It's that time of year again...
Fragrances that lived up to the hype: Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, Prada Infusion d'Iris, Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Male, Bond no. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory, Chanel 31 Rue Cambon.
Fragrances that didn't: as always, too many to list, but I was particularly disappointed by Comme des Garçons Play, Serge Lutens Louve and the whole of the L'Occitane Notre Flore collection.
Best celebrity scent: Sarah Jessica Parker Covet. Some people really hated it, but hey, at least it wasn't so mind-numbingly dull that nobody cared either way.
Worst perfume news of the year: Ebay forbid the sale of perfume decants, making serious perfume addiction more inconvenient than it already was.
Prettiest perfume bottles: Pucci Vivara and Fendi Palazzo.
Best concept and packaging: I haven't even smelled them yet, but Annick Goutal's L'Orientaliste trio in the white leather box is hard to resist.
Best perfume commercial: I only see a fraction of television perfume advertising (if it didn't make it to YouTube, I probably didn't see it) but of what I saw, it was a tie between Kenzo Tokyo & Christian Dior Midnight Poison.
Perfumer of the Year: Jean-Claude Ellena, for lifetime achievement, and for exceeding expectations as house perfumer at Hermès. Luxe collections from mainstream houses have become very nearly de rigueur, but to my mind, none of them can beat the Hermessences.
Bargain fragrance of the year: Yves Rocher Rose Absolue.
These are a few of my favorite things: in addition to what I've already listed above, this year I also fell in love with Christian Dior Diorama, Givenchy Organza Indecence, Lalique Encre Noire, Hermès Kelly Caleche, Olivier Durbano Black Tourmaline, Estee Lauder Azuree Soleil, Paul Smith Story, Hors Là Monde Shiloh, Gucci Pour Homme, Juozas Statkevicius Eau de Parfum, Amouage Jubilation (both the men's & women's versions).
Overall, I thought 2007 was a very good year for mainstream fragrance, but other than a few bright spots, a rather dull year for niche fragrance. All told, there was just way too much product. With 800+ new fragrances, it stands to reason that much of it is going to be dreck, and it was.
And a few picks and pans from Now Smell This contributors:
Angela's best of 2007: Parfumerie Generale Corps et Ames, an unapologetically green, mossy, and assertive fragrance, retro and modern at the same time and glamorous as all get out. Lorenzo Villoresi's Alamut, gentle, powdery, and full of ambery sandalwood — in fact it's just about the opposite of Corps et Ames. I know Alamut isn't very popular in the perfume blogosphere, but, hey, more for me. Perfume by Richard Stamelman, a rambling, repetitive, not particularly well written cultural history of fragrance. It's also an irresistible compilation of perfume anecdotes, gorgeous ads, and drool-worthy bottles. I love to spend an hour with a glass of wine and my copy of Perfume, digging into it randomly. Remember how as a child you wore out the pages of the Sears Christmas catalog — the one with all the toys? That's how I am with Perfume.
Jessica's best of 2007: Favorite mainstream perfume release: Christian Dior Midnight Poison. Favorite shopping discovery: Scent by Alexis being carried full-time at Henri Bendel. Favorite perfume book: Paul Poiret and His Rosine Perfumes by Christie Mayer Lefkowith. Favorite home fragrance: Bond no. 9 West Side candle. And I am completely smitten with my L'Artisan Mure et Musc-inspired necklace from Claire Viola. Least favorite trend: creative bottles with forgettable fragrances (Pucci Vivara, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Fendi Palazzo).
Kevin's best of 2007: I’ve not purchased any fragrances that were released this year; 2007 has been a time of perfume rediscoveries (Chanel Pour Monsieur, Hermès Equipage, Etro Magot, and Monsieur Balmain are just a few) and I’m currently in pre-mourning for several “almost-gone-but-never-to-be-forgotten” fragrances — all discontinued: Alain Delon Iquitos, Patou Pour Homme Privé, and Robert Piguet Bandit Light Pour Homme. Three beautifully scented products make my best of 2007 — Oscar Blandi Shampoo di Jasmine Smoothing Shampoo, the Esteban Parfums Divin Jasmin home fragrance line and Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence (110 years old and going strong, it comes in an elegant, ruby-red Serge Lutens-designed bottle, shown at right, and the clear essence smells “chilly” and refreshing, like rose-scented peonies).
Marcello's best of 2007: In the category "Best perfume book of 2007" my vote goes to Une Histoire Mondiale du Parfum, edited by Marie-Christine Grasse. It's a true coffee-table book, filled with beautiful pictures. Bits and pieces of archaeology are mixed with anthropology and history to reveal some of the continuities and discontinuities in perfume culture. The result is a patchwork of essays of varying quality, but it's put together with love, and I have a soft spot for ambitious projects like this anyway. Among the contributors are perfume authors Elisabeth de Feydeau and Annick Le Guérer, and perfumers Jean Kerléo, Jean-Claude Ellena and Carlos Benaim. Review to follow soon. This month marks the launch of Les Orientalistes by Annick Goutal, and I was very fortunate to try them (on paper blotters) back in May. I should be getting my samples of this trio just before Christmas...Ambre Fétiche is the one I look forward to most!
And be sure to check out these blogs for more of the Best of 2007:
Aromascope :: Bois de Jasmin :: Perfume Posse :: Perfume Smellin' Things :: Scentzilla
I just picked up a bottle of Hermès Kelly Calèche today! I'm so in love with this fragrance, and the bottle is perfect to fit in my bag so I can put it on after work. No perfume at work >:[
Dear Robin,
Happy New Year ! I enjoyed your various selections for 2007. Howevr I feel compelled to add my 2 cents !
I loved Chanel 31 Rue Cambon , -superb ! my favorite. Coromandel also – very clsssy and distinctive 1 Shiloh- Hors La monde – Symiine Salimpour 's new scent – very special strangely unique and wearable. Can be sexy or fresh depending on the time of the year, day or night.
I loved Guerlan Spiritueuse Double Vanille – a vanilla . tobacco bourbon – in a perfume. Very sexy and different.
I despised Estee Lauder's new Tuberose Gardenia. Sorry to say . It is harsh and unrefined and unbecoming to the grand legacy of the legendary Estee Lauder who I admired.
Hermes Kelly Caleche is a refreshing floral-leather scent .
I am not enthralled with the other new scents.
Well, I cannot say, that I have tried many new releases this year, but 2007 is extremely important for me because I started discovering the new horizons of Perfume.
My favorite this year is probably L'Artisan Safran Troublant, and I love L'Occitane's Notre Flore Neroli (I think that all the others from that line are very boring) and I usualy hate perfumes that have neroli in their name (Annick Goutal's Neroli for example).
Happy New Year all you Perfumelovers!
Klara
I liked a lot of things that are on Robin's list. 🙂
I was looking at NST's Best of 2006 the other day and wondering, what would be the worst perfume news of the year, this year. And you'd think I'd remember about the ebay thing, but it no. 🙂
Great list, y'all. I really liked Gucci's bottle too and that Capeto bottle is tdf cute.
Happy New Year to all of you!
I just purchased Chanel's Bel Respiro. They sent several samples from the Exclusifs line, so now I am saving up for 31 rue Cambon (and also Hermes Kelly Caleche).
Great list! Happy New Year to all!
Congrats on your new purchase! I'm in love w/ it too 🙂
M, we have lots in common — I almost included the Guerlain but only just managed to smell it recently so don't know it well yet. We'll have to agree to disagree on the Coromandel & ELPCTG 😉
Happy New Year to you as well!
Klara, I adore Safran Troublant so we have that in common! A very Happy New Year to you too 🙂
M, but I could not think of any “Best Perfume News” for 2007, no matter how hard I tried…
P, the Capeto bottle is beyond adorable! A very Happy 2008 to everyone at Perfume Posse 🙂
A, So glad to hear they sent samples — at that price, they ought to! Now if they'd just sell smaller bottles, I'd be completely happy — and I'd own all of them except Coromandel. A very Happy New Year to you 🙂
Will try to test your picks….
I like Gucci pour homme, but find it reminiscent of M7, I should try it on skin though.
I like Gucci pour Homme II best… I really like the pimento note, and find it very sexy and naughty! 🙂
So I think that will be my last splurge of the year.
Congrats to ALL nowsmellthis, for another year of great work.
Regards.
P.
Wonderful, interesting list! Your blog was, as always, one of the best things about perfume this year.:)
The miracle for me this year: thanks to NST and sister blogs, I'm actually able to relate to The Best of 2007! I've been following along, just a newbie, learning things every day, and now I can actually recognize names, remember notable qualities of niche scents, understand Robin, Angela and Kevin's unique predilections, and shake my head along with everyone else at the industry's foibles. Yippee! I'm sure 2008 will bring more decanting and swapping and — please, God — considerably fewer FB mainstream purchases. Thanks, everyone!
Excellent, thoughtful post, R. You covered all the bases — so far as the bases can be covered, with the onslaught of new releases. I join you in wishing we could slow it down, keeping up is futile.
ITA on the L'Occitane scents. For a company that has consistently produced some very pleasant lower-end scents, their higher-priced entries were not so great. I had a long talk with a regional SA trainer (fun and interesting) who said diplomatically that they aren't selling very well at that price pt.
P, Maybe it is sort of reminiscent of M7; I should try them together. But buy the GpH2, you deserve one more splurge for the year I'm sure!
Thank you J!
LOL — we all need fewer purchases, no doubt! And thank you for the very nice words 🙂
Thanks M!
The thing about the L'Occitane set is that they don't smell any “better” in any way than the lower end stuff.
Prada is definitely at the top of our lists this year. I love this fragrance. It is easily my favourite launch.
Happy New Year to all! My favorite thing (fragrance-related) of 2007 has to be the Perfumed Court, since it makes it so easy to try new scents. This year, almost all perfumes were new to me, so a list of what impressed me would be all over the place, chronologically speaking.
Kevin, is the Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence more of a fragrance or a skincare product? I saw a print ad for it, but was sort of confused as to what it was for. Regardless, that is a beautiful bottle.
They did a really lovely job on the Infusion d'Iris, agreed!
TPC is a wonderful thing — I don't know what else anyone would do now that Ebay is no longer an option.
The Shiseido is a skincare product, and I need to see if they've a tester for it at Sephora. I don't really understand what sort of thing it is either. Some kind of moisturizer, apparently, but don't think it's a lotion. Maybe Kevin will come by and explain it. I had never heard of that OB shampoo, and now I'm going to have to buy that so I'm not pleased at his list!
Great lists! Love 90% of your picks, that is, the ones I've tried. All in all, I haven't tried great many fragrances this year, I'm afraid, but love that you and Vika included my beloved FdM. Also, between V and you, you've managed to make Infusion d'Iris my biggest lemming for 2007, which for me proved to be a lazy year in terms of sample hunting. I'm a bit out of the loop I guess, but none the worse for it, mind you… 🙂
A happy New Year and a great hug to all the lovely NST writers and commenters!
Dusan, I've become much lazier about sample hunting myself — there are tons of things I didn't get to this year. Do get some Infusion d'Iris though! And hey, did you see my comment about Magnetism under Chene?
A very Happy New Year to you as well!!
Nice to see most of us agree on true masterpieces. 🙂
Love your categories! I also nominate Quand Vient La Pluie bottle – it's weird all right but totally cool, too. 🙂
Just got my hind over to the Chene review and yay, glad you liked Magnetism! Have never really tried Escada Collection so can't draw a parallel, but the women's Magnetism I did and it felt like a sweeter, leatherless men's version, more exotic fruit and pina colada-like, though not in that toothachingly LEs kinda way. Agree on the Coke vibe in the men's one, except that I also pick up a sour-ish, grapey spice note (saffron?) in the top. I wonder if you got leather amidst all the woods and pepper? A friend said the cedar in M (well, my guess is it was cedar, not hers, she just said sharp and woody) smelled armpitty. 😉
Promise the Infusion will be my first purchase in 2008! 🙂
Wonderful lists! I so agree w/ you that there were *way* too many releases. That has to be my pet peeve for 2007. Can't say I'm optimistic that it will change in 2008. I can understand the glut of mainstream scents, but I really resent the tsunami of luxe releases. I used to get really psyched over each new release. Now I'm more likely to just roll my eyes and shake my head.
Dear Friends,
it is months now that you become my daily portion of beautiful things. I'm from Milano and I do really like parfumes. As for the 2007 I have to say that basicly I agree with you and for me it is going to be remebered because I have done a step beyond in loving parfumes (discovered Etro, Hermessance, Privè Armani ecc.) and I have resized and personalized my collection of scents.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you, and if I can do something for you here in Milano, let me know.
Savo
And I haven't tried the women's Magnetism — between that & how long it's been since I tried Collection, I'm very nearly useless. I will have to collect more samples. But did not find it at all armpitty.
But DON'T buy Infusion d'Iris until you try it!
I think the Prada was a universal pick?
I never saw the QVLP bottle in person, but have a feeling I'd want one if I did!
My pet peeve as well, and no, it is almost sure to get worse next year. So agree on the luxe stuff. Doing lots of eye rolling these days.
Hello Savo, thank you so much for the very kind words, and a very Happy New Year to you as well!
Resizing and personalizing is what my flabby collection needs in the coming year…
I just discovered the Frederic Malle perfumes this past month…adore Cologne Bigarade for it's perky orange and cardamom, was gifted with Une Rose, which I find beautiful and unexpected at times, and am totally in love with Iris Poudre as well. So elegant yet comforting. What a find for the end of the year! 🙂
Happy New Year all!
Exist/Robin: Eudermine is more of a skin serum/moisturizer…very light, clear…makes the skin feel “dewy”…it's great for summer use and on airplanes when you need moisture…but nothing heavy. It smells great…but for only a minute. R: once you start using the jasmine shampoo (it's at Sephora)…you'll find it HARD TO STOP. You've been warned.
Thank's Kevin. I already have several similar serum-like products, so I'll pass. Already ordered a travel set of the Oscar Blandi jasmine products though!
LOL — but what an EXPENSIVE find for the end of the year! It's one of my favorite lines, although it sounds like we might only agree on Une Rose.
A very Happy Near Year to you P!
Great list of fragrances! Prada Infusion d'Iris was my number one favourite this year. I couldn't believe that I saw Covet on the list…I thought I was the only person who loves this scent.
A sneak preview for 2008: I just received a bottle of the new Chloe. It is divine! Apparently beauty editors are going crazy over it. It is a heavenly rose fragrance. Not the usual adulterated rose but pure, esscential oil rose. I think that it will end up on the best of 2008 list.
Happy New Year! I look forward to more Now Smell This.
Glad to hear we have something to look forward to next year, then, thanks!
Great List! Thanks!
HI Robin
I am so glad that you mentioned Kelly Caleche cos I thought a lot of people were disappointed by it (yet I love it so much!).
I agree with you on Covet and L'Occitane's range too. I haven't tested many celebrity fragrance but was quite impressed with Covet. It's not something I'd normally wear, but it did left me a nice impression. The L'Occitane's range were quite the opposite, plus they were so expensive!
I re-read your review on Prada's Iris and thought may be I should give it another go, cos I have only tested it once on a strip of paper and thought it's nice but too light to leave an impression (similar to your first impression!) …
Do you have a favourite (or least favourite) perfume poster ad of the year? I am just curious, I didn't keep track of them so it;s hard for me to say, but I just look at Christina A's one and thought that was quite nice. I like Nicole Kidman on Chanel No.5 too, I love that No.5 pendant (but is that 2007?)…the worst for me is a UK one: Coleen's Coleen X (Coleen is a footballer's girlfriend…) I actually thought the bottle looks terrible too
anyway, love reading everything you posted, Happy New Year!
Do try the Prada again. It is light, but it leaves more of an impression than you'd think, and gosh, it is just lovely. I keep some sprayed on my scarf.
On the print ads, it is too many for me to remember at the end of the year and choose, LOL…but I did like that Christina A ad. Also loved the ad for Kelly Caleche, although thought it was a very bad fit w/ the scent itself. Wish I could remember more of them!
And a very Happy New Year to you 🙂
Okeydokes, will see if I can procure a sample, but the fact that you AND Vika love it is a ringing endorsement. Plus I'm craving light, sheer fragrances (I get a bit nauseaus from orientals these days, would you believe it!), adore iris and orange blossom and do trust your taste, as well as Vika. So I can't see this blind purchase going wrong, honestly! The only thing is it'll have to wait for sunnier days, sunny meaning solvent in this case 🙂
PS I've just reread (for the umpteenth time) your review of IdI and a commenter mentioned it reminded them of Dzongkha, which I absolutely adore thanks to you 🙂 So you see, everything seems to be pointing to the same direction, LOL!
When I read your review of Gaultier's Fleur du Male, I was really excited to try it, but when I initially sampled it on a test strip, I wasn't thrilled. But after seeing it again on this best-of list, I gave it a second chance, this time on my skin. Now I'm in love. Can't wait to buy a bottle.
Thanks 🙂
LOL — I'm hoping those sunnier days are right around the corner, for both of us!
The review was Kevin's, but I have a feeling I might like it better than he does! So glad you gave it another chance 🙂
Thank you both for clarifying about the Shiseido. I'm tempted by the name of the OB smoothing shampoo, but the product has yet to be manufactured that can smooth my hair.
And I realized, after posting last week, that neglected to say that NST itself is one of my favorite things of 2007. It's been a large part of my fragrance education, and I appreciate the civil level of discourse here.
Uh, sounds like we have the same hair. I've ordered a travel-sized set from Drugstore.com, but my only real hopes are for the fragrance. If its lovely, I'll live without the smoothing 🙂
And thanks for the very kind words!!