Friday, April 29, 2016

Best Ten Perfumes You're Not Wearing- Spring Edition



Or: Beyond Diorissimo and Apres l'Ondee

We need some fun here. Between the weather that killed the magnolia and wisteria blossoms before they reached full bloom, my sprained left foot, and the purple tears we're all shedding, it's time for something that feels and smells like spring to bring us some true cheer. I chose to veer off the beaten path, even if just a little. After all, this blog has just celebrated its tenth anniversary and it feels like I've been making lists that whole time. Let's have a look at some perfume picks for the season that are worth a second or a third sniff.

  • Parfums DelRae- Mythique. Because you've got to have a soft smooth iris, and Mythique usually gets lost among the brand's more robust sparkling gems.
  • Parfumerie Generale- Ilang Ivohibe. I secretly call it "Ivanhoe", but Sir Walter Scott was probably not on Pierre Guillaume's mind when he composed this warm and lush sweet white floral.
  • Serge Lutens- Bas de Soie. Perfumes that are considered "Latter Day Serge" gets tons of scorn, sometimes for good reason. But this chilly iris-hyacinth-galbanum has just enough retro playfulness to make it interesting.
  • Annick Goutal- Passion. My bottle is old enough to be considered vintage (late 80s or very early 90s), so maybe it's a little unfair. But this glorious white floral over a pile of the mossiest oakmoss is equal parts sexy and outdoorsy.
  • Oscar de la Renta- Coralina. It's a little-known mimosa bomb, accompanied by iris and violet leaf. Kind of what spring should be all about.
  • Ego Facto- Prends Garde à Toi . This might not be my favorite of this little quirky line, but a fresh muguet and hyacinth are emblems of spring.
  • Amorvero Perfume. Because there's nothing like a grand floral that speaks of lounging on a veranda in the Italian riviera.
  • Chabaud Maison de Parfum- Nectar de Fleurs. A gorgeous floral with a naughty dirty base. It's an Osswald exclusive (both NYC and Zurich), which is why you've probably never come across. 
  • CB I Hate Perfume- To See A Flower. An ode to jonquil, its stems and leaves, as well as the damp spring soil from which it has erupted into the breezy cold spring day. Just avoid the water version and go with the absolute, otherwise it'd disappear faster than the sun on a cloudy day.
  • Monsillage-  Eau de Celeri. Because Vent Vert is not what it used to be. 

For more spring picks please visit my friends at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc,  and Now Smell This, and please share your own spring loves, popular or not.


Image: Twiggy in Giorgio di Sant'Angelo Wrap, Coat, photographed by Richard Avedon for Vogue, 1967

10 comments:

  1. I love lists in general so don't worry, every single one of your lists was not in vain. Your "best perfumes you are not wearing" are especially interesting and worth reading as a guide for what else to try in the niche world. Thank you once again for sharing.
    My all time greatest spring love is Wrappings by Clinique in absolute every formulation and then comes Weekend (a Deauville or whatever) from Parfums de Nicolai and Malle's Eau de Magnolia.

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  2. You had me at mimosa. Can you tell me more about Oscar Coralina? Is it natural leaning or sweet/synthetic/perfumey? No judgements on either of those (natural vs perfumey) just trying to imagine what it's like.

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  3. The only one of these I know is Nectar de Fleurs, which I love, and which I've been wearing the hell out of ever since purchasing a fb. Gorgeous.

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  4. This reminds me to get more Bas de Soie as I'm out. I also love Eau de Celeri. It is the greenest scent I have.

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  5. BEST Twiggy picture ever!
    Monsillage's Eau de Celeri equals a happy place for me...

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  6. You just reminded that that issue Vogue w/Twiggy on the cover is one of the few I have wanted and still don't have. Must start searching for it again on ebay.
    Great list of scents. I was rummaging through my perfumes yesterday looking for a lost bottle and ended up pulling out a few bottles of perfumes that I used to really love, but haven't worn for approximately 347 years - Laura Tonatto Anni Venti and Plaisir, Dorissima's Goldmund and Narziss, San Red, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande, TDC Bergamote and AdP's Mandorlo di Sicilia. They aren't necessarily all spring scents (some quite the opposite), but they remind me of good times in the past and so I plan on wearing them frequently in the upcoming weeks as a sort of way of acknowledging via scent about the return of things, cyclical nature of life, etc. OK, so, yes - I can make up any excuse for perfume choices. :-)
    Anna

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  7. That Twiggy image made my day! nozknoz

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  8. I actually received a water sample of CB I Hate Perfume's To See A Flower on the day you posted this list. I absolutely love it but you're right about its longevity. I didn't care for Delrae Mythique, but Delrae Wit is a favorite.

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  9. Oh, I adore To See A Flower but was only able to get hold of the water version - so every Spring I throw caution to the winds and use it, more or less, as a body spray. (A VERY EXPENSIVE body spray!). It has absolutely no sillage after the first hour but I do then get a lovely dry down that lingers most of the day.

    I also love Paco Rabanne's Mētal for spring, it's such an icily sophisticated blend of greenery and spring flowers.

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  10. Mythique is one of my very favorite perfumes, and I've been wearing it ever-more-frequently as spring, well, springs around here. I recently (ish) received a sample of Byredo's Mojave Ghost, which surprisingly reminded me of Mythique (tho I don't like it as much). I love many other DelRaes, but Mythique is special. I've also been wearing another spring favorite, Goutal's Eau de Camille--so tender and floral-green, perfect for this time of year.

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