Acqua di Parma? It must be getting to Christmas!

I don't know what it is like in north America, Europe or anywhere else for that matter, but here in the UK the countdown to Christmas appears well underway. Marks and Spencer is already stocking mince pies and the department stores have been taken over by Christmas decorations, whisky bottles and fancy chocolates. Never mind that it isn't even Halloween yet.

Something I've noticed since becoming more interested in perfume is that Acqua di Parma always seems to step up its presence and advertising in the run up to Christmas. Perhaps it is just more noticeable, but I don't really notice them any other time of year. The strange thing for me is that I don't think that any of the perfumes in Acqua di Parma's range is really suited to the colder winter months, especially Christmas, when I think of roaring fires, spicy puddings, rich meals, cosying up in snug clothes sipping warmed alcoholic drinks and all that cliched stuff. I mean, most of the perfumes in the range, for men at least, are essentially citrus colognes, albeit very well done ones, while in the ladies range you have powdery florals of iris and magnolia. Hardly the stuff of winter, I think.

Maybe that's not the point. After all, a lot of people, especially when buying gifts for others, might not necessarily think of what perfumes are suited to a season, particularly if they only buy perfume once a year. I'm not intending to come across snobbish. People are welcome to do what they want to. It's just that I'm surprised that Acqua di Parma is associated with Christmas time in my mind. 

As a general question, although it's obviously a matter of personal choice, do you have any perfume in mind that reminds you especially of the Christmas season?

Weekend roundup and Blu Mediterraneo

Life continues to be busy as the first week of May comes to a close. Yet, as I said the other day, despite the hectic work schedule and other distractions that I am currently encountering, I'm still wearing a lot of perfume, and a lot of new perfume at that (for me). If only I could somehow bring myself to write about it more than I am.

I plan to express some thoughts on these over the next few weeks, but over the last five days I've been wearing Six Scents Series 1 no 1 and no 5. Blimey, they are weird. Compellingly weird, and surprising. 

I also tried for the first time Acqua Di Parma's Blu Mediterraneo Mirto di Panerea and Cipresso di Toscana. Mirto opens with a very appealing aquatic note, which I never thought I'd see myself write, but actually, it smells of salt and sea and perhaps driftwood, before being joined by rose and jasmine. At this point it sweetens and becomes a bit too staidly floral for my liking. I don't particularly like rose and jasmine together. So often they combine, in my opinion, to become cloying and a bit too sweet. 

Cipresso di Toscana is more masculine. In fact, for the first hour it wears like a slightly toned down Polo for Men, not surprising considering the heavy use of Cypress. It is actually very nice and as the piney notes fade about midway through development it becomes a little sweeter, woodier and, simply, very nice. I was surprised at the relative tenacity and complexity of these two. I didn't take the Blu Mediterraneo line very seriously before. Perhaps that says more about my own prejudices, but for some reason the bright blue bottles and my association with the sea conjured up images of simple colognes that fade within the hour, all fresh and citrusy.

My recent forays to my local department stores have revealed that there are quite a few more new launches than there were a couple of months ago. Serge Lutens' Jeux de Peau has finally hit my store, while I've also encountered Houbigant's Fougere Royale. Fenwicks is stocking both the eau de parfum and the pure parfum. I was staggered at the price of the pure parfum. It comes in a special box and 50ml (or is it 75ml, I don't know) will set you back a cool £375 I was told by the sales assistant. For those of you who live in the States, that is about $560! It smells good, but jeez, I'm not convinced it is worth that much money.

Anyway, here's wishing all my blogger mates a great weekend and wherever you are, I hope you have an excellent, perfumed time.

Summer = Citrus

I should just say that generally speaking I am not a huge fan of the citrus fragrance family. I very often love a citrus opening, then it fades fast, leaving me smelling faint woods and musk at best. Some citrus fragrances are excellent - take Eau Savage for example - and have stood the test of time, but there are others that seem to just clog up the shelves at many department stores, all like each other and very often called  sports fragrances. I recently received samples of Acqua Di Parma Colonia and Aramis  Cool Blend. Cool Blend is meant to appeal to a young, new generation of Aramis lovers, and I understand is mean to be a fresh chypre. To me it opens with a strong blast of bergamot and that is pretty much all I smell initially. I'm sure there is more in there, but nothing that stands out. There is a spicy piquancy in the heart, which I thought might be cardamom, but from the notes it seems it is actually white pepper and cinnamon. I did detect a rosiness, but now I think this might be the cinnamon note. The dry down is meant to have a creamy suede, golden amber and sandalwood accord, but I honestly don't detect the suede or sandalwood. I thought  I was smelling musk and amber. I'm not sure why it is classed as a fresh chypre - it doesn't smell anything like a chypre to me, fresh or otherwise, and I fail to see how amber, suede and sandalwood could combine to be a chypre? To me Cool Blend seems quite similar to Bulgari Pour Homme, perhaps not exactly in structure, but it has a similar vibe. It is quite mainstream, but to its credit it manages to avoid a lot of the generic cliches out there in men's perfumery, at least I think so. It smells decent, without any wow factor, and if Aramis are trying to connect to a new generation of men, these guys could do a lot worse than wear Cool Blend.

Colonia was created in 1916 and has notes of Italian and Sicilian citrus fruits, lavender, verbena and vetiver. I'm not sure if there is a difference between Italian and Sicilian fruit, but in any event it opens bright and citrusy, with a smell more of the citrus leaves than the fruit or blossoms, luckily (for me). There is quite a lemonyness to it, which I think must be the verbena, which is very realistic. To me it smells a lot like fresh lemon zest. Once the citrus fades a bit, there is more of a floral aspect. Although not listed, I thought I detected a lovely rose and jasmine combo, quite elegant and restrained, and not too floral for a man to wear. I also thought the herbal note smelled a lot like rosemary, but again, I see lavender listed, so perhaps I am confused. In any event, the heart is a lovely mix of rose, jasmine, herbs, perfectly blended. It smells classy and understated. The dry down seems mossy to me, but that might be lavender and vetiver combining. I think overall Colonia smells expensive, with very good quality ingredients. Although released in 1916, it doesn't come across as old fashioned and dated, at least not to me. Being a cologne, it isn't particularly long-lasting and is fairly subtle and restrained, but I think it is lovely and would certainly recommend it.

So would I buy Cool Blend or Colonia? Well, I think I would definitely go for Colonia. It smells more natural and of better-quality ingredients to me, and although not as long-lasting as Cool Blend, it does more for me while it lasts. I know I am not the new generation, but give me 1916 over 2010 any day, at least in this case.