Fraîche & Easy

Last summer practically forced me to wear citrus scents. Ever since, my taste has been gradually becoming fresher and fresher. I learned to appreciate clean, fresh perfumes for three reasons: a) the noli me tangere quality, the icy, poker-faced feeling that they lend me; b) the cooling effect in the heat; and c) the easy, relaxing comfort that they provide. A good fresh scent to me is an olfactory equivalent of a good chillout tune. A no-brainer, calming sound/smell in the background. And if that seems like I am damning the genre with faint praise, I am not: being able to make to one's life easier without being obvious about it is a great quality in a perfume. Or indeed in a person. This summer my fresh scent wardrobe (already including L'Eau de L'Hermine, Vanille Galante, Puredistance, Lotus Blossom & Water Lily, Eau de Fleur Magnolia and Cristalle) benefited from the discovery of the following: Cristalle Eau Verte by Chanel. Sweeter, more floral, in no way a chypre and significantly softer and gentler than actual Cristalle, this is basically...a different scent entirely. Please, don't look in it for a variation on Cristalle that will still be recognisable as the classic favorite. Taken on its own merit, however, it is a lovely, harmonious, incredibly easy-to-wear citrus fragrance with a pretty magnolia note in the heart. The citruses in the top are slightly sugary, with a floral accent added by neroli; the heart enhances the floralcy with jasmine, honeysuckle and the aforementioned magnolia; and there is something dry and green in the base that lasts, discreetly, all day, long after the citrus sparkle is gone, and adds some of that hard, brisk Chanel-y edge to the overall very easy-going composition. Elegant, versatile, youthful...as much of a little white dress (a summer must-have) as the original Cristalle. Only, while the latter I imagine as a somewhat haughty shift dress, Eau Verte is, perhaps, more of an egalitarian and more flirty baby-doll. (Bergdorf Goodman, $105.00 for 3.4oz.) Eau Divine by Divine offers the dry, spicy freshness that I love in summer. Anise, ginger and nutmeg add an interesting twist to what could have been a rather ordinary unisex blend. I also love the unexpected presence of violet in the heart. The slightly powdery solidity of the note adds body to the fairly transparent mix and a certain retro feel. It smells "French" and a little old-fashioned to me. It should come in a huge retro splash bottle (oh, wait, it does!) and a tome of Bonjour Tristesse, because the Sagan's France is where Eau Divine takes me. And that is one of my favorite places. (Divine.fr, 50€-145€) Cote d'Amour by L'Artisan Parfumeur inhabits approximately the same territory, but very now. Celine Ellena's characteristically gauzy and modern composition is the smell of skin heated by the sun, salty from the sea, with a saline, weedy undertone that seems to stick to one after a day on the beach. In that respect, I find this quiet, chilled out scent quite sexy. With its spa-like, herbal ambiance, in reminds me a lot of L'Eau de Jatamansi, however, Côte d'Amour has much less of that "I am natural and choke-full of the ingredients that are good for you" feel that I resented in Jatamansi, although there is still some in the blend of immortelle, rosemary and pine...still, when I am in Côte d'Amour, I am not aware of wearing an ORGANIC blend, but of wearing a perfume. A very non-perfumey one, but still. (Luckyscent, $155.00 for 8.4oz) Bigarade Concentree by Editions de Parfums. There are perfumes with an animalic undertone. Jean-Claude Ellena's citrus masterpiece smells...human. I can't describe it in any other way. Few citrus scents easily blend with the wearer's skin. They tend to sit on top, sparkling as if in a myriad of tiny unmeltable crystals. Bigarade Concentree melts into the skin. A friend with a very keen nose suspects that there might be some cumin, and I agree. Nothing humanizes a perfume like that warm, dirty spice. Put too much of it, and -voila!- the scent is animalic. Clearly, only a touch (might have) been added to the bitter orange overdose of Bigarade C. It also might be hay, with its strangely fleshy aroma. In any case, a unique take on citrus that I couldn't get enough of this summer. Men should be forced to wear this, as the perfume smells even more human on them. (Barneys, $85.00-$200.00) Eau des Lagons by Comptoir sud Pacifique is another scent to be shared with a male. It is, perhaps, more unisex that any of the scents described here; read: it is rather masculine. Like Côte d'Amour, it manages to be evocative of the sea without smelling too obviously aquatic. Unlike the quietly languid Côte d'Amour, Eau des Lagons is brisk. I would even call it sharp, but in a good way. It is a wake up scent, a "I need to be alert at work" scent. A friendly sort of slap on a cheek that would prevent one from nodding off in the heat and the boredom. The beginning of the scent is momentarily fruity; immediately, the sweetness disappears, and it becomes all about rind, zest, sap, salt, driftwood and very white musk after that. I see Eau des Lagons as transparent white. Pure, almost sterile white...If you need a politically correct, but not boring office scent, this is the one. (Comptoirsudpacifique.us, $85.00 for 3.3oz) What are your fresh perfume favorites? Do share. If you would like to be in a draw for samples of Eau Divine, Cote d'Amour and Eau des Lagons, please say so in your comment. The winner will be announced on Friday. Image credits, Numero, Miles Aldrgidge.

Divine L'Etre Aime Homme: Perfume Review

"At the heart of our lives is a perfume we will never forget, the fragrance of the one we love," says Yvon Mouchel, the founder of Divine, and I wholeheartedly agree. Think of the scent of your most beloved, maybe your first love, maybe your biggest love...it lingers in your memory forever. You smell it on a street and you can't help but stop in your tracks and look around expecting to see that face. You get the phantom whiffs of it at the most unexpected moments, out of nowhere, out of your own heart and soul. Fahrenheit is an inexorable part of my memory and maybe even more so- a part of my identity. I am sure you can think of at least one perfume that is just as important in your life. With a premise like that, L'Être Aimé Homme had high expectations to meet and it met and surpassed them. Centered around the note of everlastiing flower and focused on the aromatic aspect of the latter, the latest masculine Divine is one of a venerable heritage. I recognize in it the best aspects of some favorites: the earth and spice of Yatagan, the piquant sweetness of The Third Man, the mossy leather of Derby...with a nod to the floral-for-men trend of today. Complex and chameleon-like, on some it will smell like an aromatic blend of lavender, patchouli and celery, on others, like a green and leathery chypre; skins of the particularly lucky ones will bring out the delectable tang of ginger sweetened by sandalwood. There is a chance that you will recognize a hint of your beloved's perfume in one of L'Être Aimé's numerous facets. Aromatic but soft-voiced, with the quiet sort of charisma and with the classic sort of elegance, L'Être Aimé will fit effortlessly in any circumstances, from a formal occasion to lazying and cuddling at home on a Sunday afternoon. The latter is my favorite way to experience a beloved's fragrance. Available on divine.fr and luckyscent.com.

Divine L’être Aimé Homme et Femme: Perfume Review

By Tom What is it with Brittany these days? It seems like some of the most interesting houses are coming from there: Both Lostmarc'h and Divine come from the same town. What a lucky town... Divine is of course the house responsible for the wonderful L'homme Sage, a delectable dry and spicy wood that came home with me the instant I smelled it. Now they have two new ones on our shores: L’être Aimé Homme (Beloved Man) and L’être Aimé Femme. Homme starts out with some of the tartness of Yatagan's opening with some of the celery note in Mandarine Mandarin. It adds in a gorgeous Basil note. Rich vetiver and even richer woods add to the scent, which stays rather close to the skin. Luckyscent mentions something about "everlasting flower", which is an ingredient I have no idea about. so I don't know if that's one that I am smelling in the opening. I do know that were I not single this would present me with a real conundrum: this is exactly what I would like Trevor, my imaginary boyfriend to smell like, but I also don't know that I'd like to share... Femme I find frankly to be a bit less interesting; what I think is the everlasting flower is there, tinged with citrus in the opening and white flowers and sandalwood in the drydown. It's not that it isn't pretty, it's very much so. It reminds me of a story a friend told me: back in the early 90's my friend was having dinner in NYC and in walked Richard Gere. All heads turned as he entered, but even he was eclipsed by the white-hot beauty and palpable magnetism of his wife Cindy Crawford. L’être Aimé Femme is lovely, but her date rather puts her in the shade Available at LuckyScent, $125 for 50ML

Divine by Divine and thoughts on Proper Perfume

The other day, I was talking with a friend about what a Proper Perfume is like. I came to the conclusion that it has to be abstract, i.e. to smell of no particular ingredient but rather to appear as an amalgamation of several, almost indistinguishable notes (classic Chanels are an example of how such abstraction is done); it has to interpret its inspiration in a non-literal, non-obvious manner (most of Etat Libre d'Orange scents are examples of how not to interpret an inspiration); it -and this is directly related to the first two requirements - has to be in fact a Perfume, not a Smell: I don't want to smell of actual rain, actual snow, actual rose... I want to smell of rain as interpreted through an abstract prism of perfumer's unconventional imagination. "Realistic", for me, is not a compliment for a fragrance. It can be entirely natural, but, to be a Proper Perfume, it still has to smell man-made, not found-in-nature. (Demeters and a lot of CB I Hates are smells. Genius in their realism, but smells. Old Guerlains and old Diors, Editions de Parfums and Annick Goutals are perfumes.) Divine by Divine is a Proper Perfume. If you read that it consists of tuberose, coriander, peach, vanilla and moss, among other things, you will smell them. Otherwise, the fragrance will unfold as a beautiful harmony in which no voice can be heard and recognized better than others. It is a group effort and it is an abstraction. It is complex, but, as a perfectly tailored silk dress, it appears seamless and fits effortlessly. The progression from fruity-spicy top notes, to the creamy floral heart to the mossy, vanillic drydown is classic, and yet the perfume smells like no other. Because it is so buttery-smooth and accordant, it is very easy to wear, but it is not a casual scent. And it brings me to another important characteristic of a Proper Perfume... However mundane real life is and however few evenings in the Opéra, chic soirees and formal dinners an average life contains, a Proper Perfume has to be glamorous. Which Divine certainly is. So what to wear to elegant Holiday parties? This! Impeccably refined, rich and, as such, slightly old-fashioned, Divine is a perfect companion on a dressy occasion. Available at luckyscent.com and divine.fr, $120.00 for 50ml. Image source, Ralph Lauren.