I tried very hard to create a list of the top 10 fragrances released this year, but my brain, unfortunately, just doesn't work that way. No sooner did I add one perfume to the list, then I started to think of others that might, perhaps, be just as good. I finally gave up. Here is a more idiosyncratic list of some of the good & bad in perfume from 2005:
Best celebrity fragrance: Everyone and their brother jumped on the celebrity fragrance bandwagon this year, but Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely wins this category hands down. It is, first of all, the only celebrity fragrance that doesn't smell like a celebrity fragrance, and while Sarah Jessica Parker didn't exactly go out on a limb with the composition, at least it isn't another sweet fruity floral or gourmand. According to this amusing article in the Washington Post, though, it is not universally loved.
Best ad campaign: Another easy pick. Alan Cumming's commercial for Cumming The Fragrance is one of the funniest things I watched all year. The fragrance itself, I should add, is wonderful too.
Fragrances that lived up to the advance hype: First, Jardin Sur Le Nil from Hermès. It was featured prominently in the New Yorker and was awaited anxiously by fans of perfumer Jean Claude Ellena, and it did not disappoint. I am still wearing it frequently. And Carnal Flower is every bit as lovely, and unusual, as you would expect from Frederic Malle and Dominique Ropion. Look for a review next week.
Fragrances that did not: This category is a bit overcrowded, but I would have to single out Thierry Mugler Alien and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. The fragrances themselves aren't bad, but neither of them managed to live up to their massive advance press. On the niche side, the Comme des Garcons Sweet Series was easily the least adventurous set from a house known for taking fragrance to unexpected places.
Best concept and packaging: I did not love many of the individual fragrances in the NellyRodi Scent Factory set, but I still love the idea of highlighting the work of some lesser known perfumers, and the price was comparatively reasonable. Hope we will see more of these sets in the future.
Most annoying concept: I realize that I am probably alone here, but the relatively new idea of perfumes based on specific floral harvests is absolutely bottoms on my list. The L'Artisan Fleur d'Oranger is stunning, really, but do I want to pay $250 to know that the orange blossom came from the 2004 harvest in Nabeul, Tunisia and that once my bottle is gone, it cannot be replaced? I do not. Bah, humbug.
Prettiest perfume bottle: Another easy decision, Bond no. 9's Chinatown.
Best perfume news of the year: The refurbishment of the Guerlain flagship boutique, a handful of new fragrances and the reissue of forgotten classics from this historic perfume house wins my vote. All is not, perhaps, perfect, but it is gratifying to see Guerlain modernize while still paying tribute to their long and illustrious history.
Worst perfume news of the year: the gradual disappearance of the Gobin Daudé line. The high price of the perfumes may have prevented this line from finding a wide audience, but they were lovely, unusual scents, and this green-fragrance lover is still weeping over the loss of Sous Le Buis and Sève Exquise.
Fickle, fickle, fickle: This year I fell in love with two fragrances that I absolutely hated when I first tried them: L'Artisan Timbuktu and Serge Lutens Miel de Bois. Never say never.
These are a few of my favorite things: Not a "best of" list by any means, and not all are 2005 releases, but some random fragrances that I found bottle-worthy this year: Caron Alpona, Curated by Colette AsFour, Diptyque Do Son, Divine L'Homme Sage, Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire, Hermès Osmanthe Yunnan, Kenzo Flower Oriental, Parfums di Nicolai Eau Exotique. If money were no object, I'd include JAR Bolt of Lightning, but money is most certainly an object so I won't.
Want to see more of the Best of 2005? Check out these blogs:
- Beauty Addict
- Blogdorf Goodman
- Bois de Jasmin
- Brain Trapped in Girl's Body
- c'est chic
- Crazy Jay Blue
- The Great She Elephant
- Hrmph
- Koneko's *Mostly* Beauty Diary
- Legerdenez
- Make a Mental Note
- Monkey Posh
- Mother Hen's Place
- my life my words my mind
- no one knows why the wolf laughs
- Ombligo!
- Peppermint Patty
- Perfume-Smellin' Things
- Scentzilla!
- She'll be feverish after so much thinking
- Slap of the Day
- Victoria's Own
Tomorrow: a wish list for 2006
R, Great list! I liked the NellyRodi Scent Factory concept too, but I want to be able to buy them individually!
Thanks for reinforcing my absolute NEED for a JAR fragrance experience. LOL Next time I'm in NYC, I know where I'm heading.
Thank you for your wonderful Blog, your support and friendship that helped inspire me to become a blogger too.
Here's to a New Year of wonderful new scents to try and the willpower not to buy!
Happy New Year!
Victoria O
Robin! That Alan Cumming commercial almost made me fall off the office chair from laughing…good stuff!!
That is a nice wrap up for 2005.
Thanks for the wonderful Blog, I love it here!
V, do go to JAR. The whole experience is a crack up, and I had a hard time keeping a straight face, but the SAs are actually pretty nice and the fragrances are really worth trying. So far have only managed to snag 2 samples of the JAR scents, and didn't like either, but Bolt of Lightning & Jardenia both wowed me and hope some day I'll manage to get samples of those.
So glad if I helped to inspire your blog, and wishing you a wonderful 2006 too 🙂
Isn't that commercial hysterical???
And thanks for the nice compliment!
R, you are so not alone re: being annoyed by perfumes based on specific floral harvests. I find it annoying too. Also absolutely agree on fragrances that did not live up to the hype. Well, I agree on so many things on your list!
Happy New Year!
Great list, Robin, and you had me chuckling too. That Cumming commercial had me in fits.
I fell in love with Alpona too. And Vetiver Extraordinaire. Let's hire some jewel thieves to make out with a bottle of Bolt of Lightning, whaddaya say? >:)
Happy new year! And if I was including blogs on my best-of list, yours would certainly be on it.
My biggest fragrance regret was passing up the Gobin bottles at TAK.
I was such a fool.
Great list R. I agree with pretty much everything.
Have a wonderful New Year!
BTW: I loved Bolt of Lightening. That was incredible!
M, still trying to decide if I should take a stand and refuse to try the new ones from Givenchy. But of course, if the L'Artisan goes on sale half price, I'll buy it in a heartbeat, LOL!
Robin, you are the Great Educator … and Communicator! Thanks for your uniformly excellent blog and your willingness to share what you know! Happy New Year! xoxo
T, Hey, can't we get Annie & Kimo to pull a raid at Bergdorfs?
Your NaNoWriMo is tops on my list too. Sincerely hope you are still working on it.
A happy & healthy New Years to you & W.
$19 a bottle, A! Why didn't I get all 5?
The happiest of birthdays & New Year's to you, Annie.
ALthough I loved that it was in the NY-er and the simple elegance of the bottle, one of my “wasn't convinced at firsts” was Sur Le Nil. But then I later smelled it on a jacket that I hadn't worn since I first shpritzed it and backed into my current love that way. I also like Un Jardin en Méditerranée and need to explore it more.
I am so glad to have found your blog this year, for its guidance for this fledgling, its intelligence, and your great group of readers, from whom I also learn mountains.
M, and you are always the sweetest of the sweet, and C'est Chic is one of my very favorite daily stops. Hope you will have a fabulous 2006 🙂
J, the ones that creep up on you sometimes turn out to be the big loves. Jardin en Mediterranee I loved right away but frankly don't reach for it nearly as often as Sur Le Nil now, although I do still like it.
And thanks for the nice compliment 🙂
Excellent list! My Flowerbomb bottles are weeping, though… ;~D
Happy New Year!
Great list! I cannot agree more on your choices that did not live up to the hype. Oh well, my wish for the next year is to have fewer releases, but more innovative and daring fragrances. Keeping fingers crossed. 🙂
This was so fab, Ms NST. Just chock full of great stuff. I'm glad you rementioned the Kenzo Flower Oriental–I'll have to try it. And the Hermes OY. I'd been thinking of either l'Oiellet Sauvage or Angeliques sous la Pluie for my first perf buy in 2006 but now, damnit, you've got me all overloaded. But it's fun ;D
T, Sincere apologies to your beloved Flowerbomb! And hope your 2006 is perfect in every way 🙂
V, I'm afraid there is little point in wishing for fewer releases at this point…ain't gonna happen. But will join you in wishing for more innovation & more daring!
L, I got a little bit of money for Xmas and immediately thought to buy a bottle…but just can't make up my darn mind! Replace something that is almost gone? Invest in something new? Ack. I'll end up with nothing. Yes, its fun!!
What a wonderful and original list, R! You're the best perfume resource on the www. No doubt about that.
Thanks for organizing this. And a Very Happy New Year! 🙂
J, a very happy New Year to you too, and I thank you for the compliment to my blog. But don't thank me — Annie & Katie did all the organizing of the group post!
I love the way you presented your “Best of” lists!!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!
You are brave and wonderful to share your comments!
Jeannie Auclair
Great list, Robin. I still have to do the L'Artisan because I'm thinking of it like wine, which I hate wine, so this will be a way to get my own perfume cabinet like my husband's antique wine cabinet. I can show him how perfumes have certain vintages and crops. See? This will get me out of my plastic filing cabinets full of perfume.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful blog, it is always a treat!
I'm so glad you have Kenzo Flower Oriental on your list. I really love it and thought it was severely underappreciated.
Thank you for making this past year smell wonderful! Can't wait for you to create more lemming in the coming New Year!
Rain
And, number one on my top ten list for 2005? The fact that you launched this incredible blog!
The Happiest of New Years to you and your family, R.
Hugs and love!
Hi Robin. Great post!
have a fabulous 2006
hugs,
Laura
JAR – N. and I visited there together in Paris last year, it was a kick. Very high church. What was funniest was when he put the Jardenia dish under my nose, honestly it was early in the morning and it turned my stomach. I was afraid I was going to be ill. My eyes widened and I looked at N. with alarm. We both giggled. The SA took it with aplomb and said, well, it's not for everyone! Certainly not. 🙂
I don't think I'll ever get over that you like (love?) Miel de Bois. It's confused me ever since I read it. Does not compute. Furniture polish and Robin? PERPLEXING.
This list is awesome! Thanks for organizing (and yes, yes, I finally registered, so I am no longer locked in the confines of simply reading)
Thank you M, and hope you have a wonderful 2006!
Thank you J!
P, That L'Artisan is gorgeous — and if it gets you a perfume cabinet, all the better! Thanks for the nice compliment 🙂
R, I have a list of lemmings ready & waiting, LOL!
R, Thank you, as always, and wishing you & yours the very best in 2006! R2
Thank you L, and hope 2006 is a great year for you & your family.
The NY SAs seemed to me to be doing high church in a very tongue in cheek way. It was hard to keep a straight face, but it wasn't as snotty as I thought it would be. I liked the Jardenia, but early in the morning I can see how it would be a bit much, LOL! Bolt of Lightning was my favorite though.
J, I hated it the first time, so I completely understand the “furniture polish”, LOL! It is a very strange smell, but I do love it. I know very well that it isn't universally liked (major understatement) so I am only wearing it at home.
But don't thank me — Katie & Annie did all the organizing this time!
The Givenchy Amarige one is really quite lovely. It will not convert new fans to Amarige, but for those that already love it, it is a nice excuse to purchase this LE rather than a bottle of the regular stuff. And not too terribly obnoxiously higher priced than the regular, either. It's certainly worth a look-sniff for Amarige fans, though I honestly doubt anyone but previous fans of that scent will care too much.
The Cumming ad campaign is delciously funny. But to mention another celeb frag, I thought Lovely was marketed rather smartly. Just a tinge of celebrity gawking at SJP, but not losing the focus on the scent itself. It certainly wasn't quite so crassly done as with some other celeb scents (*looking at you J-Lo and your never ending glow*.)
Totally agree on the SJP — they did an excellent job. Actually I like Cumming better than Lovely, but didn't even consider it as best celebrity fragrance. It just doesn't seem like a celebrity fragrance at all (?)
Ah, if it isn't outrageously priced, I'll have to try it.
My vote for Best of 2005: Now Smell This blog! A very Happy New Year to you, dear R.
Thank you so much Iris, that is very kind! Hope your 2006 is happy & healthy 🙂
I completely forgot about Jardin Sur Le Nil on my list! Poor neglected little guy…I will wear this tomorrow to make up for it.
Fully agree on Flowerbomb and Alien…I was disappointed with both after all the hype they received.
And I was proud of SJP when I sniffed Lovely. 🙂
We all forgot something — these kinds of lists are so darn hard to do!