For as long as I’ve lived on the East Coast there has only been one perfumed thing on the West Coast I have envied. That is the store which is the headquarters for the online perfume sellers Luckyscent called Scent Bar. Adam Eastwood and Franco Wright have been one of the premiere niche and independent perfume purveyors for over fifteen years. One of the reasons for the longevity, and the popularity, is their excellent curation of brands to feature. Many new discoveries by perfume lovers have begun with a package of samples from Scent Bar/Luckyscent.
Scent Bar NYC
At the beginning of this month Scent Bar has expanded to the East Coast, landing on Elizabeth St. in downtown Manhattan. This area of New York City has always been a destination for perfume tourists to the Big Apple. Scent Bar NYC adds a new piece to the itinerary. As part of the grand opening Messrs. Eastwood and Wright asked one of those brands they debuted to make a perfume capturing the energy of the new location. The perfumer they chose is Antonio Gardoni of Bogue Profumo.
Antonio Gardoni
Sig. Gardoni was inspired by the classic “I Love NY” public relations campaign and turned it on a new set of floral initials. This is where Bogue Profumo I Love YY begins. Anyone who enjoys floral perfumes will easily understand that the “YY” is ylang-ylang. I share the same fascination with it as Sig. Gardoni does. When allowed to be featured to its fullest extent it gives a perfumer opportunity to tease out any of the multi-faceted nature to a desired effect. My favorite part of ylang-ylang is a fleshy sensuousness which is not usually featured. I had a feeling Sig. Gardoni might also share my feelings.
I Love YY starts with the YY on display. In the early moments Sig. Gardoni uses the sulfurous citrus of grapefruit and the scalpel-like sharpness of violet leaf to find the softer green threads within ylang-ylang. It transforms again as jasmine and rose provide floral backing vocals. This is where that fleshy sensuousness I enjoy so much is on display. The indoles of the jasmine tune that sensuousness while the rose adds an exclamation point to the floral quality. Through it all the menthol-like nature of ylang-ylang breathes fresh air into the composition. Ylang-ylang has a kind of custard quality to it which Sig. Gardoni sweetens at the end. He uses tonka, vanilla, and benzoin to give I Love YY a gourmand-y base.
I Love YY has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
I Love YY is a very Bogue-esque floral as Sig. Gardoni examines his keynote from three different perspectives. It is a fitting representative of one of the great cities of the world as well as one of the great perfume stores as they open their new location.
Disclosure: This review is based on samples provided by Luckyscent/Scent Bar NYC.
–Mark Behnke
Editor’s Note: The address of Scent Bar NYC is 244 Elizabeth St. It is on the same street as Le Labo and Atelier Cologne. Those of you heading to Sniffapalooza Fall Ball this weekend will be spending part of your Sunday there.
