Category Archives: Cologne

Portrait of a Lady For This Gentleman

“He was, by the way, the most liberally-perfumed man I had ever encountered. The scent announced his approach from a great distance, and lingered for many minutes after he had gone.” ~ The Grand Budapest Hotel

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, and the long nights of winter still mostly ahead rather than behind us, it seems a good time to bring up this oft-desired bottle of fragrance in the event that anyone is looking for gift ideas. ‘Portrait of a Lady’ takes its name from the Henry James novel, and its scent from the incense that surrounds the base of a rose in some gorgeous Gothic cathedral. It is the exquisite stuff of dark nights lit only by candles and stars and perhaps the sparkle of freshly-fallen snow, when fire licks at the nose and smoky tendrils of incense trail in baroque fashion as fleeting as a Victorian man of mode.

My parents gifted me with a rose fragrance fit for a bright winter’s day in ‘Rose & Cuir’ by Frederic Malle. Its dirty, older, sexier cousin in the Malle line is ‘Portrait of a Lady’ – which is really only fit for the night. Since all of our nights are spent in right now, this would be a lovely way to generate a different sort of luxury in solitude. Too many people wear a scent for others when it should really be for the sole enjoyment of oneself. ‘Portrait of a Lady’ is that kind of decadence brought into potently fragrant form, and it was created by one of my favorites, Dominique Ropion, who is the mastermind behind ‘Cologne Indelebile‘ and ‘Geranium Pour Monsieur‘.

I’ve been flirting with this scent for years. At first it was too much – the name, the rose, the lingering potency – I wasn’t at the point where I could handle it. About a year ago, it whispered to me differently, or more likely I was just in a different head-space to appreciate its dark beauty. Since then, I’ve been fighting how much I’ve come around to it, and rather than wondering at my reticence I’m full-on embracing its seductive pull.

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Winter’s Bloom: Rose & Cuir

“It’s the time that you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important… People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Leave it to Jean Claude Ellena to bring a sliver of summer into the first flush of winter. When the metallic gray tint of snow carries on the sky, the idea of a rose may feel far and distant, but Ellena’s exquisite ‘Rose & Cuir’ for Frederic Malle defies the seasonal doldrums, injecting a fresh, bright glint of glorious summer spark into the day.

With its notes of rose and green freshness, a verdant lush garden dream comes to olfactory existence. ‘Rose & Cuir’ is a wonderful start to the day, a morning greeter that kick-starts the nose and thrills the memories of summer. Like the rich earth that gives sustenance and home to the roots of a thorny young rose, this scent begins with a dirty blast – the Cuir – which I detect in the opening intro, and a couple of times later on, but this is mostly a gorgeously watery floral that blossoms into a green herbaceous jewel, set in an almost invisible setting of leather that gives it just enough edge to keep it away from the powdery side of perfume.

This could have possibly found a home in Ellena’s Jardin series for Hermes, but it’s so good it deserves its stand-alone status as part of the Frederic Malle house. I might even be tempted to make the claim that ‘Rose & Cuir’ surpasses that Hermes line, which always tended to be a little too sweet for my bitter preferences. Here, it’s a grounded bit of herbaceous beauty, a greenhouse-like respite in the midst of trying winter.

This is when a fragrance becomes more than accessory to show off or leave a lingering trail in your office wake; this is an instant way to brighten a day when you’re alone and trying to face the gray overcast winter on your own. In the stillness and silence of such a morning, when the winter wants to creep into your home, into your soul, the simple spritz of this immediately conjures vistas of rose gardens and summer days and suddenly even the winter becomes a thing of beauty. It is at such times that fragrance can become a work of art.

Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you.” ~ Richard Brinsley Sheridan

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Tom Ford Mash-Up

For an extra dash of decadence in a holiday season largely devoid of such excess, I give you a pairing that is a favorite at this time of the year: Tom Ford’s ‘Oud Wood’ and ‘Santal Blush’. On their own, they are exquisite – taken together, they become absolutely divine. The resinous woody aspect of ‘Oud Wood’ intertwines gloriously with the sandalwood of the ‘Santal Blush’, tempering the latter’s sweetness and bringing out that lovely woodsy feel. It is very much a pairing for the festive season of light, when you want to sparkle not only in visage but in scent as well. 

Normally I would warn against mixing scents, but Ford’s Private Blends are an exception, if you are careful about what you are doing. I tend to pair those who have a few note sin common – most of the Neroli line mingle with one another magnificently, as do all of his Oud offerings. But there is glory to be found in the unexpected as well – I once put ‘Santal Blush’ together with ‘Tuscan Leather‘ which originally sounded like a disaster – and it ended up being a powerful delight. 

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A Scent to Start the Season: Royal Oud by Creed

The House of Creed provides the fragrance that kicks off this year’s holiday season. A birthday gift from this past summer, I’ve held onto it, keeping patient and calm as much as I wanted to break this bad boy open and spritz away ~ it is such a delicious scent. But don’t take my fumbling words for it ~ read what the official literature says about ‘Royal Oud’, from the House of Creed:

Wood, leather, marble, and gold. These luxurious elements of a Persian palace are the inspiration behind the architecture of Royal Oud. Precious, sweet oud is carefully extracted from agarwood trees, a carefully-guarded resource that grows only in certain parts of India. Oud’s rarity lends to the expense of the fragrance’s coveted raw materials, prized by both the men and women who wear it. A fashionable favorite amongst today’s royals and heads of state, Royal Oud’s universal blend bottles the splendor of palace life across continents.

 

Oddly enough, it’s not the oud that hits hardest with this one. It opens a bit dirty for me, in as elegant and royal a way as dirty can sometimes be, and for that reason alone I was instantly in love with it. In a year when we remain stuck at home for the most part, this is the time to wear something polarizing, to try and experiment, to challenge one’s olfactory comfort zone in an environment not bound by office courtesy or public decorum.

‘Royal Oud’ is a big banging bomb of a scent in the best possible way, and it’s absolutely sublime for the start of the holidays. With its woody and musky heart, which I get from the opening blast as well, this is a glorious doozy. The beginning is sparked and softened by a warm spicy element with some lovely pink pepper brightened in jewel-like splendor with lemon and Sicilian bergamot. 

Sumptuous and refined, with that sparkling kernel of underlying dirtiness lending it a little wink, ‘Royal Oud’ is a warmer offering from Creed, which often veers a little cold and clinical for my liking. This one smolders in dramatic fashion, a little messy and a little opulent ~ royalty reborn.

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Tom Ford for the Fall and the Win

“I do struggle because I’m attracted to beautiful things, yet at the same time I am actually very aware, in some sense, of their lack of value and that the most important things in life are your connections to other people.” ~ Tom Ford

While Tom Ford has a fun and effervescent collection of lighter fragrances for spring and summer (the Neroli Empire for example) it’s his wickedly dark and smoky concoctions that are more suited to fall and winter that appeal to my primal olfactory beast. There are a few Private Blends that I wear only from now until November, and they are the fragrant signifiers of fall, and all the decadent drama it typically exudes.

It starts with ‘Amber Absolute’ ~ probably one of my top three TF Private Blends. It’s like the resinous incense of some sacrilegious church-inspired orgasm, dissipating in the smoky air of dappled sunlight shining through a window of stained glass. It’s one of Ford’s most potent mixtures, though some have said it’s been watered down in recent years (if it’s even still made ~ I believe it may have been discontinued a while back).

A hint of incense also informs the magnificent ‘Vert D’Encens’ which is actually where I began this fall’s fragrance journey a few days ago. It’s compelling notes of fresh green are perfectly resplendent of September’s happy tendency to hold onto the sun and warmth a little while longer.

A drier, woodsier scent is to be found in ‘Bois Marocain‘ which is as much an exotic inspiration from a faraway land as it is a reflection of the New England forests where Hester Prynne sinned. If that makes no sense, I’m sorry ~ that’s just the way it smells to this nose. Dry, sinful, decadence – like a roll in the burning leaves.

When it comes to burning, that brings me to my latest acquisition: ‘Tobacco Oud’ and its exquisite sweet and smoky combination, somehow evocative of scenes I’ve only seen in my mind. A library of wooden shelves, dusty books, and a worn leather armchair. A side table glowing beneath a fringed lamp of red silk. The sweetness of tobacco smoke rising from a pipe.

That was a life I never lived, but I wanted it ~ not the life as much as its sensual trappings, its atmosphere and smoky cocoon of spicy warmth. I’ll do a more in-depth review of ‘Tobacco Oud’ ~ for now it’s all in my head, where it shall reside in splendor until the real memories of a run-down corner of Amsterdam reveal themselves in a future post.

‘I’m actually a very, extremely, almost pathologically shy person, which no one believes today because I have mastered a work/public facade that takes an enormous amount of energy to project.’ ~ Tom Ford

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A Fragrance Like A Fable: Aesop’s ‘Tacit’

Out of boredom and isolation, I did something I always advise against doing: a blind fragrance buy. In this case it was a bottle of Aesop’s ‘Tacit’ which is absolutely my new favorite summer scent, so the stupid and moronic gamble paid off. It doesn’t usually work out that way, so be wary. The literature on ‘Tacit’ sounded glorious (Jo Malone‘s combo of Basil and Neroli has always been an unexpectedly enjoyable whimsy, one much I may have to revisit to enhance this basil experience). 

Tacit was born of two key inspirations: the fresh notes of traditional colognes and the culture, topography and fragile perfumed vegetation of the Mediterranean coast. It is familiar in its Yuzu-inspired citrus notes, yet innovative in inclusion of Basil to deliver a green accord with delicate spicy clove-like undertones.

I love a citrus scent for summer, even if I know they won’t last. Issey Miyake’s take on yuzu is a collegiate bottle of summer I once used for a Yuzu Summer Party (yes, we’ve had parties centered around a citrus and a cologne, what’s the question?) Hermes does a delicious grapefruit with their Eau de pamplemousse rose, and there is a Grapefruit Lime concoction by The 7 Virtues that is divine.

Tacit combines the citrus-zest of yuzu with the green, herbal essence of basil, which pushes it into slightly fruitier territory, wrapped up in the one part that was the biggest gamble for me – vetiver. I hadn’t been a big fan of vetiver since a downstairs neighbor in my college years wore it, and wore it badly. Those kinds of experiences tint and shade our fragrance views, whether warranted or not. I did not return to it until Tom Ford coaxed me into a winter try with his ‘Grey Vetiver’ and I realized if done with a citrus I could handle it. Happily, it also holds true for ‘Tacit’.

That yuzu and basil combination is perfect for summer, and the vetiver propels it into something that lasts – not usually a requisite for this season’s scent, when you don’t want a heavy fragrance to stick. It retains a freshness for a couple of hours, and you won’t mind a reapplication because it’s that delightfully effervescent. 

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Summer Evening by Tom Ford

His exquisite Portofino summer line is my go-to for special summer outings, and Tom Ford has provided the fragrant accompaniment to many an elegant evening. This summer, there aren’t many moments of gathering or excitement, and so I make a moment out of the mundane through the simple application of these products on an otherwise-uneventful night. Memories of the beach in Cape Cod and summer drives along the Thruway, and fancy dinners out for birthdays and anniversaries. In other words, these are the scents of happiness, and on this evening I can reinhabit those lost days and nights. Summer is here, past and present, and it will be again, perhaps in find form. 

Besides, Tom Ford offers great comfort in these perilous times, and in more meaningful manner than might be expected. With the 20th anniversary of the day I met Andy quickly approaching in a few days, I’m reminded of this quote by Mr. Ford: “When you find somebody good, keep them in your life.” Style and substance, with a few grace notes of elegance and love. 

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When Fragrance and Memory Harmonize

I don’t love New York City.

There, I said it. (Even if I’m missing it a bit these days.)

I’ve been visiting periodically since I was a kid, but I have yet to fall in love with it. Mostly it’s because the things I love to do (theater and shopping and eating) are often closest to the things I hate most (crowds and tourists and Times Square). Still, I have grown to having a great fondness for certain elements of the city, particularly those fanciful edges of Central Park, where storied histories of places like the Plaza and Tiffany’s brush with modern day whimsy if you catch the light and the moment just right. Such magical alchemy was in mixing mode a few years ago when my Mom and I were visiting on one of our Broadway weekends for Mother’s Day. We had split up in the gender-designated buildings of Bergdorf Goodman and I was perusing the handsome cologne section, where curved glass and wood provided elegant carriage and support for all of Tom Ford’s Private Blends. On this day, however, there was nothing new in Ford’s olfactory world, and the salesperson was instead edging me toward what was then called By Kilian – a line of obscenely-priced bottles that promised various sensual experiences with names like ‘Straight to Heaven‘ or ‘Flower of Immortality’ or the one she was pushing on me now, ‘Bamboo Harmony’.

Having just come in from the street, on a day when the sun was brilliant but bordering on just too hot when all that surrounds you is concrete, I was looking for something light and fresh, something to loosen the claustrophobic debris of the city. As she waved the sample card in the air, I fell instantly in love with the refreshing and delicate aroma of white tea wafting about as it dissipated into the refined and rarefied air of Bergdorf Goodman. Not in a financial position to splurge on anything so decadent, I pocketed the sample card, thanked her profusely, and made my way back onto Madison to find Mom.

The verdant glow of Central Park was in the distance, the sun was still shining, and a glorious spring afternoon in New York was at hand. It was the closest I would come to loving the city, and it was close enough. It was also a revelation – the way a whiff of a scent could open up a portal to light and space and freshness even in the middle of the most crowded city in the country.

I thought of ‘Bamboo Harmony’ when our state suddenly found itself in the midst of a stay-at-home shutdown, and the abstract notion of feeling confined suddenly fell into concrete, home-bound form. I remembered the way it had instantly changed the day, transforming the crowded and cramped notion of New York City into something breezy and effervescent. Surely if a scent could produce such results in the face of soaring, skyscraping omnipotence, then it might do the same with any slight hint of restless confinement I might be feeling at home.

It arrived as a 10thanniversary present from Andy, and on that sunny morning, before I even turned the laptop on for the start of another work-at-home day, I sprayed a small spritz on my wrist. Once again, harmony was instantly conjured. The walls disappeared, the darkness lifted, and any close-quartered tension evaporated. A forest of sky-high bamboo floated before me, alternately kissed and obscured by the peaceful veils of passing clouds, delicately undulating in the slightest of breezes. The heavenly top notes of bergamot and neroli are there, in the barest and best of ways, not strangling anything with sweetness, and then the tea scent emerges, along with some fig and oakmoss that lends the proceedings an earthy green element in perfect keeping with their intended bamboo connotations.

Is this what bamboo really smells like? Not at all.

Does it matter? Not in the least.

We live in the imagined realm of a floating world; reality is far too dark and dreary to confront without a cape of fragrance billowing off our shoulders.

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Madonna: Her Virgin Fragrance, Rediscovered

‘Truth or Dare’ will always be the Madonna movie that turned me into a super-fan, but it was also the name Madonna chose for her first fragrance. While its heavy floral bouquet of tuberose and gardenia was way too much for me the first time I smelled it, I find it’s lovely for wearing around the house every once in a while. Like on a rainy spring day when you are still in isolation for safety, and the weather is not cooperating. With some neroli and jasmine, it is very much a deep floral, which I can only take in small doses. It almost veers into old lady territory (and that’s not an insult in my world), but there’s a youthful spirit to it that befits the agelessness of Madonna.

She conjured the fragrance in memory of her mother’s own perfume, and several connoisseurs have indicated it’s also quite similar to Fracas, an expensive classic also top-heavy with tuberose. The best perfumes are those that combine memories with decadence, beauty with history, and for Madonna, ‘Truth or Dare’ seems to contain all of the aforementioned. For me, it’s a scent of spring, to be worn only on special nights when you find yourself wanting to indulge, and not needing anything other than the skin you’re in. (Hello, ‘Naked.’)

A single spray of a gorgeous scent as one heads to bed for a few moments of reading is one of life’s more unheralded pleasures.

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Smells Like Solitude

I’ve never worn cologne for other people. I wear it solely for myself. Well that’s not entirely true – I did wear Calvin Klein’s ‘Eternity’ for the benefit of an ex-girlfriend who said she loved it. But after that, I wore what I liked, and to hell with anyone who didn’t appreciate it. That came to mind as I was contemplating a new cologne. My mind has been tempted by a few selections for spring, when suddenly I had a brief moment of wondering what point there would be with nowhere to wear it. This same thought has stopped me from buying new clothes of late (gasp!), but as I worked through the idea I realized I have never worn cologne for anyone other than me, and I’m still here. No reason not to smell good, especially when cooped up in the house. In fact, one could argue that now is the best time to order a new cologne! So let’s have at it. I never did get a proper Valentine’s Day gift… Here are the options, and I’m leaning toward the third one in case you’re narrowing it down:

Tom FordOne of his very first Private Blends has been calling to me, and the call is getting progressively louder and more insistent. I think I must have ‘Tobacco Vanille’ and sooner rather than later. 

Frederic Malle – This fragrance house is teasing me with its ‘Portrait of a Lady’ – a scent said to be favored by none other than Madonna, but unlike some of her treacly tuberose choices, this is a smoky rose that is divinity incarnate.

Kilian – So it really comes down to this, because Kilian is the house behind one of the most exquisite scents I own. The offerings previously mentioned, while always welcome, are in the rear-view window as far as seasonal scenting goes. ‘Bamboo Harmony’ by Kilian is where we currently are, and with a few new bamboo plants on the horizon for our home, this looks to be the peaceful fragrance to see us into the spring and summer months. It also has a lovely memory associated with it, but I’ll save that for when and if I can actually try it on at home. (It’s available at Neiman Marcus here (and with their sale code ‘SELFCARE’ through tomorrow it’s actually cheaper than Amazon) but if you miss it here’s the link to the item on Amazon.)

 

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Tom Ford from Behind

Not everything that Tom Ford touches turns to olfactory gold. I didn’t care for ‘Lost Cherry‘, I’ve never liked ‘Shanghai Lily’ and I wasn’t a big fan of ‘Rose Prick‘ when I finally got to try it. That meant a Valentine’s Day gift had to fall by the wayside, but Mr. Ford has so many other gorgeous scents there is always room for a do-over.

Over the years, certain Private Blends have started out as non-events for me, then grown into veritable obsessions. Take his very first PB, ‘Tuscan Leather‘. For too long I fought against its opening blast of pure, dirty leather, and for all that time I missed out on the beautiful raspberry dry-down. Only once I gave it a chance did it open for me. (My appreciation for deeper and more complex scents also had to develop a bit which is why if you think you hated something many years ago, I suggest you give it another try. Our tastes develop and change over the years.)

The same thing seems to be happening with both ‘Tobacco Vanille’ and ‘Tobacco Oud’ – both of which were unimpressive to me a couple of years ago, but have since become intriguing and desirable, to the point where either might make a lovely gift. I’ve been on a tobacco kick of late, with its smoky, resinous richness, and the way it embodies memories I’ve likely never had – a tufted leather sofa in a richly-wood-paneled library room, a green-shaded banker’s lamp, a bulky old overwrought desk, and a pipe from which perfumed smoke trails off in mesmerizing fashion. This is all fantasy, comprised from literature and movies and the like – the only actual memory I have of any perfumed pipe is the overweight gruff owner of an aquarium store in Amsterdam, who sat at his counter smoking a pipe while I surveyed clownfish and anemones. Not a bad memory, but nothing very glamourous. In my mind, I melded the beauty of the sea with the scent of a tobacco pipe. When growing up in landlocked upstate New York, these are the fantasies I had. We all come to favored fragrances in different ways, and my path to the two Tom Ford tobacco scents began all those years ago.

That said, I’m also open up to another delicious fragrance outside of the realm of Mr. Ford. In fact, before finding my way back to the ‘Tobacco Vanille’ I was toying with the idea of Frederic Malle’s, ‘Portrait of a Lady’, which is an absolutely exquisite scent. My hesitation in diving right into it stems from the fact that it veers perhaps too dangerously close to ‘Oud Fleur’ which I already have. Avoiding duplication is my new way of reducing expenditures. But if this is a gift, I would never turn it down. ‘Portrait’ carries a powerful rose note that would be lovely for spring leading into summer. We need more of that. And quite frankly, I need a new fragrance if I’m going to make it through this isolation period.

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The Sniff That Triggers A Memory

One of the main reasons I’ve been obsessed and enthralled with cologne has been its power of summoning remembered experiences. It’s long been believed that scent is the most powerful memory trigger, and in my experience that is most certainly the case. There are certain basic colognes from long ago that bring me back to my youth. Calvin Klein’s ‘Eternity’ provided the background to my late high school days. It was the springboard to a college career of ‘Cool Water’ and ‘Curve’ and ‘Safari’ and ‘Polo Sport’ – and I’m not proud of any of those choices, but to get a whiff of them now brings me back to very specific moments as I crossed from the teen years into my twenties.

For the past decade or two, I like to think that my taste has refined and evolved, thanks to a richer understanding of life events, as well as a bigger pocketbook. My tastes now are dominated by Tom Ford’s Private Blend collection, which have happily provided memory triggers that is actually worth more than their exorbitant price point. There is no price that can be placed on some of these memories. What price could you put on happiness?

A brush with the exquisite ‘Venetian Bergamot’ brings me back to a 40thbirthday celebration in the Judy Garland suite of the Lenox Hotel, where we met a stuffed lion waiting beside a sparkling ruby red slipper. ‘Japon Noir’ is a smoky resinous beast designed for chilly November nights, a selection I usually save for special dinners with our family and Elaine – the pre-cursor to the holidays. Speaking of holidays, ‘Santal Blush‘ and its sandalwood sweetness have annually provided happy memory triggers, redolent of gifts of frankincense and myrrh.

A whiff of ‘Lavender Palm’ instantly conjures summer in the backyard, as mounds of lavender spill onto the pool deck, mixed and mingled with pushy stands of mint – both providing pleasant perfume when working in the area. 

The classic ‘Oud Wood’ is where my TF collection began. It was a gift from Andy, who gifted me many TF objects over the years, but not all. As we prepared for a family vacation in Cape Cod with a Boston stopover, I popped into the Neiman Marcus at Copley Square and purchased ‘Mandarino di Amalfi’ on my own because I loved it so much and could not wait. To this day, whenever I spray some on I think back to that wonderful vacation – our first with the twins – and an image of Andy and Emi lounging on the beach comes immediately to mind. The amber-hued August days in Boston are conjured with a spritz of ‘Rive d’Ambre’ from his line of Asian-inspired fragrances. That was another one that I loved so much I had to have it as soon as I tried it, and after letting it settle on my skin for a couple of hours I went right back in and got it.

Another gift from Andy, ‘Fucking Fabulous’ is actually a softer scent in spite of its brash moniker. I wore it for a couple of Broadway Mother’s Day weekend excursions with Mom, and it still kindles twinkling nights on Broadway, window shopping days at Bergdorf & Goodman, and endless walks up and down Fifth Avenue.

More summer memories were provided with ‘Costa Azzurra‘ which formed the spicy-sweet backdrop to our trip to Rehoboth Beach. The sun was deliciously hot, the waves were thrillingly immense, and the whole vacation – which coincided with another birthday – was an unexpectedly happy surprise. Along those lines was a rare summer visit to Ogunquit, when we knew we would be on the beach, where salt water met sand, smooth rocks glistened in the sun, and the scent of the ocean drifted on the strong breeze. Andy gave me an early anniversary gift of ‘Oud Minerale’ and worked with the salesperson at Bergdorf’s to insure that it reached us by the time we left for Maine. It worked out marvelously – the mineral elements matching the oceanic setting in a glorious bit of alchemy.

Finally, the coconut-tinged ‘Soleil Blanc’ provides one last dose of summer day memories, and this was another purchase I made on my own. The bottle was a steal (for TF prices at least) thanks to my Sephora VIP discount. (Tom Ford Private Blends never go on sale at other places; Sephora is now stocking more of them, and the VIP sales can usually be applied – a helpful hint hidden for those who stuck with this long-winded post until now.) ‘Soleil Blanc’ is summer incarnate – bright in its pure white bottle and golden seal – with the unmistakable nod to sun-tan lotion raised to an elegant echelon and drying down to powdery gorgeousness.

My cologne shelf is a treasure-trove of such fragrances and, more than mere scent, it’s a collection of memories lovely and dear, markers of the paths we have taken over the years, signifiers of all that we’ve gone through. It is a shelf that exists simultaneously in past and present and, if we’re lucky, future – for all that is to come. Every new day is the opportunity for a new memory, coupled with a new scent, waiting to be revisited on cold winter nights when loneliness creeps in through the cracks.

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Scent of a Prick

When you’ve already released a fragrance called ‘Fucking Fabulous’, the name ‘Rose Prick’ almost feels rather quaint. Of course it’s meant to be more provocative than that, as Tom Ford does so often and so well, but it’s the essence of rose that appeals to me more than the quad-controversial prick part, so let’s get into what I’ve read and heard about this mysterious cock-tease of a scent, and why I so badly desire it even as it’s yet unsniffed. 

Given its powder pink packaging and rose-tinted moniker, I initially didn’t give this one much thought or consideration, especially after the disappointment that was ‘Lost Cherry’. My indifference should have been a warning to me, like a protective thorn, that I should pay closer attention. The world seems to work that way, and once early reports came in indicating that this fragrance was not what it first seemed, I pricked my ears up and listened for the universal whispers. 

My first concern was that this was a redux of ‘Oud Fleur’ which is a rose-centered smoky oud delight, and one of my favorites, and I don’t believe in repeating or approximating Private Blends when they’re so expensive, but I was quickly schooled that this wasn’t anything like ‘Oud Fleur.’ Still, I sought out some excuse not to get into this, and we all know how it goes when you try to resist.

A few online sources provided additional firsthand information – this was not a super floral rose that ventured decidedly into stereotypically feminine territory. If anything, it was a patchouli and tonka-centered oriental take on rose, which is infinitely more appealing to me. Sillage and lasting power were reportedly in full TFPB effect, making this worthy of its price tag. Now I’m thorn, I mean torn, because I really covet this from everything I’ve heard, including the way it carries some serious pepper notes which I absolutely adore. 

I’ll be honest, I was not in the market for another Tom Ford Private Blend – I’ve got enough for life – but this one may delay that judicious decision. The heart wants what it wants as Valentine’s Day approaches…

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A Fragrance Fresh for Winter: Birch & Black Pepper by Jo Malone

Winter demands something clean in a fragrance. The holidays call for excess and fancy finery, and by the time January rolls around I want to shake off that heaviness for something light and clean. Tom Ford’s lighter Private Blends are decidedly summer-slanting, as are the gorgeous perfumes of the Hermes Jardin line. Winter doesn’t want for something sweet. Like the finest cocktails, winter scents are best left on the dry side. A bit woodsy, a bit smoky, and with just a touch of leather. Enter the Huntsman.

A Christmas gift from Andy (after I tried it out on this year’s Holiday Stroll) this is Jo Malone’s ‘Birch & Black Pepper’ cologne, a part of their Huntsman line, currently offered exclusively at Neiman Marcus. (So much for avoiding excess; no place on earth is more extra than NM.) With its top notes of black pepper lending a spicy factor which gives it some heat, this is a dry scent that goes well with the season. The birch notes kick in shortly thereafter, giving it a smoky resin that marries beautifully with the pepper. Dry and warm, with a hint of leather for rugged comfort, it revolves around a base note of gurjum, giving it a heart of wood that staves off the coldest winter wind.

Like many of Malone’s works, ‘Birch & Black Pepper’ is a straight-forward reading of its namesake ingredients (at least, at close to birch as a fragrance is ever going to get), but slightly more potent than the usual light-as-air offerings this house tends to favor. Indicative of its higher price point, there is a bit more staying power, though it still requires multiple sprays to retain anything that’s going to be noticed.

That’s good for winter though, when we are all confined to small spaces with stuffy uncirculated air. This one opens up nicely into such confines, then lets you go on your merry way without commitment or offense.

 

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The Cozy Season in Scents of Amber

Its resinous richness redolent of its namesake, ‘Amber Absolute‘ by Tom Ford is the perfect smoldering scent to greet the deep days of the fall season. I have a perfumed pathway that leads from September to December thanks to Mr. Ford and his Private Blends. It begins with the incense-like ‘Vert D’Encens‘ from his Vert line – the perfect September scent that carries some lingering sweetness from summer into fall. Those transition times are tricky, but the Vert series deftly straddles the shifting line of demarcation. After that, October brings the heat of ‘Amber Absolute’ – when fall is at its most radiant, when the forest leaves are on fire, and when the final warm days of the year release their splendor like it’s their very last show (because it is).

When October goes and November rears its cruel gray head, something smoky and dramatic is needed, which I find in the bracing ‘Japon Noir‘ – a dark shade of soapy night decadence that sparkles in the early blackness of evening. That’s a difficult one for day-wear, but I don’t mind subjecting the office to such a heart of darkness once in a while.

December calls for something special, with the celebratory spirit of the holidays when we need something to brighten the darkest and shortest days of the year. ‘Tuscan Leather‘ and ‘Santal Blush’ are the pair of unlikely sweethearts to see us through those holidays – the former with its smoky sweetness and the latter with its sandalwood opulence. Together they seduce the sense of smell, whispering and gently tugging at all those who follow in their sillage.

As we careen through autumn at full-throttle speed, I’m grateful for such small delights to ease the cooler days and nights. An embrace of cologne can be better than a hug, if you’re as cold as me.

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