Chris Curates - Fabulous Fragrances, April 2012

http://www.sephora.com/fragrance

I've decided I am going to pick random fashion, beauty and style trends and classic overall.  This week I have curated my favorite fragrances for Spring.  I have to share that I have literally been a cult follower to just a handful if you can call it that, of fragrances.  I have typically organized them in my mind as Winter and S/S scents which I am learning really minimizes the opportunities to expand your collection and scents to a single season.


Fragrance can enhance a single emotion or take you to a memory in time just like fashion does.  And I have done a whole lot of exploring this year.  I have tried scent "types" such as florals, citrus, woodsy and am also discovering that I am not a true-type much to my perception.  I can say that I am constantly searching for any fragrance that evokes a sense of romance or chicness, sophistication.  In my opinion, it is easier to categorize in that way.  Are you athletic a lot of the time or deep and brooding?  Try thinking of your scents in that way and you may find that you have not considered some scents that align in that way. 


If I told you how many bottles of perfume that I have bought over the last six months, you may think that I've lost a marble!  There is a whole other aspect and thrill to perfume buying and that is, how does the bottle look?  One might not find this to be particularly important but I feel it is always a subliminal part of our purchase much like a shoe or handbag collection.  The only difference being that you cannot wear the bottle!  They are still beautiful to look at.  


So here are a few and I promise to review more favorites soon.  For the scents I have curated to this list, you may see some of the descriptions that match to the product's and I've also provided some personal attributes of the perfume that most appeal to me.

1. Chanel No. 5

2. Masaki Masaki

3. Balenciaga Paris

4. Signorina

5. Escale a Portofino Dior 

6. Quelques fleurs l'original

2. Masaki Masaki

1. Chanel No. 5

1.  Chanel No. 5.  The very name evokes classic, elegant, luxurious, beautiful, strong and feminine all in the same.. While some may look for a pure descriptor such as a rose, jasmine or other easily identifiable note, Chanel herself specifically asked that none of the components be isolated out of its composition.  In my mind, Chanel No. 5 smells differently on every woman which is the beauty of this fragrance.  There are top notes that smell of lemon, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and the base is a more of a dense sandalwood, vanilla, a touch of patchouli. For me, I smell all of my favorite flowers such as rose, jasmine and then the undertones are the densest which give it more masculine substance.  I feel sexy and clean when I wear this.  On other days I feel strong and feminine.  That is the beauty of Chanel.  I don't think I have any other scent that has such an affect on me.


2. Masaki Masaki by Masaki Matsushima.  I was at one of my favorite girlfriend's house some time ago and she asked me if I'd heard of this fragrance and that it was coined as uptown chic with a scent really not like anything else.  Of course feeling like I was going to break unique fragrance ground, I explored all around looking for this to which I finally found on Amazon.com.  Of all the components to this fragrance, it is the apple, rose, magnolia and passion fruit that I notice the most.  This is not for sweet-lovers though as there is more of a crispness to this scent.  I think that I read somewhere that this Japanese/American designer actually developed this for what one might think of the 5th Avenue woman who wants something unique and classy; something that is a little higher to reach.  This is truly one of my all-time favorite scents.  Every time that I wear this, people stop me in the hallway.  

3. Balenciaga Paris

3.  Balenciaga Paris.  Light, seductive, romantic - "a bouquet of violets".  This one is regular go-to for me and light enough to go from shopping to the boardroom.  It has notes of patchouli, but not overpowering.  It is a bit mysterious and doesn't smell like anything else that I have from a fragrance perspective.  It is really lovely.

4. Signorina

4.  Signorina.  Salvatore Ferragamo's elegant jasmine and the unexpected and delicate sweetness of pannacotta are blended together to create a refined and memorable fragrance. Think chic, but sweet and definitely a scent to call your own.  I get regular compliments on this one.  

5. Escale a Porofino Dior

5. Escale a Portofino Dior.  Imagine all of these notes in one blend -- calabrian bergamot, sicilian petitgrain, caraway, galbanum, italian citron, orange blossom, bitter almond, cold spices, juniper berry, white musk, cypress and cedar...it is very citrusey and I pick up the orange blossom and cypress - it is light and if you want a true description of what one might be doing in Italy wearing this beautiful scent, think a lovely bike ride with the wind in your hair.  It wakes you up in a good way and I love to layer this particularly in the Summer.

6. Quelques fleurs l'original

6. Quelques fleurs l'original. A hint of jasmine, green florals, violets - some 90 years ago this perfume became the first multi-bouquet scent.  "The true Quelques Fleurs formula has never been published. An ancient formula still kept in the family archives, this fragrance will never be duplicated. The blend of soft, sensual florals uses over 250 different raw materials and more than 15,000 flowers to create just one ounce of Quelques Fleurs eau de parfum. To this day it is still produced in Grasse, France, where Jean Francois Houbigant first created his perfumes in 1775." (Nieman Marcus).  You will keep this forever.  This was one of my first beautiful, French perfumes and worth every penny.


So treat yourself.   Be indulgent.  Spend a little more on something that will become part of "you".


Cheers and Happy Scenting!

be Chic

Also, see Sephora's latest issue (3) under the Sephora Glossy on Fragrance Impressions!  Learn the secret language of fragrance and find out who you want to be, quite intriguing...