Fashion

24 Faubourg by Maurice Roucel for Hermès 1995

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Hi to you Lovers of Fine Fragrance,

My mate Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) sometimes has amazing clearances from her Frag Wardrobe and last year I snaffled this little beauty from her. I think she grabbed the Limited edition bottle and knew two was more than she’d ever use. COOL! I have often nearly bought 24 Faubourg but there seemed to be something more pressing at each near buy and it was deferred, now it’s mine (Cue evil laugh and gratuitous hand wringing Mwa HA haaaaa HAAAAAAAaaaa)

24 Faubourg by Maurice Roucel for Hermès 1995

24 Faubourg HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, peach, bergamot, yalan ylang, hyacinth
Heart: Black elder, iris, jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom
Base: Sandalwood, amber, patchouli, vanilla

What I get in the opening is ylang, peach and sweat, like a beautifully perfumed person has gone a little bit long without a shower and they’ve added more fragrance instead of a bath. Maybe 24 Faubourg even smells like the smell of perfume on a scarf the next morning, beautiful, elegant, memorable and a little tired. It is so good, without being totally in your face, that tiny hint of bed head, that après un rapport sexuel (probably a terrible translation by google).

Hermes 24 Faubourg Hermes Lautrec_in_bed WikiPediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

The berries/citrus doesn’t really appear on me till well into the heart and seems woven through the white floral accord so beautifully that it’s hard to separate anything. Currently I am sitting in 31C (88F) inside the house! The fan is doing a lovely job and 24 Faubourg is sublime. I sit in a fragrant cloud of what feels like big money, old money. There’s a dry rustle of patchouli and amber towards the end that I feel is missing some of its buttery goodness from a cool temp wearing.

In this heat I’m lucky to get two hours of fragrant wear before 24 Faubourg becomes a sheer patina of woodsy vanilla that will then stay around another two to three hours and slowly fade away to nothing.

Hermes 24 Faubourg Hermes Versailles snow WikiMediaPhoto Stolen Wikimedia

By the time you read this I will be in frozen Europe, Paris by now and I have lunch at Guerlain, 68 Champs Elysees booked with Neela, a catch up with Denyse Beaulieu, off to do a private English class at the Osmotheque and stomp around Versailles and hopefully two full mornings in the Louvre. YAY! Sometimes I can’t believe my good fortune.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and The Perfume Magazine
You can buy 24 Faubourg online at Hermès Hermès World Site Page<<<JUMP
Surrender To Chance starts at $3/ml

Is 24 Fauberg in your collection? When do you wear it? What magical fantasies does it give you?

Portia xx

I know this is late but I love it. Hermès shoes! YES PLEASE!!!

Hermès Women’s 2013 Fall/Winter Shoe Collection

Fou d’Absinthe by Olivia Giacobetti for L’Artisan Parfumeur 2006

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Recently there was a sale here in Sydney on the L’Artisan range, I grabbed a few for a great price. Fou d’Absinthe was a one spritz buy for me, the green on the box had already sealed its coming home to live status and I love the L’Artisan aesthetic, ease of wearability and quite like the short lifespan of most of their fragrances because it means I can wear more then one fragrance in a day and top up if my choice is to continue with the L’Artisan.

Fou d’Absinthe by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2006

Fou d`Absinthe L`Artisan Parfumeur FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black currant, angelica, wormwood
Heart: Ginger, patchouli, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, cloves
Base: Balsam fir, incense, pine tree needles

Can I be perfectly honest, I’ve never tasted or smelled Absinthe. Never followed the green fairy and never wanted to.

On my skin the sweet green woodsy, non urinous opening is so enjoyable. By the name I was expecting a searing alcoholic rush to open like Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling or Lubin’s Gin Fizz, Olivia Giacobetti has created Fou d’Absinthe in a much more stately vein, a calmer, cooler and more elegant ride. Though you can tell the herbs and spices are there it’s all about the opening woods, black current is backing player for me but it rounds out the initial rush by sweetening but not in a modern department store sweet way but a subtle crisp sparkle over the top.

When the herbs and spices take center stage they are never free of woody undertones and I read them as a Bouquet Garni rather than their individual players. Some times I think, oh there’s pepper or that feels anise-ish but really the feeling is a blending, a composition of these accords to create a seamless whole.

'Fou d`Absinthe L`Artisan Parfumeur Absinthe_Rosinette WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Later the composition skews pine/patchouli and this is my favourite part of the ride, it’s green and crackly, slightly earthy but also dusty and here is where I get a little of the booze I expected in the opening. Not in your face but a subtle growl of alcohol like you’ve just had a shot of something and that grrrrrr you make in the back of your throat at the dry, sharp whoosh that remains.

One of the things I like about Fou d’Absinthe is my own ability to dream that I am a part of the Moulin Rouge crew in Paris at a time when magic was happening. Fou d’Absinthe takes me into the  brilliant lives of the Parisian underworld towards the end of the 1800s which Baz Luhrmann so fabulously captured on film.

'Fou d`Absinthe L`Artisan Parfumeur Playingwithbrushes' FlickrPhoto Stolen Playingwithbrushes’ Flickr

My personal life expectancy for Fou d’Absinthe is around 4 hours when the soft woodsy incense trails off into nothing. An absolutely unisex offering perfect for most occasions, sillage is soft and projection slow but insistent. Sit down for about a minute with your friends and they will start to notice how lovely you smell. Fou d’Absinthe is not a huge compliment getter but every now and then someone will say you smell good when you give them a hello peck or hug.

Further reading: Perfume Smellin’ Things and The Non-Blonde
Neroli Budapest has €96/50ml
Surrender To Chance starts at $4/ml

Have you tried Fou d’Absinthe? What were your thoughts?
We hope you have a great 24 hours till we see you tomorrow,
Portia xx

 

Vetiver Carven by Edouard Hache for Carven 1957

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

Hi There Fume Friends,

Recently I was looking at vetivers and up came a sample of a modern version of a fragrance that I had blurred memories of smelling as a kid on Jim, my Grandma’s second husband. We may even have bought it for him for a birthday or Christmas. Really blurred memory. Anyway My Perfume Samples was having a sale on it, sold out now, and I wanted to see if the modern one bore any resemblance to my poor memories.

Vetiver Carven by Edouard Hache for Carven 1957

Vetiver Carven FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lavender, mandarin orange, clary sage, petitgrain, lemon
Heart: Carnation, sandalwood, orris root, jasmine, vetiver, cedar, bergamot
Base: Amber, musk, oakmoss, myrrh

Righto! So I spritzed about 1ml on my chest and hand. I am now sitting in a lavender fugue with lovely citrus sparkles. It doesn’t smell terribly expensive but it does smell nice and clean. It stays citric through the heart with a little earthy vetiver but by this time it is quiet and unremarkable unless you are sniffing very close. Just a very muted fragrance that is nicer than nothing, really it is quite sweet and not aggressive or in your face. I miss most of the bouquet, there’s some nondescript woods and maybe a nod to oakmoss or it may still be some vetiver, there is a vegetal green that doesn’t smell like a stand out note but is there.

Vetiver Carven Water_drops_green_leaf WikipediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

If you respritz over your initial ones at the 2 hour mark it’s extraordinary how much fuller and more lavish the whole fragrance becomes. Now I get a definite vetiver and the woods are differentiated though I still couldn’t tell if they were cedar or sandalwood but they are woodsier.

Vetiver Carven smells nothing like what I remember Jim wearing, this is a soft scent, a hint, and would be an excellent choice for someone on a budget who may be working in very close quarters, needs something barely there for after the gym or wants to keep a fragrance in their bag that can give them a quick pick me up. Unless the people around you really know their stuff this is not decidedly different from many WAY more expensive options that could cost up to 20 times more. I won’t name names but you know some of the ones I’m talking about….

Vetiver Carven Perlmutter Grandfather WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Perfume Shrine
FragranceX has $23/50ml
The Perfumed Court has the VINTAGE from $6/.5ml

Do you have olfactory memories of Grandparents? Are they as blurry as mine?
Portia x

01/n°03 Down In One 14 by Cécile Matton for Fragrance Republ!c 2013

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Hi APJ,

From Fragrance Republic site: FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C 01/03 was inspired by the deliciously complex yet accessible mojito, the sunny, potent, Cuban drink. Marrying the fresh, exuberant aspect of mint and lemon to the darkly sweet and powerful Rhum Pure Jungle Essence creates a sparkling effervescent fusion.

APJ readers please check out the website. I cannot possible do it justice. There is so much fascinating information on it, including a conversation between Denyse Beaulieu (of Grain de Musc) and the perfumer Cécile Matton.

FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C is a club of fragrance enthusiasts that gives exclusive access to original fine fragrances as created by world class perfumers ……….. you may read on yourselves.

FRAGRANCE REPUBL!C 01/n°03 by Cécile Matton 2013

01 03 Down In One 14 Fragrance Republic FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Gurjum (a resin that flows naturally from the trees of the dipterocarpus species); Mojito Accord (Rhum Pure Jungle Essence, Mint, Lemon)

So onto the 01/03 juice. I have a 21 year old son. He works with the deaf. He is a body builder. (He is also extremely sick of me shoving various parts of my body under his nose and telling him to sniff.) I sprayed a hefty amount of n°03 onto paper as he walked into the room. Let´s just say I don´t own the bottle any more.

01 03 Down In One 14 Fragrance Republic Muscle Boy FlickrPhoto Stolen Hammerin Man Flickr

It smells very resiny in the beginning and quite peppery. It sweetens up as time goes on, but the lemony overtones stop it from being cloying. It is bright and exhilarating and exuberant. It veers towards the masculine side of the spectrum to my nose, but that could be because my son has been wearing it for month. He said one of the reasons he likes it so much is because no one else has it! Ah ha.
Perhaps he has inherited some of my snobby perfume habits after all!

So Perfumista Mums and Dads. You all have an advantage over me. When your kids start to reach that age of totally covering themselves in Axe (aaaaargh, scream, ) you have a great option. Treat them, and in turn yourselves to FR!´s 01/03. You cannot go wrong. They´ll thank you for it.

I can only say bring on 01/04 … these are fab and we want more.

Love from Austria, where I am sat with Portia and Michael. Well, someone´s gotta do it.

Bussis from us all
CQ

With thanks to FR! for giving me the opportunity to sniff!!

L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2003

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 7 Comments

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello perfumed Peeps!

I’ve loved the Frederic Malle range ever since it launched here in Sydney years ago but Jean Claude Ellena’s pared down aesthetic has never really been my cup of tea. It therefore took me some time to first appreciate and then fall in love with his masterpiece for the Malle line. And it’s been well worth the wait.

L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle 2003

Picture 308Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, heliotrope, jasmine, iris, honey, angelica, white musk.

The real beauty of this scent is its enigmatic quality. It manages to feel both cool and warm at the same time and the gentle unfolding of these polar opposites is what makes L’Eau d’Hiver so magical. There’s the slight cool tang of the bergamot in the opening underscored with the piquant pepperiness of angelica.

The addition of iris exacerbates the detached coolness and earthiness before the soft powderiness of heliotrope is joined by sweetness of honey. Even as the scent warms up, the angelica and iris continue to peek through the layers like soft droplets of snow or sparkling white ice.

L'Eau d'Hiver Frederic Malle angel_desnudo_ DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

L’Eau d’Hiver is somewhat of a mesmerising drug of a fragrance. Under its spell, I manage to detach from my normal frazzled self and become a calm, serene, contemplative being. It also makes me feel completely elegant. It is the olfactory equivalent of a white silk blouse, fluid and graceful and something that just makes you feel “put together”.

And as Dionne noted in her much more comprehensive APJ L’Eau d’Hiver review, despite its name, L’Eau d’Hiver works in all sorts of temperatures and seasons. I’ve been enjoying wearing it recently on temperate summer’s days.

L'Eau d'Hiver Frederic Malle Harkness_Tower WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Further reading: Chemist in the Bottle and Olfactoria’s Travels
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $124/3 x 10ml
Surrender to Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

Have you tried L’Eau D’Hiver? What are your I-just-feel-complete fragrances?

With much love till next time!

M x

Nuit de Tubéreuse by Bertrand Duchaufour for L`Artisan Parfumeur 2010

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Hello Fans of Floral Extravaganza,

Even some of you who hate the BWF, that is the Big White Floral, may take to todays L’Artisan Parfumeur offering. Who knows? Don’t knock it till you try it at least 20 times say I. One of the prettiest L’Artisan bottles with its additional art nouveau inspired bottle paintings on the iconic heptagon bottle that could easily be your one and only.

Nuit de Tubéreuse by Bertrand Duchaufour for L`Artisan Parfumeur 2010

Nuit de Tubereuse L`Artisan Parfumeur FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Clove, pink pepper, mandarin, black pepper, cardamom, citrus
Heart: green mango, tuberose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, rose,
Base: Broom, musks, vanilla, sandalwood, palisander, benzoin, styrax, angelica

So fragrantica.com have different pictures to their notes text so as we all think most of the notes lists are bullshit anyway I’ll just tell you what I smell on me, and I have been in the pool today so you might get s slightly skewed reading.

Well, the Nuit de Tubéreuse rush at first is completely pepper/citrus and there is a sweetness that feels fruity and modern, it has a juniper waft and I am reminded slightly of gin. Pretty, potent and fun are the words that jump into my head. To be completely honest the opening could be an expensive and well thought out celebuscent/designer offering. I digress…

Nuit de Tubereuse L`Artisan Parfumeur Jason Bache FlickrPhoto Stolen Jason Bache  Flickr

The heart of Nuit de Tubéreuse is what makes me love this fragrance so much, the bouquet with a sharp sizzle of unripe fruit and I think this is where we see the herbal cardamom more than the opening and the angelica is a lovely counterpoint through quite a bit of Nuit de Tubéreuse, the whole is so different to anything else I own. The green sappy tuberose and the un-sensual warmth of clean orange blossom and ylang-ylang combine with the rest to create something audacious but wearable. This is not a sexy siren of a scent, there is no come hither and get funky, the flowers are very strictly controlled, cleaned and virginal.  A new interpretation of an old theme, which is what L’Artisaan is so loved for, but done in a way that is accessible to everyone. Some perfumistas find Nuit de Tubéreuse tiresome and boring because it doesn’t push the limits of tuberose but I don’t think that is a necessity, there is definitely room for a softer, more languorous tuberose that doesn’t feel like a confrontation or that you need to get it to have your perfumista stripes.

Nuit de Tubereuse L`Artisan Parfumeur Carolyn Jewel FlickrPhoto Stolen Carolyn Jewel  Flickr

Above all I think Nuit de Tubéreuse feels clean, fresh and pampered. It is hefty for a L’Artisan and gives good projection and sillage but the lasting power is similar, at 3-5 hours depending, to most others they make. A showstopper? Yes. A devil may care naughty wink with attitude? Not so much.

During my clean out I have found more than one bottle of Nuit de Tubéreuse, I am a NAUGHTY frag addict.

Further reading: Kafkaesque and Now Smell This
Libertine Parfumerie have $188/100ml (Australia)
Parfum1 have$120/50ml
Surrender To Chance start at $5/ml

Have you tried this tricky tuberose? Do you want to?
Loads of good wishes till tomorrow, see you then,
Portia xx

Pervious L’Artisan Parfumeur APJ reviews
Amour Nocturne/Deleria/Skin on Skin
Cote d’Amour
L’Eau d’Ambre
L’Eau du Navigateur
Passage d’Enfer
Piment Brulant
Premier Figuier Extreme
Safran Troublant
Seville a l’Aube
Tea for Two
Vanille Absolument
Voleur de Roses

 

Eau Absolue by Mona de Orio 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hello my lovelies,

One of my favourite Niche/Indie houses Mona do Orio was busy in 2013 bringing out two fragrances. This was the first offering and I wanted to give a bit of space between the lovely reviews for launch and a look at it after some time, giving the dust a moment to settle. I have here a 10ml decant about 1/4 used. Whenever I reach for it I think that I will want to wear it every day but then, of course, pick up something else tomorrow. When I wear it often the thought “Dessert Island Top Ten” passes through my brain. Would it be? Hopefully I’ll never have to choose.

Eau Absolue by Mona de Orio 2013

Eau Absolue Mona di Orio FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica Gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, clementine, petitgrain
Heart: Geranium, java vetiver oil, bay leaf, pink pepper
Base: Cedar, musk, labdanum

BZZZZZZZ! The citrus opening is loads of fun but kept from being a zingy space cadet by whispers of the resins to come even in the first minute. While I sit here in a balmy Sydney summer evening I am enjoying the very unexpected opening. I have read a few reviews before writing tonight, which is not something I usually do, so my expectations were for something quite different, something more mainstream and fizzy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is, as I should always expect with a Mona di Orio fragrance, something quite densely layered with everything in the notes list all at once and what will happen is certain accords will get precedence on occasion.

Eau Absolue Mona di Orio Chris Isherwood FlickrPhoto Stolen Chris Isherwood  Flickr

I get zero geranium or pink pepper but the citrus, bay, musk and labdanum seem to be the stars in Eau Absolue for my skin and nose. Eau Absolue is warm, cuddly and inviting without giving any sexual vibes and almost no fleshy animal. It’s so friendly and smells like my Mum and the kitchen would smell during winter, like food seasonings, smoke, wool wash, clean skin and unconditional love. There is something waxy and lip balm-ish too. I am madly in love with the memories Eau Absolue is conjuring. What an enjoyable ride, when I normally spritz Eau Absolue I just enjoy the fragrance and don’t really stop to question the whys and wherefors, sitting here and having the time and space to let my mind wander and really enjoy this beautiful, flawless creation by Mona di Orio is a joyful experience and I think I’ve been smiling for two hours. This is the good stuff and if I wasn’t going on a perfume voyage in a moment I’d be looking up LuckyScent or Peony Melbourne and ordering.

 Eau Absolue Mona di Orio Eleazar FlickrPhoto Stolen Eleazar Flickr

Though Eau Absolue is not a big projector it does have good silllage and I get around 5-6 hours of fragrant wear before it dries down to a soft fuzzy powdery wash. Wearable? Anywhere. Everywhere. Dress up or down. Dawn or dusk or romantic interlude.

Further reading: The Non-Blonde and Chemist In A Bottle
LuckyScent has $230/100ml
Surrender To Chance samples start at $7/ml

I think this could be my everyday wear frag. Eau Absolute is comfortable like so many of the Mona di Orios and so fabulously unusual too. Is there one of these for you that you still don’t have a Full Bottle of? Why?

My answer is that I will never get through 100ml of it. 100ml is a LOT of fragrance for a perfumista but if I see someone selling their 50mls left, reasonably priced, on a list I will jump all over it.

I hope your day is happy and bright,

Portia x

 

Limette 37 by Le Labo 2013

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Hi Hi Hi,

I know, I know, I know! I’m late to the party, this has finished its scheduled sale. Yes, I know. Here’s the thing though, I have been so inundated by fragrance that this and another 2013 release Cuir 28 have been lying idle in their pack awaiting moderation. I remember this being slated for its incredible cost $440/100ml and that it didn’t last at all well, nor was its development interesting enough to warrant such outrageous pricing. OK, so I will try it and see how it goes…

Limette 37 by Le Labo 2013

Limette 37 Le Labo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lime, bergamot, jasmine, petitgrain, cloves, vetiver, tonka bean, musk

Soapy, that’s what I smell. It’s like a soap we had here in Australia when I was growing up called Palmolive Gold. The tagline “Don’t wait to be told, you need Palmolive Gold” was a schoolyard maxim that would be sung to anyone showing the least sign of body odour.

Here the fresh lemony/citrus smell is tempered by jasmine, actually after the first 10 minutes jasmine become the main focus on my skin. A very clean, pretty jasmine with still a zesty citrus wash over it. I think musk is around too, though I can’t smell it exactly it feels like its there just out of my olfactory reach. All the other accords are not in evidence at the one hour mark to me, but my nose is notoriously wonky.

This morning I awoke to a very soft scent that was still humming around, a musky vanilla citrus. It was easily discernible while lying on my hand in the moments of half asleep and half awake but when I got up and walked to the kitchen to make a cuppa I lost most of it and was left with something not quite fragrant.

Limette 37 Le Labo Lemon_slice DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

I am sorry to agree with the majority in this instance, for the kind of dollars Le Labo were asking I want much more, I want it to sing and tap dance across the air from skin to nostril, I want fireworks and magic tricks. Don’t get me wrong, if you are filthy rich then this will be a perfectly good fragrance for you and I hope you enjoy it and your lovely life of luxury. On the other hand, if you are like me, that $440 could be spent on two or even four much more worthy bottles. For my money that’s a bottle of Ashoka by Neela Vermeire Creations and a export bottle of Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle.

Further reading: The Perfume Shrine and Now Smell This
Surrender To Chance samples start at $6/.5ml

Did you try Limette 37? Was it worth the hype for you? Did you wish for a spare $440?
Portia xx

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 Ad Campaign

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

Fashionistas!!!

This years advertising is already hotting up. Donna Karan has done a super set of shots and I’ve grabbed them from my fave Fashion Forward blog: art8amby where I also lifted the below script. Do go check their stuff, right on point every day.

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 Ad Campaign

Brazilian bombshell Adriana Lima is returning to be the face of Donna Karan New York. The super sexy and fierce Adriana was once their campaign model for Spring Summer 2012 season. She is accompanied by top male model Andres Velencoso Segura for the images that were snapped by Russell James. (source)

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 #1

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 #2

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 #3

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 #4

Donna Karan Spring Summer 2014 #5

Escada Magnetism by Pierre Bourdon and Steve Demercado 2003

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

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Post by Chairman Meow

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Hi APJ,

Recently, after combing through my local classifieds for an interesting scented bargain, I found myself in the thick of my old uni stomping grounds, knocking on a stranger’s door. It was answered by an ample bosomed young lady with a nuclear tan in Ugg boots.
“Come in, darl” she beamed, ushering me through the house. Her room, ascetically furnished, was redolent of a recently extinguished cigarette, masked by generous spritzes of Gucci Guilty. She waved an expansive hand at the half dozen or so fragrances sitting on her bookcase.
“I’m addicted to perfumes, babe. I keep buying them but I can’t use them all”. I politely agreed it was a splendid collection. Attempting to engage my young son in friendly banter, and receiving a churlish stare as her reward, she accepted my payment and I made a hasty exit to examine my prize.

Escada Magnetism by Pierre Bourdon and Steve Demercado 2003

Escada Magnetism Escada FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, black currant, melon, red berries, cassia and litchi
Heart: Magnolia, iris, green leaves, freesia, basil, jasmine, caraway, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose and almond blossom
Base: Sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, benzoin, caramel, vetiver and vanilla

But if you want an indication of what Magnetism is about, you need look no further than the flacon, the berry candy stalactite with its tongue-grazing chiselled edges, portentous of the juice within.
And indeed, Magnetism is a high-octane, fruit-astic confection with the stones to comfortably take on and take out the best of its ilk in a foxy boxing match. Its opening is familiar enough, a concoction of toffeed berries and that generic citrus note that seems to cut, like industrial grade detergent, through the tallow of many a sugary composition. It is accompanied for the first few minutes by something verdant, making for a crisp, if not bracing salvo.

Escada Magnetism Escada Fruit Display FlickrPhoto Stolen Omar A.  Flickr

After this point many of its poorer cousins will then trail off into some sort of perfume mumble, and evanesce into a vague vanilla-[insert unidimensional accord of choice] concoction, like an olfactory half finished sentence. Magnetism, apparently with more thought given to it, holds its shape for longer with quite distinguishable benzoin, patchouli and amber into the dry down. Later in its long, long life, I can make out something a little seedy, the faint whiff of smoker’s breath, as if the perfume had been imprinted with the memory of its former mistress.

Escada Magnetism Escada smoker DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Magnetism is aptly named, and evidently aimed at attracting the non-thinking sex symbol. Perhaps the most decisive indication of its common denominator appeal is the grunt of “nice” it got from Chairman Woof – high praise from one whose usual appraisals range from “non-specific” to “I don’ t like it”.

FragranceNet has $43/50ml before coupon
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml

One reviewer on Basenotes thought it would “be great as a stripper scent”, and whilst my limited stripping experience precludes comment, I will venture that it is a perfume for the extroverted, saucy even, for those liberal in their use of “darl” and “babe”. I’m saving mine to trot out when I need to get my slapper on.

Chairman Meow. X