Lisa Hoffman is the wife of Dustin Hoffman and has apparently been whipping up some skin care on the side, along with some perfumes. I had no idea. But I did get some samples recently, and two of the fragrances were up for Fifi Awards last year. Again, I had no idea. I mean, I’m sure I saw them, and then just thought, well, nobody is talking about them.
She takes a different approach to the scents. They are oils in roll-on bottles, and they go just at the pulse points, but there is a different variation of the scent for morning, daytime, evening and bedtime. Well, okay. The entire set I got to try is Japanese Agarwood, which was one of the nominees for a Fifi Award, along with Madagascar Orchid. I’m fairly enchanted with the Japanese Agarwood. It’s pretty simple and direct with notes of Italian bergamot, spiced ginger accord and warm amber. There are very definitely different angles at the scent, depending on which of the four you try. My preference is the morning or daytime. They are fresher and very airy. The evening tends to be more woody, but I still like it very much. I wasn’t as crazy about the bedtime one, not sure why. It just seemed soapier or something. It is intended to be soothing, so maybe that’s it.
Madagascar Orchid has notes of jasmine, lily, ylang dew and pink peony. This one doesn’t work so much for me. I’m not sure which variation I got in the sample, but it was just way too soapy and didn’t work on me, though I suspect it will work for other people.
Tuscan Fig has notes of amber, woods, musk, French jasmine, honeysuckle, osmanthus, madagascar vanilla bean, madagascar gardenia, tahitian tiare and tuscan fig. This one is most definitely a gourmand, hitting pretty squarely on the vanilla and fig notes, though the florals do find their way through. As it’s been on a while, it settles in a really soft area still between the vanilla and the fig. It’s a pretty great gourmand, and I would be interested in smelling all the variations of this one. The sample doesn’t say which one I have, but it’s a pretty easy to wear gourmand scent. Rich enough to give you a lushness, but not overpowering, just a soft, lovely gourmand.
They also have French Clary Sage and Tunisian Neroli available as scents. I did a quick sniff of both, and they are nice scents, but pretty straightforward as what they are, and I don’t really have anything else to say except I did like them, and they’re pretty much what they say they are. If you like those notes, you would like these perfume oils in those scents.
The price point isn’t ridiculous. You get four perfume oils in a cute little pouch for $95. I’m not sure exactly the size of the bottles, but I think each is about 5 mls maybe? Refills for the bottles are $60. It’s certainly an interesting angle on perfumery, and I’m interested to see what they do with it. In the meantime, I’m really happy with my Japanese Agarwood, that is just a lovely, floating, easy to wear scent.
They’ve been nice enough to extend a 15% discount to readers if you use the code PERFUMEPOSSE at checkout.
I just emailed their info@lisahoffmanbeauty.com and requested samples and they sent me samples of all their lines and fragrances for FREE! I’m anxiously awaiting their arrival. Just email them and I’m sure they’ll take care of you 🙂
Okay, my mind is set.. I must buy Japanese Agarwood!! Great discount! Thanks for the REC.
Japanese Agarwood and Tuscan Fig sound lovely. It’d be nice if we could buy samples online, but at least she does offer them with purchases.
I have simply fallen in love with these two perfumes from Lisa Hoffman called Variations available in Madagascar Orchid and Japanese Agarwood. I recently bought these two perfumes and I can still smell the enduring Madagascar Orchid scent, I certainly can’t stop thinking about it, and yes how to get more. Same with the Agarwood it is very hypotic as well. The Japanese Agarwood, I am simply mad over and must have one of the two perfumes on at all times. I reached for a jacket yesterday and this fresh and clean but never soapy smell rushed to envelop me. All I can say is that these scents are so feminine and entrancing, I simply MUST wear them. It gives you a similar feeling like when you are walking in the woods after a good rain….you know that l mean…you just take the deepest breath you can because it is so clean, refreshing and revitalizing. It’s not the kind of clean smell that some “clean linen” type fragrances claim to be. This is truly a refreshing sent without being citrus-y or clean linen-y.This is a fragrance you MUST try Sniffers beware you are going to want one or both of these variations.
I bought the Tuscan Fig set of perfumes from Lisa Hoffman herself at a Sniffa last year, and thought both she and the sales rep working for her at Bergdorf’s were as nice as they could be. They gave me samples of her whole skincare line, which is her primary business. Have to admit the gorgeous soft leather case for the bottles influenced my purchase! Most excellent packaging 😉 The “nighttime” version is my preference in the Fig, if I remember correctly. I do like her Fig scents, although like most oils, they are rather TOO close to the skin for me, so not sure I’ll repurchase. Would like to try the Agarwood though.
It’s true, that a perfumista would prefer to own _different_ fragrances in a set. Attention Lisa: offer a custom perfume set when we order on-line, so people can mix and match choices! Thank you.
I got samples of these mailed to me somehow, she must have been offering free samples on the website. I fell in love w/Japanese Agarwood enough to seriously toy with the idea of buying a set. Nice discount.
I saw the both the Hoffmans on the Graham Norton show on BBC America. They seem to be sweet couple. She is his second wife, but they have been together for almost 30 years. I think at the time of the interview, the perfumes were getting ready to launch, or had just launched. I filed them away in my head, labeled “check on internet sometime” and then forgot about them.
I have the Tunisian Neroli set. I bought it when she was doing a fundraiser to fight MS, she gave a discount and the proceeds from the Neroli set went to the cause. I like it a lot. The morning one has some citrus; the day is neroli with what I’m thinking is a touch of OB; the evening one has a bit of patch and they nighttime one has a touch of powder. They’re oils so they stay close to the skin but I was surprised by their longevity. I might get the Orchid or Fig with the discount, thanks! The Sage seems nice but too quiet on my skin, I had a hard time smelling it. But I just have the “morning” version, maybe other versions are more potent.
Oh I met her at Sniffa and she is lovely. Seemed down to earth and to really care about her product.
I remember noticing these on NST mainly because I wanted that leather case thingy — but just so I could put four DIFFERENT decants in it. I’m not sure how much I’m into having four versions of the same scent… although I guess I dig having a special variation that I can wear when I “prepare for a fun night out with the girls” (?!). I’m *this* close to applying that 15% discount to the Agarwood, but I must resist. 😀
Joe – A kind MUAer sent me the coolest lipstick case in a swap recently, and it’s the perfect size to hold two 5ml decants. She found it at a dollar store. It is designed to hold two lipsticks, the case is hard sided and snaps shut, and has a decent sized mirror, should you need one. I haven’t checked my dollar store yet, but I’d like to get a couple more. Mine is black and rather elegant looking but not girly. Worth checking out for carrying perfume on the go, and hey, they’re only a dollar. 🙂
I may check that out, despite my fears of “I NEED A PRICE CHECK ON FIVE LIPSTICK CASES ON REGISTER 2!” At this point I just throw the decants in various compartments of my backpack and hope for the best. Thanks for the tip though.
Hey, Rosarita, that’s an interesting idea! I *do* use vintage lipstick stands to display/keep handy decants in “heavy rotation”…never had so many “girly girl” things, but this perfume thing has opened up a new door for me, lol.
Lisa Hoffman must’ve gotten a kick out of Dustin playing the washed-up perfumer in “Perfume” a few years ago.
Marsi, I had known about the Lisa Hoffman line…and wondered if she was perhaps inspired by something to do with spouse being involved with the movie…
My guess would be that she got sick and tired of standing sweetly (and mutely) by his side on red carpets for the past howevermany years.
The weirdest part about this isn’t the perfumes – it’s that I had NO idea Dustin Hoffman was married! I’m so severely lame. For some reason I thought he was this short, tortured soul, trolling about Manhattan, working on his craft and going to basketball (?) games.
Shows you what I know.
huh.
xo >-)
Uh, I forgot about the ‘single’ part of that description – the rest may (or may not) be true. Well, the ‘short’ part is certainly true…as for the rest…
oh, never mind….
xo >-)