Tag: maison francis kurkdjian

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540

~ Ari ~ 12 Comments

Standard perfumista wisdom warns against wearing one of your favorite perfumes on first dates. That way, if the date goes badly, you don’t risk tainting one of your tried and trues with a negative association. (I still can’t touch Lush Tuca Tuca after a particularly rough OKCupid date at a Lord of the Rings-themed restaurant, during which I was lectured about the Singularity for longer than Return of the King. EXTENDED EDITION.)

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In keeping with this principle, I decided on Baccarat Rouge, a scent I had spent very little time with, for the first date with my now-boyfriend Garrett. (This is the first time I’ve mentioned a boyfriend on the blog since college. I will be so mad if he dumps me tomorrow.)

No turning back now- meet Garrett, everyone!

Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has described Baccarat Rouge as “burnt strawberry jam”, and that’s wonderfully accurate. Baccarat Rouge opens with a mouthwatering caramelized effect, candied with just a touch of savory. Fascinatingly, Baccarat Rouge is based around a very common ingredient, ethyl maltol, the sweet core of mainstream blockbusters like Thierry Mugler Angel and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. But where Angel and Flowerbomb are massive, hulking fragrances, Baccarat’s sweetness is airy, streamlined. It’s candy, but it’s polished, subtle candy, like a delicate toile of sugar on a Michelin-rated dessert. The burnt strawberry jam never fades away, but it’s gradually given depth by a quiet, fresh jasmine note, which just so happens to be the only kind of jasmine I can tolerate.

The ultimate proof of Baccarat Rouge’s allure? After a few months, Garrett ordered his own bottle.

What are your go-to date fragrances? Any scents you’ve had to banish after bad first dates?

Disclaimers: This post is not sponsored and does not contain affiliate links. 

It’s Rosh Hashanah, Honey!

~ Ari ~ 7 Comments

Happy 5776, y’all! It’s the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. You might be familiar with the best-known Rosh Hashanah tradition, eating apples dipped in honey for a sweet new year. (Less popular customs include eating fish heads. Perfume blog material right there!) As much as I know you were hoping for a list of fish head fragrances, you’ll have to settle for my favorite honey perfumes instead.

Capturing the bright sweetness of honey as a perfume note is tricker than you might expect. Perfume Shrine reports, “Phenylacetic acid is perceived as golden and honeyed in minute amounts, urinous in higher concentrations.” Yes, you read that right: urinous. An unbalanced honey note is a one-way ticket to cat pee territory. (Apparently it’s Gross Animal Byproduct Monday here at Scents of Self!)

If you’re still feeling brave enough, start 5776 off right with these delicious-and-totally-not-urinous-I-promise honey scents!

Ginestet Botrytis

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Honey and white florals sing a crystal-clear soprano duet. Honey at its most delicate and tender.

M.A.C Africanimal

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A glorious M.A.C limited edition, from back when M.A.C actually made fragrances instead of endless Miley Cyrus collections. It’s worth hunting down for its darker, richer honey note, like those $15.99 jars you see at organic grocery stores.

Absolue Pour Le Soir 

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Heavy-hitting honey! A highly concentrated honey note and powerhouses like incense, cumin, and resins make Absolue Pour Le Soir potent, capital P perfumery.

By Kilian Back to Black 

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Voluptuously thick honey drizzled over sweetly almond-flavored pipe tobacco. Back to Black was obviously named for Amy Winehouse, but I’ve always associated it with a rather different British beauty: this devastatingly sultry photo of Nigella Lawson.

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CB I Hate Perfume Wildflower Honey

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The description I wrote for Arielle Shoshana says, “A honey fragrance so shockingly realistic that we’re convinced it belongs in a bear-shaped squeezy bottle.” Nothing further to add!

Do you have a favorite fragrance with a honey note? Any other Rosh Hashanah-inspired recommendations? Please feel free to share with us in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post does not contain affiliate links. Wildflower Honey image source: http://intothegloss.com/2013/10/honey-skin-face-care/.