A Gaggle of Perfume Bloggers: Birgit & Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels, Vanessa of Bonkers About Perfume and me, The Candy Perfume Boy.

The Perfume Lovers London events organised by Lila Das Gupta as part of Olfactory Events are a fabulous opportunity to learn about perfume, to talk to and meet with like minded perfumeophiles and discover a plethora of new, exciting perfumes. It’s safe to say that every event is a joy to attend so the news that one of my favourite bloggers, Birgit of Olfactoria’s Travels, was going to be holding her very own event was very exciting indeed!

I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir here, but Olfactoria’s Travels has become a go-to blog for many perfume lovers and it’s teeming with beautifully written reviews, informed discussion and passion from Birgit and Tara, who have both changed the face of the perfume blogosphere.

For her event, Birgit promised to take us on a journey through the world of amber, a sensible subject choice seeing as she has rightfully earned the title of “Queen of Amber” through her love for the genre. Now, I’ve made it no secret that amber isn’t my favourite genre of perfumes, but that’s not to say that I don’t like it either, I simply haven’t had the right amount of exposure to it, but now thanks to Birgit and Perfume Lovers London I feels as if I am well-versed on the subject!

The Candy Perfume Boy (complete with funny eye squint) and Olfactoria

The evening kicked off with an introduction from Lila, who emphasised just how popular Olfactoria’s Travels has become in such a short period of time (18 months), a fact which is a testament to the quality of the blog. Birgit followed up with background on herself, her career (a psychotherapist by trade – “as is customary in Vienna”) and how she fell down the perfumed rabbit hole.

In the beginning Birgit (hereafter referred to as B) was content with her bottle of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle, that was until she stumbled across Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle in a department store, and it was then that she found the perfume that started it all, the catalyst that birthed the travels of Olfactoria. That perfume was Olivia Giacobetti’s En Passant, and this beautiful, fresh, green lilac was the perfume that kick-started B’s love for perfume – “it was new because it captured nature”.

Real Amber of the Fossilised Tree-Sap Variety

After trying the perfume that started it all we were treated to an overview of amber, what it is (the basic accord being labdanum, benzoin and vanilla) and what it isn’t (ambergris or fossilised tree resin – although it is inspired by the latter.

We even got to smell the three raw materials that make up the accord in isolation; labdanum – spicy, woody and sticky smelling; benzoin – fuzzy, soft caramel; and vanilla – sweet, salty, spicy and smooth. I always enjoy smelling perfume ingredients, it’s an invaluable exercise aquatinting yourself with the individual puzzle pieces that make up the smells we are so familiar with, and I wish I could just douse myself in pure benzoin – that stuff is delicious.

After our overview it was time to meet the ambers…

L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau d’Ambre

The Starter Ambers

L’Artisan Parfumeur – L’Eau d’Ambre
Etro – Amber
Agent Provocateur – Strip
Christian Dior La Collection Privée – Ambre Nuit

B’s first foray into amber was with “the amber for people who don’t like amber” also known as L’Eau d’Ambre by L’Artisan Parfumeur. L’Eau d’Ambre is an amber that emphasises the accord’s spicier facets and it showcases a wonderful dusting of cinnamon that makes it easy to love. Another thing acting in its favour is the fact that it is the perfume that L’Artisan Parfumeur uses to scent their awesome amber balls – who wouldn’t want to smell like those?

Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan

Heavy Hitters

Serge Lutens – Ambre Sultan
Annick Goutal – Ambre Fétiche
Parfum d’Empire – Ambre Russe

At this point B started to take us into full-blown amber territory. We moved on from the namby-pamby starter ambers on to the proper amber perfumes, the most amber-y and famous of which was Serge Lutens’ Ambre Sultan. B explained that she has a “back and forth” relationship with Serge Lutens, regularly falling in and out of love with his perfumes, but Ambre Sultan is the “exception to the evil cycle” and it’s easy to see why, it is a beautifully furry amber with a large dose of herbal notes and a strange, anisic quality.

We also tried Ambre Fétiche by Annick Goutal, a house that I don’t have a great track record with, but I think AF could go a long way to change that, it’s a strong amber with an unusual nutty character that is a little unsettling but definitely interesting. One member of the group described it as smelling “like going to a male temple”.

Tom Ford Amber Absolute

American Male Superheroes

Tom Ford Private Blend – Amber Absolute
Armani Privé – Ambre d’Orient
Histoires de Parfums – Ambre 114

These ambers, as described by B, are the “square jawed, good men, but not necessarily intelligent” members of the posse. Tom Ford’s Amber Absolute very much seemed like an amber-by-numbers, like Mr. Ford himself it was impeccably turned out and tried its hardest to push all the right buttons. B said that Amber Absolute smelled much better on skin than paper, so a few of us (myself included) offered our arms up as human tester strips, and it’s true, it is much better on skin.

The second amber of the superhero-bunch was Armani Privé’s Ambre d’Orient, which turned out to be a relatively sweet amber in comparison to the Tom Ford, and despite a light liquorice vibe it sat very nicely in this category of handsome, wholesome ambers.

Mona di Orio Ambre

Powdery Ambers

Coudray – Amber et Vanille
Mona di Orio – Ambre

Mona di Orio’s Ambre doesn’t follow her usual “takes no prisoners” vibe, a vibe that can easily be applied to her Cuir if you ask me, but that’s beside the point. This one is very powdery, soft and feminine. I would liken it to baby powder for grown-ups because it feels like a fleshed and spiced up version of Mona di Orio’s other powdery scent Musc, a perfume that B insisted that we all try. *

Christian Dior Mitzah

Dead Center Ambers

Christian Dior La Collection Privée – Mitzah
Maître Parfumeur et Gantier – Ambre Précieux

The Dead Centre Ambers represented the middle ground of the amber world and none are more dead centre than Dior’s Mitzah. Mitzah, which was named after Christian Dior’s muse Mitzah Bricard, “represents the geographical centre – not to sweet, not to smoky, not to spicy, not to loud and not to quiet”. For me Mitzah was the surprise of the night, firstly because in my brain I had thought it was one the florals in La Collection Privée, and secondly because it really is very well balanced. Mitzah certainly was intriguing and I assured that it was my sample-of-choice to take home.

Amouage Opus VI

Summer Amber

Amouage - Opus VI

B described the final amber (on the evening and in her review), Amouage’s latest addition to their Library Collection as the “Star Trek Amber” because of its “holographic” quality. This description is very interesting because Opus VI is VERY different from the heavy, spice-laden ambers that made up most of B’s entourage and I don’t think it can be more perfectly summed up than being “see-through, weightless but still perfectly formed”

Estée Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude

80s Vintage Ambers

Calvin Klein – Obsession
Estée Lauder – Youth Dew Amber Nude

Armani Privé Ambre Soie

Amber and Friends

Caron – Pour un Homme
Armani Privé – Ambre Soie
Shiloh – X

The two final ‘bonus categories’ were left for us to explore at the very end of the event and contained vintage ambers of perfumes associated with the genre but not quite within it. The highlight of these categories was the vintage scents and It was good fun to try vintage Obsession, I do like my 80s powerhouses after all!

An evening with Olfactoria “Queen of Amber” was a fabulous induction into the world of amber. Just like the Perfume Lovers London Evening of Leather, I walked away with a new-found appreciation of a perfume genre that I hadn’t really paid a huge amount of attention to before, as well as having discovered some very interesting perfumes that require further investigation.

It was also incredibly lovely to finally meet Birgit, who is just as wonderful and engaging as I imagined her to be, she did a fabulous job with the evening and successfully managed to impart a good deal of her perfume knowledge on those who attended. She really knows her stuff and it was clear throughout that perfume really is her passion, and amber is her poison! Here’s hoping that we’ll have the opportunity to join Olfactoria on her travels again some time in the future.

For other accounts of the evening please head over to Olfactoria’s Travels to read Tara’s fabulous write up and to Bonkers About Perfume to read Vanessa’s also-fabulous write up.

Disclaimer

Image 1 & 2 my own, Image 3 theendofhistoryshop.blogspot.com, Image 4 spitfiregirl.com, Image 5 butik-paris.com, Image 6 polyvore.com, Image 7 vanitypolygon.com, Image 8 lenoma.ru, Image 9 mparis.ru, Image 10 fashionls.com, Image 11 selfridges.com

* updated  21 May – misread my notes.

On the last Saturday Poll, which was a whole two weeks ago if you can cast your mind back that far, we discussed the subject of perfume gender bending. This is a subject that I am quite passionate, and almost militant about so it was great to see so many people weighing in with their thoughts. A stonking 83% of you voted in favour for gender bending and generally wearing whatever you like and all I can say to that is “hear, hear!”

Anyway, enough of that! Let’s move on to this week’s poll…

The Poll

As you may have noticed, I am somewhat of a lover of tuberose. OK, that’s an understatement, I’m a tuberose freak. No wait, I’m a tuberose addict – I can’t get enough. Whilst I adore the note I’m fully aware that others aren’t so keen, in fact it would be fair to say that tuberose is a polarising note – some love it and others hate it. What do you think? I want to know! Register your vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments box below!

My Vote

I think I have made my stance on the subject of tuberose pretty clear, but perhaps this will clear up any grey areas…

Leather Oud Photographed by Diego Porcel for BDBM Magazine

We all have a lot to be grumpy about when it comes to Christian Dior Parfums. Not only must we be giving them the evil eye for the dwindling quality in classics such as Diorissimo,  we must also be narked about the shoddy reformulations of modern classics like Hypnotic Poison, Pure Poison and Dior Homme/Homme Intense. So yes, it may just be me, but Dior could do a lot more to get in to many a fumehead’s good books.

One area where Dior isn’t letting us down is in their relatively recently launched (2010) “La Collection Privée”, which saw the original Dior Homme Cologne collection (Eau Noire, Bois d’Argent and Ambre Nuit) bumped up to a total of 9 fragrances, before being joined by two new fragrances; Leather Oud and Patchouli Imperial. My interest in in the former was officially piqued at Perfume Lovers London ”Evening of Leather“, in which it was described by Lila as a “Sex God”, a moniker which is not to be ignored!

Leather Oud is definitely a stand out within La Collection, and I would argue that it is also a stand out amongst the onslaught of oud based fragrances that populate the market. On the creation of Leather Oud, Dior says: “Christian Dior searched the world, looking for the most beautiful fabrics that exist. Like the designer, the Perfumer (François Demachy) chooses the most beautiful raw materials, one of which is oud wood from Indonesia.” [1] It is this haute couture approach that makes Leather Oud such a success, it is a wonderful example of what happens when quality and artistry collide.

La Collection Privée Christian Dior

The Notes

Top: Clove and Cardamom Seed
Heart: Oud, Amyris, Sandalwood and Animalic Notes
Base: Leather, Labdanum Ciste and Birch [2]

How Does it Smell?

Leather Oud starts out really spicy, skanky and Nasty with a capital “N”. The spices, namely cardamom, clove, cinnamon and cumin (a quartet of “Cs”) give the impression of hot, sweaty bodies rolling in the hay. It’s obvious from the beginning that Leather Oud is definitely more of an ‘Oud’ than it is a ‘Leather’ and the aforementioned oud makes an appearance early on in the development.

The oud in Leather Oud is rich and intensely honeyed. It strikes a nice contrast between sweet and sour that gives the impression of warm skin in, erm, “southern places”. This honeyed, sour quality is bolstered by strong, dry woods, namely cedar, sandalwood and gaiac wood which, along with the tar and smoke of the leather really compliments the oud rather nicely.

Despite their absence in the notes list I could swear that there are some white flowers lurking beneath all that wood and smoke. The flowers add a slight hint of indole, which amps up the raunch just beyond the acceptable level of politeness, although Leather Oud never becomes so raunchy that it couldn’t be worn in civilised situations, it’s versatile in that respect.

The base consists of a perfectly enjoyable blend of spicy amber, labdanum and woods. The smoke and animalic raunch persists right through the dry down, in fact they become more pronounced and take centre stage as things progress. It’s one of those fragrances that you find yourself liking more and more with time, and by the time it has completely disappeared (which is a good 12 hours +, it may not be loud but it is tenacious) you’ll be reaching for the sprayer again…

Leather Oud says “sex” louder and more accurately than any other fragrance, forget about Sécrétions Magnifiques, forget about the over-sexed and “sex-by-numbers” marketing of mainstream perfumes, this is the real thing – this fragrance is positively pornographic, it is the smell of unwashed sheets, warm and ruffled and stained with the imprint of the night’s passions. It truly is a “Sex God”.

The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Oud

Leather Oud now takes pride of place in The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Oud as “The Pornographic Oud”.

Availability

Leather Oud is part of La Collection Privée Christian Dior and is available in 450ml, 250ml and 125ml Eau de Parfum. Prices start at £125.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Leather Oud sourced myself.

Image 1 diegoporcel.com
Image 2 bonbrand.com

[1] dior.com
[2] osmoz.com 

“Legends of the Silk Road”

I have said it a number of times before, but things that are true must be said more than once; I am taking my sweet time working my way through Amouage’s back catalogue of scents and most importantly I am enjoying the journey immensely. What strikes me most about the Amouage line is the impressive degree of cohesion demonstrated amongst such an eclectic mix of fragrance styles, each of which is woven together by the silver thread of omani frankincense.

Speaking of journeys, none are more impressive than the ancient journeys of the Silk Road, the subject of which is the inspiration behind Amouage’s 2009 feminine and masculine duo. Creative Director Christopher Chong worked alongside perfumers Cecile Zarokian, Daniel Maurel, Angeline Leporini (for Woman) and Randa Hammami (for Man) to create two perfumes that represent the sheer scale and importance of these cross-continental journeys that no longer exist.

Epic is the moniker given to this type of journey and is bestowed upon both fragrances. Inspired by the legend of travels along the world’s spice and trade routes, and hued in imperial jadeite the name Epic could not be more perfect, and whilst it may lead you to believe that these fragrances are cinematic in their size, one should not be fooled, unlike other Amouage perfumes Epic Woman and Man are essays in soft elegance.

Epic Woman

“She follows the guiding light in search of the long lost aria. Beyond truth and immortality a Legend is born.” [1]

The Notes

Top: Cumin, Pink Bay and Cinnamon
Heart: Damascene Rose, Geranium, Jasmine and Tea
Base: Amber, Musk, Frankincense, Oud, Sandalwood, Guaicwood, Vanilla and Orris

How Does it Smell?

As a general rule of thumb I find myself tending to favour the feminine entries in Amouage’s annual fragrance duos. Epic Woman is no exception, it fits the Amouage feminine bill of being rich, floral, oriental, laden with spices and extraordinarily sensuous. Oh yeah, the Amouage Woman is a complex character.

Epic Woman starts soft and sweet with a sprinkling of pepper and a dusting of cinnamon. There is a slightly, and I do mean slightly, sweaty undertone to the initial flash of spice thanks to a delicately measured dose of cumin. The opening manages to be rich and opulent (a word that I always use when describing an Amouage scent) without being oppressive or heavy, in fact I would go as far as calling it delicate.

The heart is a stew of honeyed flowers, swirling in their own juices and delicately dissolving and exuding their scented facets slowly. The rose, which is of the fruity, boozy variety, is the main player for a significant portion of Epic Woman’s heart, but as it softens accents of freshly brewed jasmine tea drench the rose in green hues, casting the rose in shadow.  A touch of sour, medicinal oud adds to the rich wine-like quality of Epic Woman’s rose.

Epic Woman finishes her aria with a soft blend of dry woods, incense and what can only be described as a “translucent amber”. All of this is laid over delicate and creamy vanilla, which like everything else in this Epic tale is understated, elegant and soft. If Gold Woman is Amouage’s diva then Epic Woman is her shy sister, whose beauty lies in intelligence rather than brash ostentation.

Epic Man

“The guiding light of the mystical journey, he is the omniscient force of nature – the guardian of the Legend.” [2]

The Notes

Top: Pink Pepper, Berry Essence, Cumin, Cardamom, Saffron, Mace, Nutmeg and Myrtle
Heart: Geranium and Myrrh
Base: Oud, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Leather, Frankincense, Cedar, Musk and Castoreum

How Does it Smell? 

Now, as I mentioned above I do tend to favour all things “woman” when it comes to Amouage, but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy, and wouldn’t contemplate purchasing any of their masculine offerings. In fact I could quite happily add a bottle of Memoir Man (ugh it’s so good) to my collection and I wouldn’t scoff at a bottle of Epic Man either.

Like its feminine counterpart, Epic Man opens with pepper, except the dose here is more of a dash than a sprinkling. A good pepper note is one of life’s greatest joys and Epic Man doesn’t disappoint, the pepper in the top notes is suitably nose-tickling and gets the thumbs up from me. This highly approved pepper is joined by a bustling spice market of notes, the most prominent of which are saffron (sour, shiny and ever-so-slightly milky) and cardamom (nutty, incense-y, aromatic and anisic), to give Epic Man a strong and enticing opening.

Epic Man’s main structure relies on a strong and surprisingly dry oud note. To my nose the oud smells fuzzy, almost as if it has had all of the sharp, medicinal and harsh edges shaved off, leaving only the rich, spicy facets behind. It feels similar to YSL’s M7 in the latter’s far dry down, however Epic Man is spicier and smoother all round.

The oud is held firmly in place by strong pillars of cedar, frankincense, patchouli castoreum and leather, all of which are notes erring on the harsher side of things but thankfully, and largely due to creamy sandalwood and soft musks, Epic Man has a beautifully deep and smooth base.

It is safe to say that Epic Man surprised me, it feels incredibly versatile and would suit most men for most occasions and it ranks highly as one of the best masculines in the Amouage stable. Whilst compiling this review Nigel kept sniffing the air and asking what smelled so good, he has since worn it a couple of times and it definitely gets the thumbs up for him, which is no mean feat seeing as he doesn’t often like a fragrance enough to comment. Thumbs up all round then!

Availability

Epic Woman and Epic Man are both available in 50ml (£160/£140) and 100ml (£190/£170) Eau de Parfum. Matching body products and an Extrait de Parfum (£275) are also available for Epic Woman.

Disclaimer

This review is based on samples of Epic Woman and Epic Man provided by Les Senteurs.

Image 1 collections.delcampe.net
Image 2 & 3 selfridges.com

[1] & [2] amouage.com
Notes lists via Basenotes 

From L to R – My older brother, sister, grandma and I at the Safari Park in 1991 – each of my siblings and I sporting the same DREADFUL haircut…

10 days ago I put out a call for help to aid me in choosing a suitable gift for my grandma for her 80th birthday. It’s safe to say that I was completely blown away by the many wonderful and thoughtful responses that the post received, it was great to see the plethora of well wishes for Big G (which I passed on to her and she was very touched) as well as the number of interesting and befitting suggestions for her birthday perfume.

The suggestions ranged across all genres and included perfumes from Mona di Orio, Frederic Malle, Guerlain, Amouage, Puredistance, Chanel, Dior and Ormonde Jayne, and that’s just to name a few. Classy names for a classy broad!

I do have to say a massive thank you for all of the suggestions that you all so kindly put forward, we may not have picked a perfume that was put forward in the post BUT we did consider all of the suggestions very carefully and we definitely have a wealth of choice for future perfume presents for grandma in the future!

So which perfume did we get?

Idylle Extrait by Guerlain

Nigel and I definitely wanted to buy grandma a perfume that was special, something that was appropriate for such a momentous occasion, but was also something that she would know was special. It was clear from a lot of the suggestions I received that a bottle of Insolence Extrait by Guerlain would fit the bill perfectly, seeing as grandma had picked it as her ‘Desert Island Perfume’ in her instalment of the Scented Lives series. Insolence would have been perfect had we not discovered the wondrous golden liquid that is Idylle Extrait.

When visiting our local department store to seek out Insolence in Extrait form (would you believe that there are NO testers in any of the three big named department stores here, tut tut) we came across the tester of Idylle in its purest form. Now, I like Idylle but it definitely isn’t my favourite Guerlain and I definitely wouldn’t have considered it as a gift until I tried the Extrait. Idylle, in Extrait concentration is a beautiful rose/patchouli chypre that is is much richer and darker than the Eau de Parfum, yet it still retains the beautiful ‘mist of flowers’ that made the original so wonderful. A golden chypre for a golden gal on a golden day.

Today is grandma’s 80th birthday, but we celebrated on Saturday. We had a wonderful day with great food and all the family came together, including grandma’s first great grandchild and my nephew Franio who is only two weeks old. Grandma loved her present and she was spoiled rotten, which is just the way it should be!

Disclaimer

Image 1 my own
Image 2 beautyscene.nl

Lady Gaga wears her meat with style…

My love for leather in perfume is certainly a work in progress. It was Lila Das Gupta’s Evening of Leather for Perfume Lovers London that helped me forge a new appreciation for the genre, but I’m very much in the curiosity stage and full blown leather-love (which is not as rude as it sounds) is still a long way off. At Lila’s talk two fragrances in particular caught my attention, and Mona di Orio’s Cuir was one of them.

To say I have been blown away by the fragrances in Mona di Orio’s Les Nombres d’Or collection is a vast understatement. Each one is a fabulous and contemporary take on such well visited notes such as; Oud, Musc, Tuberéuse, Vetiver and Ambre and the collection takes inspiration from the golden ratio, a mathematical theory of proportion which is intelligently showcased in each and every one the perfumes.

All of the other perfumes in the Les Nombres d’Or collection have been very easy for me to love and Cuir is most definitely the exception. I still don’t love it, and I don’t think I ever will. You see, Cuir and I cannot be friends, but I admire its balls. It is an extreme, maverick leather that doesn’t care about being pretty, or even pleasant, it just wants to be wild. The Mona di Orio website says of Cuir “In these days of anodyne scents, trans-fat free lives this is a welcome walk on the wild side that would be wonderful on a man. On a woman? Only one way to put it: Cuir is ruthlessly chic.” [1]

“Neatly straddling the line between biker and Birkin bag, the leather is almost carnal in its depth.” [2]

Cardamom, Absinthe, Leather, Cade, Resinoid, Opoponax and Castoreum [3]

How Does it Smell?

Before we move on to how Cuir smells I have a few safety questions for you. Firstly, are you sat down? Good. Have you got your safety belt on? No? Oh, I think it’s best that you put it on straight away because with Cuir you are in for one hell of a ride! It’s for your own good and you know just how health and safety conscious we have to be nowadays. Anways, now that’s over we can move on. Are you ready?

Cuir opens with the smell of hot and heavily spiced meat, think of chorizo and you are on the right track. This “chorizo accord” as I call it, can only be attributed to a metric mega-ton of cumin that goes a long way to spice things up to extreme levels. It’s not just the cumin that is pushed to extremes, quinoline and birch tar, both of which are notes usually associated with leather, are also amped up as far as they can go, but they full just short of being pushed into unpleasant territory. Note that I say “just short”.

The leather itself is VERY dry, and it feels more like dry, cured meat (perhaps beef jerky?) than soft, supple leather. This arid leather is joined by some rather smelly animalics, namely a dash of civet and a dollop of castoreum (yay for beaver butt!), both of which somehow manage to emphasise Cuir’s meaty facets and add a good deal of raunch to the wild thing.

Interestingly, Cuir really does soften in the base and I do really enjoy the trail of spiced and smoked leather that it leaves on the skin. I like it so much that I would wear it, the problem is that I just cannot get through the first few hours, not even if I really persevere. Believe me I have REALLY persevered.

Despite the fact that Cuir is a bit (very) harsh and way too wild for my tastes, I do think it is great and it is exceptionally well made. It does fit the wild aesthetic that Mona di Orio seemed to be going for and it does succeed in having a touch of something luxurious lurking underneath (that’ll be the bikers Birkin bag then). Cuir and I will never be friends but I am more than happy to admire it from afar.

How you feel about Cuir will entirely depend on how you like to wear your meat. Personally I like my meat on my plate, not on my body.

Availability

Cuir is available in 100ml Eau de Toilette for £125.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Cuir sourced myself.

Image 1 Lady Gaga for Vogue Hommes Japan
Image 2 hideandseek.com

[1], [2] & [3] via monadiorio.com

Plain and simple – not normally The Candy Perfume Boy’s bag…

The purgatory drawer is a lonely place, it’s where my unloved and abandoned perfume bottles go to live out the rest of their days before they inevitably pass on to the other world (eBay) and leave me forever. Very occasionally I will delve into this land of limbo in a vain attempt to rekindle long lost love, and if a bottle is particularly lucky I will have a “what the heck is this doing in here” moment and it will be fully restored, in its former glory, on my perfume shelf.

One such moment occurred very recently, in which i re-stumbled upon my bottle of The Body Shop’s White Musk for Men, a scent that I haven’t worn, or even thought about for at least two years. It was with new found curiosity that I pulled out the neglected purple bottle, spritzed cautiously and inhaled with unexpected joy – “oooh this stuff is good”! It wasn’t long before apologies had been made (mine), forgiveness offered (his) and a place on the prized perfume shelf was offered.

It’s only fair that I was forgiven, I’ve always been a big fan of The Body Shop after all. Their bath, body and fragrance products are well made, well fragranced and generally well priced – what’s not to love? White Musk for Men is no exception, it’s a well constructed, nice smelling masculine that comes in at under £20, a rarity in today’s over-diluted and overpriced industry.

The Notes

Top: Lavender
Heart: Geranium and Crystal Jasmine
Base: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk and Tonka Bean [1]

How Does it Smell?

The Body Shop released White Musk for Men in 2007, a whole 26 years after its iconic feminine counterpart. They describe White Musk for Men as “a modern, masculine and sensual scent that’s an infusion of musk and woods with crisp, fresh and aromatic notes” [2] and like its sister, White Musk for Men is a simple, no frills musk made for everyday wear.

White Musk for Men opens with a soft and supple lavender that plays to the caramelised, sugary aspect of the note rather than the menthol or herbal facets. Vetiver plays a big part right from the start and its dry, arid quality showers the composition with a ever-so-easy-on-the-nose dose of liquorice and gorgeous vetiver rooty-ness.

The heart displays a surprising floral facet, mainly in the form of a dry, powdery iris. I find this addition to be particularly clever because the darker, earthy qualities of the lavender, vetiver and iris really club together to give White Musk for Men an almost aniseed-like character, and it smells good with a capital ‘G’.

As it dries down White Musk for Men cannot hide that it is on the cheaper end of the price scale, and the base, which is a very quiet blend of dry woods with a touch of vanilla, does let the side down a bit. I can’t help but think that a touch more vanilla and tiny bit more oomph (not too much – it is a relatively sedate fragrance after all) could have finished things of rather nicely.

White Musk for Men sits comfortably in that category of fragrances that I call the “cheapie but goodies”, so if you’re looking for an effortlessly wearable, everyday masculine for a decent price then you simply cannot go wrong with White Musk for Men, it fits the bill perfectly and smells a lot better than a lot of the much pricier designer masculines on the market. Oh and it would work really well on the ladies too!

Availability

White Musk for Men is available in 100ml Eau de Toilette for £16. Matching body products are also available.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a bottle of White Musk for Men from my own collection.

[1] mimifroufrou.com
[2] bodyshop.com 

Image 1 w7x.makeupalley.com
Image 2 bodyshop.com

Last week I was in the mood for discussing the subject of celebuscents, a topic which many would possibly call “the scorn of the perfume industry”. The poll asked you whether you think celebuscents are “yay”, “nay” or simply “meh” and the results show that the majority of you (43%), myself included, think that on the whole they’re pretty dire but there are a few good ones that go a decent way in offering some redemption for this much maligned genre.

Anyway, enough talk of celebuscents and on to this week’s poll…

The Poll

This week I would like to hear what you think of perfume gender bending. Do you wear any kind of fragrance, regardless of the ‘gender’ or do you like to stay firmly within the categories of ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’? Are you not entirely sure about where you stand? I want to know your thoughts. Register your vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments box below!

My Vote

I’m a firm believer that a fragrance does not have a gender, and that any masculine or feminine attributes a fragrance has is part of the identity constructed by marketing departments whose sole aim is to SELL the perfume.

When I approach a perfume the gender doesn’t factor into my opinion, if I like it I’ll wear it, it doesn’t matter whether it comes in a pink bottle with plastic flowers on top, if it smells good I’m in. Most of my collection consists of what our lovely marketing friends would call ‘feminine’ fragrance, but I do have my fair share of ‘masculines’ and there are one or two feminines that are perhaps a bit too oestrogen-filled for me to pull off. All-in-all I say “gender schmender”!

For more info on my view of gender bending in perfume please read my article Man! I Smell Like a Woman.

Posing runs in the family…

Things have been a bit hectic here at Candy Perfume Towers, last Saturday I became an uncle (OMGMYNEWNEPHEWISSOCUTE) and I have exams coming up in the next couple of weeks which means that posts will be sporadic, if at all (booooo to exams). Also, next week is my grandmother’s 80th birthday and we intend to celebrate in style, meaning that most of my time will be spent with party prep and the painstaking task of scanning hundreds of photos for a celebratory slideshow, not to mention the fact that I need to shop for a suitable present – this is where you come in.

After lengthy discussion with my mother it has been decided that Nigel and I will be buying my grandma a perfume for her birthday because she deserves something indulgent for such a landmark event and she does really enjoy her perfume. The problem is that I just cannot decide which one to get her! I want her to have a perfume that is special, something she can treasure but use with abundance, something ephemeral that she can enjoy whilst it lasts.

I’d like you to help me choose my grandma’s 80th birthday perfume. Here is some vital information that you need to know:

The Brief

I want a perfume that befits the occasion, something really special and for that reason I would be looking at the more niche end of the scale, but I’m not entirely averse to something designer. My grandma has a big personality and despite her age I would never say she is ‘old’, in fact she acts her shoe size most of the time as opposed to her actual age. I should also add that she is very stylish!

As for perfume, my grandma has worn a variety of perfumes including Guerlain’s Insolence, Clinique’s Aromatics Elixir and Amouage’s Reflection Woman, so it’s safe to say that she is fairly easy-going when it comes to the genre and style of her perfume. For full details on her perfumed past you can read her instalment in the Scented Lives series.

The perfume needs to be available online in the UK OR in a local department store such as Debenhams and John Lewis etc.

My Ideas

So far I have thought of the following:

Guerlain Shalimar Extrait
Amouage Honour Woman

Yep, I’m short on ideas…

The Budget

My absolute maximum spend is £140 but I’m not entirely driven by price and wouldn’t be concerned about buying something that was cheaper, just as long as it was special enough.

Join the Discussion!

Please leave any gift suggestions (or any questions for that matter) in the box below.

Many thanks in advance

“I’m a classy honey kissy huggy lovey dovey ghetto princess”

The Scent a Celebrity Series is my vain attempt at picking perfumes for those who don’t know any better, yes I mean celebrities. Let’s face it, most celebrities are incapable of choosing decent clothing/boyfriends/girlfriends/movies/insert-celebrity-mistake-here let alone having the ability to make decisions about something as important as their scent – that’s where I come in. Never fear my dear schlebs, I will ensure that you are appropriately scented, all you need to do is listen.

So far the series has touched upon a variety of famous names including; those fuzzy-wuzzy comics The Muppets, the Icelandic super-talent that is Björk and schizophrenic female (but kinda-male due to her alter ego) rapper Nicki Minaj. Joining this plethora of huge talents, and even bigger egos is the wonderfully glam and delightfully eccentric band of personalities that is Scissor Sisters.

Scissor Sisters, currently consisting of Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis, Babydaddy and one other dude (but he doesn’t appear much so we shall forget about him), are a glam rock band taking their cues from Elton John, Abba, Blondie and the Bee Gees just to name a few. To say that they are a band with personality is an understatement, in fact they are a band with four distinct personalities, each one being as eccentric, if not more so than the other.

“You know baby, when I was taking my pantyhose out of their egg this evening, I thought, I’m gonna find that man who has the right shade of bottle tan, a man that smells like cocoa butter and cash.”

Scenting an entire band is no mean feat and it’s important to bear in mind that, although there are four individuals, there is an overall personality that is the group itself, the sum of its parts as it were. This means that there needs to be a decent amount of cohesion amongst the scent choices, after all we wouldn’t want these olfactory selections to clash and I won’t be held responsible for any breakups, tantrums or diva-fits.

Jake Shears

This flamboyant front man demands attention wherever he goes and any perfume of his needs to be just as attention-grabbing as his personality. Jake Shears has a hyper-camp and over-sexed image, playing to gay subcultures of S&M & bondage mashed with cyber-queer spacemen and go-go dancers. He certainly is a character, and although he may make me cringe at times (see “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”) I welcome his fearless attitude. So what perfume is fitting for this peacockish punk who sets my teeth on edge? Why, the disgusting and ostentatious white floral covered in bilge that is Sécrétions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d’Orange of course.

Ana Matronic

Ana Matronic is the Yin to Jakes Shears’ Yang, opting for a slightly (note: slightly) less OTT image than her male counterpart. She is rather fabulous mind, and despite said fabulosity there is something strangely classic about her that I can’t quite put my finger on. This juxtaposition between glam and classic brings to mind a fragrance that harks back to classic french perfumery whilst being contemporary and completely high fashion. I imagine that Ms Matronic could rock the filthy/gorgeous blend of flowers and skank that is Vivienne Westwood’s Boudoir.

Del Marquis

Del Marquis, the lead guitarist, is my favourite Scissor Sister. Why? Well, he’s just very handsome, and I like his sideburns, that’s why. Do I need another reason?! Picking a perfume for Del isn’t so easy because, despite his bold fashion choices, he seems relatively quiet and reserved. He is the antithesis to frontman Jake Shears and needs a perfume that reflects his placid persona – a perfume that is intelligent, brooding and quietly dramatic. I would recommend that he wear the woody-anisic tuberose of Thierry Mugler’s A Travers le Miroir.

Babydaddy

Babydaddy is the bear of the group and for that reason it is relatively easy to find a perfume that matches his rugged handsomeness, there are after all many stubbly, masculine perfumes about. We could opt for the filthy/clean aura of YSL’s Kouros or the medicinal oud of M7 but both are a bit too ‘Burt Reynolds on bearskin rug’ to be taken seriously in this context and Babydaddy deserves more than that. I see him experimenting with some olfactory gender-bending, sticking with the house of YSL but opting for the heavy spice and balsams of Opium, straight up in pure parfum concentration.

Another perfume that would suit, although less strapping and virile but awash with masculine leather-clad bear iconography is Etat Libre d’Orange’s Tom of Finland. It all depends on how clean Mr Babydaddy is feeling.

Join the Discussion?

Scissor Sisters – love them or hate them? Discuss.

What perfume would you choose for Scissor Sisters?

Do you agree with my choices?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below!

Disclaimer

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