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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Perfume Review: Sarah Horowitz-Thran Love

Having grown up in the Soviet Union, I have always had difficulty perceiving carnations as interesting, let alone sexy flowers. For me they are quite firmly associated with May parades, funerals of General Secretaries and funerals and cemeteries in general. That bleak image has only recently started to dissipate with the help of such scents as the fiery Poivre and the exquisite, ladylike Oeillet Sauvage. Love by Sarah Horowitz-Thran is another scent that proved to me that it IS possible to wear a carnation-based perfume and not think of Brezhnev.

What I do think about (and am thankful for) when wearing Love is of being in a happy, warm relationship, the kind that is passionate but has lasted long enough for the two people to grow very comfortable with each other. Love is sensual, piquant but also very much of a comfort scent. It would go perfectly well with Agent Provocateur lingerie. It would feel just as great when worn on a lazy night in, watching reruns of the sitcom you both love, cuddling together on a sofa. The cloves in Love are red-hot and spicy, the roses are flirty and sweet, the amber is languid and warm and the vanilla is soft and fluffy. And all of these notes ornament carnations in the most romantic and sensual way and make them as far removed from the dreary and cold memories of forced patriotism, as actually possible.

Love is available at Barney’s, $95.00 for 1.7oz.

25 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, Marina, how sad that carnations became associated with dreariness. I don't think one can get any greyer than Brezhnev.

Most dianthus species and varieties require full sun to grow properly. In some countries, such as Spain, they're associated with heat and passion. I've always loved their scent. I'm so glad you've found carnation fragrances you can enjoy.

I love Poivre. A couple of decades ago I had the extrait of Bellodgia, which smelled much more truly of carnations than the weird EdT I ran into recently. I wonder what experience people are having with Etro Dianthus. I read in one blog that it was quite subdued.

1:23 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh dear, now i know EXACTLY what are you talking about. And I still have to find my scent of carnations which whould erase the all too strong memories on stupid May parades and embarassing funerals of General Secretaries... I'm also afraid, the memories of the first 25 years of one's life are just so strong that "Love" will have a pretty hard work to make them fade...
yours,
ljg

2:34 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brezhnev? Oh you poor, poor thing! My own connotations of "compulsory brooms" (i.e. the bouquet you would bring your friend's mother, or your godmother or somebody else you weren't at all interested in), funerals and conferences (are downright perky in comparison! I didn't particularly like carnations, until once, while arranging a compulsory broom in a vase, I noticed for the first time how wonderful they smelled and how intricate the blossom was. And then came Poivre. Sadly, the clove/carnation note in most other scents smells like two centuries of sticky dust on me (Opium, Bellodgia, I'm talking to you!), but Poivre is gorgeous. And Love sounds wonderful, thanks for the review!

3:54 AM EST  
Blogger lilybp said...

Well, I've always liked carnation perfumes. Adore Poivre (one of my all-time faves), and also Golconda, CdR Carnation, LV Garofano. But I must admit that when I tried SH Love it did nothing for me. I seem to remember it as too sweet, but I could be wrong--must try again.

For Maria on Dianthus--I thought it was lovely but, yes, soft; I liked it but I didn't feel I NEEDED it.

6:47 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

M, I'm totally with you when it comes to carnations. red carnations = happy 1st May, the holiday of labour! white carnations and carnations in general are, together with chrisantemes, the flowers that are to be put on the graves when visiting them on 1st November. that's why I'm not particulary fond of carnation perfumes, although I haven't explored them much yet. L'air du temps is not for me, Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano is too spicy and cinnamon-y. I do get a slightest bit of wonderful, soft carnations out of Creed's Tuberose Indiana, but here I actually love this whisper of a note. I think this is the only way for me to wear carnation as a scent.

7:00 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I bought this unsniffed at christmastime, I think the cloves were the clincher for me. But the carnations were the real star of this perfume. I had to swap it away. It was lovely but I am more of a spice and vanilla sort of gal. I am eager to try the "Joy" in this line. The nutmeg and vanilla sounds so good. But I learned my lesson on the buying unsniffed thing so I must somehow get to Barneys!! Sometimes I hate living in Florida, we have no good shops here :-(

7:08 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The parallels you draw between Love and the passionate yet comfortable relationship is so beautiful, Marina. It makes me appreciate my own relationship with DH and also to sniff Love! Thank you for this review.

7:32 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

I somehow have made it through life totally missing the carnation/funeral connection...reaching over to knock on wood here. I think of them in gardens from my childhood and joyful visits to bazaars in Lebanon and Pakistan. But I like my carnation scents on the spicy side (very)and Oeillet Sauvage was *way* too delicate for my tastes. W/ the cloves in this one being red-hot, it sound like it has real potential. Can't imagine why I haven't tried it before.

7:39 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Maria,
I think the greyest one of them all was Chernenko, who may or may not have been alive during the 10 months that he was the head of the state :-)

I think Ina of Aromascope tried Dianthus and found it to be rather weak.

8:33 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Lady Jane,
I knew my comrades from the former Communist block would know just how I feel :-) Thank you! :-)

8:34 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Dina,
"Two centuries of sticky dust" - what a great description! Love reminds me of Opium a little but it much, much softer and more delicate, and certainly does not the sticky dust feel to it.

8:36 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Judith,
When I tried for the first time I was unimpressed, I actually thought, Huh? Opium Lite. But the second time was the charm :-)

8:37 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Oh Tina,
You *know* how I feel :-) Yes, chrisantems (spelling?), astras (spelling again?), gladioli, calla lilies- all of these are synonymous with dreariness and boredom to me, sadly :-)

8:39 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

C,
Nutmeg and Vanilla? Mmm, that sounds really good. I wish there was a Barney's near me somewhere too :-( ...or any shop with good perfume selection :-)

8:42 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Minsun,
Thank you! I am trying to get into the mellow mood for tomorrow :-) It's not easy :-)

8:42 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

L,
Aw, I want to have memories of bazaars in Lebanon and Pakistan too! :-)
Well, this one is not delicate. Nor is it especially original, but it is very loveable. :-)

8:44 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

V,
I am getting there too, slowly, but surely :-)

9:52 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

M

Chrysanthemums and asters, my love? Both dreary (except for some garden asters that have no vase life).

How wonderful though to replace all those military uniforms, and his ENORMOUS eyebrows, with love. Snugglicious!

It's the journeys we go on which make us as people I guess...

10:37 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

That's the ones! Thank you, Leopoldo!
You know, if you look at his photo as a young man, Brezhnev was quite...uhm, handsome.
I can't believe I just said that. :-)

10:40 AM EST  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Hmm..

I may actually have to smell this one. I don't remember it being passed.

I always associate carnations as being in flower arrangements for people that you aren't particulary fond of. No smell.

11:42 AM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Tom,
Yes, I agree about "not being fond of" :-) I think you will like this one though!

11:48 AM EST  
Blogger NowSmellThis said...

I thought Love was the most interesting of the "Comes From Within" collection, but none of them has wowed me so far. The notes for Beauty sound kind of nice and IIRC, they say it can be layered with Love.

2:30 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

R,
What I don't like about this line is the "comes within" part. I mean, oh please, none of this happy-cheerful-enlightened stuff! :-)

2:40 PM EST  
Blogger Trina said...

This sounds like my kind of love! I guess I'll have to give the scent a try :~D

5:26 PM EST  
Blogger Marina said...

Trina,
I bet you'll like it!

5:32 PM EST  

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