Gloria Vanderbilt Minuit A New York Perfume

I've been here before by Matthew Halsall

Sweet, definably feminine and mildly intoxicating, these are the adjectives that I use to describe Minuit A New York by Gloria Vanderbilt. Admittedly, I could leave it there and call it a day but then that wouldn't be my way. No, I truly insist, I must do my very best to bore you. 

Firstly, I'd like to put it in on the record that I'm no stranger to the offerings of Gloria Vanderbilt perfumes. 

If I've learned anything in life, its that all is not what it seems and sometimes the very things that you've written off, might just sneak up on you and be the very things you fall madly and pathetically in love with. Sometimes what we think we want is not what we need and vice versa. The idiocracy of desire and the nature of the heart are truly something that only the creator knows and knows it best ...

Gloria Vanderbilt's first perfume took my fancy enough that I bought it, then it didn't. Just like a lust-filled teenager who exclaims love at the first lustful grasp and then tires, of what once was the apple of their eye - I turned out the golden-hued bottle after a measly meandering, by pawning it off on my sister. I moved on, exploring my options, mildly regretting my choice when I saw how my once love was getting used and then it happened. I met upon my once betrothed - forlorn, unloved and titering on a breakdown. Obviously, disregarded by someone who never cared to invest. So, I did what any gentlewoman would do, I took it all back and decided to give it one last try. I'm glad I did. To date, Gloria Vanderbilt perfume is my semi go-to. It's creamy sweet and mildly powdery. I've been lucky to have rekindled my old flame. What once had been boringly safe and tame became a heavenly temple of security, trust, and growth. Is not appreciation the highest form of love?

So, when I saw Gloria Vanderbilt had more perfumes I was eager to be on my best behavior and not aimlessly disregard such wares. Thankfully, what I tried pleased me. My intentions were to actually purchase Jardin A New York (and I might still do so) - a sprightly green invigorating floral - but fate worked differently when the juice hit my skin, Minut A New York won his prize. 

What makes us fall in love?

Is it entirely about appearance, chemistry, connection, safety, comfort, stability, spontaneity, danger, equal values, differences or being at the right time, and in the right place? 

When all is laid bare and the harsh light of sobriety shines on the naked bodies of our truth, how well do we hold up to its glare in our lovers' eyes and even our own? 

Do we live up to such weighty expectations?

Currently, I think it's safe to say that I have a harem of scents at my disposal, I undoubtedly and unequivocally need no more. Yet, every now and then like a hideously odious cheat I find myself frolicking in perfume aisles, pandering to the insatiable lustful lie that "the one" is yet to be found. Thus, I am very akin to knowing what I like and what I don't. However, I'm able to sample at will knowing that even if a scent does not succumb to my advance now, I need not fret for I have plenty to choose from. How grotesque! Yet, every once in awhile, I find him - a scent that matches my own.

Minut A New York is a sweet liquid pleasure that sinks in my skin to expel nothing less than subtle sensuality. What more can a woman want? If all be fair in love and war, then fairplay will be the game to play. Immediately, I began flaunty my new found Oriental Floral fancy ...

Oriental Florals are warm sensual fragrances. Often honeyed with delectable delights like amber, honey and woody mystery hinting at secret wild abandon but never really speaking or suggesting it.

Is it in the smile, the laugh, the coy mask but steel eyes that show the belly and heart of a tigress? Who can catch it out, the real intent, when all that has been said and suggested, has only been done in scent? 

While gourmands, florals and fruity scents herald feminity in sweet engulfing and possible scrumptious ways, Oriental Florals purr in seemingly mundane places - at offices, lunch halls, bus trips, and dinners. Ever evasive the starved and malnourished call foul play, recoiling at possible deception but the artful know, true seduction is at play. The kind that slips through fingers, hardly is found but always and forever rememberable.  

L-R: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

Top notes: Tuberose, Pink Peony and White Lily

Middle notes: Jasmine, Hyacinth, Violet, and Gardenia

Base notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Sude and Amberwood

Ultimately, Minuit A New York is true love at first kiss. Just like an unending hickey, that burst, and blisters the skin - some of us bruise easily, some do not, some heal from such acts of fowl play while others never do. Just like Jean Paul Gaultier's Scandal by Night, there is something deliciously bad about this fragrance but yet it can walk without being accosted in the light of day. A marvel, a gem, a jewel, and my current fancy. 

Longevity: Good, however, it does fade for the wearer to a level that makes it bearable for everyday use at workplaces where people may actively dislike strong perfumes. Personally when I'm alone - I like to reapply it since it loses its intoxicating charm for the wearer after 2-3hrs. Although, I think others still notice its scent as I can but not at the same level when I first spray it. 

Price: I bought it for £12.99 but I've seen it as low as £7.99

End Thoughts: A now not so secret beautiful perfume

*I forgot to add that the same perfumer (Dora Baghriche) who helped create Glossier You made this scent. 

What scent are you wearing this Valentines' day?

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated