Chanel Coco Noir

” Before me, no one would have dared dressed in black ” Gabrielle Chanel

” After this, no one would have faith in Noir/Chanel ” London Pretty Boy.

That concludes my verdict on this spin-off type fragrance. If Coco is the grand madame ( elegant & mature ), and  Coco Mademoiselle the mistress ( bright & cheerful ); Coco Noir would be the illegal immigrant au pair !

I am utterly disgusted by Coco Noir. As an exclusive, reputable house of fragrance, Chanel should have done better – Well, at least the classy black bottle is a nice decorative piece, and you could use the juice for your potpourri in the powder room ( I mean toilet, as powder room would be too posh for Coco Noir’s standard )

Byredo Rose Noir

Another new feature of VimS – Fragrance Friday. The first fragrance I would like to introduce is Byredo’s Rose Noir.

In Rose Noir, the classic symbol of love and devotion is updated. A traditional olfactory rose, the Damascene, is made potent and contemporary once again by darkening its character. Rose Noir becomes a decadent, dirty rose with intense and animalic quality.

Built on memories from Byredo founder Ben Gorham’s travels in the Middle East, where the rose is not considered to be a feminine fragrance note and is worn by both men and women. And you needn’t be scared of smelling like your grand’s garden with this because – in Ben’s own words – he’d ‘ dirtied ’ the rose note up a little ( with musky base notes and a little citrus ). It works brilliantly and is sexy without being sickly sweet or remotely girlie.

Top: Grapefruit, freesia
Heart: Rose damascena
Base: Cistus, moss, musk

” The vision ( Byredo ) was a black rose with intensity and an animalic character.” A really really dirty rose that smells earthy & musky on the skin. One of those sensual scent that is very very bedroom appropriate.

Monroe may wear drops of No. 5 to bed, but LPB prefers Rose Noir.

Byredo is an abbreviation of the English term “ By Redolence ”, which means “ a sweet and pleasant fragrance ”.

Bottega Veneta EDP

The eau de parfum that I was anticipating since mid year, from the house of Bottega.

A soft floral-leather-chypre. The composition includes notes of patchouli, oak moss, Italian bergamot, Indian jasmine sambac, Brazilian pink peppercorns and Indian patchouli.

The fragrance was envisioned by Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier, who ” wanted to capture the sun and warmth of a Venetian countryside house and its library full of leather books “.

A chic classic, IMO.

Chanel No. 19 Poudre

The eternal dilemma, to buy or not to buy……

I love the original N0. 19 and this new version has additional iris & musk notes in it for a powdery sensual treat without compromising its original green notes.

Shopping Spree ( 3 )

More fragrance purchases…… Tom Ford’s White Suede & Neroli Portofino.

Shopping Spree ( 1 )

My perfume purchases in Liberty. Byredo’s Rose Noir & Le Labo’s Fleur d’Oranger.

Sisley Eau du Soir

The Rolls Royce of chypres.

A refined, elegant, and timeless scent. Eau du Soir offers inimitable charm and allure, day and night. A rich, complex olfactory composition, Eau du Soir is a perfect balance between the freshness of citrus, the sensuality of floral and chypre notes, and the intensity of amber and musk.

The sculptural stopper, created by contemporary artist Bronislaw Krzysztof, is plated with 18-karat yellow gold.

Eau du Soir, which celebrates its 20th Birthday this year, was created by Hubert d’Ornano as a personal fragrance for his wife Isabelle in memory of the scent of Andalusian gardens from her childhood, when the day gives way to obscurity and White Seringa flowers fully release their scent. Eau du Soir is the essence of a summer evening captured in an eau de parfum; an extremely elegant, original and refined Chypre floral fragrance.

A scent of rich contrasts that develops subtly and slowly, releasing the perfectly balanced notes of fresh citrus, sensuous floral, crisp chypre, alluring amber and animalistic musk.

I am currently living in this perfume. Only one word to describe this – Sophisticated. I could imagine Elizabeth I ( the Virgin Queen ) wearing this, so elegant that it’s getting snobbish &  grandiose. The elixir of an Ice Queen. ( Thanks Jade for the concept )

PS: the 20th anniversary limited edition bottle comes in a contrasting box ( white bottle in black box & vice versa). I think the black bottle is great for decor.

Frederic Malle Portrait of A Lady

‘Portrait of a Lady’  is the latest fragrance by Frédéric Malle, named after Henry James’s famous novel of 1881, which centers on a woman torn between sexual desire and responsibility.

The fragrance was created by perfumer Dominique Ropion, the nose behind Malle’s previous fragrances such as Vetiver Extraordinaire,  Geranium Pour Monsieur and Un Fleur de Cassis.

Malle sees Ropion as somewhat of a fragrance maverick, as he “did not surrender to the modern conventions by which a fragrance must include Hedione, Iso E Super, Lilial etc..”

Hence each raw material Ropion selected for the perfume (including the extremely rare Turkish Rose Essence) plays a crucial role in its scent composition.

When first spritzed onto the skin, the top notes provide a rich hit of Incense, which over time mellows to allow the other notes of the Rose Essence, White Musk, Cinnamon and Patchouli to come to the fore. Described by Malle as a “a new oriental rose,” the combination of musk and floral notes create a rich and absorbing bouquet, making this latest olfactory offering destined to become a modern classic.

Perfume notes: benzoin, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, incense, white musk cocktail, Turkish rose essence, rose absolute, cinnamon, clove, red berries accord, blackcurrant.

Portrait of a Lady takes the genre of the deep, dark oriental rose and gives it further asperities, further dirtiness despite using some white musk to make it more feminine; Exploring the limits of both pungency and sweetness and offering one of the darkest rose compositions available on the market.

The patchouli which is said to comprise 1/3 of the formula is perceptible in a smoky guise. It is a subtle, refined patchouli.

‘Portrait of a Lady’ is priced at £115 for 50ml, £175 for 100ml and is available at Liberty.

Salvatore Ferragamo Attimo

Meaning ‘instant’ in Italian, Attimo is said to express Salvatore Ferragamo’s core values of elegance, glamour, refined seduction and Italian style.

Created by Jean-Pierre Bethouart and Annick Menardo of Firmenich, the EDP has a multi-faceted floral bouquet with a sensual, woody dry-down.

The floral green woody juice offers an addictive blend of soft musks, refined cedarwood and vibrant patchouli. Opening with juicy and crisp Nashi pear accents, the fragrance offers hints of kumquat. The lotus flower unveils a floral heart. Subtle and fragrantly green, the scent of gardenia and frangipani flowers combine to emphasise floral sensuality. Fresh rosy accents of peony underline femininity and character, according to the Italian house.

SF Attimo has a pretty common fruity & juicy top notes, not so complex flowery middle notes & I couldn’t detect much of the woody dry down; There was a very faint musky note though nothing special. I have to admit, even some of my room candles smell more distinctive & better than this fragrance number !

Nice bottle, ordinary scent, poor lasting power & sillage. I am rather disappointed by Salvatore Ferragamo – Attimo is just like the rest of the 1001 fruity-flowery fragrances launched in the past 6 months; Just another insignificant blend that will need to rely heavily on successful marketing strategies for its existence.

Back to Beige

Revive your usual Fall Winter dark style with the unusual suspect – beige, for that ethereal glow.

Treat yourself with the understated yet distinctive Chanel’s Beige.

You could even indulge yourself with some old time favourites such as Lunasol’s beige beige palette, Butter London’s all hail mcqueen, Givenchy’s beige mousseline prisms.