Heyyyy, FF is back! I'll be featuring more Solstice Scents next week (the leathers!), but I didn't get around to wearing some of them enough this week, so I give you: niche-y scents.
Hermès Hermessence Ambre Narguilé (Oriental Spicy: honey, benzoin, labdanum, musk, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, sesame, tonka bean, caramel, orchid, coumarin): Sprayed on at the Hermès store in South Coast Plaza; amber, but really apple pie, or more accurately to my nose, cinnamon applesauce. It's pretty delicious, and very long-lasting, but still, it's applesauce. An excellent choice for those who like to smell like food, but I tend to like my gourmands to be woody (so, yes, not gourmand at all).
Hermès Rose Ikebana (Woody Spicy: rose, lemon, orange, tea, musk, rhubarb, cassia, spices, fruit): My mother's choice to wear from the options at the Hermès boutique. A green, watery rose, which reminded me very much of Diptyque L'Ombre Dans l'Eau, one of my favorite light perfumes. Rose Ikebana is $235 for 3.3 oz and L'Ombre Dans l'Eau is $120 for 3.4 oz, but they may be very different when smelled side by side!
Dior Bois d'Argent (Woody Chypre: cypress, iris, juniper berries, myrrh, patchouli, vanilla, musk, leather, honey, resin, amber, woods): Blergh, musty iris and dusty wood. Can't say I'm a fan, but iris is a note that often goes weird on me, so your mileage may vary (and the folks at Fragrantica tend to love it like whoa).
Dior Ambre Nuit (Oriental: amber, rose, pink pepper, lemon, lime): Less gourmandy than Ambre Narguilé, sweeter and less spicy than Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan/Arabie, denser than Chanel Coromandel, very long-lasting, nice sillage. I like it, but I don't love it.
L'Artisan Piment Brulant (Oriental Spicy: vanilla, chocolate, poppy, chili pepper, cinnamon, cacao, clove, musk, amber): I'd read this was pepper and amber, and I've liked several of the other L'Artisans I've tried so I included it in my most recent Aedes order. Yes, it smells like pepper, but where I was expecting spicy pepper (and where the notes list gives chili pepper), this is bell pepper. A bell pepper "soliflore", in fact. Those who eat with me often know how much I dislike bell peppers (roasted red are okay in moderation, green are the worst thing ever), because I find that any dishes including them taste like only them, regardless of other ingredients, which may be why I can't smell anything besides the bell pepperiness in this one. I don't mind it, really; it's far from a scrubber, and I appreciate the novelty––I've never smelled like a pepper before––but I can't say I'll be reaching for it again.
Have you tried any of these? What have you been wearing lately?
Hermès Hermessence Ambre Narguilé (Oriental Spicy: honey, benzoin, labdanum, musk, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, sesame, tonka bean, caramel, orchid, coumarin): Sprayed on at the Hermès store in South Coast Plaza; amber, but really apple pie, or more accurately to my nose, cinnamon applesauce. It's pretty delicious, and very long-lasting, but still, it's applesauce. An excellent choice for those who like to smell like food, but I tend to like my gourmands to be woody (so, yes, not gourmand at all).
Hermès Rose Ikebana (Woody Spicy: rose, lemon, orange, tea, musk, rhubarb, cassia, spices, fruit): My mother's choice to wear from the options at the Hermès boutique. A green, watery rose, which reminded me very much of Diptyque L'Ombre Dans l'Eau, one of my favorite light perfumes. Rose Ikebana is $235 for 3.3 oz and L'Ombre Dans l'Eau is $120 for 3.4 oz, but they may be very different when smelled side by side!
Dior Bois d'Argent (Woody Chypre: cypress, iris, juniper berries, myrrh, patchouli, vanilla, musk, leather, honey, resin, amber, woods): Blergh, musty iris and dusty wood. Can't say I'm a fan, but iris is a note that often goes weird on me, so your mileage may vary (and the folks at Fragrantica tend to love it like whoa).
Dior Ambre Nuit (Oriental: amber, rose, pink pepper, lemon, lime): Less gourmandy than Ambre Narguilé, sweeter and less spicy than Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan/Arabie, denser than Chanel Coromandel, very long-lasting, nice sillage. I like it, but I don't love it.
L'Artisan Piment Brulant (Oriental Spicy: vanilla, chocolate, poppy, chili pepper, cinnamon, cacao, clove, musk, amber): I'd read this was pepper and amber, and I've liked several of the other L'Artisans I've tried so I included it in my most recent Aedes order. Yes, it smells like pepper, but where I was expecting spicy pepper (and where the notes list gives chili pepper), this is bell pepper. A bell pepper "soliflore", in fact. Those who eat with me often know how much I dislike bell peppers (roasted red are okay in moderation, green are the worst thing ever), because I find that any dishes including them taste like only them, regardless of other ingredients, which may be why I can't smell anything besides the bell pepperiness in this one. I don't mind it, really; it's far from a scrubber, and I appreciate the novelty––I've never smelled like a pepper before––but I can't say I'll be reaching for it again.
Have you tried any of these? What have you been wearing lately?
