Another enjoyable and unpretentious 4711 Acqua Colonia that lasts only minutes–as it’s meant to.
A vodka splash opening that immediately warms up with the saffron, then eases into a flowery-herbal tonic water.
There’s earthy powdery feel at the bottom that I would enjoy on a guy, too.
I went looking for the “I’m just mad about Saffron” song by Donovan, and stumbled onto this little gem.
A bottle of Bridezilla, with a cathedral length train.
She comes in on full pipe organ, fruity sweet floral honey for the first half hour, then the nectar turns to a cascade of petals: carnations and roses, lilac and mimosa.
Spills blooms through the reception and the dancing, and ends in sweet vanilla sandalwood and musk, trailing Just Married signs–
–and wasn’t her dress just beautiful?
A another good first dance song that came out the same year.
From the 4711 Acqua Colonia line–
All the fruity citrus breakfast brunch drinks (garnished with parsley) in an instant spritz, and I love it.
The peach dries to powder in five minutes, and the green coriander lingers for another ten, and then it’s gone with no residue, leaving one refreshed in that magical burst that only 4711 has.
Beck is also magically refreshing.
I got a sample set of 4711 Acqua Colonia and I’m having so much fun with these clever and quick little splashes–I grew up on the original.
This one is bright–a soap-bubble pop of herbal cleansing that finishes with brisk citrus.
The basil sticks pleasantly to cotton for several hours after the orange is long gone.
More Blood Orange pleasant herbal-pop cleverness–
Lollia #74
(My favorite of Margot Elena’s Poetic License Collection.)
Wet lemon geraniums and herbal jasmine, but there’s a nice vodka accord that cleans it up and makes it interesting.
Lasts in personal space for a few nice hours, then fades to a woody lavender on the skin.
(I actually love the rain against my window.)
Grandma’s bath salts (which also had a fern on the bottle, I think–)
Opens with harsh herbal lime and pine pitch, then softens down to nice wet crushed bracken and soap suds.
Stays close to the body all day, and leaves green smelling stains on the clothes.
I’d enjoy this on a guy–the alpha male who scrubs up clean.
Here’s more of the same color.
A fabulous alpha femme scent.
Starts out with the crazy-complicated burst of smoky-tomato-leaf-lemon-sweet-spice that is geranium, then blows up into wild roses.
An hour later it settles into stiletto heel thorns, sharp with vetiver, and stays close to the skin all afternoon.
Boss woman in a bottle.
(Yes, ma’am.)
I love this cover of Nirvana–she wields her voice like a blade.
Marquis de Sade–Attack the Sun.
On first blind sniff, I get an earthy animalic lemon with some smoky cedar resin. It’s marvelous, almost like wet oil paints–complex and changing with a hint of sweetness. Even my cat got nosy.
So I looked up the description, and discovered it’s pure labdanum. Rock-rose, and that’s all. The designer apparently doesn’t like it, so he made a solifleur in an attempt at immersion therapy.
Labdanum is at the heart of two of my favorites by LUSH, Tank Battle and Rentless, grounding the clove and the aniseed. On its own, it becomes airier, balsamic and musky, and decadent.
Projects at arms length for an hour, and on the skin for three more.
“How many times, good God, have I not wished it were possible to attack the sun, to deprive the universe of it, or to use it to set the world ablaze –” Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom
Another riff on the decadent Marquis:
I love the opening, a magician’s big poof of flowers hidden in a sleeve.
They turn green quickly, facefuls of huge leafy citrus blooms with extra greenery, and woodsy patchouli stems by the armload.
Private Collection came out in 1973, but doesn’t bare the civet fangs that were so popular then–the base is cedar and bright spice a few feet from the skin. The dry down on clothes is wildflower sweet for two days.
The top notes are so fun, and the finish is pretty, but the middle feels like I’ve been whumped in the chest by the biggest bridal bouquet ever thrown.
This one first came out then, too.
Happy happy, merry merry!
This is sugary Christmas kisses under the mistletoe, clean snow and frosted black currants.
The lavender is sweet and musky and long-lasting, a pretty rime over the pine notes on the bottom.
I’d love this as a pillow spray in the winter.
This one is fun–
kira a. gold 