Alas, I have spritzed the final drops of my beloved YSL Cinema perfume. How gorgeous is the bottle? I’m torn between throwing it in the recycling bin and keeping it for a while yet on my dresser.
I know loads of people change their fragrance with the season or moment (Summer 09! Trip to Antwerp!), but to be frank it’s not viable for me and I find it a teeny bit excessive. I generally go through yearlong love affairs with perfumes before moving on to something new and fresh.
HISTORY
I started with Versace Baby Rose when I was a wee thing, igniting a love for pretty glass bottles and packaging. I moved onto Noa for a few years, mostly because my mother wore it.
Then came an obsession with JPG’s Fragile, with its glittery miniature snow dome. It was the perfume of choice as a few boys ripped my soft little teenage heart out. YSL’s Cinema has been my mainstay of the last 2 years; and the most recent addition to my beauty drawers has been Gwen Stefani’s L. Of course there has been others but these are my most memorable fragrances.
Right now, I’m at a crossroads as to which perfume to purchase. I believe it’s a crucial part of one’s style identity, to be honest I feel like a complete sloth if I go out without it – I have the nagging feeling of being not completely dressed.
The power of scent is always far more formidable than you realise. If you need more proof, get thy self to a bookstore; I was probably one of the last people to ‘discover’ it, but the novel Perfume is amazing. In fact it was released the year I was born, so indeed, my perusal was belated. The story of the dastardly genius Grenouille, it makes you think deeply about our most under appreciated sense. I was sniffing things for weeks afterward, it was great!
In respect of this, I have decided to investigate further with a mix of experimentation and reading before I commit to a new fragrance. Thus, I have spent few lovely hours at my local beauty emporiums (both alone and with my girl friends!), getting giddy on fragrances and sniffing coffee beans.
NOT QUITE MOI
The discovery of Comme des Garçon’s ‘socially incorrect fragrances’ made me stop in my tracks. The Synthetic Series 6 is based on man-made pl aces and the materials of daily life. They are harsh, unapologetic and challenging. While I adore the concept, synthetic scents for a modern life, these are not actually pleasant in any way. I wish I could pretend I’m an avant-garde girlie who wears dresses made of old tire swans… but I’m not. The best of these was Soda, a citric, brain-needling scent. As for Tar, Garage et al… well, I had my beaker firmly pressed to the coffee bean cup after those.
SCENT OF SUCCESS
Maelin + Goetz’s Rum Tonic is also synthesised but it has a totally yummy smell! It’s warm, friendly (to all genders!) and can be used with their other tonics to create a dynamic signature scent. To quote their luscious descriptor of the scent it has “top notes of bergamot and plum, middle notes of rum and leather, dry down of amber, patchouli, and milk.”
Play by Comme des Garçons is a much friendlier alternative to the synthetic series! A charming friendly bottle houses a nice unisex perfume that could be described as aquatic. I think the idea of sharing a scent with someone is sexy, so buy one for yourself or to share with your loved one.
Kai was another pleasing scent, inspired by Hawaii. The intent was to capture the island’s fragrance; which they do in a fresh, hint of rain on the air manner.
EXTRA EXTRA
I dabbed the Molecule 1 from escentric on my wrist but I haven’t been able to form an opinion on it yet. It had a pleasant enough aroma but apparently it is meant to transform on contact with your skin, releasing a scent unique to the wearer. Have any you ever tried a pheromone based perfume?
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab are purveyors of dark, romantic Gothic toned scents. While I haven’t tried any of them yet, I am squirming at the thought of trying some of their delectable sounding ‘Imps’ or taster-sized bottles.
WHAT NOW?
Ah, decisions, decisions. Right now the only decision I’m making is to wander to my local department store; to eat tea sandwiches with old ladies in the cafe, then go another round with the spritzing, sample waggling salespeople. In mean time, this article on 100 Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try by Now Smell This makes for fine, in depth reading.
“A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” – Coco Chanel
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Similar to Black Phoenix are Arcana (http://arcanasoaps.com/ – they do perfume oils as well as soap) and Possets (http://www.possets.com/ – the packaging isn’t great but you can forgive it for the price). I actually find I have a much better “hit rate” with these two than with BPAL, though their ranges are smaller.
If you’re keen on some suggestions, my favourites from Black Phoenix include Morocco (warm and spicy), Kathmandu (woody and resinous), Perversion (leathery and smokey) and Zephyr (sweetly clean and lemony); from Arcana include Molly Malone (candyfloss and sea spray, strange but wonderful) and Haint (musky vanilla); and from Possets include Ultramarine Blue (soft lavender), Titanium White (non-air-freshener floral) and Lamp Black (spicy tea) – not all their perfumes are named after paints but that series is particularly good :)
I mostly only wear perfume oils from small companies like these now, they are so affordable and once you get used to not having the alcohol components in your perfume it’s odd to go back. But I do have a few favourites from the mass-market world, the Comme des Garcons Incense series is fantastic, particularly Avignon; L’Artisan’s Tea for Two is a brilliant spicy tea with a raisin-like richness; Diptique’s Tam Dao is a perfect creamy sandalwood (though I hear it’s been reformulated due to the sandalwood shortages so maybe it isn’t great anymore); Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Coeur de Vahine is a bright sparkly fruity summer in a bottle (the one I have is under the previous name, Enfants du Soleil, but I think the juice is the same); Lolita Lempicka is a descendant of Angel with great licorice and earthy notes; Serge Lutens is a master of the “oriental” genre and I particularly like Douce Amere and Daim Blond.
I recently bought “Perfumes: The Guide” by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez and would highly recommend it, for scathing entertainment as well as information :) “The Secret of Scent” by Luca Turin is fascinating too, though it gets more into science than aesthetics.
Hmmm, it seems I can talk about perfume all day! I hope you find something (or some things) you love!
Annette – thank you so much! You’re a wealth of knowledge :) I miss your perfumes reviews, they were always were really fun to read. Perhaps the ‘many’ approach might be my solution – trying things is very entertaining. Also, I’m always a fan of receiving packages in the mail! Yes, I’ll definitely look into your suggestions.
Hi could you please post more about perfume?