Sniffing in Paris: Part #1

 

(Image: courtesy of my awestruck, wannabe Parisian self. :)



For a burgeoning (or well-experienced) 'perfumista', there's nothing quite as exciting as the prospect of sniffing in Paris. To heal my broken heart, as well as be daring and impetuous, this winter I decided to plan a spur-of-the-moment sojourn to France with my pal Anna. We had talked about making the trip for years, and upon reviewing all of the reasons why we should, we couldn't think of one solitary reason why we shouldn't. So during the first week of March, I had the privilege to consider myself a part of history, ambling the cobblestone streets of Paris.


I did a little bit of research before my trip and decided that I had to hit three fragrance destinations above all. The fourth was a pleasant surprise (stay tuned for 'Sniffing in Paris, part #2 :)

The first destination was the Guerlain flagship store along the Champs Elysees.




(image: courtesy of my little canon)



I would consider myself a bit of a 'purist' when it comes to travel in general. I don't like to bog myself down with tons of literature and adhere to a clad-iron itinerary. I just like to revel in discovery. Despite that, I admit that I had many expectations upon entering this institute of beauty.

As with any other 'Parfumerie', the Guerlain flagship location hits you with a melange of olfactory delight as you enter. The 'classics' mingle with the newer releases. The soft, velvety embellishments seem to add to the vintage, old world feel of the boutique.

Being of European descent myself, and having travelled to Europe many times, I don't consider myself naive when it comes to European 'customer service'. I don't expect anyone to fall over themselves to help me out. There are no wide, inviting smiles, offering assistance. If anything, my typical European shopping experience has been borderline abusive. In the past, I've found myself truly tested. 

The Guerlain boutique didn't offer any of the above. The sales associates were well-versed in the art of ignoring. So I did what any other fragrance-lover would do, I helped myself. Tested 'Le Petit Robe Noir' on an actual ribbon blotter (oh, the luxury! :) There were many rumblings about how inferior the recent re-formulation was, so I had to try it. Eau de Lingerie was also on my list, so I tested that one as well. (This time, on a paper strip). To my nose, LPRN was an anise bomb. Sweet and fun, but not me.


(image taken from fragrantica.com)





EdL was very pretty indeed. A vanilla-infused musk that seemed fleeting at the time and quite ordinary. (Side note: Upon arriving home, I had unknowingly given my mom her gift of a French scarf in one of my shopping bags that contained the EdL scent strip....later on, she demanded to know what it was. It left that much of an impression on her, which made me re-think my initial 'ordinary' reaction...)


(image taken from fragrantica.com)


I took a cursory glance around. Spotted the coveted 'spiral staircase' that led upstairs to what I remembered from a BBC perfume documentary as a lovely sampling area but no...the area was roped off. Alas, this perfume-loving girl left the Guerlain flagship store empty-handed, save for a couple of scent strips and an overall air of indifference.

A few doors down, I encountered the largest Sephora location that one could possibly imagine. I was completely awe-struck at its enormity. Adding to the whole experience was the fact that it was absolutely packed with customers. It was difficult to distinguish between customer and sales associate.

Because if the sheer volume of people within this enormous space, I was left alone to sample to my heart's delight. First on my list: Serge Luten's Fille de Berlin. The usual rectangular, spray bottle. I didn't detect much more than a pleasant, airy rose. Nothing spectacular.

(image taken from feelunique.com)

I took a mental inventory of the other Serge offerings (noting the price: the average bottle could be had for much less via amazon. That's me, being practical :) and noticed with some surprise that Datura Noir was sold out. (Were the majority of these Datura Noir-loving customers French, desperate for a tropical infusion to jolt them out of their rainy springtime weather? Judging by the look of most people around me, I suspected that this particular location catered to the tourist set.) Nonetheless, if someone had asked me which Serge I would deem the most likely to sell out along the Champs Elysees, Datura Noir would have been last on my list.

I sampled a few others (including Hermes' Jour d'Hermes) and was struck by how unimpressed I was. (Sharp floral-citrus? Sorry Jean-Claude, we've seen this from you before. Pretty bottle though). In retrospect, I realize now that my perception might have been skewed by how awestruck I was by my environment in general. Without wanting to sound completely trite: Paris is truly magical. Every step, every view elicits open-mouthed wonder. I expected the same from my perfume sampling experience as well.

I came close to it at my next (albeit accidental) sniffing destination: Etat Libre d'Orange...

Stay tuned!

(Oh, and P.S....couldn't leave Sephora empty-handed. Everyone needs red lipstick in France, right? :)

Happy New Year

The beginning of a new year spawns all kinds of resolutions for many. I'm not one of them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of the select fortunate individuals who has a life that is so put together it doesn't warrant the implementation of resolutions. It's just that the word 'resolution' itself seems so stringent to me. It's as if I'm setting myself up to fail if I dare make myself part of the resolution movement.

So for my first post of the new year. I'm eschewing everything resolution-related. This won't even be a 'best-of' post. My personally most-enjoyed fragrances this past year were so memory-associated, that I can't even mention them without feeling super emotional.
(Yes, it's been a year of highs and lows. My life is a cliche, can't help it. :)
The remainder were previously-undiscovered gems that were launched years prior.

What I'd really like to talk about at this time is one of my favourite topics: fragrance shopping.
It's fun to get out there and sniff, isn't it? And for those of us who are relegated to (relatively) small-town living, going to a big city and having a whiff of the most pricey and notorious wares is a real treat.

On a recent business trip to Toronto, I had the pleasure of browsing at Holt Renfrew.




Image courtesy of www.beintoronto.com


My lovely pal Anna (who isn't a perfumista herself) had to endure some sniffing. And I have to say that she did me proud.

First counter: Kilian. Having already sampled the new Garden of Good and Evil collection, I decided to test some of the lesser-knowns from his lineup. The winner: Pure Oud. A somewhat skanky but very-wearable oud, unisex to my nose and incredibly heady. (Could smell remnants of it on my coat days later, rather enthusiastically sprayed by Eric, the incredibly helpful SA). Since Eric didn't have any samples of Pure Oud left, he overturned boxes of others (he really searched hard!) and gave me a sample of Amber Oud instead.
I walked away happy.

Image courtesy of www.nathanbranch.com

Next up was the Malle counter. L'eau D'Hiver has been on my wish list for ages, so I huffed it lovingly. Carnal Flower Hair Mist was a must-test, and it didn't disappoint. Having my hair smell like this on a daily basis would be a dream. Alas, my budget doesn't quite allow for such an indulgence, so on the shelf it stayed.



Image courtesy of www.hellocotton.com

I fully admit, I could have spent hours at Holt's. However, I had to spare Anna the agony of waiting on the sidelines. It's an awkward thing, shopping with a non-perfumista isn't it? Luckily for Anna, she found something she liked at well. I've been curious about Byredo's offerings for a long while. Being part gypsy myself, I had to get my hands on their ubiquitous Gypsy Water. Clean, sweet and expensive-smelling, it didn't quite live up to the image I had conjured up for it (in my mind, I envisioned a slightly sweaty, dirty musk. Couldn't tell you why). Anna loved it too. Must spring for some soon.

I happened upon the following little gem, which was quizzically placed on a back shelf, seemingly away from all of the other fragrances on it's own. I recognized the flacon, thought it was another of the same series, but no.

It was Hermes' new offering: Ambre des Merveilles.

Image courtesy of usa.hermes.com

You know that feeling you get when you place the sprayer close to your nose and know instantly that you have to have it? That was my immediate impression of Ambre des Merveilles. The one word that came to mind was: warmth. A bit more floral than anticipated (I suppose with the word 'Ambre' in the title, I had different expectations, but I digress). Hauntingly beautiful.

So much to sniff, so little time. I had to offer Anna a little bit of mercy and leave Holt's much earlier than desired. It did however, leave a lasting impression and lemmings to boot.

What say you, fellow readers? Where are your favourite sniffing spots? Spill!

Happy New Year everyone. xo