By DonnaAs the regular readers of this blog may remember, I am a big fan of the fragrance creations of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes. Her range is enviably broad, and she has the unique perspective of a talented visual artist, which has resulted in some truly innovative fusions of scent and color concepts. One of her talents is making fully realized perfumes using all-natural ingredients,
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By TomDatura the plant is lovely, toxic and hallucinogenic. The 2001 release Datura Noir is true to the name. It’s a venus flytrap of a scent, those lush white flowers draw you in; the almond cookie aspect of it reminds me that cyanide tastes of almonds. It’s a big giant white flower party, fatty with coconut and overstuffed with tonka and vanilla. It’s sexy, it’s smothering; it’s a force of
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By Donna In my previous reviews of fragrances by AbdesSalaam Attar (Dominique Dubrana), the mysterious perfumer behind the Italian house of La Via del Profumo, I described a number of different styles that I had tested; from the fierce beauty of Tcharas to the tenderness of Tasneem and the fresh delight of African Night, I was impressed with the range of perfumes that one person can compose, and
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By TomL’Artisan is a house that I kind of have a love/meh relationship with. Frankly I think it’s me. I admit it, I am an American, more specifically an (immigrant) Californian, even more specifically a resident of Beverly Hills, where the bling is big. I saw a Bugatti Veyron making a left onto Doheny from Wilshire yesterday and my only thought was that in white it looked like a blancmange.We
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By TomThis past week I wore only one scent as part of an experiment, and it was interesting to find new facets to and and happily reaffirm my love for the dervish that is Muscs Kublai Kahn. But after that week in the sexy Mongols embrace, what to do? What to wear? Mark Buxton ain’t gonna cut it.The answer turned out to be Vine, a 2005 release by Venice (CA) based Strange Invisible Perfumes.
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By DonnaI adore jasmine perfumes, but you won’t find me wearing a sexy bombshell like A La Nuit in public very frequently; this is a perfume ingredient that just gets bigger and bigger on my skin until I feel as though there is a cloud of it around me, entwining itself around everyone within reach. Unfortunately other people are not always fans of strong florals, but I have found ways to sneak
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Tama (for the paper) and grizzlesnort (for the incense). Please email us your addresses using the contact me link on the right.
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By Marla It’s the dead of winter, 20 below outside, a howling wind, and you just cooked fish with brussels sprouts for dinner. I won’t question your judgment on the menu, but your nose is suffering as you do the dishes. Do you open the window and risk being flash-frozen? No! Here in Northern Europe, we burn papier d’Armenie, small rectangles of paper infused with benzoin resin. This beautiful
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By TomA few weeks ago I was at ScentBar and tried Anat Fritz, on the bottom shelf of of the mens section. Since what I was going to write about this week sort of flamed out I’m going with plan B; one from their top shelf which holds the lightest and most approachable ones.English Breakfast is light and approachable in spades. It’s clean with a capital "K". It’s not that it’s bad, mind you. It’s
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By Beth“Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides,Figures dance around and around…To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness,Moving to the pagan sound…Somewhere in a hidden memory,Images float before my eyes… Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires, And dancing till the next sunrise…I can see the lights in the distance,Trembling in the dark cloak of night… Candles and lanterns are dancing,
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