Monday Morning has found me worshipping at the altar of the ultimate destination for all things pretty: Bergdorf's Beauty Level. Together with my husband, I visited the inner sanctum: The dimly lit cavern of JAR.
There are many fragrances I've been and still am curious to try. But nothing can compete with a line so exclusive you can only find at two locations in the world: Their Paris boutique and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. It doesn't sell anywhere else, you can't order it online and there are no samples, other than teeny tiny decants that you can purchase on eBay. So what's left for a fragrance obsessed girl to do?
The answer is to make an appointment for a sniffing ceremony with one of the two nice gentlemen who are in charge of bestowing the JAR goodness on us mere mortals. Not only do they have perfect manners and a friendly personality, these two guys are supposedly the only people in the US who know exactly what's in those sacred bottles.
The seven fragrances are not just exclusive, but also kept as secrets, as far as their notes go. There's no record anywhere of what's inside, and the very few reviews you can find online are only guesses. In some cases, certain notes are pretty obvious- gardenia, carnation, clove, almond. Others are a complete mystery, as is the name of one of them- the jewel in the crown that is only marked by a bolt of lightning on the bottle.
The answer is to make an appointment for a sniffing ceremony with one of the two nice gentlemen who are in charge of bestowing the JAR goodness on us mere mortals. Not only do they have perfect manners and a friendly personality, these two guys are supposedly the only people in the US who know exactly what's in those sacred bottles.
The seven fragrances are not just exclusive, but also kept as secrets, as far as their notes go. There's no record anywhere of what's inside, and the very few reviews you can find online are only guesses. In some cases, certain notes are pretty obvious- gardenia, carnation, clove, almond. Others are a complete mystery, as is the name of one of them- the jewel in the crown that is only marked by a bolt of lightning on the bottle.
We met with Bob, the JAR guy (the ladies of Perfume Posse have raved about Franz, and Bob himself has told us that his colleague is an incredibly charming and handsome man. I really liked Bob, and didn't mind missing the Franz experience). He presented us with seven containers, each holding a piece of satiny cloth infused with a fragrance. The scents are presented in a certain order, from left to right, according to the creator's specific instructions (Joel Arthur Rosenthal, a world renowned jeweler, whose initials are JAR). But after the initial sniffage, if you ask nicely, Bob would let you re-sniff in whatever order you choose.
The following is my impression. It's not a real review, just how the scents felt to me either from smelling the cloth or from those that we tried on. Also of note: the fragrances are quite unisex. Supposedly, even the gardenia one. The idea appealed to me, because lately I've been gravitating towards more masculine perfumes and I love sharing bottles with my husband.
Ferme Tes Yeux: Others have described this as "barnyard" and animalic. I've smelled something on the wrong side of rotten. Bad cheese. Bad something. It wasn't anything you'd classify as perfume, and not something that I felt like checking again. My husband wasn't repulsed by it at all. He didn't get the barnyard reference, and he should know, as he grew up on a dairy farm. Or, maybe that's why he didn't mind the smell.
Shadow: It smelled dark and masculine. I think that there was vetiver and probably lavender. It smelled damp and musty in a pleasant way. My husband tried it on and it was sharp and good. Too sharp for his liking, though.
Jarling: My big disappointment. The initial sniffing wowed me. It was rich and sweet, but had a wicked twist to it. I thought it was going to be the one. But upon landing on my skin it was nothing but almond. Not a hint of another note. Sweet almond, like my mother's marzipan at first, but soon enough it became very sharp. It could have been made by Crabtree & Evelyn. Or by Method, and used for cleaning up wood furniture. I'm not making this up.
The one with the bolt of lightning: I'm definitely regretting not trying it on. It's probably not my thing- too "wet", earthy and green, but it was very complex and interesting, unlike anything else I know (but in a good way, unlike FTY). This is the most expensive one in this very expensive lot, and costs nearly as much as our car payments, combined. The scent and the price tag are not for the faint of heart.
Diamond Water: Sparkling carnations and a hint of clove. Definitely floral, but with some oriental spice. Very beautiful in its delicate sweetness, never cloying. It developed to be very carnation-like, with a soft, creamy musk dry-down that lingered for hours. Interestingly, on my husband it wasn't sparkling or floral. It had the green part of the carnation, and was deeper and creamier. I really liked it on myself, but absolutely adored it on him.
* edit: Here's my full review of Diamond Water.
Jardenia: They were not kidding with this name. This is a gardenia, the whole plant, including some of the dirt that gets caught up in the roots. It makes any other gardenia-like fragrance pale in comparison, and if you are a fan of the scent- this is your holy grail. Sadly, I'm not.
Golconda: Carnations and skin. It was amazing how similar Golconda and Diamond Water smelled on me. Bob was quite surprised at the result on my skin. According to him, it's not supposed to do that. Great. I broke the JAR. All kidding aside, this was really good. It lacked the sparks and glitter of DW, but blended better with my chemistry. To the point that I couldn't smell anything after a while, while Bob and my husband assured me that it's very much there.
It was an amazing experience. I liked the fragrances and was quite enamoured by Golconda and Diamond Water. But I couldn't make a decision on the spot. eventually, after living with the scents for several hours, DW has clearly become my favorite. I like the extra oomph that it has over Golconda, though they are very similar when I'm wearing them. But do I really love it so much that it justifies a purchase? I'm not yet sure. I enjoy perfume very much and I don't wear cheap ones. But considering the collection that I already have- do I really need another one that cost so much but didn't make me feel the Must.Get.It.Now thing that I have for other favorites? On the other hand, I really really liked it, and am certain to wear it a lot. Wouldn't I wear it as often if not more than a pair of boots (that I only wear during fall/winter and is one of several that I own)? More pondering is in order.
**Another edit (September 2008): I revisited the boutique and wrote about it here.
(Picture: Greg Geffner, Diagonal Bolt Hitting Queensboro Bridge)
The following is my impression. It's not a real review, just how the scents felt to me either from smelling the cloth or from those that we tried on. Also of note: the fragrances are quite unisex. Supposedly, even the gardenia one. The idea appealed to me, because lately I've been gravitating towards more masculine perfumes and I love sharing bottles with my husband.
Ferme Tes Yeux: Others have described this as "barnyard" and animalic. I've smelled something on the wrong side of rotten. Bad cheese. Bad something. It wasn't anything you'd classify as perfume, and not something that I felt like checking again. My husband wasn't repulsed by it at all. He didn't get the barnyard reference, and he should know, as he grew up on a dairy farm. Or, maybe that's why he didn't mind the smell.
Shadow: It smelled dark and masculine. I think that there was vetiver and probably lavender. It smelled damp and musty in a pleasant way. My husband tried it on and it was sharp and good. Too sharp for his liking, though.
Jarling: My big disappointment. The initial sniffing wowed me. It was rich and sweet, but had a wicked twist to it. I thought it was going to be the one. But upon landing on my skin it was nothing but almond. Not a hint of another note. Sweet almond, like my mother's marzipan at first, but soon enough it became very sharp. It could have been made by Crabtree & Evelyn. Or by Method, and used for cleaning up wood furniture. I'm not making this up.
The one with the bolt of lightning: I'm definitely regretting not trying it on. It's probably not my thing- too "wet", earthy and green, but it was very complex and interesting, unlike anything else I know (but in a good way, unlike FTY). This is the most expensive one in this very expensive lot, and costs nearly as much as our car payments, combined. The scent and the price tag are not for the faint of heart.
Diamond Water: Sparkling carnations and a hint of clove. Definitely floral, but with some oriental spice. Very beautiful in its delicate sweetness, never cloying. It developed to be very carnation-like, with a soft, creamy musk dry-down that lingered for hours. Interestingly, on my husband it wasn't sparkling or floral. It had the green part of the carnation, and was deeper and creamier. I really liked it on myself, but absolutely adored it on him.
* edit: Here's my full review of Diamond Water.
Jardenia: They were not kidding with this name. This is a gardenia, the whole plant, including some of the dirt that gets caught up in the roots. It makes any other gardenia-like fragrance pale in comparison, and if you are a fan of the scent- this is your holy grail. Sadly, I'm not.
Golconda: Carnations and skin. It was amazing how similar Golconda and Diamond Water smelled on me. Bob was quite surprised at the result on my skin. According to him, it's not supposed to do that. Great. I broke the JAR. All kidding aside, this was really good. It lacked the sparks and glitter of DW, but blended better with my chemistry. To the point that I couldn't smell anything after a while, while Bob and my husband assured me that it's very much there.
It was an amazing experience. I liked the fragrances and was quite enamoured by Golconda and Diamond Water. But I couldn't make a decision on the spot. eventually, after living with the scents for several hours, DW has clearly become my favorite. I like the extra oomph that it has over Golconda, though they are very similar when I'm wearing them. But do I really love it so much that it justifies a purchase? I'm not yet sure. I enjoy perfume very much and I don't wear cheap ones. But considering the collection that I already have- do I really need another one that cost so much but didn't make me feel the Must.Get.It.Now thing that I have for other favorites? On the other hand, I really really liked it, and am certain to wear it a lot. Wouldn't I wear it as often if not more than a pair of boots (that I only wear during fall/winter and is one of several that I own)? More pondering is in order.
**Another edit (September 2008): I revisited the boutique and wrote about it here.
(Picture: Greg Geffner, Diagonal Bolt Hitting Queensboro Bridge)
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