musk. It’s a fragrance that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. Its coconut accord is milky with a hint of green, and it doesn’t remind me at all of the suntan lotions of my youth, thank goodness. The coconut, which lasts throughout the fragrance’s development on skin, is followed by just a hint of creamy gardenia…
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Posted by Jessica
on
6 January 2012
One of the long-running best-sellers in the Annick Goutal line is Petite Chérie (1998), a girlish fruity-floral that Annick Goutal dedicated to her daughter Camille. Camille has now reciprocated by devoting a fragrance to her mother’s memory: it is a spicy floral chypre titled Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille and its composition includes Indonesian patchouli, iris, violet, plum, and heliotropin.
Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille is partially inspired by a vintage solid perfume from Annick Goutal’s fragrance collection (originally a gift from the author Colette!); working with the perfumer Isabelle Doyen, Camille Goutal was also “drawn back to her childhood memories of Hollywood’s wartime movies. Tempting satin. Delicate lace. Actresses and their gloved hands and ruby lips. And a memory of her mother dressing for an evening out…” For me, Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille succeeds in this evocation. It’s old-fashioned, in a full-bodied, self-possessed way, and it really is most appropriate for evening wear (although I normally avoid that kind of fragrance-wearing instruction).
When I sniff Mon Parfum Chéri from the sample vial, I notice plenty of patchouli…
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