5 stars: 115 posts

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

When the house of Amouage was established in 1983 by the Sultan of Oman, the renowned perfumer Guy Robert essentially received carte blanche when it came to creating the signature Amouage fragrance. Now known as Amouage Gold, it is a perfume epitomizing luxury and opulence, a composition of traditional Omani ingredients, yet created in the grand style of French perfumery. Robert, whose creations include Hermès Equipage, Doblis and Calèche, Christian Dior Dioressence, and Madame Rochas, is a master of the gilded and elegant compositions that evoke mirrored ballrooms and Strauss waltzes. Likewise, Gold is a polished and luminous fragrance that dazzles without ever losing its refined quality. …

Continue reading →

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

A woman who wears Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum is most certainly not a wallflower. Even the first impression of this fragrance banishes any thoughts to the contrary. The lemony brightness of hedione and the green richness of the floral accord do not hide the animalic warmth and honeyed patchouli foiling the heart of this distinctive composition. The Paloma Picasso woman is not a delicate waif nor is she an inaccessible ice queen. Mon Parfum is a smoldering beauty, with its masculine touches evoking the olfactory equivalent of a perfectly tailored tuxedo suit rather than a skintight dress. …

Continue reading →

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

The melancholy aura and retro elegance of Chanel 31, rue Cambon are fascinating, given its decidedly modern interpretation. Experiencing it is like flipping through the pages of an old family album, glancing at the photographs of people in Edwardian outfits and flapper dresses only to notice a striking resemblance between their features and your own. While 31, rue Cambon is a chypre (a fragrance based on the interplay of citrusy, floral, woody, mossy, ambery/musky notes à la Guerlain Mitsouko and Rochas Femme), this chypre possesses a certain delicate and serene quality. 31, rue Cambon is not a fragrance that seduces, but rather it enchants softly. …

Continue reading →

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

There are days in the winter when one can smell spring. It comes surreptitiously, even if the ground is still covered with snow and the sun is concealed by thick white clouds. Yet, the fragrance of spring is unmistakable—fresh, wet, and earthy, bearing that violet intensity that marks the desire of living beings to cast off winter’s slumber. Remarkably, this dissonance of spring is captured by perfumer Germaine Cellier in Vent Vert, the perfume created for Pierre Balmain in 1947.

Continue reading →

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

Who is Miss Dior? She is half Anna Karenina, half Brett Ashley. Created for Christian Dior Parfums, Miss Dior appears to be lady-like and soigné, and yet it hints at the worn darkness of leather saddles and the smoke of slender cigarettes. Although one can enjoy Miss Dior for what it is—a gorgeous classical chypre with a unique green freshness, I find that understanding its context heightens my appreciation for its heartbreaking beauty. Born in 1947, the fragrance carries connotations of the hunger for glamour, the austerity of war and the hopes for future. …

Continue reading →