Saturday, May 2, 2009

What's worse than a discontinued favorite?

Perhaps a discontinued cheap favorite?

About a year ago, I found a deal on Jose Eisenberg J'ose for Women.  No, not Jai Ose by Guy Laroche; J'ose, by Jose Eisenberg.  It seems there was an eponymous scent for men, and one for women.  I got my women's J'ose from a California eBay vendor.  Around $25, 100ml.  $25 which got you a big slug of daytime-suitable comforting amber with a hint of gourmand (which I can generally only take a hint of), and a something I couldn't quite nail.

I liked it enough that I thought I might gift it.  So I waited through a few more auctions of it, wondering if I could finagle a better deal, realized the price was pretty stable, and got a second bottle for $2 more.

Then I worried if I had gone off the deep end.  I was early into perfume, I realized that even then, and wondered if perhaps I might regret this cheap scent purchase--which wasn't going to be so cheap if I didn't end up liking it.

Turns out I was right.  And I was wrong.  I have discovered many other scents I like; a couple of handfuls of ones I love.  My fear of cheap and/or gourmand fatigue has not quite played out, though...I still rather like it, though I rarely reach for it.  I pulled it out today because yesterday, during one of my regular internet search forays, I discovered notes for J'ose.
  • Head notes: lemon, armoise, mine ("fresh and aromatic"
  • Heart notes: lavender, coffee, mocha ("floral")
  • Base notes: patchouli, cedar, musk, hay, amber ("woody amber")
Okay, now I get why there is what seemed to my early nose to be a hint of men's cologne.  "Fresh and aromatic."  I also get why I thought of it as gourmand-y; that which they call floral is total confection, isn't it?  Of course, the "mocha" means sweetish vanilla is part of the concoction.   And I absolutely recognize the source of comfort; hay and amber, hint of wood hanging out there.

This is not an expertly mixed concoction, with a carefully conducted drydown.  It doesn't take long for all the players to start making noise, in relatively consistent proportion.  But it does fine as "you smell good."

Unfortunately, it is nowhere to be found.  

So, rather than being able to offer you a "psssssst...hey, bud..." and open up my trench coat to reveal a link to an online vendor, all I can do is offer you the Jose Eisenberg website, which still seems to let you put a (full price) bottle in your shopping cart.

Or, you can get Eisenberg comfort hose on eBay.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I visitted Jose Eisenberg website.
It is beautiful!

ScentScelf said...

Dimitris,
I need to find out more about Eisenberg...he has a storefront in Monaco, apparently...and has shifted focus to skin care. And continues to offer perfume, according to that website.

But nowhere on the website can you find the hosiery still found on eBay and such.

Musette said...

I want a storefront in Monaco! Actually, I don't what I really want is to SHOP in a storefront in Monaco, preferably one that has 11cwt emerald-cut diamonds. Barring that I'll just sit here and enjoy the 'quiet' of a country morning.

xo

Olfacta said...

I can, as they say, so totally relate. Since the IFRA thing I've been buying some things on fleabay; mostly older chypres. Makes me feel a little bit, uh, unbalanced, as I've never been a hoarder. I had never heard of the Eisenberg. "Comfort hose" -- good one!

ScentScelf said...

Musette,
Hmmm. Let's enjoy the summer at our respective abodes, then hustle on over to Princess Grace Place and do some shopping this fall. ;)

ScentScelf said...

Olfacta,
I'm still trying to settle my brain on the oakmoss thing. I am, of course, rather inclined to do a little pre-emptive strike purchasing...

Would you believe the hose thing is for real? No-run hose. By Eisenberg. With those trademark initials on the package. And "comfort lotion" woven into the fabric. At one point, I noticed some bloggery about them as used by men...mantyhose.

Wish I had been so clever as to use the metaphor!

Divina said...

I think the notes sound brilliant, actually! I have been going through a terrible gourmand craving period in the last few months, to the point I don't really recognize myself any more. I explain it to myself like this: Been way too stressed and down ---> need comfort ----> turn to gourmands!

ScentScelf said...

Divina,
Would that I could limit my foodie comfort to scents...I'm afraid I do enjoy ingesting my gustatory delights at least as well as sniffing them. ;)

May the gourmands, along with any other positive strategies, help you make it through this stressful time as quickly as possible.

Unknown said...

The funny thing is in my huge perfume experience I don't have a discontinued love.

ScentScelf said...

Jen,
I'm not gonna touch that...don't want to jinx it. :)

Rose said...

at least you can still buy it, albeit at full price. I worry all the time about some of my loved scents, or the ones I can't afford yet, being discontinued.

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ScentScelf said...

Rose,
True that...but it's so much better at 1/3 price. ;) I'm trying not to feed my anxiety about some of my favorite scents...or ones I may never learn about...trying...trying...

Thanks for the award! Now you know what my next post will be. ;)

The Daily Connoisseur said...

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