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…
Category: Reviews
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…
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…
3 Perfume Houses that Underwhelmed Me
There are very few occasions when I well and truly dislike a perfume, but I do have what I’d call a scent profile. In general, I gravitate toward the woody orientals and away from fresh florals, and of course this fact will bias all my opinions of fragrances that I come across. These days the…
Dzing! by L’Artisan Parfumeur
This perfume is a glorious example of what a gifted perfumer can create when not pressured to fit within the constraints of working with major brand executives, who in turn have to appeal the mass market in order to produce what any corporation requires to thrive.