Author: Caitlin

Fragrance writer and perfume collector!

Byredo; Gypsy Water

July 15, 2012

Notes: bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper; incense, pine needles, orris root, amber, vanilla and sandalwood.

At first sniff, Gypsy Water is somewhat similar to Bal d’Afrique. I get that same sensation of fresh baked lemon squares. To me, Gypsy Water is a delicious, but elegant gourmand. The top notes here aren’t all citrus-based, and I quickly sense the spicy pepper. This leads me think that this gourmand isn’t just about dessert, it’s about an entire meal. Ultimately, I get the sense of a kitchen from this fragrance. Gypsy Water is about touches of spice mixed with a fresh green quality (the pine needles). The base of vanilla and sandalwood bring a sense of coziness. This kitchen is a lovely place to spend time, full of warmth and love.

And yet, I’m afraid of being misleading when using words like ‘warmth’ and ‘spicy’ to describe this scent. Gypsy Water is composed with the lightest of touches. The spice is delicate, never overpowering. I’ve described this as a gourmand, but it’s a refreshing gourmand. Don’t worry, this delicacy doesn’t translate to a short wear time. I lamented that Bal d’Afrique didn’t have as much staying power as I would have liked. Gypsy Water does, but it’s subtle.

I recently wore this out to dinner with family. It survived the long family dinner and messing around with little cousins afterwards. As I was walking home, I thought something smells great out here tonight! and even said it out loud. My cousins said they didn’t smell anything. When I got home and still sensed it, I realized that great smell was Gypsy Water, still wafting up from wrist.

By the way, I just realized that Byredo is now offering travel sized refills of their perfumes. The travel set comes as a set of three, and you even choose a leather travel case. It’s a fun and slightly more affordable option. I don’t think I will ever go for one the 100 ml bottles. The price isn’t worth it for me, as I just don’t think I need that much, as delicious as Gypsy Water is. But I am absolutely contemplating the travel set.

Byredo; Gypsy Water $220 for 100 ml // $145 for 50 ml // $110 for three 12 ml travel refills. Byredo is available at Barney’s or at Byredo.com. I got my sample from The Perfumed Court.

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My Grandma Hates Perfume

July 9, 2012

Hello, Everyone!

I went to visit my grandparents over vacation, and it got me thinking. My grandmother has a famously sensitive nose, she never wears perfume, and will not hesitate to make a comment if she thinks you’re wearing something too strong. I once stopped at a Jo Malone counter while shopping with her at a department store. When I bought a bottle of Cologne 154, she told me not to spray it in the house. It was the first time I ever thought about going outside just to apply perfume.

When talking about perfume, many people mention scents that remind them of their mothers or their grandmothers. There are fragrances that take people back to their childhood, to that time when you would catch glimpses of mom putting on makeup before going out.

But I didn’t start wearing perfume until I was relatively independent and living away from home. Different perfumes conjure up college (I went through a long-lasting Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue phase) or grad school, or just traveling abroad. Scent is obviously closely linked to memory, and the memories fragrances conjure up for me usually center around places, not people. Perfume for me signifies independence and dreaming of new places and experiences.

This is why I was surprised when I visited my Grandma this time and she said ‘I have something I wanted to give you. I know you like that brand, what’s it called? It’s the woman’s name.’ Someone had gifted her some Jo Malone body wash and lotion. She knew she would never use it and thought to give it to me!

I’ll get her to try perfume yet.

What about you? Does perfume evoke specific memories for you? And are your family/friends accepting of your perfume habits?

{the painting: Poppy Field in Argenteuil; Claude Monet, 1873}

summer holidays

June 27, 2012

Bonjour everyone! Just a quick update to say that I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow. I’ll be back July 5th, and should resume posting then.

I learned my lesson with my last trip, I’m not bringing any full bottles along with me. It’s not worth it and takes up valuable packing space! Of course I’m bringing samples with me though:

  • Byredo; Bal d’Afrique
  • Byredo; Gypsy Water
  • Parfumerie Generale; Indochine
  • Guerlain; Jicky EDT

Au revoir!

Farmacia SS. Annunziata; Isos

June 23, 2012

Notes: Ceylon cloves, Tunisian mint, myrrh, Madagascar pepper, guaiac wood, vetiver, cedar.

Fresh ground pepper is one of my favorite things in the world, and asking the server to bring out the pepper grinder is truly one of my favorite moments of eating out at a restaurant. Now that I’ve discovered Isos, I can get that same heady sensation just by sniffing my wrist. And that’s what I’ve been doing obsessively for the past week: inhaling Isos. Other perfume samples have been left untouched while I’ve been greedily splashing on my Isos sample.

This is partly due to the current weather here. It was in mid-90s all this past week and the bone-dry peppery spice was the only thing that could cut through the melt-worthy heat. Because, despite the spice, Isos doesn’t give off a ‘dirty’ vibe. This pepper is clean and invigorating. I have a feeling the mint note plays a role here. And, even though I only detect the lightest touch of mint, it lifts the composition. I don’t see citrus listed anywhere in the notes, but it’s all over the drydown for me. I get a softly intoxicating pepper/cedar/citrus mix in the end before Isos finally fades away.

Farmacia SS (full name: Farmacis SS. Annunziata dal 1561, quite the mouthful!) is a completely new brand to me. I stumbled upon it on Luckyscent, and their description of this unique fragrance line is worth reading. Apparently it was originally associated with a monastery in the 16th century, and it is one of the oldest brands in Italy. For those of us not fortunate enough to live in Italy, Luckyscent currently carries 15 of Farmacia’s fragrances for us to sample, including Isos of course.

I realize that not everyone is similarly crazy about pepper as I am, but I would say: don’t be alarmed by a pepper-centric fragrance. Isos is strong in the beginning, but it’s not something that would scare anyone away. Like I said, the drydown is actually quite soft, while still retaining a dry spiced edge. I cannot emphasize enough how pleasant this perfume is. It conjures up dreams of a leisurely lunch at a trattoria where I’ve got a fresh salad, a crisp glass of wine and I’m watching the Italian summer roll on. Somehow, nothing else seems necessary.

Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561; Isos: $120 for 100 ml.  Samples and full bottles available from Luckyscent.

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Parfums de Nicolai; L’Eau Chic

June 16, 2012

Notes: Bourbon geranium, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, sandalwood, Roman chamomile, iris, clove, pimiento, white musks

It is impossible to have a better pedigree than Patricia de Nicolai. The grand-daughter of Pierre Guerlain, was trained by Jean-Paul Guerlain, she was the first woman to be awarded ‘best international perfumer’ from the Society of French Perfumers in 1988. She is now the current president of the Osmothèque, the perfume museum at Versailles. Quite an impressive resume! She also owns her own small company, Parfums de Nicolai, where she has complete control to realize her own vision. And how lucky for us because her vision is quite striking.

The inspiration for L’Eau Chic is the geranium-scented soap Madame de Nicolai recalls from her childhood home. This is definitely a soapy/fresh fragrance and, at the same time, it’s so much more than that. L’Eau Chic manages to be refreshing without giving off cleaning product or air freshener vibes. Nor would I really refer to it as a ‘green’ fragrance, despite the freshness (and the green tint).

Geranium is at the center of this composition, yet I don’t think of this as floral. Lavender adds a cool herbal quality, dialing down the floral. The pimiento and clove open up the spicy, peppery facets of geranium, and the spice enlivens L’Eau Chic so that it feels almost effervescent. It positively jumps off the skin, radiating a piquant freshness. But the mint is the star note to me. It is present throughout wear-time, blending well with the lavender, and off-setting the spices so that L’Eau Chic never veers off-balance into something too spicy or overbearing.

This is a perfect composition, delicate but surprisingly tenacious; the fresh factor never wears off throughout wear time. I could see L’Eau Chic working all year round, but it’s especially perfect for keeping you refreshed on those sticky, humid summer days. I will never think of ‘soapy’ fragrances in the same way again after trying L’Eau Chic. This is a standout.

I couldn’t resist snagging a full bottle of this. Chic to death.

Parfums de Nicolai; L’Eau Chic: $45 for 30ml // $115 for 100 ml. Samples and full bottles available from Luckyscent.

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Love & Toast; Pomme Poivre

June 8, 2012

Notes: vanilla orchid, white musk, jasmine, ebony woods

I first came across Love & Toast while browsing for shampoo at Whole Foods. I couldn’t help noticing the brand’s adorable packaging, so cute that it even prompted a discussion about the brand with the cashier at check-out. She suggested I check out Love & Toast’s fragrances, and so I soon found myself hurrying back to Whole Foods not for groceries, but for perfume.

As you can guess by now, anything with ‘poivre’ in the name immediately catches my eye. As it turns out, I wouldn’t say Pomme Poivre is overly piquant, (certainly not comparable to L’Artisan’s Poivre Piquant!) but the musk and ebony add a subtle depth to the composition. There’s a quiet warmth and spiciness to be found here. The jasmine, even though clearly floral, actually does a decent job of mimicking the smell of an apple. There’s a texture here too, it smells tangible somehow. In this way, Pomme Poivre conjures the idea of spiced fruit without directly containing those notes.

The impressive thing is the staying power. Just a couple of test sprays have lasted me throughout some very long and humid days. And don’t get me wrong, despite the tangibility factor, this isn’t a heavy or weighty scent. It’s perfectly appropriate for summer. It’s a linear composition, there is little intrigue here. But it’s lovely, and I even picked up a full bottle for myself. I plan to wear it to work often this summer.

At an inexpensive price point, Love & Toast is worth checking out if you happen to see it in stores. I also use their shampoo, and I’m crazy about their Salt n Sea shower creme. So fresh and delicious!

Love & Toast; Pomme Poivre $28 for 3.4 oz. Available from Whole Foods or online.

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Parfumerie Generale; Papyrus de Ciane

June 1, 2012

Notes: bergamot, galbanum, neroli, broom, solar notes, lavender, mugwort, clove, incense, cistus labadanum, hedione, vetiver, Mousse de Saxe, Silvanone, white musk

My obsession with Parfumerie Generale continues with Pierre Guillaume’s 24th entry in this line, Papyrus de Ciane. And I even think I’ve found my perfect summer scent in this one! It reached 90 degrees plus humidity here last weekend, but this miracle-working fragrance made the heat slightly bearable.

Papyrus de Ciane opens with a harsh, severe blast of grassy green notes and cool lavender. This sharp greenness was very welcome in the unrelenting humidity–the cool severity was exactly what I wanted! Very quickly though, a floral note appears to soften the composition, I’m guessing this is the broom note (I’m unfamiliar with broom flowers). The fragrance remains lovely, green and floral until the drydown, when things get really interesting.

The clove and the musk come through for me, adding a welcome soft spiciness. The composition takes on a subtle powdery texture, which I found nice rather than ‘old-lady.’ I also sense some licorice in there, which seems to be the Mousse de Saxe. I have never sampled Caron’s Nuit de Noel, so this has been my first experience with this iconic base and, I have to say, I like it. From reading, I gather that Mousse de Saxe is a mossy leather with some licorice in there. It’s the perfect soft, elegant drydown for this unusual green scent.

The contrast between the sharp opening and the soft drydown is compelling, and it somehow doesn’t feel disjointed. Though there is some spice in there, the drydown isn’t heavily spicy. It still manages to project that same cooling effect as the top notes. But there’s a surprising sensuality and sexiness to it that I don’t often find in ‘green’ fragrances.

Reading other reviews of Papyrus de Ciane, it seems this is a love it or hate it fragrance with very little middle ground (some people get air freshener or cleaning product vibes from it). Definitely sample this one to see where you fall, but I obviously fell for it hard. I couldn’t help ordering a full bottle to keep me cool all summer.

Parfumerie Generale; Papyrus de Ciane: $95 for 50 ml. Full bottles and samples available from Luckyscent.

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Nez à Nez; l’Hêtre Révé

May 25, 2012

Notes: Star anise, mandarin, cinnamon, clove, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, plum, wisteria, cedarwood, gaiacwood, jacaranda, leather, musk, port

I’ve been in quite the mood for bold luxurious perfumes lately; first with Chergui and, now, I’ve been living in Nez à Nez’s gorgeous l’Hêtre Révé all week. Nez à Nez is a niche perfume line started by a French couple: Christa Patout and Stephane Humbert Lucas. Fortunately Luckyscent carries the full line for all to try out, and I’ve been greedily devouring my sample.

I liked l’Hêtre Révé immediately, as the opening is quite spicy with the cinnamon and clove coming on strongly. I was reminded of sitting in coffee houses as a college student, lighting up clove cigarettes, and discussing Colette and Simone de Beauvoir.

But don’t worry, this fragrance quickly transitions out of university student territory. A delicious plum note appears, and seems to ripen more and more as long as l’Hêtre Révé lasts on the skin. However, I wouldn’t describe this scent as predominantly fruity, as there are plenty of other elements to balance out the plum. l’Hêtre Révé develops into a smoky leather scent. I hate to admit this, but leather scents can be hit or miss for me. Luckily this one is really, really a hit. There is a slight edginess to this leather–giving off a hint of danger–but it manages to be warm and inviting at the same time.

l’Hêtre Révé reminds me of By Kilian’s Back to Black because of the ripe fruit note and the overall pure indulgence of the fragrance. But the smokiness of Back to Black is more delicate and herbal, while l’Hêtre Révé is some deeply spiced and smokey goodness. This spice isn’t hippie though. It’s elegant, Parisian, grown up. Wear your favorite lipstick with this perfume, and settle into a corner of a dimly lit bar with a champagne cocktail.

And just for fun: l’Hêtre Révé literally means ‘the dreamt Beech tree.’ But it also serves as a play on words, since it sounds like l’Etre Révé which means ‘the dreamt person.’ Interesting to think about!

Nez à Nez; l’Hêtre Révé: $165 for 100 ml. Samples and Full Bottles available from Luckyscent

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Serge Lutens; Chergui

May 18, 2012

Notes: honey, musk, incense, tobacco leaf, hay sugar, amber, iris, rose and sandalwood

Where I live in the US we’ve had a pleasant and warm month of May so far–it was actually warmer here than it was in Paris! Naturally I’ve been contemplating lighter, airier fragrances for spring/summer but, to my surprise, I found myself craving the intense warmth of Chergui. I kept trying to reason with myself, no that will be too heavy for this time of year but then I thought, why deny myself the pleasure of a truly delicious perfume?

I actually didn’t like Chergui the first time I tried it. Luckyscent kindly sent me a sample with another purchase I had made, and I’m ashamed to say that I dabbed some on my wrist, and then proceeded to fall asleep! When I woke up, the fragrance had intensified on my skin and I was completely overwhelmed with the sense of sweet hay. I thought no way. Chergui seemed too sweet and too heavy for me.

Luckily I had the sense to give it another shot when I wasn’t quite so sleepy. Chergui takes its name from the dry wind of Morocco, and this fragrance definitely gives off the warmth of the desert. The honey comes through quite strongly, making this one sweet on me. But, aside from my first sampling, it has never tipped over into sticky and overbearing territory. The herbal tobacco keeps the composition dry and, in this way Chergui conjures an arid desert, not a humid climate. I also detect quite a bit of leather blended with hay, which can’t help but recall a barnyard. So yes, there is a hint of dirtiness here. But, I have to say, I enjoy it! Moreover, the leather adds some depth and balance, ensuring this doesn’t become too dry.

Like many Serge Lutens fragrances, Chergui is difficult to classify. It has a sexiness to it but, is it right for a date? It’s undeniably elegant, but is it right for a party? It radiates warmth, so maybe it’s right for when you need a comfort scent? Chergui is all of these things wrapped up in one bottle, and that’s what makes it so extraordinary.

I’m still not sure what exactly about it prompted my craving. The only thing I’m certain of is that, when I finally gave in, put on Chergui, and inhaled that first sniff, a sense of complete satisfaction came over me. It wasn’t the perfume I expected to be wearing this time of year, but it was the one that I needed.

Serge Lutens; Chergui: $140 for 50 ml. Samples available from The Perfumed Court, full bottles available from Luckyscent.

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perfumed in Paris

May 13, 2012

Bonjour!

I have returned from Paris, which was as exciting, and vibrant, and lovely as ever. Being the beauty/perfume junkie that I am, one of the highlights was visiting the Guerlain flagship on the Champs-Elysées and just basking in the luxury of it all. A seriously gorgeous boutique. I did not return with any new full-bottles, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have perfume on the brain.

My time in Paris got me thinking about the way I wear perfume in my day-to-day life. Normally, I just do mundane things like go to the office and run errands. The office where I work is a fairly small space, so I try not to spray on too much perfume so as not to overwhelm my co-workers. I just do a few spritzes on my wrist.

But wearing perfume in Paris is a whole other ballgame. City life seems to demand more than a couple spritzes to the wrist. After all, in France, it’s expected that you would be wearing perfume, and a lot of it. And I have to say, it’s necessary. The metro is like a living beast that swallows up all smells, mixes them around, and then regurgitates the bad ones. Sometimes you can detect a glimmer of Shalimar through the stench of stale sweat, and that is a moment to be savored.

It became clear to me that my typical perfume routine wasn’t up to the task of withstanding Paris. So I started applying more perfume, and more often throughout the day. I sprayed my clothes and my scarves with perfume, and carried a sample bottle in my purse, just in case.

Now that I’m home, I kind of want to continue doing this. I know I have to be polite to my co-workers. Even though I might think they should become better acquainted with L’Artisan Parfumeur and Serge Lutens, I can’t force it on them. But I like the idea of spraying my scarves, I think I’ll keep that up. That way, whenever I bring a scarf to work with me, I’m also bringing my perfume with me in a way.

So, what about you guys: How do you wear your perfume? Do you adjust to your surroundings? Do you like to spray it on your clothes?