Best Perfumes of 2010

Best Perfumes of 2010

Is it true?  Is 2010 almost over?  I don’t even remember it starting!   But I do remember my favorite new fragrances from the past 12 months or so, that counts for something, right?  Alas, most of them were vintage finds, which misses the point of this kind of post…..but! there were a few  new-release gems . Here’s what ‘we’ think are the Best Perfumes of 2010 – I can’t wait to read what you guys think was ‘best’ in 2010~

Bas des Soie (Serge Lutens).  Everybody take a minute to catch your breath at this one.  Yes, it’s iris.  Yes, I can smell it.  Yes, I love it!  Well, I don’t LOVE it, but I liked it a whole heckuva lot – it’s the first Serge I’ve ever taken a second/third/possibly FB look at!   I love the initial blast of cool, ladylike iris and the hyacinth followup, though warmer than I expected, was intriguing.  I kept sniffing my wrist and wondering what that great scent was  (don’t ask – my short-term memory is gawwwwn).  I like it!  I really like it!

Frederic Malle 1er Mai candle. While not technically a perfume, it could – and should – be (and you know that came up at the Candle Thingie, right?)!  If I could scoop this out of the Red Glass Jar and apply it to my wrist, I think I just might, though I’d be thrilled to just have it sitting on a table in my clean, newly-renovated house (that should give you some idea of the fantasy of this whole concept).  An absolutely beautiful scent, redolent of May flowers, with no waxy buildup!  And here I thought I hated candles!

Dior Diorama.  I’m not exactly sure if this qualifies as a 2010 release since it’s 61 years old.  But the current iteration was released in the States in 2010 so I’m running with it, okay?  March thinks the new iteration dries down like current Diorella and she’s not wrong – ish.  I get   a minty note in both drydowns but Diorama seems a bit embarrassed by it, rather than embracing it, as has Diorella.  So why am I so keen on it?  Well, I’ll tell ya :  this entrance into the US market makes my heart go pitty pat in hopes they might send Diorling over soon!  Hope springs eternal…

Tom steps in with this elegant review (and I should beat him because I do NOT need to be lemming any more perfume):

My best of 2010 is the one I’ve found myself reaching for most frequently since the bottle was acquired: Mocktail by smell bent.  The sparkling citrus and almost aldehyde-like woods make for a perfect answer to drab winter days, spreadsheets and 4:30 sunsets, while the price point makes spritzing with abandon a guilt-free pleasure.  I couldn’t be happier if I found zero-calorie champagne!

March: 2010 marked the year when I gave up trying to keep up with new releases – even from the niche houses.  If you’d like to torment yourself, go browse the list at Now Smell This, I throw up my hands in defeat.

So this is (what else?) my highly subjective best-of list for 2010, what I enjoyed the most or thought most interesting from the scents I got around to smelling.

Serge Lutens Boxeuses, in which Monsieur Lutens quits goofing around (has anything been more disappointing than his L’Eau?) and gets back to what he does best – those Hammam/Souk Delirium scents which I, and apparently many of you, never tire of.  I’d wear this in a heartbeat, and would love a bottle.  This also marked the year that I developed a new appreciation for some of his older scents, including Chene and the cumin-y El Attarine.  I will not be surprised if Arabie is next, god help me.

L’Artisan Nuit de Tubereuse and Traversee du Bosphore – in which I am forced to eat my whiny-baby words about how Bertrand Duchaufour can’t make a scent that doesn’t smell like old vase-water, at least on me.  Love it or hate it (and I loved it) NdT was a fascinating new take on tuberose, spicy and dark and strange.  Traversee du Bosphore sounded even less promising (Turkish Delight?  Rose and pistachio?  no, thanks) and yet is lovely, not too sweet, with a nice tobacco note.  Some of you have complained it’s too light.  I find it, a la the Three Bears, just right.

Finally, I find myself reaching (on crappy winter days) for my Tauer Eau d’Epices.  I should note here that, no, it’s not particularly spicy on me.  It’s less the list of its notes, which sounds all spicy – cardamom and clove and what have you – and more what I’d think of as Tauer-ade – if you took just the drydown of Andy’s fragrances, that rich, warm ambergris base, this would be it.  It’s the sort of scent I spray on at the end of a tiresome day, and delight 0n finding traces of on my sweater.

Patty: Ive been pretty simple this year, and I’m giving my best of to what I keep wearing more days than not – L’Artisan Nuit de Tuberose (March already picked this one).  There’s something spicy, rich, deep and lovely about it that makes it easy to wear, but stays interesting from start to finish – not so interesting that I’m trying to figure out if I can leave the house in it, though.  It’s also the one people compliment me on.

Do I need a second one?  Well, yeah, and I do this with trepidation since I”m not quite certain that it rises to this because I’ve only been smelling it for a couple of days – Dior New Look 1947. More on this on Thursday, but it is also a tuberose entry, one that captures a time, a look, a place, but keeps it modern so you can avoid all of those ignorant “old lady perfume” comments.  I think that one is going to see me into 2011 for a couple of months and is now putting some pressure on Nuit de Tuberose for what gets worn more.

Nava: I didn’t get the opportunity to sample much this past year, but one standout for me was Thierry Mugler Womanity. I know; the house that brought us that devil, Angel. But I’m helpless when it comes to salt and fig. The other was Balenciaga Paris: violet, musk, labdanum, and just a hint of chypre that doesn’t send me screaming in the opposite direction. I wore it constantly in the spring, but it turned a bit suffocating on me in the hot weather. Honourable mention goes to L’Artisan Havana Vanille. I blame the shivering Musette for this one. I have been coveting a bottle of this for months.

We’ll leave this post up on Wednesday; please join us on Thursday while Patty reviews one of the new Diors.  For other Best Perfumes of 2010, please see Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, and Perfume-Smellin’ Things.

Photo:  Best of Halter Class Stallion – 2010 World Percheron Congress/ “Moose” of Windermere Farms. My new stallion – just as soon as I can figure out how to pay for him/buy the farm/build the state-of-the-art barn to house him/feed him…

  • Ann says:

    I am so enjoying everyone’s picks and thoughts on 2010’s fragrances. There were so many great ones to choose from.
    And thanks to all you wonderful folks at the Posse for educating and entertaining us about so many of them.
    My faves were:
    Amouage Memoir Woman (FBW one day): A dreamy, smoky,
    warm and wonderful scent, and the first Amouage I could wear
    happily.
    MFK’s Absolue Pour le Soir: The term “skankfest” being bandied about on this one had me a bit gun-shy as my skin amps cumin
    something fierce. But I found it to be amazingly good
    on my skin — deliciously dense and rich, like a deep burgandy velveteen throw lined in heavy satin.
    Diptyque’s Eau Duelle: This one got a lot of mixed reviews but it was love at first sniff for me (an admitted vanilla ‘ho) with its gentle spices and lovely vanilla.
    L’Artisan’s Nuits de Tubereuse: I’m not usually much of a tubereuse fan(save for a blast of SL’s Tubereuse Criminelle once in a while), but this one wasn’t a “hit you over the head” tubey, and it had an impish, changeling vibe to it that kept me on my toes. Interestingly enough, it turned out to be a bit of a gateway drug to none other than …

    Carnal Flower (new to me): I can’t get enough of its lush, gorgeous beauty. Who’d a-thunk it?

    On that same note, am also feeling the love for Musc Ravageur.

    • Ann says:

      P.S. Musette, that Moose really is a devilishly handsome guy, isn’t he? Here’s hoping you win the lottery …

    • Musette says:

      That’s a great list!

      Carnal Flower is incredible! If you get a chance try the body butter – I like it even more than the perfume.

      MRav – uh, not so much. But hey! More for you, right?

      xoxoxo>-)

  • Flora says:

    Love all your choices! I have not smelled nearly as much new mainstream stuff as I usually do this year, and I just got tired of what was in the department stores, to the point of AVOIDING the fragrance counter at Macy’s to avoid yet more disappointment. Yes really!

    I did fall in love with a bunch o’ vintage frags as well as some Rosines (Rose Kashmirie is swoon-worthy) and a lot of indie creations, too many to list.

    Musette – “Moose” will be yours over MY cold, dead lead line. :-D

    • Musette says:

      isn’t he a beauty? I did the math and it would cost me well over a cool smack o’million just to get my life ready for him!…..so he’s all yours, baby! I can’t wait to see his get, though!

      Other than the Kashmire(sp) which Rosines did you like? I find I like their citrusy ones best – they tend to laser out the scarier parts of the rose.

      xo

      • Flora says:

        I love, LOVE Un Folie de Rose – a true rose chypre with plenty of green, yet also dark and resinous. I had a sample eons ago that was long gone, but I got a decant of it and the Kashmirie from the Swapmania and I have been wearing indecent amounts of both of them for the past couple of weeks. :-D

        I also go a sample of Rose L’Homme from someone else and I really like it on me. My next mission is to try ALL the Rosines, but I do think Un Folie has my name on for FB status.

  • Mary says:

    I have really enjoyed learning more about fragfrance this year, and am very appreciative of the Posse and all the ways you folks have helped open up the world of perfume for me. For the holiday season, I have been enjoying some old loves (Infini, Nocturnes, Parfum Sacre) plus some fun vintages I picked up this year– Chanel Gardenia, Caron Tabac Blond, Hermes Amazone. New to me: Caron L’Anarchiste–has a beautiful cinnamon note woven in with some minty top notes–and I perceive it as an easy to wear leather in the drydown. This past week, Nuit de Noel has been fun to play with, although I had to give it a few chances before I settled in with it. PdN Sacre Bleu was the fragrance for Christmas Day– it did seem to create a calming space in the middle of the whirlwind. Enjoying vintage Shalimar at bedtime; Aimez Moi on warmer days, Field Notes from Paris on rainy mornings when my neighbors are burning wood in their fireplaces. I checked out Portrait of a Lady–not my cup of perfume. Called up memories of convalescent hospital smells from visiting my grandmother back in the 60’s–maybe it was context, from smelling other things earlier in the day, feeling tired, and needing coffee– I will give it another try. New release favorites of the year for me: Amouage Opus II, from last summer–the rich incense in the drydown, mmmmm; and Ineke Gilded Lily, from just a few weeks ago. Gilded Lily is really lovely, fizzy and cheerful. I also love the Nuit de Tubereuse, but it doesn’t seem to be a cold weather perfume for me. Thanks again, all of you on the Posse! :)>-

    • Musette says:

      you are welcome and as you know, that Chanel Gardenia is a thing of Beauty! I am looking forward to trying Gilded Lily – the Inekes are hit or miss with me …

      xo

      • Mary says:

        Happy New Year Anita! I hope you spritz that Chanel in good health, and on warmer days, soon! That Moose is is a heckuva horse– he looks like a knight’s charger of old. :)>-

  • Rappleyea says:

    Count me as one of the overwhelmed and under-sniffed! But my absolute favorite 2010 release is SSS Incense Pure – best incense evah!

    It’s a tie in the “new to me in 2010” category: Iris Ganache (thankfully, I don’t get the plastic-y note I’ve read others get), and Solange Cosmic – all I can say is WOW!

    I think both of these are 2007 releases; at least I’m in the right decade! :-D

    • Musette says:

      I have never smelled Iris Ganache – the name alone scares me.

      It can’t really be iris + chocolate, can it? Please tell me it’s meant to evoke a thick, creamy, dark iris – NO CHOCOLATE.

      Pleeeze?

      xo

      • Rappleyea says:

        lol! No, no chocolate, but a whiff of something like white chocolate/vanilla in the dry down. It meshes surprisingly well with the iris. Definitely not too sweet, and my skin amps sweet, added to which, I have a low tolerance for sweet. Like you, the name horrified me which explains why it took me so long to test it! But I love it!

        • Musette says:

          R –

          I took the plunge yesterday at NM and was pleasantly surprised! I think I will revisit this again.

          Also tried womanity on a paper strip – stupidly tuckedthe strip in my jacket pocket.

          Luckily this jacket is washable. It’s not the worst fragrance I’ve ever smelled – far from it – but it is the strongest! LOL!

          Happy New Year! xoxo

          • Rappleyea says:

            Holler – rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com if you’d like a sample. Always happy to enable. ;-)

            And YIKES on the Womanity. How awful!

            Happy New Year to you as well.

          • Musette says:

            oh, the Womanity! ;))

            (I crack me up! Really.)

            Actually it really wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever smelled. It certainly isn’t ‘me’ but, unlike Angel, it doesn’t make me want to rip out all my nose hairs! It’s just…tenacious. The jacket was my mechanic’s jacket (yeah, like I would ever be able to do any mechanic-type work =)) and I used one of those Tide detergents that will take out Ebola. So it’s all gone.

            thank you for the absolutely fabbo offer of IG but I tried it at NM, scrabbed a sample…and will consider it anon. It’s not at all what I expected, given the new Guerlains’ propensity for VANILLAFOREVAH! And the ‘ganache’ skeered me…but from the brief carry on my wrist, it smelled eminently wearable…maybe…

            will report back!

            xoxoxo >-)

  • nozknoz says:

    Just enjoying the contrasting opinions here on everyone’s 2010 favs: one perfumista’s HG is another’s ‘orrible swamp water or total bafflement – vive la difference!

    BTW, Musette – I was strolling in a park in Amsterdam a few years back and suddenly heard what sounded like gunfire. It turned out to be one of those giant horses – or, rather, its giant horseshoes on a cobblestone street.

    • Musette says:

      oh, that is funny! I had something similar happen, though mine was thinking it was horses when it was women’s high heels crossing Michigan Avenue. I felt like such a rube!

      I hope you smooched his big draft nose – draft horses always do better with a smooch.

      xo

  • Kym says:

    Where o where did you find Diorama? I went to Saks, they didn’t have it (nor had even heard of it), I went to the Dior Boutique, the salesperson never heard of it! I’d really like to give this one a sniff, but cannot find it…

    • Musette says:

      it’s at my Saks (Chicago) it just got there – which one is your saks? maybe it’s just wending its way there.

      I believe it’s a Saks exclusive? which is insane (you have a DIOR boutique? I would be green with jealousy but the emoticons don’t work on this laptop, alas)

      xo >-)

      • Kym says:

        I live in Los Angeles and the Dior boutique is just a short walk from Saks. It was a few months ago that I looked into it as I thought it came out at the start of the year — guess I was wrong. So…I’ve been meaning to go to Barney’s to check out the new Malle, maybe I’ll hit Saks too when it stops raining!

        • Musette says:

          that always seems to happen when there are boutiques near the ‘exclusive’ dept store – Saks here still doesn’t have the Cartier/Saks exclusive (a whole YEAR +???) I blame it on proximity – the Cartier boutique is a block away.

          But I could just be making this up.

          xo >-)

          • Kym says:

            This actually makes sense. The Scent Bar carries LeLabo on their site, but not in the store since there’s a LeLabo just a couple of blocks away. But, following this line of logic, wouldn’t it make sense that the Dior boutique would have it, or at least know about it? Odd. I’m a little afraid I might like it too much, having just bought three bottles recently…I need to “buck up” and make my way over there!

  • mariekel says:

    Quite a number of 2010 releases seemed to focus on notes that mainly I shy away from: tuberose, vanillas, candied florals. yucky. There were a number of new vetivers I wanted to try but sadly, I was wearing Vetiver 46 on a day last Spring when I started to feel terribly unwell. Ever since that day, vetivers have been tainted for me. I feel queasy in their presence. WAH! This is a note I have loved all my life. does anyone know a good hypnotherapist to help me blast way the association of nausea/vetiver so I can love it again?

    I thought I would adore Bas de Soie since I am a big hyacinth fan but it seemed like an etch-o-sketch of Gucci Rush. And, on my skin, it has an odd, just perceptible note i can only describe as baked potato chip.

    I am fond of the Tauer Epices but I have had a large sample of this for 2 years, so it was not new to me. I think if I had to choose a favourite from this year it would be Pierre Guillaume’s Fareb. but I am not sure it merits a full bottle lemming just yet. I need to get back to smelling the leather and the woods which has lately disappeared in favour of cumin.

    • Musette says:

      You had me at ‘baked potato chip’!

      uh, on the vetiver…maybe just put them away for awhile. I poisoned by some bad sushi/raw soup/chocolate cookies (one of those three) and it took nearly a year before I was able to face any of them. Still iffy on the raw (carrot) soup and the cookies….back to sushi, though! mostly

      so give it a little while. see how you feel in a couple of months?

      xo

  • odonata9 says:

    Out of the lists, I’ve only tried Womanity (sooooooooooooooo sweet! loved the salty popcorn part, but it was too sweet for me) and Havana Vanilla (which was nice, but did not live up to all the hype). I’m so new to perfumista-hood that I’ve been catching up with everything, rather than just new releases. One new thing I enjoyed this year was One by Smell Bent, and can’t believe I didn’t get a sample of mocktail when I ordered that since I love citruses – next time! I did enjoy their Sunshine and Blimey Limey as well. I braved the fancy mall today to try and sample some things at Hermes and Neiman Marcus – was so sad that Neimans no longer carries L’Artisans so I couldn’t try NdT, CdVS, and TdB :( They did have the Tom Fords though, so that was nice to sniff. And there was a very friendly SA at Hermes who gave me lots of lovely samples!

  • Dante's Bra says:

    Hey Patty– just got my Kiss Me Tender today– love it, and I usually don’t like sweet heliotrope, but it’s warm and lovely in a way that I wanted Havana Vanille to be (but HV was too much of a good thing to me). Thank you!

    I was surprised by Eau d’Epices– so far the Tauers haven’t worked for me, just too shrill for my nose, but the radiant orange blossom of E d’E is perfect for winter– I also love finding little bits on my coats and sweaters!

    Some classics that I didn’t connect w/right away snuck up and charmed me this year: Mitsouko, which I finally smelled in vintage form and made me want to cry; Timbuktu, which was too squeaky but one day became radiant and clear like a song; Apres l’Ondee (I can’t say anything new, it’s perfect).

    Bas de Soie was the biggest surprise, the perfect balance of chill, greenish and quiet.

    Thanks to all perfume peeps for your love and sharing and enthusiasm!

  • Kate says:

    Gawd, how could I forget Ninfeo Mio! I used about 1/3 of the bottle this spring/summer! The only Goutal I own. Sorry delightfully wonderful Tom Crutchfield.

    • Musette says:

      I finally got to try Ninfeo Mio a few months back – it’s very lovely, though not gnashy enough for me (I like ’em gnashy)…but I could definitely see spritzing this in the early summer!

      xo >-)

  • Kate says:

    2010 loves: Like This, Nuit de Tube, my one and only By Kilian love: Love and Tears, Surrender, and I think its new, the Mary Greenwell modern floral chypre, Plum. My head is down my cowel neck sweater right now. I’m pretty sure Amaranthine is love and I’ve yet to try the Turkish delight one. Not sure I love the new leathery Serge. The maple syrup note weirds me out a bit.

  • karin says:

    I’m still stumped on Bas de Soie. Smells ‘orrible to me. All swampy. Surprised by all the love it gets. I still think I must have a bum sample or something. It was unmarked, afterall, so could it be something else? I’ve tried it a couple of times, still swamp.

    Need to try some revamped Diors. I suppose I’ve stayed away from the reformulations, thinking they couldn’t possibly be any good. But sounds like they’re not so bad? Loved Diorissimo years ago, and haven’t gone near it since cause I’d hate to be disappointed!

    Curious about Boxeuses, and I have a sample set of all the Dior La Collection scents on their way to me from Perfumed Court. (Also ordered Vetiver Pour Elle which I’m really curious to try.)

    Here’s my favorites list as duplicated from my post on NST:

    Favorite 2010 releases:
    Kilian Love and Tears
    Nuit de Tubereuse
    Traversée du Bosphore

    Favorite new to me:
    Attrape Coeur (sigh!)
    Eau de Sisley #3
    Nuit d’Amour
    Chanel No. 19 EDT
    Bois de Violette
    La Treizième Heure
    Amouage Dia

  • Claudia says:

    My bottle of Bas de Soie is due to arrive this afternoon, if the snow on the East Coast hasn’t thrown deliveries out of whack. My first Serge! Very excited!

    • Musette says:

      report back!

      xo

      • Claudia says:

        My Serge arrived safe and sound yesterday, but today i was testing out Rubj (how does one pronounce that? Do we just pretend that the “j” is a “y”?, so I will wear Bas de Soie tomorrow.

        Anyway, could someone tell me if it’s necessary to keep the bottles in the boxes? I keep my perfume on my dresser top. The room is quite dim and gets no direct sunlight, but it does get electrical light of course. Id prefer to toss the boxes, but I don’t know if I should or not. I don’t want to risk losing anything. Any advice?

        • Musette says:

          well, the general rule that I follow is, if it came in a box, it stays in a box. I dunno if it would matter if you had, say, ONE fragrance that you used everyday – you might be apt to use it up before potential issues such as heat/light/banshees/the Apocalypse came to snatch its perfumey goodness away – but as your collection grows, so does your inability to get to all your ‘fumes in timely fashion….hence the Box Rule.

          The more psychotic among us keep them in boxes within boxes….but I ain’t saying who!

          xo >-)

  • carmencanada says:

    In the Frédéric Malle candles, I’d definitely rub myself with the Gardenia and the Lily… Glad to see a lot of my favourites (both those that made it to my own list and those I had to leave out) get so much love…
    Diorama has indeed changed even in the last couple of years. I find it’s like a warmer, less sparkling version of Le Parfum de Thérèse. Worth trying out for those who feel averse to the aquatic note in LPdT!

    • Musette says:

      ooh! I’mo do a wrist/wrist comparison!

      xo

      fwiw, the Gardenia is actually TOO beautiful, if that makes sense?

      The 1er Mai, for some reason, hits the spot!

  • Robin says:

    Ok, I had heard about Diorama but then forgot all about it. So it’s ok, not reformulated to absolute death? That might be worth going to Saks for…it takes a great deal to get me to go to Saks.

    • March says:

      Anita already incorporated my comment — I don’t have a vintage Diorama to compare it to, FWIW. I was impressed by the opening, which is as animalic as I remember, whether or not it’s equivalent. But it loses some of that over time and, on me, really dries down to something very close to Diorella. Not that that’s a terrible thing — Diorella’s gorgeous — but I remember Diorama being its own separate, snarlier animal.

      • Musette says:

        yesh, yew are roit. the new Diorama is a pale, weak thing, compared to the original….but if you don’t know the original it’s pretty okay!

        xo

  • Shelley says:

    I am still waiting for my flight of Dior decants. Hopefully, they’ll arrive before the weekend, and I’ll close out 2010 with them.

    Or will I? I am so fickle about trying new things…fortunately, I never fully got on board with having to keep up with new releases. Probably because by the time I landed at the bottom of the rabbit hole, there were already too many launches a year to even pretend to, let alone want to. Of course, I’m the kind of person who not only doesn’t balk at the One Week Scent Challenge, I tend to live it. Which means, I suppose, I should call it an Embracing rather than a Challenge.

    Things I learned to love in 2010: FK Absolou Pour le Soir. Coeur de Vetiver Sacre.
    Things I could not love in 2010, despite trying: Bas de Soie. (Sorry, veers too much into hyacinth for me.) Traversee du Bophosphere. (To be fair, I need to approach with caution again. But it opened SO sweet on me, and seemed to stay that way for half an hour at least, that I cried uncle.)
    Things I loved despite myself in 2010: Kiss Me Tender. (Which goes to show I guess I can handle a certain kind of sweet.)
    Things I just loved in 2010: Havana Vanille. L’Accord. Swapping. :)

    Thanks for all you guys have done to contribute to my 2010!

  • Sherri M. says:

    Oh, and I also thought Love & Tears was a very nice entry into the “pretty” category.

    • Musette says:

      I am a big fan of ‘pretty’ – after all is said and done with the challenging scents, sometimes it’s nice to just smell ‘pretty”

      xo

  • Victoria says:

    “Serge Lutens Boxeuses, in which Monsieur Lutens quits goofing around (has anything been more disappointing than his L’Eau?)”
    March, you’ve said it! I was trying to write a review for L’Eau (trying to get this off my chest before the end of the year, so that I no longer have to think about in 2011), and reviewing it is worse than reviewing the new thing from Britney Spears. Utterly insipid!
    Totally agree with your choices, both of which are on my list too.

    Mom says hello! She read your list earlier today and said that she now needs to smell Nuit de Tubereuse. :)
    xoxo

    • March says:

      V, you would have laughed, I wish I had a video of my face as I smelled L’Eau. I did try and try, looking for something I’d missed, something that made it really special. But essentially it smells like something to scent laundry with, and would not be out of place at Macy’s. Color me baffled. As if there wasn’t plenty of that already on the market.

      Love to your mom, who *should* smell NdT, if only because I think I saw that on more best-of lists than anything else? Maybe she should smell Bosphore at the same time.

      • Musette says:

        that’s like the first time I sniffed that L’Artisan Iris (duh..name…uh….)…anyway, Lydia and Darcy laughed like loons at my bafflement…not. one. clue….

  • marina says:

    Everybody loves Raym…um, Nuit de Tubereuse :) I am with Nava on Havana Vanille or whatever they call it these days! :)

  • Sherri M. says:

    I second everyone’s choices–Bas de Soie, Nuit de Tubereuse and Traversee au Bosphore.

    I would also add Vamp. Like TaB, this is one I didn’t expect to like. Granted, it goes on like a bubblegum lipsmacker, but, like TaB, it dries down beautifully and draws alot of compliments from everyone.

    My greatest disappointment of 2010 was Tonka Imperiale. I suppose my expectations were too high. I just love L’art et la Matiere line, and I waited so long for that one. All the notes sounded lovely, and it’s really not horrible at all, but not what I was expecting (esp. for $235).

  • Debbie R. says:

    Nuit de Tuberose, and that’s it.

    • Musette says:

      And Bertrand thanks you! (I really am going to have to revisit this thing – y’all have me 😕

      xo >-)

      • Suzy Q says:

        Musette, wait until summer. You won’t get the full effect without heat and humidity.

        • Kim says:

          Ahhhh…. maybe that is what it needs. It is lovely on me for about 30 minutes then gets lame and pissy, literally! I just don’t get what everyone is talking about with this one but will have to re-try in the summer!

        • Musette says:

          okay! I spritzed it for a hot minute and had to Carnal Flower it!

          xoxo

  • Winifreida says:

    P.S. Musette, noice pony!!

    • Musette says:

      Thanks! (she says, as if she has a snowball’s chance in hell of even looking to buy his get, let alone him (he is Not For Sale – at least right now – and…well read the photo descrip at the bottom – Windermere Farms is safe from my predations – at least for now….;)

      xo >-)

  • Winifreida says:

    Well count me in for Nuit de Tuberose too…there is something so sexy and evocative about it.
    I think Womanity could be signaling a real turn in the mainstream too, away from the flouro fruit/wood/floral things. Maybe there is a new dawn breaking in our loved art…I’m hoping for a whole lot of tune-ups (flankers!!!) for Womanity that really extend its strangeness.
    I have not yet smelled Shalimar Vanille but am really hoping it also signals change for Guerlain.
    Funny how the non-perfumes like Serge’s Eau contrast with the likes of Kurdjikans (sorry, sp) Absolue Funk-funk.
    My best of 2010 is hope that perfumerie lives!

    • Musette says:

      Other than NdT I haven’t smelled a thing on this list – and that’s just wrong. I should be smelling! SMELLING, I say! [-x

      and I’m with you on the hope, W. [-o< xo >-)

  • Kim says:

    Like March, I gave up tying to keep up with the new releases- reading about them let alone sampling. I just couldn’t get that deep into it – is that a perfumista stage?
    Anyways, I fell in love instantly with Cartier Les Heures XIII. Same with Diptyque Eau Duelle, of which I actually broke down and got a full bottle – soooo happy with it. :))
    Also fell in love with Piguet Visa which I think was a re-release this year – sorry if I’m wrong but I suspect it will be my next full bottle purchase. For some reason I have gone for the dense, heavy scents this year. No aquatic melons for me!

    • Musette says:

      I think it is a stage – but it’s a stage that tends to grab a lot of folks and hang on, once they get to a certain point – even with niche there are just too many coming at you, too fast and too furious.

      I haven’t smelled Visa in years! I did get an elegant decant of Futur, which I have yet to explore in correct fashion – perhaps that will be my spritz for today?

      xo >-)

  • Suzy Q says:

    I’m with you March and Patty. I joined the Bertrand Duchaufour love train this year. Nuit de Tubereuse is at the top of my list. I wore it so much over the summer that it permeated my car’s air conditioning system! Now that’s it’s winter I’m suddenly in love with my little sample of Havana Vanille. Traversee du Bosphore is FBW. Did Amaranthine come out this year? If so, it goes on the list, too.

    • Musette says:

      NdT might (might!) make my “Like it Some” list…but mostly Bertrand’s releases make me b-( Havana Vanille was like being slowly baked to death in a fruitcake in the oven in the kitchen of a Cuban cigar bar. The jury is still out – a bit – on TdB but the foreman has a foot in the courtroom door and it doesn’t look good…

      xo your Evil Scent Twin >-)

      • Suzy Q says:

        LOL. My other Evil Scent Twin is responsible for some of my current obsessions! Her cast offs became my true loves.

  • DinaC says:

    My top releases for 2010 were Balenciaga Paris, such a transparent, woody violet, and violet leaf on me. I’ve gone through two samples and want a FB. The other favorite new release was Nuit de Tubereuse. I wore it many times this summer. I’ll have to break out my samples again come the warm weather and see if my affection for it holds up. I’m not usually a tuberose kinda gal, so this one was a surprise.

    I’m of two minds about SL’s Bas des Soie. I love the iris-hyacinth scent, but if I’m in the mood for that particular “flavor,” why not wear my all-time favorite No. 19 edp, or Safari, or Heure Exquise, or one of the many other iris and/or hyacinth scents I already own? I don’t think I’ll be buying a FB of this one.

    Just now getting around to sampling some other 2010 releases like Iris Ukiyoe and Traversee du Bosphore, so those may also creep onto my best of 2010 list in a couple more weeks.

    • Musette says:

      You have piqued my interest – No 19? 😕

      I will have to do an arm-arm comparison!

      xoxo >-)

      • Sherri M. says:

        Musette,

        Also try Bas de Soie side-by-side with Penhaligon’s Bluebell, if you have a sample hangin’ around. I found them very similar. Stay warm! :-)

      • Musette says:

        Dina –

        see my response to Tom, above yours. I spritzed them both – Chanel came off way lighter, as is to be expected (at least on me) and a little chillier, which normally I prefer. As gorgeous as it is, 19 and I have a cautious relationship. I love it in theory but usually regret having put it on as my SOTD.

        xo >-)

  • ElizabethN says:

    I am happy to see that there is someone out there who appreciates Bas de Soie. I do *love* it, and wear it quite often, even in winter, when it reminds me that spring is not far off…

    • Musette says:

      Spring feels like it’s in an alternate Universe somewhere…but I’ll take your word for it!

      I have not yet tried BdS in the extreme cold – last time I wore it the temps were in the 60s. Must try!

      xo >-)

    • tmp00 says:

      I love it too, but it just ain’t me. But I hope to smell it on others..

      • Musette says:

        Tom,

        I wore it, apre-bain, last night (No 19 on the other wrist, which was an interesting comparison)….this morning BdS has dried down to a warm, plasticky, powdery, camphory….I dunno…but I actually like it – way more than I remembered from my autumn spritzes. I have hopes for this one…

        xo >-)

        • DinaC says:

          I wore BdS today just to give it another try, and I’m liking it even more than before. Maybe it’s the cold, windy weather we’re having lately. It dries down to a great floral, powdery scent with a bit of sharp green-ness to it that I love. I’m beginning to think it might be FB worthy! :-)

    • rosarita says:

      I instantly fell head over heels in love with Bas de Soie. Chanel 19 is a scent I’ve worn since junior high school, when it was first released (got a bottle as a present from a cool aunt) and it’s always been the perfume that feels the most like *me* to me. BdS is that scent in technicolor. On paper, I should love the Chergui/AmbreSultan/Chene Serge; in reality, the ones that work on me are the lesser loved ones like Gris Clair, which enchants me with it’s ever changing notes that appear and shift all day. BdS does that, too, subtly altering back and forth, for hours. I am loving it in this icy weather and can’t wait to try it in springtime. Sorry for the gushing! It’s also the only perfume I’ve tried that’s on the lists; perfume has taken a back seat to that nasty pest real life this year.