In San Francisco I had a few mintues before meeting a friend for drinks, so I popped into Saks Fifth Avenue. The have a really small perfume counter, but they carry a well-edited selection. Bond No. 9 is there, as well as Tom Ford’s line of exotic fragrances (I love his Velvet Gardenia and Black Violet scents).
By Kilian is another line, and it is from Kilian Hennessy. His name may be familiar should you be a Cognac drinker – yes it is that same Hennessy. So it should be no surprise that this is a lux line. The juice is $225 for a 50 ml bottle. Why? Just like wine, by Kilian says they source the highest quality ingredients, from flowers to spices.
While I’m not buying any time soon, I am intrigued by the scents. The first thing you notice is all the bottles are black. The second thing I noticed were the names: Prelude to Love, A Taste of Heaven, Liaisons Dangereuses. I tried “Beyond Love: Prohibited” which to me is an intoxicating tuberose fragrance, which I loved. Thought I would like “Straight to Heaven: White Crystal” because the list of ingredients – Rum, nutmeg, dried fruits – you know, ones that smell good enough to eat. But it didn’t do it for me and also faded fast. Also tried “Back to Black: Aphrodisiac” which I really liked. It’s got warm spices – cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, and smoky sweet notes from vanilla, tobacco, cedar.
One cool thing I found surfing the web, there is a store in West Hollywood called Scent Bar, and they sell by Kilian, among others, on premises or online. You can go there and refill your by Kilian scent…the juice comes out of a “cognac barrel”.