It may seem redundant to want a perfume that smells like skin. What's the point? Well, sometimes we don't want to shout LOOK AT ME but instead whisper it. Something soft and light but still a definitely felt presence. The perfume version of the "no makeup" look. Alluring but extremely subtle. Skin scents are having a bit of a moment right now. Perhaps the past year had many of us paring down our lives and getting back to the basics in all parts of our lives. And what could be more simple than the smell of clean warm naked skin? It's so intimate, like sharing a secret with just one other person. Of course, actual human skin does not usually smell as good as these reinterpretations.
Nude by Bill Blass
One of those love it or hate it scents and I'm in the first camp. Smells like a fresh pair of women's nylon stockings and I mean that in the best way. It has that expensive new clothes smell I love this aldehydic mossy ever so slightly bitter powder. Would make a great signature "Oh my goodness you smell wonderful" perfume. Very classy fragrance for a nice price. A lot of people are saying it smells synthetic and I agree but at the same time, I don't always find "smells synthetic" to be a bad thing. It reminds me of shopping and browsing racks of silk and linen garments. The people who crave that doll's head scent may like this too for that very reason. Nude is an oddball but those are my favorite kind of perfumes.
Odeur 53 by Comme des Garcons
What a strange one. Smells like the interior of a new office building that has not yet had furniture or people moved into it. The drywall is in place, the walls are painted and the carpet is installed. But it's all fresh and untouched, lacking the smells that indicate human presence.
You by Glossier
Not a perfume as much as it is a smell. I get a smattering of notes suggested to me as I wear this: The musk, iris and powder, but also hints of that pebble accord from CdG Odeur 53 or occasional wafts of the "solar accord" in Alien. A warm hazy skin musk but also a sterile minimalist laundry product. It's definitely going to be a matter of skin chemistry and personal taste if you like this. I became aware of this after smelling it on another guest while I was on vacation. Her style was something fierce, I can only describe it as "Wednesday Addams Goes to The Beach" and the scent of Glossier You suited this aesthetic perfectly. As soon as I got back from vacation, I put this one into my Scentbird queue. I like it but if I had a bottle I would probably use this as a layering piece for other scents. On it's own it's really cozy and does travel a journey of several different types of musky notes.
Muscs Khoublai Khan
I've been reading the reviews of this for years and it's been on my "Must Try" list forever. Well, now that I have tried it, I must say that I'm really not sure what everyone is talking about. This is not a sillage monster. This is not Bigfoot's ball sweat. I'm not even sure if it's a cuddly puppy. It's definitely a musk, yes, but it's so soft and clean to my nose. I am shocked because I have never felt less in agreement with other perfume reviewers. This is lovely, soft, powdery, floral musk. If it reminds me of anything body part related, perhaps the clean scalp of a baby? I would buy an entire bottle of this, it isn't scary AT ALL to me it's really beautiful.
Putain des Palaces by Etat Libre d'Orange
The name translates roughly to "hotel whore". All dolled up in her leather bondage gear and heavily baby powdered to prevent chafing.
Au The Blanc by Bulgari
I first smelled this is the form of a bar soap and that's exactly what the perfume smells like... clean soap from a high end hotel, lounging on fresh linens, snuggled in a fluffy white bathrobe. This is what the babies of aristocrats smell like I bet (I don't know any aristocrats so I am just speculating). It's a nice sharp but still like green tea scent, very quality. The musk and black pepper give it a cool minimalist aesthetic. I enjoy this, it's subtle and calming.
Odyssey by Avon
This smells a lot like Jovan White Musk to me, but it has a little more sillage. Musk is the main note of Odyssey but the other notes (mimosa, lily of the valley and magnolia) combine to create a very soapy feel. I like to always have a soap type scent in my collection, so if you like things like JLo Glow, you will probably enjoy this too. You really won't smell like you're wearing perfume, more like you took a hot shower and then applied lotion, deodorant, and talcum powder. It's very clean and no frills but also warm. Your flushed skin wearing freshly laundered clothing. It's not going to challenge you but it will provide a sense of comfort. And don't we all need a few perfumes in our collection that just give us that reset feeling?
Creme de Nude by MAC
This is wonderful, a soft leathery musk in the vein of Glossier You, with added sweetness from a vanillic ambrette seed. Starts off like the inside of a soft handbag, moves into the powdery quality of a freshly washed scalp and dries down to a sweet warm skin musk, like the scent of a woman lounging in bed. I may have to buy a full bottle, this is really attractive
Himalayan Musk by Nemat International
When first applied, I don't smell much at all and then I end up over applying. An hour later it's mixed in with my natural skin oil and body heat, creating an impressive cloud of muskiness. There was enough sillage that I received a few compliments.... words like "fresh" and "clean". People were surprised to hear that it was a simple inexpensive musk oil, something they've seen at Whole Foods a thousand times and never bothered to smell. Longevity is a good six hours or more on me and it changes most delightfully as it wears. A more floral nuance appears, powdery and "white" feeling. (Sometimes I 'see' smells in the form of color) Himalayan Musk is fantastic on its own when you want simplicity or would make a great layering oil for scents you wanted to increase the musk accord on. I will definitely have to check out Nemat's other oils, I think they could be a great addition to my wardrobe, especially considering my love for layering.
No comments:
Post a Comment