HS3

I got the email from LuckyScent saying they had Back to Black in stock and within minutes, I was on the site to order a sample. I had high hopes for it – I wanted to like it. I’d enjoyed Calice Becker’s previous work with By Kilian, so I was set. I got the samples I’d ordered a few days later and dumped them all out on the table, excited to try all the new goodies.

I sniffed the Back to Black directly from the stick and immediately thought “wow, this is going to be good.” I put a bit on the back of my hand and looked forward to what would come of it. It opened with a jammy berry note, almost so tart and pungent that it could tingle your glands. It then transitioned into a wonderful almond woody note, sweetened by vanilla and honey with a touch of warm patchouli. All seemed to be going well. A good while later into the dry down, the honey started to come out a bit more than I was hoping. It was similar to the honey note in the base of Miel de Bois by Serge Lutens. Not good. Hours later, all that was left was the pulsing honey note, all too close to the smell of a well-used port-a-potty on a hot day. Honey isn’t listed as one of the notes and the Kilian website isn’t updated yet, but it seems like a number of people are getting a big honeyed tobacco note pretty strongly.

I’m going to revisit it in hopes that it was a fluke – perhaps applying it by swiping didn’t let it develop the way it needed to.

Longevity and projection are both huge – just from the bit I had on my hand, I was getting wafts of it all afternoon. Also, from that same little bit on my hand, I could still smell it the next morning and still traces after showering.

I’ll try again soon.

Notes from Luckyscent:
Bergamot, raspberry, blue chamomile, cardamom, coriander, saffron, cedarwood, vanilla, almond, vetiver, cistus labdanum, patchouli, oakmoss.

This is the first in the Parfum d’Empire line and one of the first few that I’ve tried in this intriguing line. So far, I’ve only tried a few from Parfum d’Empire, but I’ve been impressed with all of them so far.

Here are the notes for Eau de Gloire:
lemon, bergamot, rosemary, orange, neroli, lavender, tea, anise, licorice, leather, tobacco, incense, immortelle, oakmoss, cistus.

This was done in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte, due to his love for fragrance. Actually, the entire line is based on the premise of mixing history with perfume. It may be a bit gimmicky, but I like it, so I guess it got me.

For the longest time, immortelle was not one of my favorite notes. It always smelled a bit off for some reason. I couldn’t describe it, but never felt comfortable with it. My tastes have done a huge 180 since then though and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it lately (Eau Noire is perfection in a tall, green bottle). I was really intrigued by the idea of immortelle playing with the icy anise note here so had to try it. It is blended really well – it’s not easy for me to really pick out any certain notes but right off the bat, I’m treated to a gorgeous melange of woodsy tobacco, leather and anise (but more natural, less like the icy licorice style), with hints of immortelle, all introduced by a crisp, yet velvety citrus curtain that immediately begins its development and parts to reveal the heart. I had somewhat expected a sharp licorice type opening for some reason, but was pleasantly surprised with a rich natural blend that incorporates everything into a wonderfully smooth scent. Nothing is fighting for center stage, and I never felt like anything was dominating the rest. Part of me wishes there was a touch more immortelle presence in this, but I think if it did, it might throw the whole thing off kilter. The leather in the base is perfect, reminding me of a similar treatment in China White. This one is a winner – it may have to find its way onto my shelf.

I really love orange blossom scents. They really seem to agree with my skin and are perfect in summer heat. I wear it to the beach, to work, you name it. My two current favorites are Fleurs d’Oranger by Le Labo and Orange Blossom Cologne by Jo Malone. Naturally, I sought out more to add to the genre. I thought I’d explore the world of Neroli – the blossom of the bitter orange tree, a spicier, slightly less floral cousin to the sweet orange blossom so common here in Florida. I ordered samples of Diptyque L’eau de Neroli and Profumum Neroli from Luckyscent.

Diptyque L’eau de Neroli. It started perfectly – this was it… the bright, light sweet orange blossom scent that I love, with a touch of zing from bitter neroli and verbena. The verbena added something extra in the opening that was gorgeous. In about 10 minutes though, all that was gone. The scent got sweeter by the minute, and creamy (luckyscent says that’s the beeswax talking). It’s a nice scent, but I’m not after orange blossom with a creamy musk base. I want the crisp and tart, but light and floral take. Next.

Profumum Neroli. This started in a huge classic way – traditional EDC notes led by sharp citrus, and less about blossoms. It stays crisp and dry throughout, never veering the creamy sweet way the Diptyque did, but I’m looking for something a bit more about the blossom, and less about the sharpness classic citrus structure.

The search continues!

I often put a bit of a fragrance on the back of my hand to sniff during the day at work and sample. Today, I decided to grab a random Bond out of my desk drawer at home – I grabbed Astor Place and thought I’d give it some more attention since I’d only briefly smelled it in the store up til now.

When I first put it on, I got a pleasant, but not exceptional plummy fruit note. It seemed nice enough and I thought perhaps it could be something the GF would like when she wanted something light or girly. By the time I had gotten to work, it had fallen flat. I’m not sure exactly what the culprit is, but it’s turned into the smell of shampoo. I lived with a number of girls one year in college, and this is the smell of their just-washed hair while getting ready to go out for the night. I think the freesia may be to blame, but I can’t be certain. What I get now is nothing more than wet Pantene hair. Every now and then, I get a pop of citrus, likely the mandarin sticking its head out for a breath of air.

I wrote most of this earlier and then headed to a meeting. Astor Place did evolve some, but not much. There were a few minutes that I felt like it was going to turn into something better, more tart – but then it settled back into a shampooed head. The juicy mandarin is smothered with the hammering freesia and white florals.

I’m left pretty disappointed for the most part. It’s a pity – the bottle is quite a sight, and the real location seems to be very cool. Perhaps that intersection has a lot of recently washed heads of hair.