Everything that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen touch turns to gold, so it’s no surprise that their recently launched debut perfumes with contemporary clothing line Elizabeth and James has been receiving major buzz. The complementary pair, Nirvana BLACK and WHITE, aims to reflect the designers’ idea of ‘intimacy and individuality.’ After sniffing a sample of both fragrances, I was immediately drawn to Nirvana BLACK. While both have floral elements, Nirvana BLACK is a unique mix of violet, sandalwood and vanilla. The sandalwood, which was selected after testing out over 200 different kinds, gives the fragrance such a dark and musky feel that it could almost be worn as a unisex scent. The fragrance is so complex and sophisticated that I can see it reaching cult-classic status like the slightly comparable ‘Flowerbomb’ by Viktor and Rolf. If this scent is not your speed, Nirvana WHITE is a lighter alternative to its musky counterpart. Both scents can be found exclusively in-store and online at Sephora. –Angela Bobo
(February 2014)