Posted by Jessica
on
21 August 2011
I love to watch other people shopping for perfume. I can’t usually do it for more than a minute or so without feeling invasive, but I’m always interested in the comments I overhear at fragrance counters. The main problem (aside from the risk that the person will suddenly realize I’m listening) is that I have to refrain from making suggestions. This is difficult, especially when a sales associate is relentlessly pushing the latest release rather than finding out what the person really wants, or worse yet, when the potential customer is standing alone and looking around anxiously for guidance.
Sometimes I wish I could recommend a fragrance line that’s not sitting right there on the shelves at Sephora or the department stores at my local mall. There seem to be plenty of women who have a favorite perfume and are looking for something along the same lines — something fruity and tart, for example, or a soft floral blend with some vanilla in it. But they also want a slightly more sophisticated or less commonplace alternative, and they’re not finding it at their usual retail destinations. I thought of those women when I smelled the two latest releases from the indie brand MCMC Fragrances. MCMC’s perfumes are directed towards a relatively small audience, but they’d probably also be appreciated by the desperately-seeking-something shoppers that I’ve watched from the corner of my eye…
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Crazylibellule and The Poppies launched 26 Juin (Ile d’Yeu) in 2009, as the first fragrance in a promised series called “Tous les matins du monde.” Although Crazylibellule is known primarily for its solid perfume “Crazysticks,” 26 Juin was released in a liquid cologne format as well as a solid stick. Its fragrance notes include orange, peach, plum, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, orange blossom, cardamom, black pepper, precious wood, vanilla and musk.
Ile d’Yeu is an island off the west coast of France; I’ve never been there, but I can imagine that it must be a lovely place to spend a mid-summer day. 26 Juin has the refreshing, effervescent feeling of a traditional Eau de Cologne, although its composition is described as a “fruity hesperidic floral.” There’s quite a bit of citrus in the top notes, including something lemony. The rest of the fragrance gives off a freshly-sliced peach note, the suggestion of a few green leaves, and a very cheerful plum-and-rose heart that would appeal to fans of Annick Goutal Quel Amour!. 26 Juin (Ile d’Yeu) is fizzy and juicy, sweet and tart, like a summer cocktail or a bite of candied fruit…
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Posted by Robin
on
8 February 2011
Daisy Eau So Fresh is the latest from Marc Jacobs, and it’s reportedly going for a younger audience than the original (and very popular) Marc Jacobs Daisy. Daisy, which came out in 2007 (time flies!) had a pleasant and likable juice — fruity floral, but not too fruity and not too floral. It also had a well-known designer name, a young, laid-back advertising campaign, plus a massively cute bottle. It was easy enough to see why it sold like gangbusters.
That anyone on earth would smell Daisy and think ‘wow, that’s just too mature for me’ seems somewhat unlikely, but whatever: they’ve already done a stronger version, and now we have Eau So Fresh, the lighter version. Wisely, they made some minor, pinkifying alterations to the bottle, but they kept the design reasonably close to the original. If you were dying to own the Daisy bottle, you might reasonably be expected to want this one too…
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Posted by Robin
on
29 May 2009
Milan-based designer John Richmond has launched his debut fragrance, John Richmond Eau de Parfum. The new fruity floral for women aims to “fascinate the senses like rock ‘n roll”.
The fragrance notes include pink grapefruit, pear, blackberry, magnolia, lily, daffodil, amber, patchouli and sandalwood…
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Posted by Robin
on
18 May 2009
Floris has launched Madonna of the Almonds (shown above left), a limited edition perfume for women. The scent is being introduced in conjunction with the novel of the same name by author Marina Fiorato — “an unforgettable story of love and art set against the backdrop of the Italian wars”.
Fresh zesty citrus notes of bergamot and lemon, so redolent of Italy, mingle with the delicate floral accord…
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