Angel Sunessence

If my dear readers will recall last summer had me hunting for a summer scent. I mostly struck out and came to the conclusion that the kind of fragrances I like are spicy and warm and don't lend themselves well to hot weather. Try as I might to find a summery scent that is light and breezy I just can't deal with the floral bombs or the citrus explosions that are most summer scents. Truly they just aren't for me.

Imagine my delight when I spotted Angel Sunessence today at Nordstrom. Angel is a longtime favorite of mine but is way too much for hot weather and sweaty bodies. This my dear friend is what Angel Sunessence is all about!

This version of Angel has been softened with bergamot and a floral hibiscus accord. What this means in layman's terms is that Angel has been toned down and made light and breezy which before now I would not have thought possible.

Angel is a rich and warm scent in it's original form that smells best on skin and evokes thoughts of yummy sweet and spicy foods. Sunessence somehow manages to keep the integrity of Angel but make it soft and sundrenched.

I have read many reviews that say Sunessence is lovely but doesn't last all that long. Well my answer to that is what summer scent does? I mean seriously I have yet to find a light breezy scent that has serious staying power because after all that pretty much defies the whole light thing.

It is true that for $80 I would like it to last but I am willing to pay for and reapply often a summer scent I actually like.

Karl Lagerfeld Kapsules

These 3 fragrances are Karl Lagerfeld's interpretation of the 3 major fragrance families. Each Kapsule is $110 or you can get a set of 3 smaller bottles for $150 at Neiman Marcus.

I received a sample pack of all 3 to try and it took me a while to actually break these open. However I am a new fan of Floriental which features black tea, violet, and ivy leaves. It is the right blend of sweetness and warmth and is a real winner in my book.

Woody is cedarwood, plum and moss. I am normally a real woody fan and while I like this fragrance I would not buy it. The cedar gives a nice opening and that slightly pencil shaving scent with plum swirling around nicely. Moss is there but in the background. Woody is nice but just doesn't have the ompf of the woody fragrances I really love....think Bois de Paradis.

Light is a blend of bitter orange, jasmine and musk. The bitter orange is front and center at first with the jasmine and musk showing up later. For some reason it is the most masculine smelling of the 3 to me.

Floriential is far and away my pick and will be a future purchase for sure!

La Vanila - Vanilla Lavender

I have a soft spot in my heart for La Vanila fragrances and body butters. There is just something about the yummy warm slightly foody scent of vanilla in general and La Vanila's creations in specific.

I am a closet fan of Vanilla Grapefruit but have never actually bought a bottle. I have purchased the body butters and the body wash and loved them both but for some reason I have never wanted to commit to a whole bottle of perfume.

I was very eager to sniff La Vanila's latest scent in Vanilla Lavender but after sniffing I could have waited....a long time.

I am sorry to report that this is just a turn in the wrong direction for La Vanila. I know that all fragrance preferences are subjective but this one is just yucky. The smell is somewhat old lady smelling and lacks the sweetness that all the other scents in this line have in common. It seems that the vanilla and lavender do not play well together.

You can get your paws on this for $56 but I strongly suggest sniffing and wearing it for a bit before purchasing.

Harajuku Lovers Set

OMG! I am instantly transformed into my teenage self and am drooling over the sheer cuteness of these little Harajuku Lovers heads filled with solid perfume.

Seriously I want all of them and don't know if I could part with a single one even if I hated the scent inside....really who cares they are just so damn cuuuuutttttte!

So setting aside my Pretty In Pink lovin', crush on Blaine teenage self, these are a fabulous gift for anyone who would be bowled over by the cute factor or you could split them up to give as little stocking stuffers.

My daughter is already hankering for these and I don't know how well we can share. There might be a tussle over the Gwen head.

This coffret set can be found at Nordstrom and Sephora and will set you back $60 but the cuteness of these alone makes it worth every penny!

David Yurman Eau de Parfum

David Yurman's new fragrance is the first to capture my heart for fall scents and it wasn't just the bottle that did it either!

A while back I was at the Neimans in SF and they have the Gurelain scents that were created for the reopening of the Guerlain flagship store in Paris. Rose Barbare was an instant favorite with it's not sweet but somehow wild smelling rose. Barbare is deep and dark and worth smelling but there was just something about it that stopped me from purchasing a bottle. Some element of it just didn't sit well and at over $200 I was not willing to compromise.

Imagine my surprise when on a whim I sniffed this new David Yurman scent and fully expected to be underwhelmed but was not!

David Yurman's scent has that same rose and patchouli thing going on with the woods showing up in the dry down. What it lacks is the mossy quality of Barbare and for me this is pay dirt.

I am not saying these two are dead ringers for each other but like sisters they are related and share some common characteristics. Both of these lovely fragrances would be hard to pull off in the warmer months and would morph from lovely to smelling like the guy who bathes in the disgusting AXE body spray. No these are scents that are meant to smelled through layers of fabric and crisp air.

Both can be found at Neiman Marcus and it is worth it to take a look before 09/15 since Neiman's has their super beauty event going on. The bag is very cute and the goodies inside are icing on the cake.

Harajuku Lovers G Eau de Toilette

Okay I totally got suckered into purchasing G from the new Harajuku Lovers perfume set. I swore I would avoid these and not give into the over the top cuteness of these little doll perfumes but then I saw them in person and my resolve turned to jelly!

I mean come on, you would have to have a heart of stone to not fall in love with them and for $25 or $45 depending on the size of your bottle who could resist.

Now I was initially not really interested in these aside from the obvious cute factor. The scents were all described as fairly floral and sweet which is not what I generally look for in a fragrance. But as I said I got reeled in at the Nordstrom counter and decided to just give them a smell.....famous last words.

I sniffed all five and most of the group are indeed very sweet and girly but Love with it's pear and woody combo was definitely under consideration. Then I sniffed G and the choice was made...it is basically Hawaii in a bottle. For those who have been to Hawaii you know what I mean...you get off the plane and the air has a smell to it that just exudes tropics and trade winds with lush flowers and tangy pineapple. In short it smells the way you imagine an island should.

Since I have been to Hawaii a few times and was in fact married there I could not resist G as so many of the supposed tropical smelling perfumes out there do not come close to the actual smell of getting off the plane and knowing you are on an island.

The Nordstrom SA said this is their second shipment of these adorable little ladies and that they have been selling so fast because most people are buying a complete set. At first I doubted her but during the time I was at the counter two customers approached and walked off with complete sets.

A full set is not in my future but a full size of G just might be.

Lancome Magnifique

On the whole Lancome fragrances do not excite me. Tresor is a perfect example of what turns me off about the brand's perfume. Tresor is cloying to my nose and it makes me want to give myself a good scrubbing.

In all honesty I can't say why I feel this way and I have many friends who love Lancome perfume, Tresor included. I was therefore a little hesitant to try Magnifique but I was in for a nice surprise.

Magnifique shares a common woody profile with Donna Karan's Chaos and for the first few minutes on my wrist I was hard pressed to point out specific differences. DK's Chaos is discontinued but I still have some left and immediately thought this would be a good replacement.

As Magnifique and I got better acquainted there was a bit of that Tresor sweetness that threatened to spoil the party but it didn't actually crash the party instead it attended as a noticeable but well behaved guest.

The main notes are saffron, rose and nagarmota wood and the eau de parfum is $65. I suppose if this were a different perfumer I would judge this more harshly and really come down on the Tresor-like aspects but as it is this is a huge step in the right direction for Lancome.....in my humble opinion.

I found this at Bloomingdales and I believe Nordstrom has it now as well.

Marc Jacobs Body Splashes

Marc Jacobs has released 2 new body splashes and I can't honestly say which I like best! After smelling both at Nordstrom I have decided they are both lovely but for different reasons and would suit different moods.

Fig was my instant favorite with fig, yuzu zest and tuscan cypress making it both warm but fresh at the same time. Fig is a great transition from the ultra fruity scents of summer to a more fall state of mind.










Gardenia on the other hand is floral as one might expect but the dry down includes enough musk to take the edge off. I was surprised by this one as gardenia scents can be cloying and awful but this splash is not.

Both splashes are the 10 ounce size for $68 each and are light enough to spray with abandon.

SJP Covet Pure Bloom

Here is SJP's summer flanker to Covet, Covet Pure Bloom. I found this cuter than cute bottle at Macy's but I had to go looking. Maybe it was just my Macy's, but there wasn't any advertising for this or a counter display. Instead I found this perfume off on a side counter and there wasn't even a tester!

Well needless to say I did ask the sales lady to pull out the bottle so I could get a good whiff and I instantly thought I had smelled this perfume's twin before. It took me a while to figure it out but there the answer was in my own fragrance collection.

Burberry London is a dead ringer for Covet Pure Bloom and while more sophisticated noses may differ with my opinion I am here to say it is damn close.

To evaluate Covet Pure Bloom on it's own merits is hard but as I am sure you have already guessed since I do own the Burberry scent it does stand to reason that SJP's juice was good. Covet Pure Bloom is nice and while I like it I continue to be very surprised at SJP's scent choices. After reading how much she likes slightly dirty smelling heavier scents these sweeter easier perfumes are mystifying.

Ah well...it is still infinitely better than a lot of celeb perfumes and the bottle is lovely...no pun intended.

SJP Covet Pure Bloom

HSN has a deal going that is pretty fabulous if you love Sarah Jessica Parker fragrances.

Order Lovely (1.7 edp) for $49 and receive not only the fragrance but 2 tickets to the Sex and the City movie coming up on May 30. In addition you will be shipped the new fragrance, Covet Pure Bloom on July 7th before it officially launches. The second shipment is also $49 and here is the low down on Covet Pure Bloom.

Top: purple plum, coconut water
Middle: tuberose, royal Indonesian pikake
Bottom: amber creamy musks

I have to say that I was a bit surprised that SJP did a floral fragrance. After reading Chandler Burr's, The Perfect Scent I know that she doesn't tend to like florals. While creating Lovely and Covet which the book documents, she would emphasize that she was not a huge floral fan when given scents to sample.

On the HSN program SJP refers to the pikake flower scent being rich and lush and the new perfume smells like a summer season. From the description of the notes this one could go either way for me....either too sweet and floral or a tropical dream....my curiosity is peaked!

Marc Jacobs Body Splashes

My darling ladies, it is very hot in my neck of the woods....I feel like I am in a frying pan! In honor of the weather here is this heat beating post......

I was in Nordstrom recently and these were right next to the YSL counter so I decided to give them a whirl. I had dismissed them out of hand as fluff but will be honest in saying I was pleasantly wrong. These are uncomplicated scents that are pleasant to sniff and wear.

The 3 limited scents are Pear, Grapefruit, and Basil with Pear & Grapefruit being my picks.

Pear: pear, freesia and teak wood

Grapefruit: grapefruit, ginger and white musk

Basil: basil, jasmine and sandalwood

All of these splashes are sheer and perfect for super hot days when anything heavier would be cloying. The bottles are $65 and are a whopping 10 ounces which points to the fact that they are meant to be applied liberally. Happy splashing!

Summer Scent Perfection

When it comes to summer scents that are watery and breezy perfection, I don't think you can do any better than Hermes' Un Jardin Sur Le Nil.

I love this fragrance and loved reading about it's creation in Chandler Burr's book The Perfect Scent. All the mental images of the Nile River and travel to remote islands to find a fragrances inspiration was the equivalent of an old Hollywood love story complete with soft focus and black and white scenes.

Un Jardin Sur Le Nil starts out green and while it has just a touch of sweetness it is not flowery to me but crystalline and shimmering. The drydown retains that slight sharpness and adds some wood to the base.

My one and only complaint is that like the shimmering beauty it embodies, it doesn't last long. I find myself wanting to douse myself in it just so I can keep that cool watery feeling going. At $125 a bottle, dousing myself is a bit cost prohibitive.

Alas I will just have to live with this one drawback and be satisfied with it's otherwise flawless loveliness!

Bond No. 9

So as I mentioned one idea for Mother's Day that is reasonably priced I figured I should also mention a gift that is not. Okay perhaps it was all those dang Swarovski crystals luring me in like siren song...whatever!

This sparkly set has 4 refillable purse sprays filled with Bleecker Street, Bryant Park, Nuits de Noho, and Eau de New York.

Now this set is $700 which I realize is some serious change, but if your sweet child or husband has some money to burn this would be my choice.

It may be that the bright shiny objects have just hypnotized me, but in truth all 4 of the fragrances are on my short list so why not have them in a flashy container....right?

Allure's Fragrance Guy

Today I received the new Allure with Hilary Duff on the cover. On page 134 is Frederic Malle's monthly feature, The Fragrance Guy.

This month it appears that Frederic Malle is reading my mind....no kidding! This page is devoted to summer fragrances (see my Weekend Hunt posts) and the dilemma of finding a fragrance that is fresh but doesn't fade instantly. Mr. Malle assures his dear readers that they do exist.

He recommends everything from florals and citrus to ozonic notes and by and large I love his ideas and have made note of a few to go out and smell. Some of his fav's are Lys Mediterranee which is gorgeous and Chanel Cristalle which is a scent that I always have on hand. Cristalle is crisp and sophisticated.

Also mentioned are Diorella and the ubiquitous Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. I have never sniffed Diorella but will ASAP, as he mentions it has melon notes that give the fragrance a watery effect!

I also always read Linda Wells, Letter From the Editor as I find her insights into everything from the fashion world to perfume hilarious and true. This issue she focuses on fragrance and why people aren't wearing it. She makes the point that fragrance conveys your personality in the most intimate way and I couldn't agree more.

I for one know that memories of my mom will forever be associated with Cristalle and the heady scent of Tiffany. I also see the change in a SA's expression when I mention that Noir Epices is my all around fragrance of choice. It is not the most accessible scent as it is long on spice and short on flowery sweetness.

Maybe that says something about me and whatever it is, it's alright by me. Noir Epices is beautiful and mysterious and I feel I am the height of sophistication whenever I spray it on.

Conclusion of the Weekend Hunt!

Yipee! My hunt is concluded and the fragrance I settled on is luscious. I want to come right out and say that I had an epiphany in Barneys yesterday, one which the nice SA helped me come to gently.

I headed straight for L'Artisan as I had a few scents on my smell list from them and described to the SA what I was looking for. The wise SA then asked what I currently own and love. I mentioned that my absolute fav is Noir Epices and she frowned. Constructively she suggested I was barking up the wrong tree, pointing out that I love spicy, yummy, scents and yet I was describing something completely different. (see Update-Weekend Hunt post)

Well dang it if she wasn't right and her solution was to stick closer to home and look for a version of spice and woods that would suit for spring. I tried a few L'Artisan scents and while I have not a bad thing to say, they just weren't The One!

I skipped on over to Parfums DelRae which is a collaboration between DelRae and Michel Roudnitska the creator of Noir Epices. I had high hopes and smelled all 4 scents in turn.

Holy Cow! #4 was Bois de Paradis! Where in the heck has this been hiding!

A few weeks ago Blogdorf Goodman wrote about the now discontinued Donna Karan Chaos perfume and all it's woody goodness. Well when I first sniffed Bois de Paradis I smelled a hint of Chaos.

What I mean is, you might see pictures of a gorgeous woman when she was growing up....maybe she was pretty but a little gawky and not the gorgeous beauty she would become. There were hints of how lovely she would be but she just wasn't there yet. Bois de Paradis is Chaos all grown up and super model lovely.

This is the thought I had when luxuriating in the scent on my wrist. It is woody but it has fruity notes and the sexiest rose imaginable to balance it. The combination of spices and sweet is masterful and somehow not heavy.

If you loved Chaos, go out and get yourself some Bois de Paradis. It is my choice for this spring and summer and as the name implies, I think it smells just like paradise!

Weekend Hunt

In my John Varvatos post I mentioned that I am on the hunt for a spring/summer fragrance. I think I also mentioned that light, clean, summery scents are usually the last thing I go for.

In the Bay Area the temperatures are already warming up and I have been inspired to look outside of my comfort zone. I want the scent I wear this summer to be light and fresh even if I feel wilted. This is my motivation and here is the list of scents I will be checking out this weekend.

1. Bobbi Brown - Beach
2. Annick Goutal - Mandragore
3. Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess
4. Bulgari - Green and White Tea
5. Caudalie - Fleur de Vigne
6. Jean Paul Gaultier - Classique Summer
7. Burberry - Summer
8. Guerlain - Aqua Series (I plan to smell as many as I can find)
9. Cartier - Eau de Cartier

Whew! My nose may be worn out by the end of this, but I am determined to not wear my usual spices throughout this season.

If there is a fragrance that screams summer to you please leave it in the comments and I will add it to my list. Of course I will regale you with the details of my hunt in the new week! Wish me luck!