Demeter Fragrance Library

Demeter's fragrances are original and clever, and the company always comes up with a simple scent I hadn't imagined as a wearable fragrance. The question is, should they? For every amazing scent such as Vanilla Ice Cream, there's a stinker like Play-Doh. Unfortunately, I have to count Crayon in the latter category.

I won't bore you with purple prose about how Crayon smells, because if you've ever smelled Crayola, you know exactly what this fragrance is like. To Demeter's credit, they've bottled the essence of crayons so precisely that one whiff takes me back to preschool. (It really is a Proustian thing, especially since, well, toddlers are prone to gnawing on crayons.) But as spot-on as the scent is, I can't think of a single occasion when wearing this would be up my alley. If you've been yearning to smell of Burnt Sienna or Brick Red, though, it's perfect for yours.

After I introduced you guys to the Jelly Belly Collection by Demeter Fragrance Library, the perfumer was sweet enough to send me some samples of the six scents ($20 for each 1-ounce bottle). Overall, I think Demeter did a great job on this collection, creating wacky scents that translate into surprisingly wearable perfumes.

But while I really loved three of the scents, I was just so-so on the other three, so I've split my review into halves. To read about the three I liked, click here, and to hear about the three I didn't love, read more

After I introduced you guys to the Jelly Belly Collection by Demeter Fragrance Library, the perfumer was sweet enough to send me some samples of the six scents, which I've been playing around with for a few weeks. Overall, I think Demeter did a great job on this collection. Each scent is designed to mimic a Jelly Belly flavor recipe, wherein several bean flavors are combined to make a new combination — e.g., blueberry plus buttered popcorn equals Blueberry Muffin.

Like most of the wacky fragrances Demeter is known for, the Jelly Belly fragrances translate into surprisingly wearable perfumes, even if they don't necessarily sound like they would. While I absolutely loved three of the scents — Blueberry Muffin, Mango Pineapple Salsa, and Fruit Salad ($20 for a 1-ounce bottle) — I was just so-so on the other three, so I've split my review into halves. To read part I, read more

I've always admired Demeter Fragrance Library, the perfumer best known for bottling surprisingly good-smelling scents like Gin & Tonic, Laundromat, and Dirt. Now, Demeter has partnered with another company known for its rather wacky varieties: Jelly Belly.

The new Jelly Belly fragrance collection includes six scents inspired by popular flavors from the gourmet jelly-bean maker. Here's more from the Jelly Belly press release:

Eating one Jelly Belly jelly bean at a time is yummy, but Jelly Belly aficionados know the pleasure of combining different flavors to create "recipe" combinations for new gourmet taste sensations. Devised with definite flavors and proportions in mind, Jelly Belly jelly bean recipes provided the inspiration for creating the Jelly Belly Collection by Demeter Fragrance Library.

Each cologne spray is available in a 1-ounce bottle ($20) or a 4-ounce version ($39.50), and the line also includes shower gels and lotions. For details on the recipes that inspired each scent, read more