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Beauty Notes: Creed Angélique Encens Review
Posted by Dain, Friday, February 29, 2008 3:57 AM (Eastern)
Michelangelo Caravaggio, Narcissus (1598).
Angélique Encens was Marlene Dietrich's bespoke perfume, though she also wore Fracas and Bandit, which is undoubtedly a part of its mystique. The image is sometimes more important than the juice, but this is a passable reconstruction of Dietrich's singular ability to seem both harsh and yielding at once. It is also a sturdily built incense, an excellent entry point if you are new to the genre. The whole idea of incense confuses me; incense is like perfume, a formulation rather than a specific smell, but incense perfumes are generally based on specific notes, usually frankincense or myrrh. Angélique Encens, as the name implies, is a study in contrasts. On one side is angelica, green and aromatic and herbal and somewhat musty, on the other is the sweet, silky, brittle myrrh, sometimes known as opoponax, and in between the major aphrodisiacs: generous lashings of rich amber and vanilla and far quieter accents of tuberose and jasmine. Though the angelica keeps things interesting, my overall impression is of something too facile and comforting.
Plus, I could name about a thousand things I'd rather spend $300 on, easy. Shruggy shoulders.
Labels: beauty notes, creed, perfume reviews
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Beauty & Fashion Notes: A Day in Boston (more on the Jean Patou vs. Chanel debate)
Posted by Dain, Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:26 AM (Eastern)
I went a-shopping in Boston yesterday, and here is the story of my adventures.
I started off at Lord & Taylor's. I attempted to return my NARS Push Liner brush, which I had lost previously. This is perhaps the best eyeliner brush on the market, and it well ought to be, considering that it's $30. The bristles were bent when I got it, and I figured, no big deal, but it seems to make a difference in the performance of the product, so I wanted an exchange. No such luck, the L&T did not sell NARS.
Looked around in Anthropologie, was unimpressed. I then went to French Connection, and looked very carefully at a pewter silk skirt edged in navy—it's high time I replaced my navy linen one—which ultimately didn't really strike me as anything special, even as a basic. This was fortunate, as it turns out, because I then went to Second Time around, an excellent consignment shop on Newbury St. There I found a Missoni skirt, at $136, which does the rare thing of being both neutral and unique. It's a swingy velvet skirt, in a queer, unusual green tea shade that's quite subdued and silvery when it catches the light, and subtle polka dots the same shade as the silver. $136 is a bit expensive for how hard I am on my skirts, but I thought to myself, god knows how much it originally cost, and though I'm not a fan of Missoni in general, it's certainly a step above in interest and quality over French Connection or Banana Republic. So it seemed a tolerable price for something I needed, until they rang it up: $68 for skirt that must have originally cost $900. The saleslady was amused by my glee (in a totally nice way). Now I have the base for my spring/summer wardrobe, though it's a color that could manage year round.
Bought a pair of sky blue tights for my little sister at American Apparel, then rooted around the 50% clearance at Louis, but they did not have Saturn, the lipstick I wanted, in their Chantecaille selection. And later, when I went to Barneys, they were out.
Then went to the Chanel boutique to gawk, not those those weird quilted bags that everyone else fawns over (I know pretty when I see it, and I am not going to be blinded by Cs strangling each other), but at the Les Exclusifs. I am late on this, but... 31 Rue Cambon, by the way, is gorgeous, a dry floral chypre that sweetens in the drydown, and I find myself considering it instead of No. 19, it's that's good. Somehow it has both radiance and earthiness, which is strange and wonderful to experience: this has been done without oakmoss, maybe that is why. It has risen to second place on wishlist (after Tubéreuse Criminelle), and I only hesitate because it is an EDT and rather fleeting. I have emailed them asking if other concentrations are slated for release.In any case, I made sure to test No. 5, the EDP. Now, to pit that against vintage Joy parfum may seem like water to wine, but I find the Chanel EDPs tend to be quite good and strong, and at the very least leave good impressions. Are they alike? At first, I thought not, No. 5 seemed softer, soapier, and yet, once the roar of aldehydes die down: yes, very much so. Joy is more naturalistic, it gives the impression of actual flower petals rather than "notes", but I find them to be very similar.
I next went to the Loro Piana store, where I did indeed gawk. I've seen the stuff online, but I had no idea that the pieces were this beautiful, or the quality this high (the cashmeres were like clouds), though the prices would make you cry. I fell in love with a cashmere cardigan-cum-jacket, snowy white with a think nubbly knit and silver-crystal beads at the edging, and the fit was outstanding. The style was rather like a Chanel jacket, but Loro Piana blows Chanel out of the water as far as classic elegance and luxury is concerned, and even Hermes, which actually deserves the hype. You could feel the quality in every single Loro Piana piece, rendering the demands of trends and time utterly superfluous. The image on the right does little justice, it is quite a tactile experience, and every knit only becomes more excellent the closer you come to it. And the price? $3500. Cripes. I'll be haunting Yoox.It was time for lunch, so I went to Piatinni (again, on Newbury St.), which I highly recommend for pleasant wines and nice, light food. In particular, I recommend their shrimp-and-pecan salad and the lobster ravioli, which I washed down with some chianti. For dessert, I had a glass of their excellent muscat (Coppo Moscato d'Asti).
I went to Neimans and snagged a couple of samples (they were exceedingly nice about it): Creed Angelique Encens (inspired by that Marlene Dietrich video I posted a couple days ago) and Jean Patou Sublime (EDT, this time on Colleen's particular mention). Both are excellent. Angelique Encens quite overturns my tentative claim that I may not be an incense girl (it is also recognized by perfume snobs to be the only great scent from Creed, but I really like Tubéreuse Indiana): dark and smoky and sweet with resinous amber and myrrh, yet somehow it displays a sort of radiance in spite of the moodiness. I'd classify Sublime as a floriental, actually: it has that same seamless quality of Jean Patou that I had described previously and loads of classically beautifully florals over a ambery-vanilla-sandalwood sweetness: ylang ylang (this gives it a slightly soapy feeling at first), jasmine, rose, and neroli. It has a real bombshell quality to it, unlike the restrained loveliness of Normandie and the severe classicism of Joy. Also tried Sira des Indes, which I did not like, this is Jean Patou's take on the fruity-floral trend, and if you have read this blog before, it is fairly clear why I do not like it.
Went to browse shoes, or more specifically, to ponder Manolos with my favorite salesman. It was crowded, and two older ladies followed me around admiring my dress. Tried on the pair at left, a glittering, extravagant exclusive. It should go without saying that they were beautiful to wear, but as much as I was looking for a frivolous evening heel, I wanted color. He recommended coming back in February for the spring offerings, but it turns out that the purple Yambamod were still available at Barneys in my size, and since they were still as gorgeous as ever, I *gulp* bought them. I only have the perfect sandal to go before my shoe collection will be complete.On a related note, may I say that the service at Barneys kind of sucks? I got a sample of Malin + Goetz Grapefruit Face Cleanser and Vitamin E Moisturizer, because I've really liked the other products I tested, and the saleslady was gracious enough to give me a couple of Sonya Dakar samples too. Outside of this, however, I met with rich condescension. But when I went to sniff Serge Lutens (I found Gris Clair unremarkable, but then I am picky about lavenders, and Chypre Rouge too fruity—by this point, I must have smelled nauseating) and asked about samples, the salesladies sniffed at me. When I tried to buy Chantecaille Saturn (they were out of stock), again, they sniffed at me. When I went to the perfume counter, no one came to help me. When I tried to buy my shoes, the lady I had bought my boots from condescendingly remarked that I was here "again". I'm sure they have their share of "people who only come to gawk and manhandle", but I was a buying customer! Barneys is a great store when it comes to merchandise, but their service is quite terrible.
After my Manolo purchase, I decided I had been naughty enough and went home.
Labels: american apparel, beauty notes, chanel, creed, fashion notes, jean patou, loro piana, malin + goetz, manolo blahnik, missoni, perfume, shu uemura
Three ways to stay warm this season.
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Saturday, December 22, 2007 5:21 PM (Eastern)
It's been a bit of a challenge keeping warm sans the endless will-sucking, mind-sapping, seven-month season we called Summer back home in the South. In the San Francisco Bay Area, unless you have the good sense to journey inland, it is perennially cold. So, here are a few tricks.
1. Evoke the tropical:
Montale's Intense Tiaré sailed to the top of my wishlist this year, when I was wearing my winter coat and jumping up and down. Though there are other tropical coconut perfumes I've yet to try, I've yet to be tempted to try them.
Creed makes Virgin Island Water. Creed. Hm. I sampled two of their fragrances, Fleurissimo and Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie, and was a bit underwhelmed. As much as people rag on Montale for their prices, Creed is the spendier of the two. Plus, I can admit I find Creed's seemingly endless celebrity endorsement annoying. Ava Gardner I can dig, and someday I'd like to try her Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare, that would really be hot. The others though, eh...
Comptoir Sud Pacifique makes Aloha Tiaré. The one consistent thing I've read about Comptoir Sud Pacifique over the years is their scents don't last. I rejected the (stunning) Diptyque Do Son over the same issue. I don't buy weak perfumes; they insult the intelligence. Moreover, per Basenotes.net, this particular scent was reformulated from its old monoï self into a more generic gardenia/tuberose scent...which was further described as being not as good as Annick Goutal's Songes, which I rejected as being too sweet and simple.
Oh, I'm sure there are other monoï scents, or other tropical interpretations, but what I love about Montale is their...odd engineering. It's not a plethora of notes, not even conventional notes, half the time what you're smelling doesn't even smell like perfume, only like insane goodness. Intense Tiaré, you can almost warm your hands against.
2. Tropical cute overload:
Bob Marley Waiting In Vain
If you can't actually jump into that warm sea, at least you can hear its rhythms inside the music.
3. Comedy on this subject:
I dithered some whether to embed this video here. I've played it several times, and have found it does make you feel warmer, yet there is a certain amount of bad language in it that some people might object to. Oh whatever, it's a video with an arrow on it; click if you want to.
Lewis Black on Broadway (cold)
image courtesy luckyscent.com
Labels: annick goutal, comptoir sud pacifique, creed, diptyque, montale, music, perfume, tv
Creed Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie review
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Sunday, September 16, 2007 2:09 AM (Eastern)
I tried a bit of this out today. From the Parfums Raffy site:Creed Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie is based on the formula of a fragrance originally created in the 19th century for the Empress Eugenie of France. Creed Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie is an aristocratic blend of citrus top notes over a rich heart of Italian jasmine and Bulgarian rose and a warm powdery base of sandalwood and super absolute of vanilla.
I couldn't pass up the chance to try a scent of that description.
First impressions: for being based on such a venerable formula, I got a distinct 80's (1980's that is) vibe from this juice. Giorgio, but nicer, with a dash of Samsara.
The vanilla was prominent...not today's subtle, dry, or ethereal vanilla, but rather, a strong smudge of vanilla blended seamlessly with sandalwood. I didn't get much of the citrus top notes...I could buy there might be rose in this (it was subtle on my skin), but the jasmine was much more to the fore.
About an hour later, it began to remind me of...old house. Old Southern house. I definitely lived in a house that had that odd, almost musty smell, although I can't place exactly which house, or when.
It's not an unpleasant smell by any means...and it's not the same as the "dank concrete building" I got from Etro Gomma (an otherwise gorgeous scent), nor the (wonderful) "musty wet riverbank" I got from Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. This was almost plain Southern house, the kind that had apple green walls, wood paneling, that sort of thing.
The old house phase lasted probably a good hour or two, then Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie mellowed further...less old house, more of just an old-style perfume along the lines of the aforementioned Samsara.
Now...ten hours later...I can still smell it on my skin, albeit faintly. The citrus seems to have finally peeked out, and there remains a touch of the vanilla-sandalwood duality.
All in all...perhaps it's a bit like the other Creed scent I sampled, Fleurissimo. It's not bad, but it's not "me."
Yet there is something a bit tempting about it...its sheer strength and lasting power are impressive. If you liked it, a little would go a long way.
Conclusion: sample first, do not buy "unsniffed." I read the notes before deciding on the sample, but this is little like a modern interpretation of those notes.
If you like Giorgio, Samsara, or even Obsession...this doesn't remind me of Obsession exactly, more the idea of an assertive, definitely "there" fragrance...you might want to check this out.
If this is the kind of thing you are violently against, you may decide to choose another scent to sample.
image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Labels: creed, parfums raffy, perfume, perfume reviews
Creed Fleurissimo review
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Friday, August 31, 2007 1:18 PM (Eastern)
When I first put this on, I immediately recognized it as something I'd smelled before, long ago. I can't recall who wore it, or when, only that it was a very long time ago, another era really. Think no telephone answering machines, no VCR's, no central air conditioning; that sort of thing.This perfume creates a strong impression. No one close to me wore it, I'm sure of that. I could have smelled it only a few times in my life, definitely more than thirty years ago, and I don't remember perfumes easily.
This is surely the scent of genteel ladies, Southern or otherwise. It's virtually all flowers. The violet isn't quite as prominent as I'd hoped....and the tuberose doesn't stand out until the drydown, it's well blended in with the rose. In fact, to my nose, the rose is the foremost note until the drydown, when the tuberose comes forward a bit.
I'm not getting a lot of iris here, just the rose and tuberose together, with the smoothing touch of violet adding body to the composition. It's sweet, but more elegant than sweet.
Fleurissimo was famously commissioned for the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. Smelling it now, it's not hard to believe...it is a romantic scent, ideal for a wedding.
I see this as the fragrance of a woman still young, but not a kid. Somewhere from mid-twenties to thirties...hmmm...I suppose I'm trying to think if it's too young for me. It's pleasant on me, but I feel it would be more striking on someone younger than forty-something.I do feel your perfume should match your age, although of course there is no hard and fast rule, no magic cut-off number. It's just that some scents grow more attractive to you, the older you get, and others begin to seem too young. Or, to mangle a quote from Dazed and Confused: "That's what I love about these perfumes, man. I get older, they stay the same age."
For an eau de parfum, I expected a bit more staying power (or perhaps I'm spoiled now that I've tried Montale's Aoud Roses Petals...hmmm?). You would have to reapply this, but probably just the once. Sillage is good.
I would not recommend "buying this unsniffed"; I would recommend getting a sample first. Fleurissimo is an old-fashioned perfume, quite different from today's sweet, fruity, and, all too often, interchangeable scents. As I say, the instant I smelled it, I remembered it...it's singular.
Available at Parfums Raffy. (If you're into Creed, they have a nice complimentary set of Creed samples with Creed purchase.)
Boone Hall Plantation image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Labels: creed, parfums raffy, perfume, perfume reviews
Beauty Notebook: Variations on the Floral Perfume
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, August 30, 2007 4:31 AM (Eastern)
Recently I received some samples from the lovely Parfums Raffy. I selected scents I was most attracted to, based solely on descriptions, and only later realized they were all primarily floral perfumes.
 | I chose this after reading that Fracas was the prototypical tuberose fragrance, the one all perfumers looked to when developing their own version of tuberose. I've smelled enough tuberose perfumes to know it's a note I love, so why not try the crème de la crème? (Plus, it's been around since 1948.) |
What attracted me to Aoud Roses Petals was, ironically, not the rose. It was the aoud. I was curious to try it, read so much about it, how it was a love or hate note (probably no better way to sell it to me), how Montale perfumes lasted all day with only a few drops, how Montale had developed a cult following, et cetera. These eau de parfums are bottled in aluminum. They have to be. They're so strong, and the bottles are large...it would take you a long time to get through the bottle, hence the notion of shielding the scent from light. |   |
| What drew me here, after days of dithering over which Creeds to try: tuberose, again, and violets, which I haven't smelled in years (used to be some growing in my yard in Virginia, two decades ago)--but also the sentimentality of trying a scent that was commissioned for Grace Kelly's wedding to Prince Rainier. Normally I don't seek out "celebrity" perfumes or beauty items unless I have a particularly strong affinity for the celeb--Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve...it's a short list. I did ponder trying Creed's Fleurs de Thé Rose Bulgare, for the cool Ava Gardner factor, but the notes in Fleurissimo seemed closer to what I liked. |   |
Here's a bit of an oddball; this is based on a scent commissioned for the Empress Eugénie in 1870. Described on several sites as mainly a blend of jasmine, sandalwood and vanilla (it also has citrus notes and rose), Jasmin Imperatrice Eugenie has inspired intense perfume love-it-or-loathe-it. Can't wait to try it. |  |
All perfumes will be reviewed here and in the reviews section.
images courtesy www.parfumsraffy.com, www.nal.usda.gov
Labels: beauty notebook, creed, montale, parfums raffy, perfume, robert piguet
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