New Frangrances in Review

Just before the holidays many new fragrances were launched. I had the chance to preview many of these lines before they reached the selling floor. There are some I really like and others, well, that smell like every other scent out there. Let me share with you my personal favorites with some information on each new perfume so you can also judge for yourself.

Most Interesting

Karl Lagerfeld's Kapsule- the packaging on this is very dynamic. It's a very interesting concept... three fragrances all called Kapsule but with different notes interpreting the three major fragrance families; fresh, woody and oriental. These scents can be purchased together as a trio or seperately. My personal favorite is Kapsule Floriental. It reminds me of sweet vanilla pipe smoke that evokes thoughts of elegant wing-backed chairs, leather bound books and a crackling fire. It is warm and cozy. It is reminiscent of a discontinued fragrance called Venezia by Laura Biagiotti. The notes are violet, black tea and vanilla. This is a sensual, wintry fragrance and the deep ruby red glass bottle is quite intriguing. This scent would be fitting on someone warm and sexy. (110$ for 2.5 oz) - TAKE A PEEK!

Most Hyped

Feerie by Van Cleef & Arpels. First of all let me tell you how beautiful this bottle is. Coming from one of our top jewelers, this packaging is really stunning. It is a beautiful blue globe topped with a lovely silver fairy. What is extremely cool about this little fairy is she can be used as a ring holder. Just slip your valuables around her and they won't be sliding all over the top of your bureau. Now for the fragrance. Violet is a very popular note this season and has been for about a year. It is in almost every new fragrance. Feerie is light and floral and fruity. But honestly... it is not distinctive. This could be any other light fragrance out there. It has no staying power and evaporates quickly. The base notes are not solid enough to hold the scent. If you like really light basic fragrances then you may really love this! But if you are looking for something with personality to be your signature scent, this isn't it. So if you are a major fairy follower or like ethereally light fragrances, take a peek. Otherwise - SKIP IT! (150$ for 3.3 oz)

My Favorite

Lalique. There are a few fragrances in this line and one in particular has become my favorite. It is so warm and vanilla-ee. It smells like ice cream with warm caramel. I have not had a fragrance in YEARS that I have received so many compliments wearing. Because I am forever searching for MY signature fragrance, I am going to keep which Lalique fragrance this is, A SECRET! I know... don't you hate me? But all of the scents are wonderful and I'm sure after my review, you will easily see which one is my new IT perfume! Of course all Lalique fragrances are treasures in their bottles which are works of art originally designed by Rene Lalique, himself. (About 150$ for 3oz) - TAKE A PEEK!

• Amethyst - lovely lavender jewel packaging with notes of blackberry, raspberry, white lily and wild rose all anchored by vanilla and musk. This is light, fruity and lovely.
• Perles de Lalique- a pretty frosted white bottle adorned with tiny black pearls holds this very feminine fragrance. It is in the chypre family and holds notes of oak moss, vetivert and Bulgarian rose. It is very lady-like and pays homage to the beauty of the rose.
• Lalique Le Parfum- rich and buttery both in scent and color this fragrance makes you smile with sweet confection. The bottle is heavy, like it's scent, and adorned with a red silk tassel. It holds notes of vanilla, tonka bean, bergamot and jasmine and is pure luxury! It is sophisticated, rich and sexy.

Favorite New Men's

Bvlgari Aqva Marine. Bvlgari is not only a great jewelry designer but also a great fragrance maker. I was so impressed with many new scents in this line but want to highlight my ultimate favorite. This new launch of Aqva Pour Homme Marine filled me with absolute delight. Its sparkling top note of grapefruit literally made me almost jump for joy. It was sheer happiness at first smell. The burst of citrus disappears eventually and ebbs to a clean water fragrance. The dynamic, perfectly round bottle, looks like polished sea glass and holds notes of rosemary and mineral amber in addition to the top note of grapefruit. (About 75$ for 3.4 oz) BUY IT!

Thank you to all of my blog readers and this is your beauty insider's review of some of the latest fragrances!