Posted by Kevin
on
26 August 2009
This past week I’ve been ill. I’ve also been annoyed that the world around me is sunny, flowery — summery — in spite of my discomfort. When I’m not feeling well, I prefer looking out the windows and seeing clouds, fog, rain and bare branches on trees (I guess you could say I wallow in my misery). If I’m sick or depressed, I still “eat a little something” and wear perfume (I’m lucky enough to be alive after all) but those flavor and fragrance selections are carefully chosen. Warm, rich, nutty and chocolaty desserts go down easily during hard times (who cares about calories if you’re physically or mentally hurting?) I don’t reserve certain perfumes for sick days, but when I’m feeling low I reach for “darker” perfumes that will “support” me as I move through my day (or don’t move at all); these perfumes must have some heft, act as a “scented crutch” if you will, but should not contain jarring/strange notes or progress through multiple stages of development. Sparkly, bright Eaux de Cologne, frivolous fruity-florals, and ozonic-moronic sport fragrances get on my nerves when I’m under the weather, and they seem to disappear into thin air the moment I really need a “shoulder” to lean on.
Perfumes for Illness must provide the comfort, the familiarity, the simplicity and the satisfaction of a warm brownie, a dense, fragrant gingerbread, a cup of hot chocolate made with cream (insert the name of any food you love). I usually reach for oriental fragrances when I’m humming the blues, and for a few days this week I turned to Chanel Coromandel…
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Posted by Robin
on
14 October 2008
Such is the current pace of new fragrance launches that when I sat down to refresh my memory on the subject of Chanel's niche range, Les Exclusifs de Chanel, I was surprised to see that they debuted only last year. It feels like they've been around much longer than that, but when you consider that there have been something like 3 new fragrance launches a day since then, they're really rather old hat by now, aren't they?
When I reviewed 31 Rue Cambon last year, I noted that…
…first off, they are well done, each and every one of them. The materials are first rate, they are all wearable without being dull, and they are “worthy of the name of Chanel”, whatever that means.
Still, I wished they'd done something a little more daring…
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Posted by Robin
on
12 September 2008
Chanel has introduced Beige, the latest edition to the Les Exclusifs collection. Like the others in the series, it was developed by Chanel house perfumer Jacques Polge, and will be in limited distribution.
“I take refuge in beige because it's natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. Sandy beige, honey beige, clay beige, whitish beige… She loved all shades of this colour, which evokes natural elegance and grace. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary…
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Posted by Kevin
on
23 June 2008
If my perfume choices were limited to one type of fragrance with one note predominant, chances are I would opt for vetiver colognes. (I’d probably have to flip a coin: Sandalwood vs. Vetiver.) I love vetiver fragrances and have owned too many to list here. Recently, my introduction to Lalique Encre Noir, the reissue of Givenchy Vétyver and the debuts of Giorgio Armani's Vétiver Babylone and Chanel's Sycomore have made me very happy and ready to expand an already-overcrowded perfume collection.
Les Eaux Armani Privé Vétiver Babylone
Just as sparkling, fresh water sustained ancient Babylon’s (real or imaginary) fragrant hanging gardens, Vétiver Babylone’s vetiver, likewise sparkling and fresh, supports its other brisk ingredients — bergamot, citron, mandarin, green cardamom, coriander, pink pepper and patchouli…
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Posted by Robin
on
3 April 2008
Sycomore is the latest fragrance to join the Les Exclusifs collection at Chanel. Sycomore is named for a long-discontinued 1930 Chanel fragrance; the new interpretation is by Chanel's house perfume Jacques Polge.
The vetiver-focused fragrance includes notes of sandalwood, cypress, juniper and pink pepper…
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