Image courtesy of Nathan Branch. (Thanks again Nathan!)
Congrats to Jennifer, Margaret and Amy H! I’ll send the sets out to you as soon as I can. Enjoy!
Posted by ~Trish
Category: Honoré des Prés
Honoré des Prés We Love NY (+giveaway)
Image courtesy of Nathan Branch. (Thanks Nathan!)
Olivia Giacobetti entered the natural perfume scene in 2008 with a line of all natural and organic perfumes for Honoré des Prés. The response was mixed, not because the fragrances weren’t exceptional, but because of their fleeting staying power. I didn’t let that deter me from buying my favorite from HdP’s first collection, Sexy Angelic, as it’s a pure sugar, almond, and licorice delight that makes me very happy, even if it lasts barely an hour.
I don’t know if Ms. Giacobetti made herself aware of the lack-of-longevity critiques, but this new second round of HdP perfumes has remedied the issue. You’re probably not going to smell them on your skin the next morning, but they do last several hours, and even up to eight or so if you spritz your clothes.
The We Love NY collection was introduced in April 2010, with Ms. Giacobetti’s inspiration being her move to New York City. None of the three perfumes strike me as particularly “New York” in nature, but the urban coffee cup and brown bag packaging certainly does.
If any of these fragrances brings me back to NYC, it’s I Love Les Carottes. Not super intuitive I know, but the city is home to excellent farmers markets, Union Square in particular. We lived within walking distance to Union Square, and smelling Les Carottes is like standing in front of a gorgeous spread of deep orange carrots and taking in their earthy sweetness. Les Carottes is hyper-vegetal in its opening and you need to love the smell of freshly shredded carrots if you expect a positive experience with this perfume.
As Les Carottes progresses into its heart, the carrot note still dominates, but it vacillates between the buttery fleshiness of the vegetable and a medicinal astringency. This dichotomy lasts almost the entire length of wearing Les Carottes, until the drydown fully settles into more subdued vanillic powderiness.
With Love Coco’s notes of coconut, coriander and vanilla, I was anticipating a smooth and gently spiced coconut with a creamy vanilla finish. Instead, it was more akin to Les Carottes, very raw and very vegetal. For me, Love Coco is a straight-up blend of vetiver and coconut, like Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion minus the sweetness. It’s bracing and exposed and really tropical. Not until the drydown does Love Coco become what I thought it would be, a gently spiced coconut with a creamy vanilla finish.
Vamp à NY has received many rave reviews from other bloggers, but it is my least favorite of the three. It’s not that I dislike Vamp, but it doesn’t appeal to me as much as Les Carottes and Love Coco. If you’re a regular reader of Scent Hive, you know I love white floral perfumes, tuberose in particular. Vamp does possess a lovely and radiant tuberose which unfortunately on my skin is quickly squelched by overripe banana and cloying coconut candy notes. Here are links to Vamp reviews from bloggers who enjoyed it more than I, Grain de Musc and 1000 Fragrances. As for me, I’ll stick to White Potion, Ayala Sender’s rendering of tuberose and coconut that is far more wearable on my skin.
If you’d like to try Vamp à NY, I Love Les Carottes and Love Coco for yourself, leave a comment and you will receive one of three sample sets housed in the HdP coffee cup. Extra entries as well if you follow Scent Hive on Bloglovin, Twitter, or subscribe to Scent Hive. Please let me know in your comment what you did so you get the entries you deserve! DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.
Posted by ~Trish
The We Love NY collection is available at Spirit Beauty Lounge. $98 for a 50ml bottle.
Disclosure: Samples were sent to me for consideration by Honoré des Prés. The opinions in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.
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Head to Toe in Almond Deliciousness
I‘m finding almond to be a seasonless comfort fragrance. As long as the scent is not too powdery, a hint of fresh almond can feel refreshing in the summer, and on a winter night it’s equally soothing and cozy. My most recent almond discovery has been Dr. Bronner’s Almond Liquid Soap, probably the biggest bargain I’ve written about yet! A tiny squirt on my shower scrunchie brings forth glorious suds and a delicious almond aroma. The scent is pure almond. There’s no hint of cherry, no powder or added vanilla, and it’s luscious. The 16 oz. bottle I purchased is going to last me many months. I also put a 50:50 ratio of the Almond Liquid Soap to water in my foam dispenser at the sink, which gives me another opportunity to enjoy its lovely almond lather.
Another gorgeous straight-up almond scent comes from 100% Pure. Their Honey Almond Body Scrub and Body Cream are must-haves for any self-respecting almond lover. Organic apricot oil, organic rosehip oil, and vitamin E give the body scrub a base of moisturizers that are so hydrating, no further moisturizing is needed once you’re out of the shower. As you smooth the scrub over your skin, the exfoliating granules dissolve without rinsing, and your skin is left with the perfect amount of oil. If you gently pat yourself dry and then rub the oil and any remaining water into your skin, you’ll feel thoroughly moisturized. As for the scent, it’s softer than Dr. Bronner’s, but it’s not a fussy almond fragrance despite the long list of fruit and herbal extracts labeled on the jar.
I adore 100% Pure’s Honey Almond Body Cream so much that it’s become a staple. To be honest, it was this cream that turned me into a crazed almond addict. About two years ago, I purchased my first bottle of 100% Pure’s Body Cream, and chose this one because its scent didn’t last as long as the others’ and I typically prefer that my lotions don’t compete with my perfume. But over time, the almond scent lured me in and I began to crave it, wishing the scent would last longer into the day. Where do you think this has lead me? You guessed it, the search for the perfect almond perfume.
I have come awfully close to finding it in Sexy Angelic by Honoré des Prés. I reviewed it this past summer around the time this line of organic perfumes launched. The big complaint with most of the Honoré des Prés perfumes is that they are far too ephemeral, and I agree. Sexy Angelic is short-lived and I remarked in my review that its lasting power was in the 1-2 hour range and that if I were to become the owner of a full bottle I’d be spraying it with wanton abandon before getting dressed. I’d like to amend my statement. I am now the owner of a full bottle (thanks to the November discount Beautyhabit.com was running), and I have found it far more effective to spray Sexy Angelic with wanton abandon while clothed. Winter clothes to be more precise. Turtlenecks and scarves hold the scent much better than skin and allow me to smell the licorice and honey coated almonds until midday.
And where I found Sexy Angelic revitalizing and fresh this past summer, I am finding it tender and sweet this winter. It’s got a light touch, and in this season where things seem to be overdone and overblown, it’s delightful to be subtly nuzzled and caressed. Sexy Angelic is a gourmand with licorice (from angelica seeds) and almond featured prominently in the notes. Yet, Olivia Giacobetti, creator of Sexy Angelic, has rendered this fragrance with a subtle hand. She offers a lighthearted, yet cozy and sophisticated gourmand fragrance to those of us seeking respite from the onslaught of ordinary confections.
Please note: The above products are all-natural and do not contain artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, or parabens.
Dr. Bronner’s Almond Liquid Soap $16 for 32 oz at Target
100% Pure Honey Almond Scrub $35 for 15 oz jar at 100% Pure
100% Pure Honey Almond Body Cream $19 for 8 oz bottle at 100% Pure
Sexy Angelic $84 for 1.7oz at Beautyhabit.com
Disclosure: All of these products were purchased by me. This post does contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
Almonds by blackleafstudio at etsy.com
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Sexy Angelic by Honoré des Prés
Sexy Angelic is an ideal gourmand scent for the summer. It’s a light air-spun confection that wears easily in the warm weather. Sexy Angelic is centered around a calisson accord which was inspired by the town of Aix-in-Provence in the South of France. Calissons are treats made from a paste of sugar, melons and almonds that are covered with royal ice (white icing). Sexy Angelic entices its wearer with notes of licorice from angelica seeds and I gotta be honest here, I-don’t-know-what from Hemlock flowers. If you do, please let me know!
So I’ll focus on what I do know, and that is that Sexy Angelic is delectable. The calisson accord is loaded with crystallized sugary-almond goodness that is uplifted by the herbal licorice aspect. It’s lovely on the drydown as the green herbaciousness dissipates allowing for honeyed woods to meld into a skin scent. It’s the farthest thing from cloying or heavy and it just might be the gourmand for those of you who don’t typically go for gourmands.
One of the complaints heard across the blogs is that the Honoré des Prés line does not last. At all. I have found this to be true with two of the scents, Nu Green and Honore’s Trip. They only lasted mere minutes on my skin. Chaman’s Party (reviewed here) on the other hand has wonderful staying power, which Sexy Angelic doesn’t quite match up to. But, when sprayed very liberally it lasts about 1-2 hours, considerably close to the skin. It wears more like an Eau Fraiche than an Eau de Toilette and if I were the owner of a full bottle I’d be spraying it with wanton abandon before getting dressed.
Sexy Angelic is one of five fragrances from the Honoré des Prés line of organic perfumes. Olivia Giacobetti created them and is well known for many other perfumes such as Philosykos for Diptyque, Navegar and Passage d’Enfer for L’Artisan, and Hiris for Hermes (just to name a few). She was asked by Christopher David, the owner of Honoré des Prés to create an all natural and organic line of perfumes and clearly she was up for the challenge. I am hoping body products are to follow as a body butter in Sexy Angelic would be absolutely heavenly.
Sexy Angelic is available at Luckyscent and Beautyhabit
Posted by ~Trish
Calissons image at Au Présent du Subectif
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Vetiver Variations: Honoré des Prés and In Fiore
Vetiver can be somewhat of a chameleon in fragrances. The essential oil from the roots of this grass unfurls as soft and powdery or deep and earthy, sometimes even nutty or bitter. Because it is one of my favorite fragrance notes, I love to seek it out in all of its permutations, and Chaman’s Party and Vetiver Sambac allow vetiver to shine in two very different ways.
Chaman’s Party, created by Olivia Giacobetti, is one of the offerings from Honoré des Prés. Honoré des Prés is a new French line of 100% all-natural and organic perfumes that debuted in Europe last year, but is now available in the States. Chaman’s Party is for the gal or guy who wants their vetiver a little disheveled. It’s full of rich dark soil with some bitterness thrown in with its grassy roots. Burnt woods emerge beautifully in the drydown as well as Chaman’s Party’s spices. Cloves and basil are listed in the fragrance notes, and I admit that I would never have pinpointed them without that prompt. But regardless of what they are, the woody spicy drydown, blended with the earthy vetiver is gorgeous.
In Fiore’s Vetiver Sambac lies on the opposite spectrum of vetiver’s charms. Vetiver Sambac is one of Julie Elliott’s parfum solides, and is encased in a beautiful bronze compact that feels heavy and secure in your hand. As I’ve mentioned in previous In Fiore reviews, all of Ms. Elliott’s products are 100% natural and never contain petrochemicals, parabens or phthalates. Vetiver Sambac begins with a lovely jasmine opening that is full of warm, toasted tobacco leaves alongside dewy floral petals. I don’t think tobacco is actually in Vetiver Sambac, but this attests to vetiver’s superb ability to bear versatile qualities, sweet smokiness being one of them. Vetiver’s balsamy earthy presence begins somewhat like Chaman’s Party, but rather than becoming dark and earthy, Vetiver Sambac emerges as floral and earthy. And it possesses an unmistakably powdery vetiver foundation that is comparable to Guerlain’s Vetiver Pour Elle. A wonderful compliment in my opinion! And how terrific to have a 100% natural option that is readily available in the US.
Vetiver Sambac is available at InFiore and Beautyhabit.
Chaman’s Party is available at Luckyscent, Beautyhabit and Spirit Beauty Lounge.
posted by ~Trish
thefloraesthetic.com 