New fragrance claims to help alter perception of those around you. Does it work? I take it for a spin. Join discussion...

Looking for a "grown and sexy" perfume? Check out this one by Como & Brigante! This new fragrance is called NOU, and has a very sophisticated and grown up vibe to it. Read more and enter here! Join discussion...

I find it strange as my shop sells a varied range of items from some very premium niche designer, yet my top selling range is ‘After the Rain’. It’s not expensive; it is very plainly packaged, and is not over powering in scent. Join discussion...

review of Kenzo's fabulous fragrance pebbles from the Ryoko Collection! Join discussion...

Eva Pasco's debut Women's Fiction novel, UNDERLYING NOTES (276 pgs) stirs a fragrant breeze along the Atlantic^^^^^^ Available for Purchase: http://www.charlesriverpress.com http://www.amazon.com Carla Matteo copes with life by 'taking to the bottle'--glass goddesses funneling perfume! During a midlife renaissance, the juice offers incentive for Carla to find her own niche, while the ominous rose note in Paloma Picasso forces her to confront a troubled past. Carla's fragrance addiction numbs the pain of her father's tragic death, wards off the sting of a severed adolescent friendship, fortifies her against the stench of employment inside her husband's waste management company on land purported to have been swindled by a shady father-in-law, and wafts through fantasies of having a fling with hubby's paesano. Carla Matteo's self-deprecating wit and candor navigate the reader past Rhode Island's affluent coastal communities, prominent landmarks, cherished institutions, and olive oil spills of the underworld as she reveals her quirks, inhibitions, anxieties, and fears. Carla's account is as multilayered as the fragrances she wears to permeate back stories that illuminate the present and surrender underlying secrets one morsel at a time. An excerpt wafting fragrance from Chapter 1: ...I opened the doors of the cabinet to peruse the bottles of “juice.” My ladies-in-waiting huddled together in various shapes and sizes, some nearly empty, some half-filled, and others hardly touched. Some bottles still languished inside their packaging, the names front and center. The “juice” beckoned with its spectrum of colors: clear as water, pale yellow, rich amber, and even pink or blue. On this cold day in January, I reached for the small amber bottle promising to soothe and impart warmth once I imbibed its spirits. Delightfully intoxicated by this Floral Oriental fragrance, I gave a quick squirt to my wrists and inhaled. I knew the progression of its notes by memory. I sensed the sweet rush of caramel, champagne, and honey in the top register. The orchid, rose, and cinnamon in the heart would soon reveal this lady’s demeanor. In time, underlying notes of cedar and sandalwood in the base would orchestrate a woodsy dry down, while the vanilla and musk conspired to convey sweetness and warmth. This masterpiece is Spark, composed by Liz Claiborne. I don’t consider myself an addict anymore than someone who fancies himself or herself a collector of fine art, wine, rare books, antiques, stamps, or comics. I view this pursuit as a noble enterprise to elevate my olfactory senses, satisfy momentary whims, relive memories, restore tranquility, or boost flagging energy. Above all, fragrance completes me. I’d no more forgo fragrance than skip brushing my teeth or showering each day. The juxtaposition of notes in each fragrance plays a symphony whose theme varies in accordance with mood, body chemistry, or seasonal change. If life is about unpredictability and unsettlement with its accompanying joy or sorrow, fragrance is a trusty companion providing cheer or solace. I crave the rose note to sustain a mood of nostalgia or quench a burning desire to feel chic, elegant, or feminine. Bergamot and citric notes lend sparkle and a burst of exhilaration if I’m dragging or want a clean scent on a sticky humid day. I closed my eyes in reverence to the vanilla that engulfed me and wafted in childhood memories. Grandma Castelli, my mother’s mom, fueled the passion by gifting me with a bottle of Apple Blossom when I made my First Communion. I loved drenching myself with the cologne, and constantly sniffed my arm for verification of its presence. That there could be other luscious fragrances lured me to my parents’ bedroom where I never tired of exploring the bottles on the vanity tray. I’d loosen the caps and sniff without dabbing, thinking I pulled one over on them. Ma had to know by my vapor trails, but she allowed me this transgression. One day I blurted out my secret, in tears, because I had clumsily knocked over the porcelain southern belle atomizer—a gift from Daddy. The overhead umbrella broke so that it lay over her back, no longer offering protection from the sun and no longer able to spray. The loveliest spicy fragrance was forever entombed because of the irreparable damage I caused. Then Daddy bought me my own vanity tray for my bureau along with a blue bottle of Evening in Paris. About the time my breasts started budding, he gave me Tabu, which my mother disapproved of. In her mind, he granted a daughter license to wear red lipstick and nylons and go on dates. Incidentally, all three criteria would have been met “over his dead body”... Join discussion...

Bond No 9 is releasing their third in the Andy Warhol series, Lexington Avenue. Find out more about this floral-chypre. Join discussion...

Benefit announced their newest release, b spot. Notes include mango, freesia, peony, sandalwood, and amber. Will you be trying it out? Join discussion...

For perfume lovers out there, the perfume charm bracelet. Too cute! Join discussion...