Awards night is always a tad emotional…
2011 has been a big year for the perfume industry, it has seen a total of 1200 [1] new perfume releases and as expected with such a high volume of perfumes being unleashed onto the market, it was a mixed bag – some were great, some were good and some were downright terrible. Sifting through the plethora of perfume releases this year has been great fun and for this end of year round-up I have picked out those fragrances that I feel are the very best of 2011, my ‘best picks’ if you will. These fragrances are the ones that deserve to be celebrated for their artistic merit, flair and quality, oh and because they smell good too!
There are a four main categories; Best Feminine, Best Masculine, Best Niche and Best Flanker, each with a winner, and because there were quite a high amount of fragrances worth celebrating this year I have also included a number of runners up for most categories. In addition to the first four categories I have included an extra one entitled ‘The Candy Perfume Boy’s Best Discoveries of 2011′ which celebrates three fragrances that I have discovered and fallen in love with this year.
Before moving on to my ‘Best Picks of 2011′ I would like to thank each and every one of you who reads and supports this blog. As The Candy Perfume Boy is just about to reach 50,000 hits in the next day or so, I must take a moment to reflect on how great this experience has been so far. I truly value everyone who visits and interacts with me on this blog and my absolute highlight of this year has been the interactions and friendships I have formed through The Candy Perfume Boy and Twitter (you all know who you are!). They are as important, if not more so, than the perfumes that have brought us all together.
So without any further ado, I present to you The Candy Perfume Boy’s Best Picks of 2011…
Best Feminine
I always knew that Amouage would do great things with a big, no-holds-barred white floral and they certainly delivered with Honour Woman. This white floral wins ‘Best Feminine’ because it is euphoric in its beauty and exceptional in its quality. Honour Woman is one of those perfumes that surrounds you with an aura that is beautiful, melancholic and self-assured. If you are a fan of beautiful white florals then Honour Woman is an absolute must try, I would also recommend it to those who think that they don’t like the genre, it has been known to convert a few ‘non-believers’.
Runners Up
Guerlain
Shalimar Parfum Initial
Best Masculine
Although Kokorico won’t make it over the Channel into England until the beginning of 2012 it most definitely has to take the crown of ‘Best Masculine’. Picking 2011′s best masculine was tricky for me, I tend to wear mainly feminine fragrances and it would be fair to say that very few masculine releases wowed me this year and none impressed me more so than Kokorico. Kokorico is a warm, woody fragrance with accents of cocoa, anise and fig that does what all fragrances should do – it smells great.
Runners Up
Thierry Mugler
A*Men Le Goût du Parfum
Best Niche
Mona di Orio’s fragrances, and Oud in particular, seem to be topping a lot of people’s ‘Best Of’ lists this year, and deservedly so. To me, Oud is an absolute triumph of perfumery, it is by far the most outstanding use of oud in any fragrance and it wipes the floor with the colossal amount of mediocre oud releases we have seen recently. Oud, with its signature blend of oud from Laos and osmanthus, feels like the hot breath of a lover and has the shimmer and sparkle of a glorious sunset. A truly beautiful perfume, what more is there to say?
Runners Up
Tauer Perfumes
White Pentachord
Serge Lutens
Jeux du Peau
Etat Libre d’Orange
Archives 69
Best Flanker
Thierry Mugler
Le Goût du Parfum
(The Taste of Fragrance)
This year Thierry Mugler presented foody variations of four of his fragrances; Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men. Each version was shaken up with the addition of a taste enhancer such as bitter cocoa powder, salted butter caramel, fig chutney and red pepper paste – very yummy indeed. This series of four flankers turned out to not only be the best of the year but I would go as far as saying that they are also the most inventive and well put together series of flankers to be seen in a long while. Each foody version was a fascinating essay on the original perfume and in Womanity’s case it demonstrated how a degree of fine-tuning can offer an improvement on the original composition. As always, Thierry Mugler shows us how it should be done – flankers that offer something new, a variation on the original perfumes theme rather than just a variation on the name!
Please see my reviews of each fragrance in the series: Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men.
The Candy Perfume Boy’s Best Discoveries of 2011
These three perfumes may not have been released in 2011 but they have made a big impression on me this year.
Gold Woman has become one of my all time favourite perfumes and when I tried it for the first time I could not believe that I hadn’t tried it before, it’s perfect for me – a huge diva of a floral, what more could I ask for?! I am lucky enough to now own a bottle and I shall wear it proudly with abundance.
Orange Star is a very recent discovery of mine, but boy what a discovery! Who thought that a citrus fragrance could be so damn comforting?! Orange Star showcases Andy Tauer’s flair for creating something unusual yet distinctly familiar and when I wear it, I lay back into its warm, comfortable arms, revel in its beauty and float away.
A Taste of Heaven wasn’t just a big love for me, it was part of a revelation. Before trying A Taste of Heaven I found lavender to be a tricky note and had only fallen for one lavender perfume (Antiheros by Etat Libre d’Orange). But A Taste of Heaven came along and was the catalyst that sparked my love for one of perfumery’s most complex notes and for that reason I am very glad that I fell in love with it.
Join the Discussion!
That’s it for 2011, but here’s to a wonderfully fragrant 2012! I hope the new year brings you all that you wish for. But for now I would like to hear your thoughts:
What were your best picks of 2011?
Do you agree with the fragrances I have picked? What would you have included?
What was the highlight of your year?
Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below!
Disclaimer
[1] fragrancesoftheworld.com
Image 1 tfl-clan.de
Image 2 exparfum.ru
Image 3 & 8 vonmaur.com
Image 4 larosadeiventiprofumi.com
Image 5 lenoma.ru
Image 6 perfume-bg.eu
Image 7 fragrancesandcosmetics.co.nz
Image 9 shop.lorenzovilloresi.it
Image 10 harveynichols.com
Image 11 monadiorio.com
Image 13 nkdman.co.uk
Image 14 vittoriaprofumi.com
Image 15 polyvore.com
Image 16 luxuryactivist.com
Image 19 apropos-store.com
I have been reading your blogs for the last few weeks now and enjoy them immensely. Your list is a very good one and there are a few on it that I have still to try. The MdO Oud I most definitely agree with you, I look forward to my split coming any day now.
Hi Andrea!
I’m glad that you are enjoying the blog
Oud is just wonderful isn’t it?!
Great awards, T!
I think Amouage Honor Woman is a great choice for best feminine, and so is Oud of course. Sadly, this list confirms that our tastes overlap a lot. No more evil twins…
*sad face*
Never fear my dear B! We will always have the Muglers to reinforce our evil scent twindom!
Excellent choices for the awards, all ones I have liked too.
So glad you included the Amouage Honour Woman, it’s fresh and lovely.
My best women’s fragrances have been Cuir Fetiche (Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier) and Bottega Veneta. I am looking forward to trying the Killians.
My big discovery of 2011 is that I’m rather partial to leather! I like the soft, luxury goods end leather rather than meaty, saddle leathers (Mona di Orio’s Cuir a bit too strong for me, Knize 10 the same). I bought Cuir de Lancome a couple of weeks ago and have been loving it every day. My other 2011 discovery was Cuir Ottoman (Parfums D’Empire). In 2012 I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with some more ambers.
Keep up the good work, have very much enjoyed the blog over the past year.
Hi Lila, Happy New Year and thank you for all of your support in 2011!
There have been lots of good feminine releases this year but Honour Woman blew them all out of the water, it is a perfect white floral to me, it’s heavy in the right parts but as you say it’s also so fresh and lovely.
I totally get what you mean with the ‘luxury goods’ kind of leather, they are a million times prettier and easier to wear. Nick also raves about Cuir de Lancome so it sounds like something I should seek out.
The Killians are really very good
I suggest trying Carner Barcelona’s Cuir.
Cuirs (Catalan for “Leather”) is a rich, spicy eau de parfum that evokes fine leather saddles and upholstery, paired with sweet smoke and dry, woody accords. This beautiful scent is unisex, long-lasting and will please fans of both traditional and modern leather fragrances. Cuirs was created by perfumer Sonia Constant. Although suitable for day, Cuirs shines as the sexy evening companion to the other fragrances in the line, which take us on a journey through a typical day in Barcelona. – Fragrantica
…interestingly, almost bought Tom Ford Violet Blond because it was so great on the tester strip. Glad I tested it on skin because it became a little boring on me.
Really? That’s interesting, I find that it’s quite lively on the skin. Others have mentioned that it does fall flat on their skin though.
Excellent pics, … I’m in total agreement !
My best pics for 2011, (or rather the ones I most enjoyed wearing personally) : Number one at the very top, is without a doubt : Mona di Orio’s magnificent OUD. (Absolute pure perfection !)
PG ~ Indochine (But then I luv benzoin, & Pierre’s musk base in it is gorgeous & lasts forever.)
Dsquared2 ~ Potion. (A little on the quiet side, but just so damned warm and delicious.)
Neela Vermeer ~ Trayee. (A cardamom revelation, and lasts and lasts and lasts … )
Huitieme Art ~ Myrrhiad (Feral myrrh, smelling better than I’ve ever smelled myrrh.)
Mugler ~ Pure Havane (Just smells wonderful).
By Kilian ~ Incense Oud (Not much oud, but gorgous Frankincense nevertheless.)
Soivohle ~ Leather Krem (Unusual burnt caramel gourmand leather. Stunning !)
Lastly, my biggest “nice surprise” of the year (& I know we don’t quite agree on this one ;o), but CK One’s Shock for Him.
And my most anticipated large disappointment was Illamasquas’ Freak (Great bottle and name though.) … Although best packaging goes to JPG’s Kokorico.
That’s a very good list Jules and it shows that we have a lot in common taste wise. I agree completely with Potion, it’s a great masculine but it just needs that little bit of extra oomph to make it an excellent masculine.
As you know, I don’t mind CK One Shock for Him, it’s better than a lot of the dreck we see, but for me it is just that little bit too synthetic (not always a bad thing) and has NOTHING in common with the original. Still, it’s not bad at all.
Honor Woman and MdO Oud are really lovely, I wish the price of the Oud was a bit lower, then I would get a FB for sure! Next year I will definitely check out the By Killian line and finally getting hold of my bottle of Miriam that got lost in the mail. Happy New Year, looking forward to following your posts in 2012!
Happy New Year Eva! Thank you for all of your comments in 2011 and I hope 2012 brings you all that you wish for!
I’m with you on the price of Oud, it’s prohibitively expensive and I wish they did a 15ml or 30ml bottle, I could perhaps justify that!
It’s a shame about your bottle of Miriam, I hope they’re sending you another without charge!
Hello,
I’m new to the blogosphere and I have made my list also (http://bleauog.blogspot.com/ if you want to visit). My list was made of fragrances which are very wearable and interesting at the same time, it’s different from yours. In creative sense I would put the choices like you, Mona di Orio, Gaultier, Tom Ford because they’re offering something individual. I was going for a regular stuff which will be very popular because of simplicity. I need to highlight your choice of SSquared2 because it has deserved to be on the list, and, you have put Lutens jeux du Peau, I would rather switch it for Vitriol d’Oeillet!
Best
Juraj
Hi Juraj! Thanks for stopping by!
It seems that we share a lot of scents in common.
Unfortunately I found Vitriol d’Oeillet a bit dull, I found it to simply be a huge amount of eugenol over Lutens’ signature cedar wood base, but I can see why it has its fans. Jeux du Peau isn’t a scent that I would wear but it really is something special, interesting and different, it had to go on the list
Worthy winners! Very enjoyable run-down of the best releases this year. I would only add Bottega Veneta but I know it was a little too low-key for you which I can understand. Honor Woman could definitely turn non white floral people like me. It is pure quality. HAVE to try Mona di Orio Oud SOON.
Have fun tonight and enjoy your perfume shopping trip on the 2nd.
YOU MUST TRY OUD!!!
I did really think about including Bottega Veneta, it’s really well done and I can see why it has its fans, but as you say it was too low key for me and when it came down to choosing between BV and Violet Blonde, VB had the edge!
Honour Woman is just divine!
I will have lots of fun on 02 Jan and I will definitely be seeking out Bois d’Armenie!
You had a very good year! I agree that Kokorico and Potion were memorable (that is a huge compliment nowadays) releases. I didn’t like Jeux de Peau and I found Mona di Orio Oud quite underwhelming, especially compared to her initial range of perfumes, now discontinued.
I can’t suggest my own choices because I test fragrances randomly, skipping from one year to other. I tend to try recent mass releases but as I said, most times just being able to remember of them is the best I can wish for.
May 2012 be even more fragrant and happier for you and your loved ones (two and four legged)
Happy New Year Christos! I hope that 2012 brings you all that you desire.
This year had definitely been a very good year and there have been lots of great scents. The masculines were very hard to pick because, like you say, it’s an achievement for them to even be memorable today.
Here’s to a good (and well scented) 2012!
Great that you included Orange Star in here, and I completely agree with everything you said about it. Would love to try Honour Woman too as I have yet to read a bad thing about it. PS, the Halle Berry photo is a stroke of genious
ORANGE STAR IS AWESOME!! Sorry I get a little bit over excited about it.
You should definitely try Honour Woman, it is beautiful!
Re Halle Berry: Isn’t it just?! She’s rocking an Elie Saab dress too so it’s even more appropriate.
You should always get excited IN CAPS!
I didn’t know that was a Elie Saab dress, you chose the picture even more appropriately now. You could have went with a Sally Field quote too, “You like me, you really like me!”
I loved your feminine picks! You and I seen to have more in common on that front than I do with some female perfumistas. : – ) When I get to doing my own list I promise I did come up with it separately, however it may look…!
Hi Vanessa! Happy New Year!
We do seem to have a lot in common, which is good, great minds think alike as they say
I will believe that your list is all original material
OUD by Mona di Orio…my one and only,
best wishes from Amsterdam Holland
love and respect, John xxx
Oud is absolutely beautiful isn’t it John?
Mona and Jabu are my guiding angels,
i hope for all of us…xx
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I enjoy reading everybody’s lists. I agree with most of your picks (out of those which I’ve tried): not that they are similar to my choices but all those were good. The only category where you surprised me was Best Feminine: even though I cannot wear Amouage Honour I think it’s a masterpiece and “runner-ups” look really foreign next to it. So while I agree with your main choice I’m surprised to see these contenders together.
Honour Woman definitely wiped the floor with all of the feminine releases this year but I thought it was a very strong year for designer feminine releases, those included as runners up were especially good amongst other releases in 2011
.
No question Honour Woman was a huge stand out in 2011. I believe it will become a long standing Amouage classic!
Hi Chad!
I’m with you there, Honour is absolutely beautiful!
Some great choices here. I’m amazed your choice for best masculine goes to the JPG, I’ve never sniffed it and to be honest hadn’t heard of it, it’ll be on my ‘to test’ list now though.
Love seeing ELdO in any list
I really can’t get into Amouage, I’ll have to start taking them more seriously and actually wear one soon, I just don’t ser the appeal
Lovely picks!
I think others were surprised to, the best masculine was a difficult choice as there very few that wowed me last year. Kokorico is the best of the bunch.
Are you a big fan of Etat Libre d’Orange? I love them!
Amouage is a house you really should explore, they have some absolutely wonderful perfumes, I tend to like their feminines because they’re big and ‘blowsy’ but their masculines are also very good.
I’m in London tomorrow so I will be trying Orange Star for sure
Glad to see Amouage being mentioned…I wrote about the Kokorico bottle on one of my posts a few weeks back, in that the shape of the bottle is surely Voldemort’s profile?!
Do let me know what you think of Orange Star, it’s definitely polarising!
I’ve not thought of Kokorico as Voldemort’s profile but I totally see it now! Haha!
I will be trying Orange Star for sure tommorow too.
Orange Star is fab!