Episode #20 The Third Installment of The Perfume Chronicles

Yes, it's show #20, back in Vancouver for the continuing Perfume Chronicles. Take a listen to the MP3 file (just about 50 minutes long), and read on for our notes...




Marc Jacobs Grass is a limited edition "splash" fragrance released this summer along with his interpretations of Cotton and Rain. Grass is a light green scent that smells of fresh cut grass and gardens, but unlike Demeter's Grass, this is not a one note perfume. It starts off very green and grassy, and dries down to a light floral. It’s a fresh clean scent, appropriate for summer. I wouldn’t call it sexy, unless you think that “Freshly Snapped Snow Peas”, it’s top note, are sexy. The invigorating fragrance contains notes of snapped snow peas, white muguet, wildflowers, soft woods and musk. ($65 for 10oz Splash)



Prada Tendre is a classic fragrance that is being released in conjunction with “The Devil Wears Prada” movie. Sephora is even peddling a limited edition The Devil Wears Prada Tendre Set for the occasion. Tendre is a softer, amber-like version of the original Prada. It is lovely for summer, and I found it highly wearable and very pretty. It contains notes of citrus, rose, patchouli, vanilla, musk and sandalwood. If you want to go check out the Prada site for their multimedia advertising extravaganza hype, go for it, but remember, perfume does not buy the lifestyle. ($65 for the set, or the perfume ranges between $65 and $95)



Armani Code Pour Femme is brand new for summer, and is a female version of Giorgio Armani's Code for Men. Kerry Anne and Airdrie have differing opinions on this one. Kerry Anne found it irritating on her nasal passages, sharp, and rebellious of her skin chemistry, while Airdrie liked it more than the Prada Tendre. It is quite a standard fragrance, reminiscent of a few others on the market. Some people absolutely adore this at first contact. With notes of Blood Orange, Ginger, Pear Sorbet, Sambac Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Seringa Flower, Lavender Honey, Precious Woods Complex, and Vanilla it sounds more appealing than either of us found it to be. ($38 for 1oz or $72.50 for 2.5oz)






Fresh Sake Eau De Parfum was released in 2005, and Kerry Anne finally picked up a bottle in Seattle. It is a soft and sexy fragrance, which might be nice for people who are irritated by sharp or crisp fragrances. Even Kerry Anne's husband, who has allergic reactions to most perfume, can easily handle this one. It has notes of peach, langstat fruit, lotus, Chinese osmanthus blossom, musk and sandalwood. The scent lasts all day (or night). Luscious indeed. (1.75 fl oz for $55, for $75 or $90CA).
Fresh has also released Cannabis Santal, with notes of cannabis, sandalwood, rose and patchouli. This "woody forbidden elixir", packs quite a spicebomb, and can be worn by anyone, though I found it to be rather masculine. ($75 for 3.4oz)

Another "allergy approved" scent is one Kerry Anne found from Caron. I received a sample of Pour Une Femme De Caron, a contemporary Caron perfume circa 2001, and I love it. It's elegant, sexy and is everything I think a grown up fragrance should be. Pour Une Femme is so grown up that it verges on old-ladyish when applied with a heavy hand. It contains a combination of rose, sandalwood, cedar and vanilla, and makes this incense-loving, recovering hippie want to discover more about this century-old company and Haute Parfumerie.




Bobbi Brown Beach was voted one of the Top 5 Favorite Warm-Weather Fragrances by "Elle" readers (July 2006). This is a summer classic, and has notes of sand jasmine, neroli and mandarin, although it has a distinct “Coppertone” suntan lotion thing going on. Bobbi Brown has called it her "memory fragrance", and one of the reasons Airdrie loves it is that it brings back pleasant beach memories of her own that she finds relaxing. It is also available in a shower gel, moisturizer, sandbar, body oil and shimmer powder that contains the fragrance, and body spray with spf 15. (1.7 fl oz, 50 ml $55)

*** Most of our prices this week are quoted in American dollars, as our research was done on our recent trip to Seattle. Canadians, you know the drill, add about $10-15 to any price we've got here. It sucks. We know. ***
As always, we recommend that you wear a scent for a day before buying the full bottle just to make sure that the scent works with your body chemistry.


Other links:

Rolling Rock Beer
Seattle Premium Outlet Mall
Seinfeld Episode 31
Fembot

“Suddenly, I felt like I was wearing patchouli in a room full of Chanel.”

- Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex in The City" (We love patchouli anyway!)