Eau de Sisley 2 and Glow – JLo

As part of our Christmas beauty bonanza, my husband tried Eau de Sisley 2 this morning. It’s definitely a male fragrance – I wouldn’t even really say it’s unisex. It smells of Alpine forests. Leaving the house this morning was a bit like going on a date with the man from Milk Tray. He smelt like he’d just skied down the mountain side. It was all good – but if I weren’t married to him it would whiff slightly of mid life crisis.

JLo’s fragrance Glow is one of those perfumes that you hear a lot about. Firstly it’s mentioned in the context of, ‘Oh no, not another celebrity fragrance’. Secondly, on the whole, it seems to be pretty successful. I’ve been walking past it at the beauty counters thinking, I must get around to trying that. Yesterday at Beauty Base in Westfield, I managed to bag a mini Glow sample.

Today I tried out Glow and I feel generally under-whelmed. Initially it has a greenish smell. It’s difficult to work out if it’s Lily of the Valley or something more animal. But that floats off quite quickly and the drydown is very weak and powdery. I was really disappointed, as I had expected more of this much-hyped fragrance.

You can buy a 50ml EdT Glow at Amazon for £27. According to OsMoz it has top notes of neroli and pink grapefruit, heart notes of rose, sandalwood and amber and base notes of soft musk, jasmine, iris and vanilla.

Un Jardin Sur le Nil – Hermès

Today, my husband and I took our four lovely children to Westfield shopping centre in West London. I don’t know what we were thinking of – it was absolutely packed with post-Christmas shoppers. Happily we bumped into some friends who we hadn’t seen in ages, so we binned off shopping and had a delicious Lebanese lunch.

One of the very few shops that we briefly went into was Beauty Base. It stocks masses of perfume, most of which you can try. The actual shop is better than the online store, which doesn’t seem to have such a wide range. Anyway, I managed to speedily snap up a few new perfumes as well as try a few things whilst we were there.

Un Jardin Sur le Nil has been on my list for some time as something I should try. Whenever there are conversations about muted/sophisticated/quiet perfumes, this one seems to be mentioned. Funnily, it wasn’t until quite recently that I realised that the Nil refers to ‘Nile’. For some time I had thought it meant ‘nil’ as in ‘nothing’ – assumed it was one of those philosophical perfume names like ‘L’Air du Temps’ (which I’m now bound to discover means something equally prosaic).

The first whiff of Un Jardin sur le Nil reminded me of how my skin smells naturally after swimming outside on a hot day. It smelt very fresh and natural, with a hint of garden spiciness, perhaps nutmeg and jasmine. It lacks any of the ‘perfuminess’ of many female fragrances.

Now, after several hours, the drydown is almost leathery. For me, this fragrance is sexy and decidedly masculine (although the Hermès website suggests that this fragrance is for men and women). The smell is intriguing as I can’t think of anything that it’s similar to. I’ll definitely revisit Un Jardin Sur le Nil, if only to be able to define it a bit more accurately.

Best Perfumes for You

It’s easy to get stuck in a perfume rut and wear the same fragrance or several fragrances over and over again. Here are five tips on getting inspiration for new fragrances:-

Michael Edwards’ website Fragrance Editions is a great starting point. Click on fragrances you like and the site suggests three similar fragrances. For instance, if you’re a fan of Chanel No 5, they suggest you might also like Jil Sander Style Pastels Blush Pink 2008. Fragrance Editions is an inspirational resource to start off your search for a new perfume.

Remember to ask for a fragrance sample or two whenever you buy some make up or skin care products. If you’re not familiar with the brand’s fragrances, then ask if they’ve recently had any new launches. Typically it will be easier to get samples for new launches rather than for established perfumes.

You can also buy some excellent sample collections online. These give you the chance to try out some fragrances you may not be familiar with or may not even have heard of. The Perfumed Court sells a sample set of the top 25 perfumes as voted at Make Up Alley in 2007. This list includes some classic fragrances. For just under $100 this set could be well worth the investment. 


Don't dismiss classics. Some of the oldest perfumes have been around for a long time precisely because they are so good. For instance Cool Water by Davidoff may have a particular image in your mind, but don't judge it until you've tried it.

Finally, when you smell a great perfume on somebody else – make sure you ask what it is. People are genuinely flattered when you ask about their perfume. You’re not just admiring the fragrance itself, you’re commenting on their great taste too.

Happy fragrance hunting!

Photos of Aesop Store on Mount Street

 

  

  

 

Knize Ten - Knize

My perfume voyage started about six months ago when I was briefly in hospital. The delightful people who came to visit me all seemed to bring me something smelly. Some particularly good friend brought me some Jo Malone Sweet Lime and Cedar cologne. And it smelled incredibly dry. “Ooh, that’s dry”, I thought, “What an incredibly dry fragrance.” And, “How can something smell so dry…??” And I was hooked on fragrance.

A Knize Ten sample landed on my doormat this morning. I’ve just sprayed it, and “Oooh its dry!” The dryness seems to come from the cedar. Although why an evergreen tree’s aroma would remind you of dryness I don’t know – but that’s how it seems.

Next, there’s a tang of Cusson’s Imperial Leather soapiness, which must be the leather element. I can’t stand Imperial Leather. It was my family’s soap of choice when I was growing up in the 70s. In my opinion there’s nothing good about Imperial Leather soap. There was a sticky label in the middle of the soap bar. Do they even still make it? Who cares?

Now that I’ve identified the Imperial Leather link I think I have to go and scrub it off…. Euugh.

If you're looking for a more palatable classic male fragrance, then Cool Water by Davidoff is much more enjoyable. And if you're looking for a long-established female fragrance, then Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs L'Original has been around since1912. Unlike Knize Ten - I can understand why it's been so successful for so long.

Secretions Magnifiques – Etat Libre d’Orange

My children have a plastic dog poo that they leave lying around the house. They put it in funny places and even have a special name for it – ‘baguette end’. It’s a joke, it’s occasionally quite funny. But my children are quite young and they didn’t pay £44 for their pretend poo.

Bois de Jasmin writes, "Whether you love or hate Sécrétions Magnifiques, one thing is true—it cannot leave you indifferent."

After the initial shock of smelling something quite so awful the picture in my mind became a bit clearer. Being at the seaside and accidentally breathing in a great big mouthful of salty water. Your body takes over and you gag. Oh wait… mouthful of something salty. Now I get it.

From the humour of the willy picture on the front to the name of the fragrance, this seems to be to be something that people would buy one another for a laugh. It’s a perfume from a joke store. Like the plastic dog poo that my children love to leave around the house. Is anybody actually wearing it??

Narciso Rodriguez For Her

Narciso Rodriguez For Her is a lovely floral fragrance. One of my friends who wears this regularly says it reminds her of the smell of fresh washing. I can understand the comment. For Her is clean and fresh musk-based floral fragrance, which includes neroli, osmanthus (pictured) and vetiver.

People say that Narciso Rodriguez For Her is very similar to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely. Or rather, Lovely is following in the wake of a popular trend, established by the huge success of For Her. I haven’t done a direct comparison of the two fragrances. They are both pretty modern florals.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her makes me feel youthful. You wouldn’t wear this to convey sexuality or sophistication. Funnily enough, this fragrance reminds me generically of Estée Lauder's fragrance advertising. Estée Lauder adverts always seem to feature a girl on her own running barefoot through a field, or playing with puppies. You get the idea. 

Narciso Rodriguez For Her falls into a 'family' of modern florals that share a transparent quality. Fleur du Matin by Miller Harris and Stella McCartney's Nude are definitely worth trying if you like this type of cleaned-up floral fragrance.

Eau du Sud – Annick Goutal

After a disastrous Friday, I’ve had an enormously productive fragrance weekend.

Firstly, my oh so tolerant husband and four children spent a few hours at the prestige perfume counters in Liberty and Fenwick’s. Secondly, a selection of samples from Les Senteurs is winging its way to me sometime soon. Thirdly, I found a set of nine EdT samples for good value at Penhaligon’s.

Unfortunately, I failed to find the Virgilio room fragrance from Diptyque. Luca Turin gives Virgilio a noteworthy description in "Perfumes: The A-Z Guide”. He comments that, 'The saline note in perfumery is elusive'. He goes on to note that he's found it in Fleurs de Sel by Miller Harris as well as Virgilio. I'm keen to try both as the idea of a salty fragrance is intriguing.

My final success this weekend was tracking down, Diptyque’s delightful Figuier candle (read a review at Now Smell This), which is wafting around our sitting room right now.

In Liberty I was absolutely spoilt for choice. I wanted to try something that I hadn’t smelt before. A lady next to me was trying Annick Goutal’s honeysuckle fragrance Le Chèvrefeuille. After I commented how nice it was she recommended that I try the perfume that she normally wears – Eau du Sud.

Eau du Sud is floral and fresh and zesty. It smells like a perfect summer’s day in the garden. It’s not a fragrance that I could wear day after day – but it’s something lovely to put a spring in your step once in a while. I’ve heard people talk about ‘sunshine’ fragrances. Eau du Sud epitomises a sunshine fragrance for me.

My other reaction to Eau du Sud is that it smells, to me, exactly the same as Clarin’s Eau Dynamisante. Eau Dynamisante was my duty free treat of choice for several years. Eau du Sud was so evocative of my memory of Eau Dynamisante that I went to the Clarins’ counter to compare the two. To my completely untrained nose, they are one and the same fragrance. Clarins sell Eau Dynamisante for £25 per 100ml. Whereas Eau du Sud EdT costs £50 for 50ml at Les Senteurs.

Choose whichever you will. Both Eau du Sud and Eau Dynaminsante are fabulous fragrances to bring the sunshine back into your life on a cold December day.

Himalaya – Creed

Today I made the pilgrimage to Les Senteurs in Belgravia. Having read about this fabulous fragrance store, I was really excited to go and sample some new perfumes. Looking online at their list of fragrances, there are plenty that I’ve been reading about, but haven’t been able to buy anywhere else.

When I arrived, I could have cried. There are two massive great steps at the entrance and quite a narrow door. Even if I managed to haul my twins’ buggy up the steps, I probably wouldn’t have made it through the doorway. I momentarily toyed with the idea of leaving the babies outside. But it’s December and it's freezing. So I sadly pressed my nose against the window for a bit and then plodded off.

Les Senteurs looks like a lavish perfume emporium. I will definitely be heading back there, either on a day when I don’t have the twins, or when I have my husband in tow. In the meantime, I will probably make the most of their online sample service.

Onwards and upwards.

Today I did manage to try Creed’s Himalaya. The bottle is quite naff. Silver plastic – hmm, you kind of wonder what they’re aiming at. However, getting past the packaging, it’s a great masculine fragrance with intense woody notes. Smelling this reminds me of walking through an evergreen forest – all pine needles and resonant woods. It’s subtle and mature. A great fragrance for almost any man, particularly if they don’t want to make a statement, but just have a general whiff of smelling good. 

If you're searching for a male fragrance, then Cool Water by Davidoff is an all time classic that's worth a sniff.

Idole D’Armani

Buying some perfume from one of the big fashion houses makes you feel that you possess a fragment of the glamour of the name. Idole is a suitably glamorous fragrance. It smells floral and fresh and complex. Wearing it makes you feel sophisticated. There’s a faint note of sweetness in Idole, but, unusually, it works within the perfume as a whole without becoming cloying.

According to Now Smell This, the notes within the perfume are: “clementine, pear, ginger, davana, saffron, jasmine, loukoum rose, patchouli and vetiver” so it is slightly spicy.

This is a beautiful fragrance, and definitely one to try if you feel like wearing and air of sophistication.

Woman – Jasper Conran

When I first smelt ‘Woman’ I wasn’t feeling particularly charitable. Citrus fragrances are not that popular and need some getting used to. My initial response was that it smells like the freshening wipe that used to come free with KFC.

However, now that I’ve worn it a few times, Woman does have a lot of depth. It reminds me of forest greens and in particular, the ivy leaf. The background green notes are over-arched by a strong, but not sharp citrus combination.

There’s an urban myth that factories are more productive when citrus smells are released into the atmosphere. This may or may not be true. What is true is that a citrus fragrance makes you feel awake, fresh and lively. Quite literally it gives you a zest for life.

Great for giving you a boost on a cold, winter morning.

Best Perfumes for Christmas Gifts

Perfume is a great gift for Christmas, and it’s good to buy sure fire winners. According to the Daily Mail, these are the top ten selling perfumes in the UK today.

1. Chanel No. 5

2. Calvin Klein Eternity

3. Prada Eau de Toilette

4. Davidoff Cool Water

5. Gucci Rush

6. Ralph Lauren Romance

7. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

8. Issey Miyake L’eau d’Issey

9. Estee Lauder Beautiful

10. Tom Ford Black Orchid

If you're looking for something a bit more unusual, then MyPerfumeLife's recommendation is Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs L'Original. It's a classic floral mix dating back to 1912, with elements of jasmine and tuberose. Truly sexy. 

L’Eau Ambrée – Prada

A friend of mine, not knowing that ‘Eau de Javel’ means bleach, once opened up a bottle of the stuff and gave it a massive sniff. It was a blisteringly hot day in Paris and the fumes were probably extremely potent. She came running out of the kitchen, couldn’t speak, face as red as a beetroot, panicking like crazy. She thought she was going to die.

Sometimes smells are so repellent, that the natural response is to get away from them. When I sprayed this new Prada fragrance, my automatic reaction was to wonder how quickly and effectively I could get it off my skin. L’Eau Ambrée is synthetic in the extreme, but the good news is that it isn’t too long lasting. The dry down is sort of woody and loses the overwhelming unpleasant top notes.

Great gift for someone you really don’t like.

The Prada brand is synonymous with cutting edge fashion, so I really wanted to like this new fragrance. L’Eau Ambrée comes in a classy bottle. The advertising is quite fun and glamorous. Sadly, my recommendation is to admire the bottle but steer well clear.

My friend didn't die by the way, but I think it put her off the smell of bleach for a while.

Flora – Gucci

The bottle looks so fabulous it’s difficult to resist the allure of Gucci Flora. I was willing this to be a great perfume so that I could find an excuse to buy it. It didn’t disappoint.

The description ‘fruity floral’ usually elicits a huge yawn from me. But Flora is fresh, new and vibrant. The initial fruity note perfectly captures that first bite of a juicy golden delicious apple. The lasting background notes are of pretty summer flowers.

Some floral fragrances just make you want to smile. They are pretty, feminine and perky. Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely is similar in its ability to make you feel happy. If you’re looking for something fresh, light and totally lovely, then Gucci Flora is certainly one not to miss. 

Giorgio Beverly Hills

This time of year is fabulous for new fragrances. There’s so much perfume advertising as well as special Christmas promotions. Today I was grabbed by Giorgio Beverly Hills, not because the promotion was so good, but because you have to wonder what the message is.

The Giorgio perfume bottle is beautifully shaped into elegant feminine curves. The packaging is all sophisticated yellow and white stripes. What’s not to love about the name Beverly Hills? It smacks of glamour, celebrity and quite frankly hard cash. So, now to the promotion. I’m assuming this is a Christmas promotion. The perfume is being sold packaged together with a teddy bear. Hmm, not sure why, or who the target market is, possibly eight year old girls?

Onto the fragrance. When I was a child somebody did me the huge disservice of buying me a rose fragranced Yardley talc and soap set. Whenever I smell a rose fragrance, it reminds me of talc and then old ladies. Maybe old ladies wear Yardley talc too.

Giorgio is a mild, rose fragranced perfume. It’s inoffensive and doesn’t last more than a couple of hours. There’s nothing particularly poignant about it, so it could be a great gift for your niece or god daughter. They will like the teddy bear but mind out they don’t get put off rose fragrances for life.