Chapter 2 – Neela Vermeire Ashoka Perfume Review

Neela Vermeire's Fourth Fragrance - Ashoka (Photo: Mike Tassy for Neroli) — Neela Vermeire’s Fourth Fragrance – Ashoka (Photo: Mike Tassy for Neroli)

It must have been a rather daunting and unenviable task for both Neela Vermeire and perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour when creating their fourth perfume together and the first to be launched since the initial trio of India-inspired fragrances in the Neela Vermeire Collection. These three perfumes – Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling! – were so well received and critically acclaimed that the pressure really must have been on when the time came to add a brand new fragrance to the series – a fragrance named Ashoka. Luckily for us, this pressure does not seem to have phased this dynamic duo one bit…

“Inspired by a legendary ruler, Neela Vermeire Creations’ new release Ashoka, is a tribute to an emperor who was conquered by his own compassion at the moment his victory was assured. He converted to Buddhism and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Buddha’s teachings, to truth, to justice and to compassion for all living creatures beneath the sun. His own evolution from ruthless conquerer to benevolent emperor is reflected in Ashoka’s journey from the fierce opening to a softly floral heart & the gentle embrace of its richly complex drydown.”

Ashoka is Neela’s fourth perfume and first to be released outside of her initial trio of perfumes inspired by different eras of Indian culture. It would make sense then, that Ashoka strikes a slightly different chord from the others in the collection whilst managing not to stick out like a sore thumb. The fragrance is a continuation of the historical Indian narrative but in an olfactory sense, Ashoka leads Neela Vermeire Creations in an entirely new and exciting direction.

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Moustache Monday: Week 3

Week 3 Update The Mo: Looking relatively decent after some serious trimmage. The MoNey: My fundraising figure is […]

New Escentual Post: Movember Masculines Part 2 – Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent

When picking the four scents for my ‘Movember Masculines’ series at Escentual, I knew that I simply had to include something from Yves Saint Laurent. This house, which is a shadow of its former glory for sure, is responsible for three of the most exceptional masculine fragrances out there – Kouros, M7 and Rive Gauche Pour Homme – and when it came to choosing the most iconic of this impressive bunch, Monsieur Kouros was difficult to ignore.

So this week I’ve taken a look at one of the most distinct, unique and divisive masculine scents one can buy. To add to that, Kouros is also one of the most unashamedly manly, conjuring up images of overly-tanned and smooth-chested lotharios who are as exuberant as they are audacious. Kouros is the king of the ’80s, and whilst he may seem a little bit dated now, he still reigns supreme.

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Moustache Monday: Week 2

It’s week 2 of Movember and the mo growing appears to be in full-swing. We seem to be moving out of the ‘awkward itchy phas’e into the slightly less uncomfortable ‘bushy, slug-like phase’. One shouldn’t complain though, it’s not an easy challenge to sport decent facial furniture and one has to work through the pain, discomfort and hideousness in the hunt for true mo-awesomeness.

As it stands my current Movember total is a respectable is £85, however I think we can do better! #TeamPenhaligon’s is doing rather spectacularly and has currently raised a rather spiffy £475! A massive well done to my fellow mo bros and mo sisters for their extraordinary moustache-related efforts so far, lets keep up the hard work and take it over the £500 mark asap!

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New Escentual Post: Movember Masculines Part 1 – Habit Rouge by Guerlain

In case you hadn’t noticed it is officially the month of Movember (yes I’m going to continue to bang on about it) and for the next four weeks The Candy Perfume Boy will be undergoing a masculine takeover. We’ll be looking at some new masculine scents as well as some of my personal go-to gentleman’s fragrances, whilst on Escentual I’ll be running a series of ‘Movember Masculines’ – taking a look at some of the best men’s fragrances on the market.

The first instalment in these moustachey masculines is a review of Guerlain’s Habit Rouge (the EDT) – a perfume that needs little introduction. To me, this particular man-scent is incredibly versatile and works as well on an equestrian in full livery as it does on a hip, leather jacket wearing man of today. Please click on the image above to head on over Escentual and read my thoughts on one of Guerlain’s very best fragrances.

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A Cut Above the Rest – Tom Ford Tobacco Oud and Oud Fleur Perfume Review

The Oud Wood Collection — The Private Blend Oud Collection

Tom Ford has a thing for oud. He is reputed to have been the first person to popularise and bring the ingredient (albeit a decent synthetic rather than real thing) to mainstream perfumery with Yves Saint Laurent’s impressive M7 in 2002. Since then he has remained relatively active on the oud front, releasing the equally impressive Oud Wood (a robustly woody oud for western tastes) as part of his initial onslaught of Private Blends way back in 2007.

Cut to 2013 and Mr Ford is once again throwing his hat into the somewhat overcrowded oud ring with The Private Blend Oud Collection. The collection sees the repackaging of Tom Ford’s immensely popular Oud Wood in addition to the release of two brand new fragrances, each displaying a unique and entirely TomFordian take on the most intensely addictive (and definitely over exposed) of aromas.

“I have wanted to revisit oud for years; it is one of the most endlessly fascinating ingredients in a perfumer’s palette. For this collection, I explored how oud could intertwine with other precious ingredients from the rich and storied culture and artisanal traditions of the Middle East”

– Tom Ford

The two new perfumes are Tobacco Oud and Oud Fleur. The former is inspired by Dokha, “a blend of herbs, flowers and spice-laden tobacco that was smoked in secret five centuries ago during a ban on smoking” and is suitably tobacco-filled. Oud Fleur is somewhat more difficult to pin down, and presents a slightly more individual take on the note. Between the two of them however, these two new fragrances show that when it comes to oud, Tom Ford is a significant cut above the rest.

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Moustache Monday: Week 1

Welcome to the this year’s very first ‘Moustache Monday’ – your weekly round-up of all things moustache related during the month of Movember. Here you’ll find out just how well the mo is going, including whether it looks fabulous or terrifying in addition to an update on my fundraising activities. So, how’s it going so far?

Technically it hasn’t been a full week of Movember yet but it is day 4 and I can already see the very beginnings of a mo sprouting on my top lip. I’m still at that awkward ‘haven’t shaved yet therefore I’m quite itchy’ phase and my facial foliage isn’t looking anywhere as remotely impressive as the one being sported in the above image (can you tell I had fun taking these?).

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Movember Madness

It’s officially the first day of November which means one thing and one thing only – dodgy moustaches. That’s right dear readers, Movember is upon us and all throughout the month many a man will be sporting questionable facial foliage all for a very wonderful and worthy cause. The aim is that, through the medium of fanciful tashes we will change the face of men’s health.

The Candy Perfume Boy isn’t exempt from all of this madness and even though he looks utterly ridiculous with a moustache (and I mean UTTERLY ridiculous) he is willing to offer his face up for ridicule in order to raise money for the good of his fellow ‘mo bros’. This means that this year I will once again be joining Team Penhaligon’s in their crusade to raise one heck of a lot of dough for men’s health.

Throughout the month I shall be posting regular ‘mo updates’ on Moustache Mondays and The Candy Perfume Boy (the blog that is) will be focusing on all things masculine, with reviews of a number of manly fragrances, a man-focused edition of the Scent a Celebrity series, plus a whole host of other masculine things (grr). In addition to all of this I’ll also be looking at some classic men’s fragrances on Escentual in a series I’m ingeniously dubbing ‘Movember Masculines’. All-in-all it’s going to be a fun month!

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New Escentual Post: The Apopcornalypse is Nigh – Etat Libre d’Orange La Fin du Monde Perfume Review

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! The Apopcornalypse is Nigh! That’s right, you heard me – ‘The Apopcornalypse’. The human race has long fantasised and obsessed over the end of days, having written, sung and even created movies about it. Now it’s time for the perfume world to join in and represent their version of the apocalypse through the medium of olfaction.

The punky pop art perfumer lovers over at Etat Libre d’Orange (in collaboration with perfume Quentin Bisch) have created their perfumed version of doomsday – the aptly named ‘La Fin du Monde’ (The End of the World) – centered around the slightly baffling note of popcorn, and for Escentual this week I have put together my thoughts on this judgment day scent.

If that doesn’t convince you to head on over to Escentual (by clicking the image above) then perhaps I should say that they are also giving away 5 x 50ml bottles of La Fin du Monde in a special competition. So hurry up, you’ve got a review to read, a competition to enter and a comment to leave! Let me know your thoughts.

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Smelly News: Odou – A New Olfactory Magazine

“Stop and smell the roses” urges the first line of new smell and perfume publication ODOU Magazine, and it’s a good mantra for print that approaches perfume and scent in a new and more personal way. Curated by web/graphic designer and Personal Odour blogger Liam Moore, ODOU explores the world of olfaction from every angle and is an exciting new project for perfume lovers.

Within the 58 pages of Issue 1, ODOU proves that it is more than just a perfume magazine, combining poetry, striking visuals and thought provoking (and even touching) articles from the likes of Sarah McCartney (of 4160 Tuesdays fame), Pia Long (of Volatile Fiction and Lush fame) and Callum Langston-Bolt (he of Les Senteurs) for a wonderful olfactory experience.

This reader sat down with a cup of Earl Grey (or two) this weekend and very quickly digested and worked his way through the entirety of Issue 1 (and he will most definitely be reading it all over again I’m sure) and very much looks forward to more from ODOU in its very bright future. You can find more about ODOU and Issue 1 here.

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