I don’t require Fève Délicieuse by Dior to do anything more than it does, which is to step between me and this cold, cold world like a bodyguard. In the late nineties, I…
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Aromatic Chypre Herbal Oakmoss Patchouli Review Sandalwood SpiceMarescialla by Santa Maria Novella: Mad, bad, and dangerous to know
Santa Maria Novella’s Marescialla is one of only three fragrances in the ‘interesting and ugly-beautiful but almost too brutal to love’ category that I keep around and wear on a regular basis –…
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I fought tooth and nail to get my hands on a vintage-ish bottle of Annick Goutal’s Heure Exquise, and each time I wear it, I am less and less convinced that the juice…
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Serge Lutens’ Ambre Sultan is the Elvis Presley of amber fragrances – it’s left the building, but its influence is still felt everywhere. Its sugar rush of resins playing tag with dry, aromatic…
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All Natural Amber Aromatic Balsamic Chypre Cult of Raw Materials Floral Oriental Independent Perfumery Patchouli Review RoseRaven by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume: A Review
Raven by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume (TRNP) is the kind of rose chypre that hasn’t been in production since the 1980s – big, tart roses spread strewn across bittersweet, glittery balsams and a…
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Amber Aromatic Hay Honey Immortelle Independent Perfumery Oakmoss Review Spice TobaccoLadamo by O’driu: A Review
Ladamo by O’driu smells like a Christmas craft store – scads of thick, velvety dirt, fallen apples, mulled wine, grated ginger root, the whole nine yards – but without the nasty chemical edge…
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Amber Balsamic Carnation Leather Opoponox Review Rose Smoke Spice Spicy Floral SuedeEn Avion by Caron: A Review
There’s no mistaking En Avion as anything other than a Caron. Everything comes from a well-established rulebook – flip to page ten for the stinging clove topnote of Poivre, the smoky, medicinal…
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Fruity Scents Iris Japanese Perfumery Review Suede The Discard PileCittá di Kyoto by Santa Maria Novella: A Review
I don’t mind the soft projection or poor longevity of Cittá di Kyoto, but what I can’t forgive is its vagueness. It is mostly iris – that rooty, plaster-of-Paris iris material that…
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Sakura by Ormonde Jayne is a Venetian sunset in a bottle, a serene blue sky streaked with pink, apricot, and gold. It gives me the curious sensation of being relaxed and invigorated at…
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Animalic Balsamic Floral Herbal Incense Oud Resins Review Rose Sandalwood Spice Spicy FloralBaruti Indigo: A Review
Spyros Drosopoulos of Baruti is one of the most consistently original perfumers I have ever encountered. Baruti Indigo is a case in point. This is a perfume built on a series of weird…