Unfinished business — first, for anyone who’s wondered what I look like — here’s a photo of me, as you can see I’m not really a 65-year-old man.  This is my new short hair cut, it was quite long, several of you asked what it looked like.  There’s a slightly different version of this photo in yesterday’s makeup post if you want to see my snazzy lipstick.  That white stuff on my coat and hair is snow — Diva took this of me on Saturday in the middle of the blizzard.  I think I look like I’m ready to tear somebody at Guerlain a new one, don’t I?  Musette says I look a little feral, and I know she means that in a nice way.

Second — as we all suspected, I am an idiot about Beyonce’s Heat fragrance.  It is, indeed, a fruity, insipid musk; I must have had something (God knows what) on my hands that gave it that skank, and don’t you dare start typing nasty things into comments.  The musk in the drydown is that same sour-fresh musk that I hate in large quantities in, say, some of the JLo fragrances.

I got a couple samples of new Dawn Spencer Hurwitz stuff in the mail (thanks, secret friend!) and so I got to try Kohl Gris, which seems to be making its way through the perfumista circuit the same way a couple other DSH scents like Mahjoun and Cimabue did.

As quoted from the DSH website, “Kohl Gris is the scent of the smoky eye; sexy, seductive and smoldering. Built on a classical base of ambergris, Kohl Gris wafts in sensuality and spicy smoke.”  Notes, also from the website: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Black Pine, Clove Leaf, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Esprit de Lavande, Ambergris, Australian Sandalwood, Brown Oakmoss, Clove Tobacco, Labdanum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Orris.

Given my makeup post yesterday, a “smoky-eye” fragrance seemed like the perfect review choice for today.

As you might expect from that list of notes, it opens spicy and peppery – and with quite a bit of lavender.  At that point it seems to me to be a darkish, stormy purple-gray.  Then it becomes quite sweet, sweeter than I’d expected, the florals accenting the way that incense scents can sometimes be quite sweetly resinous; I assume this is the ambergris (which so far as I know is synthetic, in case the mere idea freaks you out) along with the labdanum.  I’d had hopes for the sandalwood, given my current sandalwood search, but I’d describe this as more resiny/incense/spice than woods.

How do I feel about Kohl Gris?  I don’t know.  I can’t decide whether it’s beautiful and I like it, or whether it’s too ambery/rosy/lavender and I don’t.  However, given that I’ve sprayed it on seven or eight different days to try to make that determination, it is clearly interesting, which is more than I can say about any number of other scents I smell in a week.

Next up: E’pices d’Hiver, the first in “an all botanical collection of fine perfumes.”  (Does that mean all natural?  I have no idea.)  Notes are: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Citrus Oils, Coriander Seed, Davana, Pink Peppercorn, Star Anise, Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Nutmeg, Spice Notes, Ambrette Seed, Labdanum, Siam Benzoin, Tolu Balsam, Tonka Bean, True Arabian Myrrh, Vanilla Absolute.

This would be a classic DSH spicefest, which you probably either love or loathe.  Interestingly, this one has to sit on my skin for about five minutes, during which it’s very light, before it starts to bloom.  Like, say, Mahjoun or Sienna, there isn’t a ton of development – lots and lots of spices, not especially sweet, I particularly love the first half hour when the bitter orange is quite prominent.  There’s nothing pomander-ish about it; it’s fresh, not dusty.   More complex than Sienna (which is an ode to cinnamon) and less ornate than Cimabue, it’s a nice interplay between juicy citrus and pungent kitchen spices.

I actually used a Posse post awhile back to gather feedback on DSH’s huge (and somewhat confusing) inventory and website.   Among other things that happened after that feedback, they now offer smaller sizes in almost all their scents.  Also, heeding the pleas of potential customers who were just looking for someplace to start, she came up with sampler sets (Holiday Favorites, Hidden Gems, etc.) , which I think is a great way to meet a line.   I grabbed the Top Ten list here, for anyone familiar (or not) with the line, who might be curious: Cimabue, Jitterbug, Mahjoun, Nourouz, Cardamom & Khyphi, DSH Special Formula X, Au Lait, Rose Vert, Wild Fig, Ashram and dirtyROSE. ** All in EdP format.  (This is available as a sampler set.)

That certainly includes some of my favorites.  I’ll put in a plug here for Special Formula X (I have the X-treme version in oil.)  My understanding is that it was first developed for Dawn to get a sense of how various notes might work out on a customer’s skin, depending on how they perceived X.  I like musky scents and SFX is one of my favorites.  Neither laundry-soap-musk nor dirty, it’s a warm, faintly sweet skin scent that is a perfect wallpaper scent while managing to be sexy at the same time.  Fans of DSH will likely recognize it, it seems to me it’s a familiar base in her line.

And finally, there’s Cimabue, which is how I (and many other perfumistas) met the line, a riff on L’Artisan’s Safran Troublant, only a lot spicier and more ornate, highlighting the saffron without killing me with rose, which is the problem with ST.  Cimabue is hands down my favorite saffron – and I have done some looking, believe me.  Dawn told me once that saffron and rose, a common combo, are often paired because saffron on its own can be very bitter, and needs some sort of sweeter/floral counterpoint.  While Cimabue has rose in it, I can’t pick it out.  Instead, florals like jasmine and tuberose, as well as cardamom, nutmeg, clove, and lots of vanilla, craft this saffron scent into something labeled a gourmand/oriental.  I don’t want to eat it myself, but I’m happy to smell it all day long.

On me, the oils hold up a bit longer than the EdP concentrations, although you have to give them time to set up on the skin, although I don’t have any complaints about the EdP longevity.  I think the general consensus is that Dawn also does really nice roses for those of you who love that note in fragrance.  I’ll stick with the spices and comfort scents, myself.

Sources: all DSH samples except Special Formula X-treme are private samples.  I got X-treme directly from DSH.

March

It’s snowing hard while I type this and I’m feeling crabby and housebound, so let’s do a makeup post and cheer me up.  I have info and some questions sprinkled throughout.

1) Eyes. As some of you know, I cut my long hair recently – here’s a photo my daughter took, I’m wearing the lippie/gloss combo below in #3.  Something about that change has allowed me to feel comfortable wearing more makeup – specifically, strong lips and eyes at the same time.  I’ve always followed the rule of one or the other (in terms of intensity) – strong lips, neutral eyes, or vice versa.   Now, though, I’m working a smoky or multi-colored eye with bright lips and feeling like it looks fresh.  What say you?  BTW when I say “neutral” I don’t mean no eye makeup.  At bare minimum I fill in my sparse brows, and put a Bobbi Brown cream shadow on my lids (applied with a brush) that renders my rabbit-pink eyelids a more aesthetically pleasing neutral color while skipping eye-primer.  I use Suede or Slate, which is slightly grayer.  Suede looks like hell in the pot, a warm, nasty yellow-brown, but both of these are a hint of soft, shadowy color on my lids.  If I have another 30 seconds I do a Bobbi Brown gel liner along the top lashes, which stays until you remove it – I have plum, dark blue and slightly shimmery dark brown.  I’ve experimented a little with other brands, but I think the BB has the nicest texture and the most longevity.

2) Related to the eyes – I’ve been experimenting with lining the inside of my lower lids, which looks great and I’ve never done before.  I know, I know – we’re not supposed to do that with eye pencils because it’s dangerous unsanitary my arm will fall off – oh, wait, that’s my perfume that’s going to cause my arm to fall off.  Somebody call IFRA!

Anyhow, I’ve been using a Laura Mercier in a dark purplish-black and the effect is gorgeous but it doesn’t stay.  I have to check my eyes while I’m out to make sure it hasn’t smeared or run into the inside corner (ew), and it’s not like I’m using a ton of product.  I’m trying to find a balance … what do I need?  A harder pencil?  Will that run less?  Should I get something labeled kohl?  Recommendations?

Makeup tip from Gina, a professional makeup artist and occasional commenter – I have greenish/hazel eyes.  While I use brown or gray shadows for smoky eyes and to create some depth (I have deep set eyes, and a little round) she suggested trying a darkish purple (think eggplant.)   I have a Cle de Peau shadow that is a very dark plum-purple, almost black, not quite matte, which I’d been using with a damp brush as a liner.  As a shadow, placed on the outside half of my lid near the corner to give depth and lift, it’s a great color with greenish eyes and does not register as “purple.”  Sorry, I can’t find the name, but I’m sure most makeup lines would have a similar color.

3) Lips! I’ve fallen in love with the NARS lip lacquer gloss pot in Hot Wired – a bright, slightly blue pink that is thick and stays on, the swatch here looks like the true color on my screen.  It’s great over bare lips (this stuff is thick) but I’ve been experimenting with layering it over lippies, trying to up the intensity.  BTW this is only for you who like a cool-toned pink, if you’re a warm red you might as well skip ahead.  Anyhow, my regular pink lippies are nice underneath but don’t provide the pop I’m looking for, my pink lippie choices tend to be not so intense.  Much as I love NARS Funny Face, that’s almost too much, and it’s very dry on me.  So eventually I tried a red lippie I blogged on before – Dior’s Rouge Dior in Red Premiere, which is a bluish red.  I tend to wear it dabbed lightly on my lips for a pop of color rather than as a full-on lipstick, because it’s very emollient and tends to travel, unlike, say, MAC Russian Red.  So.  Dabbing that on my lips gives a strong pink base that isn’t too dry.  With an application of Hot Wired on top – shaZAM!!!!!  It’s an amazing combo, that’s what I’m wearing in the photo.  It’s not so neon-bright that I feel uncomfortable, but certainly brighter and glossier fuchsia than anything else I own. Anyone who’s got the Hot Wired and a blue-red lippie, you might want to give it a whirl.

4) Nails. Having whined in March’s Maxims about my difficulty getting a decent professional manicure (I know, I know!  The horror!) I stumbled across a woman at a local salon who gave such a great mani I drove back out there to get her name.  She gave me the oval tip I asked for, not the squoval or the Carmela Soprano, and she didn’t hack them off.  Also, maybe my nails are snaggier than usual, but I almost always have to point out some rough edge they missed that needs to be re-filed before the polish.  She did it perfectly the first time.  My mani, which takes a lot of abuse in this kid-centric household, lasted a full week.  I do wonder whether it’s just a really long-lasting polish (Sephora OPI in Run With It, a lovely, subtle dove-gray with a very slight shimmer that works better on cool skin tones.)  But this gal took the polish brush and ran it along the edge of my nail tips as she painted, which I certainly can’t do.  I’m guessing that helped.

Question: I’ve been sticking to my grayish neutrals and ugly greiges like Metro Chic on my long nails.  How do you all feel about darker/brighter/classic red on longer nails? “Long” being a quarter-inch of tip, nothing too freaky.   Are long, bright nails too garish or young-looking?

An observation: having seen a number of older, well-dressed women wearing very dark polish (like navy) on short nails this winter … wow.  I work a navy or a purple or a dark green and I think it looks pretty, but on a woman in her 70s it’s fantastic.  It’s chic in a way that I can only aspire to.

Throwing this open to any makeup items, discoveries, opinions, layering ideas, product raves, or anything else you’d like to discuss.

photo: Diva took it with her fancy new camera she saved up and bought herself.  BTW that white stuff on me is snow.

March

Yes, ladies and gentlemen — it’s that time of the year again, when we all put forth our Top Ten Fragrances of Winter.  These are scents that may be new, or just new to us — or perhaps rediscoveries or simply old favorites that we rely on to get us through the gloomies until Spring.

Lee: We’ve had more snow this year than I can recall since childhood. A full two inches laid on the ground for a week. Hell indeed, or its inverse (waves at Canadians, Scandinavians and midWesterners with irritating insouciance). Anyways, what’s ringing my bells and pulling my buttons? Well, the first is no surprise – Parfumerie Generale’s Cozé. Pure wonder. But I reckon this will be a year-round mainstay for me. (By the way, winners of the samples from two weeks back are Geordan1244, carlene and chasa. Get in touch, peoples!).

And sticking with the patchouli and chocolate oddness, I’m going to choose dear old Serge’s Borneo 1834. Reeling from Perfume Shrine’s discontinuation revelation, and still soccer-punched by my sample of l‘Eau Serge Lutens (bright light, squinting eyes, iris squeal, high pitched melody – “Der Hà¶lle Rache” from the Magic Flute is how high it goes -  facets of bleach and scrubbed sanatoria, with Dior Homme in the far drydown) Borneo 1834 is the perfect elegant off-centre number for when I want to project more … something… than the delectable Cozé will allow. No nasty vomit comments (vomments?) now please.

March:  It’s been a funny winter (aren’t they all?) because it’s either 67 degrees, or it’s cold and there’s 20 inches of snow on the ground.  Oddly, I have not yet shifted to my gourmand cozy-sweater comfort scents.  Instead I’ve been reveling in these two:

The first is Lancome Climat, re-released in La Collection, I blogged on it already.  Part of the ongoing fascination is that I’ve fallen in love with a fragrance I wouldn’t consider “me” at all.  It’s too big, too angular, too green-and-white.  Too dressy.  Too … too.  Not that I’m opposed to ballsy elegance (hello, Mitsouko!) but I never thought I’d find myself swooning over an aldehydic white floral with plenty of the dreaded lily of the valley.  I like wearing it casually — in the daytime, with my jeans and a sweater.  Perfume is always full of wonderful surprises, isn’t it?

The second is Serge Lutens Santal Blanc.  When I mentioned it in my sandalwood post, several sandalwood fans said they hated this scent.  My new interest in sandalwood (my timing couldn’t be worse, could it?) allowed me to have a perfume experience I’m not sure I’ve had before: to view an already-appreciated scent through a completely different lens.  I think SB was my second Serge bottle, and it’s always been that weird pencil-y thing.  But right this second it’s the perfect sandalwood for me, radiant, with no giant rose to spoil it for me.  Also, sandalwood and fig together are delicious.  Having acquired several figs during my fig jag, and then promptly burning myself out, I’m getting a chance to wear those figs again.  (My personal fave: Philosykos layered with SB.)

Musette:  A lifetime ago, my (then) husband had the noive to sniff my best friend and say “you smell intoxicating.”  It was in Winter.  She  was wearing Prescriptives Calyx.  I was furious.  But intrigued.  Went and sniffed.  He wuz right.  Busted!….but right.  I think the good ship LucaTania gave it 5 stars, with good reason.  It goes on smooth and sunny and blooms in the cold, without trying too hard.  It’s not quite ‘summer’, just a nice fresh, juicy (without being ‘fruity’) rosy-green.

Speaking of rose…normally I am not a huge rose fan in perfume (love ‘em on bushes, though)…but something about winter brings out the Rose Love in me.    My favorite for this time of year is The Different Company’s Rose Poivree, with that hit of peppery zing! slicing through the redness.  First runner up is Rosine’s Big’un -  La Rose de Rosine.  Nothing but, uh, Rose….it’s great for snuggling under the blankets on a cold winter night.

Nava: So far, my first full Canadian winter has been less than impressive, but I should be careful what I wish for, correct? It hasn’t been anywhere near as brutal as what my mother’s childhood recollections had me fearing, but at least it was snow, ya know? Nowadays, it’s those pesky “ice pellets” (aka, sleet) I need to worry about; that and falling on my ass in the driveway while I scrape the protective coating off my car. But hey, at least I’ll smell good wearing Serge’s Five O’ Clock Au Gingembre and Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille. I know I’ve been singing the praises of wood, incense and the like for a while, but when it comes down to chasing away the doldrums of winter, these two get it done. This is where I’ve landed on the journey from foody and gourmand, to, dare I say it…grown up.

Patty:  I’m a simple girl, and I feel like I’m flogging these two scents to within and inch of their life, but they are quintessentially winter, By Kilian Pure Oud and Amouage Tribute Attar.  Dark, rich, warm, pungent, a little bitter, but, like life, worn long enough, warmed up by the heat of your life, the become almost an extension of you, even while retaining an other-ness.

For more Top Ten lists, please visit Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, and Perfume-Smellin’ Things.

Lee

It’s tough to write a post when you’re pretty much exhausted and need to get up at a really early hour tomorrow to get on a plane, but let me try!

First, I got to Colette and tried the new Martin Margiella that was just released on Monday – Untitled. Yum!  It’s got a really nice nutty vibe that will allow me to forgive not naming it.  The notes I could find for it were galbanum, boxwood, mastic, incense, bitter orange, jasmine, cedar and musk.  I’m not sure where the nuttiness came from, I get almost no green, but that was one quick spray, and I hope I didn’t already have something on that hand.  Because if I did, it will be a mind-buster to try and recreate this very nice little scent on my hand.  It is exclusively at Colette in Paris right now, but it says it will go into other locations in March.

One of my favorite stops in Paris is Mariage Freres.  The smells of the tea in that  shop or any tea shop just are my idea of sniffling heaven.  We had lunch there, and I picked the Butterscotch tea.  The aroma from it was just amazing.  A combination of chocolate, caramel and honey – probably some other things – made this probably one of my favorite teas to smell as it brews.  As much as I know green tea and white tea are better for me, I just can’t help loving the smell of all the black teas.

For those of you that asked, the new Guerlain was not anywhere in sight while I was there. I’ve heard the release date is February’ish. Guerlain is pretty firm about releasing everywhere at the same time, so keep an eye out for it then!  Denyse says it is very good, and I trust her on things Guerlain, so I’m optimistic that it will be a nice addition to the line and make up for the vague disappointment that I have with Idylle, which  I finally sniffed while here.

And that Daphne thing from CdG?  Couldn’t even put it on my skin.  I was afraid I would have to stick a lit match up my nose to get even the quick sniff I did of the bottle out.  Toxic, but weirdly compelling. I think I married a guy like that once – or twice.  Well, too many times.

So au revoir, will be back to normal’ish life tomorrow.  You know, if anyone is ever interested in a Perfume Posse Paris trip for less than 10 people (more than this makes it tricky to do), just say so in comments.  Done in the low season, like January, not sharing a room, who knows on airfare, but it’s usually decent’ish in January, like 600-900, for four nights, probably $150 a night, so like 600-800 (there’s always pesky taxes and things), plus shopping/eating cash.  If there were enough interest, I’d be happy to organize one for like next January.

Patty

Sorry, no post today.  Between sick kids and a migraine, I’m keeping it short, so no hard feelings if you blow this off.

I wanted to mention briefly a couple of things I found at Sephora on my mall binge, one of them a reconsideration.

Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche – here’s a link to my original review.  For the longest time I only saw this at some (not all) of the Bloomingdale’s stores.  It’s now in much wider distribution at Sephora.

For any guy reading this, or you gal perfumistas, I don’t suppose Edition Blanche is of much interest.  But it’s the bottle of fragrance I gave to the Big Cheese, who doesn’t care much for scents, and it’s the one he wears of his own free will.  Edition Blanche is rather like the Cheese’s favorite gray cashmere sweater that he wears all the time.  It is well-made and unobtrusive; it is appropriate for most occasions; it appears to be luxurious without demanding attention.  If you’re looking for a guy-frag as a gift, and you don’t want to go the classic citrus-y cologne route, you might consider this.  The bottle is as handsome as the scent.  Jacques Polge did the scent, notes are lemon, bergamot, cedar, sandalwood, tonka bean, white musk, vetiver, ginger, amber, vanilla, white and pink pepper.

I also re-sprayed KenzoAmour Florale – the one in the white-fading-to-clear KenzoAmour bottle that I love so much it’s ridiculous.  I’m a huge fan of the original KenzoAmour, one of my comfort scents, and I can’t say I found this an improvement, being a more floral interpretation and a step in the direction of Flower.  Retrying it long after my first review, I am giving it further consideration.  I wish it didn’t do the ghost-of-Play-doh thing at the top (and I don’t know why it does, but so does Flower; notes are neroli, grapefruit, blackcurrant, cardamom, frangipani blossom, rosebud, gardenia, white musk, cedar wood).  That part only lasts for a few minutes, though, and I am left with a lighter, sweeter Amour, with a faint bitterness that I find unexpectedly compelling in contrast to the woodsy drydown.  It is not “clean,” and as surprised reviewers note on Sephora, for something that doesn’t wear heavily, it lasts and lasts.

I don’t need to own any more perfume (God knows), and since I already own KenzoAmour and KA Indian Holi, I’ve resisted buying this, in part because I know what I’m lusting for is that bottle.  But I can’t escape the feeling that, having removed part of my mental block of comparing it unfavorably to the beloved original, I’m falling a little in love with it on its own merits.

So that’s … it.  If you have a fragrance reconsideration of your own that you’d like to share, particularly if it’s a flanker of a much-loved scent and so you couldn’t take it seriously at first, I’d like to hear about it.

March