vendredi 27 juin 2014

Splish, splash, I was takin' a bath... My Top 10 Scents of Summer


Perfumes, you share, since they walk around with you. Shower gels, soaps and colognes are a more intimate indulgence; a joyful way of sloughing off the witch’s hair of dreams before stepping out into the world.

The chic-er eaux de colognes also work well as gifts: few people actually dislike citrus fragrances, which explains the recent spate of cologne-driven niche brands like Atelier Cologne, Thirdman or La Manufacture (but not the olfactory oxymoron that is Jo Malone’s Oud & Bergamot).

Might be hormones, might be the hotter summers brought on by climate change, or simply the fact that my tastes are expanding, but I’ve recently realized that, after all, I’m more of a cologne lover than I imagined. So here it is: my summer selection of fresh-but-not-bland scents that smell like joy and sunshine… and a couple of beach-y beauties.

Hermès Le Bain
For the past decade, I’ve always refreshed my stash of Eau d’Orange Verte toiletries: there’s practically no day when waking up to its citrus, mint and woods accords hasn’t felt right.
Now all of Jean-Claude Ellena’s lovely Cologne collection is available collection in hair/body shower gels, face/body moisturizers (in travel-friendly flat, screw-top metal tins), liquid soaps and solid soaps that can be mixed and matched in 3-soap sets. Nestled in their orange Hermès box, they make for highly covetable hostess gifts (which, in all likelihood, will never leave your home because you won’t bear to part with them).
They’re all quite true to the originals, and a great, reasonably priced way to enjoy JCE’s glorious variations on the theme without getting annoyed that they’re so fleeting. Though as a fragrance I prefer Eau de Narcisse Bleu, these days I’m quite partial to the Eau de Mandarine Ambrée toiletries, a perfect intro for days when I’ll switch over to Séville à l’aube, since it is on the same area of the scent-map.

Roger & Gallet Bois d’Orange
As more affordable and easier to find morning pleasure (here in France, it’s sold in most drugstores), I lather up with the Bois d’Orange shower gel. A green-tinged, citrusy-balsamic blend on a radiant, transparent wood base that connects with the mandarin top note through spices, this faux-de-cologne by Dominique Ropion can compete with much higher-priced offerings. I always carry a couple of Bois d’Orange wipes in my handbag in summer to freshen up my hands and feet (during air travel, they are a life-saver, since airline wipes are usually nose-searing WMDs).

Eau de Rochas
Though I’d be hard-pressed to pick between this and Eau de Patou, the latter’s insane price point (and spray bottle) prevents me from using it in the old-school, splash-it-all-over style that goes back to the days where cologne was a hygiene product as well as a medicine… I keep a 440ml vat of Eau de Rochas in the refrigerator, for decadently lavish rubs on hot days. Originally called Eau de Roche (“rock water”), it give off that faint flintiness spring water sometimes has – an effect it owes to a touch of incense. The French fashion illustrator Aude de la Morinerie has dressed up the box of its 2014 Limited Edition in an Aegean-sea blue splash of a dress.

Chanel Eau de Cologne
This one I’d rather own in the humongous 400-ml size too, but I’m making do with the 75 ml, which I spritz on warm mornings as a prelude to more long-lasting olfactory commitments. I don’t know whether this Eau de Cologne was conceived atthe same time as N°5 Eau Première (which came out a year later), but to me, it’s as though part of the latter’s radiant halo of lemon and musk had been skimmed off and bottled.

Annick Goutal Vétiver (Les Colognes)
Fans are not likely to forgive the new management at Goutal for discontinuing the original. But though its toughness has been toned down, this new Cologne version does manage to retain some of its mineral, slightly iodic character. By dusting the sea-sprayed skin effect with iris, Isabelle Doyen has given it a fine-grained powderiness that is almost astringent. (In other news, if that’s any consolation, Goutal is bringing back Mon Parfum Chéri).

Frédéric Malle Eau de Magnolia
I’ve only just reviewed this one, so, briefly: Malle and Carlos Benaïm’s answer to Diorella, and to the magnolia Edmond Roudnitska always wanted to do – he even planted a tree in his garden – has the steamy-cool feel of haze rising from petals in the summer sun. Though the structure is cologne-like, it has the radiance and lasting power of an eau de parfum.

Parfum d’Empire Corsica Furiosa
It is my considered opinion that one can never have too many green perfumes. And Corsica Furiosa, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato’s tribute to his Corsican homeland, is certainly, furiously green. The scent fairly spurts and oozes plant juices, opening with the smell of crushed nepita (a type of Corsican mint), tomato and lentisque leaves. Three different extractions of the latter hook the sap green of the top notes to a daisy chain of maquis smells running from the opalescent milkiness of hay to tobacco, leather, liquorish, mushroom and moss.

La Manufacture Cologne Précieuse
I’ve only got small samples of this and Cologne Noble, so I can’t give them the full-body test colognes demand. But with its neroli, rose and musk accords, Cologne Précieuse has a lovely, fluffy, micronized marshmallow vibe that feels very comforting, and if a big bottle wandered onto my shelf, I’d be delighted to spritz it on with abandon.

Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum
This limited edition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first bronzing powder, Guerlain’s Terracotta, has got nothing to do with the original Terracotta Voile d’été (a spicy floral blend created by Mathilde Laurent). But this tropical-flower spritz, which picks up where suntan lotions leave off, is quite delightful in its own right. Thierry Wasser’s take on the beach-y genre, which also fragrances the Terracotta Tinted Self-Tanning Gel and After-sun Cream, is lushed-up with a faintly woody-tobacco-y vanilla and an exuberant, honeyed floral bouquet dominated by jasmine. It smells like sun-golden skin should taste if you had a lick.


Lolita Lempicka Elle L’Aime eau de parfum
Not to be confused with the more recent L L’Aime eau de toilette, which is a bit of a wimp-out compared to the initial offering. There’s a hint of trashiness in this lime, “coconut flower” and Tahitian tanning oil cocktail. But it’s exactly the kind of Vamonos a la playa, good-natured, over-tanned, underdressed trashiness summer demands – a-jingle with turquoise and gold bangles, matching Tropezian sandals, she’ll have fun, fun, fun ‘til her daddy takes her T-Bird awaaaaay…

For more summer selections, click on the usual suspects:






Illustration: Photograph by Pierre Bonnard, 1900-1901.

16 commentaires:

  1. Hi Denyse,

    I loved your post. You know... if IFRA went absolutely bonkers and banned all perfume materials but left just those materials which are required to make classic eau de cologne, I could live with that. I love the Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte in solid soap form and Chanel's Eau de Cologne has got to be one of the best... although I've never shelled out the bucks for it. But with this warm weather hitting us all of a sudden, my mind has been thinking of Eau de cologne for awhile now. I recently purchased Acqua di Parma Colonia but unfortunately the citrus notes disappeared on the my skin within about the first 15 minutes and I was left with a soapy/barbershop accord. Not what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestions... I know I have an old bottle of Eau de Rochas pour Homme somewhere in my magic closet which I think I'll take out for the hot summer nights.

    Normand

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    1. Thanks Normand! Though, not that I want to rain on your parade or anything, but the cologne family has been pretty hard hit by regulations, what with bergamot getting a full Brazilian (first bergaptenes, then furo-coumarins) and oak moss being drastically reduced, not to mention estragol in many herbs and spices... Still, their low concentration does protect colognes a bit.
      I don't know the Pour Homme version of Eau de Rochas, but the garden variety is great and affordable (unlike the Chanel which is really a luxury)...

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  2. Thanks for those details. The eau de cologne genre doesn't seem to have suffered as much as others such as the chypres or some of the florals but maybe that's just me.

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    1. True! As I mentioned above, this may be due to their lower concentration. Not just you!

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  3. That is good news about Mon Parfum Chéri, assuming it's not reformulated... I am enjoying my Terracotta le parfum in the heat here. :-)

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    1. I haven't actually asked Isabelle D. the question, but she didn't mention any reformulation. That said, sometimes tweaking a fairly recent formula can improve it, if the authors are doing it...

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  4. Sorry I'm late! Just wanted to say how happy I am that you also love Eau de Rochas which is such an under-rated gem. I've been wearing it in the summer heat for longer than I have been married! It's so gorgeous - lemony and mossy and unlike anything else.
    Jillie

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    1. It is, isn't it? Many perfumers admire it. I think the incense and narcissus (there can't be an enormous amount of the real stuff but the effect is there) add a lot of interest to it.

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  5. Lovely list - the new Hermes bath products do sound gorgeous; my parents have the older body wash of Eau d'Orange Verte in their shower, I always apply lavishly when I visit. More of that would be v welcome :)

    As for the cologne angle: one of my very first perfumes was a small bottle 4711 from my piano teacher. Since then, I must admit, I've got *very* fussy about colognes. I don't mind them being shortlived, but I do object to the musty drydown that remains (usually) once the hesperidic dimension fades. Also British & Irish weather doesn't do much for colognes. When in Italy recently, though, I was dying for some Eau D'Hadrien to splash on. Here's hoping some cologne weather hits the UK...

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  6. I can see how cologne wouldn't suite damp, coolish weather -- it's far more popular in Southern European countries and Latin America for a reason! The Hermès bath line is a good compromise: the pleasure of the scent in the shower, and then one can move on to something more suitable...

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  7. So sorry I haven't checked in for a while and missed this lovely post. I got a good deal on a bottle of Eau de Narcisse Bleu recently and have been enjoying spraying it lavishly - that's why it's in a 100ml bottle! The Chanel is gorgeous and can be forgiven for lasting only 2 hours. However I am so glad to see your mention of Corsica Furiosa since that is my latest instant love. It was one of those solar plexus thumps in the middle of Libs.
    Happy Bastille Day, dear Denyse!
    Nicola

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    1. Hey Nicola! So glad you love Corsica Furiosa -- I agree it's an emotional fragrance, which is really a trait of the Parfums d'Empire... As for my Bastille Day, it was spent working (Miss Jicky and I intensely dislike firecrackers, so that's the one day I don't step out!).

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  8. Lost my commentaire, I think, so will repeat… If Eau de Magnolia is the Malle Diorella, I can't wait to try it! And, going to stock up on some R&G Bois d'Orange goodies when in France because Ropion is just a genius. And then, Eau de Rochas is the quintessential Frenchwoman's summer perfume, n'est-ce pas. J'ai envie de tout, je vais devoir jeter mon portefeuille a la fenetre!

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    1. Glad my suggestions inspire you, though not sure I'm being good for your budget! Enjoy!

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  9. Heya Denyse,
    I am loving Elle L'aime. It works here in winter a treat. Guerlain has a hit with Terracotta le Parfum, sold out in Australia completely. Even the last remaining tester in Sydney at our biggest Dpt store is nearly empty.
    Hope you're well,
    Portia xx

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    1. Heya Portia! I'm well, but so overwhelmed by everything that must be finished before France shuts down for August that the blog is just too much to handle... You know what I'm enjoying even more than the Terracotta fragrance is the post-sun body moisturizer. It's gorgeous!

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