One Brand Forever

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Let's play a little game in which each of us are limited to wearing fragrances from a single brand--forever. What company would you choose?

Without thinking about it for very long, I'd pick Chanel.

Perhaps at one time I would have gone with Guerlain. There are 16 Guerlain scents in my collection today, including a few from the Aqua Allegoria line, multiple Shalimar flankers, and three from L’Art & La Matière collection. Guerlain releases 3-4 new scents per year, so I'd always have plenty to choose from. But to be very honest, I have found the newer releases to be less and less interesting and certainly not worth all the $ (to me). Of course, if I limited myself to one fragrance company for the rest of my life, the price would not be as much of an issue as it is currently, what with my promiscuous perfume-buying tendencies and all. Still, it would be nice if they put out a well-priced scent once in a while, one that's not an Aqua Allegoria. It seems that they're stuck on cranking out expensive L'Art & La Matière scents and La Petit Robe Noir clones (over 30 so far). They do like flankers, to be sure. 

Why Chanel? While they don't offer quite as many fragrance choices as Guerlain, overall their scents are more to my taste. I own 6 of their creations so far: No. 18; No. 5 Eau Premiere; Cristalle Eau Verte; Coco EDT; Coromandel; and Paris-Edimbourg. And that handful has all the seasons covered. Cristalle Eau Verte is perfect for the heat of summer while Coromandel has all the cozy winter vibes. No. 18, Eau Premiere, and Paris-Edimbourg work in all seasons. And Coco has been my out-on-the-town evening scent for decades. Two others that I have owned and used up but haven't yet replaced are Allure Sensuelle and Eau de Cologne. I feel that the Cologne is among the very best.

I would be happy to add most of the rest of the Paris-City series (though Paris-Paris is a snooze), La Pausa, 31 Rue Cambon, 1957, Sycomore, and Le Lion to my collection. So far, I haven't fallen in love with anything from the Chance line; it's quite commercial and I have fairly niche body chemistry. It's possible, however, that the next release, or the one after that, would be more to my liking. And while Comète was vaguely disappointing, there are bound to be future additions to the Les Exclusifs line that will turn my head.

Perhaps if I allowed myself to investigate some of the niche brands with more than a handful of fragrances in their inventory--Xerjoff, Diptyque, Ex Nihilo, Micallef, Montale, Mizensir--I might find another house that offers scents that fit all my moods. Other than Hermes, I'd probably stay away from designer brands. It seems that so many of the newer fragrance companies rely on overloading their perfumes with synthetic aromachemicals like cashmeran, hedione, caramel furanone, ethyl maltol, etc.--ones that intend to create more of a vibe than to reproduce a scent that exists in nature. To my nose, these scents are boring, sweet, and smell like at least 10 others already on the market. If you like 'em, fantastic. They're just not my bag--and believe me, I've tried a lot of them. Right now, I am going to stick with Chanel.

What house would you pick to be your number one forever?

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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.

One Note

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Why am I so obsessed with certain notes that I own multiple variations of a similar scent? For instance, orange blossom/neroli. (Yes, I understand that they are two different perfumery notes, but I'm going to group them together. They are inanimate, so not likely to get their feelings hurt if I do so.) Orange blossom and neroli both come from the flowers of the bitter orange tree. Orange blossom tends to be sweeter and creamier and is extracted from the flower by solvent extraction or enfleurage. Neroli, on the other hand, is fresher and greener, and primarily obtained through steam distillation. Though they have differences, they are alike enough for me to consider them as a single fragrance category. For the duration of this post, I'm just going to refer to both scents as "orange blossom," so please don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not a perfumer or a scientist, just someone who likes to smell good.

I've always been a bit of a collector. Over the years, I've been into Matchbox cars, Barbie dolls, baseball cards, teddy bears, Native American jewelry, cookbooks, and various collectibles related to mermaids, Frida Kahlo, and chile peppers. Currently my sickness includes scented candles and perfumes. I own 16 orange blossom fragrances and am always lusting after another. Among the orange blossom and neroli scents in my collection are Armani Prive Orangerie Venise, Celine Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Clean Blossom, Chanel Eau de Cologne, Elie Saab Essence No. 7 Neroli, ELDO Divin'Enfant, ELDO Une Amourette, Essential Parfums Neroli Botanica, Guerlain Eau Secrete, Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur, Lush Orange Blossom, Memoire Liquide Soleil Liquide, Minois Paris Minois, Monotheme Venezia Zagara, Profumum Roma Battito d'Ali, Serge Lutens Fleurs d'Oranger, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, and Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie, and I'm sure I will fall in love with and purchase other vaguely similar perfumes in the months and years to come.

I'm not saying that all perfumes with a focus on orange blossom are similar. Well, they do actually share a similarity, but they are not the same. Even if multiple of them claimed to have the same notes, the actual aromachemicals involved can be very different, as well as the amounts of each that are used to create the overall perfume. And of course every perfumer has his or her own style. Still, there are probably more similarities within the family of orange blossom fragrances than between the vast number of rose fragrances. Some rose perfumes I love, others I hate; most I find uninteresting at best. But when I smell a primarily orange blossom fragrance, I am immediately attracted. But why?

It's possible that orange blossom is connected to an early scent memory of mine, but that's doubtful. It's true that I received a set of Tinkerbell floral fragrances when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It included small bottles of rose, lily of the valley, and apple blossom scents, and perhaps honeysuckle, but I do not recall orange blossom specifically. It took a long time for me to get into any sort of floral perfumes, so at that young age I wasn't fond of any of them. Living in Maryland didn't put me anywhere near fresh orange blossoms of any sort. Neither my mother nor my grandmother wore orange blossom, so it's not maternal nostalgia. It's just...I don't know what it is. (We're allowed to not understand things from time to time. Even about ourselves.)

While I'm trying to figure things out, let me tell you about a few of my favorites. (Three of them have already been mentioned on this blog and are linked above.)

Elie Saab Essence No. 7 Neroli 

Neroli, Orange Blossom, Musk, Cloves, White Cedar Extract

I think of this sparkling beauty as a more "grown-up" orange blossom fragrance. The greenish neroli notes make this somewhat dry and chypre-esque, definitely indolic, while the orange blossom warms it up just a little bit. The clove both adds to the warmth but also causes a tiny frisson of coolness. I love to wear this in the evening, on a night out, all year 'round, but I will also wear it on a winter's day.

Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur

African Orange Flower, Citruses, Amalfi Lemon, Rosemary, Lavender, Mint, White Musk

I am a big fan of cologne-style fragrances, those fresh citrus bombs that are so deliciously cooling in the sweaty summer. I first encountered La Cologne du Parfumeur at a Sniffapalooza breakfast at Bergdorf Goodman some years ago. There was something special about the orange blossom and herb combination that knocked my socks off; as soon as the breakfast concluded, I was on my way to the Guerlain counter to make a purchase. Few fragrances hook me in such an immediate way, so I had to have it. 

Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie

Neroli, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine Sambac, Frangipani, Beeswax, Vanilla

Sadly, I cannot remember what fragrance I wore for my own wedding, but I can tell you what I wore as Matron of Honor for my BFF Andree's 2021 nuptials. She wore the fluffy, marshmallow-y, orange blossom scent By Kilian Love Don't Be Shy. I thought California Reverie would be a nice companion scent, similar because of the neroli, but much less sweet. I didn't want to out-smell the bride. Some might argue that this is more about jasmine than orange blossom, and that might be true. I've never been drawn to a straight-up jasmine fragrance, indolic or not. However, the lovely neroli/orange opening drew me in and keeps me wearing this lovely scent.

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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.

Fragrance Layering

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I have a confession: though I've collected perfumes for at least 30 years now, I am still brand new to the concept of layering fragrances. 

I always felt that scents should be allowed to stand on their own. But then I kept buying more and more (and more) bottles and at this point have about 250 fragrances in my collection. If I wore a different fragrance every day of the year, I would only cycle through my full collection about 1.5 times every 12 months. As an introvert, I'm not fond of attracting attention to myself, nor do I want to offend anyone, so I'm fairly circumspect about my fragrance application. Let's say a 50ml bottle holds about 600 sprays, and I use 4 per application = 150 applications per bottle x 250 bottles = 37,500 applications of fragrance. That's just shy of 103 years worth of daily use! I'm going to be 60 this year and will be lucky to have another 20 years in me (scary to think that). That said, some of the perfumes in my collection are in the form of travel sprays, but at least half are 100ml bottles, so my estimate of 37K applications is probably on the low side. Yes, I should probably stop buying new bottles of perfume, but what's the fun in that? Perfume collecting is a hobby that brings me great joy. And I've found that selling some of my discontinued perfumes brings in pretty good money. However, I think it would be nice to use up my collection a bit more rapidly than is my wont. I have started using a heavier hand in application, especially with scents I particularly love (D.S. & Durga Pistachio is in this category) and with lighter summertime frags (about half my collection). 

I've also started layering fragrances. The concept was a bit scary at first. How does it work? What if I get it wrong? (The answer to that is to take a shower.) A good rule of thumb is that one should layer fragrances that have complementary or like ingredients. Vanilla, for example, can complement any number of other notes--florals like rose and orange blossom, fruity notes, and various woody accords. Predominately citrus or vetiver scents also layer nicely and can add an aspect that might be missing from the original composition. Obvious is a good label to check out, as they offer several soliflore-style fragrances that cry out to be layered with other scents in the brand or with totally unrelated perfumes. Be warned, however. Scents that might seem to be perfect together could turn into a nightmare. For example, Sarah Baker Perfumes Peach's Revenge + Heretic Dirty Peach = "a photorealistic fart," according to my friend Angie (@angiesmellstheroses on IG and TikTok). 

To make things easier, you can input a list of the fragrances you own into ChatGPT and ask it to "suggest layering combinations." You can refine your question, too, asking for scents that would be good for a night on the town, be it going to the club or a romantic dinner, or suggestions for workplace fragrance combos. Not all of them are going to work, of course. Chat GPT doesn't get the notes right for all the fragrances I've listed, despite all of them being found on Fragrantica. For instance, it seems to think that Imaginary Authors Blend No. 83 is all about antique books and the smell of paper and ink, when it's actually a boozy coffee gourmand, and that Diptyque Venise is either a white musk scent or a woody floral, when it's super green and vegetal. But some of the combinations sound right on. 

One of the more complex suggestions I tried was L'Artisan Parfumeur Poivre Piquant + Trudon Revolution + Indult Reve en Cuir. According to Chat GPT, "this feels like stepping into a hidden, smoky jazz lounge where the air is thick with leather, spice, and mystery." It ain't wrong. It's also a bit much. Revolution is quite assertive; even a double application of Poivre Piquant (first and last) is obliterated by the smoke. Interestingly, the Reve en Cuir made an appearance many hours after application, once Revolution calmed it's ass down. Still, not a combo I'll try again, though I'm determined to find something that will work with Revolution.

A much more successful suggestion was layering L'Artisan Tea for Two over Guerlain Tonka Imperiale. The result was a creamy almondmilk chai that was quite nice. Obvious Un Musc + Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt was another success, with the muskiness of the former bumping up the cozy factor of the latter at least another notch. 

One of my favorites was Comme des Garçons Kyoto + Ormonde Jayne Isfarkand. The dry woody incense blended so well with the citrusy vetiver, they smelled like they belonged together. Another combo that I liked was D. S. & Durga Wear at Maximum Volume + Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. The DS&D scent already has a lot going on, but the addition of dry, green, and somewhat smoky vetiver made it seem simpler overall and much easier to wear on a warmer day.

I have also come up with some successful layering combinations of my own. Bois de Balincourt and Chanel Paris-Edimbourg is a match made in olfactory heaven. Because neither of them are particularly heavy, I think they'll layer quite well in many combinations. Additionally, I recently obtained a bottle of Diptyque L'Eau Papier and feel that its muskiness will make it a layering hero in my scent wardrobe.

Are you a fan of layering fragrances? Tell me your favorite combos!

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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.

eBay Listings

I realized not long ago that I'll never use up all the perfume I currently own, especially as I continually buy more. So I've put some items up for sale on eBay. Most are discontinued items, but I've included Eau de Boujee Verdant because it can't be found in the US and shipping from the UK is a cool $50. Plus, I've determined that it's not for me, so someone else should have it.

Here are links to items currently available. All are buy it now, but I will take lower offers if they seem reasonable.

Creed Vetiver Geranium

(Granny Smith Apple, Lemon, Bergamot, Geranium, Rose, Cinnamon, Cedar, Patchouli, Vetiver, Musk, Amber)

Donna Karan Chaos (new bottle)

(Spices, Coriander, Exotic Woods, Sage)

Eau de Boujee Verdant

(Cactus, Timur, Neroli, Tomato Leaf, Violet Leaf, White Flowers,Australian Sandalwood, Javanol, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Concrete, Musk)

Read my blog post: https://www.minxstinks.com/2024/08/boujee-bougies.html

Lancome Mille et Une Roses

(Rose, Musk, Amber, Vanilla)

Menard Eau de Kasaneka

(Japanese Rose, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Ginger, Orange, Basil, Bergamot, Heliotrope, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Carnation, Ambrette, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Musk, Cedar, Vetiver) 

Read my blog post: 

https://www.minxstinks.com/2024/10/favorite-scents-that-nobody-has-heard.html

Mugler Les Exceptions Over the Musk

(Musk, Cashmere Wood, Ambrette, Black Pepper)

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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.

Chopard Casmir

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Casmir
Peach, Coconut, Mango, Bergamot, Fruits, Geranium, Jasmine, Floral Notes, Lily-of-the-Valley, Vanilla, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli, Woodsy Notes

I bought my first bottle of Chopard Casmir not long after it was released in 1991 (Fragrantica says 1992). Back then, I was into sweeter scents; Casmir is definitely sweet, though nowhere near as sugary as many of the perfumes that are popular today. These days--more than 30 years after discovering this beauty--I am much less interested in the sugary stuff, yet Casmir is still one of my all time favorites. Over time, I've gone through at least 8 bottles and will continue buying it for years to come.

Some might describe Casmir as a "fruity vanilla," but I think of it more of an amber scent that happens to have a good dose of vanilla and a bit of peach. Fruity fragrances are all the rage right now and are made to be deliberately and obviously fruity. But the fruit notes in Casmir are just a part of the whole lovely composition, much like the geranium, jasmine, and muguet, none of which stand out to me. It opens with a bit of gentle peachiness mixed with a resinous amber. The scent gets a bit more vanilla-ish as it dries down, but Casmir is otherwise pretty linear. And gorgeous from beginning to end.

I am now going to take a brief moment to nerd out on language. Feel free to skip this part, as it's mostly indicative of the way my chaotic brain works and also my regret that I did not pursue linguistics when I was younger.

The spelling of this perfume's name, C-A-S-M-I-R, signifies a male name of Polish origin. According to Ancestry.com, it:

...holds deep historical significance as it symbolizes the role of a peace keeper. The name is derived from the Slavic elements kaziti and mir, meaning to destroy and peace respectively.

However, the more probable origin of the perfume's name is KASHMIR, a region on the Asian Subcontinent that has been a center for many world religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Islam. In 1949, Kashmir was partitioned between India and Pakistan. Currently, India controls about half the land area, Pakistan controls about 1/3, and China controls the rest. And there are still territorial skirmishes. 

The etymology of the name Kashmir itself is uncertain, though it's believed to have come from the Sanskrit meaning "to dry up water," relating to the Kashmir Valley having possibly been under water thousands of years ago. [1] 

However, the founder of Chopard was a French-speaking Swiss watchmaker. The French word for Kashmir is Cachemire, not Casmir. Was the spelling of the perfume's name deliberately chosen to reflect the conflict of the region and suggest the fragrance could bring peace?

Or did it just seem like a good name for an "oriental" fragrance? 

And now the bottle.

While Casmir's bottle is lovely, I have to question why Chopard chose to use a pointed dome shape for the cap and arched doorway motif for the container itself. Those elements can be found in buildings like the Taj Mahal, which I suppose immediately springs to mind when considering the architecture of India. It would appear, however, that Kashmiri architecture is not necessarily "typical" of the region. While Google images is in no way a comprehensive means of doing research, my query for "Kashmir architecture" did pull up a couple of rounded silhouettes; none were a similar pointed dome that we think of as an "onion" shape. Overall, I felt the examples of Kashmiri architecture I was able to find more resembled that of East Asia, and the temples indeed were more in the Buddhist pagoda style. As I am an unpaid blogger with a day job, I am not going to do a deeper dive into the architectural styles of the Asian Subcontinent. I am just going to assume that the bottle was made in what Westerners might consider an appropriate shape for a product appearing to be named for a part of that region. 

1. Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, pp. 22–,  

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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.

Blind Buy: SJP Covet

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Covet

Sicilian Lemon, Lavender, Dark Chocolate, Pelargonium Leaf, Lily-of-the-Valley, Honeysuckle, Magnolia, Musk, Cashmere Wood, Teak Wood, Vetiver, Amber

I have heard the word "weird" used to describe Covet on several occasions. My opinion is that after it dries down, the scent is as innocent and gentle as Johnson's Baby Lotion. However, it doesn't start out that way. The opening has lemon and floral notes, and something green that I'm thinking is the pelargonium (geranium). I don't feel it actually smells like geranium, which--unless it's a scented geranium--smells like metallic green soil. My grandmother had a variety that had thick twisty stems that almost resembled palm tree trunks, large leaves, and tiny pink flowers. It reeked. That smell has always been what comes to mind when I see a geranium note listed in a fragrance. Thank heavens that's not what it actually smells like. 

There's also something minty there too, and yeah, ok, that's a little odd next to the lily-of-the-valley and honeysuckle and lavender. It evokes the scent of the well-used purse of a mature woman, all Wrigley's wrappers and spilled powder. My mom's purse. But that sensation is fairly fleeting. The musk and amber come in to cozy things up a bit, and that's when it becomes baby lotion. Not a complaint--Covet smells really good on me. I wish I got more of the wood and vetiver, but I'm not crying about it. 

Now, just because Covet was a successful blind buy for me, doesn't mean it will be for you. Fragrancenet currently has it for $35, so it won't break the bank if you do give it a shot.

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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.