Silver Rain & Midnight Rain by La Prairie : Perfume Reviews

I have always had extremely bad experiences with La Prairie’s Silver Rain fragrance. However, the fact that at the same time I’ve always found their cosmetics wonderful, did lead to some sort of dissonance and discomfort. Quite persistently thus, I have tested Silver Rain a number of times through the years, in an effort to re-appraise it. I regret to say that every time, I have literally had to dash to the nearest sink for a scrub-off. Knowing all this, I still couldn’t resist retesting it this weekend when I received a complimentary sample of its flanker, Midnight Rain with the purchase of a cream. I couldn’t quite resist the opportunity to do a comparison test you see, even as I suspected that nausea would be imminent.

Silver Rain: Feel free to completely ignore any and all official note listings for Silver Rain, including the ones found on the La Prairie website. The perfume known as Silver Rain has actually changed three times since its release in 2004, and to the extent that I can trust my nose, the notes listed online do not match its current profile. When I say that Silver Rain has changed three times I don’t mean that the company has slightly tweaked the formula over the years. No, I am talking about extreme, radical changes that have left it unrecognizable. Just in case I wasn’t clear enough yet: I am not talking about a facelift, I am talking about a head replacement! The first composition was a dire, toothsome fruity scent, while the second one was a blatant copy of Mugler’s Angel: A heavy, chocolaty gourmand revolving around a hideously predominant dirty patchouli note, whose floral accents were murky and wilting. Albeit very obviously trying to capitalize on Angel’s success, Silver Rain version 0.2 beta, missed the point completely. It lacked all of Angel’s addictive and seductive qualities and underscored everything that made it obnoxious and to an extent unbearable for a great portion of the population that suffered from its popularity. Imagine my surprise, when upon spraying from my fresh Silver Rain sample and mentally preparing myself to be once again accosted by the Angel parody I was familiar with, I found myself face to face with version 0.3 (hopefully final). Not nearly as unpleasant as version 0.2, but then again not really pleasant either, Silver Rain did manage to capture my interest, if only for a while. The opening is full of dark, fragrant tea notes enriched with a very herbal and brisk mint and eucalyptus combo that is fresh enough to clear the sinuses. (Not quite sure whether this is great for a perfume, it is however interesting) Underneath it all, we can already get a very clear impression of the signature dirty patchouli note found in version 0.2. As the top minty notes fly off however, the mask suddenly falls and the true nature of Silver Rain is exposed: a copy, once again. This time its hapless victim is Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, right down to the aquatic waterfruit notes that in combination with the dirty patchouli make it so distinctive. Unfortunately, our impostor somehow manages to miss the point once again and simply excludes everything that makes Black Orchid smell rich, sexy and quite out of the ordinary. The result is cheap-smelling (in every meaningful way possible), and lacking any sensuality. In fact it is rather cold; quite a feat, considering the patchouli overdose.

Midnight Rain: The flacon might not quite inspire the same feeling of simple luxury consistent with the brand’s name that Silver Rain’s bottle does, but thankfully, this time the juice is not a disappointment. The opening is a pleasant surprise: Midnight Rain manages to give off an air of sensuality while at the same time managing to remain quite androgynous in nature and thus potentially appealing to both sexes. It is dark and rich, with a markedly fruity character that manages to be at once reminiscent of something tropical and Mediterranean, while not letting a single ray of light penetrate its thick fruiting canopy. Those that love the dusty, slightly bitter, pomegranate accord found in Calvin Klein’s Euphoria (I personally don’t...) will be glad to rediscover it here, albeit used much more subtly and carefully. At first it seems like this will be a far too oppressing, sweet perfume for me to enjoy – a sillage monster that obliterates anything that enters its expansive radius – however, I am glad to report that with careful application and given a little time, Midnight Rain can be quite an alluring scent. About ten minutes after application, the scent calms down and becomes not only mellower but merrier as well. The fruity top notes persist but start showing off their individual nuances; The mandarin winks for it knows it is not only juicy, but sticky as well, and the pomegranate lends the composition a forbidden quality, like fire-engine red lipstick worn on an otherwise bare face. Slowly, the floral middle notes start showing through, but instead of popping up individually they combine, to give a velvety, slightly citrusy magnolia impression. At the same time, this light floral heart is surrounded by a deep, vanillic, utterly comforting scent, which lends the perfume a more oriental character. I thoroughly enjoy the slightly lemony, warm vanilla scent, but there’s a catch; Somewhere in the background there is some disturbance that I am unable to tune out. The signature dirty patchouli of La Prairie is struggling to come to the surface and to make matters worse, there are tiny (but unfortunately significant) hints of something aquatic desperately drawing attention to itself. Luckily both of these elements are kept in check enough for me to manage to appreciate the scent, but ultimately they do ruin it for me. The drydown is sweet and woody and the surprisingly everlasting pomegranate note adds powdery sophistication with its subtle dustiness. While far better than anything I ever expected from La Prairie in the scent department, this is not a scent I would ever purchase. I do appreciate it for its warmth and sensuality, but the dissonant patchouli and aquatic notes unfortunately take away from its beauty. However, I don’t have to run to scrub it off and its heart notes are really rather pleasant. Unlike Silver Rain, I’ll happily tolerate this on someone else.

Images: flickr, originally uploaded by L.A. Woman, www.laprairie.com.au, www.laprairie.com

Perfume for the Occasion : Perfumes for the Gym

Perfume and the Gym go together like...well, nothing, to be honest. Like water and oil, they don’t mix. They shouldn’t mix. Yet, people keep doing it. In every class there’s bound to be at least one, wearing something infuriatingly heady, making the rest suffer, suddenly all too aware of the lack of fresh air around them. Angel. Poison. Kenzo’s Jungle. Some sort of strange head-shop oil the wearer has applied over every single inch of their body. They’ve all stood somewhere in my vicinity, diligently exercising, oblivious to the fact that I felt like I was about to dizzily fall from my step, risking at the very least some bruises and at the worse a broken ankle during BodyStep class. Dior’s Addict, Obsession for Men and L de Lempicka made me feel faint while mid-air in a jumping-jack countless times during BodyAttack. I might not have fallen or fainted yet, but I’ve gasped for air, gotten a headache, sworn and cursed silently in my mind more times than I’d like to recount in the last two years. Why do people do it? When I am in a good, positive mood, I try to be sympathetic, considering the fact that at least some of them must be coming to the gym straight from work and it would be unrealistic to expect them to not wear any fragrance at all for the whole day just because they are coming to exercise in the evening. Yet there are times when the sillage is so strong, I reason that it would be impossible to reek like that if the fragrance was last applied in the morning. I do maintain that no perfume should be worn at the gym. But since realistically that is unlikely to happen (not least because indeed there are many that come to sport straight after work), I went out and sought a number of rather more inoffensive options for the occasion.

Profumo di Benessere by Collistar
Profumo di Benessere is a fragrance by Collistar, belonging to their Benessere/Sporting line. Profumo di Benessere will not only perfume one’s skin but will also hydrate and soften it as well, while extracts of ginseng and gingko biloba will make it firmer too. If that wasn’t enough, Profumo di Benessere is also meant to be energy-boosting and stress-relieving at once. I am not sure whether to believe this or not, since I am always skeptical when it comes to aromatherapy claims, but I can certainly tell you that the scent is ultra-summery, packing a sunshine effect that made me identify it as an instant pick-me-up. It is very fresh, very herbal and while it starts out intense it becomes milder as time progresses. Strong enough to create a playfully cheerful, fragrant veil over your skin, but mild enough to not bother your fellow gym-goers. Perfect.

Cellular Energizing Body Spray by La Prairie
A product with very similar benefits to Collistar’s Profumo di Benessere, La Prairie’s Cellular Energizing Body Spray is an “aromatherapeutic body treatment”, a pampering moisturizer and fragrance rolled into one. When it comes to the aromatherapeutic claims, I would quicker put my money on Collistar’s sunny creation, which is truly a mood lifter, but when it comes to hydration and quality of scent, La Prairie wins hands down. The Cellular Energizing Body Spray feels amazing on the skin, soothing and cooling at once and the scent itself is beautiful. Citrusy and soapy at the same time, this is far fresher and subtler than Collistar’s offering. The difference in price too is of course undeniable, but if I had to choose one product for this feature as a favorite, this would be it. This is a body mist full of sophistication.

Rebalancing Fragrance by Clarins
Yes, another fragrance based on the principles of aromatherapy. This opening is fresh and “watery” and I use the term watery not alluding to aquatic fragrances, but more as a personal term I use to refer to this strange, moist and slightly mildewy scent I detect when smelling fragrances that contain bulb flower notes, especially freesias. This ‘watery’ note is quite fleeting however, and soon the skin is caressed by the gorgeous basil – iris blend. The base notes are cedar and benzoin, notes I would never consciously associate with exercising at the gym, but somehow the end result works. From all the fragrances in today’s feature I’d say this one has the most tenacity, making it perfect for those who want something a little stronger that carries throughout the day, from work to gym.

Eau d’Energie by Biotherm
For those seeking something sweeter and fruitier, Biotherm’s Eau d’Energie will be just the thing. It is a lightly sugared orange/mandarin blend with a hint of cream. I know it sounds scary, but it is so light I can’t imagine anyone complaining. The notes of sugared citrus fruits and apricot pulp might also help alleviate cravings for the wildly inappropriate for the occasion gourmand fragrances in those that favor them.

Those that did not make the cut: I sprayed countless body mists and light fragrances on my skin while I was researching this issue. A lot of times what I expected would be prime candidates due to their packaging, blurbs and marketing turned out to be surprising disappointments. Here, a glance at the worst of the crop: Shisheido Energizing Fragrance. Bad, don’t go there. This is NOT for the gym. Kanebo’s Relaxing Fragrant Mist. The fact that I hated this came as a huge surprise since I love Kanebo and use the Sensai Silk line religiously every night. (I cheat on Kanebo with La Prairie during the daytime – I know, I’m such a floozy) The Relaxing Fragrant Mist is hideous though, it smells metalic, almost rusted and I couldn’t wait to wash it off. Tsk tsk tsk, Kanebo. Lancome’s Aroma Tonic was way too sour for the gym, (I didn’t want to contemplate how it would react to sweat) while Aroma Source was simply too strong and musky. Lacoste’s Pour Femme was simply perfect, it would have been my more perfume-y choice of the lot, but I felt too strongly about it and decided to save it for a full review later on. Stay tuned.

Don't forget to visit For the Love of Perfume, to see a different take on this subject!

Pictures courtesy of: www.pumphousefitnessclub.com.au, www.cosmeticmall.com and www.sz-wholesale.com