I was a massive, MASSIVE fan of Narciso Rodriguez’s NARCISO, which launched way back in 2014. NARCISO was an expansive and abstract gardenia carried on a hurricane of musk, and it was beautiful, speaking in flesh tones of white, pink and grey. For 2016, NARCISO has been reimagined with a very on-trend injection of powder, mixing things up completely to create NARCISO Eau de Parfum Poudrée. What do I think of this new powdery wonder? Well, click here to head on over to Escentual to find out!
It’s spring, which means that it’s Aqua Allegoria season! I always enjoy Guerlain’s mini-line of simplistic, nature inspired fragrant ditties because they are easy breezy wears that are such fun in the summer. They showcase fruits and flowers in an intelligent and high quality manner but with a sense of style and fun. This year, the mainstream AA is Pera Granita – a sweet little daydream that feels more like a scoop of ice cold pear sorbet than it does a fragrance. Click here to head on over to Escentual to read my review in full.
Passport, pants and perfume, that’s all you need in your luggage when travelling. Of course, when brining the essentials you want to make sure that you pack the right things, which means it pays to select the right fragrances for that trip away. I always pack something from Acqua di Parma because they offer such beautifully easy to wear scents that sing under the sun and their latest, Cedro di Taormina is no exception. In fact, it’s the perfect thing to kick start your summer. Check out my full review over at Escentual by clicking here.
Feeling frisky? Boudoir will do that to you. Vivienne Westwood’s debut fragrance is a classic floral chypre that dabbles in debauchery. It’s a fragrance that rocks big hair, lace underwear and pearls. Or as I like to describe it: “all lust and lacquer, and no shame, that’s Boudoir“. For my Escentual post this week I’ve written about Boudoir, not just because it’s an awesome (and underrated IMHO) fragrance but because it’s the product of a legend and one of the first perfumes I truly loved. So from the Mother of Punk straight to our noses, Boudoir is a sinfully sexy fragrance that is just so Westwood. Click here to read the piece.
Happy 2016! I hope that your holidays, however you celebrated them, were suitably festive and enjoyable. Mine certainly were! I am currently sans-internet at home (why does it take so long to have broadband installed in this day and age?!) so regular perfume programming will resume in full next week. In the mean time, I shall leave you with my latest Escentual post, which is a round up of some of my top picks from their current sale, which sees 20% off everything on site (excluding brand discovery sets, current promotions and shipping) using the code ESCENTUAL20. Enjoy and I will see you next week!
Escentual have put together some rather splendid gift guides in preparation for Christmas, categorising each one as a particular personality type, such as ‘the suited sophisticate’ and ‘the fashionista’. I wanted to get in on the gift guide action, so I have put together a series of delightful gifts for the perfume lovers in your life. They range from the budget to the blow-out, and cater for newbies and obsessives alike. Click here to head on over to Escentual to check out the gift guide for perfumistas.
I’m not sure why, but as the festive season approaches I often find myself yearning for fragrances from the house of Dior. Perhaps its the glittery glamour of scents such as Pure Poison and J’adore, or the unconventional warmth of Hypnotic Poison that get me dreaming of Dior, or maybe it’s just that I usually scour stores for a gift set bargain. Whatever the reason, I find myself drawn to Dior and this Christmas la maison has something particularly special to offer: J’adore Touche de Parfum.
Created as a new interpretation of Dior’s flagship fragrance (is it their flagship, or Miss Dior? I can’t keep up), Touche de Parfum is an oil based composition that can be worn under J’adore or all on its lonesome. Personally, I think it is the best version of J’adore to date and I have been literally bathing myself in its golden, glamorous tones over the last week. Also worth noting is the clever bottle, which draws up and delivers a drop of oil all with one simple twist of the stopper. Click here to head on over to Escentual to check out my review.
I think most perfume lovers have a soft spot for the house of Guerlain. Their fragrances have an undeniably coquettish spirit and often, a wonderfully delicious sensibility as well. Guerlain makes fragrances with humour that smell good enough to eat, but with just enough abstraction to prevent them from being literal gourmands. The history of the house is rich and varied, spanning almost 200 years and boasting a lineage of fragrances that range from the animalic wonder of Jicky to the playful glacier fruit of the unapologetic La Petite Robe Noire.
For my Escentual column this week I have put together a piece that looks at Guerlain’s fragrance icons – 12 fragrances that demonstrate just how important, classic and innovative the legendary Parisian house is. It was difficult not to include absolute every fragrance in Guerlain’s back catalogue, I tell you, but I think the 12 included are some of the absolute best that the house has to offer. Click here to head over to Escentual to read the piece and do leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts on which Guerlain fragrances are iconic to you.
Today I am sharing with you my two most recent posts for Escentual.com. This week’s post is a celebration of the clocks going back (wasn’t that extra hour in bed very much needed, people?!) in the form of musings on scents to wear on those dark nights. I love wintry weather, even more so when there’s a good scent to accompany the chilly air. In this post you’ll find scents to wear by the fire, in bed, out in the open and for trick or treating.
Last week I took a look at the new exclusive collection from Annick Goutal: ‘Les Absolus d’Annick Goutal’. These three fragrances take inspiration from the orient and each are centred on a famous material, specifically; amber, oud and vanilla. They’re a mixed bunch, if I’m honest, but each has elements of interest that would make them a worthwhile sniff. Check out my review here.
The mainstream wheel of the fragrance industry is forever a turning, it seems. For my last two Escentual columns I’ve focused on some scents that I would categorise as nicely done, without being groundbreaking (which, not every single fragrances has to be). Firstly we have the new Eternity Now duo from Calvin Klein, which consists of a sticky tropical fougére with industrial undertones for him, and a peach bubble bath for her. Check out my review of the duo here. Secondly, there is the new Eau de Cédre from Armani, a soft and supple citrus-woodsy thing that is inspired by a velvet jacket. Click here for my review.
The Candy Perfume Boy 