More bottles.

Stella,
the first fragrance from Stella McCartney. It comes in a violet-black bottle
reminiscent of a baguette-cut diamond. It smells of roses, roses, more roses.
Hints of citrus surround the roses with dewy freshness. The base has amber in
it, which holds the rose down and prevents it from being a hat Rachel Ashwell
would wear to the races. I like it. It is not hard to
like.

Un Jardin en
Mediterranee
, from Hermes. It looks like
bottled sea and grass and sky. After the way Rouge Hermes turned on me, Un
Jardin was a pleasant surprise. It is marketed as a unisex fragrance. Fruit,
citrus, fig, cedar. Delicious. Perfect for bisexuals, especially with the
androgynous woody drydown. It’s a limited edition, so stock up when you find
it.

Gloria
from Cacharel. Almond, amaretto, vanilla, pepper, surprise. From scentguru.com:
“Launched in 2002, Gloria is a creation by Cacharel with a heart of oriental
freshness. An exotic blend of vanilla, musk, amaretto, bittersweet Italian
almond liquor and ambergris added to a floral heart of Bulgarian rose and
hibiscus.” The bottle does not do justice to this underrated fragrance – it
reminds me of the last days of disco. For fans of “foody” scents, especially
drugstore vanilla, this is your chance to grow up. For fragrance snobs, this is
your chance to up your scent insider
quotient.

Helmut Lang Eau de
Parfum
. This fragrance, deceptively meek,
triggers violent love or hate. From scentguru.com: “Fashion designer Helmut Lang
creates a cool, modern woody fragrance for men and women. Fragrance notes
include: Lavender, Rosemary, Artemisia, Orange Tree, Jasmine, Rose, Heliotrope,
Lily of the Valley, Virginian Cedarwood, Indian Sandalwood, Indonesian
Patchouli, Vanilla, Skin Accord.” Most people won’t get it. This fragrance is
composed so well (to my nose, anyway) that it is difficult to detect individual
notes, even on first spritz. But, for adventurers in the perfumed desert, this
is a close-your-eyes-and-lose-yourself treat. It’s that dang “skin accord.” It
smells like my own skin, but better, somehow. That being said, don’t rely on the
scent strip; you need to experience this on your skin and walk around with it,
and see if you feel more beautiful, or if you want to scrub your skin
off.

And, from an essential oils shop in
Mumbai, “dealers of agar oudh,” I found the following oils irresistible: a blend
called “Nikala,” citrus and floral; Crystal Rose attar (not oil, but attar –
what an experience), a white delicate rose with a very faint hint of lime, which
the shop owner told me comes from high up in the mountains and only blooms in
winter, thus its name; and a powerful rose/amber blend, which makes me think of
Persia and Mesopotamia and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and ancient goddesses.
That last one really cost me, but it was worth it.