perfume

Roses de Mai Marathon: Geranium Bourbon
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Geranium Bourbon

So many of the rose fragrances I own lean to the traditionally feminine side (if you feel that the more flowery or powdery scents are more feminine) that I think I need to balance things with a rose that may feel more unisex or even masculine. I myself believe that people of any gender can wear any fragrance, but the men in my household beg to differ. Take that with a grain of salt, though; one is my teenaged son, who only a few years ago thought Axe was the greatest fragrance he could wear (!!) and the other is my husband, who wears Mennen Skin Bracer and Old Spice when I don’t prod him to try something I’ve given him. Continue reading →

Roses de Mai Marathon: Rosae
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Rosae

So this morning, I was digging through my samples of scents that are supposed to have a strong rose note, for today’s Roses de Mai Marathon, since I’m using this as an opportunity to work my way through samples, and I hit several in a row that just didn’t smell like roses to me! As in, not at all. Not a hint of rose. So while I reorganize my samples, I’m falling back for today’s post on one that I wrote in September, about Aquaflor’s Rosae, a truly rose-based, gorgeous scent I bought in Florence last summer. Click here: Rosae.

I know some of you have had similar experiences of expecting a particular note or accord in a fragrance and then not smelling it at all! Care to share? Comments are open!

If you ever get the chance to visit Florence, Aquaflor is a beautiful destination.

Courtyard leading to Aquaflor Firenze

Courtyard of Palazzo Antinori, Florence, home of Aquaflor.

Featured image from www.aquaflor.it.

Roses de Mai Marathon: A La Rose
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Roses de Mai Marathon: A La Rose

Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s A la rose is another fragrance I own in its hair mist format, so my thoughts on that may not align with anyone else’s experience with the “real” fragrance in eau de parfum. However, much of what I experience does generally follow the listed notes, although the scent doesn’t last as long or carry as far (at least, according to my own perceptions). Continue reading →

Roses de Mai Marathon: Elisabethan Rose 2018
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Elisabethan Rose 2018

Two years ago, I received Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose 2018 for Mother’s Day. I’ve mentioned it before, as a rose scent I like to wear around Christmas, but I haven’t given it a review of its own. And this year happens to be Penhaligon’s 150th anniversary, which will be celebrated in various ways throughout 2020, so here we go! Continue reading →

Roses de Mai Marathon: Roses Musk
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Roses Musk

Roses Musk is one of many rose-centric fragrances in the Montale line and it is said to be the line’s bestseller. Wow, is it polarizing! Some online commenters love it, others really hate it.  Continue reading →

Perfume Chat Room, May 15
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Perfume Chat Room, May 15

Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV. As regular readers know, I am in the middle of a “Roses de Mai Marathon” during which I am trying to post a daily review of a different rose scent. That will continue today (post will come later), but in the meantime, please feel free to chat! At an appropriate social distance, of course.

Today is May 15, and I have Southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) blooming in my garden! Huge, fragrant white flowers against dark green leaves. What’s blooming where you are? My SOTD is Balenciaga’s Rosabotanica. Yours?

Featured image by J.D. Crowe for www.al.com.

Roses de Mai Marathon: Portrait Of A Lady
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Portrait Of A Lady

Okay, enough messing around with neon roses and such. It’s time for May to get serious, with a heavy-hitter, rose-based, niche fragrance: Portrait of a Lady, by Dominique Ropion for Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle. Wowza! Continue reading →

Roses de Mai Marathon: Neon Rose
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Roses de Mai Marathon: Neon Rose

Neon Rose is one of the original fragrances released in 2017 by Floral Street, a relative newcomer to the scene. The fragrances were created by perfumer Jerome Epinette. Floral Street also sells home, bath, and body fragrances, all based on the same set of scents. I discovered Floral Street in 2018, on a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where they had a pop-up store.  Continue reading →

Perfume Chat Room, March 27
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Perfume Chat Room, March 27

Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.

Today is March 27, the first official week of spring in this hemisphere, and COVID-19 continues to dominate news and thoughts everywhere. Continue reading →

Perfume Chat Room, March 6
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Perfume Chat Room, March 6

Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly — I’ve been known to write on this blog about biryani, one of my favorite dishes to eat and one I am still learning to make! (If you have a great recipe for it, please share!). This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV. Today is March 6, and I am with my family on a spring break holiday in Jamaica, for our first visit here, coronavirus be d—ned! Scent of the day is Montale’s Roses Musk, a soft rose fragrance that goes well with the tropical but temperate climate here. What is your SOTD? Have you been to Jamaica? What scents evoke the Caribbean or other tropics to you?