Today I met with the dashing and dapper StylinLA for some Beverly Hills sniffing!
Started at Barney's on Wishire and worked with the lovely SA, Jasmine. Here are some things that stood out for me:
Byredo Bal d'Afrique--I was expecting woody and spicy, but got something more fruity. I'm not sure I can tolerate the sweet-sour fruit of this one.
Byredo Baudelaire--woody, smoky incense, but the Iso E Super in the base ruined it for me. Headache inducing.
Byredo White--yes, it really does smell, well, WHITE. Starts with aldehydes with white musk lingering below the surface. I'd say it is somewhat like Le Labo Musc 25 but better. It really is a white, clean, soapy scent, but it keeps changing throughout the development, and this keeps it from getting too boring. The late drydown is a bit more citrusy. Very interesting, so I sprayed on skin and took a sample!
Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles--luscious pine over frankincense and labdanum, a resinous feast that is rich and lasting on paper. In spirit, this reminds me of Profumo.it Hindu Kush, one of my favorites. I may need to revisit this one, thanks to a sample I received from the lovely arwen_elf.
Serge Lutens MKK--what can I say, I love it! StylinLA was not too keen on the animal cage top notes, but to me it smells creamy and leathery. The rest is history as I already wrote a review
Serge Lutens Eau--hmm. Not impressed. However, on the plus side, it reminds me of a higher quality, more refined version of something from Kenzo. Clean and soapy is the theme.
Parfums del Rae Mythique--iris over a woody base, not unlike VC&A Bois d'Iris and perhaps not quite as interesting as TDC Bois d'Iris. Not anywhere near SL Iris Silver Mist, Chanel 28 La Pausa or No.19, but I am an iris junkie, so I sprayed it on skin and took a sample.
L'Artisan Havana Vanille--mostly vanilla, not much tobacco, overall impression is of a sweet and slightly fruity vanilla, nice composition. The fruity characteristic of the tobacco note reminds me of the new Profumo.it Mecca Balsam. However, the L'Artisan is tilted much more toward the vanilla, and as such seems more feminine to me. It is sheer and "low calorie", not overly rich like the vanilla/tobacco of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. I sprayed this one on skin and got a sample for further testing.
L'Artisan Al Oudh--meh. That's about all I have to say. It had none of the timbre of By Killian's Oud, none of the artistry of Guerlain Habit Rouge EDT's agarwood. It seems like a so-so Iso E Super fragrance with a few oud molecules. This is an oud fragrance for people who hate oud.
We moved on to Saks where we spent the most time at the Guerlain counter. They had some of the boutique offerings, which was a treat!
Guerlain Derby--Oh. My. God. This is heavenly. I would love this on a man, as it is a beautiful masculine chypre. I took a sample, yes, indeed.
Guerlain Cuir Beluga--hmm. Started like a really nice chocolate leather scent, and later turned into an oily, weak leathery amber with a metallic tinge. Not sure I like this one.
Guerlain Bois d'Armenie--chocolate patchouli with dry woods and subtle incense. Interesting in the first two hours, but I did spray on skin and am not overly impressed with the drydown. I guess I just really love the classics from this house. Having said that, this frag is probably my favorite of all the newer boutique fragrances I have tried.
Guerlain Habit Rouge EDP--I already have this one, but SylinLA smelled it for the first time today. I think Jean-Paul Guerlain has got his hooks into Mr. StylinLA--this one is definitely a sleeper that sneaks up on a person with its complex Guerlinade and woody, dusty notes! StylinLA took a sample--good man!
Next was Neiman Marcus where we spent most of our time with the exceptionally helpful SA, Amir (who incidentally loaded us with samples). We spent most of our time with the Tom Ford line, although I did smell the new Balenciaga.
Balenciaga Paris--as a huge fan of Dior Homme, also composed by Olivier Polge, I was keen to try this one. The opening reminds me a little bit of Guerlain Insolence, but much more subtle with a drier violet flower note. The drydown is candied, and is a bit offputting for me, however, I think that this is probably what Insolence SHOULD have been from the very start. Not for me, but I think it could be a very good seller. Nice composition.
Tom Ford Oud Wood--next to this, the L'Artisan Oud smells thin and synthetic. Big, big oud note with lots of complexity, worthy of a sniff.
Tom Ford Black Violet--Amir suggested this as an alternative to the Balenciaga, and he sure was right. Black Violet is deep and velvety, woody and rich. Next to the Balenciaga, it is as if one rules the day and the other rules the night. Interesting juxtaposition.
Tom Ford Jasmine Musk--Meh. Not a great jasmine scent, not a great musk scent. I can't find much to redeem this one.
Started at Barney's on Wishire and worked with the lovely SA, Jasmine. Here are some things that stood out for me:
Byredo Bal d'Afrique--I was expecting woody and spicy, but got something more fruity. I'm not sure I can tolerate the sweet-sour fruit of this one.
Byredo Baudelaire--woody, smoky incense, but the Iso E Super in the base ruined it for me. Headache inducing.
Byredo White--yes, it really does smell, well, WHITE. Starts with aldehydes with white musk lingering below the surface. I'd say it is somewhat like Le Labo Musc 25 but better. It really is a white, clean, soapy scent, but it keeps changing throughout the development, and this keeps it from getting too boring. The late drydown is a bit more citrusy. Very interesting, so I sprayed on skin and took a sample!
Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles--luscious pine over frankincense and labdanum, a resinous feast that is rich and lasting on paper. In spirit, this reminds me of Profumo.it Hindu Kush, one of my favorites. I may need to revisit this one, thanks to a sample I received from the lovely arwen_elf.
Serge Lutens MKK--what can I say, I love it! StylinLA was not too keen on the animal cage top notes, but to me it smells creamy and leathery. The rest is history as I already wrote a review
Serge Lutens Eau--hmm. Not impressed. However, on the plus side, it reminds me of a higher quality, more refined version of something from Kenzo. Clean and soapy is the theme.
Parfums del Rae Mythique--iris over a woody base, not unlike VC&A Bois d'Iris and perhaps not quite as interesting as TDC Bois d'Iris. Not anywhere near SL Iris Silver Mist, Chanel 28 La Pausa or No.19, but I am an iris junkie, so I sprayed it on skin and took a sample.
L'Artisan Havana Vanille--mostly vanilla, not much tobacco, overall impression is of a sweet and slightly fruity vanilla, nice composition. The fruity characteristic of the tobacco note reminds me of the new Profumo.it Mecca Balsam. However, the L'Artisan is tilted much more toward the vanilla, and as such seems more feminine to me. It is sheer and "low calorie", not overly rich like the vanilla/tobacco of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. I sprayed this one on skin and got a sample for further testing.
L'Artisan Al Oudh--meh. That's about all I have to say. It had none of the timbre of By Killian's Oud, none of the artistry of Guerlain Habit Rouge EDT's agarwood. It seems like a so-so Iso E Super fragrance with a few oud molecules. This is an oud fragrance for people who hate oud.
We moved on to Saks where we spent the most time at the Guerlain counter. They had some of the boutique offerings, which was a treat!
Guerlain Derby--Oh. My. God. This is heavenly. I would love this on a man, as it is a beautiful masculine chypre. I took a sample, yes, indeed.
Guerlain Cuir Beluga--hmm. Started like a really nice chocolate leather scent, and later turned into an oily, weak leathery amber with a metallic tinge. Not sure I like this one.
Guerlain Bois d'Armenie--chocolate patchouli with dry woods and subtle incense. Interesting in the first two hours, but I did spray on skin and am not overly impressed with the drydown. I guess I just really love the classics from this house. Having said that, this frag is probably my favorite of all the newer boutique fragrances I have tried.
Guerlain Habit Rouge EDP--I already have this one, but SylinLA smelled it for the first time today. I think Jean-Paul Guerlain has got his hooks into Mr. StylinLA--this one is definitely a sleeper that sneaks up on a person with its complex Guerlinade and woody, dusty notes! StylinLA took a sample--good man!
Next was Neiman Marcus where we spent most of our time with the exceptionally helpful SA, Amir (who incidentally loaded us with samples). We spent most of our time with the Tom Ford line, although I did smell the new Balenciaga.
Balenciaga Paris--as a huge fan of Dior Homme, also composed by Olivier Polge, I was keen to try this one. The opening reminds me a little bit of Guerlain Insolence, but much more subtle with a drier violet flower note. The drydown is candied, and is a bit offputting for me, however, I think that this is probably what Insolence SHOULD have been from the very start. Not for me, but I think it could be a very good seller. Nice composition.
Tom Ford Oud Wood--next to this, the L'Artisan Oud smells thin and synthetic. Big, big oud note with lots of complexity, worthy of a sniff.
Tom Ford Black Violet--Amir suggested this as an alternative to the Balenciaga, and he sure was right. Black Violet is deep and velvety, woody and rich. Next to the Balenciaga, it is as if one rules the day and the other rules the night. Interesting juxtaposition.
Tom Ford Jasmine Musk--Meh. Not a great jasmine scent, not a great musk scent. I can't find much to redeem this one.
