Posted by Erin
on
14 June 2011
I am the restless type. Every eighteen months, I get thoroughly fed up with our living quarters — the creaky floors, the electric stove and lack of water pressure, that bathroom window that won’t open — and decide we should move. My husband puts much less stock in clean slates, being a skeptic with a good memory. He resents the higher rent and costs associated with changing residences, but he always acquiesces with the faint hope that I will keep the new apartment cleaner. (Ha!) And so, a couple of springs, falls and high summers over the last decade, we’ve spent our days packing clothes, dishes, Playmobil figures, perfume and one metric ton of books into boxes. Even after ruthless purges1 and some inevitable breakage, it seems we end up with more stuff in the new place than we had in the old. Since our last move two weeks ago, I’ve been wandering through the chaos aimlessly, moving papers and knick-knacks from one pile to another.
One of the few pleasures of re-locating is finding things of interest you never knew you lost. Around here, things of interest fall into three categories: 1) perfume samples; 2) books; and 3) jars of gourmet condiments and jams we will never use. Push back the couch and a dusty vial of Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale rolls out. Dismantle the bookcase and both a sample of Divine L’Homme de Coeur and a copy of Robertson Davies’ The Rebel Angels emerge. There is an atomizer of Histoire des Parfums Noir Patchouli in the desk drawer with the income tax documents. Ah, old friends! With more than two new fragrances released each day now, it sometimes seems as if I first encountered these scents in the ancient past, rather than only a few years ago. With forgotten favorites in hand, it’s easy to start feeling pretty testy about the rate of release in the perfume industry. But wearing the finds is the best cure for my scent cynicism: they still smell wonderful and they remind me of all the treasures in my collection. Without spending another penny, I could probably spend years surprising and enjoying myself with the samples I already have.
If you’ve been interested in fragrance for a while, you don’t need to go to the expense and trouble of moving to remind yourself to re-try perfumes you’re already encountered…
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Posted by Robin
on
17 May 2011
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Limited Crystal Edition Fragrance: “A sensual and extraordinary Extrait de Parfum (Egyptian jasmine, Damascus rose, South African marigold, Yemeni frankincense tears and Malaysian gurjum balsam).” The bottles are Saint Louis crystal; a total of twenty 200 ml bottles were made…
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Posted by Robin
on
11 April 2011
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.
From Marc Jacobs, a (cute as a button) limited edition refillable purse spray in the Daisy Eau So Fresh fragrance…
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Posted by Kevin
on
17 November 2010
As the “publish” button was pressed for this post, I heard the frantic, desperate opening words of Etta James’ Stop the Wedding swirling in my head: “Wait!…WAIT!”
But it was too late…there was no turning back.
Choosing ten men’s fragrances that have been released in the last couple years and deeming them “the best” was difficult. I’ve certainly owned and sampled more than my share of perfumes over the years, and I’ve reached a Perfumed State of Grace (i.e.: I’m jaded), but I’ve certainly not smelled every masculine fragrance released in 2009-2010. Has anyone? (Many of these unsniffed perfumes loom large in my imagination: Miller et Bertaux Om, Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumeur, Honoré des Prés We love NY scents, and The Different Company De Bachmakov.)
My list of best new fragrances for men is personal, and it isn’t categorized with available spots for citrus, chypre, sport, “dressy,” mainstream, or niche perfumes; I’ve simply included what I like. If you can’t believe a certain fragrance is on, or is missing from, the list: GOOD! I’d hate to think I’m predictable.
Please comment if you feel a great fragrance is absent from this list, but if “top 10-type” lists drive you crazy and keep you up at night: “Wait!… WAIT!” … don’t torture yourself by reading mine…
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Posted by Kevin
on
1 September 2010
Acqua di Parma has “re-styled” original Colonia* (introduced in 1916) to produce the brand new Colonia Essenza. I’ve recently seen Colonia Essenza in two big department stores: Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, B.C., and Nordstrom in downtown Seattle. Holt Renfrew sells the fragrance only in the men’s department; but so far, Nordstrom displays Colonia Essenza with women’s fragrances — even though there’s an Acqua di Parma section in the men’s perfume boutique. Colonia Essenza is, in stores and online, sometimes referred to as a men’s fragrance and other times as a women’s perfume, but I think Colonia Essenza is a classic cologne-for-all…even children can wear it.
Colonia Essenza includes notes of bergamot, tangerine, lemon, orange, grapefruit, petitgrain, neroli, clove, rosemary, lily of the valley, rose, jasmine, patchouli, vetiver, white musk and amber. Colonia Essenza starts off smelling like a crisp orange blossom Eau de Cologne. As orange blossom fades, warm, but still pert, citrus peel aromas appear and lead directly to Colonia Essenza’s floral heart notes…
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