Christian Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 15 August 2012 29 Comments

Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum advert

Certain iconic fragrances have an army of supporters who despise any “fiddling” with their beloved perfume; Dior‘s Eau Sauvage by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska is one such fragrance. Released in 1966, Eau Sauvage has been getting lots of love for decades, even as the formula was tweaked. I like Eau Sauvage and enjoyed its variations: Eau Sauvage Extrême (1982 version) and 2007’s Eau Sauvage Fraîcheur Cuir (both discontinued). I’ll admit to getting a little excited at the prospect of Eau Sauvage Parfum (which is not, strictly speaking, a flanker, but a new concentration of Eau Sauvage Eau de Toilette).*

Featuring bergamot, vetiver, myrrh, woods and amber, Eau Sauvage Parfum was developed by perfumer François Demachy and is described as a woody-amber perfume (as opposed to the original Eau Sauvage Eau de Toilette, an aromatic citrus-floral); thus, I didn’t think for a minute that the new Parfum would be a “stronger” version of the original fragrance.

Eau Sauvage Parfum goes on watery and weak; my first thought on smelling it was: “Parfum?” Quickly, the fragrance intensifies…

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The Different Company L’Esprit Cologne collection ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 8 August 2012 30 Comments

With rare exceptions (most recently, the Arquiste collection), I’m almost always underwhelmed when a company releases a barrage of perfumes all at once (Keiko Mecheri, Robert Piguet, By Kilian, M Micallef — I’m looking at you…though you are far from being the only culprits). I think: Was the perfumer overwhelmed by too many simultaneous projects? Were the perfumes made to fill banal “slots”: citrus cologne slot, oud perfume slot, fruity-floral slot, oriental amber slot, white floral slot. Were the resulting fragrances “old” ideas that were just hanging around waiting for a bottle to fill, a desperate buyer to placate? I’ve been burned so many times after going to great trouble and expense getting samples, I’ve started ignoring these “group shows” of fragrances. I don’t have the time, or energy, to find and try so many perfumes all at once from a single house. I think we’d all prefer the release of one interesting, well-thought-out perfume to a cartload of forgettable offerings arriving in one ‘lump’.

The Different Company (sigh) just released four fragrances in their new L’Esprit Cologne collection, all by perfumer Émilie Coppermann…

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L’Occitane Eaux de Provence ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 1 August 2012 51 Comments

L'Occitane Eaux de Provence trio

This summer L’Occitane released Eaux de Provence: three fragrances inspired by “the beautiful fountains that can be found across the villages of southern France, bringing life and refreshment to all.” Sounds lovely…quaint, doesn’t it? Not to me.

When Robin here at Now Smell This asked me to review the Eaux de Provence fragrances, I got the stress-induced stomach ache I always get before visiting a L’Occitane store. I’d just as soon show up at an inner city boxing ring and ask the toughest looking boxer with a freshly blackened eye if he’d mind taking off his briefs so I could try them on as go into L’Occitane and ask for samples. L’Occitane sales people are tough and aggressive (at least at the two stores I visit). They are determined you will buy something if you invade their “turf.” If you ask for a free sample, they look at you as if you’re asking for the clothes off their backs…they are NOT amused. I’ve yet to get a freebie from L’Occitane unless I buy something. Thankfully, on this visit, I needed some honey-scented soap.

Now, to Les Eaux…

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Robert Piguet Casbah, Nasomatto Pardon & Linari Fuoco Infernale ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 18 July 2012 33 Comments

Robert Piguet Casbah, Nasomatto Pardon, Linari Fuoco Infernale fragrance bottles

I do not exaggerate; at this moment, I have SIXTEEN perfumes on my desk that ‘deserve’ reviews…for summer. The best I’ll be able to do (summer is going by fast) is combine these fragrances into four or five reviews; so today I’m writing about three fragrances I like and never got around to reviewing when they were released.

Robert Piguet Casbah

Robert Piguet Casbah (from the Nouvelle Collection and “dedicated” to Morocco) was developed by perfumer Aurélien Guichard and includes notes of cedar, iris, pepper, nutmeg, angelica root, vetiver, tobacco leaf, smoky floral accord and incense.

Casbah is a rich, leather-incense fragrance (it would fit in perfectly with the Comme des Garçons incense line). As I sniff Casbah, I detect pepper, nutmeg, smoke and vetiver (while wearing Casbah, the spice notes sometimes blend with the incense smoke to create the aroma of an exotic, well-spiced dish cooking on a hearth). Casbah is a well-blended incense fragrance; the note that stands out most forcefully is leather (a smooth, semi-sweet leather). As I wear Casbah, I notice a shift from the early “food-y” stage of the fragrance to a more “churchy” incense scent near the end of the perfume’s development…

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Rochas Moustache ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 11 July 2012 38 Comments

Rochas Moustache vintage adverts

Most of us at Now Smell This have ‘suffered’ a Perfume Chain Reaction. Here’s my most recent:

1. I was looking at a glossy book about perfume advertisements and came across some ads for Marcel Rochas Moustache (introduced in 1948-1949);

2. I read that Moustache was formulated by one of my favorite perfumers, Edmond Roudnitska, who worked on the fragrance with his wife, Thérèse;

3. I went to the Rochas website to read about the current formulation and discovered that Moustache has been removed from Rochas’ fragrance line-up; so

4. I researched the fragrance notes online, liked what I read; and

5. I went to eBay to look for a bottle of Moustache;

6. I purchased a 100 ml tester of Moustache without ever sniffing it.

Today, in part 8 of the chain reaction (part 7 was wearing the fragrance for a week) I’m reviewing Moustache…

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