An ongoing row over who invented eau de cologne seemed to have been settled Monday after a researcher discovered an 18th-century note in a Paris library confirming that the perfume was created by Paolo Feminis.
— From Row over eau de cologne 'settled' at Ansa.it, with thanks to Jessica for the link!
The concept of cologne is so alluring. A true cologne should be sparkling and clean and disappear soon after it is applied — almost like an extension of the soap you just used in the shower. It all sounds so fresh, pure, and energetic. The problem for me is that a cologne never really feels like “me”. Just like meditation, camping, and taking up a sport, cologne sounds like something I want to love but, to be honest, really don't. That is, until I met Eau de Rochas.
Most colognes are easily identifiable by the “eau” that precedes the name. Many perfume houses do a cologne as a matter of course. Some famous colognes are Eau de Guerlain, L'Eau de L'Artisan, Christian Dior Eau Fraîche, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Eau de Cartier, and, of course, 4711. I like the cedar freshness and gin and tonic quality of Eau de Cartier, and I spray Thierry Mugler Cologne on my sheets when I change the bed, but otherwise cologne has never resonated much with me…
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Diptyque's first fragrance, L'Eau, originally introduced in 1968. To celebrate, the line has launched a trio of unisex colognes: L'Eau de L'Eau, L'Eau des Hesperides and L'Eau de Neroli. All three were developed by perfumer Olivier Pescheux.
L’Eau de L’Eau pays homage to L'Eau (go ahead, translate that in your head), which was said, in turn, to have been based on a 16th century potpourri recipe. I haven't tried L'Eau in some years; my testing notes, probably written in late 2003 or early 2004, say “it is warm and spicy but sheer at the same time: an almost aqueous feeling: potpourri under water. Very nice, would absolutely never wear it.” My tastes have expanded pretty dramatically since then…
Cologne Grand Siècle is no. 7 in the Parfumerie Generale line, which now comprises 15 fragrances. It was launched in 2005 and has notes of tangerine, bergamot, bitter orange, grapefruit, lemon, cardamom, herbs, ylang ylang, dry woods, vetiver and wheat.
I am very fond of classic colognes. The term cologne is now used somewhat generically to indicate any fragrance with a concentration that is less than an Eau de Toilette (usually that means less than 5%), but here I am referring to the descendants of the original, citrus-based Eau de Cologne first created in 1709 by Johann Maria Farina, an Italian perfumer who had settled in Cologne, Germany…
Comme des Garçons released Series 4: Cologne in 2002. Each of the three fragrances is a variation on the classic citrus-based cologne theme.
Anbar is the Arabic word for amber, and the fragrance has notes of amber, mandarin, orange blossom, lavender, clove and musk. It starts with bright citrus notes, and settles quickly into a mild blend with a whisper of dry orange blossom over pale amber undertones. It has a touch of spice, but overall, it is more bright than dark. The lasting power is fine considering the strength, and it is nicely done, but for the moment I am not captivated so I am setting my sample aside for another try in the summer…
