HS3

Barney’s does “bag events” right. Saks does not. Last week was the bag event for both Saks and Barney’s. Me, being the sucker I am, had to do both. I picked up a bottle of the new Jo Malone Anise & Vanilla (it really blends well with their others), and a bottle of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere for the GF from Saks. Fortunately, my SA there likes me and always hooks me up – she snuck in an extra bag, and a hand bag for the GF. However, Saks bag events are pretty weak, so even the extra “bags” she threw in still only amounted to a handful of samples (not complaining at all, but you’ll see what I mean).

Barney’s, on the other hand, knows how bag events should be. Granted, the minimum to get a bag from Barney’s is $100 more, but it’s still a pretty impressive prize. I ordered a bottle of Cereus #14 and a bottle of Diptyque L’eau de Neroli from my great SA in the Vegas Barney’s last week. She had to do a drop ship from another store for the Diptyque and claimed they were no longer offering it in 100ml (which I think is a crock), so I had to get the monolithic 200ml. I didn’t include the toiletry bag it all came in (surprisingly high quality for a promotional bag, too!), but here’s a snap of all the goodies she stuffed into it:

That’s the kind of bag event I like. I had asked for a few samples as well, so she made 4ml samples of Serge Lutens Douce Amere, Feminite de Bois, Heeley Esprit du Tigre, and Cuir Pleine Fleur. Every time I’ve ordered from her, I get those monstrous samples… THAT keeps me coming back. Occasionally, I’ll come home to find that she’s sent a few of them anyways without me asking (she sent the whole Byredo line a while back… too bad none did much for me). I guess I need to learn to keep the wallet hidden.

Here are a few shots of the Cereus and Diptyque in a bit more detail…

I know a while back and I had written L’Eau de Neroli off because it had that slightly creamy honey note in it, but at that time I was really looking for a pungent, sharp orange blossom – the L’Artisan I got then did the trick… but this one came back to haunt me. It’s fabulous – and perfect for a generous application in the heat.

There you have it. A couple of gorgeous scents, and a heap load of samples to play with. Drop me a note if you’d like that SA’s name – I’m sure you’ll be just as pleased with her as I have been.

Orange Blossom scents are some of my favorites. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the wonderful Fleur d’Oranger 2007 by L’Artisan Parfumeur from their Exceptional Harvest series. The $295 pricetag is a bit offputting, but it really is one of the most incredible, full orange blossom scents, and I’m a sucker for limited edition, blah, blah. I asked my Barney’s SA (who is also the L’Artisan mgr) and the 2005 is nigh impossible to find, even from the source…. so 2007 it was.

It arrived and it’s gorgeous – even more so than what I’d experienced from the sample that I’d worn a couple times. It’s not just the orange blossom – it’s the whole experience. The leaves, the blossoms, the wood, and the roots. It’s made entirely of orange blossoms from Nabeul in Tunisia. It’s wonderfully unisex and it sticks around, I think, longer than most think it does (a bit of anosmia after a few hours seems to be common with this type of scent). Others notice just a few sprays on me many hours after applying. I’ve even gotten an “Mmmm, you smell like spring in Florida.” That works for me!

Here’s what you can expect if you snag a bottle. They made much more of this one (6000 bottles) than the two thousand something they did for the ‘05 version, no doubt because of its popularity. Mine is 499/6000, so unless they ship them out in a really odd order, there’s not an immediate chance of them selling out.

According to LuckyScent, the paper it’s wrapped in is a silk paper, but from what I can tell, it might as well just be (really nice, of course) tissue paper. It’s presented really well though – and the box is really gorgeous wood in person.

No question – best orange blossom I’ve tried. I think I might even be able to park my quest for orange blossom. On to the next scent!

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!