Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm by Rosebud Perfume Company

Apr

16


*Picture from B-Glowing

The hipsters say old is new again, and so does Maryland’s Rosebud Perfume Company. It doesn’t make perfume, but it does sell vintage-looking, sweet-smelling products to a lot of chain stores, always a big deal for a small company.

I picked the berry-tinted, slightly musky Brambleberry Rose lip balm out of the lineup, which also included a legitimately chocolatey Mocha Rose lip balm and another one called Smith’s Rosebud Salve. It is an original take on rose. It can also double as lotion for dry patches of skin.

It’s thick, works well, and you won’t get tired of the scent. Plus the amount of balm you get justifies the $7.00 price tag. The old-fashioned container gimmick, surprisingly, doesn’t get old either.

Posted in Berry, Honey, Rose | 2 Comments

New Jersey by United Scents of America

Apr

05

*Picture from Fragrantica

United Scents of America, a new perfume company in Hoboken, New Jersey, has what is probably the best concept for a niche perfume line I’ve ever seen: perfumes that smell like the state they are named after. It’s definitely possible to orchestrate this idea based on the primary attractions of the state, as they have done. The Chesapeake Bay in Maryland has a unique smell, as do the wildflower-covered mountains of West Virginia. It would be so easy to insert a New Jersey joke here, so I’ll stop you in your tracks: this perfume does not smell like Dupont. They had the great idea to pick the shore as their setting, which mind you was one of the most well-known parts of the state before and after the show.

The most amazing thing here is that United Scents of America used both a note list and an association that would be considered trashy by many people’s standards and developed them into an understated fragrance that isn’t trashy at all. The beautiful top note is a realistic rendition of buttered popcorn. It’s short-lived, but warm, comforting, and unlike anything I’ve smelled in any other fragrance. The perfume is an industrial orange color, like the most lethal kinds of movie theater popcorn. But the note comes off as ladylike. I can smell orange blossom and neroli along with the buttered popcorn, and they are surprisingly effective accents. It would be difficult to walk past this note in a perfume shop without interest.

After the buttered popcorn note fades out, a caramel note creeps in with the cotton candy note hitching a ride on its back. Both notes remain soft: smelling New Jersey won’t give you diabetes. The second sweets accord remains original but is less stunning than the first one. The musk note crescendoes at a steady pace from the beginning of the heart notes, as does the vanilla note. Towards the drydown, New Jersey becomes even foodier. The mix of caramel and vanilla reminds me of creme brulee.

Although I think the formula would be better if it were stronger, United Scents of America does a wonderful job of evoking the boardwalk in a nonliteral sense. I wasn’t expecting to find a perfume that smells like the Jersey Shore on a proper lady, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Note List:
Top Notes: fresh buttered popcorn
Heart Notes: cotton candy, caramel, and coconut
Bottom Notes: vanilla extract, peach, patchouli, and musk

Release Year: 2012
Recommended Occasion: Casual
Price Range: Moderate
My Rating: 7.5

*Note: I wrote directly to the friendly owners of United Scents of America, Samantha and Sasha, to obtain these samples. But I am not being compensated to write these reviews.

Check out another review at ScentsofSelf

Posted in Caramel, Coconut, Cotton Candy, Musk, Orange Blossom, Patchouli, Peach, Vanilla | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Habit Rouge by Guerlain

Mar

06


*Picture from Fragrantica

My dad has a bottle of Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette, and I always pick it up and smell it. Some perfumes (Dune) make me think, and others (Liaisons Dangereuses) make me feel, but Habit Rouge doesn’t make me do anything but enjoy the moment. It is abstract, enjoyable, and its brightness reminds me of the fuzzy spot of yellow sunlight the prism leaves on the wall in the morning.

Guerlain’s website portrays it as a kind of uber-masculine perfume for whom only the most rugged cowboys qualify; those who would ride their stallions through a cloud of Habit Rouge and dust into the sunset in pursuit of the killer (You know that song The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? That’s what I thought of when I read the copy.)

It’s a romantic notion, but I don’t think John Wayne would wear Habit Rouge on the job. To me it’s a yin/yang example of androgyny. It best suits feminine men and masculine men. It is too bright to be traditionally male, but too raspy to be traditionally female. The first thing I smell is a gentle wave of orange blossom and bergamot, with an oud accent that holds from top to bottom. There is a powdery side note that also holds, although it is strongest in the beginning. It reminds me of lathered shaving cream, and I can see in this respect how Habit Rouge would make someone, probably a child, inherently associate it with manhood. It gives off the same clean vibe as Jo Malone’s Lime Basil and Mandarin.

Habit Rouge becomes even more abstract and spicier in the heart, containing a cinnamon note to go along with the strengthening oud. It also becomes more herbal. I smell lavender close to the drydown. To me, Habit Rouge doesn’t fade into a heavy drydown, but many people notice patchouli and leather.

Habit Rouge is one of the few intelligent things that is also truly comfortable to be around, and that’s probably why it’s my favorite masculine. Throughout the whole trajectory, it has an admirable and rarely-seen combination of cheer and tact. Maybe the real reason it’s seen as a traditional masculine is wishful thinking: Habit Rouge brings to mind the rare personality marked by simplicity, intelligence, and sense. The perfect man, but nearly impossible to find.

Perfumer: Jean Paul Guerlain
Price Range: Moderately Expensive
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1965
My Rating: 10

Read more reviews at Perfume Shrine and 1000 Fragrances. What Men Should Smell Like reviews both the eau de toilette and the older eau de cologne

Posted in Bergamot, Cinnamon, Citrus, Clean, Lavender, Orange Blossom, Oud, Powdery, Spicy | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Ambre Russe by Parfum d’Empire

Feb

24


*Picture from Fragrantica

Many beautiful perfumes are an abstract combination of accords. But some gain their stature due to the opposite of balance: that is, by blasting one unsubtle note louder than anyone else dares to.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris is a classic due to its unabashed excess of rose. Carnal Flower is said to contain more natural tuberose than any other perfume on the market. And Ambre Russe projects a profligate explosion of ambergris.

Ambergris comes to be in a rather inglorious way: it is bile that comes from a whale’s stomach. (Proof) I recently went to a Smithsonian Museum of American History exhibit about whaling, in which I learned of the dreadful deaths that occurred as a result of whalers chasing this substance, which was pound for pound the most valuable thing to be gained from these quests.

I usually think perfumes that smell of one thing are a waste of money when you could just buy the absolute. But I have an old bottle of Caswell Massey’s Ambergris oil, and while I like it, Ambre Russe is more refined and has far more intent. I think it works much better on a woman. It has a serious, high-minded, full-bodied sex appeal, like how I imagine Catherine the Great would have smelled.

There’s several other notes I can pick up on, the strongest of which is a honey and vanilla accord and a subtle but dangerous leather note in the background. But these do not come in layers behind an amber backdrop like I would usually say, nor do I notice them becoming more or less powerful as time goes on. They are simply accents that add personality without being noticed, sort of like a characteristic gait of someone you know that you don’t realize is relevant until you see it in someone else.

After all this, Ambre Russe manages to be nothing but contemporary and wearable. If you are looking to own, say, 5 perfumes, this would be a good one.

Note List (Fragrantica): vodka, rum, incense, coriander, cinnamon, vanilla, tea, amber, honey and leather
Perfumer: Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
Price Range: Moderately Expensive-Expensive
Recommended Occasion: Fancier than not.
Release Year: 2003
My Rating: 8.5

Check out other reviews at Olfactoria’s Travels, and Perfume Smellin’ Things. Both emphasize Ambre Russe’s proverbial Russianness a whole lot more than I do.

Posted in Amber, Cinnamon, Coriander, Honey, Leather, Rum, Spicy, Tea, Vanilla, Vodka | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Wickles Pickles

Feb

20


*Photo from Wickles’ website, Sims Foods.

I’ve gone to school in the country for a while now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that there’s a great proliferation of Cracker Barrel restaurants. You can recognize the sign from a mile away, but when you get there it legitimately looks like something you may have seen on the Oregon Trail. It’s the only establishment I’ve ever seen from the interstate that manages to be both mainstream and interesting at the same time.

You can purchase all kinds of ugly sweaters and wooden gadgets from the Old Country Store in the front, but the most appealing thing is these tangy slices of greatness: Wickles Pickles. They start out sweet, end up spicy, and contain enough garlic to carve out ten spots ahead of you in line. There are two red jalapeno peppers in each jar. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted any pickles even remotely like these.

I should note that Wickles registered as being more chemical as time went on. The first few times I thought they were the wholesome product of a small company that got recognized, but then I poured the pickle juice down the drain when I was finished and I realized that it was the exact same color as Carnal Flower. It doesn’t smell terribly unlike the latter either. But Wickles are still great despite the fact that, judged purely as food, they are more closely related to their highway contemporaries than I’m comfortable with.

Nothing makes me happier than regular people doing something they really want to do that other people are willing to pay them for. And Sims Foods is an inspiring success judging from the down-home copy on the label. From Dadeville, Alabama it brought forth a small group of products that are both distinctive and good, which is more than most companies can do.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Kenzo Jungle l’Elephant and Amour

Feb

17

Jungle l’Elephant


*Photo from Fragrantica

Some perfumes, like the notably creative parents of famous artists, are good for the doors that they open. Jungle l’Elephant, distinctive in its own right, smells to me like a precursor to Chinatown: a spicy, dried fruit concoction (the idea of which comes from an aptly-named base called Prunol) that teeters on edibility in the sense that a decorative bowl of dessicated, seasoned fruits and nuts would.

It smells surprisingly like sawdust in the opening, but the spices take over soon enough along with an incense note. Later on, the fruity notes give the impression of mulled cider. Overall, it’s a good perfume, but I don’t see the point of wearing it when I could wear Chinatown.

Here’s a good review: I Smell Therefore I Am

Perfumer: Dominique Ropion
Price Range: Moderate
Recommended Occasion: Not around people who can’t handle strong perfume
Release Year: 1996
My Rating: 6.5

Kenzo Amour


*Photo from Fragrantica

Kenzo Amour is one of those unusual, bright perfumes they you can wear anywhere. It isn’t a paragon of perfume greatness, but it smells nice, different, and won’t piss anyone off.

It opens up with an unusual duo of marshmallow and amber, and becomes vanillic after not too long. It’s devoid of flowers, but teeters on a big, happy peach/banana/strawberry mix like your favorite smoothie that radiates forever. Teetering between Belle en Rykiel and Love by Kilian, it would smell great on the friendliest cheerleader in school.

Perfumers: Daphne Bugey and Olivier Cresp
Price Range: Moderate
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 2005
My Rating: 7

Posted in Amber, Dry, Fruity, Incense, Marshmallow, Peach, Spicy, Uncategorized, Vanilla | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Azuree by Estee Lauder

Feb

13


Picture from Fragrantica.

The first time I smelled Azuree, I had no idea what it was, but I said it was similar to Aromatics Elixir. Both were done by Bernard Chant within a few years of each other; both have a chypre in the background (I can smell the bergamot at the top and the oakmoss at the bottom, but they don’t take the stage at any time); both are amber colored; and both perfume houses are owned by Estee Lauder and appeal to the same audience. I initially wrote it off as a kind of Aromatics Elixir Lite. In fact a lot of people seem to write it off: I didn’t find too many reviews of it in the blogosphere and it doesn’t seem to be advertised much by Lauder.

I’m glad I gave it a second chance. It isn’t immediately distinctive like most of the perfumes I like, but after paying attention I realized that it’s the only member of its category that I know: a happy, guileless leather. Pretty much all the other leathers I’ve smelled are tough like Bandit or prim like Cuir de Russie. The leather note holds throughout, but becomes more prominent towards the drydown.

The beginning is interesting too. It’s aldehydic (leathers and aldehydes in the same perfume? That’s interesting too) herbal, and contains a big wallop of citrus. Think of it as a much muskier version of Eau Premiere. The citrus remains throughout most of the fragrance but starts to take a backdrop to the leather. As the florals gradually fall off, Azuree doesn’t get any less comfortable. The musks combine with the leather to create a lived-in feel. The first time I wore Azuree for the day, I felt like I’d worn it my whole life.

Perfumer: Bernard Chant
Price Range: Moderately Inexpensive
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1969
My Rating: 8.5

Read Yesterday’s Perfume’s review, especially the awesome likeness to mod fashion.

Posted in Aldehydic, Bergamot, Citrus, Dry, Herbal, Leather, Musk, Oakmoss, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Chanel No. 5 Eau De Parfum

Feb

10


Photo from Precious Women’s Perfumes

The Macy’s at the mall my friends take me to doesn’t have much of a selection. They do, however, have Chanel No. 5 in all versions: the eau de toilette, the eau de parfum, Eau Premiere, and even the parfum, which is prominently displayed on Christmas. I always thought they smelled different, but I didn’t realize this was intentional until I bought The Book (Perfumes by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez).

The eau de toilette, which I figured was the original, is big, beautiful, and feminine, but I strongly prefer Joy. I haven’t smelled the parfum, but since it’s almost unanimously acclaimed as one of the greatest perfumes of all time I bet that once I do I’ll probably elevate it to Joy’s level on my hierarchy. The eau de parfum was made in the 1980s as a modern update on Chanel No. 5, like Eau Premiere was not too long ago. Both were made by Chanel in-house perfumer Jacques Polge, and seem to emphasize different versions of the original. Eau Premiere is the lighter, girlier one, and the EDP is the clubbier one.

It opens with a bunch of powdery aldehydes, but those are overshadowed by the floral bouquet and a massive peach note that you get the sense is trying to push all the other notes out of the way with all of its might. That isn’t a bad thing. I love ’80s perfumery, and No. 5 EDP employs the same attention-getting tactics as Poison and the rest of its contemporaries. I agree with everything The Book says about the EDP, including that it has the same artificial sandalwood note as Samsara. What I don’t agree with is that it detracts from the fragrance at all. I haven’t reviewed Samsara yet because its use of Polysantol gives me a headache; but No. 5 EDP is more tactful with it, and it’s a welcome addition which fits perfectly with the other notes and the general feel of the fragrance.

Chanel No. 5 EDP is not a monument of perfume greatness like the original. But then again, neither is Eau Premiere. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be enjoyed in themselves. If anything, I think each component of the Chanel No. 5 line should be used by perfume historians as a representative of its times: the parfum is from the ’20s and is a massive floral; the ’50s eau de toilette is ladylike and quieter; the ’80s EDP stomps and swivels like Pete Burns; and Eau Premiere is modern and clean.

Perfumer: Jacques Polge
Price Range: Moderately Expensive
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1986
My Rating: 7.5

Bois de Jasmin has a similar opinion of this one.

Posted in 80s fragrance, Aldehydic, Jasmine, Muguet, Peach, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang-Ylang | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Dior Poison and Hypnotic Poison

Feb

06


*Photo from Fragrantica.com

I’ll start by saying that Poison and Hypnotic Poison are both of the same breed: thick and spicy. They last forever in a solid, radiant mass, and neither contain any of that delicate note distinction found in lighter fragrances. I find both of them hard to review because they’re so heavy-handed: it’s as if each note was buried in a bowl of frumenty. Nevertheless, both are very good, and deserve the attention they get on every department store counter in America.

Poison
Poison, like Manuel Uribe, is famous for being big. And reaching the stature of either of these entities is a feat in itself. Perfume, however, needs further distinction to become a celebrity, and Poison has that too.

Tuberose is the featured flower here, and it comes with a big side of grape soda. The note is listed as plum, but I noticed something about actual plums: I can’t smell them. The juicy twilight scent of perfumery plum is most similar to how the fruit tastes. As for spices, Poison smells like it includes everything in your cabinet. Interestingly enough, I smell a big powdery anisic note, usually reserved for tamer florals, and that note isn’t drowned at all by the rest of them. There is also a wallop of vanilla and amber to make Poison even more intense. Dior’s helpfully descriptive fragrance section lists the notes as coriander (top), tuberose (heart) and opoponax (base).

I can see how Poison got its name. Yes, it is huge, but Giorgio and Guerlain Insolence are also contenders for that category. What Poison has over them is concentration. This fragrance just doesn’t quit. That single, sharp echo that lingers over everything it touches long past the drydown would definitely have the tenacity to poison someone if it were ingested in lethal form.

Perfumer: Edouard Flechier
Price Range: Moderate
Recommended Occasion: Dressy
Release Year: 1985
My Rating: 7


*photo from Perfume Diary Perfume Diary

Hypnotic Poison

Hypnotic Poison is less dark, but equally intense. And Hypnotic is a good surname for Poison’s sweet-talking sister. Here’s what Dior’s website tells us: “Four contrasting facets – intoxicating bitter almond and caraway spice, opulent Sambac jasmine, mysterious Jacarandra and sensuous vanilla and musk– make for a compelling, bewitching fragrance fusion. ”

Tuberose and jasmine are the two sexpot flowers in perfumery. Hypnotic Poison puts jasmine in the starring role beside a smooth almond that doesn’t seem at all bitter (it’s more like almond milk), with vanilla and musk. This is even harder to review than the original Poison, because the notes are almost completely stuck together within a sufficiently dark but shapeless and omnipotent glob, like a Rice Krispie with more intent.

But it still smells wonderful. It’s better than the original Poison, and can be worn at all times.

Perfumer: Annick Menardo
Price Range: Moderate
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1998
My Rating: 7.5

Another way these fragrances remind me of poison is because of their marketing. They come in a bottle that looks like something Cleopatra would have poured snake oil in. Or a lamp that a genie can pop out of. It’s very fairy-tale like, and the scents themselves are very oriental. I can’t think of another fragrance in which the marketing fits the scent so well.

Posted in 80s fragrance, Amber, Jasmine, Musk, Oriental, Plum, Spicy, Syrupy, Tuberose | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Amouage Ubar

Feb

03

Amouage, the grand Omani perfume outfit known for having some of the best natural materials in the business, is not a proponent of minimalism. That is great in my opinion, because I do not want to pay money for something that was miserly with its materials. It stuffs its scents, male and female, with the richest ingredients available and charges accordingly, presenting the perfume to you in a gold sultanic bottle. This makes Amouage an example of fair capitalism, since you are paying exactly what the cost of production would suggest.

Ubar originally came out in 1995 and was rereleased in 2009. You can read about both versions at Now Smell This. The note list, from luckyscent.com, is bergamot, lemon, lily of the valley, damascene rose, jasmine, civet, and vanilla. I don’t smell all of those notes, but given the layering techniques of Amouage, each one of them prefers to harmonize rather than call out in turn.

What I do smell, from top to bottom, is a dusty green rose as natural as the biggest rose in your garden after a rain. The lemon note takes its place in the background, and not only is a fresh and unusual combination with the rose but ensures that Ubar will not become a garden fragrance. I also notice a lot of Eastern spice notes, like frankincense, even though they aren’t listed. Not only that, there is also a deep but powdery note like the one in Chamade.

There’s a considerable amount of musk, but it isn’t quite the civet animalic musk that is suggested. Instead it’s more of an earthy, dirt-like musk that supports the rose perfectly. Ubar doesn’t change much, but it remains rich from top to drydown. In fact it becomes more radiant further on. I don’t smell the bergamot at all, which is a great technique because I smell bergamot in almost everything.

Ubar is womanly and sensual, but also very wearable. It even smells like it could be a skin scent. However, other Amouage scents seem like they are more packed than this one. Ubar is beautiful, but not quite sweet enough for my tastes. Amouage Gold, on the other hand, is a preternaturally luscious piece of St. Peter’s gate that only gained momentum as it fell down to Earth.

Perfumer:
Price Range: Very Expensive
Recommended Occasion: Any
Release Year: 1995, 2009
My Rating: 8

Check out more reviews at Perfume Posse and Perfume Smellin’ Things.

Posted in Bergamot, Civet, Floral, Jasmine, Lemon, Muguet, Musk, Rose, Uncategorized, Vanilla | Tagged , , | 4 Comments