Luilei in Brooklyn now carries the Ineke line, four fragrances that debuted earlier this year from perfumer Ineke Ruhland, who was born in Canada and studied perfumery at ISIPCA in France. The fragrances are:
A ~ After My Own Heart, "the scent of fresh lilacs floating on the early evening breeze", includes notes of bergamot, raspberry, green foliage, lilac, sandalwood, heliotrope and musk.
B ~ Balmy Days & Sundays, "a perfume about perfect moments on a relaxing Sunday, lying in the grass, breathing the smells of sweet scented flowers and fragrant leaves", with notes of freesia, leafy greens, grass, honeysuckle, rose, mimosa, chypre accent and musk.
C ~ Chemical Bonding, a fragrance that "playfully juxtaposes Chemistry 101 principles with human attraction", with notes of smooth citrus cocktail, tea, blackberry, dewy peony, vetiver, amber and powdery musk.
D ~ Derring-Do for men, "an ode to the literary rogue", with fresh citrus blend, rain notes, cyclamen, magnolia, fougère accents, cardamom, pepper, guaiacwood, cedarwood and musk.
The fragrances run $78 for 75 ml of Eau de Parfum. For a limited time, get a free matchbox sample set of the Ineke scents with any Ineke purchase by entering "I know my ABC's" in the comment box on checkout; offer good through 12/18 or while supplies last.
Hi R. (Testing!)
I liked After My Own Heart when I sniffed it very quickly in Bergdorf, and I want to go back to retest it.
Apparently the name for the “B” fragrance was inspired by the Carpenters song “Rainy Days And Sundays,” so there's your earworm for the day! 😉
Gee, thanks for the earworm, LOL…but actually I didn't know these were at Bergdorfs, so a real thanks for that 🙂
I'll put this on my NYC itinerary, but it appears that my nose has gone deaf. Everything I smell these days turn to Quelques Fleurs. Jean Patou “1000” – smells like QF. Soir de Lune – smells like QF. Are there similar notes or should I just lay off the scents for a while?
There’s a NYT article just out that relates to this:
“A Pungent Life- The Smells in My Head”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11cases.html?_r=1&ref=health
The author talks about phantosmia, where you smell something (usually an unpleasant odor… ) even when there is no actual smell around! They didn’t mention perfume specifically, but maybe in the case of a perfume hound… 🙂
Great article, thanks!
Not sure why that is cracking me up, but it is…I guess it could be way worse, everything could be turning to Hai Karate or something. I can see the link between the Quelques Fleurs & 1000, but Soir de Lune I wouldn't have thought, although so far have only given it a very quick sniff.
Actually, you are spot-on about 1000 and Soir de Lune- they are very alike, except that 1000 is more refined [to me, at least…], has a woodier, softer base, and fewer rough edges.
Aha, then I'll have to try the Soir de Lune again. Gave it a very quick try, and actually it reminded me vaguely of Eau de Soir…but sounds like that might be off base.
So I'm not the only one! Soir de Lune has a paper (or do we say vellum?) note somewhere on the top, you can smell this more if you dilute the concentration with a little water and smear over more surface area. At entire concentration, it is very similar to 1000, to my nose. I mention QF because I happen to have it, it's the first green chypre floral I own, I used to love it but one day it just turned on me.
The whole thing was brought about by my rampage to sniff all the frangrances constructed with osmanthus as a principal. Incidentally I don't get osmanthus from 1000 at all. In the middle of all the floral there is a sharp spike, not unpleasant, but sharp, which didn't go away with the dry-down. Eventually I find out it's civet! Who'd thunk!
I was just thinking that the whole fragrance profiles that we now consider classics are very dateable, not “dated”, but you can with one whiff say that this is a '30 or '40 fragrance (like hairdos from the 50s is immediately identifiable as “not from the 80s, or 90s). I'm thinking of 1000, QF, 24 Fauberg, Chanel No. 5, L'air du Temps, etc. The modern classics have a different profile, I don't know my perfume history but if I said Calvin Klein begun it with Eternity, would I be wrong?
I think that SdeL smells like 1000, both of which I admire enormously but neither of which I'd wear (if pressed, I'd choose 1000).
I was surprised to see that Art With Flowers now carries Ineke as well. I forgot to ask how it was selling. They're stocking more and more candles, which would be okay except they take shelf space from you-know-what 🙁
M, Why doesn't Art With Flowers sell online, anyway? They have such a nice selection.
R, did you ever get to try these?
I just got my samples of these last night. I'm so in love with their packaging and presentation that I almost (almost) didn't notice the perfume! It was like getting a present from myself – gray sueded pouch with 4 cute slide-to-open boxes (each different and so sweet) and every tiny spray bottle wrapped in a different (handmade looking at least) paper.
I'm wearing the B perfume today – it's lovely and has a nice grass note that I really NEEDED on this blah January day! My oldest daughter loves the D, it smells like men's colonge of course! Totally wearable for a woman though, even me and I don't usually lean towards men's products. So I'm letting her try that one today. I'm not in love yet, but I have a big crush on these right now!
Best $12 I've spent all year (which included shipping and it got here fast!).
I did try them! And totally agree — that is maybe the best sample packaging I have ever seen.
I liked them but didn't fall in love with any — A & B were my favorites, but both have fresh/ozonic-like notes and I'm not big on fresh notes. Haven't smelled the new E yet though.
Yeah, I can see if you don't like fresh notes they would lose their appeal. I'm sitting in a (freezing!) office under fluorescent lights and the fresh/ozone is saving the day! LOL! The D – Derring Do was especially heavy (?!) with those notes, reminded me a lot of CK1 from back in the day. Still, it put a bounce in my daughter's step this morning, a miracle for a grumpy 12 yr old getting ready for school! Perfume can be magic! 🙂
Aha, yes, then you need the giant vat size of Derring Do, LOL! Do you suppose it would work on a 9 year old boy? Getting ready for school is NOT our favorite time of the day.
Nope, my 9 yr old dtr, who is normal- like her parents and doesn't turn into a human until after 9 a.m. is unmoved by perfume (or anything else). 3 girls + 1 bathroom. It's like herding rabid cats in the morning – very unpleasant! LOL! For your son (from what you've mentioned) I'd say chocolate croissants would make for better mornings. Not the healthiest way to make peace though!
LOL — yes, chocolate for breakfast would probably work!