I was recently asked by Diane Da Costa to put together of list of must have items for a Christmas gifting guide for Uptown Magazine’s website. Thank you Diane. That was sweet of you. Check it out if you’re still trying to figure out what to get in the remaining days before Christmas.
Whenever I test body washes, three factors determine if I’ll ever use it again, how well does it lather up (guys like a good lather), how does it smell, and does it dry out my skin. Bath & Body Works is launching a new signature collection for men and I had a chance to sample the body wash line. It receives a thumbs up in all three categories. If you’re like me and you hate the shower experience at the gym, add this to your gym bag and protect yourself again the funk, but do it with style.
Priced at a reasonable $10.50, the body wash collection is formulated with moisturizing Aloe Vera and nourishing Vitamin E. Hence, it does the skin good.
My personal favorite is Oak. But at these prices, you can try all of them. They’ll be in stores this month.
Posted in Product review
Tagged Bath & Body Works, Body Wash, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents
Amouage was founded 25 years ago, in accordance with the wishes of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, ruler of the Sultanate of Oman. It was his desire to create a global luxury brand with roots in Oman under which the traditional Arabian love of perfume making and gift giving could be preserved and celebrated.
It was also his intention to tell the world about the ingredients particularly found in Oman, the rarest frankincense from Dhofar in the south of the country and the rarest rose of all, the rock rose harvested high up in the mountains of the Jebel Akhdar range towering over the Sultante’s beautiful capital, Muscat.
The Amouage miniature men’s collection contains six .25 oz bottles. Included in the set I have are Lyric, Jubilation, Reflection, Gold, Dia, and Silver. Each has very distinct characteristics but all are rich with great lasting power. The packing and presentation is simply beautiful. Right now, my standout favorites include Dia and Silver…but I’ve only just begun.
Amouage Miniatures set for men – $260 (and worth every penny)
If there is one thing I love about the holidays, it’s the associated smells. Cinnamon, pumpkin, fresh pine, burnt woods; they’re all so comforting. I also love all the get togethers. I know I’ll be entertaining this year as well as attending a few gathers. With that, I wanted to get my home scents in order.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing the Healthy Candle by Lavanila Laboratories. What intrigued me about this product was the supporting material from the candle’s PR company that claimed, ” This all-natural and 100% healthy three-wick candle is non-polluting, soot-free and eco-friendly.” It made me think about some of the other candles I own. I recently bought a great candle, an extremely fragrant one at that. However, upon closer inspection, it certainly was producing soot.
Lavanila burns 90% cleaner and 50% longer than traditional paraffin candles. Completely free of paraffin, formaldehyde, petrochemical, phthalates and other harsh chemicals, the soothing blend of Madagascar vanilla, soft freesia and rich heliotrope is quite calming. The scent isn’t overpowering either. It’s just the right amount to compliment a casual gathering or a relaxing evening.
Availability: www.lavanila.com, $32
Posted in News, Product review
Tagged eco-friendly candles, holiday entertaining, scented candles
Le Cherche Midi, a 20-year-old New York fragrance company that specializes in scented candles, has recently expanded from its initial scent and relaunched, selling eau de toilettes, candles, and “fragrance cubes” online at lecherchemidi.com.
No. 1, the company’s first scent, created by perfumer Robert Loiseau, is a very traditional masculine. The re-launch introduced a handful more. Nos. 5 (floral and pine), 9 (sweet and fruity), 14 (soft mandarin), 21 (spiced tea), and 57 (an exclusive for Bergdorf Goodman offered only as a candle) were created by perfumer Cecile Hua. No. 20 was done by Bertrand Dor, who was one of the perfumers who did Nautica’s Oceans men’s scent.
Like CB I Hate Perfume, another small New York firm, it markets fragrances as experiences. In LCM’s words, No. 20 (my favorite) “reveals warmly lit corners where whispered conversations are surrounded by dark wood, leather-bound books, and a cedar-wood fire.” More specifically, it starts out with citrus, powder and spice, and then turns to pine.
No. 20’s notes include armoise, bergamot, lemon zest, black pepper, rose water, soft cedarwood, sandalwood and dark amber. In the candle, the cedar and citrus are dominant, and they’re warmed by the amber and sandalwood. In the eau de toilette, powdery and pepper notes are stronger, and the dry down is much less of the earth and leather experience that the candle gives.
The fragrance cubes (which we didn’t test) are LCM’s alternative to the reed diffuser. It’s essentially a bottle of alcohol-free fragrance that uses an absorbent wooden top to scent a small room. Each one ($45) should last at least a month, maybe two.
The candles, offered online for $50, come in handsome light wood boxes with sliding tops. Inside, the three-inch square candles are covered with fabric-bound lids and feature the LCM logo and fragrance number discreetly on one side. Each 7.8 oz. candle should last about 40 hours.
If you like the candles, there’s good news: the eau de toilettes are an incredible value at a mere $39 for a strong 12% concentration in 3.4 ounce bottles.
By contrast, a typical mass-market men’s fragrance sells for about $70 for 3.4 ounces. CB I Hate Perfume’s 3.4 ounce water perfumes start at about $65. Smaller boutique brands often sell for about $110.
I asked LCM’s founder, Nathan Motylinski, about how the company prices them. “We work directly with our perfumers and consumers, allowing us to offer our luxury products at a better price and value to the consumer,” he told me via e-mail. “Without expensive marketing budgets and overhead, we can focus our time and resources on what we do best: creating unique, sophisticated fragrances unlike anything on the market.”
While the company may not have an exorbitant marketing budget, it’s obvious that they’ve put quite a bit of effort into the website. It’s beautiful, easy to navigate and full of videos designed to introduce the public to the company and its range. There’s also a blog with some engaging commentary by Motylinski.
-Harry Sheff
Many of my peers are collectors in one form or another. They’re collecting limited edition sneakers, apparel, toys, art…you name it. Me, I collect fragrances. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that Theirry Mugler was putting another A* Men limited edition item.
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you should be familiar with the Theirry Mugler name or at least know of one of the most popular scents of the decade he’s responsible for, Angel. Well, his new scent, which recently dropped, A*Men Pure Malt pays homage to Malt Whisky. After narrowly missing his last limited edition, Pure Coffee, I just had to get my hands on this and I’m loving it.
Building and fusing the woody nuances of Angel, the key ingredients of this heavenly concoction, which takes cues from traditional whisky aging techniques by storing Pure Malt in oak casks, include coffee absolute, cedarwood, patchouli, and something a little scientific, Pure Malt Co2. The result is a very sophisticated fragrance that begs to be accompanied by a great fitting suit. While it starts out quite sweet, it ages nicely on my skin and moves towards rich woods and chocolate and that’s where the boozy feel of the whisky begins opening up. Undoubtedly, Angel’s presence can be felt but Pure Malt is lighter and thus can be seen as having a more masculine appeal. I’ve seen some reviews that have mentioned this as a good summer scent but I beg to differ. For me as autumn firmly takes hold, and we take shelter indoors, comforting thoughts such as rich leather lounge chairs, crackling fire places, and a great cigar (or not) come to mind. This is where I see Pure Malt and its rich woody character setting in nicely.
A*Men Pure Malt by Thierry Mugler 3.4 fl. oz available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.
Posted in News, Product review
Tagged Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's grooming, Men's Scents, Pure Malt, Thierry Mugler
Here in New York City, we seem to be fighting with summer. All this rain is making me wonder if it will ever truly be summer as we have become accustomed to knowing it. However, a few hot days have snuck up on us in between the rainy overcast days. With that I’m reminded that hot and sweaty crowded trains during the summer can be torture.
When our temperature rises, our bodies naturally sweat to cool us down. That’s basic science right there. But some of us suffer from excessive wetness or sensitive under arms or maybe a combination of both…YIKES. Well Speed Stick Pro is what you need to add to the daily grooming routine.
Speed Stick Pro is a first-of-its-kind line of breakthrough antiperspirant deodorants that provides customized underarm protection for the most common underarm conditions such as sensitive skin (Pro Skin), extra wetness (Pro Extra Dry) and providing a clean glide through hair (Pro Clean) – Halleluiah to the last one. I’ve been wearing them for a bit now and what I like most, their scents don’t compete with my fragrance of the day.
Go out, get it and protect yourself.
Posted in Product review
Tagged Deodorant, excessive sweating, sensitive underarms, streak free
This past weekend I hosted a very small dinner party and went through the usual mass clean up. Every room had to be spotless, no lingering dust bunnies allowed. For occasions like these, I love to fill my home with a mixture of scents. Enter the ever fragrant and affordable Slatkin & Co. candles.
On this particular evening, I burnt, Tropical Orange and Evergreen in the living room, Coconut Vanilla in the bedroom and Fresh Bamboo in the bathroom. I find the scents add another welcoming dimension after I meet my guests with a drink. The best part though was when one of my guests came out of the bathroom and said, “Your bathroom smells great, what is that you’re burning in there?”
We are all going through one thing or another right about now. Ease your mind after a long day and liven up your living space. These candles are extremely affordable and last quite a long time. Even when they’re not being burnt, they tickle your surroundings with pockets of freshness.
Slatkin & Co., available at Bath&Body Works.
I usually post once a week but this deserved a midweek mention.
These are hectic times we’re experiencing and last night I was stressed out. I decided to take a long shower before President Obama’s address. I wanted to be relaxed and refreshed for the occasion. While in there I decided to take part in my newest obsession, Jo Malone’s Vitamin E Body Scrub. This is one of the best body scrubs I’ve ever used. Its silky luxurious texture is quite deceiving. I have never felt anything like it. I’m used to scrubs feeling abrasive. But this feels like lotion on initial touch. Once you apply to your skin the salt particles reveal themselves. And this scent is heavenly. It’s a natural, earthy fragrance that really relaxes you.
Gents, if you’re not into this sort of stuff, get into it. My lady loves how it smells on me. Better yet, buy it for her and try a little on the sneak and see her reaction. Oh, before I go, it’s packed with all sorts of good stuff to, vitamin E, antioxidants, yada, yada, yada. Most import though, it is awesome.
Every now and then a retailer does something that you just can’t help but recognize and today I feel like talking about Fresh’s Fragrance Chronicles.
All of Fresh’s fragrances have the ability to be layered. Next time you’re in there ask them for suggestions, they do mix well together. Anyhow, a while ago, I was looking for something unique to get my lady for Christmas when I strolled into their Union Square store and was introduced to this index of eau de parfum. With a selection of fifteen different scents, which include, Bergamont Citrus, Bulgarian Rose, Fig Apricot, Patchouli Pure, Sandalwood Vert (now discontinued, PLEASE BRING IT BACK) and a host of others, its provides endless opportunities to create unique scents. I wasn’t sure if she would be into mixing but I knew it would be appreciated…and it sure was.
One of my favorite mixtures is Fig Apricot and Sandalwood Vert. I like to think its an airy, updated barbershop connection.
What I appreciate about the Fragrance Chronicles is the ability to play, create and make my own fragrant moment so to speak. While this is currently discontinued (seems like all the good stuff ends up going away), layering and mixing can be fun. Start slow…try a few things out on the weekend and see what works. You never know, you just might create your signature scent.
Posted in Product review
