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Browsing by tag: amber

Enfleurage Sanctuary, Roses & Amber ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 19 November 2015 11 Comments

Enfleurage house blends

Was it really six years ago that I wrote a shopping report about Enfleurage, New York’s most specialized purveyor of natural aromatics? Yes, apparently. The boutique has since moved to a new address (237 West 13 Street, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood) but its staggering selection of essential oils and natural incenses remains unchanged. I still sniff individual oils during each of my visits, but I’m also very fond of Enfleurage’s “house blends.” They’re available as concentrated oils and as “roll-ons to go,” diluted in a base of organic jojoba oil for ready-to-wear use.

My favorite house blend is Sanctuary, a blend of ylang ylang, chamomile, patchouli, clary sage and black pepper…

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Parfums de Nicolai Ambre Cashmere Intense ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 28 October 2015 19 Comments

As the curtain rises on the charming Ambre-Cashmere family, everyone is talking simultaneously on stage — there are grunts, witty asides, chuckles, humming…and whispers delivered with a hissssss; no one is willing to ease up or shut up. We meet happy Lady Mandarin, handsome/smooth-talking General Pepper, the self-effacing Misses Violet and Iris, and bitter Mrs. Lemon, the cook (hissssss!) who brings in a tray full of tiny cups filled with hot cocoa. Chilly Cousin Clove attempts to stifle the conversation as Mr. Tonka Bean steps in to try and add sweetness and reason to the proceedings; but neither Clove nor Tonka Bean are a match for loud-mouthed / hard-drinking “Patch” who loves nothing more than creating a scene. Cashmeran (aka “CC”) — as the other cast members’ voices falter — gets the final, reassuring (and long-winded) speech. The End.

Parfums de Nicolaï Ambre Cashmere Intense’s1 initial cacophony is not unpleasant…it’s attention grabbing…

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Masque Milano Tango & Luci ed Ombre ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 28 April 2015 14 Comments

Masque Milano Tango

I love rough-and-ready amber fragrances. I’m not a fan of dainty or too-sweet (polite) amber perfumes (except in soaps or candles, and even then…). Masque Milano’s Tango1 is my type of amber; it presents a spicy amber that’s singed around the edges. The perfume begins with the aromas of pepper, charred cardamom and “tempered” cumin (as I sniff, the color that comes to mind is rich sepia). While remaining dark in character, Tango’s heart has glimmers of floral notes (“simmered/reduced” rose and jasmine…warm and rich, not fresh or clean). As Tango develops, I smell leather, tough musk, and only mild sweetness (tonka, vanilla, benzoin and clover accent the richer, burnt/caramelized notes; they never take over the composition)…

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Histoires d’Eaux Ete Indien ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 26 September 2014 15 Comments

Histoires d'Eaux Été Indien

It seems like an appropriate time of year to try a fragrance named for “Indian summer,” so I was pleased when a sample of Histoires d’Eaux Été Indien recently came my way. Histoires d’Eaux is an Italian niche perfume house with French names and a collection inspired by an imaginary “chansonnier” of the 1950s who tells his life story through his song lyrics. (I think I got that correct.) Été Indien was developed by perfumer Dominique Gindre and includes notes of elemi, bergamot, clary sage, geranium, patchouli, vanilla, tolu balsam, styrax and labdanum.

As you can guess by that list, Été Indien is an oriental composition with an amber theme…

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Aerin Amber Musk & Evening Rose ~ perfume reviews

Posted by Robin on 10 December 2013 15 Comments

Aerin Amber Musk & Evening Rose fragrances

Last week I reviewed Lilac Path, Ikat Jasmine and Gardenia Rattan, all from Aerin, the new-ish lifestyle brand of Aerin Lauder. Erin asked if I’d left the other two fragrances in the collection, Amber Musk and Evening Rose, until later because they were the best of the bunch, but no, I left them only because I wasn’t quite as interested, insofar as I’m not a huge amber fan and rose, well, 2013 was very nearly the year of the rose, right? At least, rose vied with oud as the note du jour. Of course, oud probably won, it usually does.

But yes, they are, arguably, the best of the bunch, and they do have more weight and sillage than the other three. They still don’t quite meet the standard I’d hoped for from the set — something similar to the upscale Private Collection scents Aerin Lauder designed for the Estée Lauder brand, Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang and Private Collection Jasmine White Moss. But they’re closer in spirit, and while I have no idea which of the five will sell the best, these are probably the two that are most likely to please perfumistas…

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