Sourpuss...Oranges and Lemons Say The Bells of St.Clements by Heeley

By Tom Notes: orange, lemon, earl grey tea and bergamot. Okay I get that it's a new version of a vintage mens cologne and very English. But it's supposed to be an eau de parfum and it's nigh unto gone in about 10 minutes. How much is Eau Sauvage running these days? $148 for 100ML at Luckscent

Orange You Glad? Andy Tauer Orange Star...and a giveaway...

By Tom Andy Tauer is one of my favorite perfumers; there are several of his that I have in heavy rotation, and one unproduced one that's the "one that got away". His new one features one of my favorite notes, orange. Orange can be tricky, it can be giggle inducing, it can be silky and creamy and it can even be smoky and mysterious. In Tauer's hands the orange is recognizable if not literal: the citrus is mixed with the tart lemongrass and smooth orange flower and a touch of ambergris. the ambergris continues into the dry-down where a touch of tonka and vanilla round out the composition; it's different and new, but identifiably Andy Tauer. The sample I got was dabbed on and I can't wait to see what it's like sprayed. I think it will bloom wonderfully when sprayed... Orange Star is also introducing Tauer's new packaging: blue glass pentastar shaped bottles with the logo in a script that reminds me of the font used by the old Indian Motocycle (not a typo) Company; it's not retro at all and it looks like nothing out there. I want to see it in person, but in print it's gorgeous. The scent will make its debut at ScentBar, the brick-and-mortar store for the online retailer LuckyScent on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles this Saturday April 17th from 1-4. Also, LuckyScent has been kind enough to make a very generous offer: one of our readers will receive a bottle of the new scent. If you would like to included in the draw, please say so in the comments. My small sample was provided by LuckyScent.

Grab Bag: Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine

By Tom This week is the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event, which means that I make my semi-annual trek to buy Kiehl's. While always telling myself that I'm not going to bother to try to get to the magic number N-M wants to to plunk down for a bag with samples, I always seem to get within $5 of the price and end up tossing a lip balm in to make the grade. Back when Clinton was president, the N-M freebie was pretty good; with large sized pots of gook and those legendary 25ML bottles of Goutal Hadrien. Now it's chock full of samples that they should be giving out for the asking. The fragrance samples were the headache-inducing Van Cleef and Arpels Oriens and Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine. Atelier Cologne has others at Neiman's (where it's a new exclusive line) like Bois Blonde and Oolong Infini, both very nice. Orange Sanguine was one of those openings that elicits a squeal of delight: if you walk into your local market, grab a satsuma and give it a twist you will basically have the first 15 minutes. I love that smell so it made me very happy. You might feel that it's too Tropicana literal. Even though it does add depth later with woods, geranium and jasmine I can't see popping $165 for this. Isn't Demeter Orange Juice $20?

Le Jardin Retrouve Le Citron Poivre: Perfume Review

All summer long I've been in a mood for "scents whose spiciness is fresh or whose freshness has a dark and piquant depth". That mood lasted well into this beautiful autumn, possibly because the weather here in NYC has been mostly spoiling us with clear skies and mild warmth. Le Citron Poivré by Le Jardin Retrouvé is my latest discovery in the fresh-&-piquant genre. The contrast of the citrusy and spicy accords is rendered here with a light, judicious hand, neither side is overwhelming the other. The clear, dry, verdant, mouthwatering and tangy blend of citron and petit grain is perhaps somewhat more dominant in the composition than the mix of spices, but the latter is also evident at all times, practically from the first second of the perfume's life on my skin. Simple as the idea and the execution is, the complex piquant accord does gives the fragrance an additional, intriguing dimensions. Sometimes pepper jumps out from the mix to tickle the nose of the wearer, a moment the warmer spiciness of cloves and cinnamon that becomes more apparent, and -the part I enjoy the most- once in a while pimento takes the lead. What I like about this scent is that it is neutral enough to let one go about one's own business, without taking attention away from one's day making it an ideal chilled-out, relaxing, weekend perfume. The presence of spices, however, adds a snappy twist to the composition; during the course of the day, I keep getting unexpected whiffs of pimento and cloves and wondering what is that interesting, zippy fragrance I am wearing. The fairly dry, non-frilly nature of Le Citron Poivré makes it a great shared fragrance, and being able to wear the same scent as your significant other, just like wearing his shirt around the house, has a certain smug, loved-up charm. Le Citron Poivré is available at lejardinretrouve.com. There you can also request any three samples for a shipping fee of €2. Images by Rankin, Le Jardin Retrouvé.

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.

Lostmarc'h L'Eau de L'Hermine

Those who, like me, shy away from full-on lavender scents, because of their sharpness, and those who, like me, are bored with citrus scents, because of their ubiquitousness, should, like me, find in L'Eau de L'Hermine a wonderfully wearable, soft lavender and an interesting take on citrus. I like it so much, I want to swim in it. Floral sweetness of neroli and peony brings out a honeyed, fruity aspect in lavender. Gentle fluffiness of heliotrope softens the jagged edges of the note and tones down the prickly, nose-tingling freshness of grapefruit and bergamot. There is a certain sweet cleanness or clean sweetness about L'Eau de L'Hermine that I find very appealing. A certain effortless simplicity, which is in fact a sign of harmonious complexity. This is summer in a bottle... the breeze carries the freshness of the sea, the herbal and honeyed aroma of lavender, the candied fragrance of orange blossom...It's a story of how, in the sun, in the face of the endless sea, things come into perspective, entanglements get disentangled and dilemmas come to a natural resolve, all on their own. A Summer Tale. PS. According to Antoine Vuillermet, the creator of Lostmarc'h, "Hermine" in the name of the scent is there to signify Brittany's symbol and flag: "One winter day our queen Anne de Bretagne was hunting the Hermine for its white fur, in front of a dirty pond, the Hermine stoped. Anne was so impressed by the animal's behavior, that she decided it could not be hunted anymore, and became the symbol of all the Breton: "rather dead than dirty", in France (as she married the king) later on the Hermine became the symbol of justice and purity." Available at Beautyhabit and Lostmarch, $85.00 and €55.00 respectively, for 100ml.

Citruses that pack a punch: Parfums Delrae Eau Illuminee and Jo Malone Grapefruit

This has been a cruel, cruel summer and not just because of the heat. It forced me to turn at night to hardcore comfort scents like Habanita, Fahrenheit, Tabac Blond, Coromandel and L'Ombre Fauve. To cope with the days, noli me tangere kinds of scents are required, cool, collected, poker-faced, the ones that would put an icy sort of armor around me. I needed very cold, very dry citruses, kick-ass citruses that would help me "walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer." I found them in Delrae's Eau Illuminee and Jo Malone's Grapefruit. Eau Illuminee was love born out of acute need for icy protection that I described above. Before this summer hit me like a ton of hot bricks, I actually found this sharp fragrance rather disagreeable. These days, I consider its blend of bergamot, basil and lavender to be my holy water. Very urbane, very sophisticated, very modern, Eau Illuminee is the most unlikely magical potion one can think of, but the fact remains that when I wear this chilly concoction, I feel protected, calm, confident and a little dangerous. I also want to note for the benefit of those who, like me, might have never given the scent enough time to develop on their skin, because they were put off by the aggressively fresh, uncompromisingly dry beginning, that the composition warms up somewhat, when the notes of tonka and vanilla appear in the base. Jo Malone's Grapefruit is another recent addition to my fragrance wardrobe. It is brisk, dry and cold. A citrus with attitude. The latter manifests in the form of slight spiciness that compliments very well the resolutely non-sweet, punch-packing tanginess of grapefruits. The earthy vetiver in the base plants the fragrance's feet, so to say, firmly on the ground, making Grapefruit a no-nonsense ally during dramatic times. When I feel, like Kissinger, that there cannot be a crisis next week because my schedule is already full, I turn to Grapefruit. Eau Illuminee can be found at luckyscent.com, $135.00. Grapefruit is available at jomalone.com, $50.00-$95.00. Image source, krasivoefoto.ru.