Sunset Blvd.

Excerpt from my published review (search "Articles" to read the entire text): Sunset Blvd. echoes the glamorous fragrances of yesteryear, beginning as a bitter green aroma, with the citrusy yuzu and spicy cinnamon setting the vintage mood. Rose and patchouli cast a woody-oriental spell in the heart. The soft, sweet powdery note of tonka bean announces its presence about 30 minutes in and becomes stronger as the fragrance dries down. The gentle rosy-powder drydown is still noticeable on skin, up close, six hours later. Wearing Sunset Blvd. is like enjoying some long-discontinued classic scent that was sealed and stored under optimal conditions. P.S. You don't have to be a "Norma Desmond" to wear this. Sunset Blvd. can be equally enjoyed by the "Joe Gillis" or "Cecil B. DeMille" types as well. Thank you to J.Hannah Co. for the opportunity to try Sunset Blvd.

Picked this up at the AIX Hammer Museum 2016. Sprayed my arm. Opens with a beautiful Lemon Lime counterpoint Tonka,liberal dose of Cinnamon. Touch of Rose and the Patch. Perhaps Ambroxide. The overall effect is Vintage Old Spice brightened with Fresh Citrus. I wore it all through the show and in spite of the myriad of tastes and flavours filling the air of the exhibition, my nose came back to the drydown of this gem. Jessica kindly wrapped up my requested samples of Orchard, Upton and a beautiful smokey delight called Sloloo. Altogether a lineup thoroughly competent in execution and competitive with European, such as Baruti. Oh, and longevity was superb with the Sunset as whispers remained up until my next morning shower.

The script of Sunset Boulevard actually does give us a clue as to the "démodé" aroma of Norma Desmond. If you remember, there is a particular scene in the film where the dead narrator, Joe Gillis, is being seduced by his ghoulish employer and comments that "she'd smell of tuberoses", which he says is "not my favorite perfume, not by a long shot". A touch of this venerable bloom, long out of favor even in 1950, might have created a tangible, exquisite link between the movie and this tribute to the moonstruck Norma's musty boudoir. Certainly a missed opportunity for a revival of a sort!