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Showing posts from January, 2019

FRAGRANCE | Ungaro pour L'Homme III EDT by Emanuel Ungaro: Surprisingly light and gentle

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Let me start with how handsome the bottle is--elegant and masculine with just the right amount of gold. It's almost brooding to me, giving the impression that this fragrance is dark and perhaps heavy. But Emanuel Ungaro's Ungaro pour L'Homme III is surprisingly light and, I daresay, fresh.

LOOKBOOK | Party all-white

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Talk about a late post! A very late post in fact. This was an outfit I wore to our department year-end party last December. While everyone was donning all sorts of battery-powered lights, Halloween-esque black, silver, and neon trappings because the theme was "digital" (whatever that means), I opted to go against the tide and, in my vocabulary, not make too much of an effort. Don't take things too literally, I told myself. Besides, I wanted an outfit, not a costume. I contemplated on whether I can put an all-white ensemble together based on stuff I already have. I was going after one of them sci-fi characters in sleek uniforms while going about their day inside some futuristic, brightly-lit, all-white headquarters of sorts. But I didn't have the right jacket. What I had in mind was something with a Chinese collar and a slim silhouette. I knew finding one was a long shot unless I had it custom-made.

FRAGRANCE | Opium Pour Homme EDT by Yves Saint Laurent: A beautifully blended classic

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A 20-plus-year old fragrance and I've only tried it now. Shame, I know, but better late than never. Described as an oriental spicy fragrance, plus the fact that it came out at a different time, I had apprehensions over this blind buy. No, I wasn't concerned about whether it's considered by many as dated or what because I do dig old-school frags. Somehow I just didn't know what to expect. Well, I thought it would be a monster but no, Yves Saint Laurent's Opium Pour Homme  is one beautiful creature. The bottle, not so much.

FRAGRANCE | Porto Bello Parfum by Le Couvent des Minimes: Linear, resinous sweetness

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Being a member of fragrance enthusiast groups has its pros and cons. On one hand I get to discover new fragrances and new houses. The downside, I get to discover new fragrances and new houses. The latter involves spending. One such discovery is Porto Bello Parfum from niche house Le Couvent des Minimes .

LOOKBOOK | Summer birds

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It's January and already I'm dressed up for summer . Temperatures may be a wee bit cooler now in this part of the world but it's no winter for sure. It's forever summer in the Philippines, y'all!

FRAGRANCE | Take me to church with La Liturgie des Heures by Jovoy Paris

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Got this one as another blind buy from a fellow fraghead, my first from the house of Jovoy Paris . The name alone intrigued me, which translates to "The Liturgy of the Hours," which, in the Catholic Church, refers to the official set of prayers marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer [ Wikipedia ] . Wow, something holy, I thought. And right off the bat La Liturgie des Heures EDP conjures up images of churches, monasteries, and such.

FRAGRANCE | Jaipur Homme EDP by Boucheron: A surprisingly spiced-up powdery fresh delight

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Jaipur. India. Spices come to mind. I was expecting an eclectic mix of them, which could either turn me off or blow me away completely. Even its gorgeous bottle--everything from its shape to its gold and royal blue cap--is evocative of India. Yet somehow, Boucheron's Jaipur Homme EDP is surprisingly light and powdery. It's as if the fragrance belies its name.

FRAGRANCE | Comforting "strangeness" in Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens

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Yes, Christmas was over a month ago and we're probably all back to our old slaving selves by now. Yet it's what came to mind when I first sprayed Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens . Gingerbread cookies. The warmth and comfort of it. Never mind that gingerbread cookies are typically absent in Filipino Christmas celebrations. I'm just reminded of Christmas, that's all.

LOOKBOOK | Suit and sneakers

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Meow. The confidence of a suit with the comfort of a pair of sneakers . And that's basically what this look is all about. I also didn't wear a collared shirt and in its stead is a white pullover. Talk about maxing out the casual factor in this one.

FRAGRANCE | Halston Z-14 Cologne: A tame, good o'l 70s classic

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While I'm steadily intrigued with each new fragrance I come across with--on the internet or at stores--I'm also sort of exploring older creations. I don't care if people say they're dated or what, as long as I find them interesting. One such find is Halston Z-14 Cologne , which I saw from a local eBay seller. I looked it up and after some thought, bought it.

LOOKBOOK | Cargo pants can work, too

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Probably one of fashion's most derided pieces are cargo pants , of which we almost immediately associate with ugly and baggy trousers which multitude of pockets are bulging with anything conceivable stuffed in them.

FRAGRANCE | Has anything been deconstructed with Yohji Yamamoto's Deconstruction EDP?

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Deconstruction by Yohji Yamamoto. This is my first from this house, a blind buy from a fellow fraghead. Deconstruction EDP is one of six 2018 releases from Yohji Yamamoto new " Yohji " line. It's a collection that supposedly represents key values of the avant garde designer himself.