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Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower and En Passant

June 16, 2012
I’ve discovered a number of wonderful fragrance lines at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills. Each trip I’ve only been able to sample a few since the nose can only take so much and there is only so much arm space before the spritzes start to blend/mix altering the true scent. I’ve been eyeing Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion for some time but hesitated due to the heavy floral notes and steep price tag. I don’t consider myself a tuberose-loving kind of person, yet I’m strangely drawn to L’Artisan’s Nuit de Tubéreuse. A week ago I had on my wishlist to purchase one fragrance from Frédéric Malle: Carnal Flower, En Passant or L’eau d’Hiver. I had my sister and the sales associate help me choose. The final vote went to Carnal Flower in the 10 ml trio ($155 for the set) so I could split it with my sister. Little did I know that while I was distracted browsing the other goodies at Barneys, my sister (in stealth mode) made her way back to the counter to purchase the En Passant by Olivia Giacobetti trio for me. I didn’t realize until late in the evening after I was home that she had slipped in a little wrapped black Barneys box with a sweet note. I am truly blessed to have such a sweet and thoughtful sister. (Thank you CL!)

The perfumes by Frédéric Malle typically come in two different sizes for the bottles, 50 ml and 100 ml. Prices per fragrance have a diverse range due to ingredients (so I’m told). Carnal Flower unfortunately is one of the priciest at $230 for a 50 ml bottle. Fortunately they also carry these in trios of small 10 ml vials. I find these perfect for me since I have a finicky nose that tires easily of fragrances. Here you can see the size of the 10 ml vials. (On the nails is Chanel Pirate Le Vernis.)

Carnal Flower is strong floral primarily tuberose. There are varying descriptions online of the notes, but what I can smell includes hints of white musk, coconut, jasmine and orange blossom. I agree with Scent Hive that this is a fragrance that will either have you swooning or nauseated. I personally was not fond of the scent upon first impact but fell in love with the drydown. On my skin I found it turned slightly to give a luscious floral that is slightly creamy, most likely due to the notes of coconut and musk. The Non-Blonde described it perfectly as a luscious floral that is well balanced without being too floral. On me the scent gets better as it wears and fades, although the lasting power is excellent and doesn’t fade too much like many other scents. I think it’s a lovely scent, on the stronger side for me, but not too strong that it is overwhelming. One single spray is sufficient for me for all-day wear. I love that it has depth and is complex, but still fresh and soothing.

En Passant is one of the lighter scents by Frédéric Malle. It has been recommended to me on numerous occasions by virtually every fragrance specialist I’ve worked with at Barneys once I tell them that I adore L’Artisan’s L’Été en Douce. The price points for this one is easier to justify ($95 for the 10 ml trio, the 50 ml and 100 ml versions are also lower in price point compared to Carnal Flower). This is a green scent, less complex, more straight or linear (as described by the ladies at the Barneys counter) with blend of cucumber, lilac and wheat. It’s simple, fresh, elegant. The initial spritz feels more floral (noticeable lilac) but dries down to a more green scent that isn’t quite as floral on me. The wheat becomes apparent in the drydown and helps balance out the floral notes. The lasting power of En Passant isn’t quite as good as Carnal Flower, but still decent. There is a softness that makes this a well rounded comforting scent. I adore it.

The travel sizes are sturdy in the packaging but still rather delicate. Definitely too delicate to carry around in a makeup bag or purse. Due to the strong lasting power, I don’t really need to carry these with me in my purse to freshen up. I almost never carry fragrances with me (except for the rare occasion I have a small sample) because I worry about breakage or spilling in my purses. However, I have found that the Trish McEvoy Delicate Beauty Voyager set (reviewed here) I bought houses 2 Chanel lipsticks and 1 vial of Frédéric Malle perfectly if the double-decker card is removed.

Bottom line: I’m in love. Have you tried Frédéric Malle? What are your favorites? I’m all ears for recommendations! The sales associate kindly gave me sample cards of L’eau d’Hiver and Lipstick Rose which I’m dying to dive into.
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Bond No. 9 Central Park West Eau de Parfum

March 23, 2012

The latest from Bond No. 9 is the 7th city-inspired fragrance called Central Park West. The actual packaging of the bottle is exquisite with the houndstooth checkerboard pattern and large pink flower (the vial shown is a lab sample sent for review). The description of this scent indicated this would be a highly complex floral. I was surprised to find that it’s more of a pure clean scented floral. Since this is in the Eau de Parfum formula, the fragrance is quite intense. A single spritz provides a highly-concentrated floral mix of gardenia and jasmine. As Central Park West dries down, it becomes slightly less floral/green, but still remains a pure floral throughout the life of its wear (which I found lasted all day from early morning to late evening).
  • Top notes include narcissus, ylang ylang, black pepper
  • Middle notes are gardenia, jasmine, citrus-like linden, orris
  • Base notes are vetiver, must, white oak and treemoss

Central Park West is perfectly suited for spring, but I have other fragrances that I prefer. I found this one a bit too mature for my taste, but I do like it more than the fragrances that were recently released Jo Malone London Bloom Collection. If you’re looking for a new spring floral scent to wear, this is definitely one to check out. Although I found it too mature, it’s light enough to not be too heavy, but I still prefer scents that are on the lighter side.  I do envision myself wearing the sample down to the last drop, however, right now I’m just not quite smitten enough to justify a full bottle. Currently my favorite Bond Fragrances are the ones my husband wears (Chez Bond, Copper Square, New York Amber). I’m also quite fond of Chinatown as well (for me) and occasionally West Side (I have these in the mini bon-bon sprays).

Central Park West is currently available at Bond No. 9 New York Stores, Saks, Nordstrom and bondno9.com and available in a 100 ml ($250), 50 ml ($180), body silk ($130), candle ($110) and shower gel ($75). You can visit BondNo9.com for more details.

Have you tried Central Park West? What did you think? Do you have any other favorites from Bond No. 9?

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Le Labo Fragrance Samples

February 10, 2012

My newest discovery: fragrance samples for purchase, direct from Le Labo online, samples are $5 each for 1.5 ml (0.05 fl oz). I really like their economical creative packaging. Each vial comes packed in a cardboard sleeve/tube with a lab sticker. Even better is the fact that each vial comes with a spritzer for easy application. I love that shipping was included in the price (or rather that I was not charged extra).
More fragrance lines and stores should offer samples for purchase or even a sampler set like this (like Bond No.9 and Lucky Scent). Fragrance testing takes quite a bit of time for me so samples are an economical way to try something to decide if I want to splurge on a full-sized bottle. I have yet to test all these for an extended period of time. I sprayed each on a little card to sniff. My first impressions are these are very green and earthy. These are all very different from what I’m used to. I’m not sure whether or not these types of scents will grow on me. I doubt I will be purchasing a full size anytime soon as I just splurged on L’Artisan yet again for the Barneys Beauty Event. Still these vials are a nice way for me to take my time and play for an extended period of time. Even if I end up not loving any of these, I think it’s time saved from driving over 2 hours to the nearest Le Labo location or money saved from buying a full bottle that I don’t absolutely love 100%.

I’m new to Le Labo but I’ve read all sorts of good things. I’ve been most drawn to Neroli 36 so far, it’s a beautiful and simple, fresh and uplifting – it smells beachy to me. The initial smell is a bit off, but I like the dry down. The others seem a bit raw to my nose. Santal 33 smells intriguing but I much prefer Tom Ford’s Santal Blush instead.
Of course while researching this line, I’m most intrigued by some of the city exclusives. I missed out on their online availability offerings last November. Hopefully Le Labo will make them available for sale again this year sometime as it will not be possible for me to travel to each city to smell each scent.
Have you tried Le Labo? Loves? I feel that I’m still more drawn to L’Artisan and Jo Malone for now but I am excited to try these in the next few weeks or so.

All photos by me.
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Fragrance Collection To Date

February 7, 2012

Photographed in one post by request: my fragrance collection. All 15 fragrances I own (minus one from Tocca which I gifted away and not including the little tiny samples I have accumulated). Where reviews are applicable I will link them. All photos were taken with my iPhone 4S Hipstamatic App.

Row 1:
Jo Malone Sakura Cherry Blossom
Row 2:
Row 3:
Row 4:
Row 5:

I rotate my fragrances more frequently than I rotate my foundations. My nose is fickle and tires quickly of the same scent when I wear them. I’ll alternate depending on mood. The longest I’ve worn a single fragrance is 4 days in a row (Jo Malone Wild Bluebell which I consider magical b/c I use it quite liberally and have barely made a dent in usage). I find the Jo Malone fragrances to be the most simple/pure which allows for easy layering. Out of all of these, my Jo Malone Tea Fragrances are my most worn. Have I used up any yet? No … but I’m more than 1/2 way finished with some of my limited edition Jo Malone tea fragrances.
What fragrances do you own? Or have owned/used up? I feel like my fragrance collection grew overnight and I completely blame my friend LJ along with other fragrance bloggers. Can I count some of my Jo Malones as 1/2 a fragrance because of the size? I know my L’Artisan Holiday Trio is getting used up very fast (each are in the miniature sizes which I will count as 1/3 of a full-sized one). I almost always purchase the smaller option for fragrances even though the larger sizes are often a much better buy. I’m curious to know how many fragrances do you own?
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L’Artisan L’Été en Douce Eau de Toilette

February 3, 2012

Continuing my Barneys obsessions with my newest fragrance discovery is a feature on L’Artisan L’Été en Douce Eau de Toilette ($100 for 50 ml/1.7 fl oz). L’Artisan says that L’Été en Douce is “all about purity and light” and I couldn’t agree more. After having fallen in love with the holiday trio (featured here), I was determined to pick up something full-sized from L’Artisan at Barneys. This particular trip was my first experience with the L’Artisan line and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. High-end department stores can sometimes be extremely intimidating and a hit or miss, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had my fragrance-expert friend with me to help, but luckily we were both assisted by a wonderful specialist named Lily.

I’m still new to fragrance shopping but I’m slowly but surely venturing into more brands. When asked “what do you like?” I still am not exactly sure how to answer. I feel as though it’s more of a “I know it when I smell it” kind of thing. Lily started by asking what other scents we liked and disliked and after a few minutes of questioning was able to pick out some amazing choices. I thought it was incredible that she knew exactly what to select for each of us. I personally narrowed it down to Vert Violette, Navegar (even though it’s for men), Thé Pour un Été, and L’Été en Douce.

Both my friend and I each left with the 50ml version of L’Été en Douce. (Twinsies!) It’s the perfect skin-perfume that is gentle, soft and subdued. It is clean and refreshing with a slight mixture of floral and green. The notes include orange blossom water, green hay and white muscs. Lasting power is decent on me, I’ve read some reviews that say this one disappears on impact, but I tend to prefer scents that fade nicely. It’s soft and very subtle, perhaps too gentle for some, but perfect for me. I can wear it to the office or anywhere without feeling self conscious. My only regret – that I didn’t purchase the 100ml size instead.

My fragrance collection has been growing! Those wanting to know all the fragrances I own can simply click on the Fragrance Tag below this post. I’ve reviewed all the ones I have that aren’t minis/samples. I plan on doing a comprehensive fragrance summary soon. Many thanks to those who offered wonderful L’artisan recommendations to me a few months ago. If anyone else has more, I’m all ears!
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Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

January 28, 2012

Barneys New York has quickly become my new favorite playground. I adore their fragrance selection and the L’Artisan, Serge Lutens and Byredo counters have been the highlights of my trips to LA. I had been eyeing Byredo’s Gypsy Water for over six months before I finally decided to purchase. My first experience with the line was last June in Beverly Hills. Within minutes of arriving instore I managed to spritz 4 different perfumes sprayed on different areas of my arms: La Tulipe, Gypsy Water, Blanche and Serge Lutens Clair de Musc. My nose quickly became confused as everything started to blend together. I was most drawn to Gypsy Water but still being new and cautious when it comes to expensive fragrances decided to wait. I tested this on two more occasions in store, once in San Francisco, one more time in Beverly Hills. Finally, the week before Christmas I caved and used a gift card to purchase the smaller 50 ml version ($145) from Barneys.com.

Byredo is a fragrance line based in Stockholm founded in 2006 by Ben Gorham. I found the interview featured on Into the Gloss particularly touching and highly inspirational. There are a number of wonderful scents from Byredo, the first one for me is Gypsy Water which is an Eau de Parfum and comes in two sizes (see Byredo.com for more details). To me, smells like a grown-up more sophisticated version of Fresh Sugar and Brown Sugar (both of which I found too sweet, too citrusy and headache-inducing). On my skin, the fragrance can be a bit finicky if I do not spray the right amount on my skin evenly. It is quite intense so two spritzes on the wrists is max that my nose can handle in one day’s wear. If I do not spray enough the citrus notes overwhelm and induce a migraine. However, when sprayed on the skin in an even motion, I smell a beautiful mixture of sweet amber, vanilla mixed with a hint of lemon. The spice notes and vanilla prevent the citrus from overpowering. It’s soothing and refreshing and sweet. It’s uplifting with a fresh and slightly earthy feel. Still, it is a bit tricky to wear and very easy to overdo. I recommend you test and apply with caution.
The notes: Top: Bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries
Heart: Incense, pine needles, orris
Base: Amber, vanilla, sandalwood

I adore Gypsy Water but I don’t think it’s an easy fragrance to wear everyday due to the sweetness. As you can see from the listed notes, it’s highly complex, but in a lighter sense (instead of being a dark kind of complex). I highly recommend testing and letting it sit on the skin for at least an hour before deciding how it wears on you. Even though I’m getting more and more adventurous with fragrance exploration, I’m still more of a no-perfume kind of perfume girl. Gypsy Water is light enough for those who don’t like perfume with a surprisingly long lasting power (as long as you don’t apply too much too close to the skin, I find a concentrated spot makes the scent a bit too cloying). Overall a lovely feminine pleasant sweet perfume.
Have you tried anything from Byredo before? What have your experiences been? Those who have tried Gypsy Water, do you find it wears odd on you depending on how you apply it? Any tips/thoughts you’d like to share? I would love to hear about your Byredo favorites (not just the fragrances, but candles, lotions, etc.)!

I found Byredo at Barneys in Beverly Hills. I believe it’s exclusive to them in the US. Check Byredo.com for listed locations. Also, for inquiring minds, all photos in this post taken with my iPhone 4S, square photos with filters taken with the Hipstamatic app.
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L’Artisan Holiday Trio: Nuit de Tubéreuse, Mûre et Musc & La Chasse Aux Papillons

December 26, 2011

L’Artisan was on my Christmas wishlist and I was thrilled to be gifted the beautiful Feminine Parfum Set with Nuit de Tubéreuse (EDP), Mûre et Musc and La Chasse Aux Papillons ($98 from ArtisanParfumeur.com). I have always admired the beautiful L’Artisan bottles and frequently stopped by the counter back when the line used to be carried at Saks (years ago). Being overwhelmed by fragrance in general, I never really looked into the line, or any other fragrance line for that matter. In the past couple years I’ve stuck with Jo Malone as a safety finding the line to be clean, simple and classic. It wasn’t until a recent shopping trip to Barneys that I started to look more into L’Artisan, Serge Lutens, Byredo among other beautiful lines (but oh, so hard-to-find, at least for me). I’m slowly but surely expanding my fragrance collection. I couldn’t be more thrilled with this gorgeous little trio as my introduction to L’Artisan. The three scents in beautiful miniature vials 15 ml each:

The exquisite box:

Each bottle is quite small with only 15ml in each vial but they are perfect for testing each fragrance and ideal for travel. For size reference, all three will fit into the palm of my hand. I am hoping they are refillable.

Initial thoughts and reviews on each scent:

Nuit de Tubéreuse is an Eau de Parfum and noticeably more concentrated than the other two. At first spritz this was my least favorite – it opened with an overwhelmingly strong powdery-incense-mixed scent. It reminded me of the smell that surrounds you when you first walk into a Lush Store (which I like, but not in the overwhelming sense). After a few minutes, it dried down and turned less powdery and became a bit more sweet with more noticeable notes of tuberose. It has a romantic feel and although not something I would normally be drawn to, it’s growing on me and smells divine.

The notes: cardamom, clove, pink pepper, black pepper, citrus, green mango, angelica, tuberose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, rose, broom, musks, vanilla, sandalwood, palisander, benzoin and styrax.

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Mûre et Musc in this trio comes in the Eau de Toilette. This is our favorite pick as the most youthful and light. I normally do not like berry-scented fragrances. I found most variations of Trish No. 9 and Philosophy Falling in Love to be nice on others, but too sweet, cloying and headache-inducing on me. (My mother and sister always hated this when I sprayed it on at counters.) L’Artisan Mûre et Musc is a wearable fruity scent. It’s been on my radar for several months now ever since I smelled it on one of my friends LJ. It smells amazing on her and I am thrilled to find that it works well with my chemistry as well, although it smells sweeter on my skin than hers. It’s clean, bright and fresh. Lasting power is medium but I love the way it smells as it fades. I need a full-sized bottle of this one.


The notes: wild blackberry, musk, citrus

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La Chasse Aux Papillons is another beautiful light and airy floral. It’s the perfect mixture of orange blossom and tuberose with a hint of jasmine. This one turns slightly more floral as it dries on my skin. Right now I think it’s a bit too light for right now but will be perfect in a few months time. It smells like a spring garden, more floral and green compared to Jo Malone’s Wild Bluebell (which is slightly sweeter with a hint of spice).
The notes: Notes of tuberose, orange blossom and spices.

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A few snapshots of my perfumes all lined up … my collection is growing at an exponential rate:

Bottom line: My next trip to Barneys can’t come soon enough. I already want a full bottle of Mûre et Musc. All three are exquisite and given the fact that a 50 ml bottle of the L’Artisan Eau de Toilettes starts at $100, I think the $98 for 45 ml is a reasonable price (even though this was a gift). My husband purchased this set directly from L’Artisan online but the set is also available on Barneys online.
A few resources for L’Artisan reviews that I found extremely helpful: The Non-Blonde, The Notice, Lucky Scent reviews. What are you favorites from L’Artisan? The descriptions and reviews for Mimosa Por Moi sound absolutely delicious but I wonder if it’s too sweet?
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