Kenzo – 7:15am in Bali

Company: Kenzo

Perfume: 7:15am in Bali

Designer: Daphne Bugey

Notes: grapefruit, passionfruit, jasmine, orchid, vanilla

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I don’t know what Bali smells like at 7:15am, but if it’s anything like this, take me there on the next flight! Kenzo’s 7:15am in Bali is a deliciously sweet and sensuous scent that makes me think of sunshine, ripe fruit, moist tanned skin, and the summer breeze on a tropical island (Disclaimer: I adore anything summer or tropical island related). Maybe it’s unrealistic to get all that from one scent, but it really is summer in a bottle. It reminds me the most of a bottle of manoi oil that I got from Yves Rocher and that I slather on every summer. It is also the fragrance version of the Ushuaia Shower Gel in Orchid of Mexico (one of my favourite body washes, but sadly only available in Europe). On the initial spritz, 7:15am in Bali sparkles with grapefruit, but for me, the fruit quickly dissipates and the jasmine, orchid, and vanilla take center stage. And oh, what a delicious combination! I even get a little whiff of… coffee? But that may just be my caffeine addiction talking! If you are not a fan of sweet scents, this one may not be for you as it is quite a warm, sweet fragrance. 7:15am in Bali is marketed as unisex, but I really can’t imagine guys readily wearing this. It is quite decidedly feminine, and man-magnet too. It also tends to stay close to the skin. While I like a good sillage for a perfume, I’m happy that it has this quality of melting into your skin, almost becoming your skin’s natural scent. Too bad the lasting power seems to be fairly short – but a scent this delicious I’d only be too happy to reapply. 7:15am in Bali is a limited edition travel exclusive, so you will have to do a bit of digging to find yourself a bottle (I’ll update this post if I find a good deal on it). Now, who wants to fly me to Bali…? ;)

 

Vivienne Westwood – Boudoir

Company: Vivienne Westwood

Perfume: Boudoir

Designer: N/A

Notes: vibrunum, marigold, orange blossom, orris, red rose, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, amber, vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli

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Holding my beloved Vivienne Westwood Boudoir EDP, I am reminded of when we first met. A few years ago, I had moved to France to study for six months. A friend of mine had a French roommate, a bit of a crazy Francaise that was studying to be a lawyer. In the foyer of that classically eccentric French apartment, there was a small wooden table on which sat a collection of fragrance bottles, most of which were empty. Every time I would come by my friend’s place, I would stop at this little table to sniff the empty bottles, since many of them were unknown to me at the time. One of these mysterious bottles was Vivienne Westwood’s Boudoir, and it was the one I repeatedly reached for. I couldn’t get enough of how delicious it smelled, how  womanly it was. Now with a full bottle that’s all mine, I still think it is one of the most quintessentially feminine scents out there. To me, sniffing Boudoir is likely akin to planting your face in the bosom of an opinionated, rich, Italian woman. The delicious base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli is definitely there and is most prominent in the drydown. The flowers and spices lead the procession however and slightly skew the scent off the gourmand trail, making it more interesting and unique. In my impression of Boudoir, I have perhaps been ignoring the fact that it was created by Vivienne Westwood – the punky, offbeat British designer. Given her designs, one would expect the scent to be some weird concoction. Indeed, it’s not boring by any means, but it doesn’t seem to complement the eccentricity of Vivienne Westwood’s clothing line (maybe it goes well with this?). The lasting power of Boudoir is amazing; I can still smell it on me hours later after just one spritz. It’s not one to stay close to the skin, so apply cautiously. Overall, if you are looking for a statement feminine scent, give Boudoir a try!

My personal rating:  8/10

Photo from: perfume.com

Serge Lutens – Un Bois Vanille

Company: Serge Lutens

Perfume: Un Bois Vanille

Designer: Christopher Sheldrake

Notes: black vanilla absolute, licorice, sandalwood, coconut milk, beeswax, caramelized benzoin, bitter almond, Gaiac wood, and tonka bean

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Un Bois Vanille in one word: Yummmmm…. After my exotic, animalistic adventure with Muscs Kublai Khan yesterday (I’m still recovering), this is a welcome and comforting treat. But not for long! Un Bois Vanille starts off as a delicious, warm vanilla – like curling up to vanilla pudding covered in chocolate and marshmallows. Just when you’ve gotten all nice and cozy with it, you suddenly are pricked and prodded. “OW!” you holler – and that’s when you smell the licorice.

Un Bois Vanille doesn’t let you get too comfortable with it. This is Serge Lutens, not Aquolina, after all. After MKK yesterday, all I wanted was to melt into a pool of woody vanilla, but in typical Serge fashion, that would not be possible with this scent. It is beautiful and caramely and creamy, but the licorice just adds that kick to make it slightly off kilter. I can only distinctly smell the licorice when I bring my nose close to my arm where I sprayed it. But when the scent wafts by, you simply get a slightly unconventional but delicious creamy vanilla. Definitely a hot summer night scent, but could be nice and comforting in the cold months to come. It stays close to the body and has fairly good lasting power (2h after one spritz, I can still smell it). If you’re a vanilla or gourmand lover but are tired of the sickly sweet scents, give this one a try!

My personal rating: 7/10

Serge Lutens – Muscs Kublai Khan

Company: Serge Lutens

Perfume: Muscs Kublai Khan

Designer: Christopher Sheldrake

Notes: N/A

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Oh jeez, pardon me while I catch my breath. No… bad idea. Maybe I’ll just breathe through my mouth. There, that’s better. I have just sprayed one, measly spritz of Serge Lutens’ Muscs Kublai Khan… and HOLY COW! I like my scents strong, but man oh man, this is something else. I feel like I have just buried my face into the sheepskin and wool coat of a tribal hunter who had just come back from a week-long trek. This is unlike anything I have ever experienced from a scent. Muscs Kublai Khan not only becomes a part of your skin, but also seems to transport you to another time, place, environment. You feel like you are enveloped in this exotic, dirty, musky aroma of leather saddles, horses, sweat, smoke, dust, and heat. As it develops, it becomes animalistic, sexual, raw. I could see how the name Kublai Khan was so aptly given to this scent. “Great Khan” was one of the most notorious conquerors in history, waging decades of battles and invasions in Asia. You could easily imagine this scent being that of Kublai Khan, and you, its wearer, as being almost enveloped in the warrior’s arms. It makes you feel like you should sit naked wrapped in fur by the fire while smoking a cigar, as wrong as that may sound. This is definitely not one for the fainthearted, nor a scent to wear on a special date. I can’t figure out whether it is more masculine or feminine. It definitely has a bright, almost powdery start, but that soon disappears into a pool of animalistic musk. It may be one of those scents that works better with certain skin chemistries than others, and perhaps it can be paired with something sweeter to make it more feminine. Definitely not to be bought unsniffed, but your life would be incomplete if you didn’t at least try it once. It is just incomparable.

My personal rating:  8 / 10

Photo: Fragrantica.com

L’Artisan Parfumeur – Mure et Musc

Company:  L’artisan Parfumeur

Perfume:  Mure et Musc

Designer:  Jean Laporte

Notes:  citrus fruit, blackberry, musk

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Mure et Musc (Blackberry and Musk) was created in 1978 by L’Artisan Parfumeur’s founder Jean Laporte. It was subsequently reinterpreted into Extrait de Parfum, Extrême, and Cologne versions. The one I have here before me is a small sample of an eau de toilette of the original. After applying it to my arm, what first hits me is how similar it is to a French soap that I have (Roger & Gallet – Extra Vielle). It smells like something between old French soaps and classic men’s cologne. The musk is definitely there, but it’s made fresh by the citrus and berry notes. It has an odd way of being both intoxicatingly heavy and fresh at the same time. The strong soap association for me prevents me from seeing it in any different light, but those who like musky scents may like this one as their day scent. It doesn’t have that earthy, carnal scent that most musks are associated with, and it’s not particularly sweet either. It is a very dry, almost spicy scent that is complemented by the richness of the blackberry. To balance it out, I would maybe wear it with a dab of a sweet perfume just to make it more… comforting? Although that would completely defeat the purpose of buying this in the first place. The drydown for me is almost identical to the first spray, as it seems to change very little on my arm over time. The lasting power is average-to-good; this is definitely not one of those L’Artisan perfumes that you need to buy a pitcher of and reapply every 15 mins (I’m looking at you Dzing!). Overall, this is an unoffensive scent that nonetheless takes a little while to get used to. Given its unisex nature, it is definitely also an intriguing scent for adventurous men to try.

My Personal Rating:  5/10

Acqua di Parma – Colonia Essenza

Company:  Acqua di Parma

Perfume:  Colonia – Essenza

Designer: N/A

Notes: bergamot, lemon, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, petit grain, neroli, sage, rosemary, lily of the valley, rose accords, jasmine, patchouli, vetiver, white musk and amber

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The Italian company Acqua di Parma created the first Colonia in 1916. Since then, it has come out with three variations: Intensa, Assoluta, and most recently, Essenza. According to the Acqua di Parma website, the latest Essenza “reinterprets and enhances” the original scent, and “becomes its purest expression”. I have smelled the original Colonia a few times, and when I think of it now, what comes to mind is a clean, fresh, citrusy scent. Essenza still retains much of that freshness and really explodes on my arm as a sparkling citrus, like breaking open a lemon with your bare hands and mashing it together with oranges and grapefruit. As it develops though, the complexity of the other ingredients comes out. I can definitely start to smell very light rose and lily of the valley with the crispness of vetiver. Although the Colonia scents have been interpreted as unisex, to me Essenza is the quintessential man’s scent with fresh start and a delicious drydown that makes its complexity really shine. It is not sweet, and despite the notes of musk and amber, it’s not particularly musky either. After the scent has sunk in for half an hour, my arm smells like a man’s freshly shaved cheek (mmm:)). In my mind, any man – from the rugged cowboy to the dandy from Milan – could wear this cologne and receive compliments from both women and men. The more I smell it, the more I like it (nose to arm moment!).  The lasting power seems to be average, and it’s not the kind of cologne that would overpower a room. It stays close and intimate, but radiates just enough to attract. For men that love fresh colognes, this is definitely a step into familiar but certainly more interesting and classy territory. Delicious!

My Personal Rating: 8 / 10

L’Artisan Parfumeur – Verte Violette

Company:  L’Artisan Parfumeur

Perfume:  Verte Violette

Designer:  Anne Flipo

Notes:  Violet leaves, violet, iris, rose, cedar

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I recently acquired a variety of small L’Artisan Parfumeur samples. Every day, I’ve been testing out one of them, and today it was Verte Violette’s turn. To be honest, I left it to the last in the bunch because I cringed as soon as I saw that it would have the scent of violet in it. But, in the spirit of experimentation, I slapped some on this morning… and promptly gagged. The violet hits you bold and strong right off the bat, and if you’re not a fan, the first few minutes will be quite nauseating. If you are not familiar with the scent of violets in perfumes, it tends to be a creamy, velvety sweet scent, kind of like the smell of burnt sugar and milk on the stove. The strong violet dissipates to a light, feminine scent where you can start to smell the green-ness – like sticking your nose in a patch of violets surrounded by a garden. The drydown still features the violet quite prominently but diffuses its scent, though I personally don’t smell the rose and cedar but rather a powdery sweetness. The lasting power seems to be fairly low; after an hour, I can still smell it on my wrists, but very lightly. For those of you that like the smell of violets, this may be a beautiful and feminine spring scent that is unoffensive to those around you. If you’re in the camp that finds the scent of violets to be cloyingly sweet, you may wish to steer clear of this one.

My personal rating:  3 / 10

A little bit about this perfumista

As far back as I can remember, perfume has been a part of my life. Whether through the scents that people around me wore, or through ones that I explored on my own, fragrance has been a part of my memories. There is nothing like a scent to trigger a deluge of feelings and images associated with the time that you last wore that scent. There is nothing like a scent to make you remember something or someone that you thought you had forgotten.

My mother is and always was a perfumista. When I was a child, she mainly wore two perfumes: Opium by YSL and Anais Anais by Cacharel. She was always interested in the heavier, stronger scents – the kind that were banned from hospitals in 80s! To this day, I still associate Opium with not only my mom, but with a feeling of comfort and security (probably not a common association for most people!). Also when I was a child, an older cousin of mine used to carry me around in his arms. I didn’t know what his cologne was and never really made an attempt to find out… Until one time, while browsing some men’s fragrances, I came across a cologne that struck me as incredibly familiar. So after a good 20 years, I e-mailed him and asked him if that was indeed the cologne he used to wear, and he said that it was! It is shocking how strong memory can be when it comes to fragrances.