Fragrance Review: Tom Ford Neroli Portofino

Posted by Dimitri on Thu, 01/15/2015 - 7:20 PM

Perhaps if you're living in the northern hemisphere right now and suffering deep in the throes of winter, you might be dreaming of pina coladas and sunlit beaches... well spring may be a few months away still, but there is some comfort in this exciting bottle of exotic turquoise blue! Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino - launched in 2011 – carries all the distinct markers of a day in the sun. Shimmering citrus, check. Exotic neroli blossoms, check. Sun-soaked golden amber, check. This aromatic citrusy floral was composed on a traditional eau de cologne structure – the result is a breezy sunny scent of exceptional quality, whose projection and tenacity rival the best. Better still – it can be enjoyed by both sexes!

 

Leave it to Tom Ford to enchant us again with a wave of his magic perfumed wand... Neroli Portofino not only evokes images of the Amalfi coast, but the gorgeous Italian glitterati who holiday there. And who wouldn't wish to be amongst them?

 

Take a jaunt to the tropics this winter without even packing your passport. As far as effortless chic and infinite sophistication is concerned, Neroli Portofino has it all, hands down!

Fragrance Review: Christian Dior Poison

Posted by Dimitri on Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:00 AM

If your own personal credo is “GO BIG OR GO HOME”, then few come bigger than Dior's iconic Poison... the quintessential floral from the 80's, steeped in legend and synonymous with excess! In 1985, when yours truly was watching Gremlins and listening to Duran Duran, Poison was unleashed onto the world, and with it came a wave of success... it shot to international stardom, and has remained close to the apex of feminine florals since! 

An incredibly complex blend of countless components, Poison enjoyed a special kind of alchemy... it is a blend that oozes carnality and confidence – an “all-eyes-on-me” composition focusing on jasmine, tuberose, spices, amber, resins, honey, woods and musks. A titan in the female fragrance world! 

There is no mistaking Poison for any other scent – its unique olfactory fingerprint dances in the mind long after it has stopped dancing in the nose. Now, some 30 years after its inception, Dior's legendary classic is enjoying a renaissance with women who like razzle and fanfare everywhere they go.

Brash, shameless and infinitely carnal, Poison still has epic pulling power! Another illustrious release that found its way into the record books!

 

Fragrance Review: HERMES – BEL AMI

Posted by Dimitri on Wed, 11/26/2014 - 6:19 PM

A rough 'n' rugged woody chypre for men, Bel Ami strode onto the scene in 1986 ... with swagger! With a name taken from a famous French novel in which a young man rose to power by manipulating and bedding a string of influential mistresses, Bel Ami has been touted by Hermes as the “Great Seducer”... and just as one might predict, this brawny masculine is bold, commanding and unapologetic.

 

From the bottle, Bel Ami bowls you over with a profusion of citrus and woods. Notes of sage, basil, jasmine and carnation lend a floral/aromatic facet, which rests over a decidedly masculine and somewhat sexy foundation of leather, styrax, patchouli, woods and mosses. There is a wonderful spiced aspect too – making the best of a resolutely animalic huff of cardamom. Not surprisingly, Bel Ami feels extroverted and openly sexual.

 

A scent that epitomises gruff masculine vigor, Bel Ami still observes the traditional conventions of the House of Hermes... it conveys the Hermes DNA of luxury and finesse. Romantic nights out (or in!) is the ideal time to whisk out the Bel Ami... it has impressive staying power. Its not held in high regard as one of the House's most loved and most venerated masculines for nothing. One to be tried.