SCENTS

Fragrance du jour, recent sniffs, random notes.

by

Light Blue

light blue edgesThis one, like Envy, has a double nature–

On a good day, Light Blue smells like sweet lemonade and apples, roses and cedar, and finishes with cool musk.
On an off day, it can smell like old shoes and lemon oil disinfectant.

Oddly unalluring for such a popular fragrance–though sweet and fresh, there’s no come-hither, smell-me-closer-tiny-dancer to it anywhere. The projection is a pretty shield around the body, encouraging a step backward–respect for personal space, rather than an invitation inside.

This song has some of the same synth freshness–

by

Indian Summer

Indian Summer edgyThis one opens with a ’70’s record scratch of thorny green rose then settles into a good long roll in the hay while listening to Joni Mitchell albums–but then the pepper leaves you itchy, and you’re vaguely aware that a cat has peed nearby.

To be fair, this is a nearly fifty-year-old bottle of perfume, and it may have soured a little.
(The same might be said for my nearly fifty-year-old nose.)

“See the blue pools in the squinting sun–“

by

Flower Market

Replica spray sample of pink eau on promo card featuring flower bouquets.

A florist in a hospital, maybe.
Anything with tuberose and peaches shouldn’t be this antiseptic.

Edit – 8/31/21

I keep going back to my favorites, just to make sure that they still smell how I remember, that I’m recovered from the C-19 anosmia–but I’ve found a few stinkers that I wrote off with some snark then forgot about, too.

This one is still sterile and generic, the rose and jasmine coming together in lemony disinfectant that kills everything organic and green, then quickly wilts to the skin.
I think it might do even worse in the summer, than when I initially tried it in January.

For the same price, a prettier bouquet and three times the performance all year round, go with Estée Lauder’s Private Collection.

*

This is as moody, but much prettier.

by

Dark Saphir

dark saphir edgyDark Saphir opens with a bomb siren of green violet and spices, then grows louder with industrial roses–they’ve been stripped of innocence and turned neon blue, fluorescent sillage at arms length that doesn’t settle down.
An hour later the blitz is still on, metallic flowers and galvanized seltzer rain. Eventually it cools to a clean patchi-oudish clear-coat that lasts all night.

Complicated and tense–one to wear when sporting thorns.

This one is also tense and galvanized , in a good way.

by

MMMM…

mmmm edges huh
Grainy photo of sample vial on print of rose red with scrolly flowers bottle.

Artificial raspberries and vanilla in the most nostalgic way.

This is like getting pulled back in time, listening to Aerosmith while coloring a school poster with a Mr. Sketch scented marker–the fuchsia one.

We thought we were cool, drinking French vanilla powdered cappuccinos and sneaking sprays of our mother’s Hypnotic Poison before the dance.

Love this cover.

by

Hauts Bijoux

hauts bijoux edgyA tropical princess perfume that opens with lemon, mango and black currants, in that order.
Sparkly and undeniably expensive, no artificial aftertaste as the hyacinths start to bloom a half hour in.
After another thirty minutes, the flowers dry to woodsy autumn amber and the mango pushes through again, with a pleasant tart bite.

But it’s gone in less than two hours, and somehow I’m aware of the cost–like I’m wearing a borrowed necklace–and at roughly fifty cents a spray, that’s “high jewels” indeed.

by

Echelon

echelon edges
Paper test cut-out of graphic black/red/green label on a frosted bottle, decant vial, and notes including, “Grace Jones could wear this.” and “Grace Jones could wear whatever the *redacted* she pleases.” (She once answered what perfume she was wearing with, “Body odor,” so maybe the Strangé scene in Boomerang isn’t too far off?) (Echelon does NOT smell like B.O. at all, unless you sweat black jelly beans.)

This one opens strong and sweet, the hot edge of licorice biting with teeth.
Musk takes over.
Musk takes over the whole house.
Then it turns to hardwood–glittery resin and deep heavy mahogany.

I like sweetness of it, but the second I invite him over he’s gonna swallow my furniture in one big gulp and write his name over mine on the lease.

Kimberly New York is a new brand with a marvelous collection using organic ingredients–one to keep an eye on.
(Jay-Z has his own scent brand, but I’ve always loved this song.)

by

Get A Room

get a room edges
Scentbird decant spray, and paper test cutout of Confessions of a Rebel cube bottle, on notepaper with scribbles--“Shiny, Lemon Pudding.”

Scentbird asked me for some write ups. This one was an extra in the samples they sent.

Get A Room glitters on the skin like cheekbone highlighter, and opens that bright, a juicy twist of citrus that immediately turns sweet and creamy and seductive, a kiss of lemon custard shared with a lover.

It soon brightens to fresh iced tea with sugar, a few inches off the skin, and stays there, dreamy and light, with a pinch of mysterious herbs and a flirt of vanilla all night long.

I want to spray my pillowcases with it.

*

Another dreamy one.

by

Minotaure

Minotaure edgesDavid Bowie wore Minotaure.
So of course I had to know what the Goblin King smelled like.

Paloma Picasso’s only masculine opens with a sharp and spicy fizzy lime pop, then eases into fruit candy–the fancy jelly slices with sugared edges. The sweetness turns floral, then herbal, bubblegum slowly drying down to brooding cedar.
Sandalwood talc and vanilla tonka powder settle above the skin, shimmering all night long, both comforting and seductive, sexy Stardust indeed.
Fades into the collar and cuffs with androgynous amber, and leaves songs stuck in your head–You remind me of the babe–for days.

My favorite Bowie song is still China Girl.

by

O, Unknown!

O, Unknown edge
Imaginary Authors discovery set sample spray and bottle cutout test strip with woodcut mountain and crane illustration.

I get amber and salt, then… nothing.

A page turning, old paper, perhaps.
Half an hour later, a faint powdery sweetness develops, but it’s not exactly pleasant.
After two hours watery smoke sits under the skin.

The “book cover” is pretty, though. I’d have that as a poster on my wall.

*

A good song for when you feel a bit salty: