I've Still Got Sand In My Shoes.....Wake Me Up When September Ends

We are in a transition of seasons right now. Just after Labor Day, it's not summer anymore but it's not quite fall either. The days are hot and the nights are chilly. School is back in session and we are making the switch from halter tops to cardigans. We still sport bare legs under skirts but have replaced the sandals with tennis shoes. Perfumes make a transition this time of year as well. The light herbal citrus concoctions we wore to the beach don't have enough oomph to stand up to the breeze, but the musky, resinous spices that warm us in the snow are still a bit too heavy for sunny days. What follows is my short list of fragrances that make the grade for September.


THE ONE by Dolce & Gabbana

I thought this smelled like suntan lotion. My son thought it smelled like graham crackers. We are both correct. It is very light and lies close to the skin. Someone would have to hug you before they even smelled it....maybe that's just how my skin reacts to it. It does conjur up visions of dessert, like a creme brulee paired with a cup of peach tea. I don't know how to explain this better, but it smells both dusty and oily at the same time. It reminds me of the apricot baby oil from Burt's Bees. It was the scent that gave me the idea for this post. I sprayed it on this week and thought "Today's weather is probably what D&G had in mind when they created this." It feels like you spent the day sunbathing and then remembered you had a job interview, so you just pop a tweed suit on right over your bikini. It's a bit disconcerting, but I do admire it.



CASHMERE MIST by Donna Karan

Perfectly named, this fragrance is soft and sheer. Powdery sandalwood, airy cedar dust, a gentle mix of patchouli and musk. The florals are there but so very light I can't make out what they are.The drydown is like vanilla soap. It is a conservative and discreet scent. Perfect for work or school, most definitely an understated daytime perfume. However it is quite versatile and could be worn with a dress just as easily as with jeans. In either case, it practically begs for a cardigan or scarf. The soft lines of these would perfectly match the softness that radiates from Cashmere Mist. If you want to turn heads, look elsewhere. People won't notice your perfume when you wear this, they will simply remember that you were lovely.


CODE by Giorgio Armani

This is the heaviest and spiciest of the list, perfect for the Autumnal Equinox. An orange-ginger-jasmine blend that dries down to a warm vanilla. One spritz lasts a long time, something I have come to love about the house of Armani. It's more spiced than sweet in my opinion, but never seems like one of those baked-goods scented candles that are synonymous with grannies' homes in the fall. If it reminds me of edibles at all it would be more like a chai tea. Someone who adores oranges or even orange blossoms will love this. The ad campaign attempts to sell Code as a seductive scent. I suppose it could be, but it seems more comforting cozy than sexy to me.


SENSUOUS by Estee Lauder

Like the hot wood in a dry sauna combined with honey colored beeswax candles. This is a very "dry" smell to me, very much like the dry leaves that begin to swirl on the sidewalk this time of year. I feel a little warmer when I wear it, as if my skin has been baking in the sun all day. Sensuous is aptly named, as there is a skin quality to it that smoothes out any rough edges the wood notes might have had. A great way to carry the day's heat over into a cooler evening. This perfume dances between spicy and sweet and spends most of it's time in this mellow mid zone. It's a soft smell guaranteed to enhance the personality of the wearer, rather than grabbing the spotlight for itself.


NO. 5 by Chanel

It would be easy to dismiss Chanel No.5 as being old-fashioned or just plain soapy. Upon initial application, it is all white soap suds, a rich lather washing into a porcelain basin. I like the idea of smelling extra 'well-scrubbed' during this back-to-school, getting serious time of the year. A light hand is key in using No.5. Just a drop or two will be sufficient, unless you are headed to the opera...then by all means, let it waft from the cleavage of your fancy dress. After an hour, the soapiness rests itself in the background and allows the rose-jasmine cream to tickle the nose. I now understand why this is a classic bestseller year after year. In a sea of girlish fruit punch perfumes and watered down floral "office scents", Chanel No.5 is a Woman. The kind of woman that is a dying breed. Feminine, glamorous, elegant, slightly aloof. While there is nothing geriatric about it, it does make me yearn for another era, one where I could don a sassy little veiled hat with matching gloves. Instead I will wear this with a cardigan, tasteful black heels and a my largest gold cocktail ring.

Lots of Random Reviews....Enjoy!

A collection of notes and critiques, each too small to merit their own post but nonetheless valuable.
( From my fragrantica.com profile) :

FEMME INDIVIDUELLE by Mont Blanc


Femme Individuelle surprised me. The pink juice made me expect a watered down floral, heavy on rose or freesia or something. What I got instead was something quite unique. The femme who wears this is an individuelle indeed! The top note of bay is very strong to me and I'm not a huge fan when it's still wet. It's so herby and medicinal, it makes me think of Vick's VapoRub. Thankfully it tones down as it dries and begins to blend with the currant. The bay never leaves completely but it takes it's place in the background as a support structure for all the other notes. I happen to be one of those people who loves that plastic doll head smell. I seek it out. The notes I sense the  strongest are: Pink pepper, bay, red currant and vanilla. Florals exist in this composition but I can't pick out individual flowers. This is not for a girly girl, it's for a sassy girl in charge.

GOSSIP by Cindy Adams


I had never heard of this, although it has been out for 15 years, designed by New York Post's Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams. I just happened to find a mini bottle at a vintage perfume sale and thought I would give it a shot. It seemed like a very linear scent to me, it did not change much throughout the day. I smelled maple, tea and amber. I could not detect floral at all. It seemed better suited for a fall day, almost spiced like cider. Since I was not too impressed I was surprised to receive a compliment on it! The cashier at the sandwich shop told me "Your perfume smells wonderful. It reminds me of my grandmother's White Diamonds." Uh....thanks? I hate White Diamonds, and I don't think this smells a bit like it at all. But I never get random compliments on my scent...so there is that.

OXYGENE by Lanvin


This is the strongest, longest lasting floral aquatic I have ever tried. My skin usually soaks up scents, but I could still smell Oxygene at the end of the work day. A soft milky gardenia/iris. Like a catnap in the sun, laying on freshly laundered sheets on the first open windows day of spring.

AMOR AMOR by Cacharel


Yes, there is a cigarette and hairspray-ness to Amor Amor when first sprayed. I LOVE that about it. It gets me excited the same way I got excited when I was seventeen years old. On my skin, it dries into red currant wine and roses. It doesn't last long but it gives me that little boost when I'm just going out for drinks with my girlfriends or whatnot. The berries are juicy and the hairspray quality feels optimistic and cosmopolitan (also why I like Gucci Rush, which is a hot mess but works BEAUTIFULLY). I would like to keep a bottle of Amor Amor around for those times I want to feel like a playful young woman discovering her sexual power.

BLUEBELL by Penhaligon


There is something so evocative in this. My childhood, walks in the woods, talking with God. This seems like it should be worn by a young maiden from another era, it has a fairytale quality to it. I also enjoy the I Capture The Castle reference this perfume has. Ultimately it felt too green for me, but it is haunting and rather long lasting. This would be fantastic on a girl with pale blonde hair and porcelain complexion.

BEAUTIFUL by Estee Lauder


This is far more floral than I can handle. I don't know what it is, but Beautiful is not my kind of beautiful. I smell a hodge podge of very sweet floral. Maybe carnations and marigolds. It reminds me of fancy guest soaps carved into the shape of flowers. It stayed strong and lasted all day. If it were a bride, it would be a super traditional and virginal bride. If I want a soapy floral for sweater weather I will stick to my Anais Anais.

ESCADA COLLECTION by Escada


Why do they always discontinue the BEST fragrances? It's a cruel world. But this Escada Collection is absolutely amazing!!! I have a little sample and it is so unique and enticing.Cherry cola + vanilla pipe tobacco mix into a deep, slightly heady aroma with very good sillage. A few drops lasted for hours and hours. How I would LOVE to have a full bottle of this. It's so right for fall and winter.

CK ONE by Calvin Klein

Teenage nostalgia in a bottle! My best male friend in high school wore this, as did many others in my peer group. Wearing it brings up those same excitable feelings of being seventeen. Wanting to fit in at the same time as wanting to march to my own drum. I don't sense a lot of floral in this. It seems to be a crisp mix of orange, lemon, bergamot and musk. Very clean and freshly showered. I actually want a full bottle of this! Now that not everyone is wearing this anymore it can be unique again. It seems perfect for casual day wear or even a muggy summer night. It's not fancy, it's jeans and a tee shirt with your hair left to do it's thing.

212 by Carolina Herrera

212 was a pleasant surprise. I'm not usually a florals type girl, but this was different. I think it would be a perfect work scent, especially in the springtime. It is so mild and almost skin like. The mixture of Easter lily and camellia with a little cactus juice is an amazing combination. It has similarities to Lulu Guinness with the white lily (but not as loud as LG) and Glow with the soapy haze of just-showered feeling. I really like 212. Some days I just want to smell clean and pretty. I can't always be a harlot.

HYPNOTIC POISON by Christian Dior

I'm so very disappointed in Hypnotic Poison. I was expecting....I don't know, something! I may just have the type of skin that just absorbs scents like crazy, but I could hardly smell this within minutes of putting it on. My 4 year old said I smelled like chocolate. All I could smell was a cross between root beer and this odd Play-Doh note that never went away. The drydown was a cross between root beer and vanilla, like the dregs of an ice cream drink. And that Play Doh note. I'm sad. I really wanted to like this, after reading so many great reviews I was prepared to love it. 

LIPSTICK ROSE by Frederic Malle

It didn't disappoint in smelling like an expensive Lancome lipstick, mostly violet, a tinge of roses and a creamy vanilla drydown. Very cool concept, but I wondered what people who didn't know the name would think it smelled like. Turns out, everyone else thought it smelled like baby wipes. After hearing that, I lost the desire to wear this again. Also, it didn't last on my skin more than two hours, and I expect more from such an expensive concoction! Still love the idea though, and am waiting for other companies to get wise to it.

VARIATIONS by Carven

Where have I smelled this before? It is so unique. Sweet, but also deep and rich. I was racking my brain trying to remember if I've ever known someone who had a bottle of Variations.Then it hit me...I'm pretty darn sure this is the same scent as my Electric Youth perfume from back in the 80s!!! I haven't smelled EY in years so I don't know for sure. But scents can open up memories you didn't even know you had.

LIAISONS DANGEREUSES by By Kilian

I love it! How much would I love a full bottle of this? Heavenly. A lush mix of peaches and plums dipped in champagne. Sexy without being in your face. Seems like a fragrance you could wear at any time of year, but it would really shine with a sundress and strappy sandals.

HARAJUKU LOVERS BABY by Gwen Stefani

Soft, powdered flowers. I could smell the freesia and violet quite noticeably under the powder. The lasting power was excellent, all day, which greatly surprised me. This is a serious contender for those seeking a "baby powder" type scent with a bit of interest. Very little juice for the price of a bottle though so I will stick to the purse sized rollerball.

SENSUOUS NOIR by Estee Lauder

Sensuous Noir is perfect for the Christmas season. Smells very strongly of pine, but not in a car air freshener way that would make you hate it. No, it smells like real fresh pine growing in a snowy forest. That, and warm winter mulling spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Very luscious and a little bit femme fatale. I wore it to work no problem, just a few drops applied under a warm sweater. It was very cozy to get little wafts of Sensuous Noir peeking at me through the workday. Probably an evening fragrance for most people though.

SENSUOUS by Estee Lauder

I have always loved the scent of a workshop. When the jigsaw cuts through a board it creates a distinct hot (not quite burned) wood smell that I really enjoy. Sensuous is that exact feeling and it makes me so happy!

More to come! Fee free to add your own reviews in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

Jan
05

Jan
08

A Rose By Many Other Names

STELLA by Stella Mc Cartney

The story here is that Stella McCartney told perfumers that she wanted to recreate the scent of a red rose pressed and dried between the pages of a book. I believe they succeeded for this is unlike other rose fragrances. Rose,peony, tangerine and amber. It's so stunning I had to buy my own bottle. There is enough bright peony to keep the roses crisp and fresh smelling. There is something about it that is retro yet modern all at once. It is not a sweet rose, but a salty dry rose. It definitely has mystery! There is the feeling of a whispered secret, a hidden treasure. I love catching a whiff of this in the cold winter air. Most of the time it stays very close to my skin. This is not the perfume for a typical 9 to 5 working girl. It is for the artista.

ELISABETHAN ROSE by Penhaligon

I've spoken of Elisabethan Rose previously on this blog (Proper Young Ladies) and I was mistaken that it was an old perfume. A very old perfumery yes, but it turns out the house launched this particular formulation in 1984. I can totally see this working alongside the flowered lace Laura Ashley dresses that were so popular with romantics in the early eighties. I still really enjoy this scent, and although it will always feel nostalgic and innocent to me..it is extremely relaxing. If I can ever afford pure silk sheets, they will also need to smell like this! It's a fat lazy pink rose growing in the full sunlight of a park. This stuff has great staying power. A little goes a long way and you could even pour some into your bath...heavenly. Ever the scent for a maiden, the geranium and chamomile notes follow the rose around like a chaperone and keep it from being naughty.

LADY VENGEANCE by Juliette Has A Gun

I will admit, I was drawn to this niche perfume house solely on the name and the creepy bottles. Lady Vengeance was my first tryout. It's a rose backed up with a lot of patchouli and vanilla. (Juliette's Gun??) It is a damp, dark rose with a bit of earthiness underneath. It makes me picture a bouquet of red roses, slightly wilted, laying on the piled dirt of a fresh grave. Gothic and a bit distant. I wore it when I knew I would have to deal with an unpleasant person and it made me feel like I could kick ass. So there is that.

MIDNIGHT OUD by Juliette Has A Gun

My second encounter from this design house was also my first encounter with oud, or agarwood. This fragrant heartwood comes from a tree in southeast Asia and is frequently used in incense and Middle Eastern perfumes. It was unlike anything I had ever smelled in a perfume before, and mixed with saffron was a real shock to my nose. I drew back. Juliette truly did have a gun! And a stretch towncar with leather seats! After about 20 minutes or so, the oils had settled a bit and I could smell a very strong rose oil alongside the oud/saffron mix. I felt like this was extremely masculine, meant very much for a Casanova type.

CABARET by Gres

I have also written previously about Cabaret (A Certain Kind of Girl) and how it reminded me of my theatre days. It deserves another mention here under rose scents. It is a rose chypre, somewhat melancholy in feeling but still alive. Like a ghost. One thing I love about it is how long it lasts on my skin and how it gets stronger and more beautiful at the same time as it is dying away. I see that this has the poisonous nerium oleander listed as a note. Is that the elusive quality that makes me keep sniffing? I also see iris, violet, and lily of the valley are included. These flowers always conjure up the garden of my childhood home, another reason this fragrance is bittersweet to me. When at last it fades to the end, what remains is a smudge of burnt out rosewood incense, the way my parent's brass Buddha incense holder smelled when I lifted the tiny top off. What makes me crave Cabaret is the way it seems so personal to me. It's as if someone read my diary and then crafted this perfume.

L'OMBRE DANS L'EAU by Diptyque

I have realized lately that another note I have unknowingly gravitated toward is currant. I have lost count of the number of favorite perfumes now that when I go to look up the notes contain red currant, black currant, or cassis. So I suppose it's no surprise that I enjoy L'Ombre dans L'eau (Shadow on the Water) by a company I previously only associated with expensive candles. It smells very real. Real red roses hiding out beneath ferns in a rain soaked garden. It's very green. That's the color I see when I smell it. Green leaves, green vines, green stems. More rosebush than roses. It is not your typical rose perfume. It makes me think of a child mashing up flower petals and leaves with a rock and smearing the juices to make colors on the sidewalk. It reminds me of sudden showers in the early summer that last all of 5 minutes, the sun shining all the while. It is the beautiful essence of running barefoot over pine needles and moss, past wild rose bushes, laughing and enjoying my childhood. Herbal and uplifting, I want to gift a bottle of this to a friend who is going through a hard time. I feel that this could give her a power she forgot she ever had.