Carven has launched a new collection of 7 travel oriented fragrances: Paris-Bangalore, Paris-Seville, Paris-Izmir, Paris-Mascate, Paris-Manille, Paris-Sao Paulo and Paris-Florence…
5 perfumes: vetiver fragrances for spring
It’s April, and we ought to be having spring weather, but so far, it’s been elusive at best, at least in my neck of the woods. After a warmer than usual winter, we’re having a colder than usual spring (I’ve got my heat on today, again). All the same, it’s time for the spring vetiver list (I’ve already done summer, fall and winter, and I’m now accepting votes in the comments for what note, fragrance family or style to do next). As always, the line between the seasons is perhaps a bit arbitrary and/or personal, but for spring we’re looking for versatility: not so heavy as winter, not so light as summer, able to work in nearly any weather, perhaps a bit more lighthearted than the fall list? And as always, do add your own picks in the comments!
Parfums DelRae Panache: I think of Panache as a kinder, gentler riff on Serge Lutens Chêne, with vetiver mingling with the oak and rum…
Top 10 Spring Fragrances 2017
1946: French writer Colette went to Switzerland, where she would undergo treatment for severe and painful arthritis. She was delighted to find that the sparrows around her lodgings in Geneva were tame. They flew into her room from the balcony, slept under her bed, ate from her hands. They would even chirp protests when she would lock them out of the bathroom as she bathed. One day she found a pair of sparrows snuggling in a fold of her bedspread. She startled them and they flew away. Colette wrote:
This gave me fair warning that the time was not far off when I should discover one individual among their small, indefinite band, the particular one, the one who preferred me and was mine by preference. With the animal world, we are subject to the same perils every time. To choose, to be chosen, to love: the very next moment we are beset by anxiety, the danger of loss, and the fear of spreading regret. What an array of big words when the subject is but a sparrow! Yes, a sparrow. In love, there is never a question of smallness. 1
A perfect segue to the love for, and smallness of…perfumes…
The Summer of Ma Griffe
Two things happened this week. First, a commenter on my bath powder post taught me the meaning of SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy). Then, a friend posted on Facebook that she was determined to use a full bottle of vintage Balmain Vent Vert this summer.
This got me thinking. My perfume collection is SABLE and then some. Isn’t it about time I made a focused effort to use it up? Also, I loved the idea of immersing myself in a scent and getting to know its nuances over time. I wouldn’t wear only that scent — there’s plenty of time during the day for another perfume or two, besides I need to write reviews — but I wanted to live with it. Really live with it…
Bunch o’ limited edition collector bottles (& some other stuff) 2016, part 7
More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US. Today’s post includes collector bottles from Carven, Guerlain and Acqua di Parma; new scented jewelry from By Kilian; plus a new concentration of Missoni.
From Carven, the Illustrated Edition of Carven L’Eau Intense, in 100 ml Eau de Toilette. £70 at House of Fraser in the UK…