Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Parfumerie Generale Bois de Copaiba Fragrance Review

parfumerie-generale-bois-de-copaiba
* Bois de Copaiba starts off as an orange liqueur – like Grand Marnier or Curaçao, with a hint of ginger.

* My nose was playing tricks on me with this one, because it wears differently each time.  Sometimes in the top I get a note that reminds me of the plastic covering that elderly people put on furniture to protect it. Very odd.

* The sweetness continues as licorice, incense, and resins come in. This may seem like sweet on sweet- but it’s not too sweet.  It’s more darkly sweet – almost forbidden.

* I also get a slight rubber note – similar to Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque.  It’s not as strange as CM, but the vibe is kind of there.

* The incense and resins continue into the base as they are joined by a nice, dry woody note.  

Summary:  Copaiba is a resin from South American trees. The name fits the feel of the scent as there is a sweet or resin note throughout the whole development. Bois de Copaiba is a fun scent to wear.  It starts off as a boozy party and then relaxes into warmth and comfort.  It’s unique enough to be interesting, but not so strange that it is completely weird. The projection and the liquor notes makes this inappropriate for most offices, but creative types could get away with it. The base lasts overnight until you shower it off, making the longevity above average for an eau de parfum.

Parfumerie Generale fragrances are available from LuckyScent and Osswald.

Other opinions:

Aromascope

Eiderdown Press

The Non-Blonde

Perfume-Smellin’ Things

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed as I own a full bottle. Image courtesy of Luckyscent website.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Tom Ford Sahara Noir Fragrance Review

* Sahara Noir starts off with an explosion of frankincense.

* Explosion as in bomb- and very powerful but also familiar.  It hit me that the initial stage of Sahara Noir is identical to Amber Absolute after the top calms down a bit.

Continue reading “Tom Ford Sahara Noir Fragrance Review”
Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Parfums Del Rae Eau Illuminee Fragrance Review

parfums-del-rae-eau-illuminee

* Eau Illuminee kicks off with a refreshing and bright lavender, with a bit of light citrus floating in.

* It starts to get sweeter and powdery with the lavender still in the forefront.  I also get some nose-tickling herbs that prick the sniffer.

* The herbs stay in the mix as a light tonka comes in with vanilla and some rooty, earthy notes.

* The base is sweet resins with the earthy notes grounding them.

* Longevity is about average, for an EDT at 3 hours.

Summary: Clean is often used as a bad word amongst fragrance lovers because it refers to a generic, clean scent that is weak and mundane. Eau Illuminee is clean how I imagine it being – fresh, with a bright energetic feeling to it.  This would make a great office fragrance for guys or girls, provided you carry a spritzer to refresh yourself after lunch.  What better way to pick you up for the second half of the work day?

Parfums Del Rae fragrances are available through LuckyScent and Parfums Del Rae website.

Other opinions:

Left Coast Nose

Perfume-Smellin’ Things

Disclaimer: Sample provided by publicist for review. Image courtesy of Parfums del Rae website.

Categories
Grooming

Taylor of Old Bond Street Coconut Shaving Cream Review

taylor-of-old-bond-street-coconut-shaving-cream

* Taylor of Old Bond Street is a family business that has been making male grooming products since the 1850s.

* The coconut shaving cream smells really good; almost like a trip to tropics.

* The cream is very smooth and has the feel of moisturizer on your skin.

* Foam is easily mixed up when aerated with a brush and a bit of moisture.

* The resulting shave is incredibly smooth without the need of a preshave.

Summary:  I visited the Taylor of Old Bond Street store when I was in London last year at the suggestion of a wet shaving aficionado. The feel is a very old school, upperclass gentleman’s club, yet there is a friendly feel and a real focus on service.  I had tested one of the creams previously but decided to sniff all of them to see which I liked best – the decision was between almond, rose, and coconut.  Something about the coconut spoke to me and I’ve enjoyed many amazing shaves ever since.  Not only is a preshave not necessary, an aftershave balm/lotion is optional- which is saying a lot since I have extremely sensitive/reactive skin. The 150 gram/5.3 oz bowls are priced between 8 and 9 pounds in the store – which is quite reasonable for the quality and if you buy them in the US, the markup isn’t horrible considering the import fees – putting them at between $14-$16 each. A funny story, though, looking at the ingredient lists, I saw coumarin and thought to myself why would they put in the prescription drug for preventing blood clots as that didn’t seem to fit with the genteel old school natural approach.  A little bit of research proved I was being an idiot – as coumarin is a fragrance compound and is completely unrelated to Coumadin.

Taylor of Old Bond Street products are available through West Coast Shaving,
Italian Barber, and Amazon.

Disclaimer: Product purchased for review – no disclaimer need. No financial compensation is received for this review or any others. All opinions are mine. Image courtesy of West Coast Shaving.

Notable Scents – Page 29 – A DJ Ron Blog
Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Parfumerie Generale Bois de Copaiba Fragrance Review

parfumerie-generale-bois-de-copaiba
* Bois de Copaiba starts off as an orange liqueur – like Grand Marnier or Curaçao, with a hint of ginger.

* My nose was playing tricks on me with this one, because it wears differently each time.  Sometimes in the top I get a note that reminds me of the plastic covering that elderly people put on furniture to protect it. Very odd.

* The sweetness continues as licorice, incense, and resins come in. This may seem like sweet on sweet- but it’s not too sweet.  It’s more darkly sweet – almost forbidden.

* I also get a slight rubber note – similar to Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque.  It’s not as strange as CM, but the vibe is kind of there.

* The incense and resins continue into the base as they are joined by a nice, dry woody note.  

Summary:  Copaiba is a resin from South American trees. The name fits the feel of the scent as there is a sweet or resin note throughout the whole development. Bois de Copaiba is a fun scent to wear.  It starts off as a boozy party and then relaxes into warmth and comfort.  It’s unique enough to be interesting, but not so strange that it is completely weird. The projection and the liquor notes makes this inappropriate for most offices, but creative types could get away with it. The base lasts overnight until you shower it off, making the longevity above average for an eau de parfum.

Parfumerie Generale fragrances are available from LuckyScent and Osswald.

Other opinions:

Aromascope

Eiderdown Press

The Non-Blonde

Perfume-Smellin’ Things

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed as I own a full bottle. Image courtesy of Luckyscent website.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Tom Ford Sahara Noir Fragrance Review

* Sahara Noir starts off with an explosion of frankincense.

* Explosion as in bomb- and very powerful but also familiar.  It hit me that the initial stage of Sahara Noir is identical to Amber Absolute after the top calms down a bit.

Continue reading “Tom Ford Sahara Noir Fragrance Review”
Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Parfums Del Rae Eau Illuminee Fragrance Review

parfums-del-rae-eau-illuminee

* Eau Illuminee kicks off with a refreshing and bright lavender, with a bit of light citrus floating in.

* It starts to get sweeter and powdery with the lavender still in the forefront.  I also get some nose-tickling herbs that prick the sniffer.

* The herbs stay in the mix as a light tonka comes in with vanilla and some rooty, earthy notes.

* The base is sweet resins with the earthy notes grounding them.

* Longevity is about average, for an EDT at 3 hours.

Summary: Clean is often used as a bad word amongst fragrance lovers because it refers to a generic, clean scent that is weak and mundane. Eau Illuminee is clean how I imagine it being – fresh, with a bright energetic feeling to it.  This would make a great office fragrance for guys or girls, provided you carry a spritzer to refresh yourself after lunch.  What better way to pick you up for the second half of the work day?

Parfums Del Rae fragrances are available through LuckyScent and Parfums Del Rae website.

Other opinions:

Left Coast Nose

Perfume-Smellin’ Things

Disclaimer: Sample provided by publicist for review. Image courtesy of Parfums del Rae website.

Categories
Grooming

Taylor of Old Bond Street Coconut Shaving Cream Review

taylor-of-old-bond-street-coconut-shaving-cream

* Taylor of Old Bond Street is a family business that has been making male grooming products since the 1850s.

* The coconut shaving cream smells really good; almost like a trip to tropics.

* The cream is very smooth and has the feel of moisturizer on your skin.

* Foam is easily mixed up when aerated with a brush and a bit of moisture.

* The resulting shave is incredibly smooth without the need of a preshave.

Summary:  I visited the Taylor of Old Bond Street store when I was in London last year at the suggestion of a wet shaving aficionado. The feel is a very old school, upperclass gentleman’s club, yet there is a friendly feel and a real focus on service.  I had tested one of the creams previously but decided to sniff all of them to see which I liked best – the decision was between almond, rose, and coconut.  Something about the coconut spoke to me and I’ve enjoyed many amazing shaves ever since.  Not only is a preshave not necessary, an aftershave balm/lotion is optional- which is saying a lot since I have extremely sensitive/reactive skin. The 150 gram/5.3 oz bowls are priced between 8 and 9 pounds in the store – which is quite reasonable for the quality and if you buy them in the US, the markup isn’t horrible considering the import fees – putting them at between $14-$16 each. A funny story, though, looking at the ingredient lists, I saw coumarin and thought to myself why would they put in the prescription drug for preventing blood clots as that didn’t seem to fit with the genteel old school natural approach.  A little bit of research proved I was being an idiot – as coumarin is a fragrance compound and is completely unrelated to Coumadin.

Taylor of Old Bond Street products are available through West Coast Shaving,
Italian Barber, and Amazon.

Disclaimer: Product purchased for review – no disclaimer need. No financial compensation is received for this review or any others. All opinions are mine. Image courtesy of West Coast Shaving.