Tom Ford Fleur de Chine ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 12 November 2014 27 Comments

Branch of Flowering White Jasmine

I believe (tell me if I’m wrong) I have given more attention to the Tom Ford Private Blends than any other contributor here at Now Smell This (and I’ve liked more of the Private Blend perfumes than my cohorts, too). But over the last couple of years, my interest in the brand has waned, as one overpriced, under-thought-out perfume after another joined the range. Tom Ford’s Private Blend Atelier d’Orient Collection has been out 18 months and I’ve just sampled all four fragrances; three were yawners to me, but Fleur de Chine¹ was a happy surprise.

Fleur de Chine opens with a brash salvo of aldehydes, floral spice (very wisteria-like), tart citrus, and semi-indolic magnolia…

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Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Wood & Michael Kors for Men ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 5 November 2014 25 Comments

Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Wood

Thierry Mugler launched A*Men Pure Wood¹ last summer; it’s a limited edition that, according to my most-trusted Nordstrom perfume sales person, is selling fast. I was beginning to worry the A*Men “Pure” scents (among them A*Men Pure Energy, A*Men Pure Shot, A*Men Pure Havane, A*Men Pure Malt and A*Men Pure Coffee) were smelling too similar. A*Men Pure Wood stands apart from others in the “Pure” collection with its sweet/dense “oak” aroma, mingling with pungent cypress and woody vanilla and patchouli. Dare I say that my first impression of A*Men Pure Wood was: “Wow! It’s Chêne-sque!” …as in Serge Lutens; I want to try these perfumes side by side.

A*Men Pure Wood is a linear perfume, but it does not wear me out or bore me as the day progresses; in fact, I enjoy it more and more as time passes — it’s a comforting fragrance…

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Clinique Aromatics Elixir ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 29 October 2014 52 Comments

Clinique Aromatics Elixir

I remember trying Clinique Aromatics Elixir¹ in my early twenties (didn’t like it then) and forgetting it existed till I met someone 13 years later who wore it all the time. When I first met her, I said: “You’re wearing Aromatics Elixir, aren’t you?” How could I remember a perfume I had tried so long ago and never wore again? (I was proud of myself…what a memory! what a Nose!) But I can take only partial credit for this feat; Aromatics Elixir is distinctive, and one of the few perfumes with a strong oak moss note that I now enjoy.

Last week, when I reviewed Aramis (a fragrance that shares Aromatics Elixir’s perfumer, Bernard Chant), I admitted oak moss is not one of my favorite fragrance ingredients — an understatement. Oak moss is something I imagine as a brittle, sticky thread that takes over other ingredients as a virus overwhelms a host…

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Aramis by Aramis ~ fragrance review & A Rant in Defense of the Aging and Old

Posted by Kevin on 23 October 2014 75 Comments

Aramis advert

I’ve been meaning to review Aramis¹ for years (it’s a classic, and I’ve never tried it!) Reading two articles back to back last week, randomly, led me to the perfume counter for a fresh Aramis sample…and this review. These articles have apt connections to the “old-man” perfume that is Aramis (it was first released in 1964 and is regularly disparaged by men, and women, on perfume forums as being “old” fashioned and, thus, un-wearable today).

First up was an interview with Frances McDormand, talking about aging in The New York Times:

We are on red alert when it comes to how we are perceiving ourselves as a species. There’s no desire to be an adult…

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Jimmy Choo Man ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 15 October 2014 25 Comments

Jimmy Choo Man

Jimmy Choo has launched its first fragrance for men: Jimmy Choo Man.¹ Here are some choice tidbits from the PR campaign: “This is a fragrance for the man who goes out with the Jimmy Choo woman” (sort of limits your customer base, no?) and “He is confident, sensual, he is tough and still romantic, and he is the counterpart to the Jimmy Choo woman, who is sexy and powerful. He’s a cosmopolitan Mayfair playboy.”² I’m visualizing a douchebag…as written up by a computer program.

Currently, it seems ALL male and female perfume inspirations are, above all else, POWERFUL. Power trumps ease, contentment, happiness…

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