New Escentual Post: 4160 Tuesdays Comes to Escentual

Pull out the bunting and blow up the balloons, for it is time to celebrate the addition of the 4160 Tuesdays collection to Escentual’s portfolio of perfume brands. 17 of Sarah McCartney’s quirky, eccentric and beautifully crafted fragrances have been added to the site in 50ml and 100ml sizes. If you’re not familiar with the brand, then where have you been? Essentially, 4160 Tuesdays offers exceptional hand-crafted fragrances blended in the spirit that, if we live until we’re 80, we experience 4160 Tuesdays. They shouldn’t be wasted.

To celebrate the launch I have written a piece introducing you to some of my favourite fragrances in the collection. As a plus, Escentual are also giving away 100ml bottles of; What I Did on my Holidays, The Sexiest Scent on the Planet. Ever. (IMHO) and The Dark Heart of Old Havana. To check out my introductory piece and the competition (including all T&Cs) click here. Don’t forget to let me know what your favourite 4160 Tuesdays scents are in the box below!

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The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Rose

Oof, this is a big one, dear readers. I have been tentatively putting this guide together for nearly 12 months and, after lots of tantrums and rewrites, I finally feel that it is ready to share. The notable thing about rose, and the reason for my drama, is the fact that it’s such a wide genre, with so many different interpretations and styles of just the one ingredient. In truth, I could put together a guide for each type of rose, covering the gourmand rose, or the oriental rose etc. in great depth. But that’s a level of detail that would take a lifetime to perfect and with tradition in mind, I have compiled a Guide to Rose that can be a starting point to the genre – an essential overview that highlights the very best of the many styles of rose.

Now, if you’re new to The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to series, here’s a little overview of what to expect. The series is an award winning olfactory guide to the popular notes found in many of the perfumes we love and wear. Each instalment takes a look at a singular note, its odour profile and the ‘must sniffs’ (i.e. the reference fragrances) that are essential members of that particular family. So far we’ve traversed the domains of; Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Lily, Jasmine, Lavender, Violet, Oud, Chocolate and Vanilla. Today, it’s time for rose, rose and nothing but rose.

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Magic in the Studio – 4160 Tuesdays Doe in the Snow Perfume Review

“Doe in the Snow was made for a special occasion one January, for a very special customer. It’s inspired by the fruity chypre fragrances of the 1960s and 70s, but with a layer of frost. Citrus fruits, flowers and woods, stirred with an icicle. Imagine a tall, elegant woman, dressed in red and white velvet, but at ground level, she’s wearing her wellington boots so her feet don’t get cold and wet. Graceful, yet practical.”

– Sarah McCartney

It’s descriptions like the one above that affirm my love for London-based indie perfume house, 4160 Tuesdays. Any fragrance that can be described as “graceful, yet practical” and pairs vintage couture with wellington boots is a winner in my book, and its a style of fragrant inspiration that is the DNA of 4160 Tuesdays. The scent in question is Doe in the Snow, an incredibly special fragrance created for the wedding of “purveyor of olfactory adventures”, Odette Toilette.

Seeing as Doe in the Snow is indeed, very special, I thought I would dedicate my final review of the year (where has 2014 gone, people?!) to what is a gorgeous fragrance, and one that perfectly captures the wonderful image Sarah describes in the quote above. Doe in the Snow is further proof that there is a serious amount of magic happening within the London studio of 4160 Tuesdays. Wonderful magic that is enchanting many a nose and keeping the perfume industry an inspired, and interesting place.

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Smooth Operator – 4160 Tuesdays The Sexiest Scent on the Planet. Ever. (IMHO) Perfume Review

Jamie Dornan – The Sexiest Man on the Planet. Ever (IMHO)

Sex sells, as they say, and the world of perfume is certainly no exception. We are constantly bombarded with hyper-sexualised images of men and women, gently caressing perfume bottles and writhing around in faux wind-machine-assisted ecstasy, all just to spur us to part with cash at our local branch of Debenhams. Some brands go even further and play with the naked form in a deliberately shocking way, like Tom Ford with his verging-on-the-obscene Terry Richardson ad campaign for Tom Ford for Men, for example, or even Yves Saint Laurent and their slightly more tasteful, but still completely full frontal print ad for M7 (both NSFW links courtesy of Mr. Ford’s artistic direction, FYI).

But what makes a perfume sexy? Well, one would think that the answer to this question is entirely subjective, and in reality I think that is most likely to be the case. I imagine our idea of ‘sexiness’ in scent to be similar to the appearance of love potions in the world of Harry Potter (bear with me here), where the smell that each potion exudes is unique to the individual that sniffs it, depending on what they find attractive in a person. To put it another way – one man’s sexy fragrance is another’s olfactory cold shower, and it would be true to say that many supposedly ‘sexy’ scents fail to deliver, whereas the most seductive scents seem to be those that aren’t necessarily billed as such – sexy surprises, if you will.

One fragrance that makes rather bold claims about being ‘hot’ is 4160 Tuesdays’ ‘The Sexiest Scent on the Planet. Ever. (IMHO)‘. Well, that’s what one would think from the name, but in reality this perfume, which was originally created by perfumer Sarah McCartney as a base for her Gin Garden scent and inadvertently named by a Tatler journalist, has a moniker that is served with tongue pressed firmly in cheek. The truth however, is that this fragrance is wonderfully executed, delicious and one of the easiest scents to wear on the planet. Ever.

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Desert Island Sniffs – Episode 2: Sarah McCartney

Desert Island Sniffs may only be a fledgling series on The Candy Perfume Boy but it is already becoming this blogger’s absolute favourite. Exploring a life through scent is a fascinating way to understand what makes an individual tick and those that are working within the perfume industry live perhaps the most fragrant and intriguing lives of them all.

If you’re not familiar with the series (you can find other episodes here), the concept is simple; each month one prominent member of the perfume industry is asked to select 5 perfumes that they would take with them should they unfortunately be marooned on a desert island – their ‘Desert Island Sniffs’.

The perfumes they choose should be those that have had a significant impact on their scented lives and map specific points in their journey of olfactory discovery. In addition to their 5 Desert Island Sniffs one is kind enough to allow them to take a luxury item (only one, mind) and a ‘perfume bible’ to keep them company. By the end of this series there is going to be some rather fabulously smelling desert islands out there!

Let’s meet this month’s castaway…

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Telling Stories – 4160 Tuesdays Urara’s Tokyo Cafe & Sunshine and Pancakes Perfume Review

When spending a significant portion of one’s time reviewing new launches from both mainstream and ‘niche’ (a word that seems to mean less and less nowadays) houses, it’s not too difficult to find oneself craving something entirely new – perfumes that, unlike many, quietly assert themselves as genuinely fresh and interesting. Is it too much to ask for a breath of fresh every now and then?

4160 Tuesdays is a brand that feels different and approaches things from an entirely new angle. With a touch of British eccentricity, each of the 4160 Tuesdays perfumes tells a story – a series of olfactory novellas if you will – and believe me when I say that these are stories well worth listening to.

Created by writer, perfumer and ex-Lush employee (where she worked as head writer for 14 years) Sarah McCartney, the 4160 Tuesdays’ ethos is simple: “If we live to until we’re 80, we have 4160 Tuesdays. That’s all. Let’s not waste them“. Let’s spend that time making and appreciating the most beautiful things we can.

Two of the most enjoyable stories told by 4160 Tuesdays are Urara’s Tokyo Cafe (a scent made for a charity event held at the aforementioned cafe) and Sunshine and Pancakes (“the ideal 1970s British holiday at the seaside”). So, if you’re all sitting comfortably I shall begin to tell you about two captivating stories…

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