Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Perfect Scent, A Year Inside The Perfume Industry

The Perfect Scent Book by Chandler Burr
Randomly picked up "The Perfect Scent" by Chandler Burr. The book delves into the world of perfumers giving a very artistic, yet well-rounded with science, look into the luxury world of scent. It follows two perfumes: Lovely being created in New York City by the perfumers at Coty under the creative direction of Sarah Jessica Parker (famed Sex & The City star), & Jardin Su De Nil being created by Ellena in Paris for the luxury brand Hermes.

Author Chandler Burr does a bang-up great job of blending together the art & science of perfumery while taking us through the not-often-seen parts of what it takes to create a perfume recipe. I had to put the book down several times to look up fragrances that he was describing because I wanted to see the bottles they came in and get a better visual idea of what they each were. 

My appreciation for perfumers has sky-rocketed after reading this book. If you are into cologne and perfume, are kinda geeky with science, this is a great read.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Beyond Paradise - Mens Green Aquatic Scent

The 3.4 oz. bottle is one of the most mesmerizing I've seen. A curved glass design, which if it were all chrome would make me think of a sleek flask. The colored glass begins at the top in tones of turquoise fading to ultramarine blue and ends on a base that glints with a subtle ruby tone. The bottle designer did a bang up job of invoking a look of tropical depths of water & endless horizons.

Fragrance Profile
Name: Beyond Paradise for Men
Aromas: Green Aquatic, Pineapple
Cost: $$
Perfume Line: Estee Lauder
Creator: Calice Asancheyev-Becker 

Beyond Paradise for Men was launched in 2004 by Estee Lauder. The perfumer that dreamed up this tropical escape is Calice Asancheyev-Becker. This scent has some similarities to the 1997 scent What About Adam created by Calice for the perfume house Joop! But this one is so much better. It's a clean aquatic aroma with some awesome fruit and florals blended in. I'd tag it as a green aquatic. Around the aquatic base I gets hints of pineapple & fruit. Which makes me a very happy man. 

I find myself sniffing my wrists and getting a big grin when wearing this. Certainly a beachy Summer scent that's aptly named. 

While it is classified as an aquatic, it hasn't gone overboard (pun intended) with the sillage or saltiness. Not at all like the in-your-face famed aquatic cologne Aqua Di Gio.

The price point is good for Beyond Paradise too. A 3.4 oz. bottle can be found for around $50.  

I am thinking I need to check out some more of perfumer Calice's work. I see that of late she's been doing work with By Killian.

If You Like This Scent, Try These Too:
  • Set Sail South Seas by Tommy Bahama, a simple recipe of three ingredients- Mandarin, Violet, and Rum. I always get people at the beach asking me what I am wearing.
  • Eau de Rem by Reminiscence, a beach scent, with hints of vanilla, rosemary and bergamont.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Today I Smell... Lilac

lilac aroma scent
The smell on the breath of the air coming through the screened window...
Brings to mind the aroma Flowers For Men: Lilac by Neil Morris Fragrances with scent notes of lilac, musk, white hyacinth, leather, and cedar.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Snarky Perfume Reviews How I Love Thee

the perfume guide book
Love him or hate him, Luca Turin is gifted with a biting wit in his writing that makes me cringe and laugh out loud at the same time. I cringe because I'd hate to be the one on the receiving end of one of his critiques. I laugh because it's just great verbage. The intro to the book tells a lot about what type of writing can be expected in the following pages:

The question that women casually shopping for perfume ask more than any other is this:"What scent drives men wild?" After years of intense research, we know the definitive answer. It is bacon. Now, on to the far more interesting subject of perfume...

Luca Turin Review


He delves into women's and men's fragrances; critiquing them alongside one another. 

Example from his book  where he gives a one star rank &jots a review of the Olsen Twin's perfume:

Cheap trashy fun with a fruity top and coconut-rum woody drydown, a nice effect that falls apart shortly after application. It's fine for a tween audience who doesn't know what "jasmine spice," the description on the box, would smell like.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Cedar Cologne Scent 06 Amanu by Odin New York

cedar mens cologne
Ordered a sample of 06 Amanu solely because it won the Fifi award for best independent scent of 2011. I can see why it merits a whiff after having wore it around for a couple days. It's refined aroma includes notes of Green galbanum, Jasmin sambac, Magnolia, Cedarleaf, live moss, and sheer musk.

My nose translates the bulk of this as a cedar chest where you would place keepsakes. It's cozy.

I do have to take issue with it winning the Fifi award for an independent scent. The perfume house Odin doesn't really seem like it qualifies. How is this fragrance "independent" when it was created by a company that out sourced the creation of the scent?  Makes me think of the movies that are labeled "independent" that star Brad Pitt & Meryl Streep.

Blogger Nathan Branch asked some great questions of the term "independent" in regards to Odin & winning:

Difference Between Independent and Artisan So how “independent” is it really when you don’t own your own studio, use your own materials, produce your own product or are in charge of your own sales?
Because that sounds seriously “dependent” to me, and not necessarily a good position to be in when larger players in the industry decide they want to start buying up supply chains, locking down production facilities and using their influence to kick the competition from the shelf space.



If you like the scent of cedar, try these: 
  • Ex Libris by perfume house Tokyo Milk. It's the cheaper cousin of 06 Amanu. It's not as refined, but then again it cost less and is similar. You decide.
  • Incense Pure by Sonoma Scent Studio, it literally smells of smoldering cedar on your skin for hours. And is crafted by a truely independent perfumer.