Category Archives: Cologne

He had the best of intentions, which can be incredibly endearing or incredibly annoying. Happily, on a recent Saturday in Boston, I was in good-enough spirits to find his assistance on the side of the former. In the Aveda store in Copley Place, he approaches me at the end of my rope of hope, but just prior to cranky rudeness. After searching through the Jo Malone offerings at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, I had just about given up on finding an everyday fragrance for the fall. I was looking for something more natural, something with cedar or sandalwood, maybe some juniper or pepper or moss. I guess I was looking for something… earthy. (While Tom Ford’s Private Blends will always comprise my favorite colognes, they’re so rarified and expensive that I save them for special events.) For everyday wear, I tend to be a little more practical, which also led me briefly to Sephora, but I really wanted something simpler, less traditionally cologne-like.

Crabtree & Evelyn used to have an incredible line of aromatherapy products for relaxation that was almost an exact match to the Quintessence essence that the Mandarin Oriental uses in some of its spa treatments. (In fact, it was the Quintessence fragrance that I was after, but at $40 for a small bottle of shower gel, I didn’t bother looking to see if they offered it in an Eau de toilette or body spray.) Thus, my visit to Aveda, and the almost-too-helpful salesperson who stood before me with an animated explanation of their line of Chakra fragrances.

He produced a long pamphlet of the seven chakras, along with their symbols, colors, and a meditative word, asking me to pick out the three that spoke to me the most. I stopped him, perhaps a bit abruptly, explaining that this was a little too new-agey for me, and that I was basically just looking for a certain fragrance that I would know when I smelled it. He looked slightly crestfallen, so I said I’d pick out my favorite colors and words and symbols and try those fragrances first (even if I just wanted to sniff them all quickly and pick out the one I liked best).

Based on the corresponding colors and words alone, I ended up choosing the following:

• Chakra #1 – “Grounded” ~ [Color: red] – Aroma: Organic patchouli, vetiver and olibanum
• Chakra #3 – “Intention” ~ [Color: yellow] – Aroma: Organic fir balsam, lavender and lemon
• Chakra #5 – “Expressive” ~ [Color: light blue] – Aroma: Organic grapefruit, rosemary, ylang ylang

He sprayed each on a sample strip, waving them one by one in front of my nose. While the aroma descriptions attached to each sounded decent, the reality was decidedly less so. In fact, the ones I had picked, based on such an expert, intuitive selection process were, well, gross. I didn’t say that part out loud. (My heart will always go out to a retail clerk doing what he is supposed to do, so earnestly and fervently, and I’ll never take out my personal disappointment on someone only doing his job, even if he ended up saying that my selections were “all over the place!”)

The simple fact was that I was more concerned with the scent than the chakra and the meaning. If you tell me my back will be helped by something that smells like vomit, I’m not buying it. If you tell me that the scent of cedar and lavender will only cure my pinky, I’ll have the healthiest pinky ever. And so we ended up doing what I had tried to suggest from the beginning – trying the fragrances out and seeing which ones actually appealed to my sense of, you know, smell.

They ended up being the following:

• Chakra #4 – “Harmony” ~ [Color: green] – Aroma: Organic sandalwood, mandarin, and palmarosa {“Chakra 4 is located in the center of the chest and relates to sympathy, empathy and love. When the heart chakra is balanced, one feels love and connection to self and others. When the heart chakra is imbalanced, one experiences depression, loss of connection and apathy.”}
• Chakra #6 – “Insight” ~ [Color: dark blue] – Aroma: Organic pettigrain, orange, and geranium {“Chakra 6 is located between the eyebrows and relates to intuition, imagination, and perception. When the intuition chakra is balanced, one feels intuitive, connected and mentally fit. When the intuition chakra is imbalanced, one has mental blocks, over-thinks and lacks depth.”}

Both were much more in line with what I was looking for, fragrance-wise. Perhaps on a deeper level too. The nose knows.

 

It’s already August, so hopefully you’ve been saving up for the end of the month - August 24 is, after all, my birthday. Rather than have you all wracking your brains trying to guess and predict what would most appease the beast and keep me quiet for another year (or at least until Christmas), here are a few gift ideas. Yes, these are on the higher end of the spectrum, but so am I. SPECTRUM!

Let’s begin with a big-ticket item. Failing the $5100 Louis Vuitton train case I’ve been eyeing for ten years (I’ve finally admitted that such a thing is largely impractical, given that I ride the train maybe three times a year), it’s time instead for a new camera. The bulky (albeit good) one I’ve had for a few years has seen better days, and though the Canon Elph that I carry when out and about is serviceable, it has its limits when trying to get high-quality shots. This model offers a perfect mesh of the two – all the bells and whistles in a more compact version: the Canon EOS Rebel SL1. One review called it a dSLR for dainty hands. There are no daintier hands than mine.

I realize that’s a bit of a stretch, as everyone (particularly in my home) is under some financial duress, so I’m putting out a few cologne selections. I’ve already espoused about the genius of the Tom Ford Private Blend line, and seeing as how he’s got four new fragrances out now, surely one of these will appeal to my selective sniffing. (I’ll be trying them this weekend in Boston.)

In addition to these, and in the more affordable price-point range, are a pair of new Hermès fragrances: Eau de Narcisse Bleu and Eau de Mandarine Ambrée. I’ve been on an Hermès kick of late, bathing in Un Jardin après la Mousson, so I’m looking forward to trying out the two new ones. They’re not yet in Sephora (and may not be) so I’ll have to step into the Boylston Hermès store to give them a whirl (always a dangerous endeavor, and one that Andy refuses to do anymore).

Finally, if someone’s going to force a massage package on me from the Mandarin Oriental, I wouldn’t turn it down.

There, see how easy that is? These choices may cost a little more, but they take all the guess-work out of it. Surely that’s worth a bottle of Tom Ford?

In addition to all the Tom Ford excitement on the olfactory front, I’ve also found a summer bridge fragrance from Hermes. This is ‘Un Jardin apres la Mousson‘ which I’m told translates to “the garden after the monsoon”. It falls somewhere between a traditional cologne and a traditional perfume, managing the welcome feat of being both masculine and feminine (though it errs on the lady side of things, which is something I like for the summer months). A few of the fragrances in the Jardin line are quite nice, but I’ve found all except this one to be slightly too sweet and cloying for more than a passing sample.

While reading up on recent cologne reviews, I noticed that some people mentioned wearing certain fragrances to bed to get the most enjoyment out of them. At first it seemed like a silly thing. Why waste all that expensive sillage on a place where, at least in this house, only one other person will get to smell it? Then I realized that it was the perfect moment and place for it, and marveled at my life-long dismissal of such a decadent, self-luxuriating indulgence.

I started with this offering from Hermes, which is light enough so as not to be too stimulating or distracting, and soft enough to nestle perfectly into the folds of a silk robe or the brittle pages of a favorite book. As if I needed another moment of self-indulgence… but I’ve found that those we think are the most self-serving during the day tend to forget themselves at night.

After being spoiled by Tom Ford and his decadent Private Blends fragrance collection, I find it very difficult to find a new cologne. But the winter doldrums could only be kicked by a new scent, so I made my way to Sephora to see what had come in since the holidays. Someone had recommended the new Bulgari, and though most recommendations that come from social media are met with enthusiasm then disappointment, this one was a resounding good choice. So well did it wear, in fact, that I ended up taking a bottle of it home. It’s the perfect transition fragrance from February to March – light enough to draw in the first faint breath of Spring, and crisp enough to match the chill that has not quite gone.

This year I’ve been a little lax in coming up with a Christmas Wish List, mostly because what was once important to me changed a bit over the summer, and I’m still in the processing mode. In the past I hated asking for practical things – it seemed like such a waste of a gift. Who wants a new set of tires or a working sink when you can get a frivolous fascinator or full-length opera cape? That said, practicality has its merits, and in these penny-pinching times it makes more sense to invest in something we can put to use instead of a clothing conversation piece that is so impressive you can only wear it once. To that end, I’m asking for two things that are the most boring and mundane objects in the world, but ones that, if employed and chosen properly, can be the starting point of elegance and beauty: a bed and a television. Both would be for the Boston condo bedroom – a Queen bed to make the trips with Andy more comfortable, and a flat screen television so we can finally get rid of the mid 90’s eyesore that takes up a good third of the room (and to please both Andy and my father when they deign to visit).

It turns out I still have an affinity for pretty bags and lovely scents, so I’m putting up a pair of items that would bring me some joy and happiness, because I can always be as deep as a puddle on a dry, sunny day. The first is a stand-by: one of Tom Ford’s Private Blend fragrances – ‘Champaca Absolute’. I was debating it while picking out a birthday cologne with Andy, but I wasn’t quite ready to give up the Amber Absolute I had my eye on (and rightfully so as that was soon-after discontinued). Now, I’m ready.

While Mr. Ford’s Private Blends are on the pricey side, it’s still a bit less than Frederic Malle’s ‘Dans Tes Bras’ from Barney’s, which would be my second choice. (A hint for those unwilling/unable to shell out the $240 price for the bottle: you can request three 30 ml travel size bottles for about $90. They don’t tell you that upfront, and the bitchy guys on the 2nd level of the Boston store at Copley Place will help you even less, so stick to the friendlier perfume ladies downstairs.)

As for bags, all my life I have wanted a leopard tote, and DKNY has finally produced a simple version without the fancy buckles and gaudy chains that accompany so many bags (really, the leopard alone is gaudy enough). This one is on sale at Lord & Taylor right now (and would make a much more economical substitute for the Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo leopard shoes that run much higher… see, I’m not unreasonable.)

And if all else fails, there’s always my Amazon Wish List…

Now… what is it that YOU want for Christmas?