May 2008: 13 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Have you ever noticed how faces are much easier to recognize in exaggerated caricatures than in photographs? For this same reason Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia might offer the truest gardenia one can find in perfume form. Certainly, there are plenty of fragrances that incorporate beautiful gardenia accords (Hermès Calèche, Dior Diorama, Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia), but to smell Velvet Gardenia is to experience a flower magnified by several degrees—smooth, waxy petals, green leaves and woody stems, animalic, dark roots. Its scent is creamy and intoxicating, smoldering and airy, floral and balsamic. What seems at first like an improbable juxtaposition of effects soon unfolds into a complex gardenia story. …

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It is that time of the year again! Basenotes has announced the winners of 8th Annual Basenotes Awards. The Basenotes visitors have voted to select their favorites, and you can see the results by following the link. Special congratulations to Now Smell This, the winner of Gold award in Best Blogs category and Perfume Posse in Silver. A big thank you to all of you who voted for Bois de Jasmin (Bronze) despite my long absence from these pages. I cannot express how much your support means to me. Also, a special thank you to Grant Osborne of Basenotes whose hard work and dedication are simply admirable.

I can give you a long list of reasons why I am scent obsessed. The main one is that nothing captures better the feeling of a place than its smells. Therefore, I would like to paint an olfactory portrait of each city that made an impression on me and take you on a journey. The first city I selected for this series is the city of my birth, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The turbulent history of the city, from its grandeur as a capital of Kyivan Rus to the post-Soviet confusion, marks every stone on its streets. The gilded domes of the numerous Orthodox churches emerge from the lush greenery of the historic city on the Right Bank, while modern high-rises crowd the Left. Burial caves for medieval ascetic monks neighbor WWII memorials. Billboards advertising Nokia cell phones crown the baroque Stalinesque buildings of the 1950s. Most of my early scent memories are connected to Kyiv, and no matter where I find myself, I only have to think of a few scents in order for all its streets, sounds and people to spring from my memory. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

I enjoy re-reading books that struck me as memorable. As time passes and one gains more experience and knowledge, one’s perspective changes sufficiently to make new discoveries. Revisiting fragrance is not much different in that respect–the knowledge one gains in the interim makes one understand better the art and the pleasure of perfume. Estée Lauder Pleasures has been on my list to reevaluate for quite some time, largely because of its reputation as a modern classic. It was never a personal favorite–its clean and wholesome aesthetic runs counter to my love for things dark and mysterious. However, as I wear it, I cannot but admire its strong signature and its gorgeous layers of floral absolutes set against the crisp green notes. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more devoted Guerlain lover than me. I also happen to adore white florals in all shapes and forms—jasmine, tuberose, seringa, gardenia, frangipani, magnolia. However, my first impression when I smelled Cruel Gardénia from Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matière collection was utter disappointment. Where is gardenia, I wondered? Sure, it flits through the top note, but the floral impression that lingers is that of orange blossom and ylang ylang wrapped in a cloud of hedione (airy and diffusive jasmine material). Nevertheless, it is very elegantly constructed, and I do not want to dismiss it altogether, even if I miss the intoxicating gardenia. …

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