So let’s take a step back, for the uninitiated.  Scent of The Year (abbreviated to SoTY) is a yearlong exercise, reading the daily Scent of The Day threads and compiling all that data to one central spreadsheet, and seeing what conclusions there are to be drawn from it.  You’ll be receiving regular updates for every week (SoTW), month (SoTM), quarter (SoTQ), half-year (SoTHY) and finally the big SoTY rundown, which will happen right around February 1^st, 2011, to coincide with my other project, the lead-in to Basenotes March Madness.

Why, one could conceivably ask, would someone take on the tedious, dull, boring and exceptionally un-fun work of reading other people’s fragrance selections and type them into a book with other people’s fragrance selections?  I’ve got two reasons, the first being I get restless without a good long-term project to work at, and the second being that I do get a lot of enjoyment out of playing with data, and seeing what can be really gathered from it.

I harbor no such illusions, however, that you enjoy statistics quite to the level that I do, so I’ll try to keep it interesting, entertaining even, but hopefully informative as well.  If I start drifting off-course, please send me an email, PM, or tweet and let me know, or take me by the shoulders and gently steer me back in the right direction.

To work, then!  The first step when you start collecting data is, obviously, determining exactly what you want to collect; the fragrances themselves, of course, but what else?  Being able to look up the fragrance house independent of any particular fragrance sounds smart, so that was added.  I hit a bit of a wall at that point, as that was pretty much all that was being tracked when the experiment was done from 2008-2009, along with gender.  I chose to also track the Basenoters themselves, and added fields for username and gender.  Lastly, and another common sense one that I initially forgot, was the date!  It does help to know when these are being entered in when you’re on a weekly schedule.

Once the dataset was decided on, the reporting had to be figured out; that is, how I want the condensed and summarized table of information to be displayed for maximum information.  Right now I have three tables, measuring the most worn fragrance, the most worn house, and the most posts by username.  All three can be filtered by date, gender, or both.  Every combination there can give good info, and it’s with that set of tables that I’m using for now.

I’m already getting off track, aren’t I?  Sorry for the thrilling insight into Microsoft Excel, you’re here for the smellies.  All total, 1029 different entries were recorded from the 31^st of January to the 6^th of February, 2010, with men accounting for 67.7 percent of the total and ladies, 32.3%.  471 fragrances were only worn one time this week, for a uniqueness index of 45.77%.  This first dataset is pretty darn important, as this is the first Top 10, we can see who hangs around and who doesn’t have quite the staying power.  Starting with the combined genders, the most worn fragrance was a Guerlain.  So was the second most.  And the third.  And the fourth.  L’Instant de Guerlain topped the charts at 11 wears, followed by Mitsouko Eau de Toilette with 10, Guerlain Vetiver with 9, and Guerlain Heritage with 8.  Tied below Heritage with 7 wears are Tom Ford Black Orchid, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, and Andy Tauer’s L’air du desert marocain, for positions five through seven.  Six different fragrances all had six wears, and they were Dior Homme, Guerlain Coriolan, Burberry London, Caron’s Le Troiseme Homme, Guerlain Jicky, and YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme.

In what may be a bold predictor for the foreseeable future’s totals, Guerlain as a house had more than double the wears (110) of the next closest house in Chanel (47).  In fact, Guerlain’s entries in the Top 10 frags alone outnumber any other house’s total wears all week long.  Serge Lutens and Creed tied for third with 35 wears, Yves Saint Laurent was one behind with 34, followed by Christian Dior with 32, L’Artisan Parfumeur with 26, Hermes with 25, Caron with 24, and Tom Ford rounding out the field with 20.  Obviously there’s a big difference between the most worn houses and those trailing slightly.

Looking just at the men’s side, now, we find that Guerlain Vetiver got zero wears from the ladies, but was tied with L’Instant de Guerlain for the most worn by men, with 9 wears.  Guerlain Heritage was third with 8, and surprisingly (at least to me) we find that more men are wearing Mitsouko than women this week by more than a factor of two! (7 wears) L’air du desert marocain, Burberry London, Dior Homme and Guerlain Coriolan all tied with 6 wears by men, for positions five through eight.  Nine fragrances tied for the final two positions in the top 10, including names not previously mentioned like Chanel Pour Monsieur, Yves Saint Laurent M7, Creed’s Bois du Portugal, and Prada Infusion d’Homme.

Looking at men’s houses, we discover that of Guerlain’s monster 110 wears, a full 80 of them (72.7%) were by men, but men do account for 67.7% of the total wears recorded this week.  This does mean Guerlain is favored slightly more by men than women this time of year.  Creed was the next closest, with 30 wears, perhaps a more interesting number than Guerlain’s.  Creed’s overall third place performance this week came with the help of only 5 wears on the women’s side of things, 5 of the 35 total.  Below Creed in men’s is a tie between Christian Dior and YSL with 27 wears apiece, then Chanel with 21, Amouage and Hermes both with 17, Tom Ford with 15, Caron with 14, and a two-way tie for the last spot with Montale and Serge Lutens both earning 12 wears.

Moving over to the women’s side of things, we find that having a smaller population can really effect the weekly standings of things.  Tied at number one with 5 wears each are Terranova Gardenia and Keiko Mecheri’s A Fleur de Peau.  The catch?  Both were worn by only one person, for five consecutive days each.  Rochas Tocade got 4 wears the old fashioned way, by multiple users, as did L’ Artisan Havana Vanille, Bal A Versailles and Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum.  Below those six fragrances are eleven different fragrances with three wears each.  More data is needed before any true conclusions can be reached, but it may take until the SoTM at this rate.

The women’s house standings were quite interesting, and featured a few new faces.  Guerlain’s 30 wears by the ladies were enough to make it the most-worn house this week, trailed closely by Chanel with 26 wears and Serge Lutens with 23.  Things trail off rapidly after that, with L’ Artisan at 14 wears, Caron with 10, Hermes with 8, YSL, Keiko Mecheri, and Frederic Malle all with 7, and Bond No. 9 wrapping up the top 10 with 6 wears.  The women’s field is much more diverse than statistically expected, men recorded wears in 202 separate houses and women in 120, with 248 total (There were 46 houses worn exclusively by one gender or the other).

Finally, mikeperez23 (14 wears), Inselaffe (13 wears), and kbe (12 wears) go above and beyond the nose of duty on the men’s side, with Baldufita (11 wears) being the busiest sniffer on the ladies’ side.

That’s it for this week, see you next Monday for new numbers and new insight as we give this fledgling SoTY project some legs.  Until next time, post those SoTDs every day!

It’s been compared to Serge Luten’s aggressively spiced Feminite du Bois, but Lexington Avenue strikes a balance between invigorating and comforting. Resinous blue cypress paired with fennel, similar to anise or licorice, for a bracing foundation. They balanced it with cozy gourmand notes of toasted almond and “crème brulée” over creamy sandalwood. Neither side of this spectrum would work alone, but together the result is incredible! A little olfactive alchemy and you’ve got creamy spiced woods woven with traces of peony. Perfectly wearable with a fascinating something that surprises you, catches your interest, and keeps you coming back.

Notes fluctuate but none of them take over or fade away completely. Generally the more resinous elements stand out in the opening, and softer gourmand side sets the tone hours later. Bond No.9’s eau de parfum formulations are even richer than the average edp, so the longevity’s wonderful, lasts 8 to 10 hours easily. Sillage is moderate on cooler days, but in warm weather that spice can fill the whole room. It’s hard to test due to Bond No.9’s limited distribution, but if you find Lexington Avenue, just close your eyes, pretend you didn’t see the hideously kitsch shoes all over the bottle, spritz, and experience … transcendence.

But enough reminiscing.  Dirty English opens in a very unusual way, in that it blends sweet citrus notes with spicy cypress and caraway seed.  Let me take a step back and say how much I enjoy the addition of spice notes to fragrances, and what a difference they can make.  The black pepper note in Ralph Lauren Romance Silver saves it, it gives character and strength to Burberry London, it turns the entire composition on it’s ear in Cereus No. 7, it…well, you see where I’m going.  The maneuver is a good one, and it’s a very distinct spicy opening.  The edges of the sweetness and spice fade, and the drydown is much like the opening, but with the growing presence of moss and leather to esconce it firmly in the masculine category.  Where it really shines for me, though, is body interaction.  The hotter the temperature, and the more I sweat, the better and better this thing gets.  It is my go-to summer scent, despite not strictly meeting the criteria.  It’s entirely because of skin interaction; Gucci Pour Homme is a close cousin to Dirty English but I rarely wear it in the hot months because it doesn’t do anything interesting on my skin.  I seem to share, overall, the most interesting dynamic with Dirty English out of anything in my collection. Projection is above average, longevity varies with temperature, lasting longer in warmer weather on me.

One other thing I enjoy about Dirty English is that it acts as a crossroads on a journey of cedar exploration.  It’s well rounded and centered, and examples of extremes can be found in every direction, towards Virginia Cedar in Gucci Pour Homme (or, Pencil Shavings Pour Homme), towards Atlas Cedar in L’Occitane Notre Flore Cedre, towards cypress in CdG Monocle Scent One: Hinoki, and other close cousins can be found in creatures like Parfums 06130 Cedre and CdG Series 2 Sequoia.  They’re all distinct and different, and it really demonstrates how much utility one note can have.  Hopefully some of you that passed up Dirty English because of the Juicy Couture name will remember this and give it a wearing the next time you see it on display.  To skip it is to miss a very unique cedar creation, and the most underrated fragrance of 2008.

• Parfums 06130 Cedre: I’m reminded a great deal of Viktor & Rolf Antidote, which isn’t a bad thing but Antidote would be the cheaper alternative. May well do this one side by side with it, Cedre seems slightly softer.
• CdG Red Sequoia: This stuff is very, very good. I was predisposed to like it as a concept, but the execution is just as good. I’m consistently amazed at how many unique variations there are in the men’s woody category. Less sweet and more spicy compared to Palisander. Looking forward to it, not disappointed in the least.
• L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu: Very interesting, very green and earthy. I’m also getting a great deal of fruit, maybe a mango note a la Un Jardin Sur Le Nil? This thing is exceeding my expectations so far, I’m actually much more curious about it now than I was before.
• Keiko Mecheri Bois De Santal: Sandalwood counterpointed with white osmanthus makes for a very interesting composition. I think this one leans only slightly towards the feminine side of unisex, but I won’t have any reservations in applying it. Quite lovely stuff, I like this note more than I did the one in the Ormonde Jayne creation.
• Andy Tauer Une Rose Chypree: Altogether different from what I was expecting. Rose as a complement to a camphorous tea leaf that’s stealing the show, and a dash of cinnamon to break down any gender barriers. It’s unlike anything else I’ve smelled. Beautiful, simply beautiful.
• Parfums de Nicolai New York: About all I can get is a strong sicilian lemon note, so this one’s revealing no secrets before I wear it. The note pyramid is quite intriguing, so I’ll forgive it and wait until it’s turn comes around in the review queue.

Look for the first of these twelve reviews later this week!

• CdG Incense Avignon: Very nice woody incense, I was on the fence about Kyoto but this one’s a different creature, it seems lighter and sweeter. Warm, spicy and pleasant. Feeling optimistic about wearing it.
• Le Labo Rose 31: My first experience with Le Labo and this thing is impressive! Rose and a black pepper note dominate the composition, this feels to me more rugged, more wearable for me than Czech and Speake No. 88.
• Dominico Caraceni 1913: Been curious about this one almost from the beginning. It’s nothing like I anticipated, the rose note is much more prominent than I expected, and the cypress seems to carry the base. Not getting much olibanum as is listed. Very puzzling, going to be an interesting one to wear.
• Montale Red Vetyver: I’ve not had great luck with Montale but they’ve all been oud-centric creations in the past. RV is an altogether different creature from those. The Terre d’Hermes comparison is spot on, it came to mind immediately, but there’s also a hay note. Not a barnyard, just damp hay. Interesting, will probably give it a side-by-side wear with TdH.
• Mazzolari Lui: The note pyramid for this one sounded divine. Very rich-smelling but there’s an overpowering animalic note, the ambergris is over-the-top. I’m hoping the story will be different once I get it on my skin but right now I’m holding out much less hope than 10 minutes ago.
• Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories: Sweet Virginia cedar and myrrh vibes, I’m reminded of the “candy shop” opening of Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree. I think the progression on this one will be quite interesting.

I made it about this far before my nose conked out and I don’t really want to have preconceptions that are wrong from something as simple as olfactory fatigue. In Part Two later tonight I’ll cover Parfums de Nicolai New York, CdG Red Sequoia, L’Artisan Timbuktu, Andy Tauer Une Rose Chypree, 06130 Cedre, and Keiko Mecheri Bois de Santal.

I believe different people have different criteria they subconsciously rate fragrance on (or consciously rate, in instances such as these where I have to consider them). For me, these criteria include, but are not limited to:

• How well it captures the spirit of summer.
• Projection is above average.
• It flourishes in hot weather, becoming more open and vibrant instead of cloying or stifling.
• Price is reasonable enough that I don’t feel bad wearing it any old summer day or night.
• Is, at the very least, unique enough that you don’t smell like a fresh-faced 19 year-old trying to get lucky at a South Beach club.

There are some intangibles that I’m leaving out because they’re basically the byproduct of synesthesia (we weren’t really going to critique fragrances on the color or shape they evoke, were we?) You’ll note longevity isn’t on here, mainly because I consider these to be for only a few hours of fun, and sometimes that’s all you really want out of your selection.

Now, there are tons of fragrances that hit 3 to 4 of these criteria. A good example of 4 out of 5 would be Juicy Couture Dirty English (review coming soon). Good projection, very reasonably priced (especially now that gift sets are hitting TJ Maxx for $50 and that includes a 100mL bottle), and undermarketed, at least in my area, so you’ll end up with a very unique cedar creation. But, to me, cedar isn’t really a summer-inspiring note, and on the whole it’s not quite what most people are looking for in a summer scent.

It’s that first qualifier, the spirit of summer, that’s fairly vague and largely subjective. What stirs up nostalgia for you? Summers for me meant going to the beach, but for someone that lived inland it could mean barbecues and grilling out, going fishing, fresh-cut grass, nighttime bonfires and fireflies, cranking the A/C trying to stay cool, the list is endless. I’m going to touch on a few common experiences most of us share, and see if we can find an ideal fragrance.

Fresh-cut grass is one most of us will have in common, with my apologies to those in the desert regions (Mowing grass is overrated, I promise). Fortunately this is a note that has been examined from every angle, and there are gobs and gobs of vetiver-centric scents. Vetiver, by the way, is a grass native to India and cultivated around the world, and is used in roughly 90 percent of all fragrances in the western market. Much like nearly every established house has an Amber scent, nearly all of them have a Vetiver scent. I do not consider myself an expert on the note by any means, but I’ve had occasion to try a few. The long-established champion in the market is Guerlain Vetiver, and quite honestly I don’t much care for it. It’s a bit dated-smelling, a bit too reserved and professional for my inner cynic to bear. Instead, I prefer the up-and-coming Thierry Mugler Cologne. Still vetiver-centric, but lighter and it adds a spicy note that becomes more prominent in the heat (flourishing in heat, check). It is an unabashed sillage monster, requiring a steady hand, a training permit and three days of safety instruction before you actually get to take the thing home. (Is it obvious I’m in a good mood tonight? My hyperbole hits overdrive when that happens.) Thierry Mugler still has a fair amount of exclusivity in my region, so you’ll be as different as you can hope to be in the crowded vetiver market. And, I’m happy to report, it can be found at rock-bottom prices on eBay and the typical online retailers.

Summer for me meant a lot of time at Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, lots of sunshine, lots of sand castles, and lots of suntan lotion (For the family, mind, not me. I can tan by the light of a fridge, and basically never burn.) The next time I go somewhere that has a beach, that list will expand to “lots of margaritas”. Immediately I’m going to recommend Creed’s Virgin Island Water as being a near-perfect scent memory to those times. Coconut oil, lime, light woods, sugar, rum notes, whispers of citrus, whispers of sunshine, it’s one I could wear every day during those hot months without issue. Well, with only one issue, and that’s price. I ended up with 50mL of the stuff from a flacon split, and that still amounted to about $60. If you’re buying your own bottle it’s not cheap, and eBay isn’t a great idea because there are so many fakes of Creed products out there. I’ve previously reviewed Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts and it’s close but no cigar, where Virgin Island Water is well-defined and realistic, SSSB is chemical and artificial. Recently I came across another fragrance in the same vein, and it shows a lot of promise. I’m referring to Burberry Summer for Men, which was released in 2007 along with Virgin Island Water, and was slightly more heavy on lemon but was still very pleasant, as well as being much more accessible and reasonably priced. If you’re in a position to try Virgin Island Water don’t pass up the chance, but if you’re not go give Burberry Summer a try. I’ve also heard many wonderful things about Aramis Bermuda Tonic, but haven’t been able to track down a sample.

The other constant for me in the dog days is staying inside trying to cool off, and sometimes a cold-smelling cologne is just a little more reinforcement. My collection is admittedly low on these, I have one that I use consistently and one niche creation that I’d be using a lot if money was no object. The one I use the most in this category would be Bath and Body Works Mountain Frost. This one is sadly discontinued but can be found with only modest searching. It projects well and is hard to overapply, does well in hot weather, and is fairly unique thanks to it’s now discontinued status, and I believe I paid $24 retail for a 4.0 oz bottle. It has a definite barbershop vibe, if that’s not your thing this will probably not fare you well. One niche creation that I absolutely loved in the hot summer months was CdG x Monocle Scent One: Hinoki. Downright chilling, this one’s likely my next high-end purchase. Words don’t really do this one justice so I won’t belabor the point.

So we’ve come up with 5 fragrances: Mugler Cologne, Virgin Island Water, Burberry Summer, Bath and Body Works Mountain Frost, and Monocle Scent One: Hinoki. For my personal experiences, I could bounce between Mugler Cologne and Virgin Island Water all summer long and be content; I think they’re both ideal representations of what I want in a summer scent, each by their own means but sharing the same ends; they’re modern, they ‘fit’ with no thought required, they’re both laid-back, and they both take to hot weather like they were born for the job. I encourage you guys to write me with your experiences and insight to summer scents, and what is ideal for you as well.

Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories
Andy Tauer Une Rose Chypree
CdG Series 2 (Red): Sequoia
CdG Series 3 (Incense): Avignon
Domenico Caraceni 1913
Keiko Mecheri Bois de Santal
L’Artisan Timbuktu
Le Labo Rose 31
Mazzolari Lui
Montale Red Vetyver
Parfums 06130 Cedre
Parfums de Nicolai New York

1.) Aramis Havana. Serial readers saw that one coming after reading the title. It’s a spicy, heavy, masculine fragrance that could be worn every day, or just for those special occasions. If you see fragrance as anything more than just something to keep you from stinking, you owe it to yourself to find a sample of this somewhere, anywhere.
2.) Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue For Women. Burr and I agree on this one. Not only does it break down some useless gender barriers, it’s a damn fine fragrance. Much better than the men’s version, that’s for sure anyway. It’s perfect for casual days, it’s fun and lively, and the smell is delicious. If you just can’t bring yourself to buy a women’s perfume, the highly similar Versace Man Eau Fraiche is, well, highly similar.
3.) Chanel Platinum Égoïste. Your professional needs are met and exceeded with a rich, sparkling fragrance that exudes wealth and power. There’s a fine line between aged and experienced, and PE falls on the experienced side.
4.) Sean John Unforgivable. It’d be hard for me not to include Unforgivable, it’s so pleasant, classy, eminently wearable, and is the easiest “everyday” scent I’ve yet to find. You can substitute Creed Millesime Imperial if you must.
5.) Amouage Jubilation XXV. Kouros had the 5th spot until I opened up JXXV and sniffed it during writing. You see where I’m going with this. It’s just a special fragrance, one that doesn’t come around very often and it’s for those special moments that don’t come around very often. Weddings, anniversaries, significant birthdays, the events that are worth remembering deserve nothing less than Jubilation XXV.

Honorable Mention: Yves Saint Laurent Kouros. I debated quite a bit on adding this one so I’ll add a caveat. As a single 20-something, sometimes you just want a sex-magnet of a cologne, and Kouros is the unabashed, undisputed champion of that category.

Saturday was a day for rest and relaxation, or so they say.  I was lounging on the couch in nothing more than a pair of underwear when the serenity was abruptly ended.

THUD! THUD! THUD THUD THUD THUD!, went the door, loud, determined, forceful, even angry knocks over and over. I quietly got up and went into the bathroom where the clothes from last night still lay and put them on, listening intently at some scattered conversation at the door. I could pick out the words “Office Depot”, and could hear two voices, which meant there were two guys outside and they were looking for me. Oh hell, what have I gotten myself into. For a full two minutes the door was assaulted with closed fist, and then I heard another sound. A police radio. My fear turned into confusion as I didn’t believe I’d done anything to get me on the wrong side of the police.

I must’ve been a sight to see, wrinkled red shirt, wrinkled blue jeans, wild unkempt hair from sitting on the couch watching MythBusters episodes. I unlocked the door and stepped onto the porch in bare feet. The officer whose eyes I met did not look amused.

“Good morning.” obviously said in sarcasm as it was 3 in the afternoon and I looked to all intents and purposes like I’d just gotten out of bed.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Are you…Brian?”

Who?

“No sir, I’ve seen some mail for him but my name’s Daniel.”
“I see, and you obviously do not live with Brian.”

Now, I’m so frequently mistaken for being gay that I was almost offended that he assumed I was straight. As ludicrous as that sounds.

“Correct, sir.”
“You’ve got a lot of mail here. A bunch of names on them.”
“Yes sir, that seems to be the nature of the beast with this apartment, everyone’s mail shows up here even after they move. Nobody does change of address forms anymore, I don’t guess.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and get your mail?”

Uh, okay? I wondered where this was leading. I grabbed the stack of mail out of the box and sorted through it, finding only one letter to me that appeared to be junk. I took it and dumped the rest back in the box.

“Aren’t you going to get your other envelope?” the policeman asked, watching me intently.

Strange, I didn’t feel anything else but I was expecting one. I dug my hand in deeper into the box and felt a bubble mailer. I knew what it was before I even pulled it out of the box, Jack (silverbullet) had sent me 10 mL of M7 by Yves Saint Larent.

“Thanks,” I told the officer, “I didn’t feel it the first time.”
“I see.” he replied obviously unconvinced, and there was a question in the air so obvious as to be nearly palpable.
“It’s cologne,” I said, pointing at the envelope.
“Are you sure? Are you sure it’s not narcotics?”
Briefly I pondered the situation, of what if Jack had slipped a little something in the envelope how amazingly screwed I’d be.
“Pretty sure, sir. I’m a cologne writer, I’ve got about 40 bottles inside.”

He looked at me for a second, scanning my face, and then said…

“No way! That’s too cool!” I breathed an inward sigh of relief. The surreality of the experience, combined with the fact that there was a heavy wind and snow shower going on, meant I started shaking, my hands especially. I knew this was gonna be trouble.

“This one’s called M7 by Yves Saint Laurent, their 7th men’s creation which explains the name. I believe, if you smell it, you’re going to smell cherry cough syrup.”

I unscrewed the cap on one of the two 5mL roller bottles and offered it to the officer. He did not accept it, instead looking at my shaking hand.

“Do you normally shake like this when you’re talking to the police?” he asked.

“No sir, you kind of rattled me with banging on the door and it’s a little cold out here, I’m not quite dressed for it.”

He finally took the bottle, raised it to his nose and stifled a laugh.

“Here, you smell it,” the officer said to his colleague, sticking it violently towards his nose. The other officer laughed and smelled it as well. The first officer took it back and then handed it back to me.

“And you’re sure it’s not GHB or something like that?”

For those that don’t know, I’m about 5’2″ and 130 pounds.

“Sir, as much as I’m flattered you think I look like a candidate for human growth hormone, I can safely say it’s just cologne.”

The officer just laughed this time, and I started to settle down, I pointed at the bottle of M7 and said secretively, “I’ve been trying to convince myself for almost a year now that this stuff isn’t terrible.”

There was no delay, not even a little pause, as the two officers said in union…

“It’s terrible.”