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: Perfume Reviews (Full)
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…
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…
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.
Bvlgari Black by Bvlgari
Bvulgari Black is “the Michelin man driving a good year blimp into a vat of vanilla extract.” Indeed, and it’s great!
Manifesto by Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)
The creators of this fragrance wanted to create a Manifesto of Femininity whose fragrance would evoke “an attitude, a burst of laughter, a tone of voice, a presence.” Umm, perhaps I’d respect Manifesto a lot more had it been named something less misleading.
Sikkim Girls by LUSH (Gorilla Perfumes)
This warm, sensual and exotic fragrance created by father and son team Simon and Mark Constantine conjures up thoughts of hippies, and as such I can imagine the likes of Janice Joplin enjoying this scent that is Sikkim Girls. That’s definitely due to the Indian incense vibe that wafts off from the fumes…
L’Eau Froide by Serge Lutens
…I knew right away I was going to invest in a bottle from Sergy baby, but I thought for sure it would be a number from his selective distribution line, such as Féminité du Bois, Ambre Sultan, Chergui, or Jeux de Peau. I was sure I’d be a complete mess deciding which deep, dark, and spicy concoction I would best like before running to get to my gate and onto the plane, but much to my confusion, I ended up with a bottle from his much cleaner, more reserved and lighter line, Les Eaux.