In Your Opinion: 314 posts

What have you tried recently that you absolutely loved and would recommend? What disappointed you?

I have been enjoying a good perfume month so far, as I have been smelling new launches. L’Eau de Chloe, A Lab on Fire What We Do in Paris is Secret, Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, Serge Lutens L’Eau Froide and Etat Libre d’Orange Fils de Dieu are the new fragrances I liked. I was not thrilled with Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Capri, but I did not have particularly high expectations for it.

Image: Yellow Magnolia by Bois de Jasmin.

What is a romantic perfume? A few years ago, I structured my Valentine’s Day post around the perfume notes that I found romantic and seductive: jasmine, saffron, sandalwood and furs & ambers, leather, honey, fig. I still like the idea of conveying a certain mood through scent, but I realize that there is much more to the romance of perfume than its list of notes. The most romantic perfume is not a magic potion designed to seduce him, but rather a fragrance that makes me feel beautiful. An opulent composition like Annick Goutal Grand Amour does the trick on some days, while on others the austere Bulgari Black seems more appropriate.

However, a range spanning Grand Amour to Black encompasses just about all fragrance genres. To narrow them down to a list of ten, I included those perfumes that both make me feel good and elicit compliments from my friends, family and my Valentine. In other words, they are the fragrances I enjoy wearing and sharing with those around me. And what is more romantic than sharing pleasure!

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What are your hobbies? What activities does your ideal weekend include? What perfume are you wearing?

It is freezing today, and the moment I look at the thermometer, I wrap myself in Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and a warm sweater. Although I pretend to be disappointed that we are going to cancel our weekend trip, I am actually delighted to have two days to devote to some of my hobbies: dancing, reading, watching old movies, and of course, cooking. Few things are as exciting as a loaf of bread rising just as it should in the oven. Or as fragrant!

Photo: a baguette I baked recently. My attempts are finally starting to look recognizably like baguettes, rather than brown knobby sticks.

881! According to Michael Edwards’s database, that is the number of new launches for 2011. Basically, if you were smelling a new perfume everyday this year, you still would not have covered it all. Not that such thing is to be recommended anyway. As the year winds to a close, it is tempting to offer some sort of recap. As I jotted down my favorites in two categories that I track, niche and prestige (department store), I noticed that I overwhelmingly preferred the department store launches. Most of the niche fragrances released this year seemed to me either overpriced or simply not compelling enough to become my favorites. This is a very personal list, and I do not pretend to have smelled even half of the 881 new launches but here is what caught my attention.

Best Niche Launches

If I had to name only two 2011 favorites, I would pick De Profundis and Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum. Serge Lutens creates an elegant, touching composition by combining the bitterness of green flowers and the resinous chill of incense. De Profundis maintains an exquisite balance between rich and airy, dark and effervescent.

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What perfume would you have liked to receive as a gift this holiday season? Are you giving a scented gift to anyone this year?

I hope that Chanel Coromandel is among my fragrance gifts this year, because after going through several decants, I decided that I am ready for a full bottle. The scented presents I am preparing include Cire Trudon candles and Estée Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss body cream.