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 Mally Roncal is
a makeup artist to celebrities, the likes of Beyoncé, Angelina Jolie,
Jennifer Lopez and many more. She launched a cosmetics line which
she sells on QVC and Mally Beauty. She also founded a company called
Mally Girl. The beauty entrepreneur last fall added a perfume to her
lineup of beauty products in October 2009. Mally:The Fragrance is
presented as a homage paid to the Sampaguita the national flower of the
Philippines, the home country of Mally. The bloom might be better known
in the US under its other names, pikake and jasmine sambac...
Continue reading "Mally: The Fragrance (2009): Sampaguita or Gamma-Decalactone Fantasy Tropical Soliflore {Perfume Review} {Celebrity Fragrance}" »
Noël au Balcon (lit. Christmas at the Balcony) was initially issued for the Holidays 2007 as a limited-edition fragrance. It has now been included in the permanent collection of Parisian niche perfume house Etat Libre d'Orange.
With Christmas 2009 looming, I thought it might be the appropriate time to review it during the period of Advent to gauge its Holiday spirit. Having become a permanent addition to the fragrance house catalog, it might also be interesting to see how a seasonal limited-edition could be versatile enough to be thought to be a year-long offering. Well, this is maybe not such a problem since Nuit de Noël by Caron famously lives beyond the Holiday season.
The name of the fragrance which may sound a bit puzzling is a play upon two different expressions: "Noël au balcon, Pâques au tison" + "Il y a du monde au balcon." The first locution means: if the weather is mild enough to be standing outside on the balcony at Christmas time, then Easter time will be spent by the fireplace as one can predict that spring will be cold. The second expression, meaning literally, "there are folks at the balcony", is actually a racy comment on the appearance of a lady endowed with a generous bosom...
Continue reading "Etat Libre D'Orange Noel au Balcon (2007) {Fragrance Review}" »
 The Glade folks sent me a couple of their new candles, namely Pomegranate & Cranberries, Fresh Pine & Cedar and Jasmine & Wild Orchid from The Fragrance Collection. I haven't tried the latter yet but thought better to plan ahead for the Holidays. So, I wanted to let you know that I think that especially Pomegranate & Cranberries is a great choice for an affordable, festive holiday-feeling candle and not just because it is colored red. Fresh Pine & Cedar, which I thought at first would be wafting more of the note of Christmas turned out to be less atmospheric than Pomegranate & Cranberries. The first one is very good, even great - I would offer it to friends and family or recommend it - the other one, good - I would smell it and find it pleasant but would not buy it myself or recommend it over other candles necessarily and I will explain why... 
Continue reading "Glade Limited-Edition Holidays Candles: Pomegranate & Cranberries, Fresh Pine & Cedar {Home Fragrance Reviews}" »
 I have been eager to try the perfume named Fo-Ti-Tieng by Marilyn Miglin for the longest of times (in the very fast internet age) but was able to procure it only recently. Life. The buzz it has created in HSN customers' reviews made it possible to bring it back from the island of the dead. Originally launched in 2006 as one of the Pheromone Seven Sacred Oils recreated by Miglin's team based on "papyrus research" for Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Field Museum, it elicited so many positive reactions that no business person with common sense and especially one with a humanitarian bent like Marilyn Miglin could let pass this opportunity. The customers would have got really mad. Fo-Ti-Tieng or Fo-Ti-Tien is the Chinese name for what is more commonly known to health aisles habitués as Gotu-Kola and scientifically recorded by pharmacists as Centella Asiatica. There are not many American perfumes with a Chinese name. In fact, right now I can only think of Xia-Xiang by Revlon (1987). Even Lucky Number 6 by Liz Clairborne has everything Chinese about it but the name. Calling a scent Fo-Ti-Tieng (Elixir of Long Life), one which is then touted as an ancient aphrodisiac makes the concoction, if I could only see it behind the opaque glass, seem even deeper and more mysterious...
Continue reading "Marilyn Miglin Fo-Ti-Tieng: A Different Kind of Green {Perfume Review}" »
 What the US website of The Body Shop says, "If you love being
enveloped in a captivating fragrance which inspires you, you will love this fragrance
with its sensuous union of iconic feminine jasmine, with indulgent notes of vanilla,
sandalwood and musk cream. Especially created by The Body Shop with one of the world's
finest "noses", Dominique Ropion, even the name chosen signifies love in all its forms. You
don't have to change the world wearing this fragrance, but you will love that this is the
first Eau de Parfum to feature an alcohol perfume base created from an ingredient which is
fairly-traded and organic."
The initial impression offered by Love Etc. by The Body Shop, their latest perfume launch, is that it is powdery and fruity-succulent (pear, fruity jasmine) with more than a hint of mint. Mint is not listed in the notes, but lily of the valley is, which presents in its natural state an icy-cold facet. Perhaps mint was used to convey this impression as the scent of lilies of the valley has to be recreated by perfumery means rather than extracted from nature. Then the underlying vanilla bed expands its presence. And always, there is this Alpine freshness appearing like an evergreen tree atop a slope covered with white powdery snow. This cold, minty streak provides lightness and airiness to the mix and makes the perfume feel more cloud-like, like an upper layer that would have mushroomed above the warm vanilla oriental base and would be attached to it by a slim thread rather than squarely resting on it. It also helps disguise a bit some more pedestrian musky amber in the bottom of the composition....
Continue reading "The Body Shop Love Etc. (2009): Milky Fruity-Floral with a Mint or Fir Twist {Perfume Review}" »
 Vertumnus by Arcimboldo, 1591
Here is a List of Fall Perfumes I compiled last year in the beginning of November 2008 and which did not make it to the blog, somehow. I then felt an urge to wax poetically fragrant about squashes, orange-colored leaves, figs, prunes, and all that procession of good things that make up the autumn season and its festivities. After that I went into hibernation or rather the list decided to hibernate. I completed it today and added two perfumes that were not out last year. I also took out several to leave us with a list of 13 cornucopia perfumes for fall 2009. They are of course the Best and the Top and the Must-Try and everybody's potential Favorites of the season (this is just to attract your attention, take it with a grain of salt). No but really, they are the Best! So I said this on November 2, 2008 as the weather was inspiring me, With the first genuine autumnal chill in the air, the one that does not just feel just plain cold, sharp and intrusive at the end of the summer but suddenly is full of the promises of fall delights thanks to the associative powers of sensation: crisp air, crystalline, transparent atmosphere contrasted with indoors warmth, flaming colors hovering above the earth -- have you noticed how in the fall, at one point, you look more up and less at the brown and putty hues on the ground? -- I have started to crave one family of smells in particular, that of wine-y fruits, liquorish-y perfumes, cognac-y compositions...
Continue reading "Perfume Cravings In The Fall: Cornucopia of Dark Fruits {Fragrance List} {Perfume Reviews}" »
 Labdanum de Séville and Mimosa de l'Estérel are the two latest additions to L'Occitane Mediterranean collection previously named Notre Flore but which has now been re-christened Voyage en Méditerranée (Travel in the Mediterranean). There are new flacons as well; if you liked the antique compass-themed cap from the original bottles, buy them now because the plan is to phase them out when new batches will go into production (but the juices themselves will remain unchanged). Voyage en Méditerranée now comprises seven perfumes.The original quatuor included Myrte (see my review), Néroli, Cèdre, Iris (2007). Jasmin d'Egypte was added in 2008 as Le Jasmin, then won a prize; it has since then been renamed Jasmin d'Egypte to cohere with the ensemble of the collection now preferring to make use of names offering combined references to both a typical raw material and a locale of the Mare Nostrum region. At press time, I did not have the names of the perfumers. If I receive them, I will add this information. L'Occitane visibly tries to offer decently made perfumes and value. When you look closer, you might realize that 55 € for 75 ml is maybe not as light a price compared to designer perfumes, but they very adroitly succeed in making you think that the brand is about simplicity. Their perfumes are like the next step-ups from what you would normally find in a bathroom, say an eau de cologne or an eau fraîche, yet are still reminiscent somehow of the no-froufrou vibe of these surroundings (at least in most homes).... 
Continue reading "L'Occitane Labdanum de Seville, Mimosa de l'Esterel (2009) {Perfume Reviews}" »
 Kate Moss Vintage is the most recent launch by the Kate Moss franchise after Kate (2007), Velvet Hour (2008) and Kate Moss Summer Time (2009), just introduced in September. It is billed as a "fruity-floral oriental" and...shock!...was created by perfumer Olivier Polge of IFF who, as it turns out, was hired to play the role of the invisible man because just about anyone with good plagiaristic skills could have performed the job. The problem with calling attention to perfumers is that they do have their personalities and preferences but they often have to self-efface in order to be good listeners, to celebrities for example. In this case however I find that a threshold was crossed into the realm of odious copying. Honestly, if a perfumer cannot resist at his or her own level in the process of fragrance-making, they might just as well be replaced by robots and electronic noses. Note are: pink peppercorn, white freesia, mandarin, heliotrope, jasmine, almond blossom, tonka bean, vanilla and musk.  The main inspiration for the scent is Kate Moss's self-confessed love for anything vintage, except she quipped, for old men. If I were to find a time period and a style that encapsulates this brand of vintage olfactory form, I would have to say that it makes me think of a Gibson-Girl plate most, not even a photography, due to the sketch-like aspect of the perfume. Vintage by Kate Moss opens on both a very powdery and fruity accord (mandarin) which seeks to be slightly innovative, with a woodsy and almond-y undertone. The composition readily smells familiar besides the Johnson and Johnson baby powder accord which dominates, but I can't quite put my finger on it at first. I had to go on a little meditation retreat to reflect upon this puzzling sensation. The result: To me it evokes the olfactory ambiances of the following powdery scents: Teint de Neige by Lorenzo Villoresi...I Profumi di Firenze Talco Delicato...Hypnotic Poison by Dior...L'Instant Magic by Guerlain...Eurêka! It actually smells very, very close to Guerlain Lights of Champs Elysées (2006) with its plummy cherry-wood accord underlining a comforting powdery heliotropin. It is a simplified version of it using the main ideas from it. A travel exclusive, the perfume is not widely known and hence apparently safe for shameless plundering... 
Continue reading "Kate Moss Vintage (2009): Smells Familiar & Not Just Because It Makes Me Think of a Gibson-Girl Plate {Perfume Review} {Celebrity Fragrance}" »
 One of the pleasures of taking a stroll in Paris or simply going from point A to point B is picking up on sillages of perfume on the streets. When a repetition pattern appears, it becomes a bit intriguing.  Paris ca. 1925, from art.com
In early September when the weather was still summery and sunny, I started smelling Hypnotic Poison a few times. What I found anomalous was the fact that it felt as if several women had decided to anticipate the colder days and pulled out their fur perfumes, the same one for some reason, seemingly showing the same concerted impatience to get done and over with summer. I couldn't help but think several things: that Parisian women indeed like their oriental perfumes and are all too ready to stop pretending summery scents can be satisfying; it was interesting that these women were young (with one exception) and finally that maybe they could have held on a bit longer to envelop themselves with the rich, sensual volutes of this boudoir oriental. I felt pleasure at smelling the heliotrope and rich tonka but at the same time felt there was a discrepancy with the pace of the season. I somehow liked the idea that in the near future when the gray of autumn would cover the sky and mesh with the zinc roofs and coldness would be inescapable, that it would make the scent be even more irresistible. But now? Wasn't it a bit early?... 
Continue reading "Dior Hypnotic Poison Rubis & Thierry Mugler Angel Liqueur: Sniffing Rich Orientals in Paris Lead Me to New Flankers {Scented Thoughts} {Perfume Reviews} {Perfume Streetwear}" »
   If I wanted to smell like the overheated dressing room of a 1950s Hollywood actress getting ready to go on the set or the stage, this is what I would wear. The new Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One captures more than the scent of a big, luscious and aquatic rose-peony-lychee bouquet with all its sails out, it also evokes fleetingly the rapid, inner sensations of a backstage beauty atmosphere.
In this setting, one can sense that the actress is slightly bothered by the artificial electric heat, the excitement of having to show herself to the world and one can smell her nervous musky perspiration, the body powder melting a bit on clean skin, the whiffs of makeup, nail polish, and of course, there must be a huge bouquet somewhere in the room with fluorescent roses and Madonna lilies smelling a bit of Marmite. Perhaps there is an electric kettle in the room to explain the slightly muggy, tropical quality.
I am reminded of distant smells from the past from classical dancing studios where chalk, sweat, dust and the scent of youth mingle. Perhaps if you added a fresh rose bouquet to a painting of ballerinas by Degas, it would smell a bit like this...
Continue reading "Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One (2009): The Scent of Backstage Beauty: Florist Rose {Perfume Review} {Rose Notebook}" »
  Saint and Sinner are the two new perfumes by "indie" brand Kat Von D for Sephora (the name is short for founder's name Katherine von Drachenberg -- the von Drachenbergs have a family castle in Germany that would look outstanding in a Gothic vampire story). The tattoo artist of TV-reality-show-Miami-and-L.A.-Ink fame also came up with a makeup collection that was on the shelves a little earlier than the scents. I had watched several shows of one of the city-based Ink series once but could not remember the Kat von D so it was an innocent approach to the beauty counter on my part. I then became very interested in the brand, because, frankly, her lipsticks are of superior quality, let's not mince our (kind) words here. Her Stiletto, a beautiful, perfect red-orange, was like a beacon of luminous red when I first set my eyes upon it and later just felt like foie-gras for the lips (it's a compliment). Sensing the demanding standards and beauty smarts of the belle, this made me hopeful for her, then, upcoming fragrances. They could only be interesting, was my belief, unless she had been completely hijacked by cynical fragrance developers (insert a cartoon strip here as the whole brand atmosphere has a gentle counter-culture and rebellious side to it) and did not know a thing about perfume. The queen of tattoos did mention her vast beauty closet where everything is organized by product and color, but no perfume collection. She also said that she knew a thing or two about lipstick because she virtually possesses them all, the Chanels, Diors etc. When time came to spring into action, she turned easily into a lipstick critic... 
Continue reading "Kat Von D Saint & Sinner (2009): Nice Girl in Tattoos {Perfume Reviews} {New Fragrances} {Celebrity Scents}" »
 The new CK Free for Men by Calvin Klein turns out to be a perfectly pleasant, innocuous cologne without any particular personality nor soul to it. It is co-signed by perfumers Ellen Molner and Rodrigo-Flores-Roux of Givaudan who delivered a product rather than a perfume. The eau de toilette seems to be made up of ideas borrowed from Dior Homme (a lesser dose of soft sueded iris here), John Varvatos created by one of the perfumers, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, and the 2007 Man by Calvin Klein. The scent follows the trend of fruity ambers for men that was fresh when CK Man came out. To paraphrase Brüno, this is sooo the first half of 2009 when all these flocked to the counters with a herding instinct. In brief, CK Free may be sending you a message of freedom but it is not applying the message to itself, wanting desperately to not offend the largest number of people possible. In fact, this time the brand explained that they wanted to conquer the US market as the CK fragrances are more popular abroad than at home. This results in an ultra prudent jus trying to blend in maximally in terms of its scent even if the literature surrounding it was made to convey the idea that it is oh-so-daring ...
Continue reading "Calvin Klein CK Free for Men (2009): If This Is The Smell of Freedom, I'll Eat My Hat {Perfume Review} {Men's Cologne}" »
 Notes: mandarin and lemon essences from Italy, May rose absolute, gardenia jasminoide, amber, patchouli leaves from Indonesia, vanilla, opoponax from Somalia. As its name seems to indicate, L'Eau Ambrée by Prada (Ambery Water) could a priori be thought to be a watercolor rendition of an amber perfume as in a water tinged with an infusion of sea-floating ambergris. The first thought that came to my mind as I lifted the bottle of the latest fragrance by Prada and as I realized that I was starting to slightly purse my lips was that, {sigh}, I should probably expect a copy or at best a twist on L'Eau des Merveilles by Hermès, or its even more ambery sister, L'Elixir des Merveilles. The market is nowadays so unafraid of launching me-too scents that this is one of the parameters you have to keep in mind when discovering a new fragrance. But in fact, the perfume composed by perfumer Daniela Andrier of Firmenich, is more like a coming-together of the Prada amber perfume line and the Prada Infusion collection on which she has worked consistently, with a showcasing of her know-how for creating modern, elegant adaptations of Eau de Cologne as in Infusion d'Iris, Infusion d'Iris for Men and Infusion de Fleurs d'Oranger... 
Continue reading "Prada L'Eau Ambree (2009): Refined Amber {Perfume Review}" »
 Notes: s ugar-coated raspberry, apricot blossom, blue peony, waterlily, red
sweetheart orchid, sweet vanilla wood, creamy musks, violet candy. Circus Fantasy is the latest fragrance by Britney Spears. It is a variation on the standard creamy, lactic fruity-floral that has been Britney Spears's signature scent running throughout her line of perfumes since Curious in 2004. You wouldn't fault her for lacking olfactory integrity. Instead of coming across as boring and repetitious, her latest scent twist, you have to acknowledge, is just better than many other offerings crowding the perfume counters today. The circus imagery meant to accompany the promotion of her current touring show may appear childish to some but the scent itself is a step-up in sophistication through a work on lightness, allusion and classic proportions. What the scent admittedly lacks in sheer originality, it gains in harmony, balance and subtlety. The over-enthusiastic spill of cream by a Fiesta breakfast bowl filled with canned fruits elevates itself finally to the level of an ethereal cloud of milk hovering over an abstraction of delicious fresh fruits and exotic flowers that smell fruity. This is how perseverance pays off: the more you polish an accord by believing in it, the more capable you are of mastering it and making it do what you want it to be. In other words, we are offered here a refined version of all the elements that have made Britney Spears's perfume success. The perfumer instead of falling asleep at the wheel perfected the basic idea. Absolutely do not fix what is working. A pop singer ought to know that better than anyone else. After the ear worm, we are presented with the nose worm...
Continue reading "Britney Spears Circus Fantasy (2009) {Perfume Review} {Celebrity Fragrance}" »
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Fin O'Suilleabhain on
Les Exclusifs: Bel Respiro, No 18, & 28 La Pausa by Chanel {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfumes}
: Hi ... can I ask about the Stravinsky / Chanel image. Is ...
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Fragonard Caresse (1929/2008) {Perfume Review}
: Lovely perfume! Reminds me of the spring 2011 when I was wearing ...
Karen Lindsey on
Long Lost Crabtree & Evelyn Fragrance: Help Please {Ask The Readers}
: I just found this site and I so need to find someone ...
Regina on
Happy New Year 2012!
: Valentine's Day will soon be here. Any recommendations?
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Easy Tricks To Create Golden Globes Hairstyles! {Beauty Notes - Hair}
: My fave was Michelle Williams - modern , effortless not overdone . ...
kelvin neo on
Victoria's Secret Life is Pink Wish Pink, Live Pink, Hope Pink (2010) *New Fragrances*
: Hi good day, Can i know where can purchase or order Pink ...
Alan on
A Funny Post About Scented Candles {Fragrant Reading}
: Hell-scent candle, lol.
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Two Organic Oud Scents: Sama Oudh Jasmin & Undergreen Black Classic (2011) {New Perfumes}
: I want to try Sama Oudh Jasmin but checked the websites. I ...
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Top 12 Best New Department Store Fragrances of 2011 for the Holidays {Perfume List}
: Wish this came with a little print out sheet for my next ...
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Dance with Givenchy (2010) {New Perfume}
: Where can I get Dance with Givenchy? It's impossible to find it ...
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Dance with Givenchy (2010) {New Perfume}
: Where can I get Dance with Givenchy? It's impossible to find it ...
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Choppy Waters for Stella Cadente Miss Me {Fragrance News}
: at 2007 i was in paris an i bought this perfume.Since then ...
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Aftelier Perfumes Secret Garden (2011): Featuring Real Civet & Castoreum {New Fragrance}
: Thank you so much Marie-Helene for your lovely review! You are great ...
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Mona di Orio Chamarré (2009): Perfume Review in Memoriam
: This is very interesting. First thing that came to my mind when ...
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Bint el Sudan, The Other, African Chanel No.5: Interview with Nick Evans of International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. {Perfume Q & A - The Scents of Africa}
: Interesting post. I've lived in Ghana but I don't remember encountering anyone ...
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