I first sniffed the Dirty product line at the New York launch of Gorilla Perfume at Lush last year, and I’ve been looking forward to its release in the United States. Dirty has finally reached our shores, in all its iterations, and it feels just right for summer. According to Gorilla Perfume‘s promotional materials, “Dirty is an invigorating, cathartic breath of fresh air that stirs up something primal.” Its notes include spearmint, thyme, tarragon, lavender, sandalwood, and oakmoss (but no dirt!).
Dirty is available in as a traditional liquid perfume and as a solid fragrance stick; it’s a fresh fragrance that leans slightly towards the masculine end of the spectrum, but it will probably find quite a few female fans who enjoy wearing grassy, minty, or leafy scents. For the first hour or so, Dirty reminds me of an herb garden giving off the aromas of an assortment of plants: the thyme and the tarragon are there, and the mint is especially noticeable. Dirty gradually evolves into a salty sea breeze and an airy musk base with a very sheer sandalwood note. It has good staying power for a “fresh” fragrance, particularly one that includes so many natural ingredients.
The complete Dirty line takes a new approach to “layering”: each product is scented with a different element of the Dirty composition, so that they can be worn together to recreate the total fragrance…
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Posted by Kevin
on
8 June 2011
My father loved clothes and dressing up, but he was also fond of walking around in his underwear or gardening clothes (“rags” my grandmother called them). He had a temper but was patient with animals, especially cats. His cats (at one point we had ten!) took turns sitting in his lap in the garden, and they all, man and cats, bird-watched together. The trait I appreciated most in my father was his curiosity. When I gave him gifts, he’d approach them with interest, as if they needed exploration, analysis. He wasted no opportunity to learn something. Once, for a present mind you, I gave him a boring book on the history of the U.S. Supreme Court; he read it from cover to cover. He loved antique folk sculptures of animals, so I bought him a homey little tome called “Carving Duck Decoys.” Father started carving ducks and several of them are staring at me as I write this. When it came to toiletries, my father used Ivory soap and old-fashioned drugstore shave cream until, thanks to yours truly, he became appreciative of, then addicted to, expensive shave lathers from England and all sorts of interesting soaps and potions. I can’t remember an “unsuccessful” gift to my father. I hope your father is as easy to buy for as mine was!
For fathers big and small, young and old, fancy and rustic; for regal and distinguished Fathers, fauxhemian pères, outdoorsy-sporty dads, and jazzy Daddy-Os, I present some gift ideas for Father’s Day…
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Most of the time, those little sidebar ads on Google and Facebook are useless to me, and I find them easy to ignore. Once in while, however, something that actually does relate to my interests will show up, and I might even click though to the suggested website. Greenheart Shop was one of those recent clicks for me. I spent a few minutes browsing the website for this Chicago-based “eco-fair trade non-profit shop,” and ended up ordering two scented body products by an “artisan” brand called Anti-Body.
All the products offered by Anti-Body (“anti-poverty, beautiful body”) feature fairly traded ingredients, paraben-free formulas, minimal packaging, and fragrances blended exclusively from essential oils. I opted for the Petal line. (Other scents include Lavender, Lemongrass, and Patchouli Eucalpytus.) Anti-Body’s Petal fragrance is a mix of geranium and ylang ylang, two notes that are often acquired tastes: geranium is sharp and greenish, almost more of a vegetal note than a floral note, and the oil of the ylang ylang flower can smell rubbery and a bit animalic. I can’t think of any other body products that pair these two distinctive essences, but I’ve been enjoying the combination…
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I was introduced to the Duchess Marden line a few years ago, when I received a facial treatment at a spa that used natural and organic products; since then, I’ve occasionally purchased Duchess Marden Pure Rose Water and Crème Cleanser to use at home. I like these products because they’re plant-based, they don’t contain any parabens, petrochemicals, or chemical preservatives, and — not the least of my reasons — they smell like roses.
With its recently launched Body Serum, Duchess Marden has moved beyond the face and neck to address the rest of our skin. I know that serums have become very popular in the skincare market over the past few seasons; now, apparently, the term is being applied to body products as well. (A quick internet search brings up “body serums” at various price points, from La Mer to Boots.) Duchess Marden’s all-over serum is packaged in a stunning gold-on-black bottle that a beauty editor would no doubt describe as “luxe.” It’s intended for use on damp skin after a bath or shower, in place of lotion or body cream, and it could also be incorporated into a massage.
Looking at the list of ingredients, I’m not entirely sure what differentiates a body serum from a body oil…
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Posted by Robin
on
15 April 2011
MCMC Fragrances has launched Dude No. 1 Beard Oil. According to the New York Times, it was inspired by founder Anne McClain’s partner, who didn’t want to wear traditional fragrance…
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