Cool tea for a hot day: Oolong Infini by Atelier Cologne

This starts with tea although I would not call it an oolong scent, years ago I worked in tea and coffee, and my favorite teas were oolong at the time (still a favorite of mine but my tastes expanded) and I can't remember smelling a tea quite like this. No, this is closer to a darjeeling, with lots of citrus while the listed notes say bergamot, I think is smells more lime like. The next part of it is a light musk with hints of neroli, vetiver, and melon (not calone style melon) think the green rind part of melon that is a bit grassy. It is cooling and refreshing and that is about it which in a heat wave is about as much as I can ask of a fragrance without wanting to knock myself over the head with frying pan for choosing something too heavy.

It also reminds me of Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir another tea scent (which is easily unisex in my opinion).

Will this scent knock your socks off no, but it is light, office friendly, and in a heat wave prone area is the perfect refreshing cup of cool tea when I can't have tea and can't cool down.

photograph by Jason Schmidt

His and Her's

I admit I am fascinated by the concept of complimentary female and male fragrances. Although, I will add before going on that I fully support men and women going across the gender lines of perfume and wearing exactly what they want. And now back to his and her's fragrances, the fact is rarely do designers actually come out with his and her's scents that actually complement each other. So I have decided to propose my combinations that actually compliment each other from the catergories of male and female fragrance and I fully support the crossing of gender lines with these fragrances.

Bvlgari pour Homme Soir and Prada Infusion d'Iris

I would have never smelled the similarities of these two fragrances had my boyfriend not bought himself Bvlgarie pour Homme Soir on a whim. In fact I will say this on a paper strip these don't smell alike all, but once on the skin do they begin to share magical similarities. The magic note that brings them together: papyrus. Infusion d'Iris has always reminded me of the scent of papyrus but papyrus is not one of its listed notes, I suspect that Infusion d'Iris achieves this quality with the mixing of iris and vetiver. As for Bvlgarie pour Homme Soir well the papyrus note is achieved because papyrus is one of its notes.

The differences between these two are as interesting as their similarities. Infusion d'Iris remains through out its process to drydown with hints of green sap to complement the dryness of the iris and vetiver blend. Where as Bvlgari pour Homme Soir hints at the lightest fougere notes and dark violets surrounding a powdery grey iris note.

These two scents achieve a lovely cool elegance that is perfect for a spring and can easily be worn by either sex.

Official notes for both fragrances:

Infusion d'Iris: Galbanum, Mandarin Orange, Orange Blossom, Lentisk, Iris, Cedar, Vetiver, Benzoin, Frankincense

Bvlgari pour Homme Soir: Bergamot, Darjeeling Tea, Papyrus, Musk, Amber.

image provided by artnet.com

Male and Female Anglo-American Raccoons by Nicolas Huet 1817