Unsurprisingly, testing and sniffing perfumes is one of my favourite past times. As is stating the obvious, it seems. Anyway, seeing as I love sniffing things so darn much, I have dedicated the latest instalment in my Escentual A-Z of Fragrance to the science, nay, the art of testing fragrances. In the guide you’ll find a raft of handy tips to assist you with scouring the department store shelves, including a toolkit of essential materials. Click here to head over to Escentual and discover ‘T is for Testing’.
Stella, Stella, Stella, how I love thee. It’s true, I do and as far as eponymous signature fragrances go, or woody roses for that matter, Stella is hard to beat. I’m also a bit biased because my sister wears it, but that aside, I’m fully committed to admitting that Stella McCartney’s debut fragrance is a good egg. With that in mind, I was very intrigued to road test the new Eau de Toilette version of Stella, not least because that spotty pink bottle is to die for, but also to see whether it was faithful to the original, and most importantly, whether it was at all necessary.
Stella Eau de Toilette is the centrepiece of my Escentual column this week, in which I sink my teeth into this new scent to ascertain whether it is just ‘Stella Light’ (that sounds like a beer, doesn’t it?) or whether it is something different altogether. To read my review, and the results of this highly scientific analysis, simply click here to head on over to Escentual. If you’ve tried the EdT, or you simply a fan of the original, do please leave a comment either here or there – I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I absolutely cannot believe my luck! After receiving four nominations (for five articles) in the 2014 Jasmine Awards, I am completely extremely excited to announce that at the ceremony yesterday, I was lucky enough to win the ‘Digital Award’ for the second year in a row. I took the award home for my Escentual article ‘M is for Mugler‘ – an instalment in my Escentual A-Z of fragrance that was dedicated entirely to my favourite perfume brand, Thierry Mugler. To say I’m chuffed, would be an understatement and I absolutely must send a massive thank you to the team at Escentual, especially Emma, for all of their support and hard work.
I wasn’t the only one to pick up an award though and congratulations must also go out to Persolaise, who took home the ‘Blogger Award’ for his Basenotes piece, ‘Guardians Of The Past – A Trip To The Osmotheque‘. I’d also like to congratulate Lee Kynaston, who won the ‘Digital Experience’ award for his article, ‘How to Get the Most Out of Your Fragrance’ for fashionbeans.com, and I mustn’t also forget Liam Moore of ODOU Magazine and Dana El Masri for taking home the ‘Literary Award’ for the piece, ‘Reflection Eterna’l. This is the second year in a row that ODOU has won the much-coveted Literary Award, so massive congrats are due!
Some Fragrant Alternatives to Real Roses, Chocolates and Plushies
It’s Mother’s Day in the UK this Sunday, which means that we’ll all be setting some time aside to celebrate the most special ladies in our lives – our mums, or mother figures. It’s important to shower these wonderful women with cards, gifts and love just to show them how blooming great they are. After all, where would we be without them? They are the guiding lights in our lives and play a massive part in shaping us in to the lovely beings we are today. So yes, they deserve lots of love and recognition.
At this time of year I often dedicate my Escentual column to a Mother’s Day Gift Guide, and this year is no different. For 2015 I’ve opted to focus on three perfumes that represent the most clichéd of Mother’s Day gifts – roses, chocolate and cuddly toys. Within my guide, which you can access by clicking here, you will find a selection of suitably satisfying scented gifts for that most special of ladies, whether she be about flowers, food or fluff, or all of the above.
New From Guerlain – ‘Ma Robe Pétales’ La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraîche
I’ve always been a big fan of Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire. When it originally launched as a boutique exclusive way back in 2009, I remember saying that the esteemed French house was missing a trick by not releasing the scent as a mainstream launch. It’s such a fun, fruity and frivolous scent, with oodles of depth and character, that it was almost a shame for it not to have a wider audience. Guerlain obviously felt the same, and in 2012 they remixed the juice slightly (giving it a bit more fizz) and unleashed La Petite Robe Noire all over the globe. It has been a huge success.
Of course, with huge success comes flankering, and lots of it. Since 2012, we’ve seen the launch of Eau de Toilette, Extrait and Couture versions of Guerlain’s famous garment, and all have been pretty good (especially the Extrait and Couture). This summer, Guerlain are extending their wardrobe of fragrant black dresses even further with La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraîche (subtitled as ‘Ma Robe Pétales’), a much fresher and greener take on the cherry-rose signature of the original. Click here to read my review of this latest flanker in my Escentual column this week.
It’s annoying when a brand discontinues a fragrance. It’s understandable too, and we’d all be silly if weren’t able to admit that we didn’t understand the simple fact that if something doesn’t sell, it’s gotta go. It’s called the perfume ‘industry’ for a reason, people. So yes, discontinuations are annoying. Understandable, but annoying none the less. Lucky for us though, there are occasions where a discontinued fragrance will rise from the dead, which brings me nicely on to the subject of my Escentual column this week.
French fragrance house, Annick Goutal have just relaunched Eau de Ciel. Created in 1985, this fresh and breezy green floral is the antithesis of the ’80s style of fragrances. It’s a large wave of wind and musk, but it’s remarkably weightless. I’m glad it’s back, and come spring time, I reckon it’s going to be a big hit in my wardrobe. Click here to head on over to Escentual and read my review.
Can you believe it’s February already?! Where exactly did January go? Who knows! February means one thing – Valentine’s Day, the one day of the year where we all go a bit mad for the ones we love. It may be a whole 9 days away, but now is the time to start thinking about just how you’re going to spoil your significant other (here’s a hint: perfume is always good).
But what if you’re not attached to anyone at present? Well, if you’re sick of everyone else being loved up and you being, well, not, then I have just the thing for you – a little something called “treat yo’ self”. In lieu of the usual Valentine’s Gift Guide, I have put together a list of treats for those singletons out there to enjoy. After all, there isn’t quite anything like spoiling yourself now, is there? Click here to read the guide.
Way back in April 2013 I wrote a piece for Escentual called ‘G is for Guerlain’. Keeping with this week’s Guerlain theme, I’ve unearthed the article from The Candy Perfume Boy archives, for your reading pleasure. As part of my ‘Escentual A-Z of Fragrance’, the piece took a look at the industry’s most historic and esteemed house, right from their humble beginnings up until the present day, under the ‘new guard’ of LVMH and perfumer Thierry Wasser. Guerlain is a house steeped in history and it has evolved with the times to retain one of the key players in the industry. Click here to read the piece.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m throwing an informal Guerlain party this week. So far we’ve taken a gander at the perplexing Shalimar Souffle de Parfum (which really should have been an Aqua Allegoria and not a flanker to their flagship fragrance) and the deliciously dizzy and decadent French Kiss, which puts me in a much better mood than the Souffle de Parfum does.
With Guerlain in mind, I thought I’d dedicate my Escentual column this week to a fragrance that doesn’t get the attention it deserves; My Insolence. A flanker the seriously over-the-top Insolence (Maurice Roucel; 2006), this softer interpretation is a gorgeous little vanilla and almond cuddle that shows the industry how a decent fruity floral should be done. Click here to read my review.
When doing an A-Z Guide to Fragrance, as I have been doing for Escentual over the last two years, one finds some letters to be difficult. For example, ‘Q’ stumped me for quite some time, until I thought that it could be representative of ‘Questions’ (as in fragrant FAQs), and I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do for ‘X’ or ‘Z’, but they’re a little way off yet so let’s not panic. Anyway, some are hard to pick a theme for, whilst others are pretty easy. ‘S’ was one of the easy ones.
‘S’ could stand for ‘Shalimar’ or it could stand for ‘Sandalwood’. In fact, it could stand for many things. In my mind however, ‘S’ could only, and should only be representative of one thing in fragrance and that is ‘Serge Lutens’. Since the early ’90s, this olfactory enigma has been presenting us with some of the most beautiful, challenging, confusing and fascinating fragrances. He’s a man who speaks in riddles but presents olfactory tales in captivating prose. He is Serge Lutens, and there’s not much more to say than that. Click here to read this week’s Escentual column.
The Candy Perfume Boy 