Friday, May 5, 2006

Finding Love at Unlikely Places- Donna Karan Black Cashmere

The sample vial of Donna Karan's Black Cashmere has been sitting on the bottom of my sample stash for quite some time. Being related to Karan's Cashmere Mist, one of two fragrance I hate the most (well, other than anything ever made by Escada, Boucheron and also Lanvin's Arpege, but who wears that? No need to answer), I was never very interested in trying it.

A note regarding Cashmere Mist and why I dislike it: Looking at the list of this fragrance, one would think I'd find it fabulous- Top Notes: Bergamot ,Heart Notes: Jasmine, lily of the valley, Base Notes: Sandalwood, vanilla, amber, musk. My guess is that the lily of the valley is the offending element. I'm not a big fan of it in general, and nothing that contains ever smells good to me or on me. Cashmere mist smells extraordinarily vile on me, like something cheap and floral in a commercial, synthetic way (that was a polite way to say "manufactured by Glade") and I could never get why it is so popular. Until I caught a whiff of something that smelled very pleasant on my friend E. Who lives in the Midwest and came for a visit. I was floored to learn that it was my old nemesis, The Mist. The lesson is that there's a skin for every fragrance.

Back to the neglected vial in my drawer. Yesterday I finally cracked it open. I sniffed and was intrigued. I could tell that this was different and lily-less. I could smell something spicy and pleasant. As soon as I put it on I was in love. The woody element was stronger than the vanilla note on my skin, but that's probably just me. It deepened and developed nicely, settling into a rich but not overpowering aroma.

I know that most would find it to potent for daytime or summertime. But I live for fragrance like this and can pull it off easily. I wore it all day and enjoyed its staying power. Refreshing it again before going out for dinner has made my husband very happy. He was all for its sex appeal and seductiveness.

Needless to say, a full sized bottle was ordered before noon.

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