Dolce&Gabbana Rose The One

Rose The One is Dolce & Gabbana’s modern take on the classic flower of romance, rose. This fragrance is a flanker of the The One (2006) and its more recent predecessor L’eau The One (2008).  Bright, powdery and lacking depth – generic, I believe is more apropos. The composition is almost linear  and the rose is not as intense. The fragrance notes focus on the citrusy element that projects a fresh and zesty base. The notes are black currant, grapefruit, mandarin orange, lily of the valley, rose, lychee, peony, lily, ambrette, sandalwood, musk and vanilla.

While Rose The One is a pleasant fragrance on the overall, it’s not something that piques the interest. It’s somehow reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent’s Baby Doll and Parisienne as both fragrances center on rose accords, as well. Like the original The One, this version doesn’t do well on the longevity department. It quickly diffuses and barely present after a few hours.

The ad is definitely more beautiful and elegant than the actual perfume. There seemed to be a disconnect between the fragrance and the campaign, or shall I say, D&G and P&G Prestige put more hours perfecting the campaign over the fragrance. What a shame.

Here is Rose The One’s ad campaign featuring Scarlett Johansson.

Dior Addict

Compelling, bold and luxuriously creamy – Dior Addict is the modern, intuitive woman who knows what she wants. This floriental fragrance from Dior is as enchanting as the notes that perfumer Thierry Wasser put together. Mandarin leaves are introduced at the beginning of the notes followed by the exquisite florals in the middle. The base notes, on the one hand, develop into a sweet-spicy scent where vanilla accords create a wonderful sensual energy as it combines with sandalwood and Tonka beans.

Dior Addict is reminiscent of Angel: the gourmand aroma is very pronounced. The floral notes in the heart (orange blossom, night queen flower and Bulgarian rose) evoke a serene-like feeling albeit ephemeral because the vanilla takes center stage in no time. The way the notes meld together is beautifully done. Despite its rich composition in the dry down, the freshness of mandarin and the enchanting air of floral accords balances the addictive quality of the fragrance.

As for the sillage, expect long hours of intense fragrance wafting all day. Perfumistas who have tried and lusted for Dior Addict vouch for its incomparable longevity. It clings on the skin for hours. This is something you ought to wear during winter or evenings.

Dior Addict was launched in 2002 and is available in eau de parfum.

More of Dior’s fragrances at scentiments.com.

Creed Acqua Fiorentina

Father and son Olivier and Erwin Creed teamed up to create a floral fruity fragrance called Acqua Fiorentina. This scent is not heavy on the florals; rather it’s a charming, light fragrance good enough to pair with the mainstream fragrances of today. This latest scent from Creed doesn’t project something new and exciting. It’s comparable to one of those I’ve-smelled-this-before fragrances in the perfumery. Nonetheless, I’m not discounting the fact that this is a well-crafted fragrance on the overall. It’s just that they could’ve been more creative in the composition to make it more distinct and more impressive.

The notes are bergamot, rose, Virginia cedar, sandalwood, plum and Amalfi lemon.The plummy notes at the beginning is pleasant and sweet while the citrusy accords blend well with the “hardly there” musk notes. The fragrance is very linear and there is no hint of complexity as it moves from the top to the middle and down to the base notes.

More of Creed’s fragrances at discount perfume online retailer, scentiments.com.

L’eau d’Issey & L’eau d’Issey Pour Homme

L’eau d’Issey’s claim to fame in the perfumery is its groundbreaking floral aquatic fragrance that has become the benchmark of many perfumes since it was launched in 1992. This fragrance is all about pure floral accords and the sparkling freshness of water. Although there’s a whole entourage of notes that encapsulate this fragrance; lotus, rose, lily and precious woods form its olfactory signature.

This fragrance react differently depending on the skin type, which is an obvious fact. Some find the combination of floral and aquatic accords too synthetic and an assault to the senses. Yet on some who are more compatible with the notes pick up all the nice and clean notes of soft florals and watery accords. L’eau d’Issey is one of the most subtle fragrances in the perfumery, in my opinion.

L’eau d’Issey Pour Homme is geared towards the citrusy-woodsy composition. The top notes are teeming with zesty mandarin and lemons so you’ll get a very sharp citrus in the opening. There seems to be no progression from the top to the middle and base because the freshness is palpable even in the dry down. The men’s cologne is quite potent that’s why it is best to be prudent with applications.

Both fragrances perform well in terms of sillage and longevity.  L’eau d’Issey and Pour Homme can be classified as singular fragrances. There wasn’t much transition going on in the notes. The women’s fragrance is floral-aquatic throughout and same applies with the men’s cologne  on its citrusy-fresh appeal from start to finish. To those who adore simplistic and no-nonsense fragrances, these combo may suit their olfactory preferences.

In light of Issey Miyake’s success in the fragrance category, a series of flankers were created over the years – tweaked, neutered and amp’ed up. More of Issey Miyake’s perfume and cologne collection is available at discount perfume retailer, scentiments.com.

Astor Place Bond No. 9

Astor Place is the latest scent from New York based fragrance house Bond No. 9. The perfume is inspired by the city’s vibrant arts and style intersection – home to the Astor Place Opera House and Tony Rosenthal’s sculpture “Alamo” or “The Cube”.

This fragrance was launched in April 2009 and described by founder Laurice Rahme, as unisex  (all Bond No. 9 fragrances are unisex) with feminine tendencies.  Designed by perfumer Laurent de Guernec, the notes of this fragrance are violet leaf, mandarin zest, freesia, poppy buds, orris root, teakwood, musk and amber.  The bottle is a palette of beautiful colors, more like a montage of cubes ala-Alamo.

The notes open up with a pleasant fruity accord that reminds me of berries. It quickly disappears, however, as the essence of white flowers replaced the sweet notes at the top. The base seems to be invisible as the musk and amber are nowhere to be found. It could be the freesia toppled the supposed woodsy notes. I wish the dry down is a lot more pronounced to give the beautiful floral more character. Some say that Astor Place is reminiscent of Paris Hilton’s first fragrance or Dior’s J’adore. While both are aesthetically pleasing to the nose, I expect something more from Astor Place. Perhaps, more dramatic flair to it  just like the real Astor Place.

Astor Place is available in eau de toilette at 50ml and 100ml. There’s also a Swarovski limited edition in 100ml bottle.

Love Ralph Lauren

Extravagance and opulence.  That’s Love by Ralph Lauren, a floral-oriental fragrance that centers on Bulgarian rose. This  stunning perfume in a heart-shaped bottle comes at a hefty tag price to the tune of $600 (crystal parfum edition). If you desire the  more ostentatious display of wealth, trimmings of 24-carat gold and an amethyst top, be ready to splurge some more to experience more of the Love. How about $2,200 to cap (pun intended) it off with a real amethyst gem?

This overly expensive fragrance is composed of the following notes: magnolia, mimosa, rose, ylang-ylang, amber, orris root, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla and musk. It starts off with a rich complex floral fragrance then quickly introduces the lush notes of roses in the middle.  At the base, Love lets you experience the creaminess of vanilla mingling with the woodsy accords.

Love seems to defy recession given its insane prices. Being a floriental perfume, one would wonder if the perfume is really about the scent, the bottle or the marketing hype? The eau de parfum version is more forgiving at $135 for a 2.5 oz bottle.

Ralph Lauren fragrances are generally conservative scents. There are other florientals in the perfumery which are as good as Love and priced realistically at that. If you’re a collector of precious perfume bottles embellished with jewels, Love may as well be part of your inventory.

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

Vetiver is widely used in the perfumery for its fixative properties. The United States, Europe and Japan are said to be the main consumers of this precious root. But what makes vetiver so special? Tom Ford knows.

American fashion designer Tom Ford presents his latest  masculine fragrance bearing the name of the essential fragrance ingredient, vetiver  -  Grey Vetiver. As expected, vetiver is the primary note together with orange flower, grapefruit, aromatic sage, orris, nutmeg, pimiento, amber woods and oak moss.

Grey Vetiver is a modern interpretation of the classic masculine vetiver. It starts out with fresh citrus then transitions to a somewhat toasty-spicy essence (perhaps, the sage and nutmeg). The dry down is warm and cozy as the vetiver mingles with the ambery woods. Although this fragrance is not exactly groundbreaking, it’s well-blended and is a nice vetiver-based scent.

The frosted bottle is a replica of the earlier Tom Ford fragrances, ribbed flacon with the designer’s name imprinted  on the thin metal sheet. Grey Vetiver comes in 50 ml eau de parfum.

If you’re a fan of vetiver, you might as well get a bottle and compare it with your other vetiver-based perfumes.

Calvin Klein ck free

This year, Calvin Klein takes another masculine fragrance to the shelves with ck free. Perfumer Givaudan is the nose behind this fragrance and the notes are absinthe, jackfruit, star annis, juniper berries, suede, coffee, tobacco leaf, buchu, oak, patchouli, cedar and ironwood. Don’t be surprised if you tell yourself that the scent reminds you of something. It does, actually.  This is a crisp aromatic fragrance similar to other CK perfumes launched in the past. You’ll get that fresh, green, woody notes from the opening to the dry down.

Nothing is really new with this fragrance. Suffice to say, it’s a rehash of previous CK masculine colognes.

If you’re a Calvin Klein fan, you may want to road test this supposed new scent for old time’s sake.

J’adore Dior

J’adore by Dior was a perfume of the 90’s. Ten years has passed and it still remains as one of the best floral-based feminine scents of all time. This fragrance is well-blended in every sense. The floral notes complement each other and the progression of the accords from the top to the middle and finally, to the base exemplifies how simplicity can turn into something elegant and beautiful.

The notes combine magnolia, melon, peach, pear, bergamot, mandarin orange, tuberose, plum, violet, orchid, freesia, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, musk, vanilla, cedar and blackberry. It’s floral, fruity and not to mention fresh throughout. Women love wearing this fragrance regardless of the occasion and loyal fans of J’adore have sworn by its versatility for years.

Just like other successful fragrances, J’adore boasts a collection of flankers where flowers and fruits dominate in varied amounts.

J’adore Le Jasmin, like the name suggests, is jasmine and nothing else. Jasmine is the lone fragrance note in this version.

J’adore   En Or was launched in 2004 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of J’adore. It’s floral-fruity with hints of ivy and black currant added.

J’adore L’absolu is another take on the floral-fruity theme but according to perfume fans who have road-tested the fragrance, this version is one: a heady floral and two: a tad musky in the dry down.

J’adore L’eau Cologne Florale is the most recent addition to the J’adore perfume collection. Since this is in cologne version, expect something fresher and lighter. The balanced composition of the notes is still present.

Flanker after flanker, there is one thing J’adore doesn’t alter and that’s the Greek amphora inspired bottle. The design of the flacon is a true classic and the sculpted outline is reminiscent of a woman’s body. It’s femininity inside out.

Davidoff Hot Water

Davidoff recently launched Cool Water’s alter ego called Hot Water. This masculine cologne is described as spicy-oriental which is a total deviation from the trademark ozonic and fresh scent of Cool Water – the long standing flagship cologne of the fragrance house. The notes feature absinthe, red basil, pimiento, patchouli, styrax and benzoin. The intense red colored bottle reflects the carnal heat the cologne is trying to project. Like the name suggests, Hot Water is fierce and sensual.

People who have tried this cologne agree that the hotness factor is tamed. Perhaps, the water essence makes it a tad paler so as not to overwhelm the nose with spicy accords. On the overall, this is a pleasant scent, nicely blended with average longevity.

The ad campaign for Hot Water is as steamy as its name. Here are models Alexis Papa and Alyssa Miller writhing in pleasure and anticipation in a faraway beach in the Pacific.