Best of 2019 – Top 10 Designers

I had to really rack my brain to come up with 10 fragrances from the designer world worthy enough to appear on a best of list. The last couple of years has been a little miserable for fragrances on our department store shelves, with a real dearth of originality, and some quite frankly very cheap smelling scents trying to pass as fine fragrance. But rack my brain I did, and I’ve come up with 3 men’s, 5 women’s and 2 unisex scents that I think are worth trying. Again in no particular order.

Narciso Rodriguez – Pure Musc for Her

American designer, Narciso Rodriguez produce some of the most underrated fragrances on the market. They always seem to release quality fragrances and Pure Musc for Her was no exception. The signature Narciso musk is present along with fresh flowers. It transport’s one away on a powdery marshmallow cloud of musk. An elegant, classy release that can be worn at any time and for any occasion. I said back in March it was an early leader for one of the best designer releases for 2019, and so it proved to be.

Yves Saint Laurent – Libre

I’m generally not a packaging freak but I love the bottle on the new YSL Libre, though I’m not overly fond of the cap. Libre was marketed towards women but in truth it’s a real gender bender with notes of lavender and cedar softening the sweetness of vanilla and blackcurrant. Orange blossom and mandarin provide freshness. The soapy clean feel of the scent, with a powdery, aromatic freshness from the lavender and vanilla, prevents the bubble-gum like sweetness of the blackcurrant hovering in the background from becoming overly cloying. Very well done and a scent that I wore a lot myself.

Tom Ford – Metallique

An excellent scent from Tom Ford. Fresh, cold, metallic aldehydes in the opening with a floral heart giving way to a powdery, creamy almond vanilla dry down. Kind of a mix of Lavender Extreme and Fucking Fabulous, at a much more reasonable price. Does not smell old fashioned despite the powdery feel of the dry down. A well-balanced scent, that could certainly be unisex, despite being marketed to women.

Chloe – Nomade EDT

Following hot on the heels of the success of the EDP, Quentin Bisch and Chloe released Nomade in lighter EDT form. The Mirabelle plum note of the EDP is replaced by a genuinely delightful fruity lychee opening in the EDT. The lychee note remains prominent for a couple of hours on skin before the familiar freesia and earthy oakmoss from the original kick in. However, as expected in an EDT it’s all dialled down a couple of notches. For those that found the EDP overly masculine, this may be more to your liking.

Hermes – Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree

A simple construction of pink pepper, rose and patchouli in this admirable flanker to the excellent original. Not nearly as peppery on skin as something like the brands Poivre Samarcande but the pepper is certainly there, combining beautifully with an airy rose and an herbal, woody patchouli in the base. The marketing on the scent seems to be going for women in their early 20’s but this scent like the original is well suited to both sexes. I don’t pick up any of the fizzy ginger, white floral DNA of the original in Eau Poivree, rather this is a simple clean, almost soapy scent with a peppery touch that has a somewhat retro vibe and is sure to find fans outside the target demographic. Count me in as one. Excellent work from Christine Nagel.

Gucci – Guilty Cologne

Gucci Guilty Absolute from 2017 was a massive surprise. It’s leather, petroleum, medicinal mix was unlike anything on the mainstream market. Gucci Guilty Cologne mixes things up also, with notes of violet, cypress, juniper and heliotrope adding an interesting spin to the traditional citrus cologne style structure. Thumbs up from me. This flanker is a fantastic fresh, powdery, soapy floral for men. The lasting power wasn’t the best, but while it was there it was one of my favourite mainstream men’s releases of the year.

Lolita Lempicka – Green Lover

Mint, vanilla, juniper and gin and tonic with hints of pepper. Smells fresh and creamy without ever becoming cloying. The opening is fresh and slightly boozy with the mint, juniper and gin and tonic taking centre stage, before the creamy vanilla and musk comes into play as it dry’s down. It’s marketed at men, but it’s unisex. The prominent vanilla softens the whole composition, and it’s a vanilla that can be worn comfortably in the summer months. The one gripe I had with it is it’s less than stellar sillage, it sits very close to the skin after a couple of hours.

Joop – Homme Absolute

Must be something in the water over at Joop. Their Wow release’s from the last couple of years for men and women were excellent. Joop Homme Absolute is also a commendable release. It does not resemble the original sugar bomb from decades ago. Rather this is a sophisticated grown up scent featuring incense, black pepper, ylang-ylang, vetiver and tonka. Classy bottle, and a somewhat similar scent profile to Zadig and Voltaire This is Him. Recommended.

Hermes – Un Jardin Sur La Lagune

Un Jardin Sur La Lagune, inspired by a Venetian Garden, was Christine Nagel’s first take on the beloved and critically acclaimed Un Jardin series.  La Lagune opens up transparent, almost creamy with water notes and white lily.  However, as the fragrance develops, I get an earthiness from the white florals and sandalwood that reminded me of Monsieur Li. There are shades of the salty undertones of the Frederic Malle classic Lys Mediterranee in La Lagune also. In terms of the Un Jardin Series, it most closely resembles Monsieur Li and fans of that scent will gravitate towards this fragrance. Commendable.

Costume National – I

Julien Rasquinet is the nose behind Costume National’s I, a leather, woody, herbal scent inspired by Italian culture and Tuscany. A light aromatic, smooth leather, that is softened by the use of thyme, lavender and geranium. There’s also a saffron note that provides a little earthiness to the composition, and for once a reasonably well judged woody ambrox dry down. A wonderfully bright, fresh, spicy leather that I’ve worn all year round. Good work.

Honourable mentions – Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Coconut Fizz, Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP Intense, Gucci Memoire d’une Odeur, Dior Joy Intense, Maison Martin Margiela Springtime in a Park.

What were your favourite designer releases for 2019?

Note – Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica