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 Thierry Mugler, Angel in a limited edition: ” As an extra touch, the neck of the bottle is adorned with a dramatic hair accessory.” 10 ml Extrait de Parfum, $225 at Macy’s…
Mare Nostrum Aura Maris* (let’s translate as “Mediterranean sea breeze”) is the latest fragrance from Italian niche line Lorenzo Villoresi. Marine fragrances are not a favorite of mine; they are often abrasive, Calone-rich banalities (and just because a niche perfume house produced this one, I didn’t expect to like it).
Mare Nostrum begins with intense bergamot and mandarin aromas (the mandarin is especially realistic, a fruity, oily-peel scent). Next up are floral notes mixing with the citrus; jasmine comes first, then there’s a nice indolic narcissus note (both floral notes are on the sheer side). This may be the first time I’ve noticed that narcissus has a “water” aspect, more “pond” than “ocean”, but still conjuring a wet place…
Gucci will launch Forever Now, a new fragrance made for the Gucci Museo (which opened last year in Florence) in collaboration with Italian niche perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi…
Italian niche brand Lorenzo Villoresi has launched Aura Maris, a new unisex fragrance in the Mare Nostrum collection. Aura Maris was inspired by the sea breezes and flora of the Mediterranean maquis…
Spring in the Pacific Northwest is a transitional season — there are chilly days and warm days, a dry day (or two), and then there’s…RAIN…all types of rain — sprinkles, showers, ‘horizontal’ umbrella-proof rain, deluges, sometimes all in the space of one exciting hour. What separates spring from fall, another season with multiple personalities, are the fragrant flowers that bloom in spring: plum and cherry; narcissus; wintersweet; scented azaleas, camellias and witch hazels; lilacs; daphnes; hyacinths; and my favorite — wallflowers. For my springtime perfume choices, I (mostly) skip spring flowers in a bottle — no perfume matches the aromas of real plants blooming all around me. My spring favorites, most of them new discoveries and, as yet, un-reviewed, are a varied lot.
Ah…the smell of gasoline on a warm afternoon! Histoires de Parfums Pétroleum reminds me of lawn mower fumes mingling with the scents of flowers and cut grass. It makes me drowsy (in a good way). And speaking of grass (and roots) I’ll add LesNez Turtle Vetiver Front to my spring favorites list; it’s a rich and warm vetiver that works in any season (like a “perfume-scarf,” it blunts the chill on cold days and, conversely, it accentuates the heat of a warm day when you want that “baking” feeling).
As one bakes, one sweats, and I’m one of those people who likes a hot-and-bothered-smelling perfume on occasion (we’re talking ‘clean’ sweat — grapefruit, vetiver, cedar — no overwhelming cumin). In this clean-dirty category, I’ll put Kinski (with its marijuana and vetiver notes) and the éminence grise of modern perspiration perfumery: Cartier Déclaration…