White Musk Midnight Iris by The Body Shop

I can't remember the last time I stepped into The Body Shop let alone recall when I last bought anything there. I do however remember that I have never purchased any of their perfumes because they were mostly dull or smell like they came out of an underground lab. Anyway, I went in there recently to check out the hype with the new Love Etc parfum and it was surprisingly pleasant. There was definitely effort in it (and undoubtfully since the nose behind it is Dominique Ropion) but still not something I'd buy and wear. As I turned to exit the store, three words caught my eye - Iris de Minuit (Midnight Iris). What is such a seductive and niche sounding name doing in The Body Shop? I picked it up and sprayed. It had such a familiar scent but my brain wasn't co-operating then so I bought it to investigate further. Yes, my first The Body Shop purchase in over 7 years.

White Musk Midnight Iris is an extension of the original White Musk and the listed notes are bergamot, water lily, muguet, clary sage, orris, musk, sandalwood and tonka bean. Reviewing this perfume was a challenge because of how fleeting the notes are. It opens with a cocktail of fresh bergamot laced with lilial and muguet aldehyde I suspect and with rubbery violet ionones. The heart is iris that is earthy with a hint of clary sage and drydown is a sweet veil of translucent iris and musk. The style of this composition has the watercolour quality as seen in many of Jean-Claude Ellena's creations but alas lacks the master's touch and longevity. This is when I remembered what was so familiar! This is the premature stillborn offspring of Lolita Lempicka without the gourmand notes. I quickly brought Lolita out for a comparison and found another similarity.

Coincidence or not, I don't know but this could have been a potentially good perfume if not for its ridiculous longevity (lack of). What a pity but at least it still cheap enough to use as a good room spray.

Rating: **1/2

Oh Old Spice, you crack me up

The new Old Spice ads are possibly the most hilarious personal care ads this quarter. They make me laugh so hard but this one is my favourite. Absolutely GOLD!

Tilda Swinton Like This, the new fragrance by Etat Libre D'Orange

Woohoo! Tilda Swinton Like This, the latest offering by Etat Libre d'Orange will be available in a few weeks. The perfumer for Like This is Mathilde Bijaoui and will feature notes of mandarin, ginger, pumpkin, everlasting, neroli, rose, vetiver, heliotrope and musk. Tilda Swinton's inspiration behind the perfume is written to a chant and will be included with the bottle:

Like this.
What does your fragrance smell like? Like this.
What does your fragrance feel like? Like this.
What will I do with this fragrance? Like this.
It’s an idea that makes me very, very warm and happy…
Tilda

Like This will come as a 50 ml eau de parfum.

source: etatlibredorange.com

More can soon smell like royalty

House of Amouage, perfumer of the Omani royal family, starts its global expansion with a store in Dubai to open end of March. Next in line is London in May. Full story here.

Happy Mardi Gras Sydney!

The time has come once again to show off those hard earned muscles and reap the rewards of your expensive solarium membership or put on a frock without your neighbours judging. This is the first time in five years I'm not in Sydney for Mardi Gras but I will be waving my party flag here for you guy and gals down under.

In spirit of the festivity, here's a list of suggestions on picking your Mardi Gras fragrance in accordance to your 'type'.

1. The Dragqueen

You want to smell delicious and sexy but don't forget it is your masculinity riding on exaggarated feminity that we love. Go for big florals with a balsamic drydown and a slight hint of manliness.

Suggestion: Kapsule Floriental by Karl Lagerfeld

2. The Bear

Yes, you're a pheromone machine but after eight hours of dancing and sweating, we reckon you'll need some assistance from a bottle to keep your friends. I'm not going to wreck my brain on this since you already have a perfume made for you.

Suggestion: Tom of Finland by Etat Libre D'Orange

3. The Dyke

The parade will not be complete without you Dykes on Bikes. This is your party, this is your day. Go all out with something deep, smoky, leathery and strong enough to match your bike grease.

 Suggestion: Ho Hang Club by Balenciaga

4. The Femme

You make up of some of the world's most beautiful women and we'd love to smell what you have on. Be gorgeous with powdery florals and musk and you won't go wrong.

Suggestion: Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent

5. The Twink

You have the perfect hair, perfect skin (+bronzer overdose), most up to date fashion, and have the ability to show up at after parties and more after parties without any signs of wear and tear (or at least where we can't see). Go for something fresh and fruity to match your bubbly exterior.

Suggestion: Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin Fraicheur

6. The Hunk

Who needs clothes when you look like that so it's better
to keep them off and save the money for more fragrances. You'll drive more men and women crazy with a beautiful citrus head and strong woody bottom.


Suggestion: Tom Ford for Men by Tom Ford

Happy partying!

Image credits: Man and flag (http://montrealsimon.blogspot.com/); Dragqueen (flickr.com); Bear (flickr.com by sscup); dyke on bike (wikipedia.org by David Shankbone); Portia di Rossi (Michael Buckner/Getty Images North America); Twink (flickr.com by mercury2001); Hunk (flickr.com by zacvtorb)

Mensonge by Fragonard

 

Unless you are a fragrance enthusiast or you've taken one of those perfume tours in France, you may not have heard of Fragonard and you'll probably be surprised at how old this perfumery is. Fragonard was opened in 1926 as a tourist perfumery in Grasse and was named after famous Grasse painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard as a tribute to the town and its art. Visitors to Grasse today can do a tour featuring the Fragonard perfume museum and factory. 

Mensonge (Lie) is part of the Confidentiel line created by Givaudan for Fragonard. Fresh opening of citrus notes with well-balanced introduction of cardamon and ginger, (ginger tends to make me gag a little but it is good to note the ginger here is light and refreshing) the heart is a spicy infusion of rose water supported by a woody-lavender base.  Mensonge is the well-behaved mature but watered-down cousin of Polo Sport Extreme and the alikeness is uncanny. Don't let the name fool you for there's nothing secretive or deceitful about it. It is a safe masculine fragrance so don't expect the girls to go crazy unless you are George Clooney. Sillage is weak and it doesn't last a mile which makes this perfect to use it in place of your Brut or Old Spice aftershave or as a quick refresher after a workout at the gym.

Rating: *** 

The Fragonard range is available in Singapore at Senteurs de Provence. 

Citizen Queen by Juliette Has a Gun

Romano Ricci created the niche perfumery Juliette Has a Gun and definitely had a tough act to follow, especially since his great-grandmother is Nina Ricci and his grandfather Robert Ricci created the timeless classic L'aire du Temps. Fortunately (and a very smart move indeed) he enlisted the help of perfumery boy wonder Francis Kurkdjian of Le Male fame to create his first two fragrances - Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance. Ricci then got himself into the 'big shoes to fill' situation again by deciding to create Citizen Queen on his own.

If Chanel No. 5 is Grace Kelly doing a photo shoot in a rose and jasmine garden, then Citizen Queen is Uma Thurman (in leather bikini) sunning her hair in a stylish balcony garden of an upmarket designer loft. Classically beautiful, yet raw and edgy at the same time, Citizen Queen opens radiantly with the unmistakable C10,C11,C12 aldehydes made popular in Chanel No. 5 and Johnson&Johnson baby shampoo. The nail polish grassiness of benzyl acetate mingled and transformed the roses and violets into an arcylic bouquet, showing off the modern twist of these classic florals. Comparatively, the base notes are heaps softer, humming in supporting notes of ambery labdanum, musk and leather. There's a slight animalic note, but nothing too ferocious. In this case perhaps a fluffy purring kitten. 

Citizen Queen is a fine modern composition of the textbook chypre without much shocking modifications. A fragrance for sexy, confident women (and men) wanting to show off sophistication without compromising on edginess.

Rating: ****

Juliette Has a Gun can be found in Singapore at Sephora, Takashimaya SC and Black Market.