Fragrances -Antonia's Flowers - Tiempe Passate
whitecountess 7/30/2011 6:23:00 PM
Tiempe Passate, named for an old Neopolitan love song Antonia's grandfather wrote back in the 1920's, was made to smell like "fragrance after you’ve had it on for hours – a truly lived in, skin fragrance." To me, it smells like the nape of a beautiful woman's neck, who has lifted up her long hair: This fragrance combines the notes of cedar wood, amber, bergamot, rose and clementine. It smells like: A lovely musky rose, a tiny bit salty, and then a fleeting moment with the most beautiful amber-citrusy note. I generally love huge complex chypres, but when I am looking for something light and magical, I reach for this one. There is something of the past in it, an old Italian love song, but something modern and sparkling too. If you want a scent that says, "Beautiful Woman"? This one is a great bet.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Frederic Malle - Angeliques sous la Pluie
whitecountess 9/19/2010 11:19:00 PM
This fragrance is so exquisite, just like its name: "Angelica Flowers After the Rain". With notes of angelica, juniper berries, coriander, musk and cedar, its as if you put your head on the shoulder of a beautifully scented woman holding a perfect gin and tonic. It has a shadow of violet, seen also in Apres L'ondee and from the gorgeous indie perfumer Soivohle's Violets and Rainwater. It captures the idea of new beginnings after the rain, but with this perfume there is a touch of naughtiness, a reference to the past one might be trying to forget! I would give this five stars except that it disappears almost immediately. Otherwise, I would put it on and never take it off!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Creed - Ambre Cannelle
whitecountess 9/18/2010 4:30:00 PM
I SO wanted to love this! It was made for Eva Perone, who to me is one of our most fascinating figures. I can completely see how in her day, this would have been exciting. Amber floral, with a touch of sexual musk. And the french Cannelle (cinammon) is one of my favorite scents. Diptyque makes a Cannelle candle that is one of the best things I have ever smelled. But on me, Amber Cannelle smells like a grandmother who hasn't changed her perfume in forty years. Interesting, but from a time that no longer exists and not in a good way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Creed - Aventus
whitecountess 9/18/2010 4:18:00 PM
Creed is, no doubt, one of our most historic perfume houses. They began in 1760, have been the official perfumers for no less than 10 Royal Houses and have made perfumes for famous figures and perfume lovers for 250 years. They have made scents for everyone from Eva Perone to Jackie Onassis. So far, my two favorite fragrances by them have been Royal Water and Irish Tweed, made for Princess Di and Cary Grant. I wore Neroli Savage for my wedding in Italy, a Mediterranean orange, and wore Royal Water solidly for a year. Having said all this, there are many perfumes (for much less money) that are every bit as beautiful and special. I had stopped wearing Creed in favor of more unusual and harder to find Indie perfume houses. But their latest, Aventus, is really lovely. It reminds me of many of the incredible scents that Hermes has been releasing recently, under the wonderful nose of Jean Claude Ellena. Aventus is Unisex, light, and perfect for warmer weather. It's made after an emperor who made love, war and peace all on his own terms, all while riding on horseback. (!) However, it doesn't smell like that to me at all. It's for a man, but will smell amazing on a woman too. It has a light and fresh apple and pineapple feel and then underneath shares a woody kind of oakmoss layer. This is where Aventus' sex appeal lies. Under all this sophisticated freshness, there is a *tiny* whiff of something musky. This is my favorite Creed in a really long time and worth a sniff.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Czech & Speake - No. 88
whitecountess 9/9/2010 6:21:00 PM
I first smelled No. 88 when a legendary English film actor leaned across to kiss my cheek in greeting. I nearly passed out, both from the close contact and then the heavenly smell! Nothing else smells like No. 88. Some will love it, some not so much, but it can never be mistaken for anything else. When I was back in London I went to the Czech and Speake store on legendary Jermyn street because I was so intrigued to find where this magical black bottle had come from. I think it smells absolutely beautiful on a woman, and that you have to be a special kind of man to wear it. Bergamot, Geranium, Rose otto, Cassie, Frangipani, Vetiver and Sandalwood. My favorite for English fragrances.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Baccarat-Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes EDP
whitecountess 9/8/2010 5:55:00 PM
With Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes Baccarat hit the perfume market, and it hit it HARD! Listed as "One of the World's Most Expensive Perfumes" Thebes translates as "The Sacred Tears of Thebes." It retails at over $1000 for an ounce at Harrods in London. Many of the scents that are exceptionally exclusive and expensive just don't do it for me. The JAR scents and Clive Christian's No.1 and 1872 (I DID love X) seem interesting, but for me don't warrant the price. I prefer to find vintage classics online by some of our perfume masters. I was expecting more of the same with "Thebes" but something terrible has happened: I love it. It is GORGEOUS. With Jasmine, Sandalwood, Musk and Ylang Ylang and Myrrh, it has a touch of the sacred without firmly plating its feet in church. It feels mysterious and precious but still incredibly sensual. Given the price, I'm going to have to settle for a decant, but it is totally worth buying in smaller quantities online.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Worth - Courtesan
whitecountess 9/2/2010 6:29:00 PM
Courtesan, made by the Worth Family, is perfectly named. I almost blushed when I first smelled it!! At first sniff, it smells like expensive makeup and perfume, and then *bang* it smells DIRTY. Dirty in a hot, sexy and almost raw way. WOW. It smells like a beautiful woman walking down an expensive street in Paris after having an "assignment" with the president.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Worth - Je Reviens
whitecountess 9/2/2010 6:11:00 PM
Je Reviens is THE ultimate nostalgic fragrance. When American men were leaving for the second World War, all of the military men gave their beloveds this perfume to remember them by. A not entirely truthful translator joined with a brilliant advertiser translated Je Reviens as "I will return". This perfume became a scent infused with so much emotion that even POST WWII, it was a bestseller. A vintage parfum sample arrived today. Jean Claude Ellena described it as "Delicate Skin" and it's hard to do better than that. Many people have likened Je Reviens to No. 5, but I'm not getting that. It smells clean and fragile, but even more than that, it strikes an accord that no other perfume does. It makes you smell it again and again to figure out how such a fresh scent can simultaneously contain a hint of smoke. It must be a kind of magic.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Penhaligon's - Amaranthine
whitecountess 8/10/2010 5:25:00 PM
Within the first three sniffs, you know you are dealing with a master, in this case, Bertrand Duchafour. This is the third time I'm trying this fragrance, and I get so many different notes , white floral, fruity, musky, green. Amaranthine is incredibly complex and beautiful. It is the opposite of so many perfumes out there, where you know you've smelled this thing before. It does have a 'bad girl' note, which in the wrong hands could be dreadful. But here it is sublime.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Bois des Iles
whitecountess 8/10/2010 5:15:00 PM
This is the perfume equivalent of cashmere or silk, something soft that lingers on the skin.. If it were a voice, it would be Kathleen Turner's. Interesting that Bois is called a "woodsy" scent, because I get the most exquisite Iris which dries to a light and sexy musk. It is a scent you could wear every day for years. To tremendous effect. Or just on those days where you want a warm blanket, cup of tea, and a book.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrance -LaLique - Encre Noire
whitecountess 8/10/2010 3:38:00 PM
YOWZA!! Encre Noire or "Black Ink" deserves a 5++ for the packaging, a large, dark, ink box. Encre Noire uses TWO kinds of Vetiver, Bourbon and Haitian. Interesting that it's called "Ink" which is wet, because this is one of the driest scents I've ever experienced. At first it smells like damp earth and then the cypress and cashmere woods come in and give it a strong and beautiful dry down. This is a masculine scent, but amazing on a woman. There are no florals anywhere to be found, giving it a dark and gravelly sexy-ness. Almost like if Hugh Laurie's voice had a perfume.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Frapin 1270
whitecountess 8/10/2010 2:21:00 PM
Frapin 1270 is the scent that snuck up on me. Although I recognized it as a kind of soft and breathless cognac and liked it right away, I started wearing more and more of it in between my more powerful scents. There is nothing jarring or uneasy about this scent. When I need to smell fantastic, in a hurry, in an understated kind of way, I always reach for 1270.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Hermes - Vetiver Tonka (Hermesessence series)
whitecountess 8/10/2010 2:16:00 PM
Another Jean Claude Ellena triumph! Vetiver Tonka is one of my favorites this season. Nutty, warm, sweet, and almost edible without ever crossing the line over to food-y scents. A man or a woman could wear this and be perceived as gorgeous smelling. This one really attracts and wears closely on the skin. A treat for you and someone who loves you.
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Fragrances -Hermes - Rose Ikebana (Hermessence Series)
whitecountess 8/10/2010 1:18:00 PM
Jean Claude Ellena is not called "The Nose" for nothing! I am not a rose perfume lover, per se, but this one is MAGNIFICENT! I handed the perfume sample to my mother who then waltzed around the room spraying herself almost.......indecently! When I first smelled it, I was reminded of an Yves Saint Laurent perfume I used to own, called "In Love Again". I looked it up, and Ellena was responsible for that one too. Turns out I have been a fan of Ellena for years without even knowing it. The first sniff of Rose Ikebana, is reminiscent of In Love Again, but then this composition does something completely different. It is less sweet, and more complex. Interesting that it's called "Ikebana" Japanese for the (almost cold) art of flower arranging, when this scent is so lush, and close to the skin and, well, HOT. If you like Rose, this is almost what love smells like.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - S-Perfume
whitecountess 8/10/2010 1:10:00 PM
I was sent S-ex perfume to sample. Luca Turin supposedly shocked the perfume world when he gave this 5 stars. My first impression was..........no perfume! But I smelled a leather note and an animalistic note, all with almost no discernible scent. I then looked at the ingredients, and listed were substances like "oxygen". Oh dear. However, I couldn't stop smelling my wrist. I smelled great, but I didn't know why. If you are a lover of traditional scents and florals, you will want to give this one a pass. But if the actual art of Perfume fascinates you, and love scents that are different but wonderful, S-ex is really intriguing.
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