At least Magnolia doesn’t make me sad. I took Rose and Jasmine rather personally.
Starts a bit tangerine-ish, then white flowers–a bit pulpy, but not horrible–with leathery leaves bloom for a few minutes.
Dries down to soft woods on the skin for an hour.
Lasts a remarkably long time on cotton–might be a good one for refreshing upholstery.
*
A pretty song from the famous scene in the original Wickerman movie.
The Jasmine variant is actually less enjoyable than the Rose of 4711’s Floral Collection.
Here, jasmine and tea take the place of the fruit in the original, drying it up, with a bit of tonka at the bottom to give back some sweetness.
But instead of making the iconic herbal neroli creamy, the jasmine turns it waxy, and everything becomes a big box of Crayola crayons, melting in the sun.
Lasts a half hour with big inescapable greasy trails, then fades to a smudge of paraffin on the skin.
Normally I’d find a household use for a cologne I wouldn’t wear, but this one doesn’t even smell clean.
*
Stardeath and the White Dwarfs is a cool experimental band out of Oklahoma.
When did Tide start making rose-flavored pods?
Detergent floral that strips the nuance of the original. I put it in the medicine chest, but it might do better in the laundry room to lift stains.
*
This song (and the video) is jarring, but also has incredible tension and nuance.
A 4711 Acqua Colonia mini that didn’t come with the sampler set, but I had to have anyway because give-me-all-the-matching-things.
Nice fresh squirt-in-your-eye grapefruit and peppery bite that slowly fades to brisk rose on the skin. I like the masculine zing–this one has a bit of a bristly mustache.
*
More pepper. (Like the cologne, the original is better, but sometimes it’s fun to mix things up a little.)
The last mini from the 4711 Acqua Colonia sample set.
Lime and dark spice, with a frothy hit of Ivory soap, but there’s a Coca-Cola vibe to it, too.
Green citrus projects a yard off the skin for five minutes, then the nutmeg slowly settles to the skin and disappears, over the course of an hour.
I dumped the whole bottle in the tub and it was marvelous.
Harry Nilsson was a such a brilliant (and strange) musician. His parents were Swedish circus performers, which makes me happy.
More from the 4711 sample set of Acqua Colonia minis.
This one hits the sinuses like a cough drop, then sweetens to Italian ice. The ginger doesn’t have much of a bite, but it pushes the lemon out of cleanser territory and into soda-pop.
Lasts a perky half hour.
I’d love it as iced tea, too.
*
Lemon pop with a twisty video.
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.
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–
A splash of limeade and orange zest, a rub of basil and flower petals, a breath of cedar, and then it’s gone.
The brevity is a strength–4711 glories in its opening moment, the interaction of refreshment, the awakening.
Many of us grew up with this one in the medicine chest rather than the vanity, used to disinfect cuts and soothe burns. It’s still one of my favorite comfort scents.
Haydn’s Surprise Symphony (No. 94) came out in in 1792 too.
kira a. gold 