Posted by Jessica
on
6 February 2010
You don’t have to be obsessive-compulsive to worry about germs these days. It’s cold season, it’s flu season, and worse yet, now we have to fear the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”) too. Accordingly, sales of antibacterial soaps and hand gels have risen dramatically in recent months. However, there are some problems with mass-market antibacterial products: the ones with triclosan pose possible health concerns, and the ones with too much alcohol leave your hands dry and cracked, and thus vulnerable to all kinds of irritation and infection.
For these reasons, not to mention the harsh window-cleaner smell of so many drugstore antibacterial products, I’ve long preferred alternatives like EO Hand Sanitizer. Lately, I’m even more pleased with the new Hand Purifier from Intelligent Nutrients. It’s a gel product (rather than a liquid that runs down your wrists and onto the front of your winter coat when you try to apply it on the go), and it feels like a lightweight hand lotion…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
8 September 2009
Vanilla & Anise is new from Jo Malone; it’s meant to “…evoke the moment that vanilla orchids bloom at day-break in Madagascar”, Madagascar being the world’s largest producer of vanilla.
Vanilla & Anise starts out bright and citrusy. It’s slightly sharp in the early stages, and very fresh. Patty at Perfume Posse found it melon-y aquatic, but I hardly noticed until I sprayed it on paper. On skin (my skin, anyway), the fresh notes pass by in a flash. It sweetens up quickly but it never gets more than slightly sweet, and the vanilla is balanced by a slightly bitter edge in the mostly transparent florals: it reminds me of wildflowers more than tropical florals (the notes: bergamot, neroli, wild fennel flower, star anise, oleander, tuberose, frangipani, purple vanilla orchid, clove, white amber, vetiver, vanilla bourbon absolute and tonka bean). The licorice notes are subtle, and the base is pale and woody, and just slightly earthy…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
20 August 2009
Havana Vanille is the latest fragrance to join the travel series at L’Artisan Parfumeur. It follows Bois Farine, Timbuktu, Dzongkha and Fleur de Liane — not bad company, as these things go. This time, we’re off to Cuba:
From its vibrant Salsa rhythms, its famous cigars and Cuban rum, it is certain there is something magical about Havana. It is a place that contrasts all others. This mysterious fragrance is reminiscent of travels around the world, the nostalgia of crossing the seven seas to discover far off treasures and the smell of a wooden boat mingling with the aroma of rum and spice.1
The perfumer is Bertrand Duchaufour, who developed all of the L’Artisan travel series fragrances to date with the exception of Bois Farine, and the notes include rum, clove, dried fruits, narcissus, tonka bean, helichrysum, vanilla, smoked woods, moss and balsamic notes. Sound good so far? It sounded darned good to me, and lo and behold, I was not disappointed…
Read the rest of this article »
One litmus test of a store’s success in New York City is the frequency with which its logo shopping bags are spotted on the street and on the subway. I’ve noticed quite a few Sabon bags being carried and reused for other purposes by my fellow commuters, so I decided it was time for me to revisit one of this company’s local boutiques. I’ve visited Sabon a few times before, but I usually left empty-handed. Some of the products and scents just didn’t appeal to me, and others bothered me slightly by looking too similar to items from other brands (Agraria, Côté Bastide, Lush…).
On my latest trip to a Sabon shop, however, I ended up purchasing a bottle of Patchouli Lavender Body Oil. I liked its antique-looking, ribbed-glass bottle, the idea of concentrated, oil-based moisture for my dry elbows and legs, and oh yes, the scent. I surprised myself by being drawn to this fragrance, because it doesn’t smell like lavender essential oil, vanilla absolute, or actual patchouli; in other words, it’s definitely a synthetic scent…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
2 April 2009
Les Parfums de Rosine has launched La Rose Légère, a new summer version of La Rose de Rosine:
Beautiful days are back and La Rose de Rosine metamorphoses in an Eau Fraîche, a more lively, light and sweet fragrance: LA ROSE LEGERE.
The top note is gently kicked by a wild strawberry and is mixing the green and grinding blackcurrant, the acidulous and fresh bergamot and the sweet neroli…
Read the rest of this article »
