It’s always a surprise to me to find myself in the gray days of approaching winter. I know November and December come every year and I shouldn’t be startled to find myself in the cold and dark, but I always am. Happily though, winter weather affords me the excuse to spend even more time than usual prowling the bright fragrance counters in search of new and wonderful fragrances. Cold and dark aside, I love the holidays, and this is a good time to find fragrance sets for my friends (and me!), although I try to make sure that my like-minded friends haven’t already stocked up too. Also on a good note, with colder weather I can wear heavier fragrances than in the summer. I don’t quite know what it is, but the scents that make me gasp for breath in July make me gasp in pleasure in November. Fracas here I come!
Fleurs de Nuit
Fleurs de Nuit is Badgley Mischka’s second perfume, following 2006’s Badgley Mischka. It has top notes of magnolia, quince blossom, bergamot and green, a heart of white florals, night blooming jasmine, orange blossom and white peach, and base notes of silky woods and glowing amber.
Quince, that fragrant fruit so beloved of the ancient Romans opens strongly in Fleurs de Nuit. The floral heart opens gradually, retaining a fresh, fruity quality that remains throughout the scent. I like the use of the quince, it’s an unusual scent that is both fruity and tart, and it gives this perfume a bit of an edge that it might otherwise lack.
At first sniff I was not terribly impressed by Fleurs de Nuit, but I got so many “Oh, that’s pretty” comments I decided to give it a second wearing and I liked it more the next time. It settled into a pleasant floral, fruity rather than powdery on me, with faint traces remaining after a couple of hours. Pretty and undemanding, Fleurs de Nuit is a good daytime perfume that everyone ended up liking.
The bottle is beautiful, a dream of crystal and silver lace, reminiscent of the couture dresses that made Badgley Mischka famous.
Eau de Parfum Spray $90, available at Sephora and Nordstrom.
Gucci by Gucci for Women
Gucci’s newest offering, Gucci by Gucci for Women comes on strong. I over-sprayed and got dizzy, so be warned that this perfume is potent.
With top notes of pear, guava, and chamomile, my first sniff was fruity and intense (once I got over the dizzy part). The heart notes are lily of the valley, tiare flower (which is Tahitian gardenia), and orange blossom, with base notes of patchouli, musk, and honey. The fruity musky notes really come to the fore in this fragrance, with the other elements calming it down to create a smooth, spicy fragrance with lots of lasting power. This smoothness created a few dissenting opinions, with one person saying it smelled like nothing in particular, just strong. My other scent double loved it, commenting that it was a very masculine fragrance, and I do think a man could get away with wearing it. Both of us received a lot of positive comments while wearing this fragrance, and I liked it a lot more on me once it calmed down. Gucci by Gucci is definitely an evening scent and should be worn sparingly, because a little spray makes a big impression and lasts a long time.
The bottle is brown and square, with a gold bridle bit charm hanging off the side. Very masculine, very Gucci.
Eau de Parfum, Shower Gel and Body Lotion, $40–$100, available at Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Gucci boutiques.
Violette
Maybe it’s because of my given name, but I am always on the lookout for a superlative violet fragrance. I love violets, those hardy little spring flowers with the elusive scent. Maybe it’s that very elusiveness that makes violet so hard to capture in a bottle; I’ve sniffed away diligently, hoping for a violet perfume that isn’t sickly sweet, mixed with chocolate, or that doesn’t smell as fusty as a mummified great-granny, all to no avail.
Nonetheless, I had high hopes when I went to Fresh to try out their newest offering, Violette Eau de Parfum and I was not disappointed.
Violette’s top notes are bergamot, mandarin, and cypress, with a heart of violet, freesia, and rose. Base notes are patchouli, sandalwood, and amber. The bergamot really stands out in the first spray of this scent, with a little citrus peeking through. It dried down to a subtle violet scent, whose sweetness is offset by the warm base notes. On both me and my scent double, Violette stayed light and vaguely sweet, lingering nicely throughout the day.
I may not have my mythical violet scent in Violette, but I’m going to wear this fragrance in the gloomy days of winter whenever I want to be reminded that spring is not far away.
The bottle is the standard Fresh bottle, simple and uncluttered.
Eau de Parfum, Body Cream and Candle, $48–$95. Available at Fresh and Neiman Marcus.
Parting note: “A perfume must be more mysterious than a copy of something in nature. When a man sees a woman, he shouldn't think of a rose; he should think of that woman.”––Jean Paul Guerlain on the philosophy of his grandfather Jacques Guerlain.
Photo courtesy of Gucci and Badgley Mischka
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