Fragrances from this session of Monday Quick Sniffs are my new arrivals. I got them is a perfume samples swap we arranged with Undina of Undina’s Looking Glass in late February this year. Thank you dear for this chance of smellies exchange. It was fun to wait for the package and try new things.
Bond No. 9 released I ♥ New York for Him in September 2011 and it marked 10 years since New York’s September 11 tragedy. I ♥ New York for Him is classified as aromatic fougere fragrance and contains notes of grapefruit, juniper berries, ginger, lavender, geranium, patchouli, leather, amber, musk, sandalwood and labdanum. All fragrances in I Love New York collection were developed by IFF. In the opening this fragrance smells of tart and bitter grapefruit and very shortly I ♥ New York for Him develops green and fresh crispiness of geranium. Patchouli brings more masculine character to the scent and ginger make it more spicy and fizzy. I don’t notice much sandalwood (is that the base?) but I get some juniper berries and hints of herbal lavender. I don’t get leather or labdanum at all. Some musk and amber? Maybe. The scent is nice and interesting, it has moderate projection and longevity. What I don’t like about this Bond No. 9 is that it smells quite artificial.
To celebrate 100th anniversary of L’Heure Bleue perfumer Thierry Wasser of Guerlain decided to craft a modern interpretation of this masterpiece – he called it L’Heure de Nuit (Night Hour). This perfume is like L’Heure Bleue minus retro, old-fashioned plush feeling and minus some of the almost make-up like powderness. In result we got the fragrance that smells of heliotrope which is almost like an almond praline. Orange blossom is very beautiful here. Clean, slightly soapy and sheer. Musk is rather creamy with a floral twist from jasmine. Iris and rose of L’Heure de Nuit are very similar to L’Heure Bleue but they’re much lighter and more airy. Guerlain L’Heure de Nuit sparkles like bubbles in champagne. It’s a happy scent that is an interesting alternative for those who want to experience more outgoing and cheerful version of the Guerlain classic. It lasts long and has a nice sillage. For me it’s nice but not better than L’Heure Bleue. L’Heure de Nuit has something laundry-like in it – you may not like this feeling.
Thanks to Undina I had a chance to experience fragrances from A Dozen Roses for the first time. One that smells particularly interesting and funny for me, has a poetic name of Shakespeare in Love. Right after spraying it smells of delicate roses with a light tea background sensation. The airy smell of red petals interlaces with clear gardenia note. After few minutes Shakespeare in Love bursts with happiness. Fruity aroma of pear appears and it carries really happy and uplifting vibe. This scent will carry your straight into a good mood. In the middle of this fruity smell jasmine shines from time to time. In the drydown (and it comes quite quickly) Shakespeare in Love effuses some smooth woodsy molecules, without sharp edges or splinters. Vanilla adds a final touch to the scent. It’s sprinkled all over the woody accord. It smells slightly sweet with a dessert vibe to it. The scent is very nice despite the fact that it doesn’t project much in a day course. But it lasts for several hours. And it’s bottle looks glamour with this picture of rose on its front. Like a little piece of art, isn’t it?
PS. Did you notice all three of perfume above are connected by a blue theme? That wasn’t planned!
Chemist in the Bottle 