Today Andy takes a break from tea and talks  about the aromas of hot chocolate.

With whimsical packaging and fragrances inspired by exotic locales, Pacifica is a brand that makes it easy to fall in love with their perfumes. After all, with such a low price point ($22 for 30ml), the fragrances are hard to resist. The line offers a selection of simple, clean fragrances that are all easy to wear and layer, with generously scented soaps and body butters. There are also solid and rollerball versions of their perfumes, plus scented candles and diffusers for the home. The brand’s aesthetic shies away from being too serious, keeping their scents fresh and fun, lively and bright.

Even though the fragrances aren’t profound or challenging, I’ve found that Pacifica’s scents are worth trying, because several are of outstanding quality, given the price. My first foray into Pacifica was with Mediterranean Fig, which continues to be one of my favorites from the line. It is a well-made, transparent fig scent that follows a nicely developed progression through all the fragrant elements of the fig tree: leaves, fruit, and branches. Another scent worth trying is Pacifica’s French Lilac, which captures an extremely realistic lilac note with a gentle, milky touch. Nerola Orange Blossom offers a simple, refreshing neroli and orange blossom cologne that smells surprisingly heady and sophisticated. Their Mexican Cocoa is addictive and comforting.

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I’ve been wearing Tocca Colette for the past year without realizing that it is now one of my staples. Whenever I have one of those “I don’t know what to pick” moments, which everyone with more than one item of anything–perfume, outfits, shoes, books, etc.–has, Colette is one of the fragrances that invariably feels just right. It’s elegant and polished, with a tender and warm demeanor.

Despite my mixed opinions on Tocca perfumes, Colette was love at first inhale. It’s a transparent amber fragrance, with bright, shimmery mosaics of lemon, pepper, and juniper berries. It opens on a fizzy note–as if you’ve taken a sip of gin and tonic much too greedily–before mellowing down to a comfortable softness. Colette is easy to like, but it’s far from predictable.

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Today we have a special guest writer Lauren Salisbury. Lauren and I met as students at the IFF Perfumery Academy, and we’ve spent many hours smelling together.  A life-long lover of perfume, Lauren has worked in the fragrance industry for nearly a decade, developing fragrances for many popular brands around the globe.  She now works as an evaluator for ScentAir Technologies, Inc., and writes her blog, The Little Nose. Lauren will give you a glimpse inside a perfume lab and introduce you to a very important person–the fragrance evaluator.  

How Many Hands Touch Your Bottle of Perfume : Brief

In recent years, the media has focused on the particular talents and tasks of the perfumer, and we are fascinated. They are admired as artists, respected for their finely-tuned, highly-trained olfactory abilities and their knowledge about fragrance materials.  But few of us are aware of the perfumer’s trusted sidekick: the evaluator.  Until recently, perfumers remained completely anonymous, but today you will still rarely see mention of the evaluators in the press. Despite their work behind the scenes, not only does the evaluator help the perfumer complete the project, but also, she can significantly influence the final fragrance.

First, let me explain where the evaluator fits into the process.  When the brief, or fragrance request, arrives from the client (and by client I mean a fragrance house like Calvin Klein or Christian Dior) via the sales department, the evaluator starts her work. She reaches out to one, or several, perfumers, communicating the desired fragrance goal, as well as all the project specifications, such as the maximum cost allowed for the fragrance, material restrictions, target consumer details, and due dates.

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It’s cold, rainy and gloomy. What do you wear to brighten up your mood? Since January transitioned into April without much difference in weather, this question has been on my mind a lot. I have a whole arsenal of mood lifters, and perfume is one of my favorite ways to dream. In my article for ELLE, titled Perfume for a Rainy Day, I explore fragrances that bring a ray of sunshine. I also describe why you don’t need a separate seasonal wardrobe and how you can experience your fragrances in new ways at different times of the year.

“The calendar and the blossoming cherry tree near my apartment building suggest that spring is here, but the lingering presence of winter is still noticeable in the biting wind and dark clouds. As I wake up to yet another cold, foggy morning, all I want to do is huddle under the blankets until summer. Hibernation, unfortunately, is not an option for me, so when the incessant rain feels especially oppressive, I instinctively reach for perfumes that warm me up.” Please read the rest at ELLE.com.

What perfumes perk you up instantly?

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Is there any fragrance that says spring more than Diorissimo? That lovely study of lily of the valley is the essence of a new season.  But what of the chilly iris, the damp green of nascent shoots, the contagious zest of orange? All of these fragrances evoke spring-like freshness and rejuvenation for me. My favorite fragrances for this time of year draw me away from the incense and cedar and smoke of winter. There is nothing wrong with wearing these perfumes all year round, of course, but these days I crave scents that bring me outdoors to the enormous cartoon-like blooms of fantasy Florida.

To some degree, many of my spring favorites have a sense of playfulness or fun, and several contain fruit. Let’s say that the perfect Diorissimo is my model of a classic spring scent, and here are ten more picks to enjoy:

Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme:  Stunning combination of oud and rose, with notes of incense and ginger. The darkness of the notes is presented as nearly ethereal, with lots of movement and light within.  The oud shows up early and is a game-changer for the rose, which melds into the oud as if part of the wood.

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