It’s the final week of August, the holiday’s nearly over and life will soon have to return to normal at Maison Persolaise. It’s going to take a little while for me to decide which ‘scented summer experiences’ I ought to blog about, but for today, I’ll briefly mention that the main question in my mind whilst I’ve wandered around perfume shops has centred around the need for the incessant flow of fragrance releases. I think I’ve literally lost count of the number of new scents I’ve tried over the course of the last four weeks: Madly and Flower Tag from Kenzo; Candy from Prada; No 19 Poudré from Chanel; Kokorico from Jean-Paul Gaultier (superb bottle!); Tresor Midnight Rose from Lancôme; Violet Blonde from Tom Ford; CK One Shock (for him and for her) from Calvin Klein… the list goes on. I suppose somewhere there’s a spreadsheet on which this punishing release schedule makes sense. To the average consumer it just results in sensory overload. But then maybe that’s part of the strategy too.
Changing the subject, I’d like to direct your attention to a couple of Basenotes articles penned by yours truly. The first is about a wonderful event I attended at London’s Wellcome Collection and the second is an interview with Mona Di Orio. By the way, if you enjoyed reading my interview with the Director of IFRA UK, please click here to be taken to her responses to some of the questions presented to her by Basenotes readers.
And finally, I think I’d like to bring the summer to a close by asking you which perfumes you most enjoyed wearing during July and August. Are there any old favourites to which you found yourself returning? Are there any unexpected discoveries you made as regards what worked well in the warmer weather? My two best friends turned out to be Dior’s Leather Oud and, somewhat surprisingly, Un Jardin Sur Le Nil from Hermès (its translucent, finely balanced frankincense note seems to have worked particularly well on my skin). But what about you? Any gems you care to share? I look forward to reading your comments.
Persolaise.
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Le Jardin Sur le Nil was a big favorite of mine this summer. On my skin it was balanced perfectly and just transparent enough. Annick Goutal Neroli was bright and refreshing, although it didn't last long on my skin. Dior Escale a Portofino was another favorite. I sampled a lot of patchouli frags because of the Summer of Patchouli Love project. I bought Les Nereides Patchouli Antique and DSH Vintage Patchouli in anticipation of cooler weather. Thanks for the link to your interview with Lisa Hipgrave!
I know – so many new releases, and so few of them worth the bother! But I did quite like Shalimar Initial, at least at the start (I can't say about the drydown, I showered before it got there). But it does have an intriguing hint of skank, not what I expected from something aimed at the youth market.
This summer, I have mostly been wearing :-):
L de Lubin and other green chypres.
Atrappe Coeur, which works surprisingly well in warmer weather.
Tauer: Orange Star, and Zeta.
I also discovered Issy Miyake A Scent in the body lotion, which I enjoy more than the edt.
Queen Cupcake, I really like Dior's Portofino. I think it's a much more endearing cologne than their Collection Privee effort.
Tania, yes, you're right, Shamilar PI definitely has a touch of the animalic.
Zeta's wonderful, isn't it; a perfectly-pitched whisper of delicate blossoms.
I've been having a love affair with Estee Lauder's Azuree for the past few weeks. My other intended summer frags v. jealous!
Love the Hermes, it's so fresh.
Earlier in the summer was splashing Caron's Delire De Roses all over me – roses and lychee, yum, yum. Eventually she lost out to the above…
Looking forward to hearing more of your travels.
Anon, I've always thought that I like Azuree more than it likes me. I can pull it off in very small doses, but if I get a bit too trigger happy, the effect isn't pleasant.
I didn't much like the new Caron, but I can see that if you enjoy the rose and lychee combo, then it would be a sensible buy.