New Fall Fragrances

Posted by Stacey

on November 1, 2009

As we head into the cooler weather in Los Angeles (finally!), I decided it was time to switch up my fragrance choices a little. I sampled a bunch of different choices and there were two that really stood out to me.

Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries released its first scent, Bare Skin, recently. Available exclusively at Sephora, the Eau de Parfum is meant to remind you of a day at the beach and sun-kissed, glowing skin. It has top notes of Black Pepper, Freesia, and Anise, mid notes of Iris, Vanilla Orchid, Plumeria, and Patchouli, and it dries down with notes of Sandalwood, Labdanum and Musk. I have the hardest time describing perfumes, but the best way I can think to talk about this one is that it’s a sexy, warm scent. It really does remind me of something that I would wear on a tropical vacation, but not in a summery sort of way. It’s definitely a scent that could be worn all year round because of the musky undertones. I feel like if I was a man, this is the kind of scent I would like to smell on a woman because it’s subtly sexy, something that you could wear both day and night, not an overpowering scent that makes your eyes water. It’s also totally affordable at $55 for 1.7 ounces, so you can spray liberally without any monetary guilt. Love that!

My other perfume choice is definitely more of a splurge, but it’s so pretty, I couldn’t help but write about it. Collection Extraordinaire from Van Cleef & Arpels was inspired by the Les Jardins jewelry collection and is made up of a reinterpretation of six different gardens with perfumes that pay tribute to nature. Out of the six, my favorite is Orchidée Vanille (Vanilla Orchid). It’s a gorgeous, sweetly scented vanilla, but the orchid gives it a deeper, richer bite. There’s a musky note to this fragrance as well, but its floral heart keeps it from getting too overpowering or cloying. It’s very feminine and exotic – definitely a scent that I would save for an evening out or a special event. At $185 for 75ml, it’s definitely a little more of a budget buster, but if you’re going to treat yourself to a special, one of a kind scent, this would be my current choice. It’s available exclusively at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and at Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques.