Olivier Polge: 17 posts

‘Please see my review of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb‘ — this is how I originally started my post on the newest Lancôme perfume La Vie Est Belle. This big Lancôme launch takes a lesson from its flop Magnifique and does everything by the book: a fetching package (check), something pink (check) and a safe, easy to like perfume (check). It’s even better if you tag on a well-known spokesperson (check, Julia Roberts looks gorgeous in the ads).

While my initial reaction was to dismiss La Vie Est Belle as another copycat, after wearing it for the past couple of weeks I’m not so sure what I think. The citrusy top notes laced with tangy raspberries were facile, but addictive, while the gourmand drydown tempered by earthy iris was surprisingly mellow.  I readied myself for another cheap fruit compote, but I discovered a trendy and likable perfume. I would have had an easier time making up my mind if it smelled cheap, but it doesn’t.

Continue reading →

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

After Flowerbomb, Antidote, and Eau Méga, the Amsterdam fashion house Viktor & Rolf has launched Spicebomb, a new masculine fragrance. While the clothing by designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren is avant-garde and edgy, the fragrances feel to me driven mostly by the desire to boost the company’s profit margins. They are well-made, polished, but perhaps stay too close to current trends. Spicebomb is a pleasant surprise in the line up—a fragrance that blends gender boundaries as effortlessly as Tilda Swinton—V&R’s muse—in Orlando and that has a few dark and smoky surprises in its layers.

Continue reading →

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

The main thing I liked about Balenciaga Paris was that it smelled unlike anything else on the fragrance counter. The scent contained within its pretty faceted bottle seemed to have arrived from another era—green, pepper, with a distinctive mossy violet note that is as au courant today as satin gloves and fur stoles. It possessed none of the affected glamor of a period piece, being sleek, modern and refined. However, as I wore Balenciaga Paris and experienced it in various settings, I came to realize that its polished aura is its main downfall. It is so smooth and refined that it lacks a presence. Not every fragrance needs to make a statement, but it should have enough character to be remembered. Unfortunately, in the long run, this is not the case with Balenciaga Paris.

Continue reading →

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

One cannot fault Viktor & Rolf for lacking creativity when it comes either to their fashion collection or their fragrance packaging. The amethyst tinted Flowerbomb is incased in a faceted grenade shaped bottle, while the new masculine fragrance Antidote is presented in an elegant square flacon; its pale emerald liquid contrasting with the ebony black detail on the bottle and the box. Yet, the fragrance inside Flowerbomb was a let down. Instead of the black Victorian gown of a fragrance that I envisioned, it was an ivory satin dress. Lovely and tasteful, but somehow lacking the edginess of Viktor & Rolf fashion. …

Continue reading →

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

The newest addition to the Bvlgari tea party, Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge (2005), renders the cup of tea in a wispy, haiku manner much like its earlier predecessors Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert and Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc. However, while the former is a citrus and the latter is a soft floral, Thé Rouge offers a twist on the woody oriental theme. It is a vision of a cup of dark tea; however, where a sip of the dark ambery liquid would reveal the full depth and richness of the beverage, Thé Rouge remains a suggestion of steam rising in delicate swirls above the rim. …

Continue reading →