By Kilian

If I have two addictions where shopping is concerned, it's lipstick and fragrances. Often times, I'll spend a Saturday afternoon at Holt Renfrew sampling different scents and letting them sit on my skin to see which one really works for me. While out sniffing a few months ago, I came across the by Kilian line, designed by the grandson to the founder of Hennessy Congnac and the house of Louis Vuitton. This perfume line is first and foremost about luxury, but Kilian has a knack for creating fragrances that are born in the memory and live out a long life on the nape of your neck or the inside of the wrist. They are haunting, complex and reminiscent of all things sensual. One spray will begin with top notes and melt over time into a heavenly marriage of each essential oil in the fragrance.

The Kilian line is also environmentally conscious and although the perfumes seems to be expensive, ($250 CAD) you're paying for the bottle, which is exquisite and comes in its own box of velvet and silk, designed to be refilled on site when you're finished with the fragrance. The initial investment is in the hardware and the refills are much less expensive.

The better deal, is to purchase the lovely refillable travel atomizer that comes with four refills (pictured here) It's a bit easier on the pocketbook at $150 CAD. Four refills are $80, which is completely reasonable for a fragrance of this caliber.

My purchase was Don't Be Shy. A haunting gourmand blend inspired by the marshmallow, accented with bergamot, honeysuckle and musk. The most striking quality of this fragrance is the lingering essence of whipped egg white, you're instantly transported to your mother's kitchen, making a lemon meringue pie, beating the egg whites to stiff peaks and watching the sugary whites brown in the oven. This is an example of how Kilian's perfumes manage to capture not just a scent, but a moment.

Aphrodisiac is also a favourite, reminding me of a sticky stream of honey enveloped with spicy ginger and warm tobacco.

Make sure to get samples before you make a purchase and see how each scent sits on your skin and changes throughout the day. The sales people really stand behind these products and are happy to send you home with lots of those tiny spray samples, even a couple for your friends.

Available exclusively at Holt Renfrew or visit: http://www.bykilian.com/

$250 CAD for 50 ml. refillable spray
$150 CAD for 30 ml refillable travel spray

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