Like a human raccoon, I was attracted to Atelier Des Ors‘ Riviera line of perfumes because of their beautiful blue bottles — with gold flakes in the bottom: sparkly! Since I’m always in the market for a fresh citrus cologne, I sampled two from the collection with notes that appealed to me (in descriptions, anyway).
Pomelo Riviera: bergamot, grapefruit, orange, jasmine, salty notes, rose, cedar
Pomelo Riviera starts with an old-fashioned mosquito repellent scent…
Independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has just released Sharkskin, the seventh fragrance in her limited edition Heirloom Series.1 This one is timed for summer: it’s “tailor-made to get you through the steamiest days of the year…a wonderful balance of sparkling lightness, luxurious depth, and ease. In my perfect fantasy, this is the scent that both Frank Sinatra AND Grace Kelly are wearing to be cool as a cucumber, the picture of elegance, and ever so fresh in the heat of the NYC summer, circa 1957.”
This scent’s name refers to the fabric called sharkskin, a lightweight wool material that’s tightly woven with alternating colors of thread for a resulting smoothness and subtle, two-toned sheen. The members of the Rat Pack were often photographed wearing sharp-cut sharkskin suits in the 1950s and 1960s, hence the reference above! — but the material is still used in suiting for both genders…
My “Dirty” series is about taking classic, beautiful ingredients and putting a new spin on them – letting their hair down, smudging their lipstick and exploring new territory. I wanted to build a fragrance around the spontaneous and energetic aspects of lemons but wanted to bring something new and even a little naughty to lemons’ squeaky clean nature. — Douglas Little, Heretic Parfums.
Dirty Lemon (listed notes include lemon, bergamot, petitgrain, juniper, lime, sandalwood, pink and black pepper, ylang-ylang and patchouli)
Dirty Lemon opens with the aromas of bergamot oil and sliced lemons (heavily peppered), but its head notes are more dense than sprightly or fizzy…
Two spots from Firmenich Naturals. The first is on green mandarin from Brazil (with perfumer Amandine Clerc Marie), followed by (below the jump) cardamom from Guatemala (with perfumer Frank Voelkl).
Years ago, when I reviewed the Cire Trudon limited edition candle, Merida Arquiste, I lamented the fact that I couldn’t think of a good guava-centric perfume “out there” that could match Merida’s fruit note. Now, Atelier Cologne has launched Pacific Lime.* Though (I assume) no guava was harmed in Pacific Lime’s manufacture, the fragrance’s notes conjure the aroma of a pink guava at perfect ripeness…