Yes, make this in more scents please! Arquiste's travel sprayer in Nanban ("Following a diplomatic mission to the West, a galleon carrying a delegation of samurai charges through dark ocean currents. Loaded with a rare and precious cargo, the ship’s hull is redolent of sweet-smelling tropical woods, heady Spanish leather, frankincense, fine black pepper and other exotic ground spices—the intoxicating spirit of a singular, extraordinary voyage of discovery.") is $25 for 7.5 ml.
I have never done one of the spit-or-scrape genealogical tests, but I have always suspected that my family has secret Nordic or Baltic blood, as both my brothers are enthusiastic enough about outdoor swimming that they’ll do it in early May or October… in Canada. While I hesitate to frolic in 50F waves, I do sport sandals until snow accumulates, drink Arnold Palmers in January and I’m the only non-menopausal female in my XX-dominated workplace who enjoys our arctic air-conditioning. In a similar fashion, I wear citrus colognes all year. When it is my turn to list summer fragrances around here, I remind myself that normal people generally turn to crisp, refreshing eaux only when the temperature rises. Having exhausted my stable of favored classic colognes in previous posts, though, I thought that this time I’d highlight some atypical choices. Please bear with me. I did test these on myself in the heat, but YMMV…
Niche line Arquiste has launched Sydney Rock Pool, a new mineral amber musk fragrance…
It looks like I will be the last person on earth to smell Arquiste Él and Ella. All the more reason I need Arquiste's Nocturnal Green candle: "A jungly, earthy and green candle inspired by the nighttime gardens of 1970s jet-set Acapulco, the glamorous setting behind ÉL and ELLA eaux de parfum." $85 at Beautyhabit.
On June 7, 1660, as part of the plan to end the Franco-Prussian Spanish war, the Spanish royal family gave infanta Maria Theresa of Spain to France as Louis XIV’s bride. The hand-off happened on joint territory, the Isle of Pheasants in the Bidasao river between France and Spain.
Nearly 350 years later, Arquiste’s founder and creative director Carlos Huber stood on the banks of the Bidasao and imagined the whole royal procession. In 2009, he began researching the meeting at the Isle of Pheasants and uncovered a wealth of aromas: iris from hair pomade; rice powder scented with orange flower; leather gloves; and, of course, the countryside’s arid herbal breeze.
He wrote a brief based on his research and handed it to perfumers Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier…