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.
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?
My dear friend Laura has been raving about The Scent Bar – Lucky Scent for years and this weekend we finally made a point to visit it together. This was my first visit and it was truly wonderful (aka perfume heaven). When it comes to fragrances I am overwhelmed, slightly intimidated and utterly lost. If you ask me what I like I will be at a loss for words – I just know it when I smell it. I have recently started to explore the world of scent a bit more with simple fragrances from Chloé, Tocca and Jo Malone, but perfume is something I know little about. If you are ever in LA, make The Scent Bar a top priority to visit for the ultimate perfume experience. I highly recommend reading Nathan Branch’s Interview with Franco Wright (co-owner of Lucky Scent) and another interview from We Heart This: Behind the scenes with Lucky Scent/Scent Bar.
For my experience and thoughts: The retail space is small and quaint but they carry walls of perfumes organized by notes. Seeing all the bottles lined up was just beautiful. There is a bar to sample fragrances. We spent about two hours with Rachel and Steve – both walking encyclopedias on fragrances. Rachel’s knowledge of all the scents and brands was astounding. Her ability to pick out the right fragrances for the two of us (Laura and me) was almost magical. It was almost like a two hour tutorial on fragrance. Those who have been to Lucky Scent know that no words can really describe the experience.
Walls of heaven:
After each whiff we would analyze what we smelled. Then Rachel and Steve would pull something else for us to compare with different undertones. They made both of us feel completely at home. I think we could have spent all day there.
I cannot remember all the brands we sampled but the two that stood out to me were Serge Lutens and Keiko Mecheri. Amy from Café Makeup, Josie and Laura have all gushed, swooned and raved non-stop about Serge Lutens. I felt drawn to the Bois de Violette, Fleurs d’Oranger, Louve and Un Bois Vanille – but I was looking for something a bit lighter and less complex. Something without too much spice.
I discovered Keiko Mecheri’s fragrance line for the first time. I’ve read about some of her scents on The Non-Blonde and Nathan Branch before but since this is a hard to find brand, I had never paid much attention. Every fragrance we smelled from Keiko Mecheri was exquisite. Her website KeikoMecheri.com has an interesting sampling program which I am anxious to explore.
Hours later (yes hours), Laura and I had narrowed down our selection to several Keiko Mecheri fragrances. I personally loved:
Les Nuits d’Izu (part of the Les Hesperidés line) – with notes of Yuzu, Rose japonica, jasmine, littoral moss, hinoki, musk
Hanae (part of her Les Eaus Tendres) – notes include white petals, Japanese grapefruit (yuzu), wildberries, crystalline musk
Peau de Péche (part of her Les Eaus Tendres) – notes of white peach, orris powder, sandalwood, amber wood
I left with Les Nuits d’Izu and a few samples of other Keiko Mecheri and Serge Lutens. I am not the best at describing fragrances, the Les Nuits d’Izu is light and fresh with a subtle hint of rose. The musk, jasmine and citrus hint from yuzu blends well with the rose so it’s not too floral. The musk and citrus stay the longest on the skin while the others fade, but overall I found the lasting power to be extremely good.
I already have my eye on Hanae which layered beautifully with Les Nuits d’Izu, but I must be good and use up what I have acquired. I cannot rave enough about our perfume experience at The Scent Bar. It was truly unique and the attention and service we received was phenomenal.
Have you been to The Scent Bar before? What are your favorite discoveries from Lucky Scent? I’m all ears to hear about your experiences there.
