A NY Sniffari - Part Two

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Explanatory paragraph, in case you just came in: I live in Baltimore, where there are few places to buy niche or high end fragrance, so when I go to NYC, I go a little wild. On this particular three day trip in January 2025, I went a lot wild. Read Part One here.

Tuesday was my uptown day, starting with a trip to Bloomingdale's to visit my friend Jason, who runs the Chanel counter. He did my makeup, which looked fabulous, and I purchased the foundation he used (I have always loved Chanel foundation--it has excellent coverage) and a bottle of Paris-Edimbourg EDT, which will be stunning in the warmer months. I wandered around the rest of the beauty department, checking out Le Labo, Diptyque, Byredo, and other brands. The store was surprisingly quiet, so I had the full attention of the SAs--always nice. After Bloomie's, I popped into Bergdorf's to see my friend Donna at Estee Lauder. Attention people who loved Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia - it's back, in the form of an Aerin scent. There was an old tester of the original available, so I was able to smell them side-by-side. There's a slight difference--the original seems a tad greener-- but they are otherwise extremely similar. 

Jason used to work at Saks, so I've already spent a decent amount of time exploring their beauty department. I didn't feel the need to do that on this trip, though I was curious to find out if the Celine leather goods shop on the first floor carried their line of fragrances. I have been obsessed with Saint-Germain-Des-Pres since since the moment I spritzed it on my skin. I know a lot of people like Black Tie, but that one makes me gag. Can't/won't explain it. The other scents in the line are very nice, but only SGDP captured my heart. Ordinarily I wouldn't give the time of day to a fragrance that retails for over $300 and can't be purchased from a discounter, however, I was in possession of a somewhat aged $100 Saks gift card and had finally found something on which to use it. To answer my question, YES! Celine's leather goods department does carry their fragrances, and within a few moments of walking in the door, I was leaving again with my purchase. 

I made one more fragrant stop on Tuesday evening. My lovely friend Josie, who works for Kintessence, the US-exclusive distributor of high-end lines like The Harmonist, Dusita, THoO, and Clive Christian, was doing a thing at Scentbar with BDK Parfums founder David Benedek. She is a busy lady whom I hadn't seen in a while, so Daisy Bow--one of my favorite people and regular NY dining companion--and I stopped in for a few minutes to say hi. I got swept up in the festive atmosphere of the moment and actually requested a spritz of BDK's newest, as-yet-unreleased, scent. To be very honest, I'm not a fan of the line and now I can't escape this thing. The left sleeve of my brand-new coat seems permanently scented with something that's just not to my liking. And yes, the coat has been washed since.

Celine Saint-Germain-des-Pres

Petitgrain, Neroli, Heliotrope, Orris Root, Vanilla

I ordered a discovery set after hearing about Celine's rather pricey line on my favorite podcast, On the Scent. Several of the fragrances are excellent, a couple are just ok, and another couple are really not to my liking. That includes the most-discussed scent, Black Tie. With notes of orris, musk, and vanilla, I figured that would be my favorite of the bunch, but to be very honest, it made me gag. Not sure why, but I find it unwearable. Instead, I more-characteristically succumbed to the orange blossom-y allure of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, the longest and most punctuated of Celine's perfumes. The softness of the heliotrope and orris cuts the bite of the petitgrain and neroli, making them a bit softer on the skin than would be typical. While I enjoy the opening of this fragrance, it's not what made me fall in love. That would be that long drydown, after an hour or more. At that point, the vanilla comes into play, creating a sexy, snuggly, angora sweater of a scent, magnificently fluffy and totally addictive. Heaven.

Chanel Paris - Edimbourg

Cypress, Juniper Berries, Lavender, Cedar, Vetiver, Musk, Vanilla

I'm not sure why, but rather than cypress and juniper, I get ginger. I'm not complaining--I love ginger scents. Pretty sure there's at least one kind of citrus in this, too. It's so bright and happy, yet not at all boring or pedestrian. It's a light and refreshing cologne-y fragrance that is going to get me through the heat of summer alongside my very favorite Chanel, Cristalle Eau Verte. This scent can be worn by anyone, btw, so get yourself some.

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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.