Our 2014 series of holiday gift posts continues with home fragrance items.
For more gift ideas, check out The Scented Hound’s Holiday Gift Guide.
From Acqua di Parma, the limited edition hand-blown Murano glass candle collection…
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Ginepro di Sardegna ~ fragrance review, with an aside on Eaux de Cologne
Yes, this will be a review of Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Ginepro di Sardegna (Juniper of Sardinia). But first, let’s talk about cologne.
What do you think of when you envision cologne? To me, a true Eau de Cologne is a revivifying splash of fragrance that wakes up you then fades away. I want a cologne to apply to my temples if I’m feeling faint, like in old novels, and to freshen me up when the world wears thick and dirty.
What I don’t want is a substitute for a perfume. To me, a cologne shouldn’t bill itself as a quick reviver, only to stick around for hours with a thick residue of citrus and resin. To me, that’s simply a mislabeled perfume. I don’t want to smell someone at the office who meant to have simply freshened up with a fragrance after his shower, but who trails the scent like a bad furniture polish for most of the day…
Up for grabs: Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather
What is it: a 100 ml bottle of Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather. Used lightly for testing; at least 95% full.
How do I get it: For a chance to win, leave a comment on the website telling me that you live in the US. Then tell me either a) your favorite fragrance from Acqua di Parma, or b) your favorite leather fragrance or c) something else you’ve been dying to post in a comment.
Be sure to use the “Post a comment” box; do not reply to another comment…
Tom Ford Private Blend Tuscan Leather & Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather ~ fragrance reviews
Last year I bought a new bag made of American buffalo hide to replace my ancient black calfskin bag that has traveled around the globe with me for ages (and is now retired and ‘resting’ in a cabinet). The moment I held the new bag I felt guilty, for buffaloes are one of my favorite animals. I get excited, and am emotionally moved, to be in the presence of these “beasts” that have always symbolized, for me, the part of the U.S. I love most, the West. Since getting my new bag, I’ve been in two car accidents (only my car was injured) and lost two jobs. Am I cursed? Are the buffalo spirits I’ve always admired pissed off, feeling betrayed — egged on by cows (“He never worries much about US!”) Anyway, I’ve not used the new bag at all; it sits pristine in my closet, encased in a soft wool sweater.
I like leather fragrances as I like amber and tobacco perfumes: I need only ONE specimen of each in my perfume collection.1 Likewise, I need only one leather bag (I like simplicity); testing these two leather perfumes has led me back to my bison bag, whose aroma is still present…
Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile and Les Parfums de Rosine Ballerina No. 1 ~ perfume reviews
My last review of a rose-centered fragrance was posted way back in June, if you can believe it or not. (It was a review of Maria Candida Gentile’s Cinabre, which would actually make an excellent fall fragrance.) What’s become of me? To remedy this situation, here’s a double review of two newish rose fragrances from brands that have been around for a while.
The Italian house Acqua di Parma has just released Rosa Nobile, “a tribute to the ‘Queen of flowers'” that includes top notes of Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot and pepper; peony, violet, lily of the valley and Centifolia rose in the heart; and base notes of cedarwood, ambergris and musk. The Acqua di Parma website features an entire page focusing on Rosa Nobile’s story. It mentions Rosa Nobile’s “brand new and modern personality,” because — of course — the consumer must be assured that there’s nothing dowdy about roses…