Dear readers, I have not touched this blog in nearly a year. Blame writers block, not knowing what to write about. The longer you go without writing the worse the block becomes. You begin to feel as if you must return with something epic or else continue to not write at all. Today is a snowy day without much to keep me occupied. I told myself that in order to break through this block, I should write anything at all, even if it's stupid. So in the interest of keeping it simple, I will write about my favorite soliflores.What could be more simple than those?
A soliflore is a perfume that is designed to smell like a single flower. These often have several other notes backing them up but the attention is on that main flower. So I'm going to attempt to pick one soliflore scent for each of my favorite flowers.
ROSE: Ok, you all know by now that I review a handful of rose scents every year. In fact, I am currently right in the middle of Rose-a-palooza 2019, wearing a different rose scent nearly every day in February. But there is one rose perfume that I always come back to again and again and that is STELLA by STELLA MCCARTNEY. A luxurious yet clean rose, supported by simple accords of peony, amber and tangerine. There is nothing soapy or fatty about Stella. It almost smells like a rose that is dried, pressed into the pages of a book but still retaining it's rich scent.
LILY OF THE VALLEY: I'm going to choose a perfume I just discovered last year that completely won me over and that is WALK ON AIR by KATE SPADE. Sometimes lotv fragrances can come off as screechy or sharp but not this one. Supported with notes of violet leaf, linden blossom, fern and magnolia but it's first and foremost a lily of the valley scent. Beautiful, fresh and green. Smells like a garden after a spring rainstorm.
DAFFODIL: Also known as narcissus. Not often found as a soliflore but I randomly stumbled upon a sample of AU DELA NARCISSE by niche house BRUNO FAZZOLARI and it was immediate love. Green, waxy and herbal. Extremely classy with a touch of old school oakmoss.
IRIS: Iris can be a tricky note because sometimes it's straight up talcum powder and other times it can go rubbery or carrot like. So far the best iris soliflore I've found is INFUSION D'IRIS by PRADA. It has incense, cedar and vetiver giving it a little backbone, preventing that rubbery quality from popping up. It's powdery but in the best way, like a fluffy robe pulled from the dryer. Quiet, clean, classic iris.
EASTER LILY: I'm not sure if this is the actual name, but it's what I have always called the big white trumpet shaped lilies laden with pollen that decorate everything at Easter. The best in the bunch I've found is GLAMOUROUS by RALPH LAUREN. Unfortunately, I believe it's been discontinued so if you ever spy a bottle on Ebay, snatch it up. This smells soapy clean in the best way, smells the way an all white outfit looks. Very elegant and feminine.
CARNATION: Full disclosure, carnation is not always my favorite note. It can be a little old fashioned and peppery to my senses. But as far as carnation soliflores go, you can't beat L'AIR DU TEMPS by NINA RICCI. It is chock full of notes but still comes off as a soliflore to my nose. People raised on fruity candy scents will absolutely not appreciate L'air du Temps, they might even call it the dreaded 'old lady' slur. But for those with a love of vintage, this is a watercolor painting of a summer breeze through sheets hanging on the line.
YLANG YLANG: Okay, so maybe you don't think of YSATIS by GIVENCHY as a soliflore but I sure do... it's so much sweet honeyed ylang ylang to my sniffer. I have some ylang ylang essential oil and I think it smells just like my mini of Ysatis. And it's one of the only ylang heavy perfumes that doesn't remind me of bananas.
GARDENIA: Is there any doubt what I am picking? It's ISLAND GARDENIA by JOVAN, always, no contest, don't knock it til you try it. I know you're thinking isn't that a cheap drugstore perfume? Yes, it is and it is fantastic. I've never met another gardenia soliflore that's quite so buttery, warm and sensuous.
VIOLET: It's easy for violet soliflores to veer in the direction of sugared candy or powder puff but there is one that gets it perfectly on point and that is BALENCIAGA PARIS. Smooth, slightly spicy, aromatic with a woody drydown. This is like a fistful of violets plucked from a shady corner in the woods. I really need a bottle of this one it's heaven on earth.
JASMINE: This is a tough one because there are so very many great jasmine soliflores and it truly depends on what nuances float your boat. For now though, I'm going with BEAUTY by CALVIN KLEIN. A simple sweet jasmine backed up with the warmth of ambrette seed. There is no occasion where this would be inappropriate for wear.
ORANGE BLOSSOM: No contest, it's ELIE SAAB. Sweet, rich, beautiful honeyed orange blossom. Change my mind, I dare you. This is a silk dress in a bottle.
LILAC: Can't do much better than FRENCH LILAC by PACIFICA. It's a total bargain and smells as though you have stuck your head deep into a white lilac bush on a warm May day. An underpinning of heliotrope lends it a creamy vanilla finish.
I suppose I could go on and on and on but this is a good start towards breaking my writers block. What flowers did I miss? What are your favorites? Do you know any perfume beauties I haven't mentioned here? I would love to hear your thoughts, darling flower children.
