Comptoir Sud Pacifique Aqua Motu fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 22 August 2005 25 Comments

Aqua Motu by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

In honor of my recent return from what was probably my last beach vacation of the summer, today I am wearing Aqua Motu by Comptoir Sud Pacifique. Aqua Motu was originally released under the name Motu in 1992, and I believe the fragrance was reformulated when it was renamed. The notes for the current version are helychrisum, marine notes, lily of the valley, warm sand, and kelp.

I have never been a big fan of marine fragrances, but I adore Aqua Motu. It smells absolutely nothing like the mid-Atlantic beach where I now spend my summer vacations, and truth be told, it probably doesn’t really smell like an actual beach anywhere. All the same, in a way that I can’t exactly explain, it is an almost perfect, filtered-by-memory olfactory snapshot of the beach in La Jolla where I used to live…

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CB I Hate Perfume: Mr. Hulot’s Holiday & Russian Caravan Tea

Posted by Robin on 29 June 2005 30 Comments

CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea fragrance

Today I am trying two perfumes from the CB I Hate Perfume line. The fragrances are perfume absolutes in an oil base, and like most oil-based formulas, they stay relatively close to the skin. They are very long lasting, and evolve slowly.

Mr. Hulot’s Holiday: This fragrance was inspired by the movie of the same name (which I have never seen, but which is now waiting patiently in my Netflix queue). It is described as “the salty breath of the breeze off the sea, driftwood, rocks covered with seaweed and the smell of old leather suitcases”.

Mr. Hulot’s Holiday starts very bright, with the tangy-salty smell of sea air and water. It mellows and deepens over the next hour, adding woody undertones, and later still, a very subtle hint of leather — I’m not sure I would have noticed it if I wasn’t looking for that old leather suitcase…

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Perfume review: Andree Putman Preparation Parfumee

Posted by Robin on 4 May 2005 16 Comments

Andree Putman Preparation Parfumee fragrance

Andrée Putman is one of France’s best known interior architects. She has designed everything from home interiors to furniture to tableware. She redesigned the interior of the Air France Concorde jet, and she was responsible for the interior of the Pershing Hall hotel in Paris. For her first fragrance, Préparation Parfumée, which was released in 2001, she worked with nose Olivia Giacobetti, who…

…immediately understood what I wanted and succeeded in transforming my own personality into olfactory notes. We spoke about wood, wet wood, wood after the rain, driftwood, about water lilys and coriander leaf. I wanted it to be light and fresh, to be a fragrance for women, for men and even for children…I hope this fragrance evokes the same serenity and discretion present in all my other creations. (via cached copy from andreeputman)

Préparation Parfumée has notes of driftwood, grey pepper, water lily and coriander leaves…

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Comptoir Sud Pacifique Aqua Motu fragrance review

CB I Hate Perfume: Mr. Hulot’s Holiday & Russian Caravan Tea

Perfume review: Andree Putman Preparation Parfumee