Edgy Floral Fragrances
Edgy Floral Fragrances
New fall perfumes that give us a new twist on our mother's floral fragrances. Cosmo's Jessica Matlin breaks down the new edgy fall fragrances, from Decadence to "Lickable" scents -- take a look at these perfumes that aren't too "girly."
Excerpts from a fragrance editorial, Petal to the Metal, in Cosmopolitan Magazine, October 2015 issue.
New Fall Perfumes
"Ladylike is overrated -- This fall floral fragrances are all about the edge. ...recently, for some women, the idea of smelling conventionally girly had started to feel a touch too innocent. It was time for something new. ... They still wanted to smell pretty, but they're looking for something with more attitude. And so a new sort of fragrance has sprouted to give petals a little push: the rebel floral." -- Jessica Matlin, Beauty Editor Cosmopolitan
"A new sort of fragrance has sprouted to give petals a little push: the rebel floral."
The New Femininity
"Brands are toughening up... Chanel, Dior, Lancome, and Tom Ford have all launched small, exclusive 'collections' of fragrances that show off exotic, often masculine notes - like leather, incense, and musk - and packaged them in chic, unisex bottles. Any floral notes tend to be paired with edgier ones - think rose with oud, violet with patchouli."
Dior La Collection Privee
Cuir Cannage
eau de parfum, 4.25 oz., $210
dior.com
"Provocative petals are having a fashion moment too. ...every bloom has attitude, setting the stage for fragrance's new mood."
"This unconventional category of florals makes perfect sense for the moment, when our perception of what's pretty has changed. ... Provocative petals are having a fashion moment too. From fall's sporty chinoiserie looks at Carven to goth leaves at Marc by Marc Jacobs, every bloom has attitude, setting the stage for fragrance's new mood."
Giorgio Armani Si
Giorgio Armani Si Eau de Parfum ($90, nordstrom.com)
Notes -- blackcurrant, freesia, rose de mai, balsam, vanilla, orcanox, patchouli
"When Armani Si debuted... last year... it was the antithesis of froufrou. With its retangular shape, stonelike cap, and woody-floral composition. ... While Si has floral notes (freesia and rose...), it's described as a modern chypre - chypre being the fragrance family built on woody, mossy notes. Within a year, Si has become Giorgio Armani's best-selling women's fragrance to date in the U.S." -- Learn more at giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com
Rocker Bouquets
"Right now, 'people want florals that have drama - so they're being hi-jacked with dark, mysterious notes, such as patchouli, pepper or incense,' says fragrance expert Karl Bradl."
Musc et Madame Ylang Tabac
Musc et Madame Ylang Tabac Eau de Parfum ($95, fielefragrances.com)
Notes -- ylang ylang, jasmine, bergamot, almond essence, patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla, orris, musk, castoreum, oakmoss, tobacco
"Perfumer Linda Sivrican had one very important stipulation when creating Musc et Madame, the line of "disheveled florals" she cofounded with her husband. 'I didn't want it to smell like perfume. I wanted the scents to feel dirty and raw - not innocent and pretty.' Her Ylang Tabac blends feather-light jasmine with the smell of musks and tobacco. It smells like a hot night out." -- Learn more at muscetmadame.com
Donna Karan
Liquid Cashmere Black
eau de parfum, 1.7 oz., $62
macys.com
Addictive Blends
"Another way to add kick: opulent, edible notes, which give these florals an 'addictive, narcotic' quality, says Dora Baghriche-Arnaud, who created Juicy Couture's latest, I Am Juicy Couture. 'We have an expression for this type of scent. It's called fleurs á manger - it means flowers to eat.' These scents are having a huge moment right now, she says."
"Perfumer Ann Gottlieb knows a thing or two about this trend. As the nose behind so many of Calvin Klein's scents... she gave herself a clear direction for Eternity Now... 'I wanted it be be lickable,' she says. A floral that's sweet, irreverent, and insanely sexy - Gottlieb's blend is totally in season."
Boho Blossoms
"Some perfumers have taken a more Bohemian approach to florals. Offbeat, etheral, yet boldly dramatic... Each has a free-spirited eccentricity about it, but they still feel refined."
Le Monstre - Even Chanel, which does ladylike like no one else, has freed itself from convention. With No. 5 Eau Premiere, the French brand ...[toned] down its OTT bombshell aura. In its place: a nonchalent, romantic yet tattered version. Chanel, tinkering with the world's most iconic, revered perfume? It may just be the most antiestablishment floral of all. "
B. Balenciaga Skin
lily of the valley, violet, orris, ambrette
eau de parfum, 1.7 oz., $110
nordstrom.com
Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere
neroli, aldehydes, rose, ylang ylang
eau de parfum, 1 oz., $100
nordstrom.com
Armani Si Huile de Parfum
cassis, freesia, rose, balsam, patchouli
fragrance oil, 1 oz., $105
nordstrom.com
Traditional Floral Fragrances
"To walk onto the fragrance floor of any department store in the country is to tramp through a field of flowery, happy perfumes. Marc Jacobs Daisy, Dior J'adore, Estee Lauder Beautiful -- impossibly pretty, they dominate the fragrance counters."
Estee Lauder Beautiful
Created with over 2,000 flowers this tender fragrance includes notes of lily, rose, marigold, and orange blossom with a hint of citrus and woody base.
eau de parfum, 2.5 oz., $75
macys.com
Daisy Marc Jacobs
A sparkling bouquet of wild strawberry and velvety violet, blended with jasmine and gardenia blooms, and finished with accords of cedarwood and birch.
eau de toilette, 1.7 oz., $78
sephora.com
Dior J'adore
The fruity floral fragrance blend of bergamot and ylang ylang with damask rose and sambac jasmine is the opulent bouquet of femininity.
eau de parfum, 1.7 oz., $92
nordstrom.com
(Matlin, Jessica. "Petal to the Metal." Cosmopolitan Oct. 2015: 158-163)
