The fragrant diva

    Well, I never knew I was habitually wearing a "loud fragrance", and here am I, a quiet person; what does that say about me? Turning to the entry for Guerlain's Samsara in the marvellously informative and entertaining Perfumes: The A-Z Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez I discover it is in their list of the best loud fragrances; here's a tiny bit of what Tania Sanchez says about it:

"It was the signature scent of my best friend from college, she being a larger-than-life personality for whom a perfume with a reach smaller than the Metropolitan Opera House would have felt too demure."

    So. If I ever take to the stages of the world's major concert halls, I know I can rely for projection on my scent - if on nothing else.

   What fun this book is, though, the negative reviews as scathing as the positive ones are eulogistic. Here are a few extracts to give you a sniff of it -

Diorissimo (an old favourite of mine): "...a truly Mozartian fragrance, with a catchy, jaunty presto tune like the overture to The Marriage of Figaro."

Black (Bulgari): "At different times Black will strike you variously as a battle hymn for Amazons, emerald green plush fit for Napoleon's box at the Opéra, or just plain sweet and smiling."

Après l'Ondée (Guerlain): "Among pale, romantic fragrances, only [this] has the unresolved but effortless feel of the watery piano chords that make Debussy's pieces so poignant. One of the twenty greatest perfumes of all time."

   If you'd like me to look up what the book says about a favourite scent of yours, just leave a comment and I'll see what I can do!

Comments

[pamela]

Diorissimo is the only perfume I have worn for many, many years. It is my, as they say, signature fragrance. I adore it.

[efi]

please what about Arpege [Lanvin]?thank you so much.
efi.

[Cornflower]

It is lovely, isn't it, Pamela!

[Cornflower]

Efi, Arpege gets four stars (five is the maximum) and is classed as "unisex classic". "Today it is an elegant, nutty, woody floral with an overall cashmere beige tonality ..." Sounds good!

[Barbara]

Ooh. I'm not much of a perfume person as someone else wearing a strong perfume can make me cough. What does the book have to say about my old favourite L'Air du Temps?

[Dark Puss]

I assume you know this weblog http://www.nstperfume.com/about-now-smell-this/ and it might be interesting to compare and contrast with your book. What does your book say about Dior's Poison which I must say I really hated! More positively, since I like it, how is Malmaison by Floris described.

[Dark Puss]

OK, what on earth does "cashmere beige tonality" mean?

[Cornflower]

Barbara, a point which crops up in many of the entries is how perfumes have changed over the years - slight alteration of the formulae, problems with an ingredient, etc. As a 1950s floral, L'Air du Temps used benzyl salicylate which "dressed otherwise familiar florals in satin: high gloss, weighty drape. Since b.s. was restricted as an allergen, florals haven't been the same. Today L'A du T is still... a lily with a salty amber background. Yet the quality has been horribly diminished over the years, worn so thin that you see its bones and nothing else." Oh, dear!

[Cornflower]

Poison: 5 stars. "Reviewing P. is a bit like road-testing an Abrams M1 tank in the evening rush hour. People just seem to get out of your way, and if they don't, you just swivel that turret to remind them you're not kidding...It's the best dressed-up, syrupy tuberose in history .... but please never, ever wear it to dinner."

Malmaison is not listed, unfortunately.

[Janis Goodman]

Interesting to hear how the contents of perfumes have changed - my favourite is Rive Gauche which I'm sure has shifted quite a lot in the last few years -all insights gladly received ! Many thanks and best wishes from a snow bound Leeds .

[Cornflower]

You're right about the change, Janis, as it was overhauled in 2003, apparently. It's another five star one, "probably the best floral aldehydic of all time....the balance between citrus, rose and green notes set against a dark resinous background in old RG was wonderful... the old RG was more medicinal, the new one more edible."

[Dark Puss]

Janis, you might find this of interest: http://www.nstperfume.com/2009/09/29/perfumista-tip-on-reformulations-or-why-your-favorite-perfume-doesnt-smell-like-it-used-to/.
The International Fragrance Association website has quite a lot of detail about the safe use of individual chemicals in perfume, see under the "standards" section.

[ciuccia]

My signature fragrance is Jardin de Bagatelle (guerlain), which i discovered in France aged 21 and never looked back from. Would love to see a review of that.

(I have two timed a little since September with Jo Malone's pomegranate noir though)

[Cornflower]

Cuiccia, J de B gets three stars: "... the fashion for acid, metallic florals has come back and JdB now takes pride of place, a grande dame among droids..."

I sometimes wear Pomegranate Noir, and here's what the book says(!):
"The top note... devoid of any connection with pomegranate, is a thin fruit-jam-and-wood-shavings accord, not bad but a touch skeletal. Five minutes later, the fragrance feels like it's run out of puff and smells like Fernet Branca dregs left in a glass overnight."

[Rebecca]

Oh this is fascinating, I loved reading the comments on this post. I have been wearing Allure for years but prior to that, my very first grown up perfume was Guerlain's Mitsouko and I tried a tester recently and am thinking of returning to it. I would love to know what the book says about Mitsouko, when I tested it at first I was head over heels about it as the memories came flooding back but later in the day (whilst cleaning the bathrooms) I began to doubt that my life was suited to Mitsouko these days, it doesn't really seem a very domestic sort of scent...

[Rebecca]

Hmm, me again. I am interested to know about people's scent habits. Karen, have you always worn Samsara or do you change from time to time? Do you just wear one perfume or do you have several different scents on the go, depending on your mood?

I can only cope with one bottle at a time and tend to wear the same one for quite a number of years before having a complete, long thought about change. My husband hates me to change scent (I have only worn 3 different perfumes in our 15 years together).

I am also thinking about scents associated with people, and the smells I remember from childhood, the smell of my Grandmother and certain people I have met whose perfume has left a strong memory.

[Cornflower]

Five stars, Rebecca! Here's what Luca Turin says:
"On every occasion when I am asked to name my favourite fragrance, or the best fragrance ever, or the fragrance I would take with me if I had to move to Mars for tax reasons, I always answer Mitsouko .... a masterpiece whose richness brings to my mind the mature chamber music of Johannes Brahms."

[Cornflower]

I think this is a fascinating subject which probably deserves a post in its own right!

[Rebecca]

I been thinking about perfume a lot lately as I am definitely planning a change, maybe Mitsouko is the one, I will have to try it out again. I am sitting here making a mental list now of the perfumes I associate with different people. Sometimes when walking past someone their scent will bring such a strong memory and association flooding back. One perfume that I have not come across in years is Bluegrass, that was most definitely my Grandmother, I remember being allowed a little of her perfume as a child.

I've ordered the book now, another Cornflower inspired purchase!

[Dark Puss]

I'm not sure I'll be able to contribute to it sadly.

[Darlene]

Oh, this is fun! I'm dying to get a whiff of this Mitsouko and wish the computer came with a scratch-n-sniff! I wear Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan, what does it say about that one?

[Cornflower]

Oh no, Darlene, it's one of the shortest entries in the book and one of those negative reviews I mentioned; read on if you dare:

Two stars - "Hard to say much about this salicylate accord, wan and gray."

Totally subjective of course!

[Darlene]

Oh that is too funny! Not to worry, while having a lovely aroma, I was quite sure it wasn't going to rate terribly high compared to others even though it is lovely. Thanks for letting my wan and gray self know...I'm off to dig out my bottle of Eternity from under the vanity. Don't tell me....

[Judith]

This is so interesting. I'd be curious to learn what's said about L'eau d'Issey. I've been wearing this for so many years now that I feel it's part of me. Several times I'd experimented with other fragrances but nothing feels, or smells, comfortable. For me perfumes are definately associated with their wearers. My mother was a Bluegrass person, whilst by aunt was out and out Youth Dew.

[Dark Puss]

Hmm, what about Black Cashmere (DK) then? See a review here: http://www.nstperfume.com/2007/02/07/donna-karan-black-cashmere-fragrance-review/ Darp Puss noted this comment "It is decidedly sexy, and I should think anyone, male or female, could wear it." so perhaps there is hope for me yet!

By the way, I've been sniffing (so cat like) all my cashmere clothes and I cannot say that any would enhance a perfume; what does it mean in perfume terms? Cornflower, does your book explain?

[ciuccia]

Thanks for the reviews- so interesting. I do have a fondness for Guerlain's (well the old'uns) masterful scents. When i lived in Italy, my friends would say they always knew that i had returned because they could smell me in the lift (and it wasn't that i was lathering myself in it!). So JdeB is me.

But i do love mitsouko, and l'heure bleue (which reminds me of the person in france who introduced me to guerlain- it a 'grown up' smell to me) and jicky. I'd like to smell Liu as i have head much about it.

I love Pom noir because it is so warm and different, and it avoids being cloying. But Guerlain is my first and true love.

[Cornflower]

Three stars for L'Eau d'Issey, Judith, and a longish entry of which this is a snatch:
[In 1992 when it was launched] it was goodbye to Motley Crue and their extraneous hair and umlauts, bye to shoulder pads and pointy-toed heels, bye to opium and Georgio. A straightforward pleasant spring floral that smelled like glass cleaner, with a Japanese name and a simple conical bottle, seemed pure and unfussy, honestly generic."

[adele geras]

What fun all these comments are! I have this book and refer to it constantly and one of the good things about it is how much I love some of his/hers least favourite perfumes. Pomegranate Noir is fab, whatever they say and so is Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood. So yah boo and sucks. I wear about four fragrances at a time...well, not altogether, obviously. I love:
The two listed above and also
Caleche by Hermes...no accents. Sorry!
Prada Cuir Ambre
my current one, Angel by Thierry Mugler which is a five star one.
I also love L'air du temps and does anyone remember Houbigant's Quelque Fleurs? I used to like it very much as a girl.
Also: can anyone recall L'Aimant by Coty? And yes, Blue Grass was super too. I could go on. I won't!

[Cornflower]

I think the 'cashmere' tag is meant to evoke rather than describe in any way!
Black Cashmere (three stars): "...suntan oil effect... but with a smooth clove note added to make it less languid."

[Darlene]

Thank you Dark Puss! The article describes my Cashmere Mist as being velvety soft which infuses confidence where it was lost for a brief moment this morning! I fear that Black Cashmere may be a tad on the spicy side for me. This has been so much fun, I'm dying to get to the mall soon do some research now. Thanks Cornflower.

[Lindsay]

What does it say about the rare fragrance of Andean climbing boot sock - "matured 4 days for a richer flavour"?

[catharina]

Reading all these comments is fascinating. Lot of perfumes mentioned are new to me as - since I don't know when - I alternately wear Rive Gauche and Y, is that listed too?

[Ros]

I was going to ask about Poison! Does it mention Tendre Poison?

[Ros]

I like light floral scents. At the moment I have Coco Mademoiselle and Kenzo Flower, though for many years I wore Chloe Narcisse. I am always fascinated by the way perfumes react to different skin and smell quite different on other people.

[Cornflower]

Well, Lindsay, you are obviously referring to Muscs Koublai Khan (four stars/'beastly musk') "a potent animalic antidote to the laundered age".
As a poetry lover, you'll want to hear the rest:
"The fragrance turns out to be a lost-world fantasy of firelit palaces, with the soupy, sleepy warmth of two beneath a quilt. The cosy animal smells of civet and castoreum, smoky balsams and powerful synthetic musks all conspire to make you think of your lover in barbaric furs... On the skin it reveals an intimate, archaic smell of burnt beeswax candles which is a more convincing Khan than Coleridge's - who 'on honey-dew hath fed, and drunk the milk of Paradise'."

[Judith]

Thankyou so much. I think I've been wearing it since 1992, perhaps it is time for a change! Interestingly whilst I didn't have extraneous hair or wear pointy-toed heels I must admit to wearing the odd shoulder pad, or two, and wearing Opium during the 1980's! Very much enjoying reading today's comments.

[Barbara]

Thank you! What a shame.

[Cornflower]

Y is a good one, Catharina (four stars):
".... If this were an actress, it would be Danielle Darrieux. If it were a wine it would be a Chablis. If it were a car it would be a vanilla-yellow convertible Citroen DS. If it were a piece of music it would be the theme of Les Parapluies de Cherbourg."

[Cornflower]

Sadly not, Ros.

[Barbara]

Oh goodness, I remember L'Aimant! A late teen one.

[Cornflower]

Ros, Coco Mademoiselle is in (four stars/floral oriental):
".... This style is a success for the same reasons that Respighi's Fountains of Rome is one of the best sellers of classical music: it's loud, impressive and undemanding."

[Joanna]

Slightly afraid to ask what it says about Chanel No 5 ...

[Lesley]

This is lovely...I too was wondering about Chanel No 5. I've been wearing this for a number of years - I try others but just keep coming back....

[Scarlettina]

Wow. Thinking about perfumes I have worn over the years has just evoked an awful lot of memories. Shalimar was the scent of my late teens and early twenties. I can even recall the shape and feel of the bottle and where it used to reside in each house (or room) I lived in at the time. I wonder what made me stop wearing it, and I wonder where the last bottle went?

[Cornflower]

Joanna, there are reviews for several versions of No.5 (eau de parfum, eau de toilette) but here's a snippet from the 'parfum' one (five stars/ powdery floral):
"No. 5 is a Brancusi. Alone among fragrances known to me, it gives the irresistible impression of a smooth, continuously curved, gold-coloured volume that stretches deliciously, like a sleepy panther, from top note to drydown."
I'll give a bit more in reply to Lesley's comment below.

[Cornflower]

Lesley, see the reply to Joanna's comment above, and here's a bit more on No.5:
"It is an ideally proportioned wonder, all of a piece, smooth to the touch and solid as marble, with no sharp edges and no extraneous fur trimming, a monument of perfect structure and texture."

[Cornflower]

Another five star one, Scarlettina:
"...its uniquely sweet, penetrating tune is supposed to deftly command attention at a dinner party, not so loud that you don't know where it's coming from, not so quiet as to be easily outgunned, above all on excellent terms with the food to come."

[Nancy]

Wonderful! I have loved reading all the comments - thank you, everyone - and, thank you Karen for bringing up the subject. I don't currently have any friends/acquaintances who care for scent the way I do.

Currently: Eau de Toilette Oceane (accent on the first 'e') by L'Aromarine Paris (proabably not listed)

Before that: White Linen by Estee lauder. I started buying this after admiring the scent wafted by a grad student who worked in our office, always smelled as though just out of the shower. (late 1970s)

I stopped wearing it for the same reason I stopped wearing White Shoulders by Evyan earlier. Over a long period of time it just didn't smell the same on my skin. The reason I wear scent is because I want to smell it when occasionally fluffing/wafting the front of my shirt (after having sprayed it down my front).

My mother-in-law used to buy and send me L'Heure Bleue Perfume by Guerlain. I liked it but never bought it for some reason. (1960s? '70s? '80?)

After college, one of my first house-mates had a huuuuge bottle of Shalimar, kept just inside her door - and everyone was welcome to use it. I never bought it either, think I was worn out on the scent since so many friends who dropped in wore it while there. (1962-63)

I was once enamored by Jungle Gardenia. :-) But my husband said he could smell me coming toward him down the street!! It was strong - too strong. (1964)

The first scent I bought myself (after college) was that White Shoulders I mentioned. It intrigued me to hear a friend say it was her "signature scent" (the only one she wore) - hadn't known that concept before - and I liked the scent. (1962 into the early '70s)

[Cornflower]

Nancy, what a great comment!
White Linen gets five stars, and here's a snippet of the review:
"...the whole thing is comfortable and well-lit, like a warm spot on the floor where the cat sleeps. I think of it as having a maternal, protective aura, and it reminds me of Thomas Pynchon describing the smell of breakfast floating over World War II-era London as 'a spell against falling objects.'"

[Suzanne]

I would love to know what they say about'l'Heure Bleue'(Guerlain), my favourite perfume. Second comes'Apres l'Ondee'and third'Nahema'also by Guerlain. Not to mention 'Mitsouko'!

[Cornflower]

Five stars again, Suzanne, and "When it comes to arranging a folk theme, the early twentieth century had Mahler and L'Heure Bleue. ...a mouthwatering praline effect close to the lethal Torino delicacy Gianduja. This is Guerlain the virtual pastry chef at his best with a fragrance that teeters on the edge of the edible for hours without missing a step."

[Margaret Powling]

Love L'Heure Bleue - only husband once said it smelt like lavatory cleanser! Does anyone remember Bond Street by Yardley? Heavy but rather gorgeous. My favourite is Hermes Caleche and Lanvin's Arpege. For cheapies I still opt for L'aimant (Coty) but it's not as nice as it was when I was a child (I began wearing scent when I was about 8 years old) or Je Reviens (Worth), which was a much more expensive scent in the 1950s to the discount-shop price it is today. I also like Mitsouko (my mother wore that) but never liked Youth Dew. And like Judith, I also wore Opium in the 1980s! Wonderful it was, too. Heady and sexy like no other fragrance. I also love Blue Grass. I wonder whether anyone remembers the round (as in like a ball) soaps that were produced in this fragrance.
There are some scents which have long since vanished in the mists of time, thank goodness - Electrique by Max Factor was particularly vile - but I loved one by Elizabeth Arden which I wore for my wedding but it was discontinued many years ago: Memoire Cherie. I also used Magie by Lancome in the 1960s.
I also wonder whether anyone remembers some of the perfume houses of the 1950s and 1960s such as Charles of the Ritz, Dorothy Gray, Potter & Moore, Saville (Mischief), and Weil (Antilope)?

[Cornflower]

I remember the Charles of the Ritz counter at Jenners here in Edinburgh. They would blend face powder to suit a customer's skin tone and to do so they had a row of boxes of different coloured powders - green, blue all sorts of things as well as the usual pinks and beiges. This always intrigued me when I was little as I thought it would be great to play with!

[Tara]

Prade Tendre?

[Cornflower]

Oh, Tara, they are not keen on it! Two stars, and here goes:
"A sad attempt to cash in on all current fashions at the same time by mixing Narciso Rodriquez for Her with a nondescript acid rose and topping the whole thing with an unpleasant woody-amber note that simply refuses to go away."
Sorry!

[Nancy]

I wore that White Linen for over 20 years before giving it up - reeeeeally loved it.

I would love a rose scent (but tuberose isn't really what I want), I love the smell of roses (think it should be my middle name!). Back in 1965, at a perfume shop in New Orleans, I asked for their White Rose. It was wonderful but I could only afford a small amount in those days. My daughter prefers musk-based scents that I don't like at all.

[Mr Cornflower]

What do other readers think of male scents (i.e anything other than soap and toothpaste)? Could Lindsay and I share a bottle of Muscs Koublai Khan?

[Gill]

My favourite is Penhaligon's Violetta. Does it get a mention?

[Elizabeth]

The scent I love above all others is Guerlain's Jicky -very old, I think it dates from the late 19th century. Is it mentioned, Karen?

[Nancy]

- Men's scent: I have always loved Bay Rum (whatever source) - and have even worn it myself (& had bath soap in Bay Rum).

- My 18-year old grandson has been into scent since middle school. On his Christmas list this year was Armani Code - don't know if that is mentioned in your book or not, think it's new.

He has had some scent that no one in the family could stand - wish I could remember the name of it (popular with early teen males in particular). Back when he was in the 8th grade, one rule made in the instructions for the bus trip to Washington DC was that the boys NOT bring that scent.

- !!Canoe!! NAHT!!! No, no, no. Back in '64-'65, I was working at LSU while Bill was in grad school - and the hallways of classroom buildings were inundated with Youth Dew and Canoe - blending in the air. I came to dislike the smell of both. I noticed when last visiting my brother-in-law that he still has Canoe in the cabinet.

[Marlene C]

Has anyone else noticed ...

One thing seems to pop out in our posts -- the same fragrances !! We lovers of Cornflower, that is, lovers of great books, classic home arts such as good baking and "Fair Isle" knitting, quiet garden spots and out of the way vacation spots, and just general "coziness" while still challenging our brains, all seem to share the same taste in scent.
The Guerlains are everywhere (Mitsouko, Jicky and L'Heure Bleu being my favorites), and along the way I've worn Opium, Poison, Coco Mademoiselle, Arpege by Lanvin, and Chanel #5. Samsara is still on my dressing table for the lovely bottle, but it's much too young and "hot" for an aging dame like me.
This is the best blogsite for gentle arts and great books -- I share it with my all my like-minded friends.
Cornflower, if you can bear looking up one more:
Anything on Jicky by Guerlain? (His first - 1899.)
Many thanks!
Marlene

[Marlene C]

P.S. Mr. Cornflower:

It's said that Sean Connery wears Jicky by Guerlain. As did Jackie O, and Brigitte Bardot as well.

[Cornflower]

It's in, Gill, and it gets four stars:
"... Violetta is exactly what it says, a lovely three-pointed accord of powdery woods, purple sugar, and mean green. Everyone should have this, not least to whip it out when, in discussions about wine or fragrance, someone says, 'I'm getting violets'."

[Cornflower]

It is "the oldest perfume in continuous existence", dating as you say, Elizabeth, from 1889.
Five stars, and "a marvel of simplicity, an object lesson in perfumery.... The modern Jicky is perhaps a touch smoother and cleaner than it should be, but still a towering masterpiece."

[Cornflower]

Thankyou so much for your very kind words, Marlene!
See my reply to Elizabeth (just above) for Jicky, and here's a bit more:
"lavender, vanilla ... a huge citrus note (think lemon cheesecake), Guerlain's trademark bouquet of French herbs..."

[Cornflower]

So, we might bump into "Big Tam" stocking up at Jenners' Guerlain counter, eh?

[MelD]

How interesting, despite the fact that perfume is so subjective!!
As a teen I loved plain cheap Charlie but my favourites over the last couple of years have been:
Pure White Linen / Estée Lauder and recently, Pure White Linen/Light Breeze but
I've had a stack of compliments on Eclat d'Arpège by Lanvin.
Some trouble finding Blumarine II by Schiaparelli Pinkenz, but loved the lightness and still have a bit...
Wonder whether they say anything about those?! ;))

[Cornflower]

Four stars for Pure White Linen, MelD, "...an interesting woody-herbal lily-of-the-valley drydown... Overall, radiant, easy to wear, and a good extension of the original [White Linen]."

PWL Light Breeze is a three star "laundry of the valley"!

[Margaret Powling]

One thing has clearly been demonstrated ... we all love quality scents ... And as for rose-perfumed scent, then Penhaligons do a lovely rose scent, as does Floris, but I think Penhaligons is the nicer one.

[catharina]

Ah mais oui,Les parapluies de Cherbourg... And Thank You so much Cornflower for looking all this up!

[Dark Puss]

I'll buy you some Black Cashmere (see my earlier post) for your next birthday if you like and we can split it three ways!

[Julie Fredericksen]

I am glad someone asked about Chanel No. 5. I can only afford the cologne - does the review of that differ much from that of the perfume?

I have always loved Chanel No. 5. My niece, however, thinks it smells like, and I quote, "cat piss". Sorry to be vulgar. That term, I reserve for Avon perfumes. Hopefully those of you in the U.K. have been spared those horrid scents.

[Cornflower]

Sorry, Julie, the cologne isn't listed. As to your niece's opinion, it just goes to show how subjective a subject this is!

[Gigibird]

Estee Lauder's White Linen was always refered to as Wet Linen by a friend of mine....
I remember wearing Samsara.....
As I've got older I have become very sensitive to anything too powerful...my poison of choice these days is Eau Svelte by Dior which is more of a treatment but smells wonderful.

[Karen]

This reminds me of the descriptions of good wines! Wonderful to read but not always easy to follow!

[Delyn]

I'm so glad mine - 'L'Heure Bleu'- had turned up as I felt I dare not ask you to look up any more perfumes!
Many years ago I went into a perfumerie in Vichy and, without giving any information was immediately identified as a 'L'Heure Bleu' person and was given my birth sign as an added extra. Being young, I was suitably impressed!
It's been surprising how many times Guerlain has turned up on these posts and I've found them most interesting, not least because because they've reminded me of many perfumes I'd forgotten about.
When I saw what you're article was about, Karen, I thought it was going to be about the book ''Perfume''which, although I admired it, I hated ! I also saw the film which was less troublesome.
Thank you so much for such giving us such an interesting time among the perfume bottles!! I'm going to think about buying the book now.

[skirmishofwit]

I received this book for Christmas! Such a fun read.

[Ewenique]

Hi, this sound like fun.

does your book have much to say about "Angel" by Thierry Mugler? - to me the perfect scent. I cannot stand florals (except lavender) and much prefer fresh and fruity scents.

for men it has got to be "PI" by Givenchy. Can be a little heavy in the first 5-10 mins but then mellows out to the most pleasant notes .... and lasts ages.

[Cornflower]

Ewenique, it gets five stars and more than a page. Here's the gist:
"...flowers and candy....a handsome, resinous, woody patchouli straight out of the pipes-and-leather-slippers realm of men's fragrance, in a head-on collision with a bold, blackcurrant and a screechy white floral. These two halves...give Angel a covering of unsentimental, icy brightness above its overripe (some say 'rotting') rumble."

[Karen]

Men's scent: Green Irish Tweed, by Creed. Supposedly created for Cary Grant, I have always loved this one . . .

[Cornflower]

Four stars, Karen, and it does sound good:
"Brilliant, legible, perfectly balanced, immediately recognizable."

[Carole]

My favourite of the moment is Un Jardin Apres La Mousson by Hermes.
After a year or so of testers in the duty free shop on the ferry to make sure I did like it - and a handbag full of strips of card impregnated with the spray - I finally had some for my birthday at the beginning of the year. Since then I have had a blocked nose and haven't been able to enjoy it!
It reminds me of a perfume I once had called April Showers or something like that, and a Next perfume called Lonicera (Molton Brown).

[Cornflower]

Funny that you should mention the card strips, Carole, because this is one of the perfumes for which the reviewers differentiate between the smell on the skin and on paper strips or fabric.
Four stars: "... a combination of melon, capsicum and peppercorns."
They speak highly of it and their final word is a simple "excellent".

[Margaret Powling]

Years ago (about 24 years) we made a trip to France and on the ferry I bought Parfum Hermes. It came in a circular, flask-like bottle, and in a red and gold package. It was delightful, a bit like the old Yardley's Bond Street but much more refined, as you'd expect Hermes scent to be. Since then it's been discontinued, but it would be a wonderful scent to resurrect! I loved it.

[Ruth]

Chanel No 5 was my mother's favourite.
What about Estee Lauder's Youth Dew & Diptyque's Ofresia/

[Cornflower]

Ruth, Ofresia gets three stars: "A bit straw-hat-floral-dress... but fine within the genre."

Youth Dew has four stars: "It smells terrific, top quality, sophisticated and easy to wear."

[Ewenique]

interesting. just had another thought.

whilst living in North America I came across a perfume that had names like; "fresh laundry" and "lather". Has your book any info on perfumes that smell like fresh laundry?

It was probably the same chemical composition as laundry liquid or fabric softener but smelt divine (i love the smell of freshly laundered clothes, sheets...whatever)

[Moira]

Oh, I think that may answer a question I've had in my head for years! One of my college friends had a scent that I liked - I was fairly sure it was Houbigant, but was totally unable to remember the name and I think Quelque Fleurs is the one. Don't suppose it's still available.

[Carole]

Thank you for looking it up - but is it supposed to smell better on the skin than on the strips?!
My nose has returned to normal, so I am at last enjoying the perfume that I have paid for, rather than sprayed for free!

[Mieke]

What does the book says about Private collection from Estée Lauder? It's my favorite for more than 20 years.

[Cornflower]

I did see 'laundry' mentioned here and there in reviews, but unfortunately the book's not indexed in such a way as to find them easily again!

[Cornflower]

Mieke, it gets five stars:
"Beautiful, sunny and confident, with both radiance and tenacity, this fragrance sits easily next to the big French classics on the shelf."

[Cornflower]

Moira, it is still available, that is the book lists "Quelques Fleurs L'Original" and "QF Royale", but as with so many others, ingredients have changed and it may well not smell now as you remember it!

[Tara]

Oh well! I love it and I guess that's all that matters!

[alltangledup]

cornflower, i came here via poshyarns ... and have really enjoyed all these comments. pls can you tell me what is said about Joy? I adore it and it has been my signature scent for 20 years but I've always been told that it's overrated and overpriced

[Cornflower]

There are two entries for Joy, one is the eau de parfum (four stars, "wonderful") while the parfum gets five stars, "...sensational.... huge, luscious, and utterly wonderful", so the experts certainly aren't saying it's overrated!!

[alltangledup]

thank you cornflower! I am delighted to know that my perfume tastes are "...sensational.... huge, luscious, and utterly wonderful". It sure sounds better than 'over priced and over rated' :-)