Every now and again, the packaging for a fragrance can screech my flutterby, short-attention-span perfume shopping style to a sudden halt. The Angel, Stella and Lolita Lempicka bottles? Prettyyyyyyyyyy!
The campy joy of the Michael Kors Very Hollywood bottle makes me smile every time I see it. Della Chuang's bottle for Tom Ford White Patchouli? Neuvo retro, baby. Kenya Hara's bottle for Kenzo Power? Retro neuvo, guy.
And paging Andy Warhol: the "megamizer" bottle for Victor & Rolf Eau Mega, the Harajuku Lovers dolls, and Marc Jacob Lola's vinyl flower are all Pop Art-tastic.
If I absolutely adore the juice, the packaging doesn't matter. (But really, does my beloved Bruno Acampora Musc have to be served up in a crappy metal cannister with the crumbly cork stopper that smells like old Crayons? Does it? Really?)
An inspired bottle won't change the scent within, but if it's groovy or stylish enough, it can certainly hip up the context. And the most inspired context around at the mo is provided by Ross Lovegrove, with his irresistible creation for Narciso Rodriguez Essence.
Lovegrove's Essence bottle is stunning: a sculptural glass flask that looks like it's filled with quicksilver. The reflective surface undulates, practically forcing you to pick it up and play with it. In your hand, it’s coolly soothing, like a river-smoothed rock.
And while you play with it, it plays with you, its warped, mirrored planes scrambling your facial features into Salvador Dali soup.
Not only is this bottle fine art, it's also simpatico with the tone of the fragrance it contains: silvered, shimmering, steam-cleaned roses. And mostly, it's full-on, balloon-head freak fun!
Essence is available from FragranceNet.com and Perfume.com, starting at $73 for 50ml
Unfortunately, it seems that in my experience, the more I like a fragrance, the uglier the bottle. Check out L'Air Du Desert Marocain (looks like a perfume bottle I would have seen on my older sister's dresser in the eighties) and Incense Avignon (looks like a men's hideous sports fragrance is contained inside.)
ReplyDeleteJennifer, you've certainly offered sound proof for your analysis! And while I'm most intrigued by CdG Daphne, I'm underwhelmed by the bottle, which doesn't life up to its box.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I wasn't as persistent as you in my trials of Essence. Didn't get further than the sales counter, didn't get past the soapiness on each occasion. I do have a hygiene routine, but I don't want it to follow me round all day. I even tried it on ribbon as well as paper and skin, but didn't care for it the way I do the regular EDT. If Essence and Tauer's Incense Extreme had a love child, maybe that would strike the right balance between cleanliness and godliness! Oh, and I was intrigued by Daphne too, but when I tried it on skin the spices were just horrible on me.
ReplyDeleteJennifer and Katie, I feel like ALL the CdG's have hideous bottles. (Although I did at least expect something better from Daphne, since it's not their norm.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've actually refused to buy certain things based on how ugly the bottle was. I did finally cave on L'Air du Desert Marocain, only because I love it so. But why does it have to look like it's from Avon??
Angi, the Tauer bottles strike me as a low-cost "beginner's perfume business" option that would make sense while Andy Tauer was getting up and running. But in light of his success and credibility, I think it's high time for a redesign!
ReplyDeleteAnd until Jennifer's "sports fragrance" remark, I never was bothered by the CdG Incense Series bottles. I like the black glass and the simple, bold font. But now, I'm seeing "Axe". Cheers.
flittersniffer, I think part of my Essence persistence had to do with that glorious bottle. It really elevates the expectation. I like your "cleanliness and godliness" combo idea. There definitely is an incense/soap intersection. I also find it in YSL Kouros, where it may more aptly be described as "cleanliness and devilry".
ReplyDeleteAnd as for Daphne, I'd written a conflicted review a little while back, and I'm still conflicted. There's just one phase of the development that turns on me - mushy stale florals - but I love everything else: incense, patchouli, spices, oud. Even what folks term the "bubblegum sweetness" doesn't bug me.
Personally, I am hoping for many more cameo appearances by Katie in the Bottle. Fun house mirror INDEED. It's like putting on a wig, suddenly you can get away with saying and doing all kinds of things. More, please. :)
ReplyDeleteScott, you know it's getting bad when I'm talking to my perfume bottles!
ReplyDeleteKatie, it doesn't surprise me that you got on better with Daphne than I did. Having watched (with interest and great amusement!) a lot of your video reviews, I have concluded that your skin is more of a "broad church" than mine. One of the reviewers on Fragrantica diagnosed my skin (remotely!) as "green and fresh", meaning that certain spices, earthy - and in particular animalic - notes can be problematic for me. Hence my other main screen name: "VM I hate civet"!
ReplyDeleteOh, so YOU'RE VM I hate civet! But wait - you can cope with Amaranthigh's beastiness?
ReplyDeletehi katie ,thankyou for reviewing essence im still getting it for xmas already got YSL parisienne n love it xx
ReplyDeleteThat's me! Amaranthigh's beastiness doesn't appear to be civet-based, which is the main animalic no-no for me. But then again I have a sneaking affection for Bal a Versailles, which does, but it is just about the only civet-containing exception in my collection. I seem to be okay with castoreum (I like Dzing!), though I hate Paloma Picasso. Okay, the fact is that I flipflop all over the shop... Hence my other screen name "Flittersniffer"!
ReplyDeleteKatie -- thanks for drawing attention to the gorgeous Lovegrove bottle, and I COMPLETELY AGREE about the Bruno Acampora Musc packaging. The scratching from that tinny container made my teeth hurt when I opened it, and that horrible crumbly cork stopper . . . *shudder*
ReplyDeletefoxycleox - oh, so you have x-ray eyes into Santa's goodie bag, do you? Have fun with Essence - especially the bottle! And yes, Parisienne is girly and pretty - have a YT review of that coming up!
ReplyDeleteflittersnifer - flipflopping is the prerogative of any self-respecting fumehead. Every new iteration of a scent genre seems to shift one's position on the predecessors. Probably the only scent on which I'll be unwaveringly positive until my final breath will be the smell of baking cookies.
ReplyDeletenathan! That Bruno Acampora tin with the razor-sharp edges! Count your fingers after you open it! And yak! That crumbly cork stopper! How much of it is floating around in the perfume oil?
ReplyDeleteOh, but how marvelous I smell in that Musc oil!
! ? !
Huh? What does a steam-cleaned rose smell like? It seems like the steam-cleaning would take all the fun out of it. I like my roses BLOOMING ever so softly.
ReplyDeleteScentsofSmell - Essence features roses that have been given a thorough going-over with hissing, starchy steam. No more blooming, but they sure have a nice crease.
ReplyDelete