Antonia’s Flowers has launched Rokka, the brand’s first fragrance for men…
Bunch o’ limited edition collector bottles 2012, part 25
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.
From Cacharel, a special edition of Amor Amor designed by makeup and tattoo artist Lili Choi. In 50 ml Eau de Toilette at Sephora in France…
Holiday fragrance gifts 2012, part 1
It’s Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day — take your pick. Whether you’re shopping or not, it never hurts to look, right? As we did last year, we’re kicking off this year’s string of holiday gift posts with a bunch o’ scented bath & body products. More to come over the new few weeks!
From Guerlain, Liu powder spray: “…a light-as-air loose powder that enhances the face, body and hair with an iridescent golden veil. A mere press of the bulb releases the powder, leaving Liu’s mesmerizing aromas in its wake: a composition of aldehydes, sensual roses, vanilla, iris and woody notes.” $88 at Saks Fifth Avenue…
Online fragrance shopping
News from aedes: they have power back after 5 days without, and are starting to catch up with delayed shipments. 10% of the proceeds from all purchases made today will go to the hurricane relief efforts of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.
New at first-in-fragrance (Germany): Micallef Advent calendar, Serge Normant Avah.
New at ronrobinson: Dita von Teese.
Teen idol smackdown: Justin Bieber Girlfriend vs. Selena Gomez Eau de Parfum, and a quick poll
Every year, I smell a smaller percentage of the new celebrity fragrances — really, every year I smell a smaller percentage of all new fragrances; who can keep up? But I’ve fallen particularly far behind on the celebrity front. So today, a competition between two 2012 fragrances geared even younger than the already young average for the celebrity market: Justin Bieber’s sophomore effort, Girlfriend, and the debut fragrance from his real-life girlfriend, Selena Gomez.1
Freshly applied: Girlfriend starts off with sweet berry-ish fruit, loud enough but not as loud as it could be, with a fair sized dollop of vanilla already in evidence. While it isn’t overwhelming and it’s far from the worst-of-the-worst in terms of fruit ‘n candy bombs, it’s fuller (and a bit darker) than I would have expected for something geared this young. Perhaps this is why Bieber has described Girlfriend as “more mature” than Someday? Is his fan base growing up, or is he going after the moms? Selena Gomez, on the other wrist, is clearly after a younger crowd. It leads with screechy high-pitched raspberry with sour, almost-plastic undertones. Anyone who thinks that all these tween-oriented fragrances are basically the same would do well to smell Selena Gomez next to, well, almost anything. If we’re just talking about the top notes, I’d prefer nearly any celebrity fragrance on earth, and that includes Paris Hilton Heiress…