3 natural perfumes pour le monde

I know this is a crazy question to ever ask any perfumista, but I'm going to put it out there - have you ever asked yourself "should I go au naturel?"

I can hear your sharp intake of breath and see you drawing back, repulsed at the mere thought, but one perfume lover had to do just that! Thankfully, she refused to except a non-fragranced life and took action - the result of which is our focus today.

Pour Le Monde is the brain child of Wendi S. Berger, a fragrance lover from childhood who found herself going au naturel when she was pregnant due to concern about chemicals in perfume and the potential effects on her unborn child. She looked for natural fragrance alternatives, but never found anything could matched the experience of a fine perfume. Encouraged by a friend, she eventually created Pour Le Monde - 100% natural fragrances that also give back. That's right, each fragrance is associated with a global charity and 10% of the net sale of each fragrance purchased is donated. Here are her first three natural fragrance creations:

1. Empower: "Fresh and spirited. Playful and energizing."
    Opens with citral, yet warm notes. It's an intriguing mixture of lemon, lemongrass and a tiny bit of lemon drop sweetness. As the fragrance warms into the heart the lemon drop sweetness continues to emerge, turning it into a full bodied lemon scent, though as it quietens down into the base a little smoky-woodiness appears to (slightly) temper the citrus. An interesting scent which could definitely be called 'fresh and spirited'!
     Sales from this scent benefit Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

2. Envision: "Daring and exotic. Irresistibly sensual."
    Opens as a calm, citral scent which seems to be muted by an extremely soft aromatic cover. As it warms, it keeps its bright citrus top notes while soft smoldering, peppery, yet woody tones emerge in the heart. As the fragrance settles into the base, these warm, peppery, woody notes continue to blend smoothly with the citrus. This is the softest of the three fragrances - not quite daring, exotic or sensual, but certainly fascinating.
     Sales from this scent benefit National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

3. Together: "Elegant and graceful. Flirtatious yet delicate."
     Opens with an amber, caramel warmth with dry cedarwood notes that are entwined with patchouli tones. As it dries the patchouli moves out of the shadows to take center stage while the dry cedarwood notes remain prevalent. Finally, at the base, the caramel, vanilla amber notes emerge once more to bring a light gourmand dynamic to the warmth of this overall woody formula. True to its marketing, this fragrance is both elegant and graceful.
     Sales from this scent benefit Cancer Support Community.

Have you tried these Pour Le Monde scents?  Do you love them, do you hate them?  Make sure to leave a comment below!

Nevermind the chocolates this Valentine's Day, here's something better

I'm  not sure if you've noticed, but I've definitely spotted that candy hearts, boxes of chocolates, discounts on flowers and hearts are everywhere at the moment. And of course we can't forget the new fragrance launches gracing the counters! Yes, Valentine's Day is upon us and I've picked up one of the newest love themed launches - the latest scent from Coach.

Now, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about this perfume because Coach is not my most favorite affordable luxury, but I put my biases aside, picked up a sample of Coach Love, and breathed deeply.

Spice. That is what you instantly experience. This latest launch from Coach opens with the floral spiciness of carnation and green aspects of violet and immediately catches your attention. It warms into a sophisticated scent layered with patchouli, light musk and caramel-y amber. Finally, the dry down adds one more dulcet tone - soft wisps of powder.

Gentlemen, if your lady's cultured, refined, and possibly even a tad enigmatic ... skip the chocolates and flowers, you've just found the perfect gift! 

DKNY London Olympics - Oops! Be Delicious

Today begins the quest for gold medals as the first of the Olympic competitions kicked off in the United Kingdom.  Yes, Friday is the official opening ceremony in London, but because the soccer competition takes so long to complete the first women's soccer matches were played today in Wales.  If you're wondering, GB beat NZ 1-0, and the US beat France 4-2.  Not a bad start, I'd say.  Well, that is depending on who you're supporting!

But, does it really matter who you're rooting for?  I'm not sure it does for DKNY's latest flankers in the Be Delicious range - aptly called DKNY Hearts The World.

The DKNY Be Delicious range first came into being with the launch of Be Delicious in 2004.  Since then the apple shaped bottle has graced fragrance shelves in a multitude of variations - Be Delicious Men, Golden Delicious, Delicious Night, Delicious Candy Apples, Red Delicious, Red Delicious Men... The list is long and has not stopped growing; the newest fragrances in the DKNY Hearts The World range all 'heart' a major city: NYC, Paris, Rio, and, of course, London.

So, what does DKNY think London's scent should smell like?  Sweat in honor of the athletes participating in the Olympics?  Rose in honor of England's national flower? Let's find out.

DKNY Be Delicious Heart London opens with a bright sweet citrus scent tinged with the tiniest hint of bubble gum.  It quickly warms to a gentle aroma of white floral and (yep!) rose.  The dry down remains rose-y and settles on the skin well due to its creamy amber and soft musk undertones.

It is an uncomplicated fragrance that is fresh, pretty and a perfect accessory for a sunny summer day... or a rainy one if you're in London!

Have you tried this scent? Do you love it, do you hate it?  Make sure to leave a comment below!

The Big Pony Collection for Women 4

In the last few posts we've introduced you to the new line of fragrances from Ralph Lauren - the Big Pony Collection for Women.  We've learned about the background to the range and also the marketing behind it.  What we haven't once mentioned are the ever-mysterious juice creators: the perfumers.


Big Pony 1, the 'sporty' variant, was the creation of Bruno Jovanovic at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF).  Check him out - an attractive Frenchman who graduated from ISIPCA ; he now has about a decade of experience under his belt.


Big Pony 2, the 'sensual' variant, is from the nose of Honorine Blanc of Firmenich.  Her perfumery training took place at a school in Paris, France, but she now lives (and works) in New York.  Make sure to watch this clip of Honorine describing how she finds inspiration for her creations.


We go back to IFF for the creator of the 'free-spirited' variant Big Pony 3: Laurent Le Guernec.  Laurent is French, a graduate of ISIPCA, and has been creating fragrances at IFF since February 2002.


Last (but of course not least), Big Pony 4, the 'stylish' variant, is from perfumer Olivier Gillotin of Givaudan.  Like the aforementioned perfumers Olivier is French, but out of the three he has the most experience with about thirteen years of perfume formulation under his belt.  So, how does his fragrance compare?

4 opens with creamy, softly sweet-warm notes of amber and obscure, heightening citrus undertones.  These notes are quickly subdued by floral magnolia and green aromas.  The green is so strong - like broken branches and fresh, dark green milky leaves woven together.   The fragrance has an oriental, creamy, musk base that retains the intense green notes and brings a slight freshness to the warm fragrance.


This fragrance has three proprietary Givaudan molecules: cassyrein, cristallon and sylkolide.  Now, to confeses, way at the back of this fragrance, I get a slight whiff of bug spray - almost as if there is some citronella hiding deep within the scent layers.  I do wonder if it is one of these molecules.  When you test this fragrance for yourself, come back and let me know if you can smell the note, too.


Although more an autumn/winter fragrance than a spring/summer one, this one will most definitely be getting a place on my shelf.


Bravo, Olivier, bravo.


On a side note ... I'm impressed, though not at all surprised, that the Big Pony Collection for Women fragrances were developed at each of the top three fragrance houses in the world!