Floratropia is a new(ish) natural perfumery line, emphasizing sustainability and the reduction of waste, and thus dispensing with traditional fragrance bottles (although they do sell refillable spray flacons, with optional vegan leather cases). There are four unisex fragrances, all developed by perfumer Delphine Thierry. La Terre (sap and roots, leaves, moss and undergrowth flowers) would be my unsniffed pick; it's €70 for 40 ml at Galeries Lafayette. A discovery box with four 3 ml samples is €25 directly from Floratropia.
Masque Milano Petra & Dolceacqua ~ new fragrances
Italian niche brand Masque Milano has launched a new collection, Le Donne di Masque, with two fragrances, Petra and Dolceacqua…
Lubin Upper Ten & Upper Ten for Her ~ fragrance review
Reading Perfumes: The Guide 20181 has got me revisiting old samples, among them Lubin Upper Ten and Upper Ten for Her, both of which received four stars. Turin writes that Upper Ten has “the cleverest accord I have smelled in a very long time,” and Upper Ten for Her is a “perfume doing the splits.” How could I resist…
Masque Milano Montecristo ~ fragrance review
“Manly, yes, but I like it, too.” Anyone remember those old Irish Spring commercials? Perfume aficionados know that “male” and “female” designations serve best simply as markers — like “rose” or “fresh,” for example — on what to expect, not whether the perfume only suits a particular gender. On the traditional male-female fragrance spectrum, Masque Milano Montecristo weighs heavily male in the leather, wood and tobacco manner, right next door to Hermès Bel Ami. Despite my earlier reference to Irish Spring, believe me, Montecristo doesn’t smell anything like soap. But I like it, too.
Montecristo launched in 2013 and was developed by perfumer Delphine Thierry. Its notes include cabreura, ambrette seeds, rum, tobacco leaves, celery seeds, cistus, benzoin, golden stone, styrax gum, gaiac wood, cedar wood and patchouli.
Montecristo opens herbal, musky and almost vinegar-like before relaxing into leather spiked with tobacco, salt, cinnamon and cumin…
Majda Bekkali Tulaytulah ~ new fragrance
French niche line Majda Bekkali has launched Tulaytulah, a new unisex fragrance named for the Spanish city of Toledo (called Tulaytulah under Arab rule) and intended as message of peace and hope…