Thursday 8 December 2016

FIVE OF THE BEST


So we’re well and truly into the Christmas season now with queues starting to form and products selling out. Are you still looking for inspiration? Well, every day in the run up to Christmas I’m posting things on Twitter which might be helpful for the perfumistas that you need to buy for, but there’s also twelve months of reviews on here for you to look through. I guessed that you probably don’t have much time so I’ve had a rummage thought the files myself and picked out five of my favourite products which I think would make excellent gifts. Hopefully one of these might be added to your cart by the end of the day.

Back on 14th January I revisited TUBEROSE GARDENIA by Estée Lauder. This fragrance was originally released in 2007 and created by the very talented Harry Fremont of Firmenich. Now the two flowers which take centre stage are notorious for being problematic, gardenia has a tendency to be too piercing and tuberose can be overpowering, but in this pairing the addition of lilac and clove provided an exquisite buoyancy. It’s available from most Estée Lauder counters priced at £60 for 30ml.

Let’s jump forward to 21st April now and head to a stocking filler. Lynx has the been the domain of teenage boys for thirty-three years, and so when it was revealed that they were releasing a “Daily Fragrance” range nobody quite knew what to expect. Well, three have been introduced so far but one of them is proving to be very popular. I described TOBACCO & AMBER as “a masculine tobacco rich La Vie Est Belle”, and my opinion hasn’t changed. It’s available at £5.99 for 100ml from all pharmacies and could be a new guilty pleasure.

Onwards we go to 16th June and a real jump back in time. Shoulder Pads at the ready, VHS video primed and your Sinclair ZX Spectrum humming in the background, we were reintroduced to MILANO CENTO. Originally successful in 1989 it was discontinued in 1992 and there the story ended. That is until the owner’s wife, Valissa Tatum, persuaded her husband to bring it back. It is wonderfully unsubtle and truly masculine; citrus, lavender, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood all combine to create an incredibly exciting fragrance. Please visit milanocento.com for details of stockists.

The next stop is 28th July and a visit to the British perfume equivalent of Joan Rivers. I say this with great affection because she always makes me laugh out loud with her comments and observations. Sarah McCartney created ROSA RIBES to help fund 4160 Tuesdays appearance at Pitti Fragraze, the scent trade show, in Florence. It is a delicious Fruity Chypre that thankfully is still available. If you missed out on this the first time around then I suggest you quickly order it at £50 for 50ml.

Our final stop is 3rd November and the DELIGHTFUL Leighton Denny. Now this man never seems to stop adding to his range of products, but after his fragrance LIGHT & DARK DESIRE won at the 2016 FiFi Awards everyone was curious to see what was next. Well, he followed it up with the fragrance LIGHT & DARK DELIGHTFUL and it is definitely fruity. It is mouthwatering with its red fruits but carefully balanced florals stop it becoming a saccharine rich syrup. It’s fun, it’s fruity and yes, it’s delightful. You can find it on ld-boutique at £43.50 for 70ml.

So, there you have it. Clicking on the images below will take you to the full reviews, but in case none of these tickle your fancy then every day in the run up to Christmas I’m posting two things on Twitter which might be helpful for the perfumistas that you need to buy for. My #PerfumeCellar is essentially a Fragrance Advent Calendar with a choice made every day from my collection, and there’s also #StephansGift which covers everything from perfume to soap. Happy hunting!




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