2012 launches: 129 posts

“With the unexpected aroma of melting ice caps filling my nostrils, I inhale deeply. Frozen mountains exhale an earthy scent, and in the distance, Andean condors fly. “Can you feel that?” he asks, taking the sample away so that I open my eyes. “That’s our ‘Lago Del Desierto’ fragrance. We’ve recreated the smell of the glaciers and the surrounding countryside of Argentine Patagonia.”

An interesting article from The Argentina Independent about Fueguia perfume laboratory, an outfit recreating the scents of Argentina. Thanks to Sian for a link!

When Serge Lutens presented L’Eau, I found it baffling—it smelled of laundry musks and a whisper of florals, but eventually I took it in stride. When the master has been busy weaving opulent tapestries for the past twenty years, it is only fair that he pursues some other olfactory avenues to remain inspired. When L’Eau Froide crossed my path, I no longer felt any strong emotion about Lutens’ new direction. After all, the man has given us glorious Jeux de Peau and De Profundis! As it turns out, L’Eau Froide is wonderful—a crisp, sparkling cologne of incense and citrus.

The first impression is a chill of ginger and lemon. Ginger sometimes smells like the most citrusy of all citrus fruits, and this is exactly how it features in L’Eau Froide. Its effervescence lends itself perfectly to the cool demeanor of a perfume that means Cold Water in French. After a few more minutes, the bergamot, lemon and pepper begin to sing a cappella.

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

After Flowerbomb, Antidote, and Eau Méga, the Amsterdam fashion house Viktor & Rolf has launched Spicebomb, a new masculine fragrance. While the clothing by designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren is avant-garde and edgy, the fragrances feel to me driven mostly by the desire to boost the company’s profit margins. They are well-made, polished, but perhaps stay too close to current trends. Spicebomb is a pleasant surprise in the line up—a fragrance that blends gender boundaries as effortlessly as Tilda Swinton—V&R’s muse—in Orlando and that has a few dark and smoky surprises in its layers.

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

I consider myself a fairly open minded perfume lover, ready to experience a new fragrance without any preconceived notions. At the very least, I keep my biases in check. I reason that a perfumista’s equivalent of an omnivore is someone who disregards the minutia and goes straight for the juice. So when Avon Infinite Moment for Her crossed my path, I managed to get past the blandness of the moniker. Even the ad that seems to be taken from the cover of a “bodice ripper” novel did not faze me. These days my courageous testing often leaves me smelling like a candy factory on fire, but Intimate Moment for Her rewarded me with a creamy floral wrapped in vanilla and soft woods. While not offering anything original, it is nevertheless a sophisticated, easy to wear choice.

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

Bronze Goddess is a summer limited edition fragrance, which Estée Lauder brings back every year with a flanker. This year’s variation is Bronze Goddess Capri, a “solar Oriental fragrance inspired by the seductive Isle of Capri.” Neither Capri nor summer flankers (the perfume equivalent of movie sequels) tempt me much, but the original Bronze Goddess is such a brilliant composition of creamy coconut and dry amber that every year I anticipate its sister fragrance as well.

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