*An ode in pictures because my writing is hardly ode-like. So I suppose it’s not actually an ode, because I don’t think ‘ode’ goes with ‘pictures.’ You may also notice that I neglected to watermark said pictures, mostly because I couldn’t bring myself to slap text across these. Plus, watermarking takes time, and time is something that keeps running away from me lately.
Where was I going with that? Hmm, who knows?
Many of you have probably heard of By Kilian by now. It’s a niche perfume brand founded by Kilian Hennessy (as in Hennessy cognac, I’m told).
The L’Oeuvre Noir collection…well, I don’t think I can top the press release. Here it is:
“I conceived L’Oeuvre Noire collection with a quasi-Faustian ambience in mind. I wanted to cast a spell, like those that darkened Rimbaud’s spirit or conjured the witches in Macbeth. But it also recalls contemporary R&B lyrics like those of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg or Pharell Williams, all about temptation in the face of urban violence, like Baudelaire before them, as expressed in his prose poetry.”
-Kilian Hennessy
One thing I will say about the ad copy is that it does get inflated at times, to the point where even I shake my head in bewilderment. But it’s also true that sometimes you can’t get to where you want to be unless you go overboard. I applaud them (politely) for creating a little prose piece for each scent and (thunderously) for working 50 Cent into the same paragraph as Baudelaire.
Now, I’m no perfume expert, but as far as I could tell, this line was all about quality. The 9 scents I sniffed seemed very well put-together, even if some weren’t necessarily my cup of tea. Rather than going over all 9, I think I’ll focus on my favorites today.
I’ve always had a thing for flowery compositions, so it was no surprise when I immediately gravitated toward the floral blends. While 4 of them stood out to me (Liaisons Dangereuses, Love and Tears, Love, Prelude to Love), I narrowed it down to 2 favorites. The first is Continue reading