Fragrances we’ve smelled lately…

Despite our scaled-back schedule, we’ve decided to give a glimpse into fragrances we’ve smelled lately to provide insight for future reviews. Now is a good time to give you an idea for what’s to come.

• Parfums d’Empire Cuir Ottoman - this is a very masculine, deep leather/incense fragrance that is topped by jasmine and orris with a balsam and benzoin base from a niche house that produces some very good scents but doesn’t seem to get much attention.
• Bond No 9 New York Oud - I’ve found that I’ve been prone to more frequent wearing as the days grow colder as it’s a very deep-yet-different take on Oud.  If you’re thinking of a very woody/incense laden fragrance a la Montale Paris Aoud Cuir d’Arabie, this will not be what you’ve expected.
• Montale Paris Aoud Cuir d’Arabie - Montale as a house gets a lot of credit for introducing Europe and the rest of the world to Oud, and is often enough considered the reference standard for well-composed Oud fragrances. This one is a surprise among those, and there’s much more to come in our review.
• Yves Saint Laurent M7 - among the fragrances commissioned by designer Tom Ford when he was in charge of the house, this was widely regarded very highly upon its introduction. Though now discontinued and a bit of a rarity, we had to see for ourselves, so look for our review.
• Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood - while it seems as if each house has used Oud to produce a fragrance, Tom Ford is no exception in making this a focal point for his 2007 EDP. Just how does it compare to the larger selection of niche Ouds on the market? We’ll give our review.
• Penhaligons Opus 1870 - the storied British perfumer’s most accessible fragrance doesn’t get much press, so we thought a sampling and review would be in order to determine if this EDT was a keeper or a sampler. Keep watching to find out.
• Bond No 9 Brooklyn - there are just some fragrances that continue to draw you back in for their urban chic factor, and Brooklyn is one of them. We’ve chosen this for a future review to provide our insights.
• By Kilian Back in Black – Kilian tends to take some knocks for having a line of some of the most expensive fragrances on the market, so we wanted to learn about the fuss and whether the scents justified the steep price premium. We chose Back in Black as one of our first to review.
• Bond No 9 Madison Square Park - we decided on a distinctly feminine scent from Bond’s line for a review, and chose Madison Square Park. Check back to see our impressions of this green/floral fragrance.

And this is only a sample.  Bookmark it and check back often!