Roger & Gallet's Jean Marie Farina, possibly the world's first Eau de Cologne (or maybe not) has never been my absolute favorite, but wouldn't this 500 ml splash bottle look lovely in the bathroom? $250 at Smallflower.
A delicious, citrus-flavoured medicinal drink
Feminis’ original Aqua Mirabilis was a light liquid probably taken as drops on sugar cubes or mixed with water to make a delicious, citrus-flavoured medicinal drink. Legend has it that both French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe were among the many who regularly consumed huge quantities of it.
— Read more in The real story of eau de cologne: neither French nor German, the perfume with roots in an Italian medicinal drink at South China Morning Post. Hat tip to Kevin!
Francesca Bianchi Etruscan Water ~ fragrance review
Perfumer Francesca Bianchi lives in Amsterdam but her perfumes are produced and bottled in Italy. Over the last months, I’ve heard lots of positive mentions of her Etruscan Water* fragrance online and found myself some samples. Bianchi describes Etruscan Water like this:
…being born and raised in Tuscany, we could go to the beach in the South of the region, where hundreds of years ago our forefathers, the Etruscans, used to live. In order to access … the most stunning, well hidden small bays…offering the most transparent water, there was a 30 minute walk through the woods. The smell of typical Mediterranean vegetation is charming…
Editions M.R. Acide & C. O. Bigelow Lemon Body Lotion ~ fragrance & body product review
In my last review I paired a neroli fragrance and body lotion. This week, I’m turning my attention to lemon, that commonplace citrus whose scent has become (unfairly!) linked with household cleaning products. I recently purchased some organic lemon essential oil to use in a class and once I’d opened it, I couldn’t stop sniffing it. So bright, so radiant, so satisfying! Here, then, are two very different products with lemon-centered scents that have entered my current rotation.
Acide is a contemporary interpretation of a classic Eau de Cologne, developed by perfumer Will Inrig for French menswear brand Éditions M.R…
Chanel Paris-Venise ~ fragrance review
Wow, has it been hot. Where I live — and now in Paris, where I’m spending a chunk of August — summer has been one heat wave after another. What’s a perfume-loving girl to do? Turn to light, fresh fragrances, of course, like Chanel Paris-Venise Eau de Toilette.
Paris-Venise is one of the three Eaux de Toilette from the new Les Eaux de Chanel collection (the others are Paris-Deauville and Paris-Biarritz). Perfumer Olivier Polge developed all three…