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Vanilla is one of the most widely used notes in the perfumery. It is the second most expensive spice, next to saffron because of the extensive work required to cultivate vanilla pods. But despite of the high cost, vanilla is still widely used in the area of baking and most of all, perfume manufacture and aromatherapy.

In the perfumery, there are two types of vanilla used in creating fragrances – natural and synthetic. Natural vanilla accords are sourced from Madagascar, Tahiti and other parts of the world where vanilla is cultivated. Since natural vanilla is too small in quantity in its natural state, synthetic vanilla is produced to fill the need of this highly-valued spice.

Vanilla accentuates the gourmand notes in oriental fragrances. It is the special note that evokes the peculiar carnal sweetness in the fragrance. Vanilla is suave, smooth and sensual. And fragrances based on this note spans from the classics to the mainstream and niche lines such as Guerlain’s Shalimar (1925) and Hermes’ Vanille Galante (2009).

Here are some of the more popular vanilla fragrances today:

Guerlain L’Instant Magic Elixir

This fragrance is meant to elicit desire that lingers. It features Tahitian vanilla and bitter-almond notes mixed with soft floral notes at the top of the fragrance. L’Instant Magic Elixir is the original L’Instant Magic, gourmand-style which is more decadent and evokes more sensuality.

Kenzo Amour

Kenzo Amour is a rich olfactory voyage to Asia spanning from India to Burma to Japan to Thailand. The notes are rice, cherry blossom, tea, frankincense, thanaka wood and vanilla. This fragrance is gentle and cheerful with a dry down that brings out the sensual qualities of vanilla.

L de Lolita Lempicka

L de Lolita Lempicka is a fusion of opulent flowers and sensual oriental resins. The sweet vanilla and musks meld so well with the green notes and citrus. This fragrance from Lolita Lempicka is just like the heart-like jewel bottle, it’s light, untamed and quietly mysterious.

Guerlain Shalimar Light

The classic Shalimar gone sheer. Shalimar Light is a lighter and softer blend of florals and vanilla. Guerlain infused some fun and clean freshness in the classic fragrance to make it bit more trendy and sexy.

Giorgio Armani Onde Mystere

Onde Mystere is inspired by the Middle Eastern essential oils. The fragrance is rich, deep and decadent. There’s an overwhelming sensuality that permeates from the rich notes arising from amber, rose and vanilla.

Vanilla is the epitome of oriental fragrances. More of these vanillic scents at discount perfume online retailer, scentiments.com.

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Pink-colored scents are such an eye-candy; they’re trendy, chic and sweet. Every pink scent I encounter is a lush floral bouquet embellished with fruits or musk accords. The mingling of notes creates a dramatic flair to achieve a distinct character way above its peers. That’s the kind of image fragrance houses want to project to the perfume loving public.

Pink fragrances also signify the modernity in the world of perfumery. Mainstream scents, more often than not, are light and ephemeral and not to mention, pink!

There are a lot pink-colored scents in retail nowadays. But what is it about the pink-colored juices that every designer fragrance house comes up with its own collection of pink scents?

Let’s check out some of the more popular pink fragrances in the perfumery

Thierry Mugler Garden of Stars – Pivoine Angel
Peony is the most pronounced note while patchouli and vanilla warm the background. The floral combo of peony, rose and lily of the valley sets the stage for the gourmand-ish aroma Angel is known for. It’s slightly sweet, spicy and sprinkled with green accords. Pivoine Angel is part of Angel’s Garden of Stars’ flanker. This lovely pink juice was concocted by Olivier Cresp in 2005.

Femme Hugo Boss
Femme is a well-executed floral-musk fragrance. You can say that it’s one of the safest feminine scents around; safest in the sense that it’s not too much of a heady floral. Femme may smell familiar (reviews say that it smells like other floral fragrances) but in the dry down, it softens into a beautiful elegant floral that blends well with the warm musk.

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb
Floral power in a grenade-inspired bottle – this is Flowerbomb. The first fragrance by Dutch designers Viktor&Rolf, Flowerbomb is a decadent floral scent where the sweetness is cut by the edgy notes of patchouli. Designed as a floriental fragrance, this feminine scent tops the charts in the women’s perfumes category.  

Lacoste Dream of Pink
Dream of Pink is undoubtedbly for the young audience. It’s fresh, sweet and very trendy. Touch of Pink and Love of Pink are part of Lacoste’s “Pink” scents. This perfume is consist of berries, iced tea, rose, lotus and sandalwood. Introduced in 2008, Lacoste Dream of Pink is just right for daytime.

Calvin Klein Euphoria
Euphoria is dark, enigmatic and exotic. The contrast of fruits and florals exude an alluring fragrance most fitting to a sophisticated woman. Some perfumistas say that Euphoria is so Angel-ish (Thierry Mugler). Perhaps, it’s the sweet-smoky finish emanating from the sweet-smoky accords.

There are many pink-colored fragrances in the perfumery and some were tagged as classics already. And every year, more perfumes are added to the list. You’ll never run out of options but the unfortunate thing nowadays is, most scents smell like the thousand of fragrances out there. If you find yourself lost in translation from distinguishing one perfume from another, this is not news.

If you fancy pink fragrances, there’s more of them at discount perfume retailer, scentiments.com

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Fragrance house Bond No 9 has made a tribute to most places in New York City. Significant boroughs, parks and historic landmarks were transformed into fragrances by creative perfumers under the direction of Laurent Le Guernec.

Let’s explore some of the fragrances from each locale:

Park Avenue

(Uptown)

This a light floral fragrance composed of mimosa, lemon, chamomile, paperwhite, rose, musk, ebony and vanilla. It’s a “sweet mélange of florals that floats through the air like a whiff of well-brewed tea.” This is a soothing and elegant scent, wearable and pretty enough for work days. The only thing missing with Park Avenue is the lack of a good sillage; it quickly dissipates into the air.

Broadway Nite

(Midtown)

For the love of theater and night life at the city, Broadway Nite will catch your fancy. It’s a “non-stop razzle dazzle in a fantasy floral bouquet.” Created by perfumer Maurice Roucel, the notes feature aldehyde, green violet, rose, honeysuckle, iris, heliotrope, sweet amber, vanilla beans, cedar wood and musk. At the top notes, the aldehydes are discernible with the violets and roses hovering along with vanilla and musk. There is a smooth transition in each level – top to middle then base. This fragrance has superb sillage and longevity.

Astor Place

(Downtown)

New York’s artsy and stylish intersection takes form in a lovely unisex fragrance laced with feminine tendencies. Astor Place is a light floral fragrance starring freesia. The softness of white floral accords bring out a clean and refreshing fragrance throughout. The notes are: violet leaf, mandarin zest, freesia, red poppy buds, orris root, teakwood, musk and amber. The dry down is somewhat pale and the ambery notes are not as pronounced.

The Bond No 9 collection boasts 39 fragrances that represent a specific place in downtown, midtown and uptown New York. According to the fragrance house, they aim to “restore artistry to perfumery and mark every New York neighborhood with a scent of its own”.

More fragrances from the Bond No. 9 collection at discount perfume online retailer, scentiments.com.

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J’adore by Dior first came out in 1999. It’s one of the best-selling Dior fragrances known for its well-blended floral notes. For the woman who wears it, J’adore radiates a polished look complemented by the opulent floral accords that make up this feminine fragrance. The opening is a balanced fusion between the fruit and floral notes. The same floral essence is carried out through the middle and base notes. There is no single note that dominates. The mélange of accords meld together so well thus creating one unique scent where all fruits and flowers seem to dance in unison.

The notes feature melon, magnolia, pear, peach, mandarin orange, plum, tuberose, orchid, violet, freesia, lily of the valley, jasmine, rose, musk, vanilla, cedar and blackberry. J’adore is a pleasant perfume on the overall. Despite the flower power and cocktail of fruits, there is no trace of cloying sweetness of sugary fruits and cheap floral notes. In short, J’adore is a charming fragrance. It’s engaging, attractive and definitely feminine in every way.

Time may have passed by so quickly but J’adore remains one of the most popular scents amidst the many a number of fragrances in the perfumery today. Just recently, J’adore celebrated its 10th year in the industry. The floral-fruity perfume still is one of the best-selling fragrances in its collection.

Since its release a decade ago, J’adore has gone several transformations. There are different versions of the original and the latest flanker is called J’adore L’eau cologne. It’s another progeny of the floral-fruity fragrance but the fruit component is mellowed down. The notes are: lemon, citrus, bergamot, magnolia, neroli and ylang-ylang. This luxurious floral scent is fresher than the earlier flankers.

J’adore is acclaimed for its Greek amphora bottle and the golden juice inside it. The first fragrance was designed by perfumer Calice Becker. More of Dior’s J’adore at discount perfume online, scentiments.com.

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