By Kilian Incense Oud Perfume Review

By Marina Tell me if, upon hearing the name, Incense Oud, you did not immediately imagine a powerhouse of a scent. I certainly was bracing myself for a double impact. Let's face it, neither note is exactly quiet. And since both are usually very dominant in any composition they are in, I was looking forward to witness quite a temperamental drama unfold. Well, The Taming of the Shrew (or my favorite version, an Italian take on the classic, Il Bisbetico Domato, with Adriano Celentano and Ornella Muti) sort of passionate love-hate scenario was only in my head. The incense and the oud of the new By Kilian fragrance are existing in utter harmony, possibly because both are utterly understated. Perhaps Katharina and Petruchio (or Elia and Lisa) would've become like that, having learned to accept each other's idiosyncrasies, after years of living together. Perhaps not. In any case, Incense Oud is a soft, warm, cuddly blanket of a scent, as comforting as they come. I would say that incense is somewhat stronger than oud, however, the strongest accord to me is neither of the title ones, but a sandalwoody-ambery blend, which I can smell as soon as the first wonderful hit of spicy, slightly medicinal incense-oud mix in the top notes settles. That medicinal, vaguely valerian-like beginning is my favorite part of the perfume; the comforting base, however, is a delight too. I don't know if I am prepared to pay that much for a comfort scent though, since there are other options available. Would it be like paying the price of a mink throw for a snugglie? Having said all that, this is a graceful scent, masterfully blended with a light hand. I would be curious to hear whether you were disappointed to encounter such a less is more approach in a perfume with incense and oud, from an Arabiain Nights collection or found an understated approach refreshing. Available at Luckyscent and Bergdorf Goodman, $395.00 for 1.7oz.

Laurence Dumont Tendre Madeleine: Perfume Review

"I raised to my lips a spoonful of the cake . . . a shudder ran through my whole body and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place." Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past It doesn't take the strongest taste or smell to stir memories. Nor does it take the most complicated one to delight us. Time and time again, I realize that the best things in life are the most simple; petite madeleines are among such things and so are sweet little scents in Laurence Dumont's Gourmandes collection. Like in food criticism, where, I imagine, it is easier to talk about a complicated haute cuisine creation, describing layers and intricacies of its taste, so in writing about perfume: I talked at length about various complex Lutens fragrances, but I am stumped by an enjoyable straightforwardness of a Dumont. Tendre Madeleine is a soft, delicately sweet vanilla with hints of almond and cinnamon. It starts that way and it does not change. That's it, done with the review. When faced with fragrances like Tendre Madeleine, it is easier to talk in images and emotions: it makes me feel cozy, safe, pleased with the world. It's watching an "aunt dip a little madeleine in the boiling infusion"...it's being cuddled in the arms of someone who won't let anything happen to you...it's cuddling someone small and helpless...it's simple pleasures. Available at lushoasis.com, $59.00 for 100ml. Image source, Tuki on flickr.com.

Czech & Speake Frankincense and Myrrh: Perfume Review

During a stressful time to which perfumes does a non-believer turn for comfort? Why, it's to incense perfumes! Ironic, huh? When I do, I am not looking for them to remind me of any particular churches or associated experiences, I don't want Orthodox or Catholic incense...I just want that melancholy-uplifting, "this too shall pass" quality that few smells apart form frankincense are able to offer. (Yes, it is also ironic that a non-believer finds comfort in the fatalist words of Ecclesiastes.) Czech & Speake's Frankincense and Myrrh is perfect for times like this. It is completely non-denominational. It is spiritual, not religious. The herbal citrusy-ness of the top notes of lemon, orange and basil is refreshing and airy...an open window into the world...without it the composition could have been too heavy in more ways than one. The fruitiness of orange brings out the sweet side of myrrh, and smooths the sharp angles of the dry, bright, resinous frankincense note. There is a certain tarry quality in the perfume that I like, something almost leathery, smoked. It gives the composition the comforting feel of solidity, stability, safety...It makes me believe that "the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain." Available at Apothia, Czech & Speake and Luckyscent.

Comme des Garcons 2: Perfume Review

If I were to come up with perfumes to represent times of the day, Comme des Garcons 2 would be Morning. The pleasantly sharp floral-inky-rooty top accord is a wake up call after which the fragrance settles into a softer, cuddlier feel of a leisurely Sunday AM. Having given a nod to the de rigeur Comme des Garcons quirkiness (ink + aldehydes + incense do create an at once familiar and alien accord, one that is as odd as it is oddly attractive), the scent relaxes into what I personally consider to be quiet comfort. A tea note gives the scent a cozy, "domestic" feel, the balsamic sweetness of labdanum, magnolia, woods and patchoui makes it pleasantly fluffy...this is a scent to wear when snuggling under a blanket with someone you like a whole lot... wearing his t-shirt...sharing New York Times and bagels with cream cheese... To cuminophobs and fellow cuminophiliacs I have to report that the note is present but delicate...like a hint of sensuality in that idyllic NYC morning together. CdG 2 can be found at luckyscent, $100.00 for 50ml.

In Search of Comfort: Kenzo Amour Le Parfum, Estee Lauder Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang, Sinfonia di Note Coeur de Noisette

It is COLD, people! Yesterday morning there were snow flurries! A cup of hot tea (Takashimaya Rose!), a warm blankie, fluffy socks, a good book (it's time to revisit Agatha Christie, methinks) and a comfort scent are right now the items of absolute necessity. Here are some comfort perfumes I discovered among new releases. Kenzo Amour Le Parfum. Kenzo can do no wrong this season, from the beautifully androgynous Power to the innocent/sexy Winter Flowers to this spicy-incensey cashmere shawl of a perfume. The regular Amour was a little too bland for my taste, Amour Indian Holi a little more distinct but still too subtle. With the addition of more incense and amber, Le Parfum aquired just enough oomph and depth to get my attention. Frankly, I would have wanted MORE incense, because the big blast of it which I witnessed in the first stage of Amour Le Parfum's development was the best part of the fragrance. As it is, the scent is fluffy more so than it is resinous. I would love-love to find a fragrance that combines incense and fluffyness in equal proportions. Now THAT would be extraordinarily comforting. (Note to self, layer Le Parfum with Messe de Minuit or Avignon). Having said that, I find Amour Le Parfum extremely enjoyable and wearable. It is soft, cuddly, surprisingly long-lasting and sillage-full. Truly an olfactory equivalent of a cashmere shawl, perfect for this weather. This is the perfume for the fans of the late and lamented Barbara Bui fragarnce, only richer, spicier and with more incense. Estee Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang. More Amber than Ylang Ylang on me in the beginning, which is fine, this time of the year. The ripe, creamy floral note is certainly there, it softens the sweet amber and lends it a wonderully boozy quality. Holidays are coming , so bring on the booze! I find the scent to be very simple, quite literally just the two title notes with maybe a hint of spice in the background, but that is OK with me: the best comfort scents are usually simple. As the scent progresses, ylang ylang becomes more apparent and, as it turns slightly more floral, the perfume transforms from sensual-comforting into ladylike-elegant (still retaining all the ambery warmth). If Amour Le Parfum was a cashmere shawl, Amber Ylang Ylang is a chocolate-colored velvet dress, the kind that catches your eye not because of the abundance of details but, on the contrary, because of its simple form and the richness of the fabric. The second success in the Private Collection series. Speaking of simple and comforting, Coeur de Noisette by Sinfornia di Note is just that. This creamy little concoction of coconut, hazelnut and amber reminded me of Parfumerie Generale's Une Crime Exotique (an extraordinary comfort scent, by the way), only, well, simpler and with coconut instead of gingerbread. The two have the same kind of buttery feel, you can cut these scents with a knife, and I love that quality in winter. Coconut fragrances usually have a tropical feel, but Coeur de Noisette for some reason carries me in what is the opposite direction from the tropics, namely, to my Russian home; it smells of my mom's baking, altough goodness knows my mum has never used coconut in her cakes and pies. The sweet simplicity of Coeur de Noisette might become a little grating if one over-wears or over-doses it, but once in a while, a couple of drops are superbly comforting. Amour Le Parfum is aiavalable on kenzousa.com, $65.00-$85.00, Amber Ylang Ylang can be found on esteelauder.com, $65.00-$300.00 (the latter price is for perfume, shown here), and Coeur de Noisette is sold at luckyscent.com, $150.00.

In Search of Comfort: Profumum Olibanum

I have always found it fascinating that a person who is essentially a non-believer would find the scent of incense comforting. But I do. It gives me a feeling of peacefulness that comes from detachment. The melancholy sort of comfort that I once already described using one of my favorite passages from The Master and Margarita: “Gods, my gods! How sad the earth is at eventide! How mysterious are the mists over the swamps. Anyone who has wandered in these mists, who has suffered a great deal before death, or flown above the earth, bearing a burden beyond his strength knows this. Someone who is exhausted knows this. And without regret he forsakes the mists of the earth, its swamps and rivers, and sinks into the arms of death with a light heart, knowing that death alone…” I used Bulgakov's words to describe Passage d'Enfer, which, for me, is the scent of the welcome end, of "peace" that The Master was granted in the book. Olibanum starts with the same sort of pensive, sad and somber feel: the incense is very strong in the top notes...this is an Italian scent, but to me it smells of a Russian Orthodox church, a church that is almost dark, with only a few candles flickering beneath sorrowful icons...and then, as other notes become more apparent, the soft, nutty myrrh and the velvety, sweet sandalwood, it is as if the church becomes gradually illuminated...The sunny orange blossom is unexpected and joyful, poignantly bright and hopeful ray of light amidst the world-weary darkness...bride's fleurs d'orange, perhaps... Rich, deep, incredibly comforting, at once melancholy and hopeful, Olibanum is a must have for troublesome times. Available at Luckyscent, $240.00 for 100ml. The image, of a ceiling in The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Khram Spasa na Krovi), St. Petersburg, is from sacred-destinations.com.

In Search of Comfort: Hilde Soliani Bell'Antonio and Carnival Wax 1965

'Tis was a winter of discontent, an up and down spring, and a cruel summer. Fall 2008 finishes the cataclysmic year on a fittingly destructive note. What does a perfume lover do in a situation like that? Well, she goes in search for new comfort scents. Hilde Soliani Bell'Antonio and Carnival Wax 1965, which I tried thanks to my wonderful friend Elle, provide comfort in two very different ways, both tremendously satisfying. Bell'Antonio, is "focused on multi-nuanced aromatic tobacco and dark roasted coffee" (and that's exactly what it smells like, of not excessively tarry tobacco and hints of coffee). I can't think of two smells more attractive on their own, but bring them together and ...well, I can only describe the result as an olfactory, um, climax. Having said that, sensuality is not what Bell'Antonio all about for me, or not primarily anyway. Imagine that you are dating somebody who has to travel a lot, and he smokes (and you like the scent of cigarettes, of course). And when he is away and you go to sleep, you lie down on his side of the bed and on his pillow still lingers delicately the scent of his skin, his perfume and his cigarettes...that unique fragrance that is unlike anybody else's. You curl up under the blanket, you inhale that aroma and you are instantly comforted...or you put on one of his sweaters bearing the traces the same warm, elegant smoky perfume, and it is as if he is right next to you... That is Bell'Antonio. A masculine fragrance created to be worn by women. Whereas Bell'Antonio was comfort given by a man you love, Carnival Wax 1965 is, to me, the kind of comfort one would find in the arms and the house of one's mother or grandma. Now, if you go to Apothia and read the description of 1965 (all about hustlers, red skirts and booze), you'd get a very different impression of the scent. I don't know what kind of booze the copywriters were drinking, because there is nothing slutty, dirty or even a tiny bit sexy about this scent. This is the smell of the kitchen where blinis were being made, a buttery, sweet aroma of dough, vanilla and spices...and the smell of the skin of the baker, soft, infinitely familiar and absolutely comforting. Hilde Soliani Bell'Antonio is exclusive to newlondonpharmacy.com and retails for $175.00 for 3.3oz; Carnival Wax 1965 is sold at ronrobinsoninc.com, $95.00 for .35oz of oil. Image by Diego Uchitel.

Perfume Review: Calvin Klein Secret Obsession

If I didn't happen to actually like Secret Obsession, I would have made myself like it. These days, when the threat of Palin is upon us, any mention of censure or banning or denial of one's choice in anything at all makes me see red. Whereas I want to see blue. Anyhow, elections and much ado about not especially provocative video notwithstanding, I do like Secret Obsession. To those who know my hatred for Obsession, this will come as a shock. But the two are very different animals, so much so that I don't think they share much in common except for the name and the fragrance family. Secret Obsession, says Klein, inhabits the territory "between love and madness". It is a story about "being taunted with illicit thoughts and compelled with seeking pleasure". I wouldn't know anything about madness and illicit thoughts, and it must be this innocence of mine that makes me see in Secret Obsession a comfort perfume, not a forbiden elixir of passion. It is a fairly robust (but not NEARLY as heavy as Obsession), fluffy woody scent with vaguely fruity (plum) and subtly floral (oramge blossom, tuberose) undertones. The fruits are very abstract, which is the only way I can tolerate them, and pleasantly candied, the flowers creamy, the woods indeed cashmere-like in feel. Overall, the slightly fruity, powdery-velvety woodiness of Secret Obsession reminded me of Evening Edged in Gold by Ineke. Secret Obsession will not make fragrance history the way Obsession did way back when. Klein, like Lauder and Lancome, should, however, be thanked for abandoning the freshies and the fruities and focusing on woods. Again, like Sensuous and Magnifique, this new release is not staggeringly original, not a masterpiece. Like them, it is very wearable and very pretty. Of the three, it is my favorite...and the first CK perfume I like a lot. I see myself reaching for this comfort scent quite often during cold months. Secret Obsession is available at Macy's, $72.00 for 3.4oz.