Danielle Nicole Launch Party

Maryland-born accessories designer Danielle Nicole is launching a new line named after Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Meet Danielle and check out the latest styles at the Admirals Cup in Fells Point on Wednesday, November 13th, from 6-8pm.

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Sunset Pink

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Avengers Colognes

By the makers of Pon Farr Perfume for Her and Shirtless Kirk cologne, JADS International brings you...

I noticed that JADS shares a Baltimore connection with me, so I requested samples of their fragrances; surprisingly, they sent me the Avengers Cologne Set, which contains four 2oz bottles of four scents in the line.

Patriot
Notes: green lime, white pepper, dry oak wood, sandalwood, tequila accord

Mark VII
Notes: mandarin, neroli, nasturtium, jasmine, light patchouli

Smash!
Notes: yuzu, bergamot, tarragon, water lily, nutmeg, Indian sandalwood, vetiver, musk, sharp cedar

Worthy
Notes: bergamot, frozen ginger, wheatgrass, grapefruit, cypress, dark amber, cedarwood, musk.

Mr Minx and I both tested all four, which lean toward the masculine. His favorite was Mark VII, which is light and citrussy. Unfortunately, it doesn't have all that much lasting power, especially when compared to the other three. Patriot was not our cup of tea at all, because the "tequila accord" was just a bit too much like a marine or ozonic note to our noses, but those of you who like Bond No. 9 Coney Island (which has a similar margarita note) might find Patriot right up your alley. I liked Smash!, partly because it was the most complex fragrance of the bunch, and also the most expensive-smelling. The citrus/tarragon punch at the beginning is extremely green, like the Hulk, then does a spicy/soapy thing before settling into a green woody musk scent. Finally, Worthy is a pleasant dry woodsy scent that is not unfamiliar and should please many.

All of the fragrances in this set get better during the drydown, apart from Mark VII, which fades away. While none of them are groundbreaking or even particularly unique, they're all pleasant and certainly beat the typical teenage fragrance. Buy a set for your comic book-loving kid - or husband - who will most likely get a huge kick out of it all. They're available online at http://www.jadsinternational.com/products.html.

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Arquiste

Arquiste should really be spelled "exquisite" because that's exactly what these fragrances are. Created by architect Carlos Huber and internationally-recognized noses, the scents in this line are meant to transport the wearer to another place in time.

Currently, there are six fragrances in the line:

L’Etrog, a citrus chypre meant to transport us to October, 1175, Calabria, Italy;
Flor y Canto, an opulent white floral evoking August, 1400, Tenochtitlan, Mexico;
Fleur de Louis, a woody floral, reminding us of June 1660, Isle of Pheasants, Basque region, on the French-Spanish border;
Infanta en Flor, a floral musky amber evoking the same era as Fleur de Louis;
Anima Dulcis, a "baroque" gourmand to transport us to Mexico City, November 1695; and
Aleksandr, an ambery leather, January 1837, St. Petersburg, Russia.

I don't usually like every fragrance in a line, but these scents are so well made, so beautiful, I can't help but love them all. Even the chypre. My two favorites are Anima Dulcis, which includes cocoa absolute, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, and a chile infusion, and Infanta en Flor, with orange flower water, Spanish leather, cistus resin, immortelle. The former reminds me of Comme des Garcons Sweet Wood Coffee, but with a whiff of cumin, and the latter is a mild-mannered relative of ELDO's Divin Enfant.

Despite intending to evoke eras far earlier than our own 21st Century, none of the scents in the line feel particularly old-fashioned.

Unfortunately for me, Arquiste is pretty darn expensive: pricing for the 55ml bottles is between $165 and $175. Looks like it's time to start saving my pennies.

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