Our series of holiday gift posts continues today with a selection of solid perfumes and perfumed jewelry. If you missed them, here are links to part 1 (scented body products), part 2 (travel sizes & coffrets), part 3 (more travel sizes & coffrets), part 4 (home fragrance) and part 5 (men's fragrance). Coming up next: the luxury list.
From Providence Perfume Co, solid perfume balms: "Our vintage inspired solid perfume balms are blended in a base of pure shea butter, beeswax and oils. The soft buttery consistency is similar to the vintage solid perfumes popular in the 1950's and 1960's without the added petroleum and chemicals of the era. Solid perfumes are generously sized at 1/2 ounce and housed in thick retro glass tubs with distinctive silver caps evoking images of dressing table glamour. Solids are lavishly perfumed with natural ingredients and blended in artisan perfume fashion." In Chiffonade, Jazmina, Lilium, Moonflower, $36-39 at Providence Perfume Co.
From L'Artisan Parfumeur, La Chasse aux Papillons in a solid perfume compact. $70 for 2.5 g at Barneys.
From Lisa Hoffman, a scented bracelet in the Tunisian Neroli fragrance: "Red jade juxtaposed with a 14-karat gold-plated charm and beads echoes the intoxicating scent of Tunisian Neroli, a blend of precious neroli flower, ylang ylang and golden amber that’s both classically feminine and utterly modern. Each bracelet comes with refillable fragrance beads so you can easily refresh the scent in your charm. It's perfume, we just reinvented the packaging." $65 at Lisa Hoffman.
From By Kilian, Beyond Love in a mirrored solid perfume compact: "An irresistible seduction potion that gradually unfolds for a stunning effect. Cool and intoxicating notes of tuberose evoking green hillsides give the fragrance its initial character, capturing our attention. Its lush and exotic characteristics render it irresistible." $95 at Saks.
From Anthropologie, Happ & Stahns 1842 Rose Alba "housed in a pincushion-topped brass tin to enhance the air of Victorian-era romance." $26 at Anthropologie.
From MCMC Fragrances, sterling silver perfume lockets by jewelry designer Katrina LaPenne. Available in Rose, Lilac or Moonflower, $325 each at MCMC.
From Ormonde Jayne, 'Sugar Butter' shimmer solid perfumes: "Sugar Butter Solid Perfume is completely new to the Ormonde Jayne collection and is a balm scented with a high percentage of Parfum extract. It will leave a subtle opalescent shimmer and the long lasting fragrance of Frangipani, Tolu, Ta’if or Ormonde Woman. A perfect finish for whatever you wear." £64 for 15 ml at Ormonde Jayne.
From Not Soap, Radio, the I’m not here, I’m really… collection of 9 solid perfumes includes On holiday in Tuscany (tangerine, neroli, bergamot, lime, sweet tea) and Island Hopping (coconut, lemongrass, hint of vanilla, bit of musk, verbena). $15 each at Not Soap, Radio.
From Le Metier de Beaute, limited edition scented cufflinks: "Using an innovative, embedded resin technology, Le Metier de Beaute craftsmen infused fragrance into a small chip and seamlessly concealed it within the elegance of a cuff link. The uniquely striking Cuff Link Set comes with three, well-appointed, interchangeable fragrances—Classic, Modern and Bold—to suit every occasion. The exquisite cuff links are fashioned from 18-carat white gold and contrasted with more than 2 carats of handset black diamonds." 50 numbered sets, $3500 at Neiman Marcus.
So, at the risk of losing my “alternative counter-culture” status, I have to admit that I like the cuff links! Of course, it’d never happen for me or anyone I know, but they feel nostalgic and romantic somehow. Like Sean Connery as James Bond.
I don’t see why you should lose face over 1 set of cufflinks
So–$3500 scented cufflinks, and this isn’t even the luxury list yet?
And am I the only one frustrated by solid perfumes in tubs like the Providence Perfume Company’s ? I am never sure how I am supposed to apply the perfume. If you try to use your fingers, it gets all under the fingernails, which is really annoying. I usually end up using a toothpick or something.
LOL — true. But we’ve got some cheap things to even it out.
I have some of those small washable plastic spatula things that are meant for face creams — I use them for anything in a tub. But I know what you mean.
I use my nail to scrape out what I need, but I use the outer part of my nail to do so, that way all the product is on top, rather than underneath. It’s still not ideal but it’s much easier and keeps the product cleaner.
i recently bought my first solid perfume (philosykos). but i dont know if im wearing it right- it seems to have absolutely no sillage whatsoever…
can someone tell me if this is normal, and how it’s meant to be applied?
Without alcohol, you’re not going to get as much sillage, so yes, that’s normal, and is either a plus or a minus depending on how you feel about sillage.
ah, i see…
thanks!
I’ve never been very successful with solid perfumes. I tend to smell the carrier oils and the wax more than the fragrance itself. Even Fracas solid which is why I avoid it because if I put enough on to be able to smell it I’m afraid of suffocating everybody around me.
That scented bracelet has me drooling- I love red jade.
Do you know anything about the scent involved? I’ve never heard of the line, so I have no idea if it’s likely to be any good or not.
Yeah, I’d almost buy it for the pretty bracelet, without any fragrance!
I have tried the Lisa Hoffman scents and did not love any of them. But I know some people like them, so worth a shot! Someone on Facebook commented favorably on the same bracelet in their Agarwood scent.
If you really like the bracelet, why not buy it anyway? Since the scent is in the form of beads which are inserted into the hollow charm, I would think you could substitute a fragrance of your choice if you don’t like the one that comes with the bracelet. Just put some perfume onto a cotton ball or small piece of cloth and insert that into the charm instead of the perfume beads.
I was going to suggest something along this line. If you’re crafty you can even make the bracelet. You can get unfinished wooden beads and soak them in a favourite fragrance (oils work really well) to place in your little charm basket. I also have a silver scent necklace based on a Neil Gaiman story that I purchased at BPAL. A friend of mine loved it so we went to the bead store and found a surprising lot of lockets, filigree pendants, and other things that work as a scented bead holder or a bit of felt cut to size and sprayed with fragrance. It is a really nice and subtle way to wear a fragrance. As the locket warms to your body it releases a little bit of scent but the sillage is very close to the body and easy to remove should somebody take offense.
I too am drooling over the bracelet (towels please!) with the added bonus of loving neroli! I already bought myself the AE Perfumers Reserve, would another present be too much???
Of course not! Just think of it as New Year’s present or early Valentine’s gift if that helps.
We light the first Chanukah candle after sunset on the 20th and the last one on the 27th which gives you plenty of time to participate in a multicultural celebration. Send it to me and I will wrap it up in Chanukah paper and sent it back.
I’ve no idea what it smells like, but I rather dig the pincushion. Never thought I would express that particular sentiment.
Lol. There is something about the pincushion I find oddly interesting too.
The Anthropologie pincushion seems sweetly anti-tech and something different. I have no idea about the juice, but I’d be pleased to get that as a stocking-stuffer. Affordable too (snorting at the Limited Edition $3500 scented cufflinks).
Wondering if anybody has tried the By Killian solids. I would love to get Back to Black but haven’t read any reviews on them. Thanks.
Thank you for including our solid perfume balms on your Holiday Gift List Robin! The silver lockets featured are gorgeous! Happy Holidays.
Charna
I love the IDEA of solid perfumes, but not always the reality. The Le Labo Anthropology ones did not have nearly enough sillage. Also, they can be icky to apply, especially if they are quite hard.
On the other hand, I have quite a few of the Gorilla ones and I DO like those. a) they come in a sort of tube and are soft enough to rub on easy and b) their sillage is impressive. And of course their price is fab too!
The lockets look amazing.
And the new Ormonde Jayne body product makes me run for her website. Must. Resist.
Ah at long last! I had no idea Ormonde Jayne had a solid perfume – it’s not on their website yet- so I just called their Mayfair branch and have ordered two – IT’s available in my two favourite scent Frangipani and Ormonde Woman! It looks utterly fantastic…Hoorah for Christmas!
I adore Providence Perfumes but am not a huge fan of solids as I quite like a bit of sillage and longevity. These, however, will be perfect for those who *need* to wear scent even when not permitted. Very sneaky
That Lisa Hoffman bracelet is so tempting! Love jewelery. I wonder how it smells?