‘Candy and flowers, dear,’ Ellen had said time and again, ‘and perhaps a book of poetry or an album or a small bottle of Florida water are the only things a lady may accept from a gentleman.’
— Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
When Scarlett O’Hara received this advice from her mother (during her fictional girlhood, leading up to the outbreak of the Civil War), Florida water had already been a popular variant on Eau de Cologne for several decades. The New York-based company Murray & Lanman first began to produce and sell a trademarked Florida Water in 1808. The firm has undergone a few name changes over the past two centuries, but it still exists; and, now known as Lanman & Kemp, it still offers this classic item.
The Lanman & Kemp website lists multiple uses for its Florida Water, including a treatment for “jangled nerves” and a suggestion for “boudoir daintiness.” I don’t know how long this particular list has been in existence, but it delights my vintage-loving soul, and so does the label on the Florida Water bottle…
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When a heat wave strikes, and I need to pare down the layers that I usually wear — including scent! — I do one of two things. I might mist myself with a light fragrance tinged with green or citrus notes; Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau has been a summer favorite of mine for years, and a newer contender in this category is Atelier Cologne Grand Néroli. On the other hand, I might choose a body product, such as a dusting powder or a lotion, that carries a hint of the richer and spicier fragrances that I usually enjoy. Yamerra, a small Philadephia-based company, offers several all-natural Hair and Body Butters that are intensely scented as well as functional.
The base of Yamerra’s Sensual Bliss Jasmine Sage Hair and Body Butter is a blend of shea butter, jojoba, sweet almond oil, and candelilla wax; the Jasmine Sage fragrance combines essential oils of cedarwood, Peru balsam, dalmatian sage, ylang ylang, and patchouli, plus jasmine absolute. It’s an unusual fragrance for a body product, and it should appeal to lovers of spicy-woody perfumes…
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In its promotional description of Coup de Foudre, Parfums DelRae promises that “regardless of your previous ‘rose’ experience, it is ‘love at first sight.’” I’m always a little amused when new rose-inspired fragrances take this slightly defensive stance, as though we all carry negative preconceptions of rose perfumes and need to be reassured that this flower is actually very beautiful, sensual, and yes, “modern.” I wore my first rose fragrance when I was about eight years old — it was Avon’s Roses, Roses and it was memorably contained in a pig-shaped bottle — and I’ve never turned away from roses, so Coup de Foudre is preaching to the converted, in my case.
Coup de Foudre starts off as a just-picked rose and then turns gently romantic. Parfums DelRae mentions its use of true Rose de Mai from Grasse, in a composition that allows the raw material to shine through, and the natural rose note is definitely evident. It’s bright and clear, with hints of lemon and mint…
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One of the consolations of summertime, for those of us who don’t enjoy heat and humidity and the constant sight of other people’s unkempt feet in flip-flops, is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Even I, a dedicated starch-lover, experience a craving for something a little more colorful at this time of year. I’m grateful for the network of farmers’ markets that has expanded to urban areas, and for the tiny city-yardspace behind our new home, where my husband and I are making our first attempts at growing a few potted edibles.
Oyin Handmade’s Juices & Berries is a spray-on, leave-in conditioner for hair, and it smells like the kind of fruit salad that you can only make at the height of the summer season. It’s scented with a mix of natural and synthetic fragrance oils, and it turns out to have a much more appetizing and realistic aroma than many berry-fragranced toiletries on the market…
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I’m not really a jewelry person. Well, let me re-emphasize that: I’m not a Jewelry Person. I love sterling silver, pearls, vintage jewelry of various sorts, and anything that looks like a mourning Victorian might have worn it, but I wouldn’t wear diamonds or large amounts of gold even if I could afford them. They’re just not “me.” Thus, I’m primarily aware of David Yurman because my morning commute happens to pass a billboard advertising the company’s wares. Sometimes I recognize the model; more often, lately, I don’t. Either way, I can see that the featured jewelry is bold, gleaming, meant to be noticed. Not really my style.
When Robin reviewed David Yurman’s eponymous Eau de Parfum, she wrote that it “smells like you’ve spent lots of money, and while you’re at it, you’d like everybody else in your immediate vicinity to know.” I had a similar response to it: it’s a bit too rich and strong for me, and I don’t wear many chypres anyway. On the other hand, I do respect David Yurman for releasing a sophisticated, “adult” fragrance. Like the jewelry, it doesn’t fit my personal style, but I can see why other women would love it. David Yurman’s limited edition Luxurious Dusting Powder, on the other hand, is a product that I’d be able to work into my own fragrance routine…
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