Posted by Angela
on
13 April 2009
Last night in a fit of optimism, I packed my winter sweaters and heavy wool skirts into plastic tubs and hauled them to the basement. Out came the cotton dresses and print blouses. Naturally, this morning was chilly, and I see rain splashing into the birdbath outside my window as I write. It’s the cold edge of spring. I want a perfume that is an antidote to the amber, leather, tobacco, and vanilla I’ve been wearing for months. I want something that hints at warm days to come and smells like the air outside: crisp, floral, and green. This is when I reach for Annick Goutal Des Lys Eau de Toilette.
A lily’s fragrance is potent. This has advantages and disadvantages. The pure, thick scent of just one stem of Stargazer lilies on the mantel will steamroll over the odor of dank carpets or an overfull litter box. Within a minute of coming into a room, guests will say, “It smells good in here.” At the same time, lilies can overtake a space, giving it the feel of funeral parlor and fighting with the smell of dinner in the other room. After an hour, guests may well ask for aspirin…
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Posted by Robin
on
24 February 2009
It has been a very long time since I actually swooned over the first sniff of any perfume, but the latest from the Hermessence collection at Hermès, Vanille Galante, was a rare case of love-at-first-sniff. Happily for me, so far it appears to be a lasting relationship — just as well, since I bought it unsniffed.*
I will start by mentioning that Vanille Galante is likely to be a disappointment to vanilla freaks (there have already been a few disgruntled customers on the fragrance boards). The early scents in the Hermessence series (Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, Vetiver Tonka, Poivre Samarcande, Osmanthe Yunnan) were mostly “about” the material they were named after. Paprika Brasil and Brin de Reglisse were less directly so, and Vanille Galante, while presumably a reflection of some sorts on vanilla…
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Posted by Robin
on
7 December 2006
Lily & Spice is the latest fragrance release from Penhaligon’s; it includes notes of lily, saffron, patchouli and musk. It is meant to herald the “return to the essence of Penhaligon’s identity of traditional English perfumery”. (via princesssquare)
Lily & Spice is a rather forthright take on lily, miles away from the embellished approach of Serge Lutens Un Lys or Donna Karan Gold…
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Posted by Robin
on
6 December 2006
Earlier this year I cited Sa Majesté la Rose as evidence that Serge Lutens can do conventionally pretty when he wants to. Un Lys, a 1997 release and another soliflore fragrance, might be the only other scent in the line that could be used to back up the same claim. It was created by perfumer Christopher Sheldrake, and includes notes of lily, leaves, musk and vanilla.
Un Lys is rather at the other end of the spectrum from yesterday's Donna Karan Gold: you certainly wouldn't use the words crisp or sheer, and it smells nothing like a modern department store fragrance…
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Posted by Robin
on
5 December 2006
Donna Karan launched Gold earlier this year. The fragrance was created by perfumers Yann Vasnier and Rodrigo Flores-Roux, and features notes of Casablanca lilies, fluid amber, sparkling acacia, white clove, jasmine templar, golden blossom and patchouli.
Last month I said that I thought Tom Ford's Black Orchid was perhaps the most impressive mainstream perfume release this year; Donna Karan's Gold may well get my vote for the prettiest. The top notes are crisp and summery, with lots of lily; as it calms, the lily is folded into the other floral notes…
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