One of the most beautiful scent experiences is what I have nicknamed the flourmand: a floral gourmand. If you also enjoy this subgenre, you will want to hear about Loewe Aura White Magnolia!
Loewe Aura White Magnolia perfume
Loewe Aura White Magnolia is a sweet, somewhat syrupy, cotton candy and white floral scent, with a smooth vanilla in the base and a crisp unexpected citrus touch from the yuzu.
The performance is quite nice as well; Loewe has this at a 20% oil concentration. As Loewe now ships directly to the United States, fragrance lovers here have much easier access to the company’s range. I highly recommend checking out Aura White Magnolia.
Key notes: white magnolia, vanilla, cotton candy, yuzu
Are you prepared to meet the most intoxicating fragrance?
…Ever?
Allow me to present Luxuria, by Memoize London.
Memoize London Luxuria
Memoize London was created by Holly Hutchinson, after she spent several years developing niche brands around the world. When Holly founded her own luxury house, she drew from a rich tapestry of inspiration, including The Seven Deadly Sins.
Which leads us to Luxuria: etching invisible strands of seduction onto the skin, this is lust in a bottle. Stirring, stimulating, opulent, with fruity touches across creamy floral tones. Suede and vanilla are seamlessly interwoven: Luxuria offers the most incredible silky sensations, which blossom on body heat.
While deeply feminine for me, Luxuria includes this masterful masculine element as well, which is the suede-leather dimension: differentiating this fragrance completely from the popular floral-fruity fragrance genre.
To say I love this extrait de parfum would be an understatement: Luxuria is one of my best finds of 2023. A “forever fragrance” that once found, can never be forgotten.
An ethereal interlacing of essences and extracts, yielding a simultaneously delicate and impactful olfactive love affair.
Introducing FANTÔME, a brand new extrait de parfum released this month by Les Élixirs, in collaboration with the legendary perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux.
FANTÔME
If this scent were an ocean, this is how it would feel: waves of rum, oakwood barrels adorned with birch tar and tolu balsam, caught in the current, yet far from being cast adrift, you are buoyed by splashes of rose water amidst the rum, and gently buffeted by affectionate winds of vanilla and citruses. During this astonishing adventure, you may catch a delightfully dark minty murmer that kisses your cheek, then swims away.
A slightly medicinal aspect in the opening breezes away in preference of these comforting waves of scents. Unisex, leaning perhaps slightly to the masculine side, this is a great “couple’s share” fragrance.
All of this imagery could conjure up a heavy-feeling fragrance; speaking of conjuring, you will be moved by the magical lightness of being found in this fragrance. Les Élixirs sourced extracts and essences from around the world, over a period of years, until they perfected FANTÔME. As the name suggests, this is an apparition, a ghostly gorgeousness, a scent so rich with story it belies the fine-boned, almost fragile architecture upon which it so hauntingly beckons.
May FANTÔME prove to be not only well-loved but also an award winner for Les Élixirs and Sr. Flores-Roux.
As temperatures rise, we like it citrusy, sweet, clean, fruity, and yes, aquatic too! What else do we love? I’d say…
…we LOVE it spicy😉
Here are 3 of my favorite summer perfumes with a spicy flair:
• Amo Ferragamo, by Salvatore Ferragamo.
Sensual, somewhat lightweight, yet with teeth: one I adore not only on myself, but also on my man. Marketed to women, yet quite open to the wearer’s interpretation, I encourage my gentlemen readers to sniff this one. Rosemary, rhubarb, Campari, and “Italian Bitter Accord” are some of the notes. See what I mean about teeth? If I were a gambling gal, I’d bet that the Italian Bitter Accord contains bitter orange. Aromatic and softly spicy, with mate absolute, jasmine, ambrox, sandalwood and discrete vanilla. My nose picks up the sandalwood in the drydown, less so the jasmine and vanilla, and some days incense sneaks in!👌Only drawback would be longevity.
• Musc Noir Rose, by Narciso Rodriguez.
Perhaps the patchouli adds the spice; surely it does in the base with the musk, however in the opening, this perfume briefly reminds me of the next fragrance on our list. Perhaps some (pink?) pepper or ginger touches are in there, alongside the bergamot, dazzling the plum, romancing the rose, and sassing the suede, before departing as the smooth and seductive drydown unfolds.
• Pas Ce Soir, by BDK Parfums.
Black pepper, ginger, quince chutney, patchouli… Pas Ce Soir is a year-round delight for many perfume appreciators, present company included. Somehow summer heat unlocks the next level of this olfactive adventure: it sings on warm skin. And that song 🎙is “not tonight” but hopefully for the rest of out Pas Ce Soir-loving lives.
Sol de Janeiro creates the BEST fragrance mists, in my humble opinion. Last summer, they created a limited edition trio of body sprays that quickly sold out. This summer, they again bring us three limited edition releases. All three are lovely. Below are my thoughts on each one.
Sol de Janeiro Summer 2023 Fine Fragrance Mists
Sol de Janeiro Do Not Disturb – a clean, cool-feeling laundry type of scent. A little musky, with a subtle vanilla underneath the magnolia flower. Of the three in this collection, Do Not Disturb is my personal favorite.
Sol de Janeiro When In Rio – notes of bergamot, pear, and jasmine create a more perfume-like vibe than the other two offerings. This reminds me of a Victoria’s Secret perfume: not to be taken too seriously, it’s giving flirty and fun.
Sol de Janeiro Bikini Season – I expect this one to be the most popular of this collection: with notes of guava nectar and coconut water, Bikini Season screams summer. It’s pleasantly refreshing and bright.
Sol de Janeiro went 3/3 with this collection. This house just does not miss!
Are you a fan of the increasingly popular fragrances that combine fruits, woods, musk and vanilla? Your mind likely goes to Erba Pura and Kirke, the juggernauts of this scent profile. Allow me to present someone in their neighborhood, as lovely yet distinct in its own right:
Symphonie d’Amour, by Maison Maïssa Parfums.
Charmingly composed with fruity brightness, light woodiness, and a vanilla-caramel heart that creates a smooth silkiness over a lightly ambery base. Subtle musk and jasmine are also present.
On special @luckyscent but only for the moment, Symphonie d’Amour is $80 (!) and coupon Terrie10 saves an additional 10% off.
Normally $135, I treated myself to a bottle of this to celebrate the end of my semester. I could not be happier: this is BEAUTIFUL!
So fresh and so clean fragrances are some of my favorites. Gone are the days when the only options were ones that smelled like baby powder. Here are four of my favorite perfumes for that easygoing yet pulled together clean aesthetic vibe. Without necessarily doing the most, these are all very effective!
Lalique Amethyst: clean musks, green touches, and berries give this fragrance an effortless appeal. Save 20% on this affordable gem at buybeauty.com with coupon Terriescents20.
Sol de Janeiro Do Not Disturb: skin musk, floral touches, and a note of linen create a cool almost crisp feeling olfactive experience.
Parfums de Marly Valaya: soft citruses, including a note of peach, accent the aldehydes and woody notes. Musk and a note of cotton round out the composition. Save 10% on Luckyscent with coupon Terrie10.
Henry Rose Queens & Monsters: smooth sandalwood with petitgrain and a touch of cocoa musk create this effortless cool girl / cool guy / cool person ethos. Elegant without trying and very approachable. A great one to dress up or dress down.
The oud-rose combination has become highly saturated on the fragrance market over the last few years. Allow me to introduce you to an innovative, next-level perfume for lovers of rose and oud: EBK Paris Ruby N Vanilla Oud. As the name suggests, you must also love vanilla in addition to rose and oud, to dare to enter this olfactive adventure.
Ruby N Vanilla Oud opens with a BANG – this is what I have seen my Western peers refer to as a funky or barnyard oud. The opening is exactly what I expect with a truly oud-forward fragrance: the magic takes time to unfold, and the dry-down delivers a beautiful and darkly seductive perfume. Good things do take time, as my oud lovers already know, and in this instance, not just GOOD but great.
A flanker to the house’s famous Ruby N Vanilla Intense, this fragrance contains some of that original DNA: specifically the house’s signature velvety vanilla. The blend is, as with all of the fragrances emerging from this house, sumptuous. The note listing includes black musk; this was my first time experiencing musk done by EBK Paris, and it is stunning. The roses are dark and full-bodied; everything, the oud, roses, vanilla and musk, positively sing on skin.
The performance is incredibly potent: less is more with this beauty. You will get 12 hours+ easily of wear with strong projection and sillage. I prefer this for the fall and winter months as an evening reach, although that of course is subjective.
It is hard to choose a favorite from the lineup available at EBK Paris, however, if you enjoy oud and are looking for something uniquely compelling, consider exploring Ruby N Vanilla Oud.
Famed for its dark grapes and jammy-like caresses, this may be a surprising first drop in our discussion. Delight piles on delight as DNDY has a subtle chamomile tea accord. Extremely polite and discrete, this tea would never burn your tongue much less spill.
Matcha tea: fluffy, happy, and bouncing up and down center stage! Paired with white florals and a subtle smoky touch, Pleine Lune is an elegant and easy wear.
If Pleine Lune was bouncing center stage, M01BT is the stage director. However unlike many stage managers (who can be, dare I say it…mercurial?) M01BT is flawlessy unphased. Earthy facet? Boom. Radiant effervescence? Here ya go. Last line prompt, bestie. Gotta show to run here.
Stay tuned for the best coffee fragrances of 2023 next week!
Valaya is the Quentin Bisch-nosed 2023 release from Parfums de Marly. While marketed towards women, the more I visit Valaya, the more I find dual facets of masculine and feminine.
Valaya is the ultimate Upper East sider-studied abroad-speaks six languages-played Division 1 crew-has declined countless marriage proposals of the clean and fresh fragrance world. Zingy, musky, floral, woody, with trace touches of fruit (white peach).
I love the zippy, quasi-dewy aldehydic facet, as well as the soft cottony feel that is found in this perfume which is inspired by a woman’s petticoat. The woody dimension makes me think of the wood used to craft a corset.
A perfect spring and summer fragrance, this could also be enjoyed year-round. Longevity and performance on me are both excellent.
I picked my bottle up from luckyscent.com where coupon TERRIE10 saves 10% off, including on sample sizes.
TERRIE 