What do Chanel’s Sycomore, Lalique’s Encre Noire and Le Labo’s Santal 33 have in common? They’re all dry, woody, extremely unisex fragrances that don’t scream for attention, but rather calmly and elegantly command your respect. But which is better? Sycomore Sycomore from Chanel was created by Jacgues Polge and I think Christopher Sheldrake may have…
Giorgio & Red by Giorgio Beverly Hills
Get a whiff of this: If Giorgio were a woman, she’d always arrive before you do. She’s loud, proud, and confident, and she’s mustered up the courage to play corporate for the first time with the big boys. She’s got over-processed big hair, massive shoulder pads, candied lip gloss, and colourful plastic earings. She might…
Smell Bent – First Impressions on a Fist Full of Samples
Smell Bent is a quirky, Indie brand based in Los Angeles that has produced over 100 fragrances, many of which are already out of production. They are quirky, fun, and inexpensive. The illustrations and perfume names are sometimes hilarious and can also be very appropriate. The brand started in 2009 and the nose behind all…
How to Know if a Fragrance is FBW (Full-Bottle-Worthy)
Let’s face it, for most people, fragrances are expensive. Even if you’re not hugely into perfume and just want to buy something to make you smell good to others, it can be overwhelming in a market that’s as saturated as the perfume industry. Starting prices for most half-decent scents still start at around 100 USD…
Lolita Lempicka (1997) and Lolita Lempicka au Masculin (2000)
Lolita Lempicka – the perfume original with the same brand name – was created in 1997 by Annick Mernardo – Ms. Mernardo’s got quite a flaire for creating unique fragrances. She won Fragrantica’s Best in Show award in 2016, and is the nose behind over 100 major fine fragrances, including some of my favourites like…
Suntan Oil Perfumes that Bring you Right to the Beach
Summer is now approaching, and it’s soon time to head out to the coast and cool off in the ocean. Time to embrace the feeling of play and freedom by enveloping your senses in beachy, suntan-oil-like fragrances! This post introduces some perfumes that relish memories or dreams of basking in oil on some tropical beach…
Scent Trunk – A Perfume Subscription Service in Review
My perfume membership plan with Scent Trunk is ending. I thought I’d take the time to reflect on my experience with this perfume subscription service and let you know what I thought of it. Overview “With too many options and so little guidance, fragrance shopping can defeat the best of us. By learning exactly what…
Fragrance to Help Learning? Makes scents!
A few years ago a wee article I wrote was published in a small institutional journal where I was employed in Tokyo. I wanted to find out if scent had any affect on the cognitive process of learning, so I did a little bit of digging. I had forgotten about this piece until today, while…