Penhaligon's Lothair - my new poison

Penhaligon's Lothair eau de toilette is my first major fragrance crush - and major scent investment - for the start of 2016. This unisex composition by Bertrand Duchaufour is based around smoky black tea, which I love.

Aside from this one thing, it's actually pretty darned hard to describe because it is made up of so many contrasting facets. It is bright and luminous in the top, with an almost antiseptic "lavender and greens" men's cologne opening. Then it quickly goes from clean and dapper to something decidedly more exotic and dark as the smoky black tea blooms. 

Top notes - juniper, cardamom, bergamot, grapefruit, fig leaf and red berries   

Heart notes - fig tree, lavender, magnolia, geranium and black tea  

Base notes - vanilla, musk, cedar, ambergris, oakmoss and wood

In cool environments, I find the tea and lavender are the most prominent and stay a long time, tinged slightly by geranium and a mossy woody base. My preference is wearing it in warmer, balmier weather, because that's when the citrus, tea, juniper and oakmoss is quickly balanced and rounded out by a soft sweetness from the combination of florals, fig, and a hint of ambery vanilla, which reminds me of a divine Earl Grey Lavender ice-cream float I once had. A perfect swirl of freshness, fragrance, restrained bitterness, creaminess, and just a hint of sweetness on the tongue.

Even when the warmer notes come through, the scent never crosses the line into outright girliness. What I love best is that it has traits of both typical masculine and feminine scents, but it's not a bland androgynous sexless mush. It's actually seriously sexy - I would love it on either a man or a woman, although as a woman wearing it, I tend to think of statuesque Eva Green in a structured pant suit; angles and curves - introverted, mysterious, and slightly aloof. 

Ironically, I find the official reference to old colonial English Tea Clipper ships a bit blah and uninspiring. I mean - it's a perfect representation of exotic tea leaves and spices being transported over the sea in wooden ships - but that's just not a visual I find nearly as fascinating as the scent itself. 

Even though it lends itself to both casual and formal settings well, I somehow feel like I shouldn't wear cheap clothes with it. It's sharp, stylish and refined. Something to wear with that Saint Laurent jacket and spike heels.

Lasting power: 4-6 hours, very good for an EDT on my dry skin

Throw: low - after the initial blast of lavender and juniper, this is a scent that mostly wraps around you like a soft throw

Sillage: moderate - this leaves a soft trail for a short distance as you pass

Chanel No 5... My Kinda Snow Globe!

Can it get any more adorable than this?

Chanel Beauty is giving away a limited quantity of gorgeous No 5 parfum snow globes to VIP customers in Singapore this year; if you are a regular and received the latest holiday mailer from them, don't just chuck it out - there's a little invitation inside with instructions to redeem a holiday gift, and you need that invite in order to get this lovely thing.

I haven't been into snow globes since I grew past the age of about 8 but how's this for a great conversation piece when guests come over during the festive season?

And it's fitting, because a century ago, perfumer Ernest Beaux had wanted to capture the scent of fresh snow when he created the aldehydic top notes which would later be used in Chanel No 5. The rest, as they say, is history.

As a teen this was the very first proper perfume that I ever noticed. I had a tiny little tester vial which I treasured and would dab on to feel oh-so-grown-up and sophisticated. Strange, because I had almost no exposure to perfumes then and "Chanel" meant nothing to me. Somehow - even then - it smelt beautiful and womanly to me.

I was on holiday in a Winter climate when I first smelt it as young girl, and I've always associated the scent with cold weather and holidays since.

It's not something I wear often these days - but I still appreciate its history and the nostalgia. 

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet SG50 Engraved Bottles

In honor of Singapore's 50th National Day, the house of Dior is celebrating SG50 with 6 exquisite limited edition engraved designs on their #1 bestselling fragrance in Singapore, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet.

There will be 6 different designs available for sale at separate Dior beauty counters island-wide.

Vanda Miss Joaquim (pictured above) features Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, engraved all across the front. This design is exclusively available at Dior Robinsons The Heeren.

Garden City (Dior Boutique, ION) and Flower Kingdom (Takashimaya) are two rather similar palm leave and flower designs, except the Garden City design features an orchid, and Flower Kingdom has less distinct floral patterns.

I especially like Tropical Paradise (Dior Robinsons, Raffles City) which features chic fans of tropical palm/coconut leaves.

Marina Bay Sands (Dior Boutique, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands) and The Merlion (Dior Tangs Plaza) show off cute city skylines along the base of the bottles.

Dior's done a lot of glass engraving in the past year or so with their glass artist, but this series feels extra special to me. How many times do we get  to celebrate our 50th year of independence? Maybe my grandchildren can pull this out one day to admire and look back, when we're celebrating our 100th National Day.

A Little Love for "Little Red Love", from The Little Red Dot

As cities go, Singapore isn't usually the source of inspiration for many fine fragrances. There are plenty of scents named after places like New York, Tokyo, London, etc. Cities that have traditionally been acknowledged as having such distinctive cultures and atmospheres that they resemble nowhere else in the world. 

But this year, Sephora has teamed up with Firmenich nose, Alexandre Freile, to launch a special fragrance in honor of Singapore's 50th year of independence.

Little Red Love (so named for the "Little Red Dot" used to fondly refer to our island nation as it appears on world maps), was inspired by Freile's 8 years of living and working in Singapore. I admit when I first received the 12ml rollerball, I was slightly intrigued. There is no brand, no perfumer's name written on the bottle to mark ownership, nothing to indicate its identity aside from the name and visuals. And all they say is "this is Singaporean".

I was frankly a little apprehensive because it could turn out like those gimmicky things like "I love Singapore" magnets and Merlion-shaped chocolates. Singaporean only on the very surface.

But the moment I rolled it on, I went "ahhhh". It's a little familiar, a little unique.

Little Red Love features some accords and natural ingredients from Asia that I love in perfumery.

Top: Citrus, Osmanthus (Chinese speakers might know it more as "Gui4 Hua1"), plum blossom
Heart: Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, tea, mint, rice
Base: Incense resin, sandalwood, cashmere wood, musk

But what really impressed me? The orchid.

In Western perfumery, "orchid" is a very often-abused name used for floral-vanillic accords. There are a dozen cheap celebrity fragrances claiming to contain some fantasy form of orchid or other ("white chocolate orchid", "fire orchid" and all that nonsense), and I often find it funny when I hear people claiming their favorite floral note is orchid, based on scents that mostly smell nothing like orchid.

It was extremely refreshing to smell a much more realistic, watery, fleshy, NON-sugary orchid accord here. On me, the fresh citrus-osmanthus opening lingers quite a while and blends in with the orchid-tea heart. The plum blossom barely adds a little sweetness and I don't get a lot of tea. The mint isn't a pepperminty/spearminty toothpaste scent. It's barely there in the background and just gives a cool freshness to the overall scent.

For me this is pretty linear actually. It sweetens and goes from fruity-floral to more of an herbal-floral as it warms up, but there isn't a very dramatic change. Even as it dries down, it doesn't become a dark musky scent. It's still quite a soft, luminous orchid floral, but with a clean, warm skin-scent.

I have no info on the concentration (whether it is classified as an Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette). Lasting power was surprisingly high for a fresh floral - I was surprised when the drydown lingered on my skin overnight. It stops projecting after about 3-4 hours for me though, and becomes a soft skin scent after that. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys fresh florals (which is almost everyone in Singapore) and are curious to try something that is just a bit different from the other fresh watery fragrances around. This isn't a fruity Summer-cologne scent. It has that sparkle and breeziness, but is slightly more grown-up and cosmopolitan at the same time.

The 50ml size is housed in a clean, minimalist glass bottle with squared shoulders, with cute font and a sketch of a couture gown in red and white, Singapore's national colors. It's quite a nice representation of the scent itself; there is a certain pared-down, easy-going glamour. It feels familiar, but just when you want to dismiss it, you catch a whiff of something just a little unique. Not too unlike Singapore, I guess!

 “Singapore has a purity and an intensity no word can describe. In this creation I strived for encapsulating its unique blend of cultures, harmony of traditions, and mix of smells, as a gift to a country that has so warmly welcomed me. [...] This is my creative interpretation of harmony & love, both of which I have experienced in my time here." -  Alexandre Freile

Little Red Love is available only at SEPHORA ION from 23 July 2015 while stocks last. The 50ml is priced at SGD$88 while the 12ml is only launching August, so keep an eye out for a pricing update!

Maison Martin Margiela's REPLICA Fragrances

Most run-of-the-mill mainstream fragrances are like Summer blockbuster flicks. Designed to be worn by as many people as possible in as many occasions as possible. They are versatile and pleasing to most noses, but also instantly recognizable and - sadly, often quite common. "She's wearing Light Blue." or "Oh, that's the third person in the office wearing Coco Mademoiselle."

A lot of niche houses on the other hand, try to give you the nasal equivalent of an art film. Sometimes quiet and melancholy, some occasionally pretty, some violently disturbing, but mostly politically incorrect and aimed at a very small section of the population that is often willing to pay a hefty price for an olfactory adventure, and to smell unique.

I understand they use slightly more expensive ingredients in many cases, but they also save millions and millions by skipping the mainstream ad campaigns and retail outlets, so I don't really see a reason to charge us so much for a bottle of Amouage - but Maison Margiela (which I'll call MM for now) - has created a line which I like to classify as "niche-lite", because it aims to combine the benefits of both mainstream and niche fragrances; the slightly more accessible price of a designer fragrance, with a little of the uniqueness and evocative nature of a niche line.

Everything about this series says "relaxed minimalism with a twist". It's all beautifully chic. From the plain labeled cardboard boxes with a single faded image to serve as a "window" into the scent, to the practical, almost clinical-looking cap-free bottles, and the surprising accent of a label made of fabric.

Martin Margiela REPLICA in Lazy Sunday Morning

The 10ml roller ball tubes cost just SGD$23 and the large bottles - which I forget the exact price of now - are definitely below $200 in Singapore. Lazy Sunday Morning has just been sent to me, and I haven't worn it enough on my skin to give a proper review but I can tell you it's very charming, and it lasts and projects pretty well considering it's a fresh floral in a roll-on. A perfect introduction to the line if you aren't ready to veer too far off the beaten path. Strangely, this reminds me a bit of old-school floral colognes that women in earlier times used to splash on - in a good way. It contains white musk, iris, woods, pear, and rose. This was created by Louise Turner, who made Chloe's Love and J-Lo Glow, so you know she does fresh florals extremely well.

It doesn't remind me so much of Sunday morning in bed (well my bed doesn't smell like flowers) as it does Sunday morning at the dressing table surrounded by luxurious skincare and makeup.

I discovered MM a year ago at the TANGS fragrance section - and picked up Beach Walk, which is one of MM's first 3 scents. Created by Jacques Cavallier - responsible for classics such as Issey Miyake l'Eau d'Issey, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique housed in that famous bodice bottle, Stella by Stella McCartney, and Dior Midnight Poison, just to name a few - and his frequent collaborator Marie Salamagne - who did Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic, Jo Malone Silk Blossom and Tuberose Angelica, as well as the mainstream hit of 2014, YSL Black Opium, this particular scent has a lot of creative clout at its back.

It's surprisingly wearable and "easy" to like though.

Meant to evoke warm, clean, sun-kissed skin that has a tang of salt from the ocean, this contains bergamot, lemon, pink pepper, ylang ylang, coconut milk, musk, and heliotrope. It's almost tropical, and settles into a nice, slightly-salty oceanic white floral. If you enjoy those beach holiday candle scents from Yankee and BBW, you might just love this one. If you were expecting some super-unique niche smell that will singe your nose hairs and make people' eyes roll up in the elevators, look somewhere else.

Jazz Club, on the other hand, was the other fragrance I wanted - but had been sold out the first time I was at the counter. I eventually managed to grab one - the last bottle at the time - during a later TANGS members' sale. 

I'm still slightly surprised it's popular here in Asia. I haven't met a single person who actually wears this. Where are all the cool men (and women) in Singapore smelling like Jazz Club?! Do people buy this and pull it out in secret to sniff at home when nobody is around? (It's like bright limited edition lipstick colors from MAC. They always sell out in Singapore, but you never see anyone wearing them when you're out.) Odd but true.

Anyway, Jazz Club was created by Alienor Massenet, who is not that familiar to me. She's better known for working on niche lines like Memo, and has quite a few unisex and male fragrances under her belt. Jazz club has just 3 main accords. Tobacco, Leather, Rum. It's deep, smoky, sexy, but surprisingly slightly translucent as well; not dense and thick or sugary. The tobacco and leather makes it masculine at the first sniff, but it warms up once the slightly syrupy rum comes in. If you like scents like Tom Ford Velvet Orchid, you would probably at least like this a little. It's listed as a Male fragrance, but I daresay it can just as easily be the femme fatale, as it can be James Bond.

All in all, I would say this line isn't all-out niche. It won't give you the level of excitement or concentrated strength of a Serge Lutens line. It's probably closer to Diptyque territory, or a less-posh Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Think of it as cK to the more expensive Calvin Klein, or Armani Exchange to Armani. It's designed to bring a little upscale creativity and "guts" into the mid-range market. And I respect them for that.

Performance is just ok. These won't last for 8 hours and - interesting as they are - none of them blow my socks off. (I can say the same for most other fragrance lines by the way.) But I still think it's a great one to start with if you are getting ready to move beyond designer scents and mainstream cosmetic brands like Fresh, etc.

Innisfree unveils new store at VivoCity and launches new home and body fragrance line

All-natural K-beauty brand Innisfree unveils their largest store in Singapore at VivoCity today, 1 July 2015, and will also launch their range of scented candles, diffusers and perfumed body water here.

Fans of natural home and body fragrances will have fun exploring the 2,450 square foot outlet and sniffing the fragrance range which includes:

• 10 soy-coconut candles (150g, SGD$42)
• 20 reed diffusers (100ml, $30)
• 7 perfumed body waters (150ml, $26)

The hand-made soy and coconut wax candles aren't cheap compared to the typical large candles you can get from Yankee and Bath and Body Works, but these are 100% natural, phthalate-free, made without paraffin, and have soot-free wicks. The scents I've smelt so far are all quite subtle and fresh, and are great for smaller spaces. Plus they make gorgeous little gifts.

The available scents are:

Apricot Blossom
Champagne Supernova
Cherry Blossom
Green Jasmin
Jeju Camellia
Jeju Green Tea
Jeju Volcanic Ash
Risky Citrus
Sleep Well
Pear

I've yet to smell the full range, but right now my favorite is Jeju Volcanic Ash, which sounds odd but smells SO clean and fresh. I'm also curious about Apricot Blossom and Cherry Blossom.

The sleek, minimalist diffusers come in a whopping 20 scents that mimic the plants and outdoor scents of Jeju Island in Korea, and these are stronger than the candles in my experience. If you don't want to light candles at home, or you just want the convenience of reed diffusers, these are quite affordable.

The available scents are:

Berry Blossom
Bija
Camellia
Cedar Wood
Cherry Blossom
Cotton Blossom
Daphne Blossom
Freesia
Gardenia
Green Tea
Hallabong
Lavender
Lilac
Lotus Flower
Orchid
Peach
Pure Soap
Rose
Tangerine
Blossom
White Powder 

MISIA Chanel Les Exclusifs eau de toilette

Misia Sert was a muse to art luminaries such as Renoir and Monet, a talented pianist, a respected art patron, and a close confidante to the late Gabrielle Chanel. She is considered by some to have had an indirect hand in the birth of Chanel No 5.

She was a powerful taste-maker in art and fashion circles, and ran a saloon (not a salon, as I've heard some people mistakenly call it!) frequented by the creative intellects of the day. She had a knack for spotting and surrounding herself with talent. Arthur Morand described her as "a collector of geniuses, all of them in love with her." "You had to be gifted before Misia wanted to know you." Given her close relationship with Mademoiselle Chanel, it is perhaps fitting that one of Chanel's fragrances be dedicated to the legendary muse herself.

I admit I had my doubts when I first heard that Olivier Polge would be taking over from his father Jacques Polge as the in-house perfumer for Chanel. While I personally find his genius manifests itself  more when he pushes the envelope with genre-busting releases like Dior Homme (a powdery iris-cocoa-lavender scent which a distinctive "makeup bag" feel), he is probably better known for rich, patchouli-laden, sweet amber scents like Flowerbomb, Jimmy Choo, and La Vie Est Belle, all of which I enjoy, but find to be quite like one another.

When I heard the notes and description for Misia, I literally rushed down to the boutique to smell it because it surprised me so much.

On the Chanel site, the notes/accords listed are simple violet, rose, and leather. On sites like Fragrantica, you get a whole host of other notes like iris, orris root (I thought iris WAS orris?!), Turkish and Grasse roses, benzoin, tonka. And then on some perfume blogs, I saw mentions of sandalwood as well. Confusing much?

Here's what I get on the skin.

I definitely get the big puff of powdery violets and iris; something you might smell when you open a tin of Guerlain's Meteorites or Bourjois Java rice powder. It's a bit quaint, a bit nostalgic, a bit dreamy. But right after that, the raspy blend of rose and leather comes right in for me. It's not a very bitter, tarry leather. More like a translucent version of the leathery saffron note in Lancome's Magnifique.

As the scent warms up further, the syrupy rose comes out more. It is like a drop of rose oil, not like a bunch of rose petals. But it's still balanced by a slightly more watery facet of violets, the soft purr of leather, and that ever-present "shimmery" powdery edge from the iris. I love iris, so I almost wish it was a bit more prominent here, but on my skin it's just a light dusting over the rose and leather.

About 1-2 hours in, the powder comes back out, but this is the creamy warm benzoin and tonky perhaps. Not so much the cool, clean powderiness of iris and violet. At this point, wearing Misia is like being hugged by an impeccable woman wearing expensive makeup. The cosmetic smell is there, but it is not in your face.

Then finally at about 4-5 hours, the fragrance dies down to a skin-scent for me, and I can see where people might smell sandalwood. For me it's just the residual dry-down of the violet and leather and rose that creates that sweet, tangy, skin-like effect.

Lasting power is above average for an eau de toilette, and I find the sillage/throw to be average. Not incredibly strong, but not a skin scent either.

This is gorgeously retro and beautifully womanly, but not in an obvious way. There's a certain modernity and a transparent airiness to it. It's more Dita von Teese than Marilyn Monroe, shall we say?

I've seen a lot of people comparing it to classic Guerlains. I don't quite agree. Aside from the makeup-y feel of the powdery violet at the start, this does not have that thickness and weight classic Guerlain scents do, although I see where they're coming from. It's certainly not like classic Chanels either. And unlike the other modern "dark roses" which I enjoy, like Dior Ambre Nuit, Le Labo Rose 31, or Atelier Colognes' Rose Anonyme, which have a certain "in your face" earthiness where the perfumers almost delight in rubbing the dirt in your face and downplaying the rose, there is a refined and restrained quality to Misia (relatively speaking) that is very Chanel.

Have you tried it yet?

Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille Review

Vanilla pod; photo credits: www.marcussamuelsson.com

Serge Lutens was one of the first truly avant-garde niche fragrance lines I ever tried, and - under the umbrella of Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido - the creative genius himself paired up with Brit perfumer Christopher Sheldrake to paint vivid pictures, tell gripping stories, and convey complex moods and emotions, all through scent.

His fragrances are quite avant-garde, and often unforgivingly strong. Some are near unwearable without a highly-developed nose, and not the type you’d spritz for a night out with friends. (Just ask anyone who has smelt Musc Kublai Khan.) 

Un Bois Vanille - on the other hand - is one of the most accessible and popular scents in the Lutens line, because while the quality and performance is still impeccable like most of the range, the concept itself (wood and vanilla) is inherently accessible to most people.

The official notes list includes: sandalwood, black licorice, coconut milk, beeswax, bitter almond, musk, vanilla, benzoin, guaiac wood and tonka bean.

Un Bois Vanille is described as being linear, but I think it only seems so because the initial layers are somewhat similar; both warm and foody. At the beginning,  this smells like warm coconut crème brulee. The benzoin and coconut adds a sense of non-sugary thickness and body to the overall scent. As it starts to dry down further, the vanilla comes out in full force, and it’s not the standard synthetic vanilla ice cream sort of vanilla. It’s the crisp, hot, brown skin of a toasted marshmallow pulled from the flame. Almost bitter-sweet with caramelization.

I’ve heard and read reviewers saying it’s not a woody fragrance and that there isn’t much wood at all. I beg to differ. This IS a rich, warm, gourmand oriental for sure, but the bitter-sweet toasted marshmallow aspect is anchored on a bed of wood. The closer your nose gets to the skin, and the longer the scent dries down, the more the smoky, almost-pungent wood aspect comes out.

As a "gourmand", this is balmy and complex, not sticky or overtly edible compared to some others.

Like many of the Lutens fragrances, this is a scent to be dabbed on, not sprayed on, in the tropical Summer heat where I live. Sprayed, it can be overwhelming (like eating too many toasted marshmallows). Dabbed, it lifts seductively off the skin and wraps around you for hours. 

Miss Dior - What Happened?

White roses, a wedding, and Dior.

A plain card with a strange message, and a hashtag that I can't figure out. 

#itsmissactually

Where has Miss Dior gone?
What's it all mean?

All I've got is a teaser video, which you can view above. I suppose we'll have to stay posted to find out!

Moo admires the white roses.

The cat at least - is staying near the flowers.
She likes smelling roses for some reason.

Christian Dior La Collection Privée - Bois d'Argent Review

Dior Bois d'Argent Eau de Parfum

Now - fragrance freak that I am - I can't actually believe I've not actually reviewed one of my all-time favorite perfumes.

Dior's Bois d'Argent from the La Collection Privée line. (In Singapore, you can find it at the Tangs counter and Marina Bay Sands Backstage boutique only.)

This fragrance was launched in 2004 as part of a prestige trio for men, along with Eau Noire and Cologne Blanche. Eventually, similar to a lot of designer and luxury houses, they hired an in-house parfumeur to oversee the creation of a unisex "private collection" in line with the brand's style and vision, similar to Armani and Chanel's.

Dior La Collection Privée

The line today has 12 fragrances in total, and they come only in 1 size in Singapore, a 125ml which retails at a whopping $380 or so (which is closer to the price of the 250ml in the US). Let's just say - if you fall for one and you happen to be traveling, pick it up abroad!

Regardless, it's a great range; the quality is exquisite and the fragrances I've tried have all performed well in terms of longevity, whether they are strong or soft. I have 3 full-size bottles in my collection and 3 minis of scents I'm still sampling and making my mind up about.

But today I'm going to talk about the very first one I bought - and the one I love the most.

Bois d'Argent.

Unlike most of the later fragrances in the private line, Bois d'Argent was created not by Francois Demachy, Dior's in-house perfumer (who I'll talk about in future posts when I review his creations), but by the genius Annick Menardo. She excels in a very specific category of fragrances; the powdery vanillic ambery sweet scents. And all her scents share an extremely unique trait of being both powdery and quiet, but dark and luscious at the same time. And there is usually something a little quirky and off-beat about them.

A few Annick Menardo creations: Dior Bois d'Argent, Lolita Lempicka Le Premiere Parfum, Bvlgari Black, and Dior Hypnotic Poison

 If you've tried ANY of these, you'll know they share similarities. They have a dark silky vanillic heart that's very rich and warm (the way a natural vanilla pod is; not cheap vanilla ice-cream) and a certain soft cottony powdery muskiness that often makes the vanilla smell a bit chocolatey. Then she always throws in something that makes the vanilla a bit inedible. A clean rubbery tar note in Bvlgari Black, bitter licorice and tons of powdery violet in Lolita Lempicka, that extremely alluring and vaguely toxic bitter almond tang in Hypnotic Poison...

Her fragrances are like temptresses. Voluptuous and sensual, but always with an edge.

Bois d'Argent, I find, is the most ethereal of the lot. It's a very complex, balsamy ,and incense-y in the sense that it's filled with sweet resins. (Not like someone's lit a stick of incense and it's smoking away and making you want to choke.)

The composition is quite interesting because it goes from cool and clean, to resiny, to warm and almost creamy.

• Top notes: juniper berries, cypress, iris 
• Heart notes: Somalian myrrh, patchouli,
• Base notes: vanilla, musk, amber, wood, honey and leather

At the start, I'd say the key note is powdery iris. In this case, an uber-expensive Tuscan iris absolute which you're more likely to find in Chanel and Guerlain. I love iris because it gives a strange sense of coolness, like fine powdered icing sugar melting on your tongue, but without any of the sweetness.
And because it's Menardo, there's a bit of myrrh and patchouli peeking out and lending a slightly sappy, almost herbal sweetness.

Then as the fragrance warms up on your skin, the aromatic honey, warm amber, fuzzy musk and a faint hint of clean wood start to come in. I have to say - unlike some of her other fragrances, the vanilla does take a backseat in this composition. It's there but it's lending a rich milky sweetness to everything.

The notes feel almost yummy but not quite in food-like territory. Which makes it great. Inviting and intriguing, but not like I'm trying too hard to attract ants. (Don't get me wrong - I like a good spritz of Pink Sugar occasionally too. But it's hardly the most sophisticated fragrance option, if you know what I mean.)

It's an all-occasions type of scent in my opinion. I can see someone wearing this to work, on a date, anywhere. Though I do find it belongs more in the "grown-up" category, versus the "young and fun" type of scent. It's probably not going to hold its own in a smoky club pitted against louder scents.

This isn't a loud scent. It wraps and envelops you like a soft wrap, and I actually find it alright to wear even on warm days. But that's just me. Longevity is decent. Many people find this lasts all day on them. I have dry skin so scents don't last on me typically. This stays on maybe 6 hours on me which is more than a lot of other scents. I half-suspect it's also partially just that the scent gets soft after a few hours and I don't smell it anymore unless I bring my wrist up to my nose.

All fragrances in the La Collection Privée line are eau de parfums as far as I know, so you don't have to wonder if you're paying a few hundred dollars for a more diluted eau de toilette.

Scents that to me have a similar "feel":

• Guerlain l'Heure de Nuit, Apres l'Ondee and l'Huere Bleue 
• Le Labo Labdanum 18

The 2 other La Collection scents I own in full size are Ambre Nuit, and Grand Bal. Stay posted if you want to know more about those!

An Unexpected Gift, and Happy 2015!

Chanel decided to remind me I spent WAAAY too much money in their beauty boutique this past year. 

If YOU'RE a Chanel beauty addict (in Singapore; I'm not sure if this is available in all markets), and shop regularly at ION, you'll probably also have received a gorgeous card inviting you to go down to the boutique before mid-Jan to pick up a little gift. 

LOL.

I have to say this is probably the best customer appreciation gift I've seen in a long time, and I'm going to keep this beautiful little box around in my collection as a keepsake. 

(Unless my mom gets her hands on it.)

Miniature Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum vial in a pop-up display box.

It's kinda too pretty to actually use, and I'm more a No 19, Bois des Iles, Gardenia, Coromandel, Coco, Coco Mademoiselle, Chance (... ok you get the gist) girl. I do on the rare occasion wear a spritz of No 5, but I personally prefer the more "traditional" EDT and parfum versions.

Either way, just wanted to end the year by wishing everyone a great holiday, and may the year ahead be filled with joy, beauty, and celebration!

Balmain Eau d'Ivoire Eau de Toilette review

Balmain Eau d'Ivoire Eau de Toilette

From looking at the classically-structured Balmain glass bottle alone, you might not guess this is a sporty, fresh and almost girly fragrance. (In fact, I couldn't resist doing some “antique” photo effects with that beautifully-simple bottle.)

Here's the official visual.

Balmain Eau d'Ivoire posed with classic the Balmain print

Scent wise, it’s quite minimalist but incredibly easy to like. Actually, on first sniff, it brings to mind not one - not two - but several “pink” colored perfumes.

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche and Gucci Eau de Parfum II

Scent Breakdown:

It starts out fresh and juicy, then blooms into a clean white floral, before a very green/minty base.

• Top notes: Bergamot, red currants
• Heart notes: Magnolia, osmanthus 
• Base notes: Patchouli, ambrette seeds

I smell predominantly mouthwateringly tart red currants and a shower-fresh magnolia. It invites people to take deep breaths on warm days. (I would love my shampoo to smell like this.)

Then it slowly warms up and becomes more unique as the osmanthus comes in, a floral note I adore and think should get a bit more airtime among perfume lovers. For those living outside of east Asia, osmanthus is a flower with a beautiful fragrance that’s (to me) somewhere between honey and tea. In fact, it’s often candied in syrups, and used in sweet herbal teas and desserts, the way violets are used in Europe.

If you don’t like the sometimes sharp and musky scent patchouli has, don’t worry. It’s very soft in Eau d’Ivoire. In light doses, it smells just fresh and minty. Here, it combines with the herbal buzz of ambrette seed just to add a little texture so the fragrance doesn’t just smell completely like expensive shampoo.

Sounds weird but smelling Eau d’Ivoire makes me salivate. I think of fresh, ice-cold lemon tea on a warm day. It has the tart, refreshing fruitiness, the delicately sweet body, and the slight after-bite of good strong tea. 

Lasting power:

So-so; 3-4 hours (again typical of most fresh summery EDTs).

One minor gripe:

The white neck isn’t stuck on tight and often swings out of alignment. Not a big deal but an annoyance for OCD people. Still, I can hardly complain because Balmain is one of the more affordably priced and accessible fragrance lines by a design house.

Pricing and Availability:

Balmain Eau d’Ivoire is available from SGD65 in Singapore exclusively at Metro department stores until end-Oct, after which it will be available at Tangs and Robinsons.

 £46 from House of Fraser, Seldridges, or Escentual.com , from AUD65 from Myer. Unfortunately, it’s quite a bit harder to locate in continental USA and Canada. I’ve seen a single bottle on Amazon from a German perfume outlet, and none on eBay so far. (If you’re really dying to try it, you can email luckyscent.com to see if they might be able to bring in some since they stock another classic from Balmain, Ambre Gris.)