182619692011

To mark my new found home in Morningside, Edinburgh I decided to purchase a new fragrance. I stumbled across the 14ml travel spray's from Histories de Parfums at Anthropologie . After falling in love with Moulin Rouge 1889 last year I had sworn to further navigate my way through the HdP library. My friend and fantastically scented colleague purchased 1969 and I became rather obsessive over 1826 Eugénie de Montijo, with its patchouli and amber so well executed it turned to melted bitter chocolate on my skin. As soon as the jus sliced my wrist memories from my childhood bled out, that sun drenched autumn day, my sisters birthday, that day we consumed our body weight in licorice and amidst a sugar rush decided to play adventurer, up the tree we went, down the tree I came..... one broken wrist later and a short visit to the hospital. Painful as it was it was the wait sitting beside my grandmother that caused me more heartache. She was wearing approximately half a bottle of Clinique's Aromatics Elixir.

1826 Eugénie de Montijo
Top Notes - Bergamot & Tangerine 
Heart Notes - Violet, Cinnamon, Ginger & White Flowers
Base Notes - Patchouli, Amber, Incense, White Musk, Vanilla & Blond Woods.

I have read a few reviews of 1826 and disagree with most of them. Many found there to be no sillage, there is! Some picked up on the sweaty animalic gangbang of indolic white floral notes, vanilla, musk and amber  but failed to comment on how masterfully these notes have been blended.  Patchouli isnt for everyone and is pretty hard to pull off without coming over to the surrounding populace as a tarot card reading, incense burning cat collector but when its done as beautifully as this anyone can wear it and smell utterly ravishing whilst doing so. 

I have also just sampled the new additions to the Tom Ford range Jasmin Rouge, Santal Blush (Private Blends) and Violet Blonde (mainline)... where to start?!? The packaging for each is as expected, flawless and very much objets d'art, they just make you want to part with serious cash, winking and whispering at you seductively, hinting at how much better your life would be with them in it especially when the light sparkles in their glass stoppers.

The ad campaign for the Private blends are airbrushed 70's glam/chic, very clever. The Violet Blonde campaign on the other (manicured) hand is a little bit of a let down, just looks cheap and nasty and a tad try hard (both camp. by Mert and Marcus). As far as the jus goes The Private Blends left me feeling reaaalllyyy underwhelmed, rather timid and weak and certainly not worth the extortionate price tag, they just didn't smell niche or high grade enough to command such prices, this is becoming a familiar trait in the TF beauty line, the luxury is a veneer, lacquered over, the beauty lies only skin deep! Dont be fooled.... Santal Blush was initially quite nice, very milky, extremely white but this lasted minutes leaving you with a paper thin sandalwood note underpinned with the infamous TF Oud accord. As for Jasmin Rouge, the note roll call makes JR sound unbearably beautiful but on the skin it really isnt up to much. Very Tom Ford, brash and loud. Not as sexy as I had hoped. The jasmine note smells watered down, not smokey, hazed or carnal. I was expecting something along the lines of Penhaligon's Amaranthine. Rich, overtly sexual, bruised and corrupted. These new additions seem to have been rushed, almost as a second money grabbing idea to ramp up the PR for Ford's new makeup line. Sadly I think these will sell in huge amounts, the campaigns, romanticization of the fragrances and the packaging all scream "buy me" without taking into consideration the true reason for buying scent, the smell!!

Violet Blonde was my favorite of the trio with only hints of a cucumber like greener Violet leaf note as the transition from top to heart notes takes place (Ford used the same effect in his Tom Ford for Men). For me this is more of an Iris absolute and Jasmine scent which I suppose most of the general hoi polloi would consider to be the natural powdery soft scent of Violets. No nasty ionones just buttery orris, cashmere soft iris and and a narcotic plume of jasmine playfully intertwining on a suede bed of musks, vetiver and glimmering, sticky benzoin. Unlike most of Ford's mainline fragrances Violet Blonde is very reserved, she doesnt throw herself on you (Black Orchid), rather she places a warm hand around the back of your neck and softly kisses you with rouged lips, only digging her fingernails in a little, an aloof temptress. This could be another little perfume binge.

For a more sophisticated darker violet try Dior Fahrenheit Absolute or Guerlain Apres l'Ondee (both are stunning on men and women)

Blonder, slutty alternatives try YSL 'Paris' and John Galliano 'John Galliano'.