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Browsing by tag: anise

Kerosene Black Vines ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 27 March 2014 44 Comments

Kerosene Black Vines, closeup

It’s a warm touch on the shoulder, as you are entangled in green vines of black licorice. The spices and gentle sweetness will warm your surroundings. This is climate change for your skin.

How much do you like licorice? If you hate it (the smell, that is), you can safely skip Black Vines, the latest from indie line Kerosene. If you love the smell, so much so that perfumes like Lolita Lempicka Le Premier Parfum (or the Au Masculin version) or Diesel Loverdose are just not enough, then Black Vines is for you.

The opening is green and bright for nanoseconds before it turns spicy and dark and, well, licorice-y…

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Diesel Loverdose ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 9 September 2011 47 Comments

Diesel Loverdose

According to Women’s Wear Daily, the Italian denim-wear brand Diesel needs to amp up their women’s business “following a long period where it became heavily reliant on men’s sales”. Expect to see higher prices, better fabrics, more shoes and bags, and a more feminine look. Also key: Loverdose, their latest fragrance and part of their overall strategy to attract “a somewhat older customer than before, between the ages 25 to 55, with a sweet spot of around 30.”1

The ad copy for Loverdose is mostly about sex — quelle surprise! — with a splash of rock ‘n roll: yes, sex sells, apparently, whether you’re 15 or 25 or 35. Loverdose is meant to be a “beautiful but deadly narcotic for the senses” and reportedly it includes molecules that “stimulate the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that induces attraction and desire”.2 If it all sounds like the usual fragrance marketing fol-de-rol, luckily, the floriental juice has the same sense of humor as the television commercial, which features model Ashley Smith in a series of more-comical-than-sexy scenarios, and ends with her boyfriend not bothering to wake up when she comes home and kisses him.

Loverdose opens sweet and fizzy…

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Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 8 September 2009 52 Comments

Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise cologne

Vanilla & Anise is new from Jo Malone; it’s meant to “…evoke the moment that vanilla orchids bloom at day-break in Madagascar”, Madagascar being the world’s largest producer of vanilla.

Vanilla & Anise starts out bright and citrusy. It’s slightly sharp in the early stages, and very fresh. Patty at Perfume Posse found it melon-y aquatic, but I hardly noticed until I sprayed it on paper. On skin (my skin, anyway), the fresh notes pass by in a flash. It sweetens up quickly but it never gets more than slightly sweet, and the vanilla is balanced by a slightly bitter edge in the mostly transparent florals: it reminds me of wildflowers more than tropical florals (the notes: bergamot, neroli, wild fennel flower, star anise, oleander, tuberose, frangipani, purple vanilla orchid, clove, white amber, vetiver, vanilla bourbon absolute and tonka bean). The licorice notes are subtle, and the base is pale and woody, and just slightly earthy…

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Avon + Christian Lacroix Absynthe ~ new perfume

Posted by Robin on 4 February 2009 47 Comments

Christian Lacroix Abynthe perfume from AvonComing soon from Avon, another collaboration with designer Christian Lacroix (see 2007's Avon + Christian Lacroix Rouge & Noir). The new oriental fragrance for women is Absynthe, inspired (obviously) by the green fairy.

The fragrance notes include absinthe, freesia, green anise, orchid, saffron, narcissus, ancient woods, ebony, musk, myrrh and amber…

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Kenzo Air ~ fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 21 January 2009 39 Comments

When I reviewed Mark Buxton's Wood & Absinth last week, several people mentioned another vetiver + anise fragrance, Kenzo Air (or Kenzoair, as I believe the brand prefers). How I made it all this time without smelling Kenzo Air is a bit of a mystery to me, but I suppose the name “Air” was not all that appealing? Obviously I needed to smell it, and since it didn't seem to be available locally (and it's too cold to go outside anyway), I ordered some right away. I'd like to point out that I made it a full 13 days into 2009 before breaking rule no. 1 (or no. 2? I can't remember) and buying something unsniffed, but this was cheap enough that it wouldn't have killed me if I'd hated it. And lo and behold, everyone who commented was right: it's wonderful.

Kenzo launched Air in 2003; it was intended as…

… a breath of fresh air… it lets a man discover his inner child. The fragrance denotes an elegant, masculine presence, awakening childhood sensations and familiar impressions, shaking things up and reinventing them…

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