Savvy Thinker » Bergamot et al

October Launch: Guerlain Boise Torride

Karin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:14:48 +0000

Boise Torride is coming October 15, 2009, unless the launch date changes as has happened with some. And Boise Torride is how the Guerlain paperwork spells it.

According to the paperwork, courtesy of Claire at the Palazzo Las Vegas location, here's the scoop.

Words associated with this fragrance are:

woody, rebellious, provocative, triumphant, bold and beautiful

Sounds good already!

And the notes:

top: bergamot, tangerine, pink berries
middle: marshmallow harmony, orange blossom, jasmine
base: patchouli, white musk, cedar

Marsh mellow makes me think of Mariah Carey's fragrance. Nothing wrong with marshmallow there.

It sounds like a good mix between old and new. Time will tell!

What do you think?
Does this sound like one you will try? I've never really met a Guerlain that wasn't better than others with similar notes. The trick for me will be the orange blossom, as that is something that I usually have difficulties with. I look forward to trying this one just the same.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-05 12:09:37.

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Review: Just Cavalli Her

Karin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:29:37 +0000

Just Cavalli Her by Roberto Cavalli was introduced in 2004 for Women. It is considered an oriental floral.

When I wear it, I don't get too much from it except for sweet vanilla -- and the vanilla lasts through the entire fragrance. Getting stronger, if that is possible, which of course it is, because it is one of the base notes, which means it shows up at or through the end.

Top: Sicilian Bergamot, Ceylon Cinnamon, Bamboo Leaves,
Heart: Wild Lily Of The Valley, Apricot Tree Flower, Sambac Jasmine,
Base:Golden Amber, Madagascar Vanilla, Lebanese White Cedarwood, Powdery Musk

It is one of the nicer vanillas out there, but I have to be in the mood for it because it is vanilla.

This is not the sultry vanilla of Shalimar, and it isn't a particularly gourmand vanilla, like white cake.

On the whole, it is sweet. I prefer it not so close to my face. I should have spritzed my leg, not my arm.

As soon as I could, I switched to another fragrance -- to Light Blue -- to get away from the sweetness. I needed a little tart to go with it.

Is this a fragrance that you wear?
When do you wear it? I think it would have served me better on a fall night, not a summer morning. I was engulfed in a vanilla dream. I don't think I'm quite that sweet!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-17 07:27:14.

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Scent impressions on a hot day Serge Lutens Part 2

Karin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:02:47 +0000

Moving on to Serge Lutens from L'artisan:

Ahhhh... Oh my. This is the first time I've seen so many Lutens fragrances in one place since I was in Paris. On that trip I was overwhelmed by the choices, didn't really know the offerings, and felt confused enough not to make a choice. Then a generous POL'er (you know who you are) sent me from Europe a wonderful selection of sample vials so that I could really try them at my leisure. I went on to order several decants and a couple of partial bottles.

This week I sampled Rousse, Datura Noir, and Miel de Bois.

Miel de Bois is practically straight honey. I prefer L'Occitane's Honey and Lemon which has less honey predominating:

Miel de Bois:
Notes of honey and woods with top notes of ebony, gaiac and oak wood, middle notes of honey and bottom notes of beeswax, iris and hawthorn.

Honey and Lemon:
lemon and citrus fruit, golden honey, vanilla and caramel scents.

I liked this Datura Noir quite a bit, but I have Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier's Secrete Datura* and while not the same, it gave me pause to think of getting this one. I look forward to putting it on skin again, and comparing it to SD.

Datura Noir

Notes of myrrh, bitter almond, tonka bean, and musk, heliotrope, mandarin, lemon flower, and tuberose, vanilla, coconut oil, and apricot.

My favorite of what I tried was Rousse . I fell in love with this one, but I would want to sample it comparing it to Fou d'Absinthe on my next trip, unless I simply decide to bite the bullet and get both. Rousse was created by Chris Sheldrake. Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices, so to have it in a fragrance that is more than gourmand, is a delight.

I expected it to be like Chypre Rouge, which I find masculine, but it is not. Rousse is certainly wearable by a man; it is equally wearable for me.

Rousse
notes of mandarin, cinnamon, cloves, spices, floral & aromatic notes, fruit, cinnamon wood, precious woods, amber, musk and vanilla.

Now, I would be completely happy concerning fragrance if I had one or both of the ones I loved -- but then would I be on the hunt for more? Yes, probably, but I've resigned myself to the knowledge that there are so many new offerings that it is impossible to test all of them. I must be satisfied with the few.

There were a couple Lutens I didn't care for, but I didn't write their names on the cards, and I am having trouble recognizing the names as I look for them, so I will have to have an addendum when I sample them again.

Karin

Secrete Datura's notes:

Notes: Datura, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Chocolate

Top: intermingles the lily, heliotrope and lemon.
Mid: jasmin, honeysickle, wallflower and orange blossom,
base: iris, vanilla, chocolate, and sandalwood.

Originally posted 2008-06-28 18:46:31.

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Marc Jacobs, Orange

Karin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:34:01 +0000

If you are looking for a sweet orange fragrance, not an orange blossom, check out the new MARC JACOBS ORANGE . It is a hefty 10 oz in a spray bottle reminiscent in some ways of a square Chanel bottle. In other words it looks and feels rich to use.

Additionally, since his splashes dissipate so quickly, you would want to spritz more often, so you would need a larger bottle than you are accustomed to.

Orange Splash is a fruity floral with top notes of bergamot, mandarin, neroli and tamarind; mid notes of water mint, freesia and white rose; and a dry down of moss, tonka bean amber, musk and blonde woods.

My first thought when I sampled this in Nordstroms, then spritzed again in SAKs, was that I wasn't sure if it stayed sweet or not. I'm not interested in orange blossom at all, as that is strictly a scrubber on me in whichever brand I have tried it, though some are worse than others. I also wondered if it had that masculine strain that I find not-so-happy to wear. I decided not to buy it until I had tried it again, even though I really like sweet orange fragrances. I went home with a sample from Nordstroms.

My second try was yesterday, without any other spritzes that I had tried the first time when I had sampled my way through my own individual sniffa, trying out as many new ones as they had that I thought I might like after spraying a card.

The second time it stayed sweet.

I think it is the mint underneath that is keeping it somewhat green. There isn't enough of the base notes for me to smell any mossy, woody or ambery or tonka bean dry down. That I would have particularly liked. If I had wanted to jazz up the orange, I would have simply spritzed again.

I'm wearing it again as I type. I dunno, I'd have to try it again to see if I felt it were FBW. So far, it is in the iffy range.

I think it is a perfectly adequate and lovely fragrance if you didn't already have sweet oranges and if you particularly like mint. Somehow the combination on me is almost, but not quite, an orange blossom.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-04-21 13:39:49.

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When only orange will do

Karin — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:42:41 +0000

I got to thinking about the favorite summer fragrances I recently posted and realized I have a number of sweet orange fragrances which I have talked about in the past. I decided to update my list. Edited to include Atelier Orange Sanguine.

I am wearing these everyday, starting with one as I feel like it, then layering up to another. It's the right time of year!

There are times when I hanker after orange in perfumes. I don't care for orange blossom in most fragrances because white florals usually take a nasty turn on me; it is the sweet orange of the juice that I want to wear for fragrance.

Citrus is a top note, a fleeting concept, quick to disappear, leaving the other notes to anchor the fragrance. But when it lingers, it is enjoyable. It is a precursor to spring and refreshing in the summer.

When orange juice is in season and fresh from the grove, squeezed in such a way to eliminate all bitterness from the skin or pulp, it is sunshine in a glass. This is the fragrance I want. I have bought cream and lotion from the grove. They are delightfully fragrant, but not long lasting. And it tends to smell more like an orange creamsicle than just orange. The only edp they sell is orange blossom, which I do not wear.

Some of my favorites in this category are:

Atelier Orange Sanguine
Not as fleeting as some. It is slightly bitter in the dry down. Surprisingly the base notes are not heavy or sweet in this one.

Notes:
• Top notes: blood orange, bitter orange
• Heart notes: jasmine, geranium from South Africa
• Base notes: amber woods, tonka beans, sandalwood

L'Occitane Ruban d'Orange Eau de Toilette, new for the holidays in 2006, is rich in the natural essential oils of citrus fruits from the Mediterranean. The spray edt is not particularly sweet and could easily be worn by a man. I especially love the the Shower Gel which is enriched with softening pulp concentrate and the Soft Skin Milk. Both of these are sweeter than the edt. You can find these either at a L'Occitane store or through their website. I like the lotion.

I Love Love Cheap and Chic by Moschino is a sweet orange scent with notes of Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Redcurrant, Tea Rose, Lily of the Valley, Cinnamon Leaves, Musk, Cedar, Tonka Wood. The only notes I smell are the citrus, mostly orange. It is light and effervescent.

Couture by Moschino is a headier citrus scent. It has notes of Bergamot, Mandarin, Pepper, Peonies, Jasmine Pomegranate Flower, Poppy Seed, Vanilla, Cedarwood. The Bergamot and Mandarin waft through the fragrance, but are less predominant than they are in I Love Love.

Sonoma Scent Studio is another company that I love. Laurie's fragrances are lovely. Her Constant Comment scent smells like Constant Comment tea, but is sweetly orange throughout, while anchored with the cinnamon. I hope she offers it again.

Mandragore By Annick Goutal is lush and fresh, woody and elegant with notes of Bergamot, mandrake (which makes it quite unique), black pepper, and ginger. It's one of my favorites and lasts well. This is the same for men and women. The only difference is the bottle.

While in a drug store in Innsbruck, I found fragrances by Accord Parfait. They are quite inexpensive. I bought 3 of them. One is a chypre: The Noir and Bergamote. It is quite lovely, but is more black tea than bergamot, as the bergamot leaves the fragrance. This is another one that could easily be worn by a man.

The Body Shop has an energizing Bergamot Body Mist. It is lovely to add to others to give them a boost, but extremely fleeting.

Bigarade Concentree by Frederic Malle, created by Jean-Claude Ellena has notes of Bitter Orange, Cardamom, Pepper, Rose, Hay, Aldehyde. It is a lovely fragrance, but not very long lasting.

I just used it over Mary Kay TimeWise Body™ Hand and Décolleté Cream and it is still going strong 45 mins later. Super staying power with this as the base.

Victoria Secret's Very Sexy Now is full of blood orange ... plus notes of pineapple juice, hazelnut leaf, purple freesia, peony, nutmeg, sandalwood, grapefruit wood, tonka bean, and vanilla. Unfortunately it was a limited edition, so I don't know how easy it will be to find. I still love it! I did not care for the body oil in this. It had lovely sparkle, but was very oily. The fragrance dissipated too quickly in the oil form. There are a number of similar reincarnations.

Fendi Theorema smells like chocolate oranges with notes of jasmine, amber,vanilla, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood.

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Sanguine Muskissime has notes of Morrocan blood oranges, bergamot and tangerine with musk. On me, the musk is predominant and spoils it for me.

Do you like orange? what do you wear in it?

Karin

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Originally posted 2010-04-06 10:20:25.

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Review: D&G Comparing Rose The One with The One

Karin — Thu, 12 May 2011 05:09:33 +0000

Rose The One
I was able to try Rose The One in person tonight, and I have to say it is a nice addition to the original The One.

What are the notes?
Rose The One

notes: blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, mandarin, lily of the valley, rose, litchi, peony, Madonna lily, ambrette seed, sandalwood, musk and vanilla.

The One

top: bergamot, mandarin, lychee and peach,
mid: Madonna lily, muguet and jasmine,
base: of plum, vetiver, vanilla, amber and musk.

How do they compare?
The main difference for me is the addition of pink grapefruit in Rose The One. That comes across strongly in the beginning, perhaps even stronger than the rose. But citrus notes burn off fast from the top notes, leaving a gentler, softer version of The One.

Both fragrances begin with almost a fizz, but the fizz is stronger in Rose The One, as you would expect, because of the tart aspect of the grapefruit.

Does it resemble the original The One?
Unlike some flankers that have no resemblance to the original fragrance except for the name, Rose The One stays true to the original concept, while making it more wearable with the addition of the rose and pink grapefruit and softening it.

My Take:
I found over time that The One was a fragrance so distinctive that I tired of it. I couldn't layer up over it to get another fragrance later in the day, which I like to do.

I like citrus in a fragrance. And I have trouble wearing roses. But Rose The One is one I can wear. I'm really happy that it has a lighter feel to it than The One. I prefer it.

Have you tried it?
Do you wear either of them? Which do you prefer?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-10-26 19:26:44.

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Comparing Mandragore to Bigarade Concentree

Karin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:49:09 +0000

Yesterday I decided to compare these two fragrances to answer Morticia from POL's question.

Mandragore by Annick Goutal is characterized as Fresh, woody, elegant; Bergamot - mandrake - black pepper - ginger. I bought the men's version, which is supposed to be identical except for the bottle. It is said to be

Â· Spicy top notes of pepper, coriander, and ginger.
Â· Magnetic heart notes of mandrake mixed with unusual roots of valerian, marjoram, and liveche.
Â· Dry, woodsy base notes.

What makes this fragrance unique is the mandrake. I don't know that I would recognize mandrake if I smelled it, but this is a very nice fragrance, very nice indeed. And if it is the mandrake that makes it, well, it is very enjoyable. If you remember the Biblical story, mandrake is/was supposed to have aphrodisical qualities, and for the price of the mandrake her son had gathered, which Rachel wanted, Leah was allowed to be with Jacob. The result was another son for her, Issachar. That makes it an interesting fragrance just for the story ... and a sort of modern day link to the past.

Bigarade Concentree by Frederic Malle, Creator: Jean-Claude Ellena, has notes of Bitter Orange, Cardamom, Pepper, Rose, Hay, Aldehyde.

To my nose, they smelled very similar. The rose is not distinct, which is good for me as I cannot wear a lot of roses. Both have orange/Bergamot and pepper notes. Neither is real sweet. I had one on each arm. After they had dried down for at least an hour I asked College Girl and her friend which arm they preferred. At first CG's friend picked Mandragore and CG picked Bigarade. (At that point they were still very similar to my nose. The difference might be in the initial first minutes.) CG described Mandragore as being very citrusy at that point. They both resniffed and agreed they liked Bigarade a little better.

You understand, they had to put their nose to my skin. There wasn't any sillage. Partly that is because I didn't spritz more than once.

Personally, I like them both, real well. And when I want a citrus/orange, they are both good choices.

I didn't like the effect on me of L'occitane's Ruban d'Orange quite as well. It is even less sweet. I did not buy this one. OTOH, I love the shower gel and body lotion, which are sweet and juicy in fragrance, distinct from the edt, and bought them. I can use these with just about any fragrance I wear, straight from my shower.

I think what I like about either of these is that neither has a lot of sillage. (Mandragore might have a bit more.) But I can enjoy it through the day by spraying my arms or wrists and enjoying a sniff here and there. It is like transporting myself to another place and time, an instant vacation, so to speak.

I'll go into my stash of MMU and B&I and see if I have any orange fragrances there and report later or next week.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-03-24 07:41:52.

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Review Kilian Cruel Intentions Tempt Me

Karin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 07:12:31 +0000

Cruel Intentions is a fragrance I've found surprisingly to my taste. Well, maybe not surprising, but it wasn't my first choice. I find I love it. And perhaps it should have been my first choice!

Again, *Sergio Gonzalez is the expert on the line at SAKs in Las Vegas, and he will be happy to help you. Phone 702-967-1266. Be sure to tell him you heard it from me. He will take good care of you!

Kilian says:

A fragrance inspired by the warm, enfolding balsamic notes of Oud, a legendary wood said to be « worth more than its weight in gold ». Perfumer : Sidonie Lancesseur

I've heard it said that it gets stronger on some, but on me it just stays softly resinous. I love the scent as it softens, and I love the bit that is on my clothes. I spray my wrist and arm, then transfer to the other arm and wrist. And I spritz my neck.

The notes are:

Fresh notes: Bergamot calabria oil, orange blossom oil,
Floral notes: violet accord, centifolia rose absolute,
Woody notes: agarwood (here is the oud again), Indian papyrus oil, gaiacwood oil, Haiti vetiver oil, sandalwood,
Animalic notes: styrax absolute, castoreum absolute, vanilla absolute, musk.

This is not a sweet vanilla; it is more of a dry vetiver. It is so precisely blended that I cannot really separate the notes. Occasionally I get a glimpse of violets in the woods. Mostly it is a very wearable animalic fragrance. It is soft enough to be worn day or night by both men or women.

Sergio considers it the most complex of Kilian's fragrances. I don't know about that, but it is quite, quite lovely. My over all impression includes a leathery dry down, though leather is not listed as one of the notes.

This is a fragrance that has a double meaning in the name: likely if someone is being tempted, there are cruel intentions in that temptation.

But I don't find this fragrance cruel or cutting. It gets under your skin and becomes an ambiance. The sweetness that is there is not sugary, but resinous. It's even a little bit boozy, as I find his other fragrances. I find this particularly interesting, as Kilian is heir to the Hennessey cognac family.

Have you tried it? Do you love it? I bought this in the travel set.

It may be that I end up liking it as well as or more than Love, don't be shy.

You can see an overview of all his fragrances here.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-11 23:46:00.

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Burberry The Beat

Karin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:41:13 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised by Burberry The Beat when I sampled it last night. It was, on me, basically what I had hoped all the other Burberry incarnations would be. It is called a sparkling woody floral scent.

In paper scent sampling they tag it with Where attitude meets energy. I dunno about that, but I could use some of both, so it's not a bad moniker tag.

The notes are:

Ceylon tea, iris accord, and bluebell; also bergamot, cardamom, pink pepper, mandarin, white musk, vetiver and cedarwood.

What I find interesting on me is that it feels slightly vanilla-y, but it doesn't move into the artificiality that the other Burberrys do on me. I don't catch any tea in it. I always like iris, which might be what gives it a sparkle. Normally I'm not particularly into pink pepper, but I love vetiver and cedarwood, also mandarin and bergamot (see my earlier reviews on mandarin scents -- I'm about to revisit wearing them with spring on the corner.)

It certainly is worth a spritz or two or three. I really spritzed myself once I was pretty sure it was going to be wearable for me. Even at full blast it wasn't too much and didn't head to artificiality. I think it has definite possibilities for spring and summer.

Try it if you are near a bottle. Speaking of the bottle, it is one of my favorites of their bottles. Something about it appeals to me. It's not entirely masculine, but it is reminiscent of a flask, with rounded edges.

Karin

Originally posted 2008-03-27 12:15:26.

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Lancome perfumes in the airport

Karin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:06:53 +0000

The beauty store in the Houston airport has two Lancome perfumes not available in the US unless they make their way to discounters -- Benghal and Cyclades. They are from the Collection Voyage (travel collection.)

I loved the bottle for Cyclades and given any amount of liking of this fragrance, I would likely have popped just for the bottle.

Alas, on me both smelled very artificial and quite plasticy, getting worse to the dry down. Neither one had much personality. While Benghal is described as being inspired by the gardens of Indian palaces, a soft floral, lightly spicy with fruity accents, it hardly spoke to me at all.

Cyclades had more sillage. Which wasn't particularly good on me. Here are the notes:

a musky floral

top notes: neroli and bergamot essence
heart: oleander and jasmine
base: white musk and vanilla hyperabsolute

In all honesty, I don't wear any of Lancome's fragrances. Magie Noir is perhaps the best on me. Perhaps if you are a Lancome fragrance aficionado, they will do well on you.

Have you seen or tried either of them?

Karin

Originally posted 2008-05-10 13:59:31.

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