perfume

CLEAN Rain

Friday, September 28, 2012

Sometimes, after the perfect rain shower, comes a certain peace. For a moment, everything is still and a certain scent wafts through the air. It’s hard to describe but it smells fresh, clean, and comfortable. It’s only fitting, then, that CLEAN should try to bottle it up and make it available (without the frizzy hair and wet feet!)

CLEAN, perhaps best known for their crisp scents, worked with perfumer Harry Frémont of Firmenich to create yet another crisp scent to the brand’s repertoire. I spoke to Frémont who was able to give me the back story and walk me through the notes f the fragrance: said that the hardest part of creating this scent:

“As a perfumer, what we do is really try to translate things and by things I mean it could be emotions, colors, lifestyles, places — anything you can think of. And here the job was a little bit more specific because it was really clean rain; this feeling of pure, good feeling after a spring shower. I am, personally, a big outdoors guy; I love gardening and being outside so really it translated for me,” Frémont told me.

He wanted the fragrance to feel joyful so he created a watery floral.

“Its a mixture of fruity dewy melon, some daffodils, and very important water mint - mint that fresh not overtly minty. Very dewy. And I mix that with the key of the fragrance, the water lily which is a watery accord I did. That is the driving force of the fragrance; it’s what gives character to the fragrance,” Frémont continued. “And I mixed it with some daisies and violet leaves. Violet leaves are important because they’re extracted from violet leaves and it’s kind of very natural, green note.”

What you’re mostly smelling, however, is a lot of the lily making this one of the freshest florals you can find.

“The challenge of this fragrance was really to try to find the back - what we call the base note - that would blend with the top and mid, without fighting with it because it’s so sheer and transparent you want a back that would sustain and make the fragrance long lasting but without killing the sheerness of the fragrance.

As a matter of fact, for a very long time, we had a note in this fragrance that was making it more opaque. It was a woody note. It was kind of a sleek woody note and it was making the fragrance not as natural and open and breezy as she was supposed to be and one day I took it out, and that’s the back. Musk, sheer musk. White woods. Not dark. Once I took out this woody note, the fragrance kind of came together.”

CLEAN Rain ($69) is available at Sephora online now and will be available in store, ULTA, and Dilliards in October.

Categorized Fragrance | Tagged CLEAN, perfume | Comments

Swarovski Edition

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Attention ladies! Swarovski has introduced a new beautiful fragrance and I need to spill the tea. Guess what? It’s inspired by the brand’s sparkly evening bags created for starlets for the Cannes Film Festival, the Academy Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival. Fancy, right?
swarovski editon (2)

Shaped as a clutch (see what they did there?) Swarovski Edition ($70) is your own piece of elegance. A fruity floral this scent transform as you wear it with a musk and cedar undertone. It kicks off with clementine and red currant jam, giving it a fruity scent, then foes into a floral tone with wild rose and gardenia. Lastly, you’re left with white musk and cedar at the base. I wore it over the weekend and couldn’t help but be smitten with the scent. It’s not an annoying fruity scent since the floral notes temper it a bit. Additionally, it’s not a heavy musk so there’s no need to fear.
swarovski editon (3)

The eau de toilette spray is available at Swarovski boutiques nationwide.

Categorized Beauty, Fragrance | Tagged Fragrance, perfume, Swarovski | Comments

oscar de la renta essential luxuries

Monday, September 24, 2012

A few weeks ago I read in Women’s Wear Daily that Oscar de la Renta was launching Essential Luxuries, a new collection of six fragrances inspired by “his most loved people, places and things,” developed by perfumer Calice Becker.

“We don’t change the way we look on a daily basis, but we may want to change the way we smell,” said de la Renta during an exclusive interview at his Manhattan offices this week. “A woman now wants to represent herself in many different ways, at different times. There is a world that is wide open to women, with a lot of choices. I no longer think a woman is married to one fragrance.” - WWD

That, ladies, sums up my constant dilemma. Like many, I’m on the hunt to find my signature scent. The one fragrance I will wear through thick and thin, single life and beyond. Something that, when wafting through the air, folks will instantly think of me. The problem? I’m pretty noncommittal. I wear something in the morning and switch it up at night. Some days I want to wear a scent that’s warm and cozy, others bright and green. I want to be sexy, flirty, and the girl-next-door — all in one week. With the introduction of the six fragrances, Mr. de la Renta is giving women options. Below is a quick breakdown on each of the scents.

Santo Domingo ~ named for the city where Oscar de la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic, with notes of tobacco, citrus, mandarin and patchouli. I love this scent whole-heartedly. It’s soft but not timid; overall intensely sexy. I have a soft spot for tobacco based fragrances and this doesn’t disappoint. Some might say it’s a bit old school but I love it for night time.

Oriental Lace ~ a dark gourmand oriental inspired by his ready-to-wear fashion, with notes of hoya carnosa, honey, bitter almond, dark cacao, clove and patchouli. This one is spicy and not for the timid.

Granada ~ referencing the Alhambra gardens, the citrus floral features bigarade, bergamot, jasmine, orange and rose. Granada is a bit bright and fresh without seeming too young or girly.

Sargasso ~ named for the Sargasso sea, with juniper, lemon and cucumber. Extremely bright! Perhaps one of the younger scents in the group, this reminds me of Spring and sundresses. Oddly enough, I smell this and think of going on vacation wearing a chic swimsuit and big hat. Yes.

Mi Corazon ~ a floral fragrance inspired by his daughter Eliza; the notes include ylang ylang, tuberose and peach. Tuberose, sweet tuberose. It’s a difficult note and not everyone is a fan. I love tuberose this. This takes my second top spot simply because of its amazing ability to use tuberose without seeming old.

Coralina ~ representing a coral-colored stone favored by the designer; featuring violet, mimosa, orris, and woody green notes. This reminds me of my mother, in the most amazing sense ever. Growing up, my mother was always the type to dab a bit of perfume before heading out (along with apply a bit of red lipstick). This scent takes me back when I would hug her before she sent me off to school.

I was instantly attracted to Santo Domingo and Mi Corazon but if you want to find which one is best for you, visit the Scent Stylist answer a couple of questions and BOOM! There it is.

The Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries fragrances is available in 100 ml for $150 each, exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue and Oscar de la Renta boutiques.

Disclosure: samples were provided for editorial consideration

Categorized Fragrance | Tagged Oscar de la Renta, perfume | Comments

it’s like sex in a bottle

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

that, or something like it, was what my friend Dina told me of Kiehl’s Musk Essence Oil. According to Kiehl’s their musk oil has been around since the 1920′s and was discovered in the Kiehl’s Apothecary, labeled as “Love Oil” no less, in the late 50′s. I bought the oil after Dina’s declaration and was not disappointed. Until I lost it somewhere in the abyss of my overly crowded bedroom. Too lazy to search for it, I simply bought another and was reminded of the heady yet sexiness of the scent. I loved it to the point where I stocked up on the body lotion AND eau de toilette (above). Obsessive much? Perhaps.

Kiehl’s Original Musk is warm and cozy and completely changes your attitude. I’m a huge fans of musks because of the warmth they provide when applied. What you smell in the beginning is what you get hours later - a little bit floral (bergamot nectar and ylang-ylang are among the top and mid notes) with an oriental finish of white patchouli, musk and tonka nut.

The eau de toilette spray is available for $42.50, while the roller ball is $26. Heck, do what I did and go for the lotion ($20) as well.

Pin It

Please don’t forget that you can still help the people of Haiti, donate to the Red Cross today. Thank you.

| Tagged Fragrance, Kiehl's, Musk, perfume | Comments (1)

fragrance friday: agent provocateur

Friday, February 24, 2012

No stranger to the world of sexy — heck they might as well have invented sexy — Agent Provocateur will be launching three new perfumes, based off of its most celebrated fragrant editions: Agent Provocateur (2000) Maitresse (2006) and L’Agent (2011). The trio of new scents are lighter and fresher but still have the enticing allure about Agent Provocateur is known for.

Agent Provocateur Eau Provocateur is easily the freshest of three perfumes with notes of orange blossom, lily of the valley. At the base lies gentle accords of myrrh, vanilla and tonka bean to add softness and sensuality. Meanwhile, Maitresse Eau Provocateur blends notes of rose, iris, jasmine sambac and green notes of Acacia (a thorny shrub). This floral arrangement is rounded out wit amber, sandalwood and Tonka bean.

My favorite, however, has to be L’Agent Eau Provocateur. It starts of with fresh citrusy accords of bergamot, mandarin orange, and green leaves, complemented with fruity aromas of peach, apple and melon. At the heart of the scent, you get the more floral notes of ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, tuberose, magnolia and freesia. Finally you’re left with the seductive combination of a woody and oriental base consistent of amber, musk, sandalwood and patchouli. If you could bottle me up for an everyday fragrance, I’m pretty sure this would be it.

The new ‘Eau Provocateur’ Collection from Agent Provocateur is available April 15th in select department stores.

Disclosure: sample provided for editorial consideration. Please don’t forget that you can still help the people of Haiti, donate to the Red Cross today. Thank you.

| Tagged Agent Provocateur, Fragrance, perfume | Comments (1)