My trip to New York was a lot of fun, although it was slightly hampered by the weather. It was unseasonably cold for May (temperatures in the 40s) and it rained non-stop for two days! I’d forgotten just how tough the city can be when the weather is miserable. I didn’t get around to doing as much sniffing as I had planned, simply because I spent more time indoors and at the hotel than I had planned.

However, I did still get the chance to sample a couple of designer releases that I was really curious about!

Holy Peony by Maison Christian Dior: I love a pretty peony scent, especially for spring. Acqua di Parma’s Peonia Nobile doesn’t quite work for me. There is something in the base that doesn’t quite agree with my skin. Holy Peony does work for me, and, I have to say, it’s very pretty. It’s not a photo-realistic peony. It actually comes across more like a pink rose blended with a fresh green accord, and sitting on a base of soft musk. I’d love to buy this one, but I don’t truly need it in my collection. I already have Belle de Jour, which I love. Holy Peony would have to be seriously special to out-perform Belle de Jour for me. Still, it’s very pretty and worth sniffing. I’m sure this will be a successful release for Dior.

I have to give a shout-out to the Dior Sales Associate at Saks. She guided my friend Sarah and I through the entire Maison Christian Dior collection (the new Dior Privee) at length! She made samples for us and let us take our time sniffing everything. She was extremely knowledgeable, and it really speaks to the training and education program at Dior. Even when I worked at Sephora, our Dior rep was by far one of the most knowledgeable brand reps we had. I may not love each and every Dior fragrance, but they are taking the time to educate their staff, which reflects well on the brand as a whole.

1957 Chanel Les Exclusifs: I did not expect to like 1957 at all. None of the marketing copy put out by Chanel appealed to me. Still, it’s an Exclusif. I have to at least test it, right? My sister & I had lunch at Bergdorf’s to get out of the rain. We weren’t in a rush to go back outside, so we took a stroll around the Bergdorf’s beauty level. Lo and behold, the Chanel counter had 1957 and I spritzed it right on the skin. My first reaction was: Just as I thought, it’s not for me. But then, I couldn’t stop sniffing my wrist. And I noticed the fragrance persisted. It lasted all afternoon and well into the evening. I could smell traces of it even after taking a shower. I went back to Bergdorf’s the next day to test it again!

I have to admit, I love 1957. It starts as a burst of citrus (A zesty lime to my nose, although I don’t know the official note.) It moves into an orange blossom, soapy but pretty and not astringently clean. It then moves into an orris, with the earthy aspect of orris root just barely held in check by a gauzy musk. It’s like a cloud but, at the same, feels very grounded and rooted because of the orris. It’s surprisingly lovely. It lasts for ages on my skin, easily over 8 hours. If I’m still thinking about 1957 come June, I may spring for a bottle as a birthday gift to myself. However, if I’ve moved on to other shiny fragrance releases, then I know it’s not a need in my collection. I really urge everyone to test 1957 though. The performance and longevity are fabulous.

_______________

The photos in the post were all taken by me.