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! 

Launched with style: the new Diane fragrance from Diane Von Furstenberg

Back in October I received all kinds of alerts about a new fragrance launching from designer Diane von Furstenberg: Diane.  Unlike other perfumes with their fascinating (and sometimes confusing) TV commercials, von Furstenberg opted for a modern way to advertise: the flash mob.

Throughout the course of October there were flash mobs in New York, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Warsaw and Milan.  All these flash mobs did their work - they got me excited about the fragrance and eager to learn what it was all about.

So, off to Sephora I went (the sole distributor of the fragrance) and here is what I discovered.  Diane is a very womanly fragrance, opening with distinct top notes of patchouli that are combined with layers of caramel and musk and then mixed with light florals, which bring height to the fragrance.  The fragrance is linear as it dries down, retaining the same scent throughout.  

This fragrance is reminiscent of the powerhouse fragrances from the 1980s.  Which isn't necessarily bad ... if you like that kind of thing.