Cologne

Perfume Review: Twilly d’Hermès by Hermès

Twilly

When it was announced that Christine Nagel would replace Jean-Claude Ellena as the in-house perfumer at Hermès I remember wondering whether the house-style that Ellena had crafted to be so distinct would change. Both are idiosyncratic perfumers with a bold style and Ellena’s mineral watercolours are as far removed from Nagel’s voluptous compositions as they can be. So we’re now four launches into Christine Nagel’s tenure at Hermès and it is safe to say that yes, the house style has changed from minimalism to a subtle maxamilism (i’m making that a thing, by the way), but it still remains completely faithful to the one thing that Hermès always delivers: luxury.

Hermès latest launch is Twilly d’Hermès – a fragrance named for the brand’s Twilly scarves, which are colourful, think silk scarfs that can be worn in a multitude of ways, and the scent really cements the brand’s new style, which feels a little bit more accessible. Twilly the perfume is just as vibrant as the scarves and Hermès use words such as “joyous”, “impish” and “playful” to describe it. The presentation, which sees the fragrance housed within a carriage lantern-style bottle topped by a bowler hat and finished with a Twilly tie, says that this fragrance is young, fun and full of surprises. So let’s not wait any longer and give Twilly d’Hermès a sniff.

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We’ve Had a Makeover!

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Notice anything different about The Candy Perfume Boy?

No, I’ve not had a haircut, and no, I haven’t had any botox either (although I’m not ruling the idea out now that I’m 30) but I have had a bit of a makeover. Well, when I say me, I of course mean the blog, so without further ado, I am very excited to introduce to you the new look Candy Perfume Boy. Isn’t it lovely? I certainly think so!

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Perfume Review: Noir Anthracite by TOM FORD

Noir Anthracite by TOM FORD
Noir Anthracite by TOM FORD

The TOM FORD fragrance collection is massive and it touches every aspect of olfaction, boasting colognes-a-plenty, a feast of florals and more ouds than one can shake a stick at. Not to mention many other styles of fragrance! What makes the brand so good, and ultimately so successful, is the fact that the fragrances aren’t afraid to be bold. In the mainstream, fragrances are made to appeal to everyone and their cat, but at TOM FORD fragrances are created to appeal and to resonate with only some, meaning that the scents themselves are often very interesting, and with so many TOM FORD scents to chose from, one is bound to find something they like.

Speaking of TOM FORD fragrances that aren’t afraid to be bold, let’s take a look at Noir Anthracite, the latest addition to the brand’s Signature Collection. Now, if you’ve tried the original Noir, you will remember it as a plush and powdery scent that felt very much like a modern, masculine interpretation of Shalimar. Well scrap whatever thoughts you had about Noir because Noir Anthracite could not be further from the original if it tried. What Noir Anthracite does share with its namesake however, is a sense of shadow and rather than possessing a blissful purr like Noir, Noir Anthracite is a fragrance that will blow your socks clean off with its mighty roar.

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Speed Sniff: Coach for Men by Coach

Speed Sniff
Speed Sniff

There are so many fragrance launches each year it’s difficult to write about them all. Speed Sniffs is a way to bring you to the point reviews fragrances that are quick and easy to digest. After all, sometimes all one needs is a few lines to capture the essence of a scent. Speed Sniffs are perfume reviews without all of the faff and tell you whether the subject is something you want to sniff or not. So hurry up and read, because we don’t have much time…

Luxury goods brand Coach have overhauled their fragrance collection and it now consists of two pillars: Coach for Her and Coach for Him. There’s something rather clean and tidy about offering two fragrances and it seems like Coach have worked hard to ensure that their feminine and masculine pillar fragrances represent the spirit of the brand. They’ve worked with top notch perfumers and have even incorporated suede, a material so vital to the brand, in each of their fragrances. So the two scents from Coach are perfectly on brand.

Coach for Men, the masculine of the pair launched this summer and was created by perfumers Anne Flipo (MyQueen by Alexander McQueen and Basil & Neroli by Jo Malone London) and Bruno Jovanovic (Dries van Noten and Monsieur. by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle). It’s a fragrance “inspired by mavericks, rebels and all-American dreamers” and fronted by Actor/Director/Artist James Franco, which all sounds very interesting so let’s put it to the speed sniff test!

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Candy Crush: Angel Arty Cover by MUGLER

Candy Crush!
Candy Crush!

“I’m always crushing on something scented or other. My nose knows no limits. Candy Crush is where I showcase the beautifully scented things I’m crushing on right now so you can hopefully develop a crush too.”

Look at this! Just look at it! Isn’t it beautiful?

When Angel launched way back in 1992, Thierry Mugler was very keen on the bottles being refillable. The purpose of this was for two reasons; firstly, it’s ecological, but also the bottle was to become a beloved object that one kept forever and refilled whenever it ran out. The creation of Angel’s iconic star bottle was a technical feat that took years to get right, so it’s only fair that it should become such a treasured item. I remember speaking to a MUGLER Sales Assistant years ago who told me that she often refilled a vast variety of battered, bruised and well-loved Angel flacons at the source. So it seems that the wearers of Angel have fulfilled M. Mugler’s vision.

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New Fume Chat: Episode 21 – September Launches ft Gabrielle by CHANEL & More!

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New Fume Chat!

Guess who’s back?!

Fume Chat’s back, that’s who! Nick and I took a little break from Fume Chat over the summer months but now our summer hiatus is finally over and we are back with a brand new episode. For Episode 21 we’re sniffing some of September’s biggest launches, including  much-anticipated scents from CHANEL and Jean-Paul Gaultier, and much, much more!

So what do we sniff in EP21? Here’s a list:

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New Vlog: Gabrielle by CHANEL

Vlog Time!
Vlog Time!

So I’ve been a bit naff with posting regular vlogs…

I had originally intended to post a new vlog every week but I fear that this may have been a tad optimistic (what with this blog, Fume Chat podcast, Escentual columns and full-time job etc.). Instead of every week I’ve decided to commit to posting seasonal round-ups (like my ‘Six Scents for Summer‘) and reviews of big launches – i.e. the launches I think you want to know about.

With big launches in mind, my latest vlog is a review of Gabrielle by CHANEL. I wrote a full review of the scent at the beginning of the week (read that here) so it makes sense to end the week with the vlog. So if you want to hear me talk about Gabrielle a bit more then all you have to do is watch the video below the jump. Please feel free to leave a comment – oh and don’t forget to subscribe.

Smell ya later!

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