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Perfume review: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude

My favorite thing to do in the Fall and Winter is to put a pot of soup on to simmer, get some fresh bread going, light some candles, start a fire in the fireplace, grab a book, and wrap up in a throw on the couch.

That's what Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude (released this month) reminds me of, only with more expensive versions of my kitchen, candles, and throw plus a nice bath and a glass of good wine.

This is what we call "a flanker scent". Meaning, it's a companion scent to another perfume. You're more than likely familiar with Donna Karan Cashmere Mist? I had heard of it, but not smelled it. Apparently this flanker, Liquid Nude, is softer and more powdery than the original.

At any rate, here's what we know about DKCMLN...

Packaging:
A tall, slender, undulating peachy-beige glass flacon.
Note: I tried a mini-sample, so can't speak to anything else about the bottle.

Scent Family:
Floral.

Description:
"Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude eau de parfum spray: a fragrance to seduce the senses. Soft and sensuous. Wrap yourself in luxury with the new scent from Donna Karan. Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude eau de parfum spray has been reinterpreted to provoke the sense of second skin with smooth, warm musks and creamy woods...caressing the skin in a veil of sensuous indulgence."


Review:
Impressions: Soft and sensuous indeed. It's cozy, but not warm. It's not cool, either, but suited for cool weather. It whispers and nuzzles. To me, it's all musk and jasmine, but neither are harsh or sharp. Again, "soft" is the key word here. It's not really a romantic or overtly sexy scent, even with the jasmine, but that's not to say a cozy moment couldn't turn...
Wear:  Excellent. Hours after applying it, I catch whiffs of it sometimes when I turn quickly and run itno my own wake. I also noticed it hanging quite nicely on the sleeves of a sweater I toss on. A pleasant surprise! Naturally, when I nuzzle my wrist (I do this often with this perfume), it smells great.
Throw: Minimal. It's a close-to-the-skin scent.

Price/Value:
$72 US for 1.7oz. Pricey.

Final thoughts:
For me, this is worth a full-bottle buy.

Have you tried this scent, or the original? What are your favorite cozy hobbies? Scents?
What the heck is "liquid nude"?

New in Fragrance | 9.5.10

 
The other day I was standing in front of my vanity and trying to pick a perfume to wear. Usually when I want to pick a scent, I "just know" what I want. Or as soon as I look at the selection, something jumps out at me. On that day, though, as I stared at my shelf, the bottles all just stared back at me. I wasn't in the mood to wear one of my BPALs; I knew that. I looked at a few of my "Summer scents" and they just seemed too light or fruity or sparkly for my mood. My "Fall scents" didn't move me, either. They felt too heavy or too dark or too murky.

It's an in-between season - not quite Summer anymore, and not quite Fall. Maybe I need a new scent for this time of year? Or maybe I just need a new perfume, period!

Here are some of the newest perfumes on the market (or about to hit the stores). I have by no means listed them all - just the ones that "spoke to me". Wonder if one will hit that spot?

Love, Chloé
Tagline: "A halo of grace"
Genre: Floral, woody musk
Perfumers: Louise Turner and Nathalie Cetto-Gracia, Givaudan.
Top Notes: Orange blossom and pink pepper
Heart Notes: Lilac, hyacinth, wisteria, heliotrope, "woodsy notes"
Base Notes: Rice powder, talcum powder accord, iris, musks
About: This scent is meant to evoke a woman "in the private sphere of applying makeup", hence the powdery notes (inspired by the scent of vintage Chloé face powder).
Release Date: ?

Guilty by Gucci
Tagline: "The Scent of Defiance"
Genre: Floriental
Perfumers:  ?  / Developed by Frida Giannini
Notes: Mandarin, pink pepper, peach, lilac, geranium, amber and patchouli.
 About: This scent was inspired by the Barbara Streisand song, "Guilty".  The bottle features the famous "interlocking Gs" of Gucci. A film promoting the scent was created by Frank Miller, of Sin City fame. See it here.
Release Date: Sept. '10

  Outspoken by Fergie (Avon)
Tagline: "Say It Like You Mean It"
Perfumer: Laurent Le Guernec
Genre: Fruity, floral
Top Notes: star fruit, berry, saffron
Middle Notes: tuberose, passion flower, jasmine
Bottom Notes: black leather note, ebony wood, vetiver
About: A combination of Fergie's favorite notes and scents from her past.
Cost: $28 for 1.7oz
Release Date: I believe this came out in June?

Forbbidden Affair, Anna Sui
Tagline: Discover hidden passions you never knew existed
Perfumer: ?
Genre: fruity floral
Top Notes: zesty lemon, red currant, blackcurrant and raspberry
Middle Notes: wild violet, rose petal accords, pomegranate
Bottom Notes: cedar and musk
About: "the fragrance incorporates, for the first time, Cyclodextrin Technology. This allows the immediate first fresh topnote impression to 're-burst' over and over again for an ongoing sparkling fresh fragrance experience!"
Cost: ?
Release: Sept '10

Twirl by Kate Spade
(via Musings of a Muse) 
Tagline: ?
Perfumer: ?
Genre: fruity floral gourmand
Top Notes: pink watermelon mingles with blackberry and red currant
Middle Notes: fresh flowers including orange blossom, star jasmine, tiare flower and sweet magnolia
Bottom Notes: luminous musks and a touch of french macaron
About: I don't know about you, but I adore this bottle and package and concept. So fun and spunky and pretty! It's perfect for Kate Spade. I dont know that I've seen a more appropriate celeb-fragrance pairing before. I think this begs a test run from me!
Cost: $80 for 3.4oz and the line also contains body lotions, body cream, a shower gel, and the uber-trendy rollerball.
Release: Sept '10

Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude by Donna Karan
 Perfumer: ?
Genre: nude floriental? ;)
Top: Orange Blossom, Cyclamen, Lily of the Valley
Middle: Sandalwood, Ylang-Ylang, Labdanum, Moroccan & Indian Jasmine
Bottom: Benzoin, Tonka, White Amber, Suede, Skin Musk
About: This takes the iconic Cashmere Mist a step forward. Rather than celebrating the glorious feeling of cashmere on skin, Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude celebrates sensual bare skin. Va-va-voom!
Cost: $72 for 1.7oz
Release: already on shelves
*REVIEW PENDING*

Washington Square by Bond No. 9
Perfumer: Laurent Le Guernec
 Top: bergamot, geranium, tarragon
Middle: purple rose,  honey
Bottom: vintage amber, leather accord, vetiver, musk
About: This unisex-leaning-towards-feminine fragrance inspired by the newly refurbished Washington Square, which is depitced on the bottle. The scent is described by Bond No. 9 as "assertively dissident."
Cost: $230 for 100ml; $170 for 50ml
Release: Nov. 1
*REVIEW PENDING*


Cooper Square by Bond No. 9
Perfumer: Laurent Le Guernec
Top: cognac,  juniper berry 
Middle: lavender, myrrh, olibanum, patchouli
Bottom:  cashmere wood, musk, vetiver, ciste labdanum, timber wood.
About: Where Washington Square leaned towards women, Cooper Square leans towards men. "Downtown in future mode" is represented by the laser etched bottle as well as the scent.
Cost: $230 for 100ml; $170 for 50ml
Release: Sept. 1st
*REVIEW PENDING*

 
Naughty Alice, Vivenne Westwood
Genre: Powdery, musky floriental
Perfumer: Bruno Jovanovic
Notes: black rose, carnal violet and ylang ylang
About: Yes, that Alice, but here a bit on the bad side! It may be worth it just for the pretty bottle.
Image credit: ozmoz.com - drawing by Maly Siri
Cost: ?
Release: October


S by Shakira
Genre: floriental with woods
Perfumer: ?
Top Notes: Exotic fruits, jasmine, gardenia
Middle Notes: floral bouquet
Bottom Notes: vanilla bean, sandalwood and warm amber.
About: Yes, I would like Shakira! A curvy bottle and curvy scent, both befitting the Brazilian beauty. “Layering notes is like adding instruments to compositions,” she said. Apparently she was quite present in the making of this scent. Gotta say: I love the "Om" charm on the bottle.
Cost: $35 for 1.7oz
Release: Already out
*REVIEW PENDING*


Minuit Noir, Lolita Lempicka
Genre: Woody Oriental
Perfumer:  ?
Top: liquorice flower
Middle: iris, violet
Bottom: sweet patchouli
About: This Limited Edition is a deeper, darker flanker to the original Lolita Lempicka scent. Warning: apparently all of the other Minuits have a reputation for being the same - will this one prove different? I used to like the original, back when I was working at Nordstrom, but that was before I was "into" perfume (please take that with a grain of salt, I'm no pro!). Wonder if my tastes have changed, and if I should bother with this or the other flanker scents?
Cost: ?
Release: October

I may have to check a few of these out and see if they hit that Indian Summer spot. Do any sound like they may be hits for you? Any turn you off immediately? Have you sniffed any of these? How do you select the perfume you want to wear each day?