A Favorite: Chanel Les Exclusifs No. 18

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Chanel Les Exclusifs No. 18

Ambrette (Musk Mallow), Iris, Rose, Geranium, White Musk

I have to admit, Chanel No. 18 isn’t a fragrance that comes up in everyday conversation. It’s one of those Les Exclusifs gems that hides in plain sight. It's less famous than No. 5, Coco, or No. 19, but quietly brilliant. And after spending some serious time with it over the last several years, I can see why.

No. 18 is a musky, aromatic, slightly metallic fragrance that feels both classic and modern. It’s perfect for anyone who likes their perfume refined, intimate, and a little unexpected. This scent is built around ambrette seed, a musky, slightly carrot-y ingredient that smells clean, luminous, and very skin-like. Add iris, and you get this cool, slightly metallic shimmer that lifts the musk without softening it too much. The result is a fragrance that is cold, clean, entirely unisex, and never feels like it’s trying too hard. 

What’s most striking about No. 18 is its subtlety. It’s never loud or flashy. If it was a color, it would be a silvery grey. It’s the type of scent that rewards close attention, an intimate fragrance that you don’t notice across the room, but when you do, it lingers in your memory. Some people even call it “like freshly washed skin,” and I’d argue that’s not far off. But it’s also luminous, and just a little mysterious.

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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.

What is "Niche?"

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The world of fragrance and fragrance collectors has morphed quite a bit over the years, particularly the 20 or so that I've been heavily into scent. Trends can create shifts in styles and preferences, as can the addition of younger and younger consumers to the hobby. Sweet, fluffy, fruity, and youthful fragrances currently reign supreme at the moment, but something else might be more en vogue next year (god, I hope so). Not only do tastes change, however, but also things that seem like they should be immutable. For instance, the definition of the word "niche," as it pertains to perfumery. 

Back when I started collecting, in the mid-00s, fragrances were sorted into three general categories: mainstream/mass-market, niche, and indie. These designations referred to the number of "doors" or individual shops in which those scents were sold. Mainstream scents could be found in the many hundreds of mall department stores with a fragrance counter (for example, Estee Lauder White Linen) and others, like Revlon's Charlie, were sold in thousands of drug stores. Niche perfumes, on the other hand, were sold in very few shops, including expensive department stores like Bergdorf Goodman or Henri Bendel of which only a handful existed, online stores like Beautyhabit.com, and perfume boutiques like Scent Bar. Finally, "indie," or independent fragrances, were sold by the perfumers themselves on their own websites or shops. 

These days, online discussions still refer to three categories of fragrance, though the term "designer" seems to have replaced mainstream. As the word suggests, designer fragrances are created by companies associated with a fashion designer, like Calvin Klein, and can include both mass-market and "luxury" or "prestige" lines. Independent scents are still mostly sold by the perfumers themselves, though occasionally they can be found at specialized perfume boutiques. But niche has picked up a new definition: fragrances from companies that make nothing but perfume. I've been in arguments with Redditors who will die on that cross and (virtually) scream me down over my assertion that the word niche simply refers to where the scents are sold. Period. Full Stop. 

I want to insert one of my (many) unpopular opinions here because it works with the theme of this post: designer fragrances can also be niche. Let's look at Chanel. Chanel Chance is sold everywhere, from department stores to Sephora and Ulta Beauty, and unlike most Chanel fragrances, can be found at online discounters. It is a mainstream fragrance. But Chanel's Les Exclusifs line is sold only in high-end department stores and Chanel boutiques. Because the number of doors is small, that makes Les Exclusifs niche. Disagree? Let's do my word-geek thing and look at the dictionary definition of the word niche. Pay attention to 2 d.

According to Merriam-Webster: 

1 a : a recess in a wall especially for a statue

   b : something (such as a sheltered or private space) that resembles a recess in a wall

2 a : a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted

   finally found her niche

   b : a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species

   c : the ecological role of an organism in a community especially in regard to food consumption

   d : a specialized market

Ah. "A specialized market." The word "Market" doesn't only refer to the actual shop in which the product is sold, but also to the group of consumers who would be interested in the product itself. It doesn't matter one bit that the name on this product--in this case, a perfume--is a designer who also makes shoes, watches, and suits. Or that they also sell fragrances that can be purchased at thousands of shops world-wide. The market for Chanel Les Exclusifs is the relatively small group of people who want a well-crafted fragrance created by an in-house perfumer using high quality ingredients and are willing to pay high prices for the privilege. 

In other words, it is the market that creates the designation, not the amount of other stuff that the name on the label does or does not produce. 

Let's make things a little more complicated. Are all the fragrances that we might consider to be niche actually niche? How about Kilian Paris? The company only makes perfume, so it fits the modern internet/social media-favored definition of the term. However, while Kilian fragrances are not sold in Macy's (yet), they are available at Nordstrom and Sephora, which together equal roughly 2000 stores in the US alone. That makes them mainstream--at least the individual Kilian scents that are sold in those places. One can say the same for Tom Ford fragrances. His Private Blend collection--which as a designer luxury line once fit my criterion for niche, as it was sold in few shops--is no longer particularly private. They, too, are available at not only Nordie's and Sephora, but also Macy's, of which there are currently 500-ish locations. (I wouldn't be surprised to see Tobacco Vanille on the shelves at Rite Aid in the future.) Tom's definitely in mainstream category now, despite the ridiculous price tag.

There are probably other examples that don't fit the formula exactly. Celebrity scents that are distributed by companies that only make fragrance products--mainstream or niche? Michelle Pfeiffer's fragrance line Henry Rose--niche or indie? I'm sure there are people who can argue one way or the other, and maybe I would, too. But that's another post for another day.

Have an opinion on the subject? Please leave a comment!

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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 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.

Flankers: Why?

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Why do so many flankers exist? For those who are not familiar with the term, "flanker" refers to a perfume that bears the same name as an existing scent, but with a twist or addition. Like Coke, Diet Coke, and Cherry Coke. Or Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios. An other way to think about them: flankers are like sequels. Shrek and Shrek 2, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The same characters doing the same things, but with a different story. 

A flanker isn't the same as a concentration--there may be an EDT, an EDP, a Parfum, and an Extrait of the same scent, Chanel No. 5, for example (which also had an eau de cologne)--but those aren't necessarily thought of as different fragrances, despite the occasional alteration of ingredients. There are, however, flankers of No. 5, including Eau Premiere, Elixir Sensuel, and L'Eau. 

Clear as mud, right?

In my mind, there are three types of flankers: 1) a scent that is very much like the original, with just a hint of a tweak to the ingredients; 2) a scent that possesses the soul of the original, but is different enough to stand on its own (a true flanker); 3) a scent that has absolutely nothing to do with the original fragrance, but it bears a variation on the name. 

Fragrance companies do this to cash in on the popularity of a successful product. If they make a new scent and give it the same name, people who like the first iteration might be interested enough to purchase the second (third, ninth, etc.) whether or not the new version is anything like the original or not. This seems a bit disingenuous, though there may well be people who own Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noir and will also buy any or all of the thirty-ish flankers that have been released since the original came out in 2009. (The few I've tried smell identical, though I haven't done any side-by-side sniff tests.) But if the original is good and popular, why keep reinventing the wheel? And if the scent is vastly different, why not just give it a new name? 

Some fragrance companies make all their bank on flankers. Mugler, for example, essentially only has two fragrances that have earned them any real money, Angel and Alien. According to Fragrantica, there are at least 33 variations on the Alien theme, including a handful of masculines. Angel has a whopping 58 listings, among them flankers of flankers (like the 4 variants of Eau Sucree). Not included in that 58 is the Angel marketed toward men, A*Men, which has 19 flankers of its own, nor Angel Innocent (now just called Innocent though the bottle still bears the Angel star motif) which has 7. Sure, Mugler has put out other fragrances over the years, such as their excellent Mugler Cologne (of which there are 9 iterations), plus Les Exceptions and Mirror Mirror, two collections comprising 22 quite different and very good scents, all of which are currently discontinued. I was lucky to get one of the last bottles of Les Exceptions Over the Musk--a stunningly beautiful ambrette and musk concoction--from the Mugler.com site back in 2019. I was also able to snag a bottle of Miroir des Joyaux, a rich woody floral that I like to wear at Christmastime, from a discounter. (Fragrancenet still has a couple of Les Exceptions and most of the colognes available.) Apparently none of those scents--nor Womanity or Aura--sold as well as Angel and Alien, so Mugler is milking their cash cows dry. Surprisingly, however, despite the preponderance of Angels on the market, including the original, the new Fantasm (which I'd like to smell), and Nova, it's rare that I notice anyone around me wearing it. Certainly not like I did when the original came out in the early 90s. 

Many of Angel's flankers smell like, well, Angel, but with the volume of one note turned up or down. But there are also versions that have an added ingredient that changes the scent considerably while still keeping the Angel DNA intact. The original Eau Croisiere from 2019 has a lovely mango note, while its own flanker from 2020, also called Eau Croisiere, swaps out the mango for fig. Angel Iced Star, which came out in 2021, is essentially Eau Croisiere, but with pineapple and coconut instead of the mango or fig. I think of scents like these as true flankers, while the ones that haven't changed the original fragrance much are money-grabbers, pure and simple. 

Other flankers that fall in the "true flanker" category, those fragrances that bear the soul of the original, but with enough ingredients tweaked to make it truly different, can be more appealing to those who could not wear or just plain disliked the original. Let's go back to Chanel No. 5. I can't wear the original, and am not a huge fan of scents with an extreme amount of aldehydes. But Eau Premiere, which is a pared-down version of the original, with the aldehydes, ylang-ylang, neroli, jasmine, rose, vanilla, sandalwood, and vetiver, but minus the citrus notes, lily-of-the-valley, civet, amber, orris, patchouli, and oakmoss. The result smells very much like No. 5, but also quite different. To me, it's almost like the love child of No. 5 and Guerlain Shalimar, which is one of my favorites.

Speaking of Shalimar, it, too, has a number of flankers that smell a great deal like the original but might appeal to a broader audience. The original came out in 1925, a sexy amber scent with prominent citrus and vanilla notes, plus leather, incense, civet, and resins in the base. Over the years, the scent has been "cleaned-up" a bit with the removal of many of the base notes (though there is the occasional limited edition re-issue with the skankier notes added back in), and the flankers have modernized the fragrance even more. Parfum Initial, for example, added caramel to the now standard concoction of citrus, iris, patchouli, rose, jasmine, tonka, and vanilla. Initial L'Eau removes the caramel and adds more citruses, plus freesia and hyacinth, and Initial L'Eau Si Sensuelle takes out the extra floral notes and adds green ones. There was also a version that ramped up the orange blossom--Souffle d'Oranger--by adding mandarin, orange blossom, petitgrain, and neroli (I am so sorry I missed out on this one!) and several that leaned heavily on Shalimar's vanilla aspect. Ode a la Vanille Sur la Route du Mexique has caramel and chocolate, but the list of notes for Ode a la Vanille Sur la route de Madagascar reads very much like the original formulation. (I must admit I am relying on Fragrantica, which I know is not the gospel when it comes to listings of notes. It just seemed easier than trying to track them down elsewhere.) 

As for the third type of flanker, one that has no relation to the original fragrance whatsoever--there are far fewer examples of those. One that stands out in my mind, however is Black Opium. YSL's original Opium is a warm amber, one of those fragrances that used to be referred to as an "Oriental," loaded with spices like cinnamon, cloves, and pepper on a base of woods and resins. Black Opium is a sweet gourmand with coffee and vanilla. The only similarities between the fragrances are that they have used a bottle with the same shape (though the original has come in several bottle styles over the years), and the name. There's no reason at all that the newer scent should be named after the classic. Zero.

It's not only iconic fragrances for which flankers exist. And by iconic, I mean in the original sense of the word, not the current usage where pretty much anything can be iconic just because some TikTok user deemed it so. I'm talking Barbra Streisand iconic, not Sabrina Carpenter "iconic." Scents like YSL Libre, Valentino Valentina, Carolina Herrera Good Girl, and Jessica Simpson Fancy all have flankers, whether they need to or not. The original must have sold well, so I suppose there was no reason to try something new.  

Which seems very lazy to me.

In an industry already flooded with fragrances, do we really need more that are merely repetitions of what we already have? I suppose since flankers do sell, the answer is yes.

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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.

Summer Favorites

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I'm one of those people who has one fragrance wardrobe for warm weather and a completely different one for cold. After all, I wouldn't wear shorts and flip flops in the winter or a coat in the summer. When temperatures hit the mid-60s, suddenly cozy vanilla and amber perfumes can feel stifling; when it's super hot, they make me gag. It's not that I don't like them anymore, it's just that they feel very wrong. I have a similar reaction with light citrusy scents in the winter, though rather than making me physically ill, I merely feel naked. 

I own over 200 different scents, which I store in sealed bins in a dark, climate-controlled, room. When the seasons change, I pull out 30 or so to wear in the coming months. With so many frags to choose from, those 30 can change from year to year, meaning I might not wear some of my perfumes at all some years. Others, however, are favorites that I can't live without, so they always find their way into my seasonal selection. 

Armani Prive Orangerie Venise

Bitter Orange, Citruses, Bergamot, Neroli, Agathosma, Ambroxan, Cedar, Moss

This was one of those rare love-at-first-sniff must-buy-now occasions for me. I was about to leave the Beauty Floor at Bergdorf's and spotted a display of this scent by the up escalator. I will smell anything with the word "orange" in the name, so I gave myself a spritz and left the building. I couldn't stop sniffing myself the rest of the day, so I went back and bought a bottle. It wasn't cheap, but I knew I wasn't likely to find this at a perfume discounter anytime soon. I'd say this is a modern chypre fragrance, with a lot of moss to compensate for the ton of citrus. It's gorgeous on me, and perfect for hot weather.

Carthusia Mediterraneo 

Lemon, Bergamot, Mint, Eucalyptus, Red Thyme, Litsea Cubeba, Sicilian Mandarin, Wildflowers, Jasmine, Cardamom, White Musk

Lemon and mint are a pretty perfect summertime beat-the-heat combo. They work as flavors and as aromas. While Mediterraneo has lots of other ingredients, it's really all about the lemon and mint. It's fairly long lasting on my skin, too, which I think is probably thanks to the white musk drydown. Summer in a bottle. 

Caudalie The des Vignes

Tea, African Orange Flower, Jasmine, Grapes, Neroli, Ginger, Musk, Woodsy Notes, Honey

This was a blind buy. I didn't think I could go wrong with this one, though the honey note might have turned out to be too strong. The des Vignes is somewhat in the same school of thought as D&G Light Blue and Moschino I Love Love, a fresh and sparkly citrus/fruit/transparent woods thing, but with orange flower instead of citrus. It's light, pretty, and uplifting.

Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte

Amalfi Lemon, Bergamot, Neroli, Magnolia, Jasmine, Iris, Musk

Cristalle Eau Verte is my all-time favorite summer scent. I can wear it every day without getting tired of it. The opening is so joyful and bright, citrussy but also green. I can't pick out the specific floral notes, but they give the fragrance some staying power, and the musk makes the whole thing summertime sexy. It's fabulous. 

D.S. & Durga Lady Greystock

Violet, Orris, Amber

This Anthropologie collab is one of those scents that was so good at first spritz, I spent the rest of the evening sniffing my arm. Despite violet being listed as a note, it's nowhere to be found in this dry and woody scent that must also have patchouli in it. Perfect for most seasons, I love it most in the summer when it really helps cut the heat. They discontinued the frag soon after I bought my first bottle, so I contacted D.S. & Durga to see if there were any bottles hanging around the warehouse. There were, so I bought three. I just started my third bottle and have one full one left. Lucky me. 

Estee Lauder Azuree Soleil Eau Fraiche Skinscent

Mandarin Orange, Sicilian Bergamot, Gardenia, Magnolia, Myrrh, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Coconut, Caramel, Sandalwood, Amber, Vetiver

The precursor to EL's Bronze Goddess, Azuree Soleil smells like sweet summers of my youth. Read more about it on this post.

Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur

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

Another love-at-first-sniff...clearly there's a theme with my summer faves! I met this one at a Sniffapalooza breakfast event at Bergdorf's in 2010 where it was introduced to a small group of fragrance fanatics. As soon as the event was over, I hightailed it to the Guerlain counter and handed over my credit card. While Cologne du Parfumeur does have the usual cologne citrus thing going on, it also has a lovely herbal twist without being overtly herby, and the bonus of a white musk drydown. I just love this one.

Hermes Eau des Merveilles

Orange, Elemi, Lemon, Amber, Pepper, Pink Pepper, Violet, Fir, Cedar, Madagascar Vetiver, Oakmoss, Benzoin

I was on a trip to NY with my Dad when I met this one. I can't remember what shop we visited, but there was a Hermes counter and we did some sampling. He smelled of some nightmarish cumin monster the rest of the day, while I wafted this dry and salty ambergris scent. Unlike others mentioned here, I waited a while before making a purchase. This is so good on those ferociously hot days in July and August.

Hermes Hiris

Iris, Coriander, Carnation, Amber, Iris, Neroli, Rose, Cedar, Almond Tree, Honey, Vanilla

I sniffed this one at Bergdorf's and bought it on the spot. (Maybe it's the magic of Bergdorf's that compels me to buy so many things immediately?) It's hard to believe that there are so many notes in this fragrance, because all I get is cold, nearly metallic, iris, with the barest cold cream thing going on with it. 

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Cologne Pour le Matin

Bergamot, Lavender, Thyme, Amalfi Lemon, African Orange Flower

For whatever reason, this beaut smells like purple Jujubes to me. The little semi-gummy/semi-hard candy pellets, not the fruit. Purple is violet, not lavender, flavored, so I have to think that it's the combination of lavender/thyme/citrus that causes that effect. I'm so glad I bought the big bottle, as this fragrance has been discontinued. 

Ode Verde

Cut Grass, Herbaceous Basil, Green Olive, Tomato Leaf

Olive oil purveyors McEvoy Ranch have a beauty line that once upon a time included perfume.  It's fantastically green and herbaceous, and while it does smell of  basil and tomato leaf, I think it really smells like parsley. I misplaced my bottle for a while, but am happy to say I found it again and have been wearing it during the recent hot spell we've been having.

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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.

Chanel Les Exclusifs - First Thoughts, ca. 2007

There are, what? seventeen fragrances in Chanel's Les Exclusifs collection these days. Back when they were first released, in 2007, there were only six. Before I sniffed those, I was not a Chanel gal at all. I did not appreciate No. 5 (still don't, though I do like and own Eau Premiere). I had a brief flirtation with Coco, which was my "out-on-the-town" scent in the early/mid-90s. (I still wear it on rare occasion, but it's just so pungent.) The Les Exclusifs were different though, not necessarily more approachable to my nascent palate, but more interesting maybe? In any case, these were my earliest thoughts on the line.

Currently, I own bottles of No. 18 and Coromandel, and large decants of 31 Rue Cambon and Eau de Cologne.
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Today I got my hands on samples from the eagerly-awaited Chanel Exclusifs line. I was so excited, I could barely wait until dinner was over so I could rush to my office and test them. (My husband always makes a lovely dinner and it would be cruel to make him wait while I overindulge my already spoiled olfactory sense.) Let me tell you it was well worth the wait.

No.18
Notes: ambrette seed

No. 18 starts off with a slightly musty and dry note with a vegetal quality, vaguely metallic, like a root of some sort, with a non-spicy white pepper edge (a la L'Artisan Poivre Piquant perhaps). Soon a musky soapiness reveals itself, sweetish and very pleasant. The drydown has a heavier musk smell, that of the ambrette, with a bit of funk. Not unpleasant mind you, like dirty underpants or sweaty men (although I hear some people like that sort of thing), just a little animalic.

Coromandel
Notes: amber, vanilla, patchouli

A sweet and powdery oriental with tinges of leather, a dash of something akin to orange peel, some spice, some smoke, and a soft vanilla with a dash of patchouli. It reminds me a bit of both Anné Pliska and Fifi Chachnil, but without the former's "mature" quality (on me - I know it has lots of fans) and sans the rose of the latter. Not as spicy or bold a scent as I expected, but more refined and ladylike.

Eau de Cologne
Notes: musk, neroli, vetiver, bergamot, citrus

Eau de Cologne opens with sweet and bright citrus notes that dries down to a very aromatic and musky neroli fragrance. Simple, fairly straightforward, and completely delicious.

31 Rue Cambon
Notes: iris, labdanum, jasmine, sandalwood

This fragrance is an oakmoss-free chypre that opens with a very dry and peppery note that has an earthy, dirt-like metallic tang, somewhat like carrots. The scent then becomes more floral, with a musky and leathery tone. There's a very Chanel quality to this scent--elegant, expensive, complex. The only Chanel I ever wore was Coco, in the 80s, and although the scents are different, they are connected in my mind. 31 Rue Cambon has a nice bit of patchouli in the drydown, an earthy sensuousness that is not unpleasant, although my husband thought it had a suggestion of body odor. Try it and judge for yourself. I'm not a big fan of chypres, but as I quite like this one, it must be oakmoss that I don't care for. (I am a heretic, I know.)

Bel Respiro
Notes: hyacinth, fresh cut grass, galbanum, crushed leaves, rosemary, thyme, rose, lilac, hyacinth, green tea, aromatic grasses, myrrh, leather

A crisp green fragrance, "intended to evoke stems, leaves and springtime," Bel Respiro opens with just that stemmy-ness. Then there is a rush of notes, as if walking through a garden full of herbs and fragrant blooms on a hot summer's day while drinking a glass of iced green tea sweetened with honey. Bel Respiro reminds me a bit of Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, without the mint. It's very pleasant, sweet and green, with the honeyed note becoming more prevalent in the drydown.

28 La Pausa
Notes: orris

This elegant and chilly scent opens with the same sort of earthy root smell as 31 Rue Cambon, then becomes a mild white floral. I really can't find a whole lot to say about this one; I think it's pretty unremarkable, and the scent is not particularly long-lasting. Meh.

I'm actually pretty surprised that I like 5 of the 6 scents, although I personally consider only one of them worthy of joining my collection as a full bottle--Coromandel.

Originally posted on Sniffapalooza Magazine.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Evolving Tastes

I posted this on another blog back in 2011. Things haven't changed much, as far as my fragrance tastes are concerned, though I am pretty much obsessed with scents with iris notes these days.
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I'm not sure exactly when I became a perfume aficionado. When I was a child, I knew which fragrances I did *not* like: Estée Lauder Youth Dew, Coty Emeraude, Prince Matchabelli Wind Song, Jean Naté, and just about anything else my mother wore; any of the Tinkerbell floral fragrances I received as a Christmas gift from a cousin; anything Avon except Sweet Honesty. None of those fragrances were "right" to my nose, and I still feel the same way about Youth Dew, a fragrance that I would call an "acquired taste." (I haven't smelled any of the others in decades).

At some point, a cousin gave me a bottle of Anne Klein Blazer, packaged with an address book. Looking back, I realize it was probably a gift-with-purchase item that she had no use for, but to me then it was something special: a real, grown-up perfume. It was somewhat sweet and fruity, if I remember correctly, and nothing like the scents I did not like. Blazer was probably too much for a kid to wear, but I wore it anyway, on "special occasions," and when I felt especially ballsy, to school.

Eventually I put together a small collection of typically safe and boring teenage scents that I wore through high school: Sweet Honesty. Heaven Scent. Love's Baby Soft. Chantilly. In those days, my mom and I were big fans of mail-order catalogs and one of our favorites was from a company that sold heavily-discounted beauty products and fragrances. Once in a while, the description of some perfume or another would intrigue us, and if it was cheap enough, we'd order it. Once I hit college age, my fragrance collection included Bakir and Cinnabar (both spicy orientals) and Maxims de Paris, a heady floral, all quite a bit different and far more sophisticated than my high school favorites.

So what happened? My tastes evolved. And they continue to evolve.

In my 20s and 30s, I was largely attracted to sweet scents, either gourmands--preferably with tons of vanilla--or ambers (Calvin Klein Obsession, Casmir, Thymes Filigree), with occasional forays into something spicy (Lagerfeld KL, Donna Karan Chaos). I was pretty sure I hated florals, particularly shrill old-fashioned ones like Chanel No. 5, and anything with rose. And then I discovered the Perfume of Life forum and a whole world of fragrances beyond the couple dozen available at the local department store.

After that came attendance at Sniffapalooza, a two-day, nose-exhausting, perfume-smelling extravaganza held twice a year in Manhattan. I knew there were lots of interesting things to smell in New York, but before Sniffa, I had only quickly visited the (admittedly quite large) fragrance department at Saks Fifth Avenue. I had no experience with niche fragrances until I visited Bergdorf Goodman, Takashimaya, Bendel's, Barney's, and the fabulous perfume boutique, Aedes de Venustas. Online, I found what I think of as the the mac daddy of niche fragrance purveyors, Lucky Scent.

Over the past four years, after sampling hundreds and hundreds of scents, my tastes have started to change. While I still appreciate a good vanilla (Guerlain's smoky Spiritueuse Double Vanille is my current favorite), I've realized that I do like floral scents, particularly those with osmanthus, peony, gardenia, and tuberose. And that there are many types of rose scents, some of which I like very much (Stella McCartney Stella, Lancome Mille et une Rose, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania). I'll even wear Chanel No. 5, as long as it's the less-aldehydic Eau Premiere. I've also found the joys of salty and savory dry scents (as long as they do not contain the aromachemical calone, which smells like artificial seaweed), like Hermes Eau de Merveilles, Santa Maria Novella Citta di Kyoto, and Hermes Hiris.

Now my collection of fragrances varies in number between 60 and 100, depending on my changing tastes and my most recent purge. Right now, I'm looking forward to an upcoming trip to New York where I plan to spend at least a couple of hours trying out the new fragrances from the past year or so. Maybe I'll add something old and familiar to my collection, or maybe I'll be struck by a completely new scent sensation that I simply must buy. In any case, I'll certainly enjoy the sensory overload.

Are you a fragrance aficionado? What types of fragrances do you favor - today?

Published originally on Opalescent, March 2011.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks