Elegant: 198 posts

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

Parfums de Nicolaï Pour Homme (2003) is a fragrance that defies all gender distinctions, being simply irresistible. Exploring the fragrances specifically designated for the opposite gender can be a fascinating experience. While the classical fougères like Davidoff Cool Water and Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir might be too quintessentially masculine for most women, many fragrances designated as Pour Homme can be confidently explored by women, particularly by those who would like a break from the voluptuous florals and the sweet fruity compositions. Thus, by way of example, Chanel Égoïste Pour Homme is a mélange of sweet woods layered with sweet mandarine cream. Le 3ème Homme de Caron is a dark smoky flower with an exciting, but subtle fougère facet. …

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

Few fragrances tend to fall as much into the masculine domain as fougère. Based on the interplay of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss, the genre takes its name from the first abstract composition, Fougère Royale by Houbigant (1882). The combination of fresh and dry lavender with powdery sweet coumarin and oakmoss results in the juxtaposition of unexpected elements. If a term fougère signals an overplayed variation on the successful Cool Water by Davidoff, Caron Le 3ème Homme (Third Man) would be a pleasant surprise. It takes the concept of fougère and embellishes it with floral and spicy accords, as if orange blossom and jasmine were scattered among the blue of lavender and the darkness of woods.

Created in 1985, Le 3ème Homme derives its name from the 1949 film, The Third Man, starring Orson Welles. Lavender and tart citrus sparkle like champagne on the skin, before their effervescence subsides under the dominance of sweetness that comprises the main accord. …

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

Experiencing Armani Prive Bois d’Encens is like stepping inside a dark cavernous church, where the first sensory impression is of incense. The smell of incense burning inside golden censers, embracing the stones, and creating a pale mist over the altar. The resinous richness of incense is almost overwhelming, yet suddenly as one gets used to it, the scent begins to appear as a soft comforting presence; something that retreats into the background, yet remains near.

Similar transformation takes place in Bois d’Encens, a fragrance created in 2004 by Michel Almairac. The layering of notes results in their gentle peeling away in order to reveal a sweet base of silky cedarwood. …

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

Parfums DelRae Début is a composition of wistful elegance, introspective and gentle. Like other fragrances in DelRae range, it is scent to wear during moments of reverie—when one allows oneself to be taken up by the stream of memories and dreams. It encompasses a wide range of sensations, from the vivacious verdancy of crushed leaves to the quiet warmth of musk. Created by Michel Roudnitska in 2004, Début is at once a springtime bouquet and an autumnal breeze.

Violet leaf with its exuberant green character conjures a vision of crushing young green leaves between fingers, their scent bursting in the air. Citrusy notes lend an additional effervescent layer, which contrasts beautifully with an indolic note that at first is only barely noticeable. Sparkling accent persists into a heart of the composition, where it softens and slowly fades. Scents of dewy flower buds, earth and cool morning mist unfold in a panoramic view. …

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

Among the fragrances André Fraysse created, none can rival Arpège, which the perfumer composed in 1927 for the French couturier Jeanne Lanvin, in collaboration with Paul Vacher.  Scandal (1932), Rumeur (1932), and Pretexte (1937) followed after the success of Arpège. Jeanne Lanvin dedicated Arpège to her musician daughter, Marie-Blanche, who picked the name for the fragrance.

The original 1927 formulation of Arpège is true to its name–a musical concept of arpeggio–in a sense that individual notes are played distinctly one after another instead of simultaneously. Rose dusted by opalescent aldehydic shimmer unfolds first, followed by rich jasmine.

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