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Have you ever been alone on an elevator, but judging by a lingering smell of cologne or perfume, it's quite apparent that someone else was just there? Like a snail that leaves a trail behind, perfume can also leave a trail behind, too. It's called sillage, which is French for "wake," as in the stream left behind a boat. It's a term used by perfume enthusiasts to describe how close a fragrance Read more
Move over, Clive Christian—you've got company in the ranks of priciest perfumes. Yesterday, FabSugar and I went to an event previewing an upcoming Marie Antoinette exhibition at San Francisco's Legion of Honor. It was there that I was able to smell Marie Antoinette Sillage de la Reine, a luxurious fragrance that costs $900 for 25ml. Marie Antoinette Sillage de la Reine was created by French Read more
Kirsten Dunst's latest costar is also her mane man — because he's a lion. Kirsten and the big cat appear in the new spot for Bulgari's latest fragrance, Mon Jasmin Noir. The fragrance, a woody jasmine with powerful sillage, is on counters now. What do you think of the video? Read more
Creed Fleurissimo has always been known as the fragrance created for Grace Kelly to wear at her royal wedding, but it's not the only scent inspired by the late princess. In 1966, Gucci designed the Flora scarf for Grace, and in 2009 Gucci came out with a same-name fragrance inspired by the woman and the fabric. I recently tried the newest member of the Flora fragrance family, Flora Eau Fraîche, Read more
When it comes to fragrance, seasonality is an important factor, but one that people tend to forget about. A perfume that smells soft and subtle under your sweaters can be unrelenting once the mercury rises. So how do you pick a warm-weather scent that will still smell right once you walk out of the department store's air conditioning? To find out, just keep reading. Read more
By the Creators of Le Labo, the brand's new collaboration with Anthropologie, is the very best kind of atavism. The solid Concrete Parfums ($28) are concealed inside pretty old-fashioned brass weights, and the Spray Parfums ($62) come in faux 18th century poison phials. All the scents in the collection have an antique aspect as well, and they smell old-money luxurious even though they're less Read more
If, like me, you love the idea of tropical scents but find that many of them smell a little cheap, then there's a nice new fragrance out that's definitely worth a sniff: Christian Dior Escale Aux Marquises ($66). It's a soft, gingery citrus floral that's pretty without being sweet like most tropicals. It opens smelling like ginger and lime, and then a real jasmine essential note comes in to Read more
When most people hear the name "Thierry Mugler," they immediately think of Angel. But the scent impresario has other fragrances, too, most notably Alien, which has a cult following of its own. Now, he's launched another equally ambitious scent called Womanity ($78). Unlike Angel, which is all sweetness, or Alien, which smells like licorice and outer space (seriously), Womanity is strong on the Read more
Here's the scenario: You're on a train, on a plane, or at a movie theater, when lo and behold, your olfactory senses are attacked by someone's massively powerful fragrance. It's as if the sillage is out to choke the life out of you, making your eyes water and your lungs burn. But then again, it could be something else. Yep, I'm talking knock-you-down, makes-you-want-to-die, horrendous BO. It's a Read more
It seems like the stream of new fragrances these days is neverending, with every celebrity and design house pumping out at least a couple of scents every season. But what about the classics, the scents of the past? I'm not talking about Chanel No. 5, which has a cult following and survives as much on Coco's legendary life as on the scent itself. Instead, I'm talking about fragrances like Estée Read more
