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

Once upon a time, the woods were for men and the flowers were for women. Coco Chanel and her perfumer Ernest Beaux rebelled against these stereotypes by creating Bois des Iles, a dark woody composition that was as elegant as it was shocking. The new generation of feminine woody fragrances, from Estee Lauder Sensuous to Bulgari Jasmin Noir, layers the woods so heavily with the floral notes that the character becomes blurred.  Unfortunately, most fragrances in that family are what I label as “acrylic florals”—possessing in equal measure the strident sharpness of woods and the neon brightness of modern floral notes. Elie Saab Le Parfum is the latest example of this genre, a cross between Sensuous and Narciso Rodriguez for Her.

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Perfumes enchant us when they create an illusion of transporting us to a place, real or imaginary. Yet, while traveling spatially and temporally is an important part of fragrance’s allure, there are times when teasing the senses and creating certain impressions is what perfume does best. Given the strong link between olfactory and gustatory perceptions, one would not be surprised to discover the smells of food appearing in fragrances. The gourmand trend initiated by Thierry Mugler Angel is certainly not novel–in 1956 Edmond Roudnitska created Diorissimo to counter the contemporary preference for the heavy, sweet notes. Nevertheless, Angel opened up new vistas and expanded the concept of gourmand. The exploration I offer below takes a somewhat different approach in trying to illustrate the more abstract gourmand ideas in fragrance. …

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

Agent Provocateur, a spicy oriental rose, aimed and succeeded at conveying the same dramatic sensuality as its parent British lingerie brand. Its pairing of dark, chocolate redolent patchouli, orange tinged coriander, and honeyed roses is voluptuous, decadent and heady. On the other hand, an austere undercurrent of dry woods and mosses creates a memorable tension and an interesting interplay of cool and hot within the composition. Next to such a bombshell, other Agent Provocateur fragrances—Strip, Maîtresse, Eau Emotionnelle—seem pale and listless. L’Agent, unfortunately, does no better. It is merely a pleasant tuberose and incense twist on the idea of Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois.

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What are your favorite scented products besides perfume (candles, soaps, lotions, powders, etc.)?

One of my favorites is Alba Botanica Midnight Tuberose. It is an inexpensive line of shower and body products scented with an airy linden and jasmine perfume, similar to L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons. Among candles, these days I especially enjoy basil and mint scented Cire Trudon Abd el Kader, rose and iris laced Tocca Florence and Annick Goutal Le Sac de ma Mère.

Photo by La Grande Farmer’s Market via flickr.com, some rights reserved.

Tom Ford’s Signature Collection, which includes fragrances like White Patchouli and Black Orchid, will see an addition of Violet Blonde, a rich floral composition. Although officially slated for the early September launch, the fragrance has been slowly rolled out in stores starting August. It can be found already at Saks 5th Avenue.

The composition includes notes pink pepper, violet leaf, mandarin, iris absolute, jasmine, musk, suede, cedar, vetiver and benzoin. The campaign starts the Dutch model Lara Stone. Violet Blonde is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.