Fiori / Vince Camuto

27 Sep

I received this fragrance as a gift from my parents a few months ago. At first I was a little nervous; I’m not usually a fan of sugary gourmand scents, but luckily Fiori was more floral than candy.

Fiori (which means wild flower in Italian) came on instantly like a bouquet of iris and champagne.  Little research uncovered the top notes were actually pink grapefruit, nectarine and sparkling wine, with Iris at its heart.

Although I was surprisingly pleased by its orientation, ultimately I felt the scent was too “young” on me. Much like Marc Jacob’s “Daisy”, I felt the formulation was meant for teenage girls (with pink tulle skirts and crowns of flowers) fresh-faced and tanned from the summer sun.

Sillage was moderate, with moderate longevity of approximately 3 hours.

Top Notes
Nectarine/ Grapefruit/ Bellini

Middle Notes
Iris/ Freesia/ Jasmine

Base Notes
Sandalwood/ Cedar/ Musk/ Amber

Cool Water / Davidoff

27 Sep

Ever since its debut in 1996, Cool Water has been the bestselling aquatic for both men and women looking for a fresh melon, sea water, and ocean breeze fragrance.

I used to wear this all the time in college, but truthfully I started hating it after two weeks. It’s too synthetic for my taste. The instant bloom of melon and currant goes on strong…then fades into a combination of strange artificial fruitiness. This is as much aquifer as watermelon jolly ranchers actually taste watermelon.

I do agree with clean and fresh, but for me it is too sweet…the dry down is very unpleasant and overly soapy, like cheap bug spray.  Overall this is great for  those in love with fresh scents, but judging by the 10 year old bottle still sitting in my drawer…I probably won’t be using it again any time soon.

Top Notes
Pineapple/ Quince/ Black Currant/ Lily/ Melon/ Lemon/ Lotus /Calone

Middle Notes
Honey /Hawthorn/ Jasmine/ Water Lily/ Lily-of-the-Valley /Lotus /Rose

Base Notes
Blackberry/ Violet / sandalwood / Musk /Raspberry /Vanilla /Peach /Vetiver

Tresor Midnight Rose / Lancome

27 Sep

The bottle that launched my obsession with perfumes.

If my marriage was a fragrance it would be Tresor Midnight Rose by Lancome, a gorgeous blend of Raspberry, vanilla, and cedar woods.

It was love at first scent; Tresor is darkly seductive yet still manages to maintain its femininity and innocence. This is a passionate and secretive rose; strong and unbroken.

Imagine a secret garden with dark purple roses blossoming into the night; it is fresh…spicy…and intoxicating. Yet something beyond the trees stirs like a lingering beast. It’s bewitching.

The dry down is like a pile of dead flowers; the sillage is quite strong…and long lasting. This will forever be my signature scent, it reminds me so much of my husband: Mysterious, complex, lovely.

would be considered privilege enough.

Longevity: 8.5/10  Sillage: 8/10

Top Notes

Middle Notes

Base Notes

My Burberry Black / Burberry

27 Sep

I met a woman a few months ago on a train in Peru. She and I were up before the break of dawn, on a dreary and melancholic day…both sipping our teas while watching the storm build up outside our compartment windows.

She was plain but exquisitely well dressed for such an occasion:  a messy bun, trench coat and a pair of quilted sandals. However it wasn’t her fashion sense that was especially attractive, it was her perfume.

The scent was of rotting earth and wet foliage. There was something both sweet and hopeful yet weary and tragic at the same time.   It was the strangest thing, like a walk in the woods after a very heavy rainstorm.   I had to ask what it was she was wearing and she revealed that it was My Burberry Black.

The moment I got back to LA I had to rush out and get one myself.  It was the saddest love story ever, in a bottle!

I loved it; can there ever be a scent more reminiscent of Central Park after a thunder storm? This is the smell of a confident woman with a trench coat and a great desire to conquer the world….that is, once she’s gotten out of the rain =]

Top Notes
Jasmine

Middle Notes
Rose, Peach

Base Notes
Patchouli , Amber

Shalimar / Guerlain

27 Sep

Four centuries ago, in India, Emperor Shah Jahan fell hopelessly in love with Princess Mumtaz Mahal. He had the enchanting Gardens of Shalimar built for her and dedicated the Taj Mahal to her as well, one of the seven new wonders of the world. This incredible tale sparked the imagination of Jacques Guerlain, who created Shalimar, the first oriental fragrance in history, in 1925.

I remember my first encounter with this legendary perfume at Barney’s. I was with my husband at the time, saw this gorgeous bottle sitting so grandly on its crystal counter top, and knew there was no turning back.

My first impression was…omg this is a huge mistake. I smelled like a vintage coat that’s been saturated over the years with cigarette smoke and old incense. Top notes of orange, leather, and tobacco were so overwhelmingly sharp that it made me want to gag.

So I went home a little bummed out, thinking that I might have missed out on such an iconic scent. However something amazing happened in the car, Shalimar transformed itself into a beautiful vanilla-incense dry-down unlike anything I have ever smelled before.

The only image that comes to mind is sparkling blue sands under a layer of night with glimmering stars and crescent moon. It’s super intense, smoldering and exotic…the vanilla mixed with a rummy leather is sooo enchanting and mysterious. I felt like an Arabic princess in her marble palace; surrounded by bouquets of  incense and iris. It was a moment that I kept coming back to months later until I finally purchased a bottle of my own.

A Love story for the ages.


Top Notes
Citruses, Mandarin Orange, Cedar, Bergamot, Lemon
Middle Notes
iris, Patchouli, Jasmine, Vetiver, Rose
Base Notes
Leather, Sandalwood, Musk, Civet, Vanilla, Incense, Tonka Bean

Lovely / Sarah Jessica Parker

27 Sep

Meet the demure lady in a bottle. She’s graceful, modest, and subtly sensual. This was the first fragrance by Sarah Jessica Parker that I absolutely fell in love with. To me this is the innocuous woman with the world as her oyster; she is meek and delicate but still worldly in her own way.

Frankly I can imagine this as a great fragrance for the unassertive bride; it’s inoffensive and angelic…not something for bold and over-confident women (which is probably why I don’t wear it on my bitchiest days lol).

Upon application there is an instant bloom of lavender and something “pink” which turned out to be orchids and patchouli.  This is not a perfume for the adventurous! It is a safer option for those who want something light for summer and can be versatile enough for either the office or a casual date.

Sillage and longevity is quite low on me, it only lasts for 2 hours max. Overall, a true beauty!


Top Notes
Lavender/ Mandarin Orange/ Bergamot/ Martini

Middle Notes
Patchouli/ Orchid/ Pepper

Base Notes
Musk/ Cedar/ Amber/ Salt

N°5 / Chanel

27 Sep

What if there exists a perfume which encapsulates all of the world’s greatest love stories in to one tiny bottle?

What if there was a fragrance that manages to capture a moment in time so powerful and nostalgic that it evokes memories once forgotten?
That bottle exists and it is called Chanel No 5.

The feelings I get while wearing No5 can only be summoned up in one word: Elegance.  It is more than a fragrance…it is a stepping stone into adulthood…a stark line separating childish ambitions from strong independence.

Like most women who wear No5…their first memories of this perfume came from their mother…dressing up for an evening event…a formal occasion.   Daughters would look at their mothers in awe, a beautiful and gorgeous woman…strong, elegant, and graceful.  My mother would always lean down to tuck me into bed, and I would smell her perfume…it was always Chanel…it is a fragrance that I will remember forever.

Years later I would own every version, my favorite being Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere, which is the classical formula that is lighter, fresher, softer, more delicate, and suitable for every-day use. There are nights where I would spritz this on my wrist and just lay there in bed…allowing the notes to carry me away into an amber world full of prince and princesses, kings and queens.  It is truly magnificent.

The original Chanel No5 goes on strong and smoky (like rich leather and amber) whereas Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere goes on strong and woodsy but immediately fades into a sheer sandalwood with top layers of ylang ylang. If Chanel N05 was the Victorian Age then Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere is definitely the roaring twenties. It is beautiful, elegant, and full of classiness. It reminds me of a young Marilyn Monroe, still innocent and full of wonder.

The dry down for me is mostly vanilla and  jasmine, with hints of sandalwood.

Top Notes
Neroli, Ylang-Ylang, Aldehydes

Middle Notes
Jasmine, Rose

Base Notes
Vetyver, Sandalwood, Vanilla

For Her / Narciso Rodriguez

27 Sep

Today I had the pleasure of receiving this little guy from my perfume club, it was a gift from a woman of austerity: my old traveling partner. She owns a collection of possibly over 5,000 fragrances. Sometimes 5 versions of the same bottle (re created over the years). She was the nose of the industry before she became a well known photographer.

I have recently been obsessed with perfumes and wanted something darker and a bit sweet without too much malice. She recommended this little gem, which I absolutely ADORE.

First spray is a strong rum and musk fading out into the amber and vanilla. The dry down is mostly rummy and orange. I absolutely love it.

It is most ironically, light and lovely without being leathery or heavy. Imagine a woman in a white dress standing in the middle of a turkish spice market, wearing vanilla on her wrists and a parasol draped over her shoulders. It’s sensual in a subtle way…like a wink beneath dark and heavy lashes.

Top Notes:
Osmanthus/ Orange / Bergamot

Middle Notes:
Musk / Amber

Base Notes:
Vetiver/ Vanilla / Patchouli

Crystal Noir / Versace

27 Sep

I just received this in the mail last night, and my goodness…if you are looking for the perfect evening perfume, Versace Crystal Noire is it. This was formulated for the sexy femme fatales, for nights out with mysterious lovers and secret escapades. The dry down is AMAZING, top notes smells like powdery coconut, cardamom and pepper which fades into spicy gardenia and sandalwood…the fragrance is reminiscent of Indian milk, very creamy and decadent.

The only problem I’ve had with Crystal Noir is that it isn’t very versatile; I can’t wear this on just any occasion, it requires an audience. It’s lovely but the smell of coconut and pepper can be a bit too strong for my nose–but then I own the EDP, which by the way is super strong. Longevity can last the whole day and into the next morning, with sillage being just as enduring.

This perfume is scent embodiment of panties hanging on the door knob and steamy one night stands. The dry down smells like an autumn night dressed up in lingerie while waiting for the perfect suitor to appear at your door step.

I literally could not wear this fragrance without randomly slipping into day dreams, my husband seemed enticed by it too.  Very toxic in a totally good way 😉

Top Notes
Ginger, Cardamom, Pepper

Middle Notes
Orange Blossom, Peony, Gardenia, Coconut

Base Notes
Sandalwood, Musk, Amber