Buchart Colbert

created with Ideogram AI and a shit-ton of Adobe Photoshop.
I honestly don't know where I was going with this one.
These three are my favorites of the six.

US-based fragrance brand Buchart Colbert may have just launched in October 2024, but it's already creating a buzz. I was introduced to fragrance designer Sean Colbert and brand architect Sean Cavenaugh and their six sophisticated and largely gender-neutral creations during a November online master class with Sniffapalooza, and I must say I was impressed. Apart from Knife Thrower, which just isn't the kind of fragrance I choose to wear (and is also the most traditionally "masculine"), I had difficulty narrowing the remaining five scents down to one purchase. Le Bain de Lulu won, but likely won't be my last buy from this company. 

This post includes my thoughts on each of Buchart Colbert's fragrances, and I've included text from the web site and links to performances of the music that inspired each scent. 

Faisan d'Or

Caramelized Sugar, Valencia Orange, Smoke, Suede, Cedar, Spice, Pink Pepper, Amber, Woods

Golden Pheasant draws inspiration from Igor Stravinsky’s symphonic poem, Chant du Rossignol, which is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale. Explore a forest of autumnal renewal, celebrating the triumph of nature over artifice, where creativity and self-expression come to life. Smoke, musk, and suede conjure primal authenticity, while pink pepper, cinnamon, and rich amber exude confidence and allure. Individuality envelopes you with a final burst of Valencia orange, caramelized sugar, and creamy coconut.

Remember when I was looking for a new holiday scent? Though it doesn't have the type of evergreen note I was looking for, had I smelled Faisan d'Or in October, it might have been a contender. This is definitely a fall and winter scent, what with its rich caramelized sugar, spice, and woody notes. The opening is all juicy orange and bright pink pepper with a lightly singed sugar. The suede and spice notes come in fast, along with the woods. I'm reminded of Fendi Theorema, but Faisan d'Or is even more complex. There's a subtle sweetness, and the spices add an almost savory quality (no cumin--I asked) that provides a real balance. There are a lot of things going on in Faisan d'Or, and I like all of them. 

(The musical inspiration: https://youtu.be/BnhxSPu4eBY)

Knife Thrower

Citrus, Coriander, Melon, Madagascar Ginger, Grapefruit, Marine, Fern, Musk, Woods

Knife Thrower takes the stage, conjured from composer Claude Debussy’s visit to the Paris World Fair, and re-imagined into a scented souvenir. The suspense and energy shared between the performer and the crowd is captured with crisp notes of grapefruit, bright ginger, and fresh melon, as resonant woods, musk, and fern underscore the confident spirit of this daring performance. Through intricate layers of precision and depth, this gender-neutral fougère is an invitation to explore your bold side. 

I'm not a big fan of the fougere style of fragrance because they lean too traditionally "masculine" to me, much like most designer fragrances found in the men's shop of any big department store. So I will not be a good judge of Knife Thrower. It also has marine and marine-adjacent (melon) aromas, which are among my least-favorite notes. However, Knife Thrower is impressively blended so no one note overpowers the others. There is citrus, and spice, and a hint of the aquatic, and a pleasant aromatic quality overall. And the drydown is quite nice. Fans of this sort of scent will appreciate Knife Thrower. Even I can.

(The musical inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JOqlvVQ5s)

This scent is my favorite of the bunch.

Le Bain de Lulu

Cardamom, Valencia Orange, Floral Notes, Rose, Caramel, Plum, Violet, Oakmoss, Woods

Lulu’s Bath draws inspiration from the New York Metropolitan Opera's 2015 staging of composer Alban Berg’s opera Lulu. Featuring a revolutionary twelve-tone serialist technique, the complexity of its musical discord and lush harmony mirrors the tragic path of this enigmatic and mercurial beauty. From an imagined bath scene, an antique vanity sits adorned with gifts from her many lovers—brushes, pearls, soaps are scattered violently, captured by peppery spices, while sweet notes of caramel and citrus reflect the preening beauty from a foggy mirror. Powdery violet and rose escape from a frothy bar of soap as delicate, fragrant bubbles float above woods and moss. A momentary escape from the chaos before untenable beauty and tension dissolve into the ether. What will Lulu do next?

This opens up all clean and soapy, which makes perfect sense, as the name translates to "Lulu's Bath." Sprayed on a tester strip, Le Bain de Lulu opens with a tiny bit of cardamom, but sadly it's nowhere to be found on my skin. Instead, the orange is more prominent (and long-lasting). It's a bit like drinking a glass of freshly squeezed juice while lounging in a tub filled with rosewater-tinged bubble bath. There's a mild sweetness in the background, but not what I typically think of as caramel, and a fluff of powder. Much later in the drydown the scent becomes more woody. Overall, it's lovely stuff. 

(The musical inspiration: https://youtu.be/n5GoAnCaq9U)

L'Hantise

Rosewood, Red Currant, Bergamot, Muguet, Raspberry, Herbal Notes including Sage, Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Pineapple

The Haunting is inspired by dreams scored by the hypnotizing melodies of Chopin's waltzes and études. Reinterpreted as fragrant compositions, rosewood, red currant, and bergamot softly beckon. Quickly turn around to whirling florals, vetiver, and light citrus as reflections dissipate like a fresh mist in the warming sun. An invocation from the past, this familiar guide vanishes as gently as it appeared.

If a near-medicinal woody, herbal, fragrance could be the subject of an obsession, L'Hantise would be it. This fragrance is a green so dark it's almost black, like a forest in the middle of the night without a moon in the sky. The name, L'Hantise (which translates as "haunting" as well as "obsession") fits so well, because I can't stop sniffing this while trying to figure out what I am smelling. Vetiver and patchouli, for sure, tinged with tart fruits, but what are the herbal notes? Am I smelling the muguet? I can't tell; there's nothing overtly floral in here to my nose. Does it smell like Chopin? My synesthesia doesn't work that way, so who knows? In any case, call me obsessed.

(Musical inspiration: https://youtu.be/D92xATclLHs)

Lutin Errant

Plum, White Musk, Rum, Mushroom, Coconut, Sage, Cedar, Amber, Woods

Straying Sprite is inspired by composer Cecile Chaminade, a visionary female composer who broke through France’s 19th-century male dominated music world. The odyssey emerges through a dusty autumn prélude of white musk and cedar. Crisp leaves crumple beneath every nimble footstep as earthy mushroom, sage, and amber draw you forward into the unknown. Hesitation gives way as rum and plum evaporate into a mischievous ether of curiosity and enthusiasm. Adventure summons while courage winks at every obstacle.

I was so curious about the mushroom note in this that I couldn't wait to try it. Lutin Errant--wandering leprechaun in French--is an interesting dry woody fragrance that at first reminds me of Nasomatto Absinth, which is an all-time favorite of mine. I get some herbal sage and woods right off the bat, with a bit of very desiccated coconut. The rum note is present on a tester, but not on my skin, otherwise, the fragrance is pretty similar in both places. I'm not really getting anything that smells definitively of mushroom, though there's a vague "wet newspaper" thing going on that could be it. The drydown has a bit of muskiness and more woods, and overall the scent becomes warmer and a tad sweeter. Lutin Errant doesn't actually display any of the mischievous or trickster nature of a leprechaun (or a "straying sprite"). It's very quiet and rather calming. I like it.

(Musical inspiration: https://youtu.be/AMlqoOHzPD4)

Mischa

Neroli, Black Pepper, Citrus, Saffron, Elemi, Geranium, Moss, Amber, Musk 

Inspired by the opera Eugene Onegin by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mischa embodies sweeping resolve and resilient spirit. Tip-toe through soft neroli and light citrus as spicy geranium awakens a boundless strength. As the seasons shift, grounding musk, black pepper, and golden moss deepen self-awareness and conviction. Like a full moon framed by a halo of saffron, elemi, and sweet amber, Mischa invites you to view yourself without pretense as you embrace intrinsic elegance and poise. 

Mischa possesses a golden quality, like a shaft of sunlight coming through the window on a cold winter day. It's is both warmed by the spices and chilled by the incense-like elemi. There's a blast of saffron at the opening, with some citrus and neroli. I don't get a lot of geranium or moss. Later on, the saffron smells a little like cannabis, but that only makes it more interesting. Even so, my favorite part is the drydown, when everything melds into a golden ooze.

(Musical inspiration: https://youtu.be/4Um3wUL-pxw)

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Hold the Presses! Another Christmas Scent!

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D.S. & Durga The Most Festive Cologne of All Time

Neroli, Clove Terpines, Bergamot, Pine Essence, Valencia Orange, Mandarin Flower, Pine Absolute, Cedar, Nutmeg

I sniffed 25 different fragrances and wrote four blog posts on my quest to find a new perfume for Christmas season 2024. Ultimately, I did find it: Pineward White Fir. Within days of writing that final (or so I thought) triumphant post, I received an email from D.S. & Durga announcing their limited edition holiday scent, The Most Festive Cologne of All Time. Just reading about it turned me on: three kinds of orange/orange flower notes, two types of pine, and clove and nutmeg. One of the things that attracted me most is that it's a cologne-style fragrance, rather than a heavy cold-weather scent. I didn't  have to think too much; I ordered on a Tuesday and had it in my hands on Thursday. It helped that I had a 20% off coupon burning a hole in my virtual wallet.

Let's get to the most important question: how does it smell? Exactly as one would expect. It is a typical light and bracing cologne, suitable for everyone. There are strong citrus notes in the opening, the usual bergamot, but also green neroli. As it dries down, I can smell the pine, but sadly, not much of the spices. It's also a bit musky. It's really quite nice, and long-lasting too, as it's an eau de parfum. I think it could work well layered over a heavier scent, perhaps one that is overly-spicy, like Farmacia SS. Annunziata Anniversary, or the sometimes too-sweet ELDO Divin'Enfant. I can still smell it on my clothes the next morning, when there's a bit of a vetiver-type thing going on.

The Most Festive Cologne of All Time is the perfect holiday fragrance for folks who live in hotter climes. And with climate change a real thing--despite all you science-hating deniers--we'll all be in shirtsleeves (or entirely sleeveless) on Christmas Day soon enough. And with my latest festive perfume purchase, I am now prepared for the inevitable 80° Mid-Atlantic holiday season.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Smells Like Christmas, Part Four

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If you haven't read the three previous posts in this series (here, here, and here), let me catch you up. I am looking for another holiday fragrance to add to my collection. I already own a handful of scents that remind me of Christmas, but what I really want is one that has a distinct evergreen note, along with orange and spices. I sought recommendations from various places and found others via the google, but up to now, none have hit the mark. 

A couple folks had suggested that a couple of Pineward Perfumes scents might be what I was seeking, particularly Christmas Wine and Gluhwine. Of course, every time I went to the Pineward site, those particular fragrances were listed as out of stock. Eventually it was on the verge of November and I was getting desperate, so I ordered samples of a few of Pineward's other scents. A few days later, when my samples arrived, I went back to their site to check the notes. Not surprisingly, now that I had placed an order, Christmas Wine and Gluhwine were available, as was Gingerbread. The three came in a November Sampler along with Coffee Tabac and Mint Cocoa. So I placed another order, even though my desperation order included the ultimate winner of my Christmas quest! Read on to find out what that was.

First, let's start with the recommended wine-y fragrances.

Christmas Wine

Cranberry, Plum, Blood Orange, Cloves, Nutmeg, Fir Balsam

Mmm...this is rich and spicy, very much like I imagine a sweet mulled wine would smell. It starts out very strong and dark, which gave the initial impression that it would be best worn in the evening. However, as it settles on the skin, the fruits become more obvious, making the scent seem a bit lighter. While this scent does have the requisite citrus/spice/evergreen notes that I was seeking, the fruit aspect is not what I was looking for, and the fir balsam is just a backup singer.

I've read that this smells like a Christmas candle, and I think that was meant to be negative. Personally, I would love to have a candle that smelled this complex and delicious. And I will be quite happy to use up my sample during the holiday season. Who knows? I might end up buying a full bottle for next year. 

Gluhwine

Cranberry, Champaca, Cherry Compote, Raspberry, Fir Balsam, Chocolate, Davana Attar, Oakmoss, Tolu Balsam, Rose, Frankincense

I knew this one wasn't going to fit my parameters, but I thought it would definitely bring thoughts of the holiday season. The opening is very berry-ful, and to be honest reminds me of the smell of raspberry Jell-O hitting boiling water. That's not at all a bad thing; my Mom used to make gelatin desserts all the time, and while they weren't my favorite things to eat, I did enjoy the raspberry flavored one. And of course it made me think of my Mom, who's been gone for almost 24 years now. The berries fade fairly fast, replaced by floral and balsamic notes. Unlike Christmas Wine, this scent isn't spicy, though it is festive. Both of them feel like I'm missing out by not drinking mulled wine of some sort during the Christmas holidays.

Gingerbread

Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Wheat Absolute, Butter CO2*, Molasses distillate, Brown Sugar, Black Walnut, Milk, Cream, Vanilla

This one doesn't smell as much like actual gingerbread as I would have liked. There's a lot more cinnamon and clove in this than there is ginger. Many Pineward fragrances have an interesting earthiness to them, and Gingerbread does as well. Unfortunately, there's just so much spice on the top that it's hard to find the buttery cake-like notes that I know are in this one. After a couple hours, the shouty cinnamon calms down, but never gets replaced by the hoped-for wheat, butter, milk, and vanilla. Or ginger. Perhaps this one smells dreamy on someone else's skin, but it doesn't on mine.

White Fir--THE WINNER!

Orange, Ginger, White Fir, Clove, Anise, Pine, Musk, Vetiver, Oakmoss

I was starting to give up hope until I spritzed this one on my forearm. Immediately I could smell the orange and evergreen trees. "WOW!" I yelled, "THIS IS IT!" White fir has all the aspects I was seeking: evergreen trees; spices; and orange. It doesn't smell exactly like the Nest Holiday Candle, which is a bit heavier on the spices and has a more spruce-y green note, but it's otherwise perfect. I worried that maybe the oakmoss and vetiver would be too strong, but I don't even notice them. This perfume is all fir and pine and a surprisingly long-lasting orange note that is propped up with some sprightly ginger. I don't get a lot of clove or anise, but that's ok. There's some musk in the drydown, but it's still mostly evergreen and orange.

When I purchased my November Sampler, I also bought a 37ml bottle of White Fir. My new holiday season fragrance.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Trudon Revolution

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Revolution

Elemi, Angelica, Wild Juniper, Cedarwood, Papyrus, Cade, Cistus, Incense, Opoponax

I enjoy a good smoky scent, but there's often something harsh in it somewhere that ruins it for me. Like oud. So when I experienced Trudon's Revolution during an online master class event with Beautyhabit, and found it to be smooth from beginning to end, I fell in love and had to have it. Normally, I hate spending over $200 on a bottle of fragrance, but I knew I wasn't going to find it on a discounter site anytime soon. Apart from the expense, the other downside was discovering this scent when I did: Spring. I knew I'd have to wait until the weather got much cooler before I would be able to wear Revolution comfortably. (Yes, I know some folks can wear heavier scents all year long, but I am not one of them. As soon as it gets above 50F, I want to smell like lemons and orange blossom.) 

I'd heard that perfumer Lyn Harris locked herself in a room with a painting of the French Revolution and used that image as inspiration for the scent. Rather than the acrid scent of gun smoke and chaos, of despair and death, Trudon Revolution comforts me with memories of the past. Now that there's finally a chill in the air, I'm ready to smell like an evening spent near a massive fireplace in our drafty old chateau. With the crackling song of the flames in my ears, I sit in my Dad's ancient leather armchair and reminisce about the delicious smoked brisket we enjoyed in Texas, or the lovely fat sausages we put on sticks and cooked over an open campfire when I was a kid. The meaty memories are fleeting, but the lovely smoke and leather aspects, along with some incense, and a lovely cedar-liner-in-a-cigar-box aroma, lasts for hours. We never owned a chateau (a Tudor mansion tho), built a fire (gas fireplaces), went to Texas (had a layover in Dallas once), or camped (does stargazing on a putting green at a golf resort count? there were bears....), but when I wear Revolution, I feel as though I have.

Revolution isn't for everyone, and even I won't wear this too many times per year. But it really hits the spot when I want to be reminded of things that I never actually experienced. Perhaps someday....

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Smells Like Christmas, Part Three

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I've been searching for a perfume that smells like Christmas. To me, that's orange and spice, and a bit of pine/evergreen. In other words, the Nest Holiday candle. I've asked around for suggestions and found other scents on my own; read Parts One and Two to catch up. 

For the third and final part of this series, I am exploring recommendations for scents that I didn't already have in my collection. I had some high hopes for a few of these based on the notes, but they were dashed once I got the goods on my skin. Here are my thoughts on each.

Atelier des Ors Lune Feline 

Cardamom, Cinnamon, Pink Pepper, Woodsy Notes, Ambergris, Styrax, Cedar, Green Notes, Tahitian Vanilla, Peru Balsam, Musk

Hm. Lune Feline is nice. It definitely has some spices on top, cinnamon and a lightly mentholated cardamom. I'm also getting warm woods and balsamic notes and then a gorgeous vanilla note. I've seen it described as "smoky," but I'm find it more sticky and dark, like a vanilla-flavored date syrup. It's giving warm sticky toffee pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I do get the sensation of smokiness in the long drydown, but it seems more like vetiver than actual smoke. Lune Feline is lovely, but out of the trifecta I'm seeking (orange, pine, spices), it only has a fleeting amount of spice. While I like it, and it seems perfect for winter, this isn't a Christmas scent for me.

Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy

Orange, Tangerine, Lemon Verbena, Neroli, Sweet Notes, Clove, Lily, Jasmine, Vanilla, Amber, Woodsy Notes, Sandalwood

This was recommended by multiple folks on Fragrantica, and several of the comments on the fragrance's listing mention Christmas vibes. I figured I couldn't go too wrong if I picked up a bottle, unless it ended up being a cloying sugar bomb. For years I avoided Britney's scents because I thought they'd be too sweet. So far, the two I've tried have proven me wrong (yes, I know there are lots more that could prove me right). Hidden Fantasy starts out with light citrus notes in the orange family, somewhat orange-juicy (yet not juicy orange), morphs into a brief but pretty floral with a hint of clove, then finishes with a light amber drydown. What sweetness it has is rather gentle. Sadly, it's not Christmassy. The citrus doesn't last long enough, nor does the clove--which is more of a bubblegum note than an actual spice. It doesn't hit the mark, but I'm not sorry I bought it. I might try layering it with something more overtly spicy, like Bapteme du Feu, and see how that works for me. 

Christina Aguilera Red Sin

Red Apple, Cinnamon, Cyclamen, Ginger, Sandalwood, Musk

This is a pleasant and inoffensive scent that is neither red nor sinful. It's a bit light, especially as it's supposed to be an eau de parfum. There's something vaguely fruity about it, vaguely spicy, vaguely musky. It 100% does not smell like Christmas, not even vaguely. 

Giorgio Red

Cherry, Aldehydes, Ylang-Ylang, Hyacinth, Peach, Osmanthus, Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Black Currant, Carnation, Tuberose, Rose, Rosemary, Jasmine, Gardenia, Iris, Litchi, Lily-of-the-Valley, Oakmoss, Amber, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Olibanum, Patchouli, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Cedar, Vanilla

Red was the signature fragrance of one of my favorite co-workers, Michele, who was my mentor during my brief foray into the dual worlds of fine jewelry and working with total assholes. I thought she smelled marvelous. I was hoping that Red, the lesser-known sister of the uber-popular 80s white flower bomb, Giorgio, was going to flood my senses with nostalgia. Sadly, Red doesn't smell quite the same to me. I remember it as being sweeter and spicier, but I have a feeling I am remembering the smell of this fragrance on Michele combined with the plug-in apple-spice-y air freshener that perpetually perfumed the tiny shop. As the multitude of notes indicates, there's a lot going on here. Overall, Red is a spicy floral with a vintage feel, the spice due to carnation rather than actual spice notes. It's a giant bouquet of flowers with a light peachy fruitiness and a powdery drydown with sandalwood, patchouli, and tonka. And no, it does not smell Christmas-y. It would make a nice wintertime special occasion scent, though I think it's entirely too big for me. 

Frederick Malle Noir Epices 

Geranium, Orange, Rose, Cloves, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vanilla

I mean, black spices? Come on, why shouldn't this have been perfect? Ugh. Get rid of the geranium and rose notes, which make this smell like an old-fashioned bar of soap, and this has potential. The soapiness is quite overpowering, but lurking beneath its floral depths is a very nice orange backed up with spices, almost pomander-like. I want this to be so much sharper than it is, with bright orange and truly spicy spices, but it's just too damn soapy. Borderline scrubber. 

Panah London Gourmantic Orange Extrait De Parfum 

Vanilla, Orange, Fruity Notes, Dark Chocolate

Despite being an extrait de parfum that left an oily blotch on the back of my hand where I had applied it, Gourmantic Orange seems pretty lightweight. I was hoping for a giant chocolate orange to smack me in the nose, but it's just too subtle. At first application, I don't get any obvious orange, chocolate, or vanilla, just some "fruity notes." Later in the drydown, yeah, I can tell it's an orange and chocolate  scent. I wish this came in EDP so I could spray it all over and get a better whiff. Gourmantic Orange has potential as a gourmand scent, but isn't making the cut as a Christmas-specific fragrance.

Tauer Perfumes L'Air Des Alpes Suisses

Ambergris, Fir, Lavender, Pine needles, Lily, Tonka Bean, Lemon Balm, Orchid, Birch, Palisander Rosewood, Thyme, Basil, Nutmeg

Well, this is a fun scent, though I need to come right out with it: L'Air Des Alpes Suisses is not Christmas. What it is, though, is a giant, disembodied, lavender-filled, plastic doll head. Switzerland is not the first place that comes to mind when I think of lavender. Nor of plastic dolls and their heads, for that matter. The plastic and herb make for a funky, cozy, powdery aroma that is comforting, but not holiday-inducing. Despite the preponderance of coniferous tree notes, this doesn't smell at all forest-y, just a little dark green. A weird rootbeer-like note comes out in the drydown, taking this even further from the holiday season. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Sexy Scents: 10 Corso Como

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I tried something different this time. Rather than my usual complicated request of exactly what I'd like to see generated (not that I have ever received what I requested, but sometimes it gets sorta close), I simply typed the list of notes for this scent and the word sexy. I added the perfume bottle and another hand to replace a rather large incense burner. Not bad.

10 Corso Como

Sandalwood, Incense, Oud, Resin, Geranium, Rose, Vetiver, Musk

10 Corso Como was one of the first samples I ordered from Luckyscent, back in the mid-00s. This was truly a love-at-first-sniff fragrance for me. Sadly, it wasn't for Mr Minx. He took one whiff and declared that it smelled like something that one of his uncles would wear. We liked this uncle, so I didn't see how it was a problem. But then I didn't want to wear something I thought smelled great but reminded hubby of a middle-aged male relative. 

I hung onto my sample and sniffed it once in a while, lamenting that I'd never own a bottle of it. Until I grew a pair and ordered it. Most of the time Mr Minx doesn't even notice what I'm wearing if it's not patchouli-heavy. (As soon as I take the cap off my bottle of Chanel Coromandel, he's grousing about "that patchouli stuff.") There's no patch in 10 Corso Como and I was certain that hubby wouldn't smell it at all if I wore it. After all, I am not an over-sprayer. (No judgement if you are, unless you are a "fragrance bro" who's into "beast mode" scents. I don't have energy for that.) 

So what does it smell like? Your mileage may vary, but I don't get any obvious floral notes, or any oud. What I do get is a ton of sandalwood, some incense, and musk. The sandalwood is not at all sweet or creamy, rather, it's more amber-y and somewhat leathery. There's an almost fizzy incense quality, and one of the sexiest musky drydowns I've ever smelled. I can't stop sniffing myself when I wear 10 Corso Como, and it's one of the few scents that I don't eventually become anosmic to during the day. (With my skin, I get a good 12 hours out of most scents--lucky me!) I don't actually feel sexy when I wear it, I just think the scent itself is quite alluring. 

10 Corso Como, which is both the brand's name and address as well as the scent's name, also put out a 10 Corso Como Uomo ten years after the original. That might indicate that the original fragrance was a feminine scent, but I disagree. It's totally unisex, but might also be considered to lean a little masculine. And I have no problem with wearing masculine scents, as long as it's not one of the many boring, same-same, designer frags sold at places like Macy's (which, IMNSHO, are not fit for man nor beast). 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Smells Like Christmas, Part Two

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In my first post on this subject, I pontificated on both the fragrances that I already own that I wear around the holidays (but no other time of year), and the niche and indie scents that I found after googling "Christmas perfume." This time, I'm going to talk about some of the Fragrantica-recommended scents that are already in my collection. Though I was looking for perfumes that featured orange and spice and evergreens, like the Nest Holiday candle, I mostly received recs for fragrances that reminded other people of Christmas, whether or not they contained the notes I was seeking. 

These are all good suggestions--of course, since I own six of the ten, and I bought samples for the other four--but none hit the mark.

Owned

Cartier Must de Cartier 

Galbanum, Brazilian Rosewood, Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, Green Mandarin, Peach, Pineapple, Leather, Carnation, Vetiver, Orris Root, Ylang-Ylang, Musk, Yellow Narcissus, Neroli, Rose, Jasmine, Orchid, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Civet, Vetiver

I never thought of this as a Christmastime scent, though it's definitely something I reach for in the winter months. Despite the galbanum note, this is not at all a green perfume. Nor is it flowery, despite the eight types of floral notes. Five kinds of fruits doesn't make this a sweet and fruity scent, either. So what is it? It's a leathery ambree that is also woody and fairly powdery, and long a favorite of mine. It reminds me of the scent of an old and well-used handbag, the kind with a rigid frame, short handle, and metal twist closure--my Mom would have called it a "pocketbook"--containing lipsticked tissues, spilled face powder, and Wrigley's spearmint gum wrappers among the loose change, scratched sunglasses, and worn wallet of wrinkled small bills. It's a nostalgic scent without being particularly old-fashioned, and reminds me not at all of Christmas. 

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur 

Cinnamon, Cloves, Orris Root, Rose, Osmanthus, Musk, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Amber, Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood, Cedar, Animal notes, Patchouli

Musc Ravageur is wild animal sex up against the dumpster behind a bakery that specializes in mince pies. It's sweet, spicy, and oh so dirty. The drydown is very vanilla-y, but still quite animalic. If I could layer this with something that smells of candied orange peel, I might come up with somewhat of an "after dark," raunchy, version of the scent I'm looking for. But Musc Ravageur, amazing as it is, doesn't cut it on its own.

L'Erbolario Méharées 

Cinnamon, Orange, Bergamot, Rose, Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood, Cedar, Patchouli, Amber, Vanilla, Musk

Méharées was recommended by more than one person on Fragrantica, and fortunately, I already had a bottle. The cinnamon-citrus opening gives Coca-Cola vibes, and the drydown is amber and woods. This is a really nice scent that smells much better on other people. On me, there's a weird antiseptic smell hiding in the depths, as if someone stuck a Band-aid on a stick of sandalwood. The late drydown, however, is a honeyed delight. Needless to say, this doesn't have what I'm looking for.

Serge Lutens 

Bapteme du Feu

Gingerbread, Tangerine, Woody Notes, Powdery Notes, Castoreum, Osmanthus

On paper, this scent sounds fairly Christmassy--it has the requisite citrus, spice, and woody notes. Unfortunately, the tangerine doesn't stand out as a citrus note on my skin. The gingerbread note is in the foreground, but I want it to be more cakey/sweet and not only about dry spices. 

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre 

Tea, Bergamot, Cinnamon, Woodsy Notes, Candied Ginger, Pepper, Honey, Amber, Cacao, Patchouli

Mr Minx and I have been wearing this fragrance every winter for years, and at no point have we thought it to smell anything like the Christmas holidays. It is delightfully woodsy and spicy, though not particularly ginger-y, with a clean patchouli drydown. This is so warm and cozy for the winter months, but not what I seek.

Zara Ebony Wood

Ebony, Cloves, Pink Pepper

Reviewed here. The clove note disappears fast, so no, this doesn't smell like Christmas. Plus, no orange or pine.

Sampled

Atkinsons Pirates' Grand Reserve

Rum, Cacao, Vanilla, Heliotrope, Jasmine, Virginia Cedar, Cardamom, Clary Sage, Broom, Geranium, Cashmeran, Patchouli, Musk, Moss

Rum and bandaids. That's what the opening smells like. Then the rum disappears, which is kinda disappointing for a fragrance that is named after a pirate's favorite adult beverage. (Yes, rum.) Again, I was hoping this would give me some sort of Christmas cake vibes, or even rum cake--figuring that there would be plenty of not only rum, but also cacao, vanilla, heliotrope, and cardamom. There's a subtle sweetness to this scent, but the bandaid smell is super strong. Overall, it's quite masculine, and definitely not what I'm looking for.

Farmacia SS. Annunziata Anniversary

Cinnamon, Orange Blossom, Tobacco, Clove, Leather, Nutmeg, Rose, Vanilla, Bran, Sandalwood, Saffron, Cedar

Spicy? Yes. Festive? Yes. What I'm looking for? No. But...Anniversary does immediately put me in mind of the holiday season. More specifically, a plate of warm-from-the-oven spice cookies drizzled with a bit of frosting. The first spicy sniff actually reminded me of cola, followed immediately by red hot cinnamon candies. Yes, the spice notes are loud and proud. The bran and vanilla are prominent as well (though definitely not as much as the shouty cinnamon). I let Mr Minx sniff it and he was immediately taken to a holiday shop. You know, those places that specialize in trees and ornaments and offer cinnamon-scented candles, potpourri, fireplace logs, and even garlands decorated with actual cinnamon sticks. 

Mancera Tonka Cola 

Cinnamon, Cherry, Sicilian Lemon, Nutmeg, Coca-Cola, Indonesian Patchouli Leaf, Orange Blossom, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Benzoin, Labdanum

The opening of Méharées has that cola thing going on, and this whole fragrance is based on cola. Makes me wonder if the people who recommended these scents were only allowed to have soft drinks on special occasions, so the smell of Coke is the smell of Christmas. However, I find this scent far more about the tonka than the cola, though there's a nice cinnamony thing going on, too. I don't get the citrus, and the overall scent is more powdery than I'd expect. Quite nice, but not Christmas.

 

Milano Fragranze Panettone 

Bitter Orange, Ginger, Mandarin Orange, Carrot Seeds, Davana, Rum, Immortelle, Tagetes, Vanilla,  Buckwheat

I love me a panettone at Christmas! For the past few years, I've ordered one from Yummy Bazaar, a specialty food shop in South Jersey. Sometimes I get a pumpkin-filled panettone, but once in a while I buy a plain one (maybe this year I'll spring for a Dolce & Gabbana). Panettone has a very specific vanilla citrus flavor and aroma, and that's what I wanted from this perfume. Milano Fragranze Panettone does have a vanilla-citrus thing and the buckwheat note definitely gives baked-goods, but there's also something spicy (cinnamon, perhaps?) going on. While overall, this perfume is quite nice, it doesn't smell like actual panettone. So while it does have a citrus note, and spice, it's not really what I was looking for. BUT, if it actually smelled like panettone, I might buy it.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Pistachio

A whole lotta Photoshop, a tiny bit of AI

The number of pistachio scents on the market right now is rather incredible. I have always loved the brat-green nuts and remember when they used red dye to hide the mottled markings created by the drying process on the naturally beige shells. There was no sneaking a pistachio snack in those days, as brightly stained fingers and lips were always a dead giveaway. 

Eating pistachios is as much about texture as it is about flavor. Pistachio nutmeats are generally rather small, about the size of a pinky nail. They are not hard or crisp, like an almond, pecan, walnut, or most any other nut, but give fairly easily under the pressure of a tooth. Maybe crunchy-tender is a good way to put it? Pistachios also have a thin woody membrane on the outside of the nutmeat that sometimes comes off when when the shell is removed...but mostly doesn't. Under this fine bark hides the glorious green color of the nut. The flavor of pistachios is a bit harder to pin down. They are both savory and vaguely sweet, buttery, green, and, well, nutty. They are one of my favorite nuts, and the idea of a pistachio-scented perfume turns me on. If only there was one that actually did smell of pistachio! 

D.S. & Durga Pistachio
Pistachio, Cardamom, More Pistachio, Roasted Almond, Even More Pistachio, Patchouli, Vanilla Creme

I am sitting here right now, absolutely drenched in D.S. & Durga Pistachio. I did a bit of an overspray this morning in order to really smell this stuff. It's a giant cloud hovering around me, full of honey and creamy vanilla. There's also a gorgeous whiff of patchouli, which, to be honest, is my favorite part of this fragrance and what puts it above all of the other pistachio fragrances I've smelled thus far. 

From my experience, pistachio perfumes tend to be quite sweet, and this one is no exception. I have a bowl of them next to me, and their smell is very distinct. While the nuts do have a light sweetness about them, they are also a little green, a little woody, a little savory. The flavor is all of that plus buttery-ness. A well-toasted almond might be the closest thing to a pistachio, but it's still worlds away. While D.S. & Durga Pistachio lists the nut in the top, middle, and base notes, I don't find that it smells particularly of pistachio, particularly in the first hour or so when a sticky honey-like note feels particularly in-my-face. This is why this fragrance needs such an assertive patchouli note: it cuts through the sweetness and stands in for the savory quality that pistachios possess. 

I have never smelled natural pistachio extract, or whatever natural or man-made pistachio notes are available to perfumers. Perhaps it is a bit like almond extract, which has a distinctive smell that is recognized as almond, but doesn't actually smell the way almond nutmeats smell. Or like cherry flavoring, which doesn't taste of actual cherries, but like cheap maraschino cocktail cherries (which taste rather like almond extract). We have been conditioned by years of cherry-flavored sweets like Lifesavers--and cocktail cherries--so we recognize that particular flavor as "cherry," but not actually cherry. The idea of cherry.

It's possible Pistachio smells like these perfumery ingredients, the idea of pistachio. I don't know. All I do know is that I do very much like this fragrance, whether or not it actually smells like the nut in question. My husband thinks it does, so what do I know? I'd say this fragrance smelled more like a bowl of rich vanilla French buttercream, drizzled with honey, and topped with a smattering of chopped nutmeats. And a good slug of earthy patchouli, which means it doesn't adhere to my definition of a "gourmand" fragrance, though some might categorize it thusly. No matter--I like it enough to have purchased a big bottle, and I plan to use it frequently during the cooler months.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Smells Like Christmas, Part One

image created by Ideogram AI with help from Photoshop. I don't get why AI has no problem with making velvet drapes with fussy doodads hanging from them, a velvet tree skirt, and a fairly realistic tree, but couldn't make gingerbread man ornaments that didn't look like squids or scrotums or triceratops. I had to add them manually from another source.
Not sure why the oranges are so wrinkly, but good enough I guess.

I'm one of those people who swaps out fragrances seasonally. I like light citrussy scents in the warmer months, and richer fragrances in colder months. And at the holidays, I want to wear perfumes that smell like Christmas. Specifically, fragrances that smell like things I associate with the holiday-- gingerbread, nutmeg, chestnuts, mincemeat, orange and spices, pine trees--that sort of thing. 

I have a handful of scents I pull out every fall to wear between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fendi Theorema smells like sweet gingerbread to me, with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices, and a touch of candied peel. Theorema was discontinued a few years back, but I still have a bit left in my original bottle from 1998, and a backup. I also own Etat Libre d'Orange Noel au Balcon, a spicy orange blossom scent that I wear when I want something lighter than Theorema. Noel au Balcon is marketed as a holiday scent and it definitely has the citrus + spice vibe I crave during the holidays. 

The somewhat subversive Divin'Enfant is another ELDO fragrance that I wear in December, mostly because of the name that brings to mind the lyrics of a French Christmas carol, Il est né le divin enfant ("the divine child was born"). While it doesn't have what I consider traditional Christmas notes--it smells like a giant orange blossom-flavored marshmallow, a gimauve--I find that I enjoy this scent's candy sweetness at that time of year. And while it's sweet and innocent on top, there's also a little naughty tobacco, leather, and musk hiding under all the fluff. 

I also reach for Jacomo Art Collection 08 around Christmas. A deeply spicy tea scent, it also has creamy and dried fruit notes that give it a fruitcake/mincemeat vibe that I enjoy. Finally, last winter, I purchased M. Micallef Gourmet, a cozy chestnut/leather/incense fragrance that I'm going to test this Christmas, to see if it fits my holiday vibes. 

Those fragrances are all lovely, but what I really want to smell like is the Nest Holiday candle. The classic one that smells like mandarin oranges, cloves, cinnamon--and pine. The conifer note is missing from the scents I usually wear, and its what I want to smell at the holidays. Since I am having a hard time finding scents on my own, I decided to pose a question on the Fragrantica forum. I specifically mentioned wanting to smell like the Nest Holiday candle. What I received was a hodgepodge of suggestions ranging from Mancera Tonka Cola to Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, from Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy to Kerosene Winter of 99, and from Serge Lutens Bapteme du Feu to a couple from Pineward Perfumes (Gluhwein and Ponderosa). There were also some oddballs like Tauer L'Air des Alps Suisses (fir and pine and nutmeg, but also lavender, thyme, basil, and lemon balm) and L'Air de Desert Marocain (um....), the Tom Ford cherry line, Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds & Rubies (so many flowers!). I own Bapteme du Feu, so need to give that another sniff, and multiple of the Hidden Fantasy reviews mention Christmas, so I may just have to try that one. None of the fragrances suggested, however, have orange AND spice AND pine. 

So does that fragrance exist?

I tried another tack. I did a simple google search for "perfumes that smell like Christmas," and under "popular products," I found Demeter Christmas in New York, which doesn't have the three notes I'm looking for but does have eggnog, chestnuts, and spices. That sounds pretty Christmassy, huh? And I also found an indie perfumer called Wicked Good that offers nearly 50 holiday-themed scents. I ordered six samples from them, including Merry & Bright, which has notes of Orange Peel, Cranberry, Cinnamon, Clove, Evergreen, & Pine and sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. I also tried two other holiday-themed fragrances, Fruitcake and Midnight Mass, because why not?

So how did I do? Not so good.

Wicked Good 

As a crafter myself, I love the idea of indie perfumes, but so many of them fall short of the mark. Or of my insanely high standards. Some creators are definitely, uh, creative, but it's rare to find one that uses really high-quality ingredients. It's not their fault--perfumery ingredients are pricey, and if one is going to offer dozens and sometimes hundreds of fragrances, that's quite the expensive inventory of ingredients. 

I think the folks behind Wicked Good might have some talent, but their raw materials let them down. I have synesthesia, mostly color-grapheme, but when I concentrate on smells, they have literal physical presence in my head. Well-made fragrances with pricey ingredients tend to smell very solid, rigid, and deep. And ones made with lesser ingredients are more diaphanous, unstable, and have a hollow core. Sorry, can't explain it better than that! I can sense that hollowness in some mass market/designer fragrances, which is why I can't wear many of them. And I definitely sense it in a lot of indie perfumes. 

Merry & Bright

Orange Peel, Cranberry, Cinnamon, Clove, Evergreen, Pine

This smells 100% like a Christmas candle, though not a Nest candle. The opening is heavy on the forest-y notes, and I get a bit of tartness from the cranberry. Then the cinnamon and clove come on strong and hijack the scent. The overall effect is Christmas candle + old fashioned ham studded with cloves. I'd probably appreciate this more as a room spray, because it's giving me childhood flashbacks to Christmas Eve. We always had baked ham for every major holiday, which Mom cooked the evening before so we could have it warm for dinner. We all loved the chewy ham skin, with its sweet glaze of pineapple and brown sugar, and every once in a while there'd be a mouthful with an unwelcome whole clove in it. 

The drydown is almost entirely clove with some cinnamon, and smells exactly like a big box craft store, Michael's or Jo Ann's, at holiday season. 

Fruitcake

Candied Fruits, Vanilla Extract, Churned Butter, Brown Sugar, Rum

Fruit cake anyone? Why in the world would anyone do something so cruel to cake? We're normally right there with you, but swear this is one you won't want to re-gift. A warm, mild cake layered with wonderful candied fruit top notes --cherries, mango, cranberries, currants, and orange soaked in rum. It's a fruity, sweet aroma that is sure to remind you of the holidays. 

This one is weird. It smells like no fruitcake I've ever eaten. It starts out rather dusty, as if the fruit has been sitting on a grocer's shelf for too long. There's also too much of a tropical vibe in the top notes, though I can definitely smell the weird "are these actually edible?" scent of plasticky candied cherries. But on top of the fruity smell is an odd metallic yet vegetal note, like freshly grated raw carrots or parsnips. I'm not sure what that is, but it doesn't belong here. Instead, there should be a nutty note, because what good fruitcake isn't also filled with walnuts, pecans, and/or almonds? The drydown, which isn't too sweet, might even be pretty nice if I could smell it over the WTF root vegetable note. And I do love a good carrot note--L'Artisan Parfumeur Fleur de Carotte is amazing, but then it was created by Olivia Giacobetti who was the nose behind so many of my favorite fragrances. This one had potential, but I think the inexpensive perfumery ingredients really lets it down.

Midnight Mass

Frankincense, Omumbiri Myrrh, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood

I grew up in the Catholic faith, so I know exactly what Midnight Mass smells like. Though some people say CdG Avignon smells like church incense, it doesn't smell like what I smelled most of my life. And neither does this. Midnight Mass smells like a fairly generic masculine-leaning fragrance, rather green with some woodiness. And that's about it. It's not bad at all, but it's not giving me any sort of church-y vibes, at midnight or any time of the day.

Demeter Christmas in New York

Milk, Marron Glace, Rum, Cinnamon, Red Apple, Nutmeg

The Scent: Christmas in New York is a special time in a special place. It took the genius of Demeter Fragrance Library to capture that special moment in time in scent. Egg Nog, Spices, Apples and roasting chestnuts, all the elements that are uniquely New York at Christmas-time. Christmas in New York: A unique olfactory experience, created by Demeter Fragrance Library.

I love New York at Christmastime. My experience is that the air at that time of year smells much the same as the rest of the year: a miasma of sewer, hot metal, garbage, and Le Labo Santal 33. If you're near Chinatown/Little Italy, add garlic. If you're in K-town early on a Sunday morning, there's also a soupçon of post-late night-karaoke vomit. And for much of the winter, the acrid and unmistakable smell of roasting chestnuts. I've definitely never smelled eggnog or apple. In any case, Demeter's idealized version of a New York Christmas definitely smells of the creamy nog, heavily laden with cinnamon. There's a warm toasty maple/nuts kinda thing in the opening, though it's certainly not roasted chestnuts (nor does it seem much like marrons glaces, the delicious French candied chestnuts), and rum, too, and a brief segue into apple. Christmas in New York--though not at all New York-y--is really quite good, and one of the rare Demeter scents that lasts more than 5 minutes. It might be worthwhile to buy the body lotion to layer underneath, to make it last even longer. 

Not what I was looking for, but worth adding to my collection.

Stay tuned for Part Two.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Favorite Scents That Nobody Has Heard About: L'Eau de Kasaneka

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop

Menard L'Eau de Kasaneka
Japanese Rose, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Ginger, Orange, Basil, Bergamot, Heliotrope, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Carnation, Ambrette, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Musk, Cedar, Vetiver

Japanese firm Menard was founded on my birthday in 1959 (a coincidence, as I wasn't born until 6 years later). Their pricey products can be found in shops in 23 countries, including Osswald in NYC.  In addition to their skincare lines, Menard currently has salons, a resort, and a museum. They have also dabbled in perfumery now and again, releasing at least 7 scents between 1979 and 2012. L'Eau de Kasaneka (2004) is the creation of Shuji Suzuki. And as befitting such a lovely fragrance, the fabulous bottle was designed by artist Shozo Shimada, whose works can be found in Menard's museum. 

There's something gently old-fashioned about L'Eau de Kasaneka, a spicy floral scent reminiscent of spilled powder on a tabletop near a carelessly discarded scarf bearing traces of yesterday's perfume. It's demure, but sexy at the same time. I have owned L'Eau de Kasaneka for years and have always thought of it as a spicy rose fragrance, though the rose isn't all that prominent. Honestly, neither are the spices. It's not like Opium, Lune Feline, or Coco--deliciously in your face. This is a Japanese fragrance, after all, so the spices are subtle and exist on multiple levels. The opening brings the sweet baking spice aromas of cardamom and nutmeg. The basil--which I know is an herb and not a spice, but nonetheless can be described as "spicy"--adds an aromatic green sensation that is noticeable on a blotter but is sadly missing on my skin. The final layer of spice is found in the peppery carnation of the drydown. However, everything is buried in a sweet and fluffy mountain of almondy heliotrope, ambrette, and musk, with a grounding base of vanilla and sandalwood. 

I don't wear this scent as often as I should. Especially as I have a backup bottle. Hm. Maybe I should sell it?

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Beauty Pie The Scent Lab No. 3

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop

I was so pleased with the summery green La Botanista fragrances in Beauty Pie's The Scent Lab No. 2, I thought I'd try the No. 3 release as well. A good 90% of their prior perfume launches impressed me not. Granted, they are quite reasonably priced--between $34 and $39 for 50ml--but they seemed pretty one-dimensional to me. There are plenty of reviews to the contrary; however, my tender skin is a real snob. Inexpensive stuff seldom smells good on me. 

I must confess that I happily purchased a full bottle of La Botanista 001. And when their ambery-peach Element 79 was a successful blind buy, I thought the company was heading in the right direction by creating decent-quality fragrances that finally had some depth. Fortunately, I wasn't wrong. While I can't say I'm in love with either half of The Scent Lab No. 3, Flower Drench or Amber 01, I am happy to report that they are both complex and interesting fragrances, if not particularly ground-breaking.

Flower Drench

‎Ginger, Lime, Lemon, ‎Rose, White Flowers, Lily, Ylang Ylang, ‎Vanilla, Cedarwood, Amyris, Musk

On paper, Flower Drench is shampoo-like, creamy and clean, with a hint of lemon-lime soda over some quite un-subtle floral notes. On my skin, it's a bit different, less shampoo-y, more creamy, with a definite vanilla aspect. While the ginger note is largely absent on paper, it becomes fairly prominent as the scent dries down on my skin, and the lemon and lime make a late appearance as well. Unusual that, as the citrus notes are usually right up front and fade fast. The floral notes are quite loud, lots of shouty jasmine and banana ylang, thankfully muted somewhat by a bit of woody notes. The drydown is pleasantly musky.

The website refers to Flower Drench as "a cascade of dazzling white flowers and rose;"  I think both "drench" and "dazzling" are misused here. "Drench" implies wetness, a sudden shower, perhaps refreshment, but I find this scent quite heavy and sweet, definitely suitable for cooler weather. As for "dazzling," which implies bright light or impressive skill--I'd say this scent has more of a warm glow.

Amber 001

‎Bergamot, Cardamom, Basil, ‎Sage, Cinnamon, Cocoa, ‎Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tonka

Out of the sprayer, on paper, this scent leans masculine. I think it's the addition of herbs like basil and sage in combination with the warm spices and foody notes. On skin, mine anyway, the opening has a very prominent alcohol note that turns into a medicinal saffron-adjacent thing. I don't get the herb-y notes at all, but the cinnamon is there, way in the background. That saffron-y smell, or whatever it is that's going on, is so distracting when sniffed up close. When I put my arm down at my side, however, I get whiffs of an almost caramelly amber that is quite pleasant. As Amber 001 dries down, it gets sweeter and creamier, with a pronounced tonka note. 

According to the website, Amber 001 "a buttery-soft and mellow scent for days (and nights) when you want something warm and enveloping." It's definitely warm and enveloping, though I wouldn't call it buttery. The medicinal quality is slightly spiky, and the drydown is a bit powdery. On my husband, there is no saffron-like note. Rather, it's almost immediately a sweet amber and definitely leaning towards the masculine. I think I'd like it better if it were more unisex. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Guerlain Eau Secrete/de Coton/de Bain

Mostly Photoshop this time, with a little help from Ideogram AI 

I am confused.

A couple years back, I was browsing at Saks (as one does) sniffing what appeared to be a new line of Guerlain fragrances, Les Matières Confidentielles, and fell in love with the white-musky Eau Secrete. It was damn expensive for what it was ~$175 or so (at the time--that line retails for $190 today). I could--and did--buy a big bottle of Body Shop White Musk for less than a quarter of that price. Still, I was a little obsessed with Eau Secrete until I was able to snag a full bottle from a Mercari seller for a considerable discount. I wore it twice before deciding there was something weird about it that I didn't like, put it away, and didn't think about it again. 

Recently, while rummaging through my ever-expanding fragrance collection, I happened upon my abandoned bottle of Eau Secrete and decided to give it another chance. I spritzed it on the back of my hand and gave a quick sniff. Yes, it was still primarily white musk, but I also noticed some citrus and almond notes that I hadn't noticed before. These were probably the "something weird" that turned me off my brief obsession. My brain was so focused on the musk that anything not-musk stood out as something that didn't belong. Au contraire, brain, they do belong in Eau Secrete. This is very much a Guerlain scent, like a much younger, and less-complex third or fourth cousin to both Shalimar and L'Instant Magic. 

Another reason Eau Secrete and I may have had our falling out is that I'm ordinarily not a fan of clean laundry scents. I grew up in my grandmother's house, and she did laundry several times a week. There was no drier, so everything went on the lines outside. Pretty much everything got ironed, including towels, socks, and underwear. (I think Grandma enjoyed ironing.) While I adore the ozonic scent of clothes fresh off the line, and the clean hot metal smell of a shirt still warm from the iron, I don't want my skin to smell like either of them. Yes, I realize some people adore those smells. Whole perfume lines have been created around the olfactory sensation of the various aldehydes and keytones produced by the action of garment cleansing, and there are numerous candles and air-and-fabric-scenting products on the market that mimic those smells. I just prefer to encounter the natural versions caused by washing and drying--actual clean--as opposed to filling my world with the scent of dryer sheets. Eau Secrete does has a whiff of clean, but it's subtle. As if the almond note is sugared, like Jordan almonds, and they are nestled in a freshly laundered white napkin.

So let's go back to the part where I'm confused. 

Apparently Eau Secrete, now discontinued, is very similar to Eau de Coton, another member of the Les Matières Confidentielles family. There are people who swear they are identical, that Eau de Coton replaced Eau Secrete. There's some confusion about their release dates. As best as I can tell, Eau de Coton was released in 2023, Eau Secrete in 2022, so it seems plausible. And then there's Eau de Bain, a release from 2019. Some folks think--you guessed it--that it was renamed Eau Secrete, and then became Eau de Coton.

Let's compare the notes, keeping in mind that most online sources for this sort of thing, like Fragrantica and Basenotes, are not reliable. Eau de Bain (2019) has Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk, with additional Bergamot, Lemon, Green Notes, Vanilla, and Precious Woods. Eau Secrete (2022) contains Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk. Finally, Eau de Coton (2023) is made with notes of Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk, plus Cotton Flower and Linen. All three scents include the same triumvirate of notes, but there are a few differences.

My main confusion is this: if the scents are so similar, why discontinue one and put out another on its heels? I realize that Guerlain is trying to appeal to many different tastes these days, what with the introduction of multiple oud fragrances, regular releases of the watery-fresh Aqua Allegoria EDTs, and updates to their classics. But I have to ask: as pleasant as they are, does Guerlain really need multiple white musk fragrances? 

I needed a definitive answer, so I asked a friend who had worked for Guerlain, and he said the three were definitely different fragrances. Then I sent an email to Guerlain customer service and received this response:

Eau Secrete and Eau Coton are indeed different fragrances. While both offer a fresh and clean scent, they have distinct compositions:

Eau Secrete: Known for its light, airy, and slightly citrusy notes, Eau Secrete is designed to evoke a sense of freshness and subtle elegance. 

Eau de Coton: This fragrance tends to have a softer, more powdery profile, reminiscent of clean linens and a comforting, cozy atmosphere. 

As for Eau de Bain, it is a third fragrance entirely and not the same as either Eau Secrete or Eau Coton. Eau de Bain typically features a blend of fresh and aquatic notes, designed to evoke the feeling of a luxurious bath experience.

Eau de Coton is the only scent still available, and I feel like I have to give this one a good sniff at some point. It's not really a shame I missed out on Eau de Bain if it has "fresh" and "aquatic" notes (not my faves). Still, I would really love to be able to compare them side by side by side.

Has anyone out there been able to do that? I'd love to hear from you.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Gourmand Fragrances

created with Ideogram AI and a whole lotta Photoshopping

The word "gourmand" refers to a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much. It's actually a negative term, akin to "glutton." One could use that term to describe me and not be wrong, but I'm not sure why it's applied to an inanimate object like perfume. It's not unusual for words to be appropriated to signify something vaguely adjacent to its original meaning, and "gourmand" has become the term for a family of perfumes that have sweet or "edible" notes like toffee and marshmallow.

There seems to be a real interest in sugary fragrances these days. Why? With influencers on Instagram and TikTok spreading the good-smelling news, there are more and more young consumers attracted to the world of perfume. Also, the preponderance of scents marketed by pop stars and celebrities like Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and less-recently by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Paris Hilton, tend to be sugar bombs aimed at this younger audience. Some of these consumers will grow up with a preference for smelling like dessert, but for others, a candy-scented spritz might be the gateway drug to other fragrance families. But it's not only the young folks who go for treacly scents. Judging by the success of expensive marshmallow bombs like By Kilian Love Don't Be Shy and Parfums de Marly Oriana, there are folks of all ages (or at least people with more than just babysitting money) who enjoy indulging their olfactory sweet tooth. 

It's widely accepted that Mugler's Angel, released in 1992, was the first modern gourmand fragrance, though I would argue that companies like Comptoir Sud Pacifique were making sugary fragrances in the 70s. Angel was groundbreaking in the use of sweet, non-vanilla, food notes like red berries, cotton candy, caramel, and chocolate. While Angel is definitely sweet and candy-like, there's also a bunch of other stuff going on, including a quite obvious dose of patchouli. I don't know about you, but I do not want to eat anything that smells or tastes of patchouli. Or woods, or jasmine, or any of the other notes that are combined with a pinch of sugar here and there in the many so-called gourmand perfumes on the market.

There doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what exactly constitutes a gourmand fragrance. The person who wrote the Wikipedia entry on the subject states:

A gourmand fragrance is a perfume consisting primarily of synthetic edible (gourmand) notes, such as honey, chocolate, vanilla or candy. These top and middle notes may be blended with non-edible base notes such as patchouli or musk.

Note their use of the word "primarily." They then go on to mention examples of what they consider to be other gourmand fragrances, including Calvin Klein Euphoria, and Viktor & Rolf's Antidote. Euphoria has a single whipped cream note and is a fruity ambree. There's nothing particularly sugary in Antidote, though it has spice and citrus notes, along with vanilla in the base. Most perfumes have citrus and/or vanilla notes (and rose), but that doesn't necessarily make them gourmands. 

L'Artisan Parfumeur, too, includes scents with just a couple of food-y notes on their website's gourmand page, including: Mechant Loup (honey and praline notes); Noir Exquis (maple sap, coffee); Premier Figuier Extreme (fig, dried fruits); L'Eau D'Ambre (vanilla); and Histoire D'Orangers (um, nothing foody). As far as I'm concerned, their one truly gourmand scent was Traversee du Bosphore; its nougat, sugar, pistachio, honey, and rose base notes were very Turkish delight meets baklava. Sadly it was discontinued. It might have done really well in today's "I want candy" climate. 

I suppose we're stuck with the term "gourmand" to describe scents on the saccharine side, whether or not they "consist primarily of edible notes." Gourmand fragrances should be mostly sweet food notes. In fact, I want to refine the use of the term to include only fragrances that are meant to smell like actual food and drink, perfumes that deliberately smell like cupcakes, candyfloss, hazelnut lattes, Bakewell tarts, scones smeared with lemon curd, or chocolate fudge brownies. Sugary food items in which gluttons like me enjoy indulging.

What about savory food notes? you ask. There are plenty of perfumes with cumin notes, and green scents with basil or herb notes. Without the sugary aspect, however, I don't consider a scent to be gourmand, even a scent like Snif Pie Society--a perfume that is meant to smell like pizza, with notes of crust and tomato sauce. While it has a vague yeasty aroma with a bit of tomato and basil at the opening, it soon turns into a hot mess. A fragrance like that deserves a new category: Novelty scents. They're interesting to sample, but not actually to wear. 

My collection currently contains only three scents that I would consider to be "true" gourmands, that is, scents that are deliberately created to mimic the scents of sweet desserts, beverages, or confections. I own a few other sweet perfumes, including a couple of Angel flankers, but to me, they are just that--sweet perfumes. Not gourmands. 

Arte Profumi Bisquit

Cocoa, Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla, Bitter Orange

This is supposed to smell like freshly baked "milk biscuits," with chocolate and orange. I'm not very familiar with this type of cookie, so I did an extensive 90-second google search. What I discovered is a cookie also known as a biscottoni, or an Italian breakfast cookie. The closest I've ever come to one of those is a Stella D'oro breakfast treat, which I must admit I've always liked. They're a bit vanilla/almond-y in flavor, IIRC. In any case, Bisquit does not smell like a baked cookie to me, as it lacks the toasty flour aroma. What it does smell like is sweet chocolate cake batter with a hint of orange and coffee. I normally don't gravitate toward chocolate fragrances--though I adore eating chocolate--because I find most cocoa or chocolate notes to be artificial-smelling, often with a peculiar dustiness. I dabbled with wearing Montale Chocolate Greedy for a minute, but I found it to be cloying and sickly on my skin. Bisquit, however, is just lovely. The chocolate smells like real chocolate, somewhere between milk and dark, with a good hint of vanilla. Because chocolate really isn't truly chocolate-y unless it's paired with vanilla. (Ever notice that every chocolate recipe also includes vanilla?) Bisquit is lovely, and it's also not tooth-achingly sweet.

Chabaud Lait et Chocolate

Jasmine, Chocolate, Cedar, Teak Wood, Vanilla, Musk, Milk

While this fragrance has jasmine, woody notes, and musk, it does not violate my rule that a gourmand fragrance should smell only of food. Lait et Chocolate smells of...lait et chocolate. There's a wee bit of brightness in the opening, from the jasmine, but that disappears quickly. The wood notes add a bit of backbone and longevity to the fragrance, but don't actually make it at all woody. Lait et Chocolate is a big mug of milk, warm and frothy, with a spoonful of Horlicks (malted milk powder) on the table next to it. Not in the milk, just near it. I don't get much chocolate at all. This is a very nice bedtime scent, soothing and comfy, but I also love it on a cold winter morning.

Theodoros Kalotinis Lemon Tart

Tart Crust, Vanilla Cream, Lemon Juice, Butter, Lemon Zest, Sugar

I've tried Akro Bake, and despite its rave reviews, it doesn't work on me. The lemon note turns into washing up powder or detergent on my skin--not all that gourmand or pleasant to my nose. Lemon Tart, on the other hand, has a zesty lemon note that is also creamy, and a bit buttery, too, like lemon curd. And there's a definite toasty pastry note in this fragrance as well. It's very much edible. Sometimes I like to ramp up the lemon with a spritz of Monotheme Venezia Boccioli di Limone on top.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Favorite Scents That Nobody Has Heard About: Zenadora

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Zenadora Eau de Parfum

Raspberry, Rose, Elemi, Guaiac Wood, Incense, Patchouli, Benzoin, Labdanum, Myrrh

Zenadora is so obscure, there are zero reviews on Fragrantica, and just one on Basenotes. Parfumo.com has a listing with three user ratings that give it an average score of 7.7 out of 10, but no reviews. The scent was released in either 2005 or 2006; I would imagine that someone besides me and the three Parfumo users had to have purchased it! After a little more digging on the google, I found that Zenadora seems to be available for purchase on Russian-language websites. Except for the following excerpt from a feature on niche perfumes in WWD, there is zip, zilch, nothing else to be found.

ZENADORA

Launch: 2005

Founder: Frederic and Laurence Lipzyc

Parent company: Majina Fragrances, of Paris.

Distribution: 50 doors, in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

The lineup: 19 skus.

Claim to fame: Frederic, who directed a transport company, and Laurence, who was a psychotherapist, decided to create the fragrance brand called Zenadora as a combination of the words “Zen” and “adore.” Zenadora’s first offering was a line of scented candles, but the collection now includes six ambient fragrances and four scent concentrates for the home. In May, the brand introduced its first fine fragrance, a woody Oriental, called Zenadora L’Eau de Parfum. Another collection of candles bows in August, and the next scent is due out in May.

Price: 69 euros, or $87, for a 100-ml. eau de parfum spray.

$87 in 2006 was rather pricey, even for 100ml. And I'm pretty sure I didn't pay anything near that price. I bought mine at Beautyhabit.com, mostly likely 2008-ish, and probably on clearance. I'm not sure why I bought it, as the listed notes are not something that would ordinarily attract me. Zenadora is what I'd call an old-fashioned fragrance, a rather heavy and rich floral ambree, what used to be known as an "Oriental" scent. It wouldn't have been out of place sitting on a shelf next to bottles of Youth Dew, Tabu, and Revlon Ultima, or worn with shoulder pads and big 80s hair. It's very woody and resinous, a bit leathery, and has an almost church-y thing going on under the sweet-tartness of raspberry and rose. It's a cool scent, rather than a cozy one. At least, that is how it smells on my skin. On a test strip, the scent is more floral with much less fruit, and it's less resinous as well. In fact, the fragrance almost seems lighter on the tester. However, if applied judiciously, Zenadora isn't at all overwhelming. It takes an hour or two, but it settles nicely close to the skin--but then, I'm not an oversprayer. YMMV. 

But it's not like you're going to purchase a bottle anytime soon. Unless you want to fork over 11480 Ukrainian hryvnia ($277.47)

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.