In many ways Guerlain Moscow reminds me of 68, so I thought today I'd compare the two to see if my scent memory was on the beam or not. There is that certain Guerlain flavor to both of them which adds a particular sameness -- I wasn't wrong about that.

I hesitate to call it Guerlinade. I suppose I'd call it Fruit and Guerlinade because both of these have some fruit in them. At the same time this is not your usual teeny bopper fruit, this is grown up fruit. Both of these can easily be worn by a man or a woman (68 is marketed towards a man, but it is good on me.)

I put 68 on my left arm, and Moscow on my right arm at the same time. I was careful not to mix the two (very often I will apply to one arm, then transfer to the other by blotting my arms together.)

Guerlain 68
68 was sweeter from the get-go and the stronger of the two. As far down as vanilla is in the list of notes, you wouldn't think it would be so dominant.

Notes for 68, if you can believe it:

Notes for Guerlain Cologne du 68: bergamot, green mandarin, lemon, clementine, orange peel, blood orange, sweet lime, grapefruit, basil, fennel, star anise, lavender, bay leaf, cypress, elemi, thyme, myrthe, bigarade, mandarin, petit grain, lemon petit grain, pear, violet greens, lierre, gentiane, seve, blackcurrant, freesia, lily of the valley, hazel leaf, cyclamen, cardamom, coriander, black pepper, pink berry, nutmeg, ginger, jasmine, frangipane, magnolia blossom, orange blossom, peony, rose, carnation, ylang-ylang, lychee, fig, blackberry, immortelle, lentisque (mastic), opoponax, amber, benzoin, vanilla, cistus, heliotrope, iris, tonka bean, sage, musk, patchouli, agarwood, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, vegetable musk, praline, myrrhe and lichen.

Or a shorter version, again if it can be believed:

green tangerine, lemon petit-grain, limette, star anise, coriandre, cardamom, pepper, immortelle, opoponax, and cedar.

Guerlain Moscow
Moscow was spicier -- maybe it's the absinthe and the red currants. You definitely get red currants in the beginning -- and I like that note. (Kilian has an absinthe too -- perhaps I'll compare it to Moscow tomorrow, though as I remember it, the Kilian has lavender in it, so it is quite different.)

Notes: Musk, fruit, wood...vanilla, bergamot, red currants, absinthe, lemon, plum

It is now several hours later. Neither is strongly discernible to my nose, but putting my arm up to my nose, both smell pretty nearly alike. Perhaps having both is not a necessity, but they are quite different in the beginning.

Here are the verdicts from my scent testers (2 teens, 1 20 something, and a preteen):
Could they smell it when I walked past them two hours later?
Yes, they could smell it; it was light, not too strong. Then I let them smell each arm so they could tell me which one was still evident. I could smell 68 more.
20 something: She could smell the Moscow and likes it better.
Pre-teen: She could smell the 68, but likes the Moscow better.
Teen (10th grade): She could smell the Moscow. It's not too strong.
Teen (8th grade): She could smell both. She could smell it when I walked away, not when I walked toward her. She liked them.

Isn't that funny!

Re-spritzed: (I've never respritzed before today.)
Me: 68 smells reminiscent of Shalimar now, the original vintage. Between the two, I can't smell Moscow, though putting arm to nose, Moscow is spicier.
20 something: Still likes Moscow.
Pre-teen: Oh, that's fruity (the blend of the two.) I like it!
10th grader: I smell vanilla now. (Yes, there's vanilla in both.)
8th grader: I like it!

So there you have it! I still think it's funny.

Hey, Claire (Kyler and Jorganne), what do you think? from Guerlain at the Palazzo in LV.
Do they remind you of each other? Which lasts longer? Which do you prefer (not fair, I know, when you sell it!)

Don't forget that both of these are available at Guerlain at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. Stop in if you are there -- or phone (702) 732-7008 or email GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com. Be sure to tell them you heard it from me. They will treat you right and take good care of you. I always have fun there.

Do you have either of these? Do you have both?
Do you have a preference one over the other?

My personal preference: I wish the bottles were smaller and cost less.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-22 14:04:17.

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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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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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Boisé Torride is a powerhouse of a fragrance. In some ways it reminds me of Paloma or of Estee Lauder's Knowing. It starts off with a bang and hours later ends up with a sigh or a whisper.

You have to like patchouli and cedar to love this fragrance. That is where it starts on its journey.

I do.

And this combo takes it a little bit from the sweet patchouli into a more incensy version. The overall effect is not like some of Neil Morris' fragrances, which I also love, but unique to the vision that Guerlain was reaching for.

It also is not like the sweetness of Gucci by Gucci with the added fruits.

It is called an androgynous fragrance, designed for a woman but to me surely suitable for a man, part of Les Elixirs Charnels series, which also includes Chypre Fatale, Gourmand Coquin, and Oriental Brûlant.

It is translated

smoldering wood, a new opus for femininity

though I think torrid or scorching would be easy translations also. Perhaps it begins as scorching and ends up smoldering. Some like it hot!

Guerlain loves women and has always celebrated their sensuality. A new expression of sensuality now completes this collection of Elixirs Charnels.

To me, there are three distinct stops on this voyage. The first is the initial flare. I used a couple of drops on my wrist and arm, passed to the other wrist and arm. Frankly, I can't imagine this one sprayed 10 times in the beginning, as at least two people I know do with some of their fragrances. You might knock someone out with the sillage.

I could see extending the 10 squirts throughout the day to refresh it back to the flare stage.

OTOH, an extremely heavy hit of this fragrance, depending on your chemistry, might soften just as nicely to a richer sigh of an ending. You'll have to try it both ways and get back to me. You would certainly have some serious sillage, at least for that moment. And some would have to be on your legs. After all, fragrance rises.

A couple of hours later, the fragrance hits a midpoint. Patchouli is still evident, it is wafting through the trees. I catch it when I turn or move my hands quickly. It surprises me. It is softer and gentler, but still has presence.

The last stage is about 7-8 hours in, when the fragrance has settled into a sigh.

I like the presence of all three. I like that the fragrance moves and isn't linear, though in some sense it is linear, because patchouli and cedar, less so, are evident throughout.

Now something completely silly to me and totally unnecessary is the excessive verbiage of the ad copy's stream of consciousness of the imagined wearer. I could do without that. I'd rather have my own imagination, thank you very much, laughing here. I mean, get real! It sounds like drivel. (And this is true for the other elixirs as well.)

...I still can't decide...Too obvious. I have to seduce him in a different way. Take him down paths still unknown to him...Why didn't I see it sooner?...masculine outfit...nothing under the jacket... contrast...ambiguity do the talking. Androgynous? Perhaps. Terribly sexy? But of course...[2 more paragraphs similar except for telling the notes] He will...become intoxicated by my skin and my essence, strangely androgynous yet irresistibly attractive.

Are they trying to reach a young, unseasoned woman, who presumably might not be able to make up her mind? Or the mature, knows-her-mind-and-how-to-get-it woman who would be more apt to choose this fragrance. After all, it is a fragrance for grownups. It certainly is not a fruity, sweet concoction.

How many of us think this way? I sincerely hope not many.

Perhaps it reads and sounds better in French. Everything sounds better in French!

If I were a man, Boisé Torride would lose me right there, without even giving it a try. And this would be a mistake, because this would be a delectable fragrance on a man, maybe even more so than on me. Or, it could be one of those shared fragrances between two lovers, where it develops differently on each one, to be individual, yet complementary, the way life should be.

Top Notes: bergamot and tangerine with pink pepper
Heart: jasmine and orange blossom with white musk, underneath is a mallow note, not sweet like Mariah's M
Base: cedar and patchoui

Have you tried it?

If you like
If you like any of the patchouli fragrances I've mentioned, you would likely like this one.

To me, there is a little bit of second-cousin-twice-removed to the fragrance Narciso Rodriquez for women.
It has some similarities, but ends up in a different place. Maybe it's the woods and orange blossom.

It's a good one for your repertoire. Remember you have to be a grown up. And that isn't a bad thing.

Where to get it:

Guerlain @ Palazzo in Las Vegas. Call (702) 732-7008 or email: GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com. Ask for Claire. Be sure to tell him that you heard it from me.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts, you know who you are!

Originally posted 2009-09-04 10:48:16.

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OK, I admit, this fragrance has seduced me. Even in the store, I wasn't sure if I should get it or not. Something in me generally rebels against the idea of vanilla, which can be too sweet, and almost like the fragrance of white cake. Can you just feel the smell of white cake as I typed it?

And doesn't the idea of double vanilla almost make you gag? (When you pronounce it the French way, it sounds far more sultry.)

Choosing between this and another Guerlain, I would have picked the other, but I allowed two SAs to help me choose (on purpose.) And I'm not sorry I did. I'm generally not so wishy-washy on the spot, but my general malaise about vanillas would have overcome my judgment, and I would have leaned to the other fragrance, which will be another purchase for another day.

It's as far from most vanilla fragrances as the east is from the west. It's not in the same universe as Coty's Dark Vanilla, for example, a fragrance I like to have around, but rarely wear, for it is a traditional vanilla, albeit darker.

This is a sophisticated, adult, sultry fragrance which is romantic and sexy and not at all too much to wear all day into the evening. I don't seem to tire of it as I do other fragrances. It's long lasting. I don't have to layer it again, though I don't mind doing it as I love the scent. This is a smokey vanilla. It's all the benzoin, frankincense and spices. It's not like Korres' Vanilla Cinnamon which is far sweeter and just not in the same company.

Notes of: vanilla, benzoin, frankincense, spices, cedar, pink pepper, bergamot, Bulgarian rose and ylang-ylang.

I even had a good sized sample that I loved from a friend, but spritzing it from the bottle was a whole new experience.

How does it make me feel?
It is an empowering fragrance. Only wear it if you are prepared to roar, if need be.

Going into a corporate meeting where you need to be taken seriously? Wear it.

Meeting your lover or husband? Wear it.

Going to dinner? Wear it, it won't conflict with your food.

Meeting friends? Wear it. You'll stand apart.

You're a man? Wear it. It will smell masculine on you.

Did I tell you that I love it?
What else can I add?
The fragrance is stunning. It may be in the $230 range now, since prices have gone up, but it is worth every penny. You can also look for it in decants.

How about you?
Do you have it? Do you love it and wear it?

Where to buy it?
Call (702-732-7008) or email Claire (GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com) at the Guerlain boutique in Las Vegas. He's the man. He'll take good care of you. And if he's not there, the others will treat you right too. Even better, stop in when you are in Las Vegas. You'll see I'm right.

Tell them I sent you!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-25 14:23:54.

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Hiris is one of my favorite hot weather fragrances. Introduced in 1999, I only heard about it a couple of years ago. It is considered a semi-oriental, suitable for a man or a woman. It is iris with an H for Hermes.

Top Notes: Orange blossom, rose, coriander seed
Heart Notes: White iris, black iris, cedarwood
Base Notes: Vanilla, ambrette seed, almond wood

There's been a lot of iris hitting the market in later years, but Hiris stands the test of time. It is both sophisticated and modern. The scent of iris comes not from the flower, which as I remember has very little scent, but from the root or rhizome. Some iris is as cold as ice (notably Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens -- which I cannot wear.)

Prada's Infusion d'Iris brought out in 2007 was similar to Hiris, but it lacked any punch. It got tiresome after a while, because it was very light, with not much movement. I found myself overwhelmed (underwhelmed?) by its sameness.

Top Notes: mandarin, orange blossom,
Heart notes: iris
Base notes: galbanum, incense, benzoin, cedar, lentisc and vetiver.

By contrast, Hiris is greener and more earthy. Maybe it's the vanilla that I like, though I don't particularly smell it. Maybe it's the woods in it, in contrast to Prada's. Whatever -- I know I like it better.

For a while I swore off Iris, thinking I had grown tired of it and could no longer wear it, but I find I'm enjoying Hiris again. And my kids think I smell good.

It's a refreshing fragrance, good for this sticky heat we are having. It brings the temps down, if that is possible. Somehow it reminds me of the time I walked along a park in Innsbruck. The park was filled with tulips and smelled earthy and green, along with the scent coming off the water.

Just what I need for a super hot summer day.

Have you ever worn Hiris? do you love it too?
I know a man could wear this well, but it is not so unisex that it leans sharply masculine. I couldn't wear it if it did. Do you prefer Prada's? or not?

Karin

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Originally posted 2009-06-14 16:06:43.

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Have you ever tried a Honeycrisp apple? I had never heard of them until visiting a friend in Michigan. I don't think I've ever had a better apple.

They can be ordered online during their season, but I haven't done it yet. And once I knew to look for them, I found them for short periods of time locally.

I used to eat Delicious apples, but they are a little soft to me now. I switched to Gala apples, when I tried them, which I now love. I had a hard time not buying a Gala in Michigan, but since the orchards are close to my friend's house, I knew whatever I tried would be good.

Around here, good apples are scarce. By the time they get to us, they are bruised under the skin. It is citrus that is unbelievably good here because we are close to the groves. You have never had really good orange or grapefruit until you get them from the grove.

It's no surprise that I enjoy notes of both citrus -- especially sweet orange -- and applies in perfumes, though I don't consider myself one who likes artificial fruity perfumes. I don't wear orange blossom well, though I like to smell it in the air around the groves.

Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana, introduced in 2001, is a lovely, long lasting fragrance, and one I was complimented on recently. It is considered to be floral-fruity. It has the crisp sweetness of a real apple, coupled with woods and amber. I think it is calling to me today, though I'm not sure I will wear it.

top notes: Sicilian citron, bluebell, and granny smith
heart notes: jasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose
bottom: cedar wood, musk, amber

Others that have apple notes include: Pure White Linen (by Estee Lauder); Nirmala by Molinard (one version of this smells similar to Angel); Roberto Cavalli and Oro by Roberto Cavalli. Donna Karan has several apple fragrances, none of which I wear well. Burberry, Burberrys, and Old Burberry London have green apple in them -- and vanilla.

Do you wear any of these?
Are you a fan of apples in your fragrances?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-17 07:49:17.

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If you are like me, you have accumulated a number of sample vials, sprays and decants that languish like old friends. I felt it was time to dip (or dig) into them again.

But first I'm going to go through the samples sent to me along with an order from a very generous fellow perfumista.

Tobacco Scents
First, maybe you need to know I have never smoked. I don't particularly like the smell of cigarettes, lingering or fresh, but I have always loved the scent of my uncle's cherry pipe tobacco. A friend tells me that Shalimar never smelled as good on her as when she was smoking -- the mix of Shalimar and smoke was divine.

Jasmine et Cigarette by Etat Libre D’Orange
This is a tobacco scent I could love. I dabbed, not sprayed.

Notes: A ‘smoky’ jasmine with tobacco, hay, turmeric, apricot, cedar, amber and musk

The folded note within the packaging mentions

smoky black and white ambiance...hazy atmosphere.

My take:
This is a lovely jasmine, sweetened with the faint hint of apricot, made less sweet-floral by the tobacco, hay, cedar, amber and musk. I don't catch any amber but it contributes to the ambiance.

I don't get any stale smoke smell which is sometimes apparent in other tobacco scents, rather this is an elegant woman (or man) walking into a room with more than a hint of tobacco and woods surrounding.

To me, the jasmine adds clarity. I don't get the feeling of such tobacco haze that one can't see to the other side of the room -- I've been in rooms like that!

Is the tobacco in the room s/he is entering or is it on her/his clothes from the place s/he has been or who s/he has been with?

That is the mystery of the wisps of smoke running through the fragrance. A bit of 1930's magic. I quite like it in small quantities. I don't know about spritzing it.

I happen to have an apricot fragrance that I love, and it might be interesting to layer that over this in a while, to bring out more of the apricot. I think I will try that as it continues to soften. (Unfortunately when I tried it, it was an apricot chocolate fragrance, and the chocolate took over.)

Have you tried this one?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-09-22 09:02:03.

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Updating: I've had a chance to sample these. Thanks to Kyler, Claire and Jorganne at Guerlain, Shoppes at the Palazzo, Suite 2848, Las Vegas. They make any trip to Vegas a good time!

It's no secret that Guerlain is probably my most favorite perfume house. I was very pleased to get a chance to sniff these.

Claire sent me these pictures to share with you:

Called The Voyage Collection, the perfumes celebrate 3 great cities- Moscow, New York and Tokyo. They are $220.00 each.

Here's what Guerlain has to say about them:

At Guerlain, it is a tradition. Crossing borders. Encountering new places. Discovering unfamiliar, exotic essences. Capturing the soul of a place by uncovering the emotional enchantment of its raw elements.

In 1828, pioneer and visionary Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain already understood the importance of travelling the world in search of new fragrance sensations. More than just innovative scents, he offered an escape, a voyage for the senses.

“A perfumer must go looking for scents,” observes Jean-Paul Guerlain. And today, in the grand Guerlain tradition of exploring the world's riches, he has created a travel diary of scents, three new fragrances that pay homage to three fascinating cities: Moscow, New York and Tokyo.

They go on to say the following:

Three evocative fragrances that convey the identity and the heartbeat of these electrifying metropolises. Three liquid memories, presented in bottles embellished with drawings by sculptor Serge Mansau and topped with metal caps embossed with the emblematic double G. For each bottle, graphic artist Carla Talopp has devised a log, a scrapbook of cards, images, drawings, iconicphotos and symbols of the spirit of each city.

Here's the scoop on the three fragrances:
Moscow
Have you been there? I've not been to Moscow, but I've been to St. Petersburg.

Moscow has awakened. Sleeping Beauty has opened her eyes, and her heart is fluttering. Moscow the serious has reinvented itself as Moscow the prosperous. Here and there, a hammer and sickle engraved on a building façade remind passers-by of its recent, restless history. But today, a fresh chapter is beginning. Each month, almost every day, Moscow's inhabitants write a new paragraph.They celebrate the arrival of a luxury boutique or a lavish restaurant.Women vie with one another in elegance. Businessmen bustle about. All of them are part of the metamorphosis of a capital city that proudly displays its new modernity...

Moscow's notes:
This one is my favorite! Just yummy!

With its musk, fruit and wood notes,...vanilla and bergamot ...red currants..hint of absinthe, a sparkling lemon, a note of plum...pine needles.

And if you'd like a scent description to carry you away:

...ultra-feminine Paris-Moscow perfume echoes the heart beat that pounds through the Russian capital. This city throbs with life! Strolling through the opulent shopping arcades of the GUM, you are intoxicated by the heady fragrance of white musk and tonka bean. A carnal, sensual and elegant trace of vanilla and bergamot stays with you as you cross the Red Square. As you pass the Bosco Café, a sudden aroma of red currants delights your senses. The Moscow locals are enjoying their brunch, sipping their favourite beverage. Your senses stirred, you head off for some refreshment at the Botanical Gardens. A welcome respite. You close your eyes and watch as images from the day parade past. Electrified, you take in the hint of absinthe, a sparkling lemon, a note of plum. In the distance, you glimpse a verdant forest of pine needles. You can still hear the heart of Moscow beating.

How about New York!
New York, New York!
Woody Oriental

How many films, books and lyrics have sung the praises of the city where anything is possible? A land of dreams and pioneers, the Big Apple welcomes your deepest desires and craziest ambitions. This remarkable city boasts countless styles and atmospheres. A melting pot of communities and personalities, it evokes greatness with its skyscrapers, broad avenues and financial centre. At the same time, it cherishes its 'villages': Little Italy, Chinatown, theWestVillage with its tree-lined streets, low-built houses and tiny restaurants crowded with regulars. Day and night,New York is always bustling. Here, a young woman arrives at the gym as the clock strikes midnight. There, a man and his dog share dinner by the first light of dawn. Only in New York…

Notes:
I didn't find this one particularly sweet. It certainly is apt for a man.

Sparkling and sweet...vanilla, cinnamon, cedar, cardamon, bergamot.

A scent description:

A woody oriental fragrance, sparkling and sweet, Paris-New York excites the tastebuds by transporting the senses to the heart of Manhattan on Christmas Eve. From the elegant Uptown to bohemian Downtown, children are dreaming of their Christmas pudding.Their nostrils quiver. Smells of vanilla and cinnamon float out of kitchen windows. A joyful frenzy of holiday anticipation reigns on Broadway, whose lights seem to sparkle with a new radiance. A pause; serious Wall Street goes quiet. The pedestrians on 5th Avenue finish their last errands.The sky is still the luminous, cloudless blue of a New York winter. The celebrations will start in just a few hours. Already, the air is thick with a scent of cedar, cardamom and bergamot.

Tokyo
Green and floral, fresh and delicate, subtle

Some say that you must see Tokyo before you die.To them, the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun is a required destination. A ground to tread. An atmosphere to soak in. An experience to live, no matter what. Tokyo fascinates, Tokyo charms, Tokyo intrigues, Tokyo intimidates. Tokyo leaves no one untouched. The surprising, completely alien metropolis embodies ultimate modernity.Tokyo is a dense ant hill, gradually stealing from the sea and sky what it can no longer find on the earth.The most daring architects eagerly orchestrate these extensions into space.

The city is immense; it offers an invitation to lose yourself and discover its contrasting districts, smaller cities within a city, which fit together like the animated pieces of a giant puzzle.

Notes:
This one is definitely a tea scent along the lines of the various teas from several different perfume companies. I like this one better though. If you like tea scents, you will love this one.

green and floral, jasmine, violet, cypress, tea and jasmine

And a scent desription:

Green and floral, fresh and delicate, Paris-Tokyo evokes all the subtlety of the Japanese capital.Willful, yet subtle. Ultra-modern, yet bound to its traditions.The sun is still low in the sky; it is the perfect time to awaken your senses in Hibiya Park, a rare green space designed with a Western aesthetic.Very few people are walking; you pass mainly joggers. As you stroll along a pond, the morning dew gives off a fragrance of jasmine and violet, intertwined with Hinoki cypress.You stop in a teahouse, slipping out of the stream of time into a cocoon of tranquility in the midst of turmoil. In this world apart where green tea and jasmine scent the air, you allow yourself be transported by the legendary, almost magical tea-drinking tradition. It is with regret that you leave the ceremony you wish could last forever. But Ginza, the Champs-Elysées of Tokyo, is already calling your name."

Have you tried these?
Did you buy (any of) them? Which is your favorite?

How can you order them?
Phone: (702) 732-7008 (ask for Claire) or
Email: GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com

Karin

Originally posted 2009-07-01 23:25:49.

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Back to Black: Aphrodisiac, Kilian's 9th fragrance and the second in his Arabian Nights series. It will debut in September. I was lucky enough (pun intended since I was in Las Vegas) to try this fragrance during my recent trips to Las Vegas.

I can't wait until I can get a bottle of my own. September 1st is just around the corner.
Edit: October, the travel sets have come in, and that's the format I bought it in. Sergio expects travel refills to be in by December.

The fragrance notes are:

bergamot, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, blue chamomile, honey, olibanum, cedar, oak, tobacco accord, patchouli, vanilla, almond and labdanum.

I have a fuller list, by category, of the notes, but I need to find where it disappeared after I got home. When I put my hands on it, or call Sergio again, I will update this post -- that will teach me not to review a perfume right away!

Updated! I found it!

Fresh Note: Bergamot
Aromatic note: Blue Chamomile
Spice Notes: Cardamon, coriander, saffron
Tobacco Notes: honey, cedarwood, vanilla almond
Amber Notes: Vetyver, Cistus, Patchouli, oakmoss

Every time I use my sample, it is delicious. I put it on my wrists last night (dabbed, not spritzed, as my sample is not a spray.) It smells just as good 10-12 hours later.

Amy Winehouse's album Back to Black, might be an inspiration. I truly hope she gets her act together. She is not a role model for me, but I love her voice. OTOH, Back to Black is a clever name for another black masterpiece. And the name aphrodisiac gives us a sense of another layer in the story of Love, Kilian style.

What message does it send?
Aphrodisiac alludes to the sensual nature of this fragrance, and of the hope that it represents and enhances our own sense of sensuality, either as we perceive ourselves or as others perceive us. This is a classical, lush, and rich sensuality; it is not skanky, no, no, no. We won't go to rehab over this scent.

Perhaps the message it sends is: I feel rich, not I feel pretty.

I am elegant and lovely/handsome (rich, like fine wine, not money). I know who I am, and I want you to know it too. I'm not in your face, but you can't miss me. I am everything I ever hoped I would be and more. Can you feel it too? I am confident, but not ridiculous. What you see is what you get, but still there is mystery to unfold and develop.

Cary Grant...

Tobacco Notes
I happen to like tobacco notes, for they remind me of the smell of my uncle's pipe, and thus conjure up a sense of familial love and older times, when loved ones were still on the scene, and we had family get-togethers for birthdays and holidays.

How does it compare to Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille?
This tobacco is a gentler version of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanillle, which is just what it says: tobacco and vanilla.

Considered a smooth oriental, and it certainly is smooth, Tobacco Vanille's notes are:

top:tobacco leaf and aromatic spice notes.
heart:tonka bean, tobacco flower, vanilla and cocoa
base: a dry fruit accord, enriched with sweet wood sap.

B2B is less sweet and more complex. There are times when I'm not as enamored with Tobacco Vanille as I am at other times, but so far, Back to Black is satisfying every time I wear it.

Who can wear B2B?
B2B is suitable for either men or women. I don't see it as unisex, because I generally cannot wear unisex, whereas I can wear some men's fragrances. Unisex is generally neither here nor there, evidently, for me or else it is too masculine.

Have you had a chance to try it yet?
If you get a chance, pun intended again, do yourself a favor and at least sample this fragrance. Let me know what you think. I think you'll love it.

Sergio told me I was very lucky to be there the day they received only one bottle, and that I would be the first anywhere to try it outside of the SAs. I doubt I was the first, but I might have been one of the first -- and especially in this store. Contact Sergio, the expert on Kilian at SAKs in Las Vegas, Sergio_Gonzalez2@S5A.com or 702-967-1266, for all your Kilian needs. Be sure to tell him that you heard about him from me.

You can see an overview of Kilian fragrances here.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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