This Blog Really Stinks. (A perfume blog)

Central Park West by Bond No. 9 - Green. Grass green.

2012-03-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Central Park West.
Home of the first car-inflicted killing in the US in 1899*.
Home of "Spook Central" and headquarters for The Ghost Busters.
Home of The Dakota, Yoko and John's home and the scene of his tragic murder - and where she still lives.
Home of The Majestic, which in turn was home of the heads of Genevese crime family (that's "mafia" to you).
Home of Julliard.
Home of the Hayden Planetarium
Home of the New York Historical Society.
Home of the American Museum of Natural History.
Home of the High School of the Performing Arts (FAME! I'm gonna live forever!)
Home of Tavern on the Green (which is literally in the park).
Home of ~~Regis~~ and Kelly.
Home of the home of Jerry Seinfeld. Of Bono. Of Steve Martin. Of Diane Keaton. Of Diana Ross. Of Bruce Willis. Of Demi or Ashton - not sure who got that one. Of Madonna. Of DeNiro. Of The Donald. Of Blue Ivy and her parents. Of anyone who is anyone.
Inspiration for one of Bond's newest scents.**

*It was a taxi that got him. NY taxis drivers aren't markedly improved since...

**It's coming out on March 15th.

For the longest time, my favorite color was kelly green. Probably because I'm Irish. Kind of Irish. I mean, in my heart I'm 100% Irish (you can tell by my brogue) but genetics points out some other picky little branches on my family tree that may take that percentage down a bit. A lot of a bit. But whatever. I'm Irish. I like kelly green.

As you can see, bright green takes a big part in the (super cute!***) packaging of Bond No. 9's Central Park West. So does houndstooth, which is meant to represent the upscale and classic vibe of the Central Park West area. FYI, the purple is there because it's "modern".

***
OK. I admit it...
I like this ginormous purple houndstooth + acid green + eye-searing pink combo.
But this bottle comes with a huge pink flower (cute) that can be removed
and used as a pink-beaded bracelet or brooch or some such thing (not cute).
Kind of like the bracelet/flower that was on Madison Square Park.
I thought the idea of wearing that was ugly, too.
I know these perfumes are pricey, but
they don't need to double as jewelry.
Leave the bloom on the bottle,
I beg of you.

Anyway, back to the green. If you don't care for "green" perfumes, you may want to take a little walk and come back for the next review. This perfume is Green. Like the park. Like the grass in the park.

Grass. As in the grass you walk across on your way to the Sheep Meadow (also on the west side of the park). Also perhaps as in the "grass" that might be getting smoked by folks chillin' in the park? Ahem. Let's hold on to that one for a minute, mkay?

Here's what Bond No. 9 has to say about the scent:

Narcissus. AKA "daffodil". [via]

Top Notes: Narcissus - the flower that signals spring; Ylang Ylang with a hint of sultry tang; Black Pepper that pops.

Heart Notes: Velvety white Gardenia—an Old School beauty, as classic as the park across the street; Jasmine—Gardenia’s slightly insolent yet trusted sidekick; Citrus-like Linden—a Central Park native so plucky it jumped the fence to be part of Gardenia’s crew; Orris—the third member of Gardenia’s entourage, adding a honeyed note, like vibrant violet.

Base Notes: Calming Vetiver, to sooth your senses after that heady gardenia bouquet; Musk—because every great scent needs a hint of street-wise funk; White Oak—Musk’s zesty-clean alter ego—and another crossover from Central Park; Treemoss—as seductive as the thicket of trees surrounding Belvedere Castle at night.

PS: Fans of Laurent Le Guernec please note, his was the nose who created this scent.

When I spritz on Central Park West, I smell the narcissus and pepper. It's an immediate statement. It's Spring! Time to wake up! After a bit, I get a little ylang ylang, but to be honest I don't know that I'd be able to pick that out without a) the notes list and b) the fact that elsewhere on my person I am wearing an ylang-prominent blend created by a friend of mine. Certainly there is a distinct floralcy. You know this one is going to be about Green and about Flowers.

John and Yoko
in front of The Dakota.
[via]

After a bit, the initial burn of Central Park West settles a bit. Did I mention the burn? I think it's the pepper and the intense narcissus. Anyway, after that dies down, I can perceive a bouquet of fresh Spring flowers. If this were any other New York neighborhood, I'd assume said bouquet was from a little corner grocery. But they don't have those in this neighborhood - at least, not right on The Park. Instead, I imagine this bouquet is not a bouquet at all. I imagine it is really a huge, fresh flower arrangement sitting on a gigantic mahogany sideboard in the grand foyer of one of the neighborhood's co-ops. (This is one of my favorite places to walk in NY, and I'm certain I am not alone. You must take a stroll along at least part of it if you visit the city!).

I smell gardenia (soft, not sharp, but definitely there). I smell jasmine (slightly indolic, but not so much as to scare the indole-phobes). Linden gives a sharp and bright edge, orris cools things down. The heart of this scent persists for hours. It's fairly steady in that stage. Unwavering. Like those big huge buildings? Like the huge, old trees in The Park? I dunno. That's totally reaching. I should write PR copy.

The scent, on me at least, basically just fades away. It gets softer and more diffuse and then it's gone. I can't pick out too much from the list of base notes, to be honest, besides the vetiver.

[via]

Anyway, back to the grass. I swear I smell a little marijuana accord going on. An olfactory illusion - on purpose? In my own nose and mind? It's perhaps the result of this scent + my own particular skin chemistry. I wore some at work and asked a few people - no one else picked it up. But whenever I smell the opening 15 minutes of this scent, it's there. Fresh, sweet, green grass - both kinds.

Is it just me? If anyone else picks this up when they get their hands on Central Park West, let me know! I'm not usually prone to imagining pot in my perfumes, so I'm really curious here.

Confession time: I do enjoy quite a few of Bond's scents - but not all of them. And I have a rocky history with some of their "greens". And this from someone who really likes green perfumes a lot! This Bond green scent, however, I really do enjoy.

I may have to hunt down some. And the Body Silk. If you haven't tried Bond's scents in luscious cream form, you're missing out. They're seriously as intense as the perfumes! And I think I would absolutely love this in candle form, Springing up the house!

So... who wants a little grass this Spring?

Curiosity Killed the Cat: Do you watch YouTube perfume reviews?

2012-03-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

via

Hi, everyone!

I'm doing a quick little poll today. Well, three, actually.

I do a lot of searches online for perfume reviews - I'm betting you do, too. It occurred to me that I always skip over YouTube reviews. I just don't "do" YouTube. Sometimes I scurry over for a particularly promising kitty cat video, and there are three perfume reviewers I am subscribed to because they're friends of mine, but otherwise I just don't do it.

Do you? I'm wondering if that's an age thing? Or a lazy thing? Or a computer speed thing? Or a I-hate-focusing-on-one-thing-so-I-prefer-written-reviews thing? My computer is fast, but I think the others have to do with my own personal preferences!

If you have a moment and are curious, like me, will you fill in these little polls for me? And I'd love to discuss more in the Comments, if you've thoughts to share!

xoxo,
jen

Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic (Guerlain) - a morning picker-upper.

2012-03-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

I am, perhaps, strange in that I do not enjoy orange juice in the morning. I am a straight-to-coffee kind of gal. Even at more formal breakfasts than I usually have , I take a pass. (the average day finds me in pj's on the couch, sucking back coffee and checking Facebook) When I was growing up, orange juice did not come in a "pulp-free" option and, to be frank, the pulp skeeves me out. Or, as my toddler has taken to saying, "that really freaks me up!"

What I do love, though, is spritzing on ~~a glass of juice~~ refreshing citrus perfume to wake me up.

Citrus oils are usually used as top notes in perfumery. Their scent is short-lived. Some sort of citrus - bergamot, mandarin/clementine, orange, lime, neroli, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, bitter orange, pettigrain - is used in almost every scent. These oils add sparkle, brightness, and what perfumers describe as "lift". The use of citrus goes back nearly as far as perfumery itself and is, these days, perhaps most commonly identified with colognes and men's scents.

I love a perfume with a big old dose of almost any citrus. They are usually refreshing, invigorating, and happy. Spritzing on a citrus-heavy scent in the early hours is like drinking in the sun and getting a cheerful kick in the pants to get ya going. It's also a delicious way to cool off and feel clean and fresh in hot weather!

One of my favorite morning jump-starts is grabbing one of my Guerlain Aqua Allegorias. These lightweight, fairly straightforward compositions are a great choice in the morning. They're short-lived, at least the ones I've tried and on my skin. As always, your mileage may vary. I like that brevity sometimes - I can wear something that creates or captures a certain mood but not have to commit to it for 12+ hours. And if I put it on before I shower, I don't feel too guilty washing it off after only having it on my skin for awhile. Yes, I have Perfume Guilt. Don't judge me.

I really enjoy Mandarine-Basilic, which gives a bright, intense, happy hose-down of mandarin balanced perfectly with the herbal bite of basil, one of my favorite herbs to sniff.

On me, Mandarine-Basilic shares its orange effervescence for about 45 minutes or so. During that time, the mandarin fades slightly and the basil starts to slip in the back door. Eventually, florals join in, but softly, with the orange/mandarin scent still sticking around. The entire development takes about 3 hours on my skin - if I've used a citrus-y bath product or body lotion it goes a bit longer.

Mandarin-Basilic's drydown is a soft, slightly ambered woods -not the typical vanillic Guerlain base. It's a perfect set-up for a latter application of a sandalwood or amber-based scent. Note that both of those base notes, amber and sandalwood, are widely considered to be soothing and calming. This perfume is gorgeous aromatherapy!

By the time Mandarine-Basilic has faded, my mood has usually solidified somewhere in the happy range. If I need a bit more tweaking or am starting to feel hot or sticky, it's a complete delight to re-spritz and start the happy mandarin waterfall all over again!

Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic by Guerlain is a Citrus Aromatic fragrance for women. Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic was launched in 2007. The nose behind this fragrance is Marie Salamagne.
Top notes are clementine, orange blossom, ivy, green tea and bitter orange
Middle notes are peony, chamomile, mandarin orange and basil
Base notes are sandalwood and amber.
-Fragrantica

Do you enjoy the Aqua Allegoria line, or are those scents too wimpy, simple, or just "wrong" for you? If you like them, which is your favorite? And can you suggest any other citrus-predominant scents I might like try? I'm a huge mandarin, lime, and blood orange fan.

On barns, horses, hay, and rabbits: IV L’Heure Fougueuse (Cartier)

2012-03-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Today, my strangest perfume. One that I have attempted to "review" for ages, with little success. Much of that is due to the incredible reviews already shared in the fumosphere. The rest lies in my indecision about this scent.

In 2010, Cartier released IV L’Heure Fougueuse, part of their Les Heures de Parfum series. This scent, whose nose is the very talented Mathilde Laurent, is meant to represent "The Ardent Hour" or "The Impetuous Hour".

Notes: Magnolia, Bergamot, Horse Mane note, Vetiver, Yerba Mate, Musk notes, Lavender, Coumarin. Oakmoss.

There are many stories about a girl and her horse. This is an olfactory tale about the same. It opens with the strong impression of dried tea which eventually folds onto itself and turns to fresh, green hay. And then the most incredible thing happens, but blink and you might miss it! From afar, L’Heure Fougueuse still smells of hay and barns and fields, but if you nuzzle your skin the way a horse nuzzles for a carrot treat, you'll get the distinct impression of horse. It's a musky equine scent that rides close to your skin - almost leathery, certainly animalic, but soft as the hair on a horse's nose. This facet, called "horse mane accord" by the perfumer, is subtle and fleeting (at least on me), but so incredibly integral to the scent that it seems to take over most descriptions of this perfume.

Moments later, the scent unfolds again and becomes a story of Summer days. It's Magnolia, light wafts of jasmine, breaths of hay... It's green and it's golden and it's light and it's expansive. It's clouds blowing gently over a field.

via

L’Heure Fougueuse is a scent that's designed to connect with your subconscious. I'm convinced of it. I haven't met anyone who has tried it and has not come away with memories of some kind...

For me, those memories are of trail rides with friends, sneaking grass and carrots to horses through the bars of fences, and of stuffing rabbit cages with fresh hay and alfalfa. I smell farms and barns. I smell my beloved bunnies, now long gone over the Rainbow Bridge.

Unfortunately, I also smell a lot of mate (that tea-like note), which gives me a headache and makes me a bit woozy. Hence my love-hate relationship with the scent. I've worked off of a sample vial for ages, as on me a little goes a long way. I may spring for a small decant at some point, but have no need to budget the $250 for a bottle, since I can only wear this on rare occasions. But I wish I could wear it daily. It's quite beautiful, aside from the mate. And who can't appreciate an arrow shot straight to their childhood?

Other beautiful reviews of L’Heure Fougueuse:

[source of image in header]

Vanille Insensée: A vanilla perfume for the 15+ Set (by Atelier Cologne)

2012-02-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

I must be on a vanilla kick. I recently reviewed my new favorite bodywash Vanilla Botanique, by DSH. Today, I'm back with another vanilla, this time one you can spray or splash on.

I mentioned the other day that I have horrific flashbacks to the early 90s when everyone and their mother were doused in vanilla-scented chemical soup. Luckily, that trend has been put to rest. I hardly ever smell someone wearing vanilla these days.

I think I may be past my twitchiness about the scent. And thank goodness! Right now, as I type, I'm freshly showered and quite relaxed, wafting the blend of my gourmand shower gel, Vanilla Botanique, and a gorgeous and nuanced vanilla perfume.

“He wove through the crowd when suddenly his heart quickened. That scent. It was hers. He had worn it first until she stole it for herself. Now, there she was before him and the magic of years past came flooding back in a moment.”

Today, my vanilla perfume is Vanilla Insensée by Atelier Cologne.

The name,Vanilla Insensée, is translated to "insane vanilla" or "crazy vanilla" and does not have anything at all to do with incense (which one may assume by reading the name too quickly or with no clue at all about French*).

* I fulfill both criteria for having needed clarification myself.
I read too quickly and my French is non-existent.

Vanille Insensée, an electrical current runs through the subtle sweetness of vanilla, jasmine and fresh lime to bond with rich oak moss, woods and spicy coriander.

Top notes:	Lime, cedrat. coriander
Heart notes:	Jasmine, vetiver and oak moss
Base notes:	Vanilla from Madagascar, oak wood and amber

I smell a delicious flash of citrus for just a moment when I applyVanilla Insensée. There's enough there to just barely register it, at least when the scent is dabbed on from a sample vial. Perhaps spraying or splashing with wild abandon communicates more of the lime advertised in the top notes.

Quickly, this fragrances melts into a unique, special creature. This is no heavy, enveloping vanilla. There is no blanket of sweetness, no foody denseness. Vanilla Insensée is as soft as the lightest silk.

There's jasmine in this blend, but only a touch. The same goes for the vetiver that keeps this scent slightly green and very clean. Vanilla Insensée sits on a bed of amber, but again we're witnessing something very buoyant. This amber grounds the rest of the scent without pulling it down or warming it up too much. I considerVanilla Insensée a pretty darned good feat of magic. It's vanilla without being sweet or cloying or heavy. Perfect for warm weather, it also stands its ground in the cool weather.

via

It's interesting: Birgit, who travels the scented land as "Olfactoria" says spraying this scent always brings to mind a transparent glass orb. Since the first time I ever tried Vanilla Insensée , I see a constantly-moving, multifaceted round prism, kind of like a disco ball, but transparent and hollow. You can easily sense that it is lightweight and bright, but it is also nuanced and delights in catching and tossing the light to and fro.

Atelier Cologne describes their range as a completely unique classification: Cologne Absolues. They share the same bright citrus characteristics of a classic cologne, a style created three-hundred years ago, but they have the long wear and sillage of a more dense scent blend. Where a traditional cologne would have a mere 5% of it's recipe come from perfume oils, Cologne Absolues incorporate a whopping 12-20% which is equivalent to the concentrations usually labeled either eau de parfum or pure parfume. The Atelier Cologne scents are artfully balanced: the scents never feel heavy but wear as long as some perfumes. For the record: Cologone Absolues are totally "unisex".

via

The only thing insane about this vanilla perfume is that it is insanely beautiful.

If you're at all in the market for a grown-up vanilla gourmand that wafts brightly and lasts and lasts, here you go. And even if you don't think you're interested, you may want to give it a go. It certainly surprised me!

[vanilla bean + orchid image from header: source]

One not-so-polite leather: Jolie Madame (Balmain)

2012-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

A while ago, I entertained myself by writing about two "polite" leather perfumes I love. And I do love them. But I love even more a dirty leather. Kind of the olfactory equivalent of this:

I like my leathers best when they're a bit naughty. Rough around the edges but with a heart of gold. Or maybe not even a heart of gold. Rough and rougher is fine. Bedroom eyes don't hurt.

My favorite dirty leather is a bit polarizing. A lot of perfumistas love the stuff, but I know a lot of "normal" people get that wide-eyed, nostrils-flaring look that usually comes right before a quick goodbye or a dash to open the window. Let's just say this one is not exactly "work friendly".

Jolie Madame is something I wear whenever the hell I want (I already have no perfume fear, but this one makes me even ballsier). Others may feel it's best suited for evening. Maybe midnight. In a barn.

As a little clue as to what you might be in for, here is a quote from March of Perfume Posse:
"Jolie Madame was the nastiest, skankiest piece of liquid hell that had graced my wrist..."

She goes on to point out that she later fell head over heels for it. That's a familiar story.

I stumbled upon a bottle of the vintage, viscous and dark and hiding in plain sight in an antique store. I picked it up, bought it, went home, sprayed and... wow. That stuff is just weird.

I read about Jolie Madame from time to time, and as I developed more perfumista cred, I started loving "the skank". Jolie Madame has skank. Take a look...

Top notes: artemisia, coriander, gardenia, neroli and bergamot

middle notes: tuberose, narcissus, orris root, jasmine and rose

base notes: leather, patchouli, musk, coconut, civet, oakmoss, castoreum, and vetiver

Ah! The skank trifecta: musk, civet, and castoreum!

I have three bottles of the stuff now. Clearly, I "learned to love it". It wasn't hard. Jolie Madame is dark. It's a little mean. It's also very, very different from the department store perfumes I was used to (to which I now say "thank God!").

All of my bottles of Jolie Madame smell pretty different. One is not as jagged and rough. I don't like it as much as I like the others. The two I love, while different, are still identifiable as being the same perfume. They're both powerful. Really powerful. One drop is plenty, two is insta-bombshell. Three is probably too much.

My Jolie Madame bottles are all "vintage", though I have not bothered to try to find out how old each is. From what I understand, the modern version is still Jolie Madame, though maybe a bit more green and bright than the vintage.

Like most people, I'd classify this as a violet-leather perfume. The juxtaposition of the feminine violets (often considered "girly") against the dark and dirty leather is, quite simply, perfection.

Jolie Madame was created in 1953 by perfume genius Germain Cellier, who also dreamt up the incredibly beautiful and very significant scents Bandit, Fracas, and Vent Vert to name a few. You can read more about her here and here.

If you are into violets (as I have learned I am), you will find these two articles really interesting:

Perfume Shrine: Perfumery Materials: Violet, Violet Leaf & Ionones
Parfumieren: Ultraviolet

And here are some other reviews of Jolie Madame:

Now, if you'll excuse me please, I have to go kick some asses.

Image sources: Leather Marlon, leather Johnny,
leather James, leather Ryan; Perfumed Ryan Gosling.
All other images, and the editing on Perfumed Ryan are mine.

Spring flowers courtesy of Fleurage Perfume Atelier

2012-02-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

I think it's here. Spring, that is. At least, I think it's here in my neck of the woods. I know what the groundhog said, but I think he may have been joking this year. The grass is struggling to push up through the ground, the Canada Geese have flown back from warmer climes, and I heard the tree frogs in the woods the other evening. As you can see from my picture above, we have achieved crocus blooms. These things all point towards warmer weather, despite the protestations of cranky rodents from Pennsylvania.

I am actually a Winter girl. I like cold. Snow is my happy-maker. I love to walk outside and smell the cold, crisp air and far-off fireplaces burning away. I like shrugging into sweaters, tugging on boots, and bundling up on the couch with blankets. I didn't get much of that this year in Virginia so I'm mad at Winter. Holding a grudge, as I do, I'm ready for Spring.

Part of the season change for me is switching up my scents. That's not really a conscious decision. It's more organic than that. I slowly start pushing my heavy incense scents and my robust ambers and orientals aside. They just don't feel right. I start reaching to the back of the cabinet. I am pulled towards the green scents. The florals. The bright and light. Like the blooms on my favorite flowering plant, the lilac, my urge for florals is usually short-lived, so I try to indulge as frequently as possible while it lasts.

Luckily for me this almost-Spring, I was given samples from a new-to-me botanical fragrance line called Fleurage Perfume Atelier (thanks Monica!). I received four samples (in lovely glass vials!). Two are soliflores, which simply hit the spot right now.

Note: I am the Queen of Google. I naturally went and found Emma's (really beautiful) website ( Fleurage ) and searched for these soliflore scents. Nope, not there. I asked Emma about them, and she told me this:

Image is courtesy of Fleurage Perfum Atelier.

The Soliflore range began as a custom Bridal Perfume range where the bride could match her bouquet with a perfume. Each scent is one of the most popular bridal flowers chosen. They were so popular though due to being so easy to love and their small volume retro bottles that I decided to make them part of the range but in a limited capacity.
They are 20ml and coat $89 AUD (around $100 US)
The scents are Calla, Tulipe Joyeuse, Daisy Chain, Lilacs, Rosebuds, Honeysuckle Vine, Fleur de Nuit, Gardenia, Magnolia, Plumeria Blanca, Pretty Peony and of course Lily of the Valley.

Did you see that "in a limited capacity" bit? These soliflores were originally only available in the Fluerage shop, which is in Australia and not terribly convenient for many of us You could also email Emma, if you knew these existed, and order them. The good news is: she's going to start selling them online! If you're interested in them, keep your eyes peeled, because they're going to be on the website really, really soon.

So anyway, let's talk about them a bit...

How pretty are these sample vials? And they're glass, which adds to their charm. It also adds to my anxiety levels, since I'm completely convinced I'm going to smash them with my ham-fisted ways.

Anyway, these are lovely. And the tags are such a nice touch, too, with the little silky ribbons. Very feminine. Very classy.

[image source]

As you see in the picture above, the scents I got to try are Tulipes Joyeuses and Honeysuckle Vine.

I have to admit, I am not so sure how accurate the scents are. Soliflores (scents built to resemble one specific flower) are not always aiming for exactness, but there's always some degree of verisimilitude.

How true-to-life are these? I can't tell you. I don't recall much of a smell from the tulips in my garden. They're not blooming yet, so I can't go test that memory (or lack thereof). It's not unusual for over-bred flowers to lose their scent. The people who cultivate them often focus on the visual appearance and not on scent. My memory of honeysuckle is fond, but it's not really about their scent. I remember plucking them off of the vines that ran along the boundaries of the nearby park and sucking on the sweet nectar.

[image source]

What I can tell you is that these are both incredibly pretty floral perfumes. I really enjoy them both. Tulipes Joyeuses is rich and full-bodied - almost heady. Honeysuckle Vine is lighter and fresher. It is the longer-lived of the two on skin and projects more on me.

Both of these perfumes are distinctly floral, regardless of whether or not they are olfacto-realistic*. There is no doubt that these are pretty flowers, blooming beautifully on the skin. They make me feel like I'm wearing Spring - that enthusiasm, that sense of building energy, that feeling of potential.

*yes, I just made that up.

I identify with the honeysuckle scent a bit more, or maybe it works even better with my skin. What I know is that I actually crave this scent, which is a nice feeling.

These are botanical scents, which does not make them "lesser" than perfumes made with some synthetic ingredients. It does make their appearance on the skin a bit more brief, which can be frustrating for some perfumistas. Once you embrace the nature of natural scents, though, you learn to love enjoying the nuances in the allotted time and begin to even relish the fact that you get to reapply sooner.

I can see why these were so popular for Fleurage that Emma decided to start selling them online (soon). I look forward to getting my hands on her gardenia, lilac, daisy, and peony perfumes. I think they're going to be mind-blowing!

FYI: If you're a Facebook fiend (like me), you can follow Fluerage here.

So tell me:
Do you like soliflores? Which are your favorites? What flowers are you drawn to, either visually or for their scent? Are you a fan of natural botanical perfumes, or do they not work for you?

Vanille Botanique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

2012-02-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to receive a small bottle of a body wash from Indie perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz recently. As big a fan as I am of her perfumes, I have never tried any of her body products, so I was kind of fan-girl excited. Truthfully: I geeked out a bit.

The bottle is labeled "Vanille Botanique" and carries Dawn's Essence Studios label, but that may just have been out of convenience. The product name is hand-written on the label. Sadly, I can't find this body wash on DSH's website anywhere, and I haven't heard back from her when I asked her about it.

Anyway, what I have sussed out is that this is probably related to her all-botanical scent by the same name. You can buy Vanille Botanique, the edp, on IndieScents, where it is exclusively sold.

Here's what IndieScents says about the perfume:

Subtle citrus in the top, warm, sensuous florals mixed with rich gourmand notes in the heart and luxurious base of balsams, resins and of course vanilla.

IndieScents also says the product won't ship until October and is available for pre-order only, which is strange. It's February.

At any rate, the description of this scent matches well with what I'm smelling when I use the bath gel.

If you hear "vanilla" and think of the horrid early 90's, when every girl walked around drowning in synthetic vanilla-ish body products and perfumes, well, think again. I know that's what I thought of, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

via

This vanilla is light and slightly-floral. It's nuanced. It's not a lumbering creature that smothers you in its embrace. It gentle and wispy, but substantial enough to still smell. This is a grown-up vanilla. It's not sweet, really. It's gourmand, for sure.

Vanilla Botanique bath gel has some nuance, but honestly there's not tons of time to appreciate it all. I don't have the luxury of standing in the shower thinking a lot. Usually there's a kid peeking in the shower curtain and another screaming from the other side of the door.

I wish I could smell it longer than I can - it's only really noticeable to me while I'm using it. It doesn't last on the skin for long. More's the pity.

As a bath gel, it works well. I think it gets me clean. I don't look dirty after using it, so I assume it's working! It's low-lather and silky, though I still moisturize after using it.

I also used this once on "a scrubber". It removed the offensive scent nearly completely, which as we all know is a miracle. After all, scrubber scents are the strongest clingers there are!

Basically, I can sum up my experience with this body wash in this way: it works, and it smells pretty much like a really high-quality vanilla bean ice cream. There is not a thing wrong with that, in my book.

From all accounts, there's a bit more going on in the perfume, which I can not wait to get my hands on! Read this review by Victoria on EauMG and this one by Trish on The Perfume Magazine and this one by Monica on Perfume Pharmer.

So tell me: do you wear vanilla scents? Which are your favorites?

Ormonde Woman, the Devil's Wife, and the Missing Freak...

2012-02-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

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Have you ever heard of Lilith? She's thought by some to be the Devil's wife, or maybe his consort. She was Adam's first wife, but by refusing to be meekly led by him -after all, they were created at the same time, from the same dust - she ended up in a world of trouble. (Adam later was blessed with Eve, who was clearly inferior and made from his rib and happy with her lot as subservient wife.) Lilith was punished for her disobedience. She was left to deal with the evil spirits and the fallen angels. She became the Lady of Sorrows and her cries are carried by wind and storms.

She's considered both innocent and evil, originally good and then oh-so-bad, the one who guards children under 8 days of age because she cannot have her own human offspring. She lies with demons. She's a seducer. A harlot. A winged woman. A black cat. A screech owl. Beautiful evil.

If I were to imagine a scent for Lilith, it would balance her original, pure nature and the current circumstances she embodies. Green and woody notes would represent her roots in Eden. Spices would represent her place in hell. The perfume would need to be beautiful and natural and strange...

Ormonde Woman

That scent - Lilith's perfume - just may be the beautifully bizarre Ormonde Woman, created by Linda Pilkington for her line Ormonde Jayne.

I have long wanted to try the scents from this most cherished of perfume lines. Fragrance lovers and perfume bloggers and the otherwise scent-addled rave about Ormonde Jayne. Naturally, that's going to make a gal curious!

I chose to start my Ormonde Jayne adventures with Ormonde Woman. After all, that's where Linda Plinkington started. It's one of her first two scents, the other being a masculine called Ormonde Man.

When I placed my sample order, the only thing I remembered about this perfume was that it was "difficult" and "challenging". I like that in a scent!

Top: Cardamom, coriander and grass oil
Heart: Black hemlock, violet and jasmine absolute
Base: Vetiver, cedar wood, amber and sandalwood

Ormonde Woman is not a perfume. It is perhaps best described as a potion. It seems alive. It's both cold and warm. It's full of movement and yet totally calm. It's soothing and it's invigorating. It's natural and it's completely unnatural. I'm fairly certain it is full of magic.

It is amazing to me how this perfume comes across to so many people as being the stuff of fairy tales (witness Olfactoria's take here, The Non-Blonde's here, and Perfumeshrine's here). Ormonde Woman is, to me, the embodiment of a woodland forest. It encompasses the dark shadows at the base of the trees and under the fields of ferns. It also presents the dappled light that shines on the mulched path through the spotted leaves above.

Ormonde Woman is woody and green and lovely. The grassy notes are shimmering and bright. The vetiver is dry and rooty. The jasmine is sweet and clear. The amber is delicate and soft. The cedar is sturdy and rich (and deliciously played with a soft hand).

Hemlock, an evergreen, is rarely used in perfume and probably never in these amounts. It is probably what is responsible for the nearly lemon-like flashes in the top notes of this perfume. At the same time, I think this note is also what gives Ormonde Woman a sense of being a deep, dark green. The spices add an earthiness to the blend rather than burning fire. The coriander and its other form, cardamom, help this scent seem familiar and utterly strange all at the same time.

From afar, there is a powdery nuance to Ormonde Woman. Think green powder, darker than - but not dissimilar to - Chanel No. 19's. It's missing (or at least much more subdued) when you come closer, but adds a lovely dusting of innocence to the scent's sillage. I think Lilith would use that to her advantage, luring the naive men she spots into her web.

This innocence is also presented in the violet note that wends its way through the development of the scent. I have come to learn that I love violet in a perfume, but here it's not quite as sweetly and femininely portrayed as usual. Or maybe it is, but the deeper counterpoints play against it in a novel way.

The sandalwood at the base of the scent is actually apparent throughout, and adds a nuance of creamy skin to the scent. What's not to like there? I think Lilith would agree.

Ormonde Woman is at once darkly mysterious and calmly soothing. It is darkest green, beautiful, and tempting. It's not sexy, it's sensual. Natural. And strange. It reassures as it unsettles. It is indeed a fairy tale forest. It is perfect for Lilith, the caretaker of newborns, the taker of lives, the mother of demons, the consort to the devil.

Though this perfume carries "Woman" in its name, and even though I think it's perhaps the fluid personification of Lilith, Mistress of Darkness, I bet is smells amazing on a man!

Note: PerfumeSmellingThings also thinks Lilith would be a fan of Ormonde Woman. Read this.

Freak

Another scent one would have believed "a natural" for Lilith, bride of Satan and mother of his demon children, would be Freak, by British makeup brand Illamasqua. The line is famous for their cutting edge artists, intense pigments, and amazing, slightly subversive and totally inspiring imagery.

This brand, icon of certain subcultures, called their first perfume Freak. The name seemed perfect. Freak is housed in a bottle that's forward-leaning, Tower of Pisa style. It features a snail eternally crawling up the side of the shiny black mountain.

When Illamasqua announced they'd be releasing a perfume, when the first images came out and when the notes were shared, many of us were thrilled! The scent, I assumed, would be completely counterculture. Crazy. Ground-breaking. Unusual. Inventive. Underground. Dark. An enigma. A little scary. A lot beautiful. Just like everything else Illamasqua touches.

Take a look at the description of Freak's notes:

Top NotesBlack Davana, Opium Flower and Belladonna bewitch the senses into uncontrollable lust and passionHeart NotesPoison Hemlock, Datura and Queen of the Night blossom, caress and kissBase NotesAromas of Frankincense, Oud and Myrrh, addictively mesmerises and captures the senses

Look! It's got poison hemlock, which also featured in Ormonde Woman!

Sadly, I don't think Lilith would be a fan. I know I'm not. Sure, it's a pretty scent. But there's nothing surprising, subversive, or even dark about it. It's a scent that I could see almost any woman wearing to almost any event.

I think Freak if works for Illamasqua, and by all accounts it's selling well, it's going to be because so many young women and men are only familiar with scents from their department stores. Sure, Freak is dark and moody and sexy when compared to fruity pink juices or cool blue colognes.

For those of us with a broader familiarity with scents, it's really not all that creative. Pretty, yes. Demonic and mysterious --- not so much. It's round and dark purple and somewhat fruity. It's got no bite, though. This freak has no teeth. It goes round and round, like the spirals on that snail shell, but never really gets to a point that pulls it up and above the crowd, which is what Illamasqua is usually so good at doing.

I may actually track down a bottle... eventually. Not because it's so groundbreaking or evil, but because it's pretty and versatile and that damn snail is adorable!

Thoughts
It's so odd... I expected to fall in love with Freak, but I did not. It barely inspires me to write about it. Then I met Ormonde Woman, a scent I had expected to have to struggle with to understand. Immediately it not only inspired me, but made me love it. It will definitely be added to my scent library, and worn often I expect. Ormonde Woman is everything I expected from Freak. Everything Freak is not.

Devilscent

All of this evil talk has me itching to share some news!

I'll be participating in a devilish project soon. Devilscent will feature a handful of fiendish perfumers, a gaggle of demonic bloggers, one diabolical writer, and, of course, perfume!

If Faust were a woman with an attitude problem and six strings of accumulated madness...what deal would she make with the Devil?

Follow along to learn what Quantum Demonology is. Like the Devil's Facebook page to stay in the loop!

Along the way, you may find out what, indeed, Lilith smells like - if you dare. And learn what inspires her wrath! You may meet her husband, if you haven't already. You may find yourself. You will definitely be entertained...

You can read a little more about The Devilscent Project here thanks to our intrepid leader. And stay tuned! We're only just now stepping into the darkness. Who knows what dastardly shenanigans will transpire?!

So tell me:
What would Lilith smell like, do you think? And her husband?
Are you a fan of Freak?
Do you love the fairy tale that is Ormonde Woman, or is it more of a horror story for you?

And are you ready for Devilscent?

5 Things I Smelled Today

2012-01-31T17:38:00.000-08:00

This post is pretty much going to be what it sounds like: a list of 5 things I smelled today.

Don't get all excited, thinkin' this is going to be some regular thang here on This Blog Really Stinks. I don't do "regular". I am way to scattered for that nonsense. Besides: I'm a stay-at-home-most-of-the-time Mom. There's not a ton of variety going on except for the perfumes I spray. I want to challenge myself to pay attention to various smells, though, so hence this semi-regular-when-I-feel-like-it brand-spankin'-new not-series!

So let's hit it. Five things I smelled today.

Sausage.
Kid #1, who I will call "Lulu" (which is actually her name because that's the only way I'll remember her pseudonym) asked for "saus" for breakfast. Voila! One of the most disgusting things a vegetarian can cook. Ugh.
Stinky Dog.
I had to go sit at our rental property while a plumber plumbed. Boring. The only bright notes were that I got to read a bit more of The Help (yes, way behind the times there) and I got to pet (and pet... and pet... and pet) our tenants' dog, Beauty was more than down for a lot of lovin'. Big old fat and stinky beagles make my day!

Beagle. Pre-fattening-up.
Burning Dust.
The heat kicked on at home and a dust bunny must have gone up in smoke. For just a few minutes I was very aware of that distinctive smell. Do you know the one I'm talking about?
Stinky tennis shoes.
Yup. Kiddo #1 (AKA Lulu) inherited the tendency to stink up shoes fair and square. Sorry, doll!
Click here to learn how to clean those bad boys!
Feria conditioner.
Did you know you can buy that at Sally Beauty Supply? It's got silicone in it, so I don't use it all the time, but it's invaluable to keeping my colored hair smooth and shiny. Kid #2, who I will call Ara (yup, you got it: that's her real name - I am not clever at all) gets hella tangles, and this really helps those knots slip out. We've been out of this conditioner for awhile and I just picked some up yesterday. As soon as I opened the container, I thought "there it is"! Funny the scents you remember.

What did YOU smell today?

Karma Chameleon: Lush's Karma Soap plays dress-up

2012-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

You don't really have to be a patchouli lover to get into LUSH's Karma soap, but you do need to love LUSH...

Karma is one of the brand's more popular scents and comes in several different varieties. I have the perfume, in a solid, and I get the soap as often as I can! There's also a Bubble Bar, which got mad props from the girls, a liquid perfume, a bath melt, a body lotion (mental note: gotta try that one!), and a shampoo bar.

They all have the Karma scent in common:

Spicy patchouli is complemented with refreshing lemongrass, orange oil and pine to create a clean and lovely smell that lasts on the skin for ages after you've washed. If you've been mindful and brimming with loving kindness, this is the soap to reward you. One whiff and you'll be hooked - for this life and the next.

And hooked I am. I find the scent really, really centering in the bath (is it the soothing Lavendin oil and pine oil?). It's as great a way to start a day as it is to end one. As an added bonus, the entire washroom smells great for the rest of the day!

I get mostly orange and pine and lemongrass from the Karma products, though there's definitely more patchouli coming off of the perfumes than there is off of the soaps. That citrus blast is one reason I like Karma best in the morning - it invigorates while it soothes you. Yes, that sounds like a paradox, and it probably is, but I don't mind. Seems fitting for something called "Karma", doesn't it?

Karma is minimally-lathery and soft on the skin. I wouldn't say it's particularly hydrating and moisturizing, but neither does it strip the skin or leave it dry. A nice, basic soap that does its job well. The scent lingers a bit, especially in the bathroom, as I mentioned. As for skin, I have found that after a half an hour or so I can put on almost any perfume and it won't clash with the Karma. Naturally, popping a citrus or patch scent will draw those last Karma molecules out just a little bit longer.

For the LUSH haters (I know there are some of you out there!), this probably not going to be the one to change your mind, but who knows? It's not quite as technicolor-herbal as many of the product from the line, but it is strong and it isn't subtle and it definitely doesn't smell like something you can get at a department store (except that you can because there are little LUSH kiosks at some of the departments stores, but you know what I mean, don't you? Please say yes...)

To celebrate the dawning of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, LUSH has transformed their Karma soap into a ferocious and hideous dragon* and given it a delightful and festive golden coat! The golden sparkles were not noticeable on my skin, in case you're worried. Then again, that is kind of disappointing. ;)

Pick yours up soon if you love the dragon idea! And check out the rest of the Karma line while you're there... let me know how that lotion is!

The Red Dragon Soap is Limited Edition. $7.95

*It's not ferocious, unless you loathe LUSH.
It is kind of hideous looking. It only mildly resembles a dragon, at least to me.

Men: Skip the 20 questions game with these great Alibis!

2012-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

image source

Tired of coming home to the endless questions? "Where have you been all night?" "Why are you late?" "Why did you miss dinner again?!"

Skip the hassle by stashing one of these great scents in your glovebox - and give yourself a good spray before walking in the door!

Pick your Alibi:

My Car Broke Down - with the scent of fuel, burnt rubber, grease and steel
We Were Out Sailing -with the scent of fresh ocean spray, sea salt, aqua and cotton rope
I Was Working Late -with the scent of coffee, wool suits, cigarettes and ink

Dodge the questions with one whiff and avoid that "in the doghouse" scent!

___________________________

Ha! Ya'll thought I was joking, didn't you? Nope - it's real.

These genius (?) idea comes courtesy of Mavericks, a "gentlemen's club" in Cape Town, South Africa. Only time will tell if this genius idea will travel to other shores...

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2 Polite Leather Perfumes

2012-01-20T08:49:00.001-08:00

If I had to pick two scent families that really work for me, I'd have to say that I almost unfailingly fall for chypres and leathers. I love the rich, earthy base of the former - but mostly when oakmoss is used, the heavier the better. The latter I love in almost every form.

I have no compunctions about wearing whatever I want, almost any time I want. There are exceptions, of course. I will wear close-to-the-skin scents around those who are allergic or sensitive. I will wear "polite" scents in offices and at funerals. I will not wear anything dirty or skanky when doing someone's makeup. But those are pretty much the rules. Other than that, I'm an olfactory free-for-all. Sweats and a t-shirt? That won't stop me from wearing a Big White Floral. Jeans and a turtleneck? What, you think my vintage chypre is too much? So what! Antiquing on a rainy Sunday? A skanky nose hair-singer suits me, even if it makes no sense to you!

My scent choices are mostly driven by mood. Sometimes, they're driven my someone else mentioning a recently-ignored bottle, too. Perfumed friends are good for that!

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When I wear one of my badass leathers,
this is what I look like (inside).

At times, my mood calls for leather. OK, a lot of times my mood calls for leather. There are lots of nuances to this mood and perfume genre, so it's not really straightforward in my convoluted, perfume-addled mind. Take, for example, "the barn leathers" that smell of saddles and horses and maybe even cowboys. Then there are "the boot leathers", often heavily dipped in birch tar and smelling of old-fashioned, sturdy and shiny leather. I can't forget "the purse leathers" that remind me of a new handbag in an exclusive boutique. Some of what I think of as "purse leathers" are often what others would classify as scents reminiscent of the scented gloves of yore -- but not all of them. Basically, if you sniff that perfume and it smells like sticking your nose in an expensive and brand new handbag, that's a "purse leather" in my book! And there are a select few leathers that are just a little bit more naughty. Those remind me of a confident, sexy woman walking purposefully through life in her knee-high boots, dressed all in black. A little goth, a little sexy, and all woman. She's got that air about her that has just a little undercurrent of "naughty", which is thrilling! Those are my "badass leathers". I love those the most. There are a few other leathers, and even some scents that others call leathers that don't speak to me of leather at all. The nose is a funny thing.

Some times that I'm drawn to what I call "my polite leathers". These are perfumes I can wear anywhere without offending anyone. They are close-to-the-skin. They are lightly floral. They are feminine. They are not at all badass.

Here are two of them...

Cuir de Lancôme
I have no idea what Lancôme is thinking, burying this baby at the discounters and not featuring in prominently on the line's counters! This gorgeous scent was created in 2007 as part of the La Collection. Named after a vintage leather, it apparently smells nothing like the original (also called "Revolte", a name that is unfortunate at best). Maybe that's why it has been tossed aside? Or maybe the decision-makers at Lancôme are too busy focusing on lipsticks and eye shadows? For whatever reason, this beauty is underrated even by the company who produced it. Very sad.

Cuir is not a ball-buster leather. It's not going to make anyone think of S&M or punk rock boots or even saddles and horses. The only image I get when I sniff it is the beautifully-worn suede interior of a perfectly-preserved vintage handbag.

The top notes are brief and gentle, the mandarin present in a delectable way. The florals are feminine and gentle and the patchouli is a silent partner the best I can tell. The soft, smooth, and slightly-dry leather base goes on and on and on without ever overstaying its welcome. Some leathers are a bit medicinal, even eye-wateringly so, but that's not at all the case here. Cuir is too ladylike for that kind of behavior! Nor is she powdery; she's a little too butch for that!

I can't think of any place where this perfume would not be appropriate, unless perhaps the temperature were terribly high. But really, one wouldn't choose leather in those circumstances, anyway.

Topnotes: mandarin, saffron, bergamot Heart notes: patchouli, hawthorne, jasmine, ylang Basenotes: orris root, birch, styrax

Bottega Veneta
If Cuir was our flashback scent, Bottega Veneta is clearly the new kid on the block. Born just last year (2011), the work of Michel Almairac, Bottega Veneta is solid where Cuir is soft. The Lancôme scent is vintage leather, softened with age. It has a slight coziness about it. Bottega Veneta is a stiffer leather, newer and... fresher, perhaps?

The opening notes of the famous leather purveyor's signature scent vibrate a bit, as if in anticipation of what's to come. The florals are well-placed and share the spotlight well with the leather. Neither is pushy, neither takes over. Angela at Now Smell This describes both Bottega Veneta and Cuir de Lancôme as exhibiting "good breeding."¹ I can't think of a better way to put it!

This perfume is a subtle but well-behaved trickster. The notes hail Lily of the Valley, patchouli, and jasmine as key players, but I can't find them. Sure, there's that floral-leather combo working hand-in-hand, but I can't pinpoint the flowers specifically. That's good. I like a well-blended mystery! Many people praise the fruit notes in Bottega Veneta, which you'll not find in the official notes listing. I've seen plum, apricot and peach called out. I smell them, too, especially the apricot/peach nuance. And then there's the controversial oakmoss... Yes, it's there but not in that overdose way (that I, for one, love). Instead, it's a soft padding in this supple leather handbag.

There is without a doubt a softness about this perfume. Maybe "a fuzziness" as some people have noted. It has no hard edges, no angles. It is not shiny or black or stiff, rather it is supple and warm and even has a little glow.

As I can't imagine a situation inappropriate for Cuir de Lancôme, I can't imagine a time or place where Bottega Veneta wouldn't suit. Of these two soft-spoken leathers, Bottega Veneta is the softer. I find it hard to believe one could wear "too much" of this one. Spray with wild abandon! In fact, feel free to layer up, from shower gel to lotion and body cream to eau de parfum.

Top Notes: Pink peppercorn, Bergamot, Lily of the valley Middle Notes: Jasmine, Leather, Patchouli
Base Notes: Oakmoss

ETA: Well, ok then! There's jasmine in this here perfume. I realized it as I sat here virtually basting in Bottega Veneta (yeah, I really like it). The wind kicked up as I went to get the mail and I smelled it on myself and yup - that's jasmine. Interesting that it took massive overdoses of the perfume to pick that out (or at least for my nose to pull it). But that's that. Jasmine. Yup.

So maybe what I consider to be "polite leathers" are sueded leathers? Whatever you want to call them, they are luxurious, smooth, elegant, and pretty.

Psst... did you notice? Both of these scents are "mainstream" and not hard to find. And they won't make your wallet bleed, either. Whoa!

I wanted to ask you about leathers! Do you like to wear them? What kind? Do you have odd little names for the different categories, like I do? What other "polite leathers" might you suggest for me?

Gypsy (Opus Oils)

2012-01-14T04:15:00.000-08:00

I met a Gypsy once. Actually, I met a handful of Gypsies. It was at a bar in Baltimore, and I'm not even sure how the conversation got around to the whole Gypsy thing, but a Gypsy he was, as were his brothers. I'd have loved to keep talking to him (what? he was interesting AND hot! that doesn't happen often!) but his brothers yanked him away and his promise to come back was never fulfilled. Such is life amongst the travelers...

To be more socially correct, the people known as "Gypsies" prefer the term Romani (or Romany). They were originally from India, long ago, but often were thought to have been from Egypt, hence the name "gypsy".

Nowadays, people associate the Romani with traveling, horse drawn carts, bright colors, fortune telling, music, and dancing. Many immediately imagine beautiful, long-haired women with long dark locks and hoop earrings; dirty-faced urchin children; and swarthy, boisterous, and slightly dangerous (possibly drunk) dark-complected men. They were known to sell various things out of the back of their carts, sometimes being referred to as "tinkers". But it wasn't just their reputation as peddlers that proceeded them. The Romani were often considered thieves and con-men.

As with many minorities, especially those who were nomadic by choice or circumstance, the Romani have been persecuted. They've been chased from one region to the other, banned by monarchs and rulers and of course The Church.

According to an article I read, today "there are five or six million Gypsies living in Europe. Over one million live in Romania; half a million in both Bulgaria and Hungary; a quarter of a million in Russia, Spain, Serbia, and Slovakia."¹

If you're at all interested in reading about the Romani/Gypsy history there's a great history here (not written terribly well, but quite informative and an easy read). A defense of the Romani people can be found here.

Gypsy by Opus Oils

I first heard of Opus Oils when I tried Kedra Hart's Wild Child in the Summer of Patchouli Love project. In fact, that's the scent that won the top honors!

Gypsy is one of the scents in Opus Oils' Burlesque collection, which features vintage beauties and themes: Kitten, Starlet, Charm, Tramp, Siren and Gypsy herself. The scents are also available in body lotions, body oils, bath salts, and body butters in addition to several perfume size and bottle choices.

Gypsy is a spicy sweet opulent floral scent, with a yummy gourmand dry-down. Rich, exotic & wildly seductive. Very long wearing and complex, opens strong, floral & spicy, eventually softening into a bewitching enigmatic sweetness.

Key Notes include Mandarin, Passion Flower, Orchid, Ylang Ylang, Tunisian Amber and Tonka Bean.

I was lucky enough to win six samples of my choice from the Opus Oils library, and Gypsy is one of those samples. I wasn't sure what to expect when trying these perfumes since, quite frankly, Wild Child wasn't my favorite from the Summer of Patchouli Love.

I shouldn't have worried. Of the sample vials I have tried, two have already hit my "to-buy" list, though one was a big no-go. I'll review all 6 eventually, so stay tuned.

But back to Gypsy...

I need to be honest, here. I'm not really sure what this scent has to do with Gypsies. I would have envisioned something mysterious, maybe resinous, perhaps smoky (don't gypsies dance around fires? maybe?).

What I didn't expect was one of the more beautiful florals I've ever had the pleasure to wear!

Gypsy opens with a mandarin splash and moves gently into a rich and round floral with my beloved ylang-ylang featured prominently. I'm sure there's a dancing gypsy metaphor here somewhere, but I don't feel like reaching for it.

The ylang is not rubbery or plastic. It's full and lush - the best of ylang. The passionflower keeps this perfume a little on the fruity side, but in a very pleasant, non-cliched, don't run away without sniffing it kind of way. It's billed as spicy (see above) but I don't pick that up at all. And the drydown is a sweetened amber that's arm-snuffling good.

I can't tell what the "throw" or projection on this perfume would be, since I'm working from a dabber sample. Sometimes I get the idea that, if sprayed, projection would be more significant. That's the feeling I get here. As for longevity - I enjoyed the floral stage for an hour or two with that lovely drydown hanging on for a little over two hours after that.

I fully intend to pick this up not only in perfume but also in body butter or lotion or oil. Gypsy is a beautiful scent now, in January, and I can only imagine how glorious it is in Spring and Summer!

For some beautiful fashion shots inspired by the Romani people visit my other blog, Simply Pretty!

click images for source

Samples provided by the perfume house and were won in a contest on Facebook.

Thank you Kedra! Thank you Carlos!

My lavender favorites

2012-01-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone. This blog really stinks in that I haven't updated in ages! The holidays were fun but hectic, and they kind of kicked my ass a little bit, causing a fibromyalgia flare that still has me struggling. Hopefully your holidays were as happy as mine and 2012 is treating you well.

So anyway, let's make things a bit more fragrant around her, shall we?

I was smoothing on some of my favorite skin soother today (the crazy weather is beating my skin up something fierce!) and started thinking about how my olfactory palette has expanded since I started on this perfumista journey. There was a time where lavender was one of my least favorite things to smell. I equated it with dusty potpourri. Sometimes lavender had a medicinal bite that tingled my nose.

Now, while it's not necessarily my favorite fragrance note, it's certainly one I enjoy.

I thought I'd take a minute and share just a few of my favorite lavender goodies.

The Soothing OneDream Cream (LUSH)

I mentioned that skin soother, and this is the one. It's not straight-up lavender. There's chamomile in there, too. Despite the fact that this is a perfume blog, my fondness for this is not just about the way it smells - which is, admittedly, not for everyone. It's also about what it does for your skin. It is a skin cream, after all! Ingredients like oatmeal, rose oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, and tea tree oil pitch in to help the chamomile and lavender soothe skin. Dream Cream helps smooth bumpiness, calm irritation, and minimize redness. Oh, it hydrates, too! While the slightly medicinal and distinct scent may be off-putting to some, I kind of like it. And it's short-lived and close-to-the-skin doesn't throw off my perfumes, which is important! And the fact that my kids like it really makes me smile.*

*It also reduces the girls' and my keratosis pilaris
(those bumps on the back of the arms and legs)
and Lulu's slight case of excema.
That's not at all scientifically proven, but I know it to be true.

The Weird One
Gris Clair (Serge Lutens)

[image source]

Evocative. Interesting. Maybe even haunting. Gris Clair reminds me of a thunderstorm. Nope, there are no notes of rain or ozone. What is there, though, is a meeting of opposites. A thunderstorm is caused by an airmass is overly warm in the bottom layers, overly cool on the higher levels, or sometimes when both of those things happen. And of course, more duality is obvious when considering the coolness of falling rain drops and the heat of lightening. In Gris Clair, the herbal bite of cool lavender sits up on top followed by the warmer bottom notes of amber, incense and tonka. In fact, it's possible lightening struck this scent, because the there's an ashen, burned tinge to Gris Clair that I find particularly unique and enticing.

Some people find thunderstorms soothing. Other folks find them unsettling. Still others find them to be a little bit of both. I bet the same can be said of Gris Clair.

The Surprising One
Lavandula (Penhaligon's)

One might be tempted to write-off a scent like Lavandula. After all, it's a lavender perfume (read: boring) from a staid, historical company (founded in 1860). But Lavandula is neither stodgy or old-fashioned. It starts with a peppery, surprising bite of lavender with a green stalk. Once she has your attention, Lavandula calms your startled nerves with the cuddly calm of tonka, vanilla, and musk. This perfume never really sits still until the far drydown. Instead, she is constant but gentle movement, keeping you on your toes. My daughters both adore it (it's their favorite sleep scent). I do, too.

Note for my bruthas:
Certainly, Dream Cream isn't just for the ladies. I also do not consider Gris Clair or Lavandula to be strictly feminine scents. I think men could pull of either of these perfumes. All three of these are a little unexpected, perhaps a bit odd, and definitely not potpourri- or bouquet-like. There's no reason men shouldn't try them. And remember, lavender is a focal point in the most famous of men's scents: the fougère!

So how 'bout you? Are you a lavender fan?

Share your favorites in the comments, or tell me why you like -or don't like!- lavender. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Aftelier Winners!

2011-12-24T16:20:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the following winners from the Aftelier Giveaway...
The winner of the Cacao sample is: Jennifer

"I may have drooled a little reading your review of Mandy's Cacao. :-) I am most intrigued by Lumiere. I have Mandy's Boronia (which she doesn't make anymore??) and would love to sniff the luscious raspberry-citrusy notes combined with other essences in Lumiere. Please put me in the drawing for Cacao! Thanks for the awesome reviews. ailanna at hotmail dot com"

The winner of the Memento sample is: Ankica

"What a joy! :D I've tried Mandy's Haute Claire. So, there is so many things to try. :D
I am curious of many things... Secret garden, Prive, Tango... Memento sounds interesting too. That would be my choice for this draw. "

Please contact me at fiftycenthead[at]gmail[.]com or PM me on Facebook and I'll get your info to Mandy.

Congratulations! And thanks to all of you for your comments. More thanks to Mandy Aftel for the opportunity!

2011-12-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

We're all settled in tonight, this night before Christmas. Our little mice are still stirring -for now. But the sugar from the cookies will burn off soon, along with the excess energy from sheer excitement. Before you know it, they'll be tucked in bed with sugarplums dancing away above them.

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday and I look forward to a new batch of reviews as soon as I get free of the wrapping paper and ribbon.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a fragrant night!

xoxo
jen

Giveaway: Aftelier --- Happy Holidays from me and Mady Aftel!

2011-12-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had a complete blast reviewing scents from Aftelier Perfumes. THIS week we'll be running a giveaway of scents from the house, courtesy of Mandy Aftel!

She has graciously offered not one, but TWO minis from her collection.

Remember my review of Cacao? If that sounded enticing, you'll be thrilled to know that we're giving one away to a lucky winner! And if you enjoyed reading about Memento, which I'll be wearing Christmas morning, then you'll be over-the-moon to hear we're giving a mini of that one away, too!

The simple rules:

Comment below and tell me which of Mandy's scents you most want to try and why. Or, if you're already a fan, tell me which one is your favorite and why!
Also, in the same comment, tell me which of the two giveaway prizes you'd like to win, Cacao or Memento.
ONE ENTRY PER PERSON - subsequent/additional comments will be deleted or ignored.

Bonus entry:

Blog or Tweet or FB about this drawing and get 1 (ONE) bonus entry. Come back here and tell me which social media venue you used to spread the love and tell me if you're entering to win Cacao or Memento.
You may gain only one extra entry using this method -
subsequent/additional attempts to curry favor will be deleted or ignored.

More details:

The drawing will close on December 23rd 2011 at midnight.
On December 24th, will select one (1) person to win a mini Memento and one (1) person to win a mini Cacao.
I will separate the entries according to which scent you specify in your comment.
If you fail to mention either scent in your comment, you will be randomly assigned to one pool. If you say "both" or "either" you will be randomly assigned.
My special and highly-scientific method of drawing a winner will be having each of my daughters pick a name out of a hat or bowl or boot or whatever type of vessel I can find on Christmas Eve.
Mandy will ship the prizes to the winners.
If a winner does not reply in a reasonable amount of time (let's say one week from the date of the drawing) I will select another winner.

Aftelier Week: Amber (a perfume review)

2011-12-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for skipping yesterday in Aftelier week, but I was pretty pooped after a long work day on Thursday followed by a busy day full of kindergarten holiday festivities! The two-day migraine didn't help, but you know what did? Generous doses of today's scent, Amber...

Amber

I feel the need to preface this review with a disclaimer: I, Jen, am an unadulterated amber 'ho. I loves me some amber. Spicy amber, soft amber, sexy amber, resinous amber... I love it all.

I have also discovered something: Sometimes the more I like a scent, the harder it is to write about it. A perfume like Cacao, which I admit to falling hard for, would be the exception because it contained an unexpected-to-me combination (bitter cocoa and an expansive jasmine) and because it's different from what I gravitate to. But for some reason I clutch a bit when reviewing an amber or an oriental perfume because those are my favorite types of scents - my "happy place" in perfumery.

I'm not going to go into a lengthy discussion of "amber" as used in perfumery. I find this article from Sorcery of Scent to be a great resource, as is this one from Perfume Shrine. Those interested in exploring amber perfumes further may be interested in sampling sets provided by The Perfumed Court: 6 unisex niche samples; 8 "men's" amber samples; 20 warm, seductive, cuddly amber samples.

Some of my personal favorites: Ambre Fetiche - saffron-colored silk (Annick Goutal)(my review here); Anne Pliska - classic feminine beauty; Amber Sultan - amber with an herbal bite (Serge Lutens); Ambre Narguile - foody apple-pie amber (Hermes Hermessence). And from the ambergris-amber category: Eau des Merveilles - salty skin and a little bit beachy (Hermes), Elixir des Merveilles - chocolate-orange being eaten on the beach (Hermes); Parfum des Merveilles -a more dense and rich version of Eau des... plus a little more (Hermes); Bal a Versailles - dead-on sexy with civet and other skanks (Jean Desprez).

The Amber Room (fascinating! read more here)

Yeah, that's right:
Amber is green, not "amber".
Whatcha gonna do about it? ;)

Scent Family: Amber Oriental
An ambery lavender spray with hints of pink pepper and bergamot, in a base of organic grape alcohol. The warmth of the fruity sweet grape alcohol and rich lavender absolute marries beautifully with the amber base. This fragrance is less complicated; easy to like for both men & women. -- "It is a truly unforgettable scent. You will wear and he will wear it; it will amaze you both." Beauty News.

Featured Notes
Top: mandarin.
Heart: lavender absolute.
Base: labdanum.

Uh-oh. Amber is classified as an "amber oriental". Double-whammy anti-review mojo in effect! I'll try to step it up.

Although I love the "featured notes" list that Mandy Aftel provides in her scent descriptions, I find this one to be slightly misleading. No, of course she's telling the truth, but by reading the list I would have expected a soft, cuddly, soft breath of a scent and that's not exactly what Amber is...

Do I love labdanum because of the goats?
Probably.
source: Doc Elly

Amber by Aftelier Perfumes is a bit peppery but still smooth. I described Ambre Fetiche as being like silk. If that's true, then Mandy's Amber is a raw silk - soft, classic, but a little more rough.

Labdanum is often cuddly and slightly sweet. When wearing some labdanum scents, I sometimes think I hear kittens purring. With Amber, though, they aren't kittens: they're lions.* Amber is just a little more dangerous than a kitten. The pepper gives it spice and a little bit of a deeper warmth than some other ambers.

*I know lions don't really purr,

but just please go with it for now...

I cannot pick out the distinct notes in Amber. The lavender is not overt. It's not herbaceous nor medicinal and easy to pick-out. I do not register a lot of citrus, though mandarin and bergamot are listed.

Amber was my immediate favorite of the samples I got to try from Aftelier Perfumes. Cacao has vied for that top spot (it's the amazing juxtaposition between the cocoa and jasmine - I can't help it!), but Amber is holding strong. What can I say? I'm an amber 'ho, and Mandy's is one of the best I've smelled.

Aftelier Week: Parfum de Maroc (a perfume review)

2011-12-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

image source

Another day, another pretty perfume from Mandy Aftel. I am surprised I picked this many spicy food-like scents to sample. I can't get over it. Happy accidents happen, though, and I'm pretty excited with my choices.

Parfum de Maroc

Parfum de Maroc is another spice-dominated blend, but not really similar to the last scent I reviewed, Memento. That was a beautiful blend of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and rose that reminded me of an apple-less mulled cider. While Parfum de Maroc has some of the same notes found in Memento, like rose and nutmeg, it takes spices on a different route*.

*Do you see what I did there? Spice.... route.... Get it? Aw, nevermind...

Scent Family: Spicy Floral

Inspired by an ancient Moroccan spice recipe Ras el Hanout or "top of the shop" - a mixture of the best spices a seller has to offer. Traditionally having many dozens of spices, I took creative liberty to include the ones that would blend beautifully in a perfume. My recipe is based on Turkish rose, a smoothing element that takes some of the edge off the spices, like galangal, nutmeg absolute, and black pepper; it massages them into a rounded softness, finished off with the freshness of bitter orange. Built on a base of myrrh and cardamom, I layered the spices vertically throughout the perfume.

Featured Notes
Top: saffron, galangal.
Heart: Turkish rose, nutmeg.
Base: cardamom, myrrh.

When reviewing Memento, I tried to express how beautifully blended and non-spicy the spices were. I don't find Parfum de Maroc to have a burn or fire, but there's a pepperiness that set it apart from Memento. It's warm, though, not hot. Comforting. It's more sultry than fiery.

Mandy's inspiration was Ras el Hanout, a complex blend of spices from Morocco. Like a master olfactory chef, she settled the spices on a bed of Turkish rose. As seen above, she says the rose "massages [the spices] into a rounded softness". I couldn't have said it better. Round. Lots of curves and undulating arcs.

image source

I don't get a ton of development from this. That is to say, it doesn't shift from one thing to another between the time I spray it on and when it finally fades away. Like the picture above, the scent holds steady, the theme repeating throughout the scent, top to bottom. Spicy, soft, sultry; spicy, soft, sultry; spicy, soft, sultry...

via

There's a slightly resinous side to this scent, but it's subtle. It takes the rose and spices to a place that's truly unisex. Anyone can (and should!) wear Parfum de Maroc. But I warn you: once the spices get the blood flowing a bit and the rose takes hold, the sensuality of this perfume really begins to take hold... It whispers. It gently shifts, moving slowly... seducing...

Parfum de Maroc calls you closer by staying close to the skin. It curls softly, like a fallen tendril of hair that just begs to be tucked behind the ear. It beckons in the most subtle murmur, encouraging others to lean a little closer to get a deeper sniff.

I really like Parfum de Maroc. It's beautiful. It's going on my next date night with me. I may not do the dance of the seven veils or belly dance or sit on luxurious floor pillows and eat on low tables, but the warm and languid feeling and that spicy, sultry seduction will do very nicely.

If it brings the right kind of fire, I bet hubby will be calling up Mandy and ordering a bottle! ;)

Side note: Maybe I have a Moroccan thang? I consider Morocco, a smooth and creamy spicy rose by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, to be one of my Top 5 of all time. I also adore L'Air du Desert Morocain by Andy Tauer, which is a very dry, spicy wind (it's probably a Top 5er, too). Now I find this lovely Moroccan-inspired scent by Mandy Aftel. Maybe I really need a trip to Morocco? I think there's room in my stocking for a plane ticket. Oh, Saaaannnnntaaaa....!

perfume sample provided for consideration

my opinions are my own

Aftelier Week: Memento

2011-12-14T04:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I laboriously established the fact that I do not consider myself "a gourmand fragrance lover". I am here to eat my words again. Mandy Aftel has broken me. I looked in the mirror this morning and hardly recognized myself.

Memento

In college, clove cigarettes were all the rage. Does anyone smoke them these days? I used to love the smell of them. Not only did they seem exotic and ~~pretentious~~ sophisticated, they were a little odd and being a little odd has always appealed to me. I tried to smoke them a few times, but they were cruel to my asthma in ways my Marlboro Lights weren't*. Plus, there was a sickly feeling and a headache that came along with them that I didn't experience when standing near someone else smoking them.

*I see the irony. I also am not mystified as to why my asthma
and chronic bronchitis virtually disappeared
when I quit smoking 7 years ago.
But what can I say? It was college.

Every New Year's, my parents have a party that usually includes some mulled cider. I love the smell of the spices swirling around in there: cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, a slice or two of orange... Delicious!

Being drawn to Aftelier Perfume's Memento was a bit of a no-brainer for me, anti-gourmand feelings aside.

Scent Family: Gourmand

Warm winter spices featuring smoked cinnamon and antique clove built on a base of tonka beans and vanilla. The elegant floral heart features jasmine sambac and Turkish rose.

Featured Notes:
Top: antique clove, bergamot, blood orange.
Heart: cinnamon, rose, jasmine sambac, nutmeg.
Base: choya, tonka bean, vanilla.

When first applied - and a little goes a long way, mind you - Memento is that swirling pot of cider (minus the apple). Mandy's blood orange note** -which was present in Cacao in the most stellar and more prominent way- is really, really gorgeous. It's here, lightly, wrapped in cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

The jasmine sambac and rose heart are lovely, but again, the florals aren't as apparent as in Cacao, which is at once a gourmand and a beautiful floral. Here, in Memento, they support the spices without taking over. They lift them up beautifully, in fact, so the spices don't become too heavy and oppressive (no sickly feeling and headache here!).

I'm not sure how, but Memento is not spicy, either. Bear with me while I explain. Sure, there's spices - clove, cinnamon, nutmeg. But it's not hot-spicy. There's no burning tingle, no peppery heat. It's not really super-foody, either. It does not remind me of bread or cake or baked goods of any kind (<--your mileage may vary). In a way that sort of defies description (at least by the likes of me), this is a lovely blend of non-spicy spices. It's a snuffle of the spice rack without the burn. Memento is rich, layered, familiar, and exotic but not hot or fiery.

The way the the spicy-but-not-hot blend and florals fade is quite beautiful, courtesy of that mellow and pretty tonka + vanilla base. This scent lasts the shortest amount of time of the Aftelier Perfumes I've reviewed this week so far - maybe 3 or 4 hours. I really don't mind - it gives me a chance to reapply and experience it all over again.

PS: I bet this would layer beautifully with Cacao... must give that a go ASAP!

Am I now a gourmand perfumer lover? Who am I? What is happening?!

How many of you are paying attention? I will be offering up a little Aftelier giveaway this weekend, courtesy of the lovely Mandy Aftel. Stay tuned...

sample provided for consideration by the perfumer

my opinions are not influenced by that, but my appetite may be.
photo credits: spoonful of cloves, mulled cider, Augustus Gloop
The photo of Memento clearly belongs to Aftelier Perfumes. Duh.

Aftelier Week: Cacao

2011-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

I do not generally care to smell like food.

Gourmand fragrances are not a genre to which I tend to gravitate. That makes sense, since I do not generally care to smell like food.

There are exceptions. The yeasty note in En Passant is to-die-for, though I wouldn't consider that perfume "a gourmand". When it comes to bread, you can't beat Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. Now that's a scent I really adore --- but I never pick it up and wear it.

I enjoy the coffee notes in Cafe Noir by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and in New Haarlem by Bond No. 9. Those two, yeah - I'll wear them. They're fabulous. Cafe Noir is my preference, though if a bottle of the Bond scent fell in my lap I wouldn't swap it away.

I find that vanilla appears as a listed note in many a scent I enjoy, though that doesn't necessarily make them gourmands.

I think Angel (Theirry Mugler) is a really interesting scent. I really, really like it. As with many perfumistas, though, I don't like to wear it. This is in part because a lot of people wear it and I don't want to smell like other people. I also don't enjoy wearing anything that is likely to drive people towards their migraine medicines, and Angel seems to be one of those scents that the anti-perfume crowd can recognize immediately. So, no Angel for me in public. Truth be told, I never spray it at home, either.

To summarize: I enjoy reeking of coffee or bread. I like vanilla swirled in my perfumes, but wouldn't like to walk around smelling like vanilla extract. I do not care to smell like any other food.

What ever possessed me to sample Mandy Aftel's Cacao?

I mean, it's right there in the name: we know we're going to get some chocolate going on. I must have bumped my head when I agreed to this...

But request it I did, and here we are. And I'm oh-so-glad we are.

Aftelier Perfume's official description of Cacao is this:

Possibly the world’s most seductive form of chocolate, with jasmine and blood orange. I create the chocolate alcohol that is the foundation of the perfume. I tincture very aromatic organic cocoa beans from Costa Rica, hand-selected by master chocolate-maker Steve DeVries, along with some very floral Tahitian vanilla beans. Using both grandiflorum and sambac jasmines, their richness marries well with the full chocolate base.

Featured NotesTop: blood orange, pink grapefruit.Heart: jasmine sambac & grandiflorum.Base: chocolate, vanilla.

Blood orange. Grapefruit. Jasmine. Vanilla. Chocolate. Vanilla. It seems so simple.

The first notes are akin to biting into a rich and masterfully-made chocolate candy when you haven't had one in ages. I experience that same heady feeling, that sensation of AHHHHHH....

It's a little like this...

... only add in unicorns and rainbows and orange sparkles and dark chocolate stars.*

*No, I don't know either - just go with it.

It's not super-sweet, like a store-bought candy. It's not like those nifty chocolate oranges that you whack on the table (<---how cool are those, by the way?). It's not even like those delicious orange peels dipped in dark chocolate (<---also delectable. is anyone else getting hungry?). Nope. The opening to Cacao is the finest dark chocolate, heavily bitter and cocoa-y, wrapped around an orange cream center made with really special orange extracts.

After about 5 minutes, this heavenly chocolate-orange swirling feeling fades and you're suddenly standing on a beautiful patio with one of those orange chocolates in one hand and a glass of something bubbly in the other.

Did I mention the patio is surrounded in blooming jasmine?

It's like this.
Don't be jealous of my art skillz. It's bad karma.

The jasmine in Cacao is amazing. Simply sublime.

And eventually the cocktail party winds down and you're left with vanilla-tinged jasmine and, eventually, just really lovely memories -- and a little craving to do it all again.

Blood orange. Grapefruit. Jasmine. Vanilla. Chocolate. Vanilla. It seems so simple. I'm sure it wasn't simple at all. If it were truly simple, it would have been done this well before. It hasn't been. Cacao is one-of-a-kind. Truly masterful.

This is a gourmand I'll wear. A lot.

sample provided by the perfumer

though the opinions here are my own

Aftelier Week: Haute Claire (a perfume review)

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hi, pumpkins. What a Fall it has been... I'm not one to wish time away, since I know we have so precious little of it, but I'm pretty ready to shoo 2011 into the past and greet 2012 with welcome arms!

I got some samples of scents from Aftelier Perfumes recently, from the lovely Mandy Aftel. I enjoyed putting them on and sniffing them and wearing them, and then, just as I was getting ready to write about them --- BLAM! A cold.

Not a cold, really. Some kind of something like a cold but magnified into some uber-cold that has no name. I'm not the only one to catch it, of course. It's going around. But what I most resent from the darn thing was that I couldn't smell for two weeks! I literally sat next to the little tin of Aftelier samples during that whole time. A few times I opened the little round tin they came in and touched the pretty little vials, but since I couldn't have smelled an angry skunk sitting on my lap, I didn't bother opening those little friends.

But now? Now I can smell! And thus begins a week of reviewing my new little pals from Aftelier Perfumes, with many thanks to Mandy for a) providing me with the samples, b) being patient while I didn't review them, and c) saying nice things to me while I was sick. The only thing that's better than indie perfumes are the perfumers themselves!

So, without further yammering on my part, let's move onto...

Haute Claire

Perfumistas may have been following along on my imaginary BFF's blog* as Mandy Aftel and Liz Zorn corresponded about and sort-of collaborated on new perfumes**. This series is dead-fascinating if you're a fan of perfume or just interested in the creative process. It's really compelling, and to sniff the finished product is a real treat!

ANYWAY, this scent I'm discussing today is the result of that correspondence. The challenge set-up by Mandy and Liz was to use both galbanum and ylang-ylang in a scent. Why those two ingredients? Well, the women decided to work around two ingredients they usually prefer to ignore or avoid. You've gotta love that idea, don't you? Two artists, masters of their craft, challenging themselves and pushing past blocks to create something new. Fabulous.

Liz noted in their correspondence that she hadn't created a galbanum perfume in around 15 years. Mandy realized she never had made one she ended up putting in her line and referred to the ingredient as "impressive", yet possessing a "sharp and thorny greenness". She even called it "a green razorblade". Liz called it " volatile and invasive".

via
Galbanum is green. Really green. It's also quite intense. I often sense it as high-pitched or sharp. It is also considered stand-offish by some, with scents that use it prominently to be thought of as cold or distant. You may have met it in any of these perfumes: Vent Vert (Balmain), No. 19 (Chanel), Chamade (Guerlain), among others.

Ylang ylang had been avoided by Liz for awhile, though she confessed to having liked it in the past. Mandy admitted its "creamy sweetness can be problematic". Zorn even admitted "It’s taking me some time to warm up to this Ylang Ylang. I wasn’t aware that my distaste for it had become so palpable."

via

Ylang is a white floral with quite interesting facets. Sometimes rubbery, at times super-sweet, even a little spicy, and once and awhile described as mentholated or having a wintergreen-like aspect. It can be heady. It can be fruity. Scents with prominent ylang ylang include: Private Collection Amber Ylang (Estee Lauder), Mahora (Guerlain), Joy (Patou), Black Orchid (Tom Ford), Songes (Annick Goutal) and countless others. Ylang Ylang is used in the most famous of perfumes: Chanel No. 5. It's also found in many of my most beloved perfumes including one of my "Top 5" scents, Amaranthine (Penhaligons). There it is paired with banana leaf to amazing (and to some, dirty-skanky) degree.

To me, Mandy Aftel's perfume birthed of this experiment, Haute Claire, is not at all what I expected. Being a fan of both galbanum and ylang, I was expecting to enjoy the scent. I do. But not in the way I had anticipated...

Haute Claire is both crisp and soft, cool and warm. The fresh edgy greenness of galbanum is offset by the creamy floral of ylang ylang edged with honeysuckle. The green and floral notes harmonize in perfect pitch, with neither dominating the other. A warm base of vetiver and vanilla provides a soft finish of sweet grass. - Mandy Aftel

Featured NotesTop: galbanum, Mexican lime, wild sweet orange, ylang ylang co2.Heart: honeysuckle absolute, ylang ylang extra, clary sage.Base: vetiver, ethyl phenyl acetate***, vanilla absolute.

I expected Haute Claire to be sharply green. I often find galbanum piercing, but I do enjoy it. Beauty is pain/ Pain is beauty? I also figured I'd find a rich, buttery, thick ylang in this scent.

Cue the game show buzzer that signifies a wrong answer. Hit it a few times for good measure.

Instead, I revel in a rich, round green opening - tinged with a delightful lime. My skin has a tendency to rearrange notes, so the dry and arrid grassy vetiver blows through the opening of this perfume and is completely missing from the drydown.

Haute Claire becomes even rounder as it develops, which it does slowly - inch by inch. I never get much honeysuckle, though the clary sage wends its way through the first few hours of the perfume's development. I'm on the fence about that. The rich muskiness borders on objectionable for me (some people find it to smell like sweat socks, though I wouldn't go that far!).

I was expecting Haute Claire to be electric green. It isn't. Ylang balances the galbanum, creating a full-bodied mossy green experience, "mossy" here referring to the shade of green and not to actual moss as an ingredient. The clary sage keeps me on my toes, and I don't settle into this scent until, hours after application, the perfume itself settles down into a stunning and sexy ylang-vanilla that's nearly edible. Before that, though, I do not enjoy Haute Claire when I sniff my wrist. Oddly, I adore it when I turn into my own (minimal) sillage.

Did I mention the scent gets its name (as suggested by the aforementioned imaginary BFF, this perfume's "midwife") from a sword in "The Song of Roland", a 12th Century French poem? While I disagree with this scent's description as "high and light" (to me, it's low and beautifully shady), I completely understand the reference to the sword, which must have perfect balance to serve its handler well.

I enjoy a perfume that challenges me, just as Mandy Aftel seems to have enjoyed the challenges she and Liz Zorn set up for themselves when creating their scents for this project. Haute Claire is the best kind of challenge - it's not what I expected it to be. It's more. It's a really well-done blend of two ingredients that should fight against each other, and yet here they find balance and a kind of peace. The pull of the languid ylang provides the perfect counterpoint to the razor's edge of galbanum (to borrow Mandy's metaphor) just as the heft of a sword must be perfectly matched with its sharp edge and point.

Have you tried Haute Claire? Any other of Mandy's scents? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments! I'm interested to hear them.
And stay tuned: more Aftelier Perfume reviews are on their way. In fact, there will be one here tomorrow!

*If you aren't reading Nathan Branch, what are you doing with your free time?
**Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4

***According to what I read on Scent Hive , ethyl phenyl acetate is sometimes derived from petroleum, but the one used by Mandy is not. Hers comes from "is an isolate from fruit, wine or whiskey."

Italian Splendor by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum (perfume reviews)

2011-11-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

This collection of scents - 6 in all - both frustrates and delights me. It's called Italian Splendor, and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz created it as an olfactory accompaniment to a visual arts collection called Cities of Splendor: A Journey Through Renaissance Italy.

This blending of perfume and paint is nothing out of the ordinary for Ms. Hurwitz (aka "DSH"), herself a painter and jeweler in addition to being a world class perfumer. DSH paints in "my style"*, a version of Abstract Expressionism**. The style is often a visual expression of thoughts or feelings without much -if any- figurative representation. The style is loose, maybe primal, often intense, highly subjective for the viewer and, by definition, emotional. Does that sound to any of us like perfume?

So for DSH, the art-perfume connection is strong. It was probably natural for this collaboration between her and the Denver Art Museum to come about.

*Yeah, I paint sometimes. I love it.
I wish I had time, money and space to do more!

**Think Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock,
Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning,
Helen Frankenthaler.
Those are some of my favorites,
but there were many whose work
is considered "Abstract Expressionism".

"It is far better to capture the glorious spirit
of the sea than to paint all of its tiny ripples."

- Jay Meuser, Abstract Expressionist

Denver Art Museum

Cities of Splendor

Cities of Splendor, the art exhibit, focused on the Italian Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries) and explored the styles specific to various regions of the country. Your time to view the exhibit is over, unfortunately, but the scents live on (as do the paintings, of course - just not all in one room at the moment!).

“We want to transport our visitors to Renaissance Italy, where cities such as Florence, Venice, and Milan played a major role in the development of this innovative, artistic style,” says curator Angelica Daneo. “During the 1400s and 1500s, Italy was not a unified country, but rather a group of independent states with different characters and artistic traditions. The exhibition will show how local styles merged with the innovative ideas coming from Tuscany, and resulted in distinctive styles and lasting examples of Renaissance art.”

[via Denver Art Museum]

Italian Splendor

Italian Splendor, the perfume collection, brought "the glory and richness of the greatest cities and art of Italian Renaissance to life in fragrant form." [via the DSH website]

There are six perfumes representing six Italian cities or areas:

Alba - "from across the Alps"
Adoration - from Milan
Divine Gardens - Mantua
Medici - Florence
Secreti di Belle Donne - Venice
Venus & Cupid - Siena

The Reviews
I have samples of all six of the Italian Splendor scents, which is where I'm getting that delight I mentioned at the top of this post. The frustration? I received these samples from DSH and almost immediately had them stolen from me. There is a special place in hell for perfume thieves, by the way. Dawn was sweet enough to send me a second pack of samples (thanks again, Dawn!) and I sampled them to review. And I wrote my reviews. And my computer -or Blogger?- ate my reviews. And I feel cursed! But the collection is amazing and so I am re-doing the whole shebang and, sadly, emptying my sample vials to do so.

[It's OK - Santa has my purchase order for Christmas! ;) ]

Here are the six scents and my impressions of them.
Each scent is accompanied by an image from the exhibit that Dawn chose to display with the scent.

Alba ("from across the Alps)

Flemish designer, active 1500's,
Military Scenes,
possibly from the story of Scipio Africanus,
late 1500's,
woven at a Brussels workshop
wool and silk tapestry,
Denver Art Museum,
Neusteter Textile Collection,
Anonymous Gift

Many wonderful works of Renaissance Art were created in Northern climes. Tapestries were known especially from the Flemish through France and into Italy. Alba was inspired by one such tapestry from the late 1500's, woven at a Brussels workshop. The tapestry is made of wool and silk and the fragrance has been designed to convey that subtle sense of texture. Alba also takes it's inspiration from alpine flowers, delicate flowering trees and a delicacy of the northern landscape, white truffle.

Top notes: Bergamot, Bitter Almond, Bitter Orange, Lemon, Petitgrain
Middle notes: Elderflower absolute, French Beeswax, Italian Neroli, Jasmine, Jonquil, Olive Flower,Orange Flower Absolute - Spain, Orris Concrete, White Rose Accord
Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Heliotrope, Virginia Cedar, White Truffle

The first few minutes are stupendous, morphing from one thing to another - all beautifully blended and seamless.

Close attention allows me to pick out the lemon, the orange blossom, the jasmine and rose - but if my attention wavers for a moment I am refocused on a beautiful and gently swirling "floralocity". Slowly a slightly powdery nuance is folded in, gently - as if cooking the perfect mousse. The powder and florals continue to soften into a lovely and light woody-earthy drydown.

I can't imagine a better representation of tapestry work, by the way. The way the notes blend but somehow also remain intact, they way they make patterns - it's all very clever. I do not see colors with things I smell (synesthesia), but even I can realize that the scent matches beautifully with the soft greys and earthy colors in the tapestry shown. Alba wears fairly close and fades after about 3 hours, but that only means I get to put it on again and experience those amazing top notes!

Adoration (Milan)
Bonaficio Bembo
active about 1444-78,
Adoration of the Magi,
about 1455-60,
tempera and oil paint on panel,
Denver Art Museum;
the Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Collection, 1957
167

Inspired by Bonifacio Bembo's "Adoration of the Magi" (about1455-1460) and Renaissance Milan's great wealth and status among cities. This fragrance depicts traditional Catholic incense, which is based on the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child: frankincense, gold and myrrh. Even during the Renaissance, these rare aromatic gifts of the East (frankincense and myrrh) were more costly than their weight in gold.
I have included a precious rose note to this design as well, to center the essence and to symbolize Mary.

Top notes: Angelica, Galbanum, Immortelle, Rosewood (bois de rose)
Middle notes: Bulgarian Rose Absolute, Eastern Lily, Red Rose
Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Australian Sandalwood, Frankincense co2 absolute, Labdanum No. 3, Myrrh Gum, Vanilla Absolute

Let me start by saying that as a former Catholic (12 years of Catholic school, Mass every weekend), I don't think of this as a church-y incense. At least, it's not church-y in the way that Armani Privé Bois d’Encens is. Boy, do I love that perfume! It's weird, though, because I don't really love the scent of an incense censer swinging down the aisle.

But Bois d'Encens is a BIG scent (with an even larger pricetag, by the way). This perfume, Adoration, is much quieter and more contemplative. It smells to me not of the burning incense during Mass, like Armani's scent, but rather of the church when no one is in it. It's the lingering scent of soft incense over the woods used to build the church and its pews. Soft florals hint at the perfumes of the women who bowed their heads while kneeling to pray and maybe even a breath of flowers from the arrangements on the alter.

This perfume is beautiful. It is one that helps me find my center, my place of calm. It has been a long, long time since I found comfort in the church - but this scent is my new comfort, my zen. It's perfect for soothing oneself after a bad day. It's a great sleep scent, too, though it's a shame to miss the drydown which is soft and floral and comforting with a dose vanilla and sandalwood to keep you nice and mellow. This would be a great thinking perfume, too, I suspect. I may grab it the next time I'm on the horns of a dilemma. It can't hurt.

Divine Gardens (Matua)

*Image is cropped*
Follower of Andrea Mantagna
[possibly Giralamo di Cremona],
active 1460's,
The Triumphs of Fame, Time and Divinity
about 1460
Tempera on panel
Denver Art Museum
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress
Foundation 1961.
169.2

Inspired by the allegorical image, "The Triumphs of Time, Fame and Divinity", by a follower of Andrea Mantagna, Divine Gardens not only speaks to the imagery in the work but also Mantua's exquisite homes and gardens of the wealthy and powerful.This green and glorious fragrance is my first green chypre utilizing a tomato leaf note.

Top notes: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Green Mandarin, Spearmint, Sweet Basil, Tomato Leaf, White Thyme
Middle notes: Bulgarian Rose Otto, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Muguet (Lily of the Valley), Sylvestre Pine, Tagettes, Violet
Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Balsam Fir, Brazilian Vetiver, East Indian Patchouli, Musk, Orris Root

This perfume urges me to walk in the woods, breathing in the scents of the trees and listening to the sounds of my footsteps.

Divine Gardens might be classified by some as "masculine" (I don't waste time on that nonsense). It certainly would be classified by most as "green". It's not galbanum-green, rather pine-and-herbs-green.

This perfume is clean, fresh and invigorating. It's also pretty linear on my skin (or to my nose). There's a lovely tomato-leaf note (I really love that in a perfume!) that runs throughout, though the herb-y top notes fade to pretty florals and eventually to a pine-y wood drydown. On me, this scent lasts for several hours and wears close to the skin with minimal sillage.

Medici (Florence)
Follower of Sandro Botticelli
1445-1510
Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap
About 1481
Tempera on panel
Lent by the Berger
Collection Education Trust
TL-17328
Natural
One of the most famous names in Renaissance Italy, not only among the mighty, wealthy and powerful but also among the fashionable and beautifully scented. They were known as a lavishly scented clan. My Medici perfume was not only inspired by this fabulously scented family but by a painting attributed to a follower of Botticelli called "Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap". The scent speaks to fiery red spice notes, deep woods and leathers that would have been found in any study of a young Renaissance aristocrat.

Top notes: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Citron Accord, Rosewood (bois de rose), Sweet Orange
Middle notes: Artichoke, Carnation, Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Green Peppercorn, Origanum, Red Rose, White Thyme
Base notes: Amber, Ambergris, Leather, Moss, Orris, Peru Balsam, Tobacco Absolute, Virginia Cedar

One isn't supposed to have favorites when it comes to kids or relatives, but with things like ice cream or shoes it's OK. It is also OK to have a favorite perfume from a collection. If it wasn't ok before, then let's make it so! And this scent, Medici, is my favorite from the Italian Splendor collection.

The Medici family were great patrons of the arts, and if they were "fashionable and beautifully scented" to boot, I'm a huge fan. Hold on - I'm going to use this as an excuse to douse myself in this perfume again so I can talk about it even more intelligently than usual. ;)

The top of Medici is fairly classic - lots of bergamot and bright citrus. It immediately takes a turn to an interesting, peppery and spicy place. There are a few spicy, biting herbs, peppercorns, cinnamon and clove all assaulting my nose in an almost edible way.

The florals are buried under these spices - in fact carnation likely adds to the feisty melange. The rose serves to flesh out the scent and add a lovely, classic beauty.

I'm not sure I would automatically think of this perfume as "red". Instead, it's the most lovely ruddy leather tone. Speaking of leather...

There's leather and oakmoss in this baby! And I swear there's incense in there - is it a olfactory trick?

Medici's drydown is heavenly, though not in the way that Adoration is (see above). Medici is a little dirty, very earthy, and quite sexy. I don't think it projects much off the skin, but it lasts and lasts and lasts. The far, far, far drydown is a soft amber with the occasional flicker of leather, embers that stir up from time to time before dying back down.

If you are a fan of classic perfumes, leather scents, or grand Perfumes like Amouage you'll likely love Medici.
Secreti di Belle Donne (Venice)
Vittore Carpaccio
about 1465-1525
Portrait of a Lady with a Book
about 1495
oil on panel
Denver Art Museum
Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation
1961.168
During the Renaissance, Venice was at the height of it's power and luxury. Not only the global force for trade in Europe of exotic spices, fabrics and ships, but also for love and seduction through their beautiful Courtesans. A famous book of the period was called simply "Secreti"; a book of beauty secrets. My Secreti di Belle Donne perfume is inspired by the famous Courtesans of Venice and Venetian delicacies as well as the work by Vittore Carpaccio, "Portrait of a Lady with a Book".
Secreti di Belle Donne is a wonderfully rich and subtle perfume that speaks to the beauty preparations of the lovely ladies of Venice as well as the underlying erogenous scent of the lovers trysts.

Top notes: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Blood Orange (Sicily), Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cured Fruit (accord), Melon
Middle notes: Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Damask Rose Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute - Spain, Osmanthus, Saffron absolute, Sambac Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang
Base notes: Amber, Ambergris, Benzoin, Ciste Absolute, Civet, Honey Beeswax, Honey Musk, Vanilla Absolute

Secreti di Belle Donne is one of my absolute favorites from this collection.

Fresh on the skin, SdBD is a glorious honeyed fruit-creme with gentle spices. Ripe (over-ripe?) melon is tangled with citrus and fruit in a sensual, not terribly well-hidden metaphor for our young and luscious Belle Donne.

Almost immediately, that ciste absolute jumps in and stays pretty steady for the rest of the ride. I wear labdanum well - and strongly. It seems to love my skin. So maybe my experience with SdBD isn't what anyone else can expect? Regardless, it's lovely. Its sweet and nearly vanillic amber lends a great support for the rest of the notes.

This is a well-blended perfume that seems to be fairly linear at first blush but, after closer inspection is actually a subtle and complex creature. Using fruits and indolic florals (with their ripe fruit nuances) is a great trick, as it holds that lush quality in the forefront for most of the scent's development.

The drydown is where I expect we are meant to find out our Belle Donne's secret that has been hinted all along. This pretty and prim young woman hides her sexuality behind the proper trappings of upper-class decorum. The fruit and indoles that merely suggested are traded for ambergris and amber and civet - and the secret is out. Just dirty enough to tempt, but not so blatant as to be crass.
Venus & Cupid (Siena)
attributed to
Girolamo di Benvenuto
1470-1524
Venus and Cupid
about 1500
Tempera and oil on panel
Denver Art Museum
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
1961-1972
Inspired by "Venus and Cupid", attributed to Girolamo di Benvenuto, 1470-1524, the image and delightful scent are reminiscent of earlier Roman themes decadence and luscious natural sensuality. Venus and Cupid is a sensuous perfume filled with floral fecundity and the nectar of the Gods.

Top notes: Acacia, Cassis Bud, Neroli, Vine Leaf
Middle notes: Centifolia Rose Absolute, Hibiscus, Honey, Sambac Jasmine,Tuberosa, Wisteria
Base notes: Amber, Fig Leaf, Moss, Sandalwood

Venus and Cupid opens with a creamy green and citrus swirl.

Florals come into play, green and rich. A very fresh figgy greenness is also quite apparent. This perfume is probably best described as "ripe". Not in that slang way that has a negative connotation, but in the traditional way the word is used: ripe, like fruit ready to be picked.

Even to the end, many hours later, when it is a soft and slightly-powdery amber, Venus and Cupid still seems fresh and full. It is that quality that makes this scent seem comforting. I can see the connection Dawn is making to "natural sensuality". This is not a sexy-dirty scent, but there is an almost innocent and unaffected natural quality that truly does seem sensual and free.

"Today painters do not have to go to a subject matter outside of themselves.
Most modern painters work from a different source.
They work from within."

-Jackson Pollock, Abstract Expressionist

I was completely surprised to find all six of the Italian Splendor scents not only "good" but GREAT. I am definitely "a DSH fangirl". I admit it. But not even fangirls expect to like everything from a sizeable collection. Admiration doubles, though, when it happens.

I wonder if DSH's connection to art, to the raw emotion of Abstract Expressionism specifically, is why she is such a talented perfumer? Do her Muses connect directly to her soul enabling her to so perfectly express the concepts and ideas she has dreamed up?

I don't know. All I know is these scents are exquisite. I am adding Medici to my stash as soon as possible - if not immediately! And Secreti di Belle Donne, Adoration, and maybe even Alba and Divine Gardens are soon to follow. I'm delighted by them all - and frustrated when I look at these now empty sample vials. Sigh...

Have you tried these scents? Why the heck not?
Do you like Abstract Expressionism? What is your favorite artistic style? Have you been to Italy? Don't I smell amazing right now with all of these perfumes on me?*

*Yes, I do! ;)

Under the Harvest Moon - BPAL (a perfume review)

2011-11-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

via

UNDER THE HARVEST MOON
Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

Blue and white musk, summer roses, wild crimson leaves, grey amber, carnation, lavender bud, and vanilla bean.

What a beautiful poem. And a suitably beautiful scent to pair with it! Under the Harvest Moon is another "vintage" perfume from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Two years in the bottle have served it well, as the musks have mellowed and the carnation, lavender, and vanilla have melded into a sweet, soft, cozy blend.

I'm going to share a few things this scent is not:

It is not a cold scent, as the moon reference might imply.
It is not a spicy scent, as the "Harvest" reference might imply.
It is not a synthetic and plastic musk scent. These musks are gentle and sweet.
It is not a rose soliflore. The rose is soft and well- blended.
It is not an animalic scent. The grey amber (ambergris) and musks are not "skanky".
It is not a spicy scent. The carnation is tamed.
It is not an herbal or medicinal scent. The lavender is sweet, subtle, and pretty.
It is not a gourmand. The vanilla softens and sweetens but does not smell "foody".

Under the Harvest Moon is peaceful and restful. It is a snuggle scent or a sleep scent or a scent to grab when you're looking for comfort. It is a pretty scent, appropriate for almost any occasion. It is beautiful.

It reminds me a little of the scent of my very favorite BPAL: Morocco. The lavender and rose in Under the Harvest Moon (UtHM) add a twist to the carnation and musks of Morocco. UtHM is the slightly sweeter and softer of the two, but they both evoke the same mood - and adoration!

It is also a limited edition from 2009. Maybe I should have undersold it? ;)

Bite Me. (Another Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oil review)

2011-11-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Bite Me.

As in:

Not as in:

From a vampire-themed Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab update in 2009.

The description:

Croquembouche with almond silk and a drizzle of caramel.

This is a croquemboche:

So this is what I expected Bite Me to smell like:

But this is what it does smell like:

Which makes me need:

And then I need to:

So I keep Bite Me in a drawer, unused.

image sources: bite me card; bite me mask; Croquembouche; cream puff; caramel; chocolate (it's actually a lamp!); cough syrup; aspirin; doctor scrubbing

Halloween is here! Sugar Skull (2010) by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (a perfume review)

2011-11-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we looked at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Spooky - a suitable choice for a spooky day. Today, what choice do we have but to talk about Sugar Skull? It is the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), isn't it?

About Sugar Skulls
Sugar skulls are used in the celebrations of this holiday, Dia de los Muertos, in Mexico. They were originally representational, meant to resemble a deceased friend or family member, as a tribute to that person. Indeed, they may still be used that way today, but also have become a symbol for the holiday.

Mexican sugar skulls are colorful, as is the holiday itself. Handmade sugar skulls are ornate and time-consuming to make, though most are machine-made now. The pressed sugar is shaped like a skull and icing is used to decorate it.

Read more about The Day of the Dead on Simply Pretty.

Sugar Skull perfume oil
It's clear what the inspiration for this perfume is. But how is it carried off? Here's the BPAL description of the scent:

SUGAR SKULL
Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

My fear, when I first sampled this scent last year, was that it was going to be a tooth-achingly sweet sugar bomb. How could it not be? I imagined Pink Sugar (Aquolina). I do not like Pink Sugar. In fact, Pink Sugar sets said teeth on edge like little else can. I do not "do" sugar scents well.

But I'm an avid Day of the Dead fan and Beth Barrial, the perfumer at BPAL, is a very talented woman (though she has made some scents too sugary for me before.). I boldly opened the vial.

Surprisingly, Sugar Skull is not a cavity-creator. How can 5 sugars (five!) be blended with fruit and come out without smelling sickeningly sweet? I don't have any idea. Ask Beth.

On me, Sugar Skull is a warm sugar. Soft, maybe toasted or perhaps melted like the sugar on top of a creme brulee. I thought maybe it smelled of brown sugar, but after sticking my nose in my counter canisters, I can't say it resembles any sugar I have. See the research I do for these reviews? On me, this sugar isn't plastic-y or chemical-y.

There's a soft but not shrill fruit here, too. I am thinking maybe plum? It's round and full, but not overt. Hard to distinguish what it is.

Whatever the combination of sugars and fruits, this is a warming and reassuring scent that is not overly sweet or sticky. On me, neither element, fruit or sugar, is plastic-y or chemical-y. I really, really love it. I wear it often when I'm cold, depressed, or just feeling alone.

From what I understand, the 2010 version of Sugar Skull (the one I own) may be a little less sweet than earlier versions. If you can give input on that, let me know in the comments! All I know is I won't hesitate to purchase Sugar Skull again when it comes back.

This year, The Lab didn't release Sugar Skull. Instead, these are their 2011 Day of the Dead-inspired perfume oils:

LA CALAVERA CATRINA
The Lady of the Graveyard! Autumn leaves, wild roses, bourbon vanilla, dry chamomile, and a bouquet of bright chrysanthemums and Mexican marigolds.

MICTECACIHUATL 2011
Known as the Mistress of Bones and the Lady of the Dead, she is the Queen of Mictlan, the Aztec Underworld, who still presides over today's Day of the Dead rituals. Sometimes known now as La Huesuda, she brings peace and joy to the spirits of the deceased, and blesses the living who do honor to those who have passed before them.
Copal, precious woods, South American spices, agave nectar, cigar tobacco, and roses.

BPAL: Summer's Last Will and Testament (a perfume review)

2011-11-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Golden Field Farmall - Cheri Simmons

SUMMER'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

via

What pleasure always lasts? No joy endures:
Summer I was, I am not as I was;
Harvest and age have whitened my green head;
On Autumn now and Winter must I lean.
Needs must he fall, whom none but foes uphold.
Thus must the happiest man have his black day:
Omnibus una manet nox, & calcanda semel via lethi.
This month have I lain languishing abed, ...
Looking each hour to yield my life and throne;
And died I had indeed unto the earth,
But that Eliza, England's beauteous Queen,
On whom all seasons prosperously attend,
Forbad the execution of my fate,
Until her joyful progress was expired.
For her doth Summer live, and linger here,
And wisheth long to live to her content;
But wishes are not had when they wish well.
I must depart, my death-day is set down; ...
To these two must I leave my wheaten crown.
So unto unthrifts rich men leave their lands,
Who in an hour consume long labor's gains.

Doomed summer, supported on the shoulders of winter and autumn: citrus-infused Baltic amber, red valerian, marigold, blood orange, and sunflower subdued by somber myrrh and dry geranium alongside the leaves of autumn and a breath of winter wind.

Summer has ended. (In fact, at this point, the harvest season is pretty much over.) But we can still celebrate this transition of "doomed Summer". Or, we can at least celebrate this perfume!

Summer's Last Will and Testament, by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, was an "Summer's End" offering in 2009.

It starts with a lot of citrus, but it's not too much. It's not synthetic or shrill. It's not eye-watering, either. There are moments where it's tottering on the edge of "furniture polish", though.

After a bit, a floral aspect comes into play - but I'd describe it as a dried flower type of smell. This makes sense for the story. I can't discern any specific flowers - I know marigold and I'm just not picking it up here. I do pick up a tinge of geranium.

via

For much of the time this is on my skin, it evokes an herbal soap - or maybe one of those shops that sells pretty, handmade goat's milk soaps and dried flower arrangements? Summer's Last Will and Testament is not "soapy", though, rather it's the blend of florals and citrus that make me envision this shop.

The dry down is still, somehow, citrus-heavy. That's bizarre to me, since I'm used to the citrus notes burning up quickly, like a flame on a match. It does take on an ambery lean, though, but this is not a true amber scent in my opinion.

The whole experience of Summer's Last Will and Testament does create an impression of gold and amber.

I enjoy this scent, probably more than one could tell by the still-full bottle. I just don't seem to pick it up often. Maybe the next time I go shopping for goat's milk soap?

Halloween is here! Spooky by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (a perfume review)

2011-10-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

This delightfully SPOOKY image is courtesy of
Danille Tunstall, a horror photographer.
She's featured on my other blog today - so be sure to come on over and it out!

I love Halloween. Do you?

I love the crisp air of Fall. The leaves crunching underfoot. The sounds of kids laughing. The excitement over choosing a costume - and then executing it perfectly. If we're lucky, the smells of fireplaces burning and, of course, of candy.

So... why not celebrate this week with a series. The first series on This Blog Really Stinks! And no one does Halloween better than Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL), so that's where we'll start and that's where we'll stay. A week of Halloween. A week of BPAL!

All of my BPAL Halloweenies are "vintage" because I just couldn't swing a purchase this Fall - and that's majorly disappointing because I love Love LOVE BPAL Halloween. Sigh...

Anyway, vintage is good, too. And The Lab often re-releases scents of the same name so you can collect various vintages - like wine!

Today, there's no better place to start than SPOOKY (a spooky scent for a spooky day!). This is BPAL fan fave -a scent that many clamor for when it's released. But does it live up to the hype?

From what I can gather, Spooky was originally released in 2003. It went over well for many - love at first sniff! BPAL fans waited for a reappearance... They got one in 2005, then again in 2009 when the scent was "resurrected" for BPAL's anniversary celebration. I am reviewing the 2009 version today and can't speak to the difference between it and the earlier version - if there is one.

Spooky
A maddeningly festive blend of warm, buttery rum,cocoa, coconut, vanilla and a jolt of peppermint. It’s a sweet, decadent, slightly silly scent, reminiscent of rum-laced holiday cookies.

OK. I have to admit: that sounds weird. "Slightly silly". Yup. But it's also delightful, and my choice for today.

I never recommend sniffing straight from the bottle when dealing with --- well, with any scent, but especially BPAL. The genius of the scents usually needs skin to help it unfold. This bottle is all peppermint. A good start, but it doesn't really tell the whole story.

While peppermint is the first thing you smell when this oil hits your skin, it's not sharp or sweet. It's quite herbal, actually, like crushing the leaf of a peppermint plant between your fingers.

Then, moments later, a beautiful sweet and boozy smell swirls around, as if you were sucking on a butter rum candy when sniffing that peppermint plant. It sounds strange. It is. But it's also really, really beautiful. These odd combinations swirl and become a surprising melange of yum. Yes, you may quote me on that - and feel free to borrow that phrase. Let's make it a new thing, mkay?

Shortly, the coconut comes into play. The result, on my skin at least, is a strange cilantro-like smell! I happen to love cilantro, so this is great. The perfume actually wavers a bit, like a flame in a slow breeze. It changes softly from this cilantro feeling to fleshy coconut to a light peppermint, then back again to cilantro. After the initial few minutes, for me the butter rum is gone. I enjoyed it greatly while it was there, but don't miss it. The flickering candle flame is enough for me.

From the reviews I've read, most folks seem to concur with my description - well, maybe not the cilantro thing, but the peppermint-coconut description. Some people associate a little more strongly with Thin Mints (of Girl Scout cookie fame). What I noticed most clearly, though, is that this is one of those scents that must seems to be highly influenced by skin chemistry. It seems to be a love it or hate it scent with some complaining of the smell of plastic or suntan lotion gone bad. The rest are swooning.

I, for one, love Spooky.
I love Halloween. Do you?

What are you wearing for Halloween? Do you like cilantro? Which are your favorite Girl Scout cookies? Are you dressing up for Halloween? Are you hyped up on sugar? Let me know in the comments!

Mary Greenwell Plum - modern classic?

2011-10-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Mary Greenwell Plum. The name is whispered reverently in perfume circles. Mary. Greenwell. Plum. I feel a lot of pressure when reviewing a scent like this. The whispers... the laughing and pointing if I screw it up. Perfumistas are a vicious, hateful group*.

*This is a very blatant lie.
The perfume community is one of the most
lovely groups I've ever had the privilege to be a part of!

The Mary Greenwell website claims Plum is "A story of femininity and joy."

It goes on...

A classic chypre with a memorable modern twist. Plum begins the story of femininity and joy, a fragrance of uncomplicated chic and sensual warmth. Top notes of English plum, blackcurrant, peach, bergamot and lemon blend with heart notes of gardenia, tuberose absolute, orange flower absolute, rose absolute and jasmine absolute with a base of precious woods, sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli, amber and white musk complete the intoxicating scent that is Plum by Mary Greenwell.

To top it all off, I'm sure you saw those words that make the shriveled, evil little hearts of certain perfume fans race, beady eyes darting every which way:

A classic Chypre.

Oakmoss.

Big words, big fans, big expectations.

My thoughts
Disclaimer: I can count myself in that crew of oakmoss and chypre-lovers. And I'm talking about the heavy-on-the-oakmoss vintage chypres, not the modern kind with patchouli and a cast of supporting mossy characters. I like those, too, but to me "chypre" means the vintage kind.

Plum is not like those, but still a very good perfume.

It opens with strong fruit salad, heavy on the lemon and blackcurrant. I can't find any plum, but that's of no real issue to me. It's a voluptuous, unabashedly feminine in a very sweet and tart way. I kind of like that view of women: sweet but tart.

I begin to pick up the woods just as the florals make their entrance. There's something sweet there that supports them, like a cedar table under a very full vase of flowers. First you notice the orange blossom, then the higher-pitched gardenia. Jasmine and some well-behaved tuberose join in after awhile. And this stage is long-winded...

Luckily for me, the floral stage -long as it is- is also a little quieter than that fruity opening. I feel fairly... obvious, I guess, in the opening minutes of Plum. The heart of the perfume isn't exactly shy and retiring, but certainly more circumspect than the opening. On another happy note, the florals do not boss or bully; it's actually sweetly feminine and very pretty.

What I don't get, other than that breath of woods, is chypre. I can't pick up much oakmoss or even much patchouli. A soft amber muskiness ends the scent on my skin. It's a great ending, but not exactly capital-C Chypre stuff.

So, this modern chypre with the cult following --- what do I really think in the end? You know what? I like it. But I do not love it. At least, not enough to go through all of the hoops required to obtain a bottle. Apparently this one is hard to get out of England, and frankly even though I have a friend in London I just resent that kind of exclusivity and won't deal with it. Which tells you how much I didn't fall in love with Plum, I guess, or I'd toss my flimsy morals to the curb. I am a perfumista after all...

Are you a fan of Plum? How do you feel about modern chypres? The vintage ones?

Moon Valley by Escentual Alchemy --- Wow.

2011-10-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Half-dome Moonrise,

Sheldon Neill

I could have just left this post as-is with the headline, because it just about sums up my feelings. Instead, being a wordy little son-of-a-gun, I will keep running my mouth.

I really wasn't sure what to expect out of a perfume called "Moon Valley" (by Amanda Feeley's Escentual Alchemy). Something cold? Something distant? Something... I dunno why, but metallic?*

*I said I don't know why. Just go with it.

What I got, though, was a complete surprise!

Esscentual Alchemy's Moon Valley natural perfume opens with a hint of the dew that falls at night.

Following with a fresh heirloom muskmelon scent, and exotic herbs.
Mouthwateringly enticing. Next comes the smell of well-travelled luggage,
that has seen alluring, glamourous, and out of the way ports of call,
and has stood the test of time, and the rigors of the journey.

Ends with a spicy dry down.

Perfume Ingredients: Vetiver, Antique Oakmoss, Hyrax, Orris, Jasmine Grandiflorum, Lilac, Tuberose, Carnation, Peach Accord, Virginia Cedar, Natural isolate of Heliotrope

So, what did I actually smell?

There's lilac in that there perfume!

Hot damn! I do loves me a lilac perfume. This is no simple soliflore, though, which is good because those bore me quickly. I don't know if anyone else would jump to the lilac first, by the way, but I'm such a fan that I just can't help but note it!

The other florals makes Moon Valley nice and round, while the peachy-melon highlights the sweetness and gives it a little heft. And you know what? There's a little bit of that metal I was expecting - just a twinge of it in the orris (iris root). This is Amanda's personal "take" on the gone-but-not-forgotten Iris Gris (Jacques Fath), after all.

The mood for this scent is a happy one. It makes me feel happy and cheerful - and a little absurd because I keep sniffing myself.

This is the best kind of fruity floral and I think it's going on my Christmas Wishlist.

Moon Valley @Etsy; @Artfire

Have any of my readers tried Illamasqua's first scent - Freak?

2011-10-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I just love Illamasqua. The esthetic, the ethics, the clever and well-done products. And when I heard they're launching a fragrance... Well, I can't wait to try it.

Have you? If so, what do you think? If not, are you curious?

Elie Saab Le Parfum (A perfume review)

2011-10-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that dress? I think it's one of my favorite red carpet gowns to-date. Halle Berry is so fabulously gorgeous and so perfectly suited to the brilliant femininity of Elie Saab's gowns.

I've long been a admirerer of Saab's, so when I heard a perfume was going to carry his name, I was interested. When I heard that it was designed by perfumer Francis Kurkdijian* well, it became a must-try.

Here's the spiel:
“Composed as an ode to light, ELIE SAAB Le Parfum celebrates the splendor and the brilliance of radiant femininity with a floral solar woody theme. The permanent exchange between flowers and wood is what gives the fragrance such captivating resonance.”

And here are the notes:
Orange blossom, jasmine (Grandiflorum and Sambac), rose honey, cedar, patchouli.

And here are my thoughts:
I think I like it. I can see the relationship between this scent and light, and I can see how it suits the Elie Saab esthetic. It's bright, it's feminine, it's pretty. In fact, it's womanly. Just like Saab's gowns. It brings out some lovely floral facets that really say "woman" but grounds them in the modern fashion with some fairly strong woods.

It's not terribly ground-breaking - I'm sure plenty of smarter and more experienced perfumistas can line up a list of scents this one references. I don't know that creating Le Parfum stretched any of Kurdijian's olfactory or brain muscles. Then again, I'm not sure the brief asked for that. However, it seems to be a solidly-made perfume that will likely find a lot of fans.

I enjoy the initial blast (and it is a blast!) of orange blossom. There are other white florals in there, too, I believe. Definitely jasmine. Quite a bit of jasmine! And I suspect there's some gardenia maybe some tuberose. This is one of those "don't spray it right before you walk into the office" scents. You'll be the cause of a new no-scent policy, for sure.

Give it a little while -10 minutes or so?- and the orange blossom and jasmine party starts to die down a bit. The scent is still floral, but more at a more socially acceptable volume. That "rose honey" accord kicks in giving this a warmer, more friendly feel while still retaining maximum femininity. That said, I don't see why a man couldn't carry this off.

Throughout, sillage is present - maybe even overtly so. Le Parfum wears well, too, still wafting five or six hours after application - at least on my skin.

Some people report a strong patchouli taking over at this point, and I 100% smell the patch, but for me the one being pushy is the cedar. He's not my favorite, and this is the note that caused me to waffle for quite a long time on my review of Le Parfum. In warmer weather, the cedar pushes this perfume into a shrill place that I don't enjoy. In cooler air, it is less sharp and pointy.

It's this feminine floral vs. woody counterpoint that I just can't quite decide on. I enjoy tension in my perfumes - linear and straightforward is too easy. But I can't help but wonder if this technique has been overplayed here. I find the first half of Le Parfum's development so overtly feminine and round that it's almost difficult for me to swallow the edges of the drydown.

In the end, I'm still not sure how I feel about Elie Saab Le Parfum. I think I like it. That clearly means I don't love it. If I did, I'd be clamoring for a bottle, and I'm decidedly not doing that. I will wear my samples, though, and maybe even fork over for a decant.

*Here are just a few of Kurkdijian's best-selling and/or highly thought-of works: Green Tea (Elizabeth Arden); Le Male (Gaultier); Lady Vengeance, Miss Charming (both by Juliette Has a Gun); Narciso Rodriguez for her, Narcisco Rodriguez for Him; and his own well-received line.
Have you tried Le Parfum? Do you like it? Love it? How do you feel about cedar? Would you wear an Elie Saab gown?

Soothing frazzled nerves and getting your sexy on with Escentual Alchemy's Jasmine and Rose Solid Botanical Perfume.

2011-10-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

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There are times where I, as a PWF (Person With Fibromyalgia), need some calming and soothing. I always joke that I need a drink, but alcohol actually causes more trouble than it's worth: it messes with my sleep and dehydrates me. Neither of those things is helpful to me - or most anyone. Not that I'm saying having a few drinks is bad - far from it. But when I'm feeling out-of-sorts or ill, it's not the healthy choice.

What is?

I am surrounded by some lovely friends who are fierce advocates for aromatherapy. I know little about this amazing art, but I'm trying to be open to learning. It's not that I don't believe in it, rather that the fibro makes my memory so shaky that I can't remember which plants have which properties, which scents soothe which concerns. Recently I was hurting from a thrown-out back. Jasmine and rose were the primary suggestions my fabulous friends made, as apparently those scents are good for easing pain. I am kicking myself for not immediately remembering that I had the perfect thing handy...

Jasmine and Rose Solid Botanical Perfume Pot

Indian Jasmine Grandiflorum, is a heavy floral scent, with fruity and floral tones. Turkish Rose, has a soft floral scent, with fruity, floral tones. Jasmine and Rose are the ultimate aphrodisiac, exotic and sensual, floral, sweet. The King and Queen of Flowers blended together into one luxurious solid perfume!

One of those friends I mentioned had actually scent me this lovely pot of healing smells awhile back. She made it herself. Jasmine and Rose Solid Botanical Perfume, by Escentual Alchemy perfumer Amanda Feeley, is a straightforward blend of Indian Jasmine Grandiflorum and Turkish Rose (in a base of filtered beeswax, jojoba oil, and fractionated coconut oil).

Jasmine is thought to help promote sleep and rest. In what seems like a paradox, it also can ease depression, improve moods, give spirits "a lift", and add a little hubba hubba to your life (it's an aphrodisiac). Rose is known to be relaxing and soothing (remember how I sprayed that lovely rose hydrosol by En Voyage on my sheets and pillow?). It, too, relieves depression as well as helping to minimize stress and tension. Topically, it is apparently quite nice for soothing aching muscles*.

*It seems there are myriad ways to use these oils. I'm just scratching the surface, here!

So while I didn't have the right oils to apply topically to my aching back, I wonder if huffing this lovely solid perfume would have helped? My guess is yes, as today it seems to have calmed me (necessary with two kids with a fever-y headcold on top of their chickenpox) and somewhat soothed my pounding headache (from my own cold). Or maybe calming my spirit is what helped beat back the headache? Who cares which came first - it worked for me!

And here's some even better news: it smells amazing. At first, there's a blast of rose, but then it becomes and amazing blend of both flowers - soft, soothing, pretty. It's also kinda sexy, ya'll, so watch out! ;)

And even better? It's $15 for a pot.

What are your thoughts on aromatherapy? What ways do you use it? Are there calming perfumes you reach for regularly? Envigorating scents? What are your thoughts on solid perfumes?

Disclosure: a sample of this perfume was provided for consideration by the perfumer.
Please read my About Page for more information on my review policies.

Sniff sniff!

2011-10-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

I thought you might enjoy this illustration from Love Roccoco! It's named "Eau d`♥".
Isn't Vanessa talented? :)

L’Emblem Rouge eau de parfum and L'eau de Emblem Rouge floral water (perfume reviews)

2011-10-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

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I have gone on record saying I do not care to smell like a rose.

And then, in the same post, I immediately proved myself wrong. Multiple times.

Why is it, then, that I'm always concerned when I'm handed a rose-based fragrance? Why do I often ignore the rose scents I own?

Perhaps I need to talk to a psychologist about these things.

Needless to say, I danced nervously around my samples of Shelley Waddington's newest scents for her line, En Voyage Perfumes.

Why?

I'm an idiot and a slow-learner, I suppose. Also, I was a little confused by the fact that one of the samples I was sent was "a hydrosol". I had no clue what that meant and what I one was supposed to do with a hydrosol. I clutched under the pressure. Regardless, it was eventually time to (wo)Man Up.

Diving in...

Spice of Life rose

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L'Emblem Rouge edp

This perfume is the first in En Voyage's new Rubicon Collection of 100% natural scents. Reading that, if you expect this to be a limpid and wan creature you are going to be disappointed.

L'Emblem Rouge starts right out of the gate with a kick. The opening slightly-dark swirl of fruits and spices is really lovely. Like an Autumn squall, the early burst is relatively shortlived, though. The fire is soothed by the gorgeous floral blend in the center, most of which is ylang-ylang and rose on my skin (likely, these are the only notes I'm savvy enough to pick out). The drydown is a lovely, honeyed sandalwood and vanilla. I wish this scent would last all day, strong, but it doesn't. It's just not that kind of perfume. However, you can smell the drydown hours later - very close and soft. It's really quite a treat.

If you enjoy a spicy facet to your Fall perfumes, this is one to consider trying.

The official notes list:
Top Notes: Cassie, Mace, Cinnamon, Bitter Orange, Juicy Grapefruit, Green Pepper, Iranian galbanum, Violet, and Cistus
Heart Notes: Iranian Rose Otto, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope, French Jasmine sambac, Violet, and Honey
Base Notes: Guaiacwood, Sandalwood, Copaiba, Vetiver, Cedarwood Virginia, Tolu Balsam, Benzoin Siam, Tonka, Vanilla and Ambergris.

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L'eau de Emblem Rouge

First things first: I had to suss out what a hydrosol is. Basically, L'eau de Emblem Rouge is a perfumed water created by Master Distiller Dabney Rose. It was created by distilling the perfume with additional rose petals. It can be used to freshen your perfume (!), which comes in handy. It can also be used to enhance moisturizers with a spritz on the skin before applying your cream. Spritz it as a lovely, light-scented cool-off spray and you won't be sorry. Or, spray it on your linens, lingerie, or hair for a soft, fresh boost.

I was a little reticent to apply this to my face, mostly because my skin is irritated right now, and a little because I don't like a strong smell on my face - especially rose. I found that out ages ago when testing a rose-based skincare line. I did use it before body moisturizer and loved it - it also accented the rose-based scent I put on afterwards. Score!

I then tried this as a linen spray - directly on my bed and pillow. I'm in love with it. I was totally surprised, too, to find that my room smelled deliciously of lightly-spiced rose hours later. Impressive. But, it wasn't too strong on my pillow! Meaning, I could smell it and it was delightful, but it wasn't over-powering or distracting. Double-score! How did Dabney Rose and Shelley Waddington do it?

via

Speaking of Shelley, today is her birthday! Happiest of days to you, my dear. I wish you many blessings and I can't wait to try more of your line. You've hooked me!

xoxo,
jen

Gettin' your fashion on with Pantone 18-3027, also known as Purple Orchid (a perfume review - Escentual Alchemy)

2011-10-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

image: my own

Last Autumn, 13.87% of designers used this lovely pinked-purple in their designs during Fall Fashion Week in NY. ^source Don't look at me like that! I don't keep track - but clearly someone does. Pantone has been tracking color trends for a long time (since 1963), and predicting them, too. They picked #18-3027 as one of The Colors for Fall '10.

So did Amanda Feeley, natural perfumer and owner of Escentual Alchemy. While considering the Pantone shades of Fall (fashion navel gazing?) she wondered what this perfect shade of purple would smell like.

What's a natural perfumer to do when musings like that take over? Clearly, "make a perfume!" is the answer. And so she did, and named it the same as the inspiration: Purple Orchid (it trips off the tongue more smoothly than 18-3027, after all).

Now, I didn't have a chance to try this perfume until this year, Fall '11. I'm one year behind, as are my fashion choices. Don't worry, though. Unlike last season's handbag (please be sure to read that with a air of disdain, as typed), this scent won't embarrass you.

Purple Orchid smelled, when first applied, familiar. I couldn't quite place the scent, but I wanted to describe it as an upscale lollipop. I'm not sure why, though. I mean it as no insult - it's a beautiful scent! The first notes, though, at least on my skin, were sweet and nuanced and almost candied.

I fully expected this scent to evaporate off of my skin quickly, but a few hours later it's still lightly wafting. Wait? I forgot to tell you what it smells like once you lick to the middle of the lollipop, didn't I? Lovely waves of lavender and rose, that's what. Still sweet but not candy-ish. It's still got levels of interest that belie the meager list of notes: rose, lavender, white cognac. I'm still not sure what cognac smells like, but there are soft woods hiding in the drydown behind the delicate floral veil.

I love it.

Now to see about updating that handbag...

Amanda sells her perfumes on Artfire under the name "Absinthe Dragonfly".

A sample of this fragrance was provided for consideration for review.

Please read my About Page for more about my reviewing policies.

Cool Weather Cashmere! Donna Karan Black Cashmere & Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude (Perfume Reviews)

2011-10-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

I love it when the weather changes in the Fall, and I know I'm not the only one. Today is a perfect example: the air is crisp, the leaves have just started to change the slightest little bit, and I can smell - somewhere far off - someone's fireplace burning.

It's time to pull out my favorite jeans, lightweight sweaters, comfy long-sleeved tops and, of course, my boots.

It's time to switch to my Autumn scents!

This time last year launched my little perfumista lifestyle. In fact, it did it with one of the scents I'm "reviewing" today! Yup - the lynchpin scent. The one that I followed down the rabbit hole.

Designer Donna Karan created a scent that debuted in 1994: Cashmere Mist. She was inspired by the feel of cashmere against the skin --- who isn't? The notes for the scent are: lily of the valley, suede notes, bergamot, ylang ylang, jasmine Maroc, sandalwood, orris, amber, vanilla, cedarwood, patchouli, and musk. I can see the cashmere reference just from the note list! The suede, the soft but feminine flowers, the vanilla, sandalwood and musk... all are soft and cozy.

I haven't smelled it.

Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude

For whatever reason, Cashmere Mist's flanker, Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude, caught my eye last year. Or caught my nose. Is that weird to say? Certainly it's more accurate.

Anyway, I am probably responsible for emptying at least one tester at the local Nordstrom last Fall. I'd spray it (multiple times) every time I worked a freelance gig there. It was different from most of the scents I had tried, which weren't so soft and musky. I was obsessed.

Money was tight so I just couldn't justify springing for my own bottle when I was supposed to be saving for Christmas gifts! But it went on my own request list and -Wahoo!- Santa came through. Well, actually my husband came through. Thanks, honey!

I had Googled Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude (CMLN) a ton during the Fall, as only the obsessed can do. Maybe I was trying to figure out why it had such a hold on me? I'm not sure. Regardless, through my search I ended up finding all of the perfume blogs, the 'fumey communities, and all my new perfumista friends.

CMLN is obviously a flanker to the original. The notes included cyclamen, lily of the valley, orange blossom, Moroccan jasmine, jasmine sambac, ylang ylang, sandalwood, cistus labdanum, suede, amber, musk, benzoin, and tonka bean.

Not being familiar with the original, I can't really speak to the difference between the two scents, but from what I've read CMLN is softer, closer to the skin.

Indeed, it is what I'd consider a skin scent. It wears close, softly hugging the skin. I can understand the link to cashmere, indeed. The soft florals gently fade into an amber musk, and the scent lasts a good number of hours. I get a small amount of sillage (scent trail) from CMLN - enough to make me smile when I catch it. Copious spraying can build the scent to a degree, but it always stays light, subtle, and feminine.

It is probably not a terribly unique scent. I imagine more savvy perfumistas can name other scents like it, but I don't care. I really enjoy it, mostly in Fall. By the time Spring rolled around, I was not really enjoying it anymore. And there was my first lesson in "seasonal scents". I had never given much though to the fact that some perfumes worked better in warm weather, others in cool. I grabbed my bottle of CMLN a few days ago and gave it a tentative spritz. I was certain I had just fallen out of love with it, but no - it really, really works in the cool air. I'm glad I have it!

Black Cashmere

During my plummet down the rabbit hole, I kept investigating lists of "must-try" fragrances. Most of them were seasonally-oriented, and it was late Fall-early Winter. Naturally, Donna Karan's Black Cashmere came up on a lot of lists.

Apparently, Donna Karan wanted to create with this perfume the feeling of luxurious, sexy black cashmere. The scent has notes of saffron, masala spices, white pepper, clove, nutmeg, pimento berries, broom flower, patchouli, rose, incense, wengue wood, bois de miel, and labdanum.

The first time I smelled Black Cashmere, I was head over heels in mad, passionate lust! I had never, ever before smelled something so spicy (that wasn't food, that is). Had you asked me the day before if I wanted to smell like spices and incense, I would have laughed and said no. What a fool!

Black Cashmere starts, on me, with a blast of incense. Frankincense, I suspect, but I'm no incense specialist. There are nose-tickling peppers, too, and a little bit of clove. Where CMLN snuggles, making me feel cozy, Black Cashmere invigorates and makes me feel sexy! I want to pull on said black cashmere and some killer heels and go to a martini bar.

The snuggle factor does kick in later, though. Much later. Like, hours and hours later. The spices lower in volume like lights on a dimmer switch. A sweet woody amber begins to take control, softly and slowly. Black Cashmere is much more sensual and cozy at this point, but the mood is still a little spicy, so beware. This is from front to back a kickin' up a little trouble kind of scent!

Cashmere

I have to briefly mention those amazing bottles! I love CMLN's pink-champagne shade and the gracefully undulating flacon. It speaks well for the scent inside. Black Cashmere, on the other hand, is a glossy black pebble. It lies flat on the table and fits nicely in the hand. I have no perfume bottles like it and it's really rather cool.

Both of these scents from Donna Karan are cozy and snuggly. Both embody the concept of cashmere well, in my opinion. And both are perfect for this cooling weather - just as a cashmere sweater is the ideal topper in Autumn. Unfortunately for many of us (me!), good cashmere is a little unattainable. It's luxe in feel and in price. Unfortunately for us all, Black Cashmere and Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude are also a little unattainable. Both are no longer on the Donna Karan line-up, though you can still get both -- for now -- on eBay and from etailers. In fact, CMLN is still showing on the Nordstrom website. I may need a back-up bottle of both. They're that good.

What are your favorite Fall scents? Do you wear cozy musks? How about spicy ones? Do you think it's worth it for me to try the original Cashmere Mist?

Fragrance family tree: Kenzo Flower and Kenzo Flower Tag (perfume reviews)

2011-09-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Oh dear me, I do love some poppies. It's what makes me drawn to Flower, by Kenzo. Not that it smells like poppies, mind you, because poppies don't smell like anything, really. Wait... I'm getting ahead of myself. This is going to be a little discussion of two sisters - closer in relation than the last sisters I talked about here. These sisters are both from the Kenzo family: Flower and her newest sibling, Flower Tag.

Flower the skunk, from Bambi.

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Flower

Let's start at the beginning, with Flower. It was created in 2000 by perfumer Alberto Morillas and is now considered the flagship scent for the line. The Flower flacons, designed by French sculptor Serge Mansau, are iconic in my opinion. I'm sure you've seen them, even if you haven't smelled the perfume? They are elegant, sleek, subdued, but somehow quite eye-catching. I intend to buy most of the scents from the Flower line and think they'll make a lovely vignette on a dresser, don't you?

Just as the bottle is gently curving, pretty, and chic, so is the perfume inside. Flower is powdery violet and soft rose, reminiscent of vintage powders. Other notes include wild hawthorn, cassie, opopanax, white musk, hedione, and cyclosal, all of which add to that clean, streamlined, yet uber-feminine aura.

Flower wears long and well, losing it's initial bright and green crispness quickly but hanging around as a powdery second skin for ages. It's not over-bearing, but definitely present. I believe sillage is minimal, but when I cross my own path I can smell it - and it's soft, soothing, and lovely.

From what I've read, Flower is meant to be a tie-in between rural, country life (wildflowers) and city life. I think the bottle and scent both do this incredibly well.

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If you think that sounds good...
Which brings us to flankers. Naturally, since Flower does well, Kenzo had to spin-off the original with slightly-tweaked versions.

Flower Essentielle, from 2008, basically dials up the primary characteristics of Flower with notes of Damask rose, jasmine, vanilla, musk, black pepper, pink pepper and incense.
2008 also brought Winter Flowers, which used the same principal as the original but using flora typically found in the cooler season. Notes for Winter Flowers include Bulgarian rose, Parma violet, mandarin, violet leaf, mimosa, camellia, hellebore rose, patchouli, absolute vanilla, and white musk.
There have been occasional other seasonal versions of Flower, too: Summer, Spring... where's Autumn?!
There was a Flower Oriental (with notes of flowers, incense, violets, bulgarian rose, pepper, and vanilla) from 2005 - it has a black poppy on the bottle and box and I need it!
For the artists in the group, Flower Edition d`Artisteswhich, and correct me please if I'm wrong, was the same scent, just packaged and bottled differentlly: three painters (Pierre Mornet, Rebecca Dautreme, Lorenzo Mattotti) created special works for Kenzo .

I may be missing some flankers. Clearly, Kenzo knows Flower was a good thing and wants to capitalize on it!

And now they have introduced...

Flower Tag
Brand new this Summer (2011), Flower Tag still has that lovely new car smell. Wait! No, it doesn't! But it is new. The urban-country juxtaposition is still in play, but more urban-leaning. Tag references the art of graffiti, whose artists "tag" walls with their work.

Flower Tag is not identical to Flower (good, because what would be the point?!). It's - brace yourself - been made youth-friendly. Not for kids, mind you, but for that very special group of young adults who have plenty of expendable income. Luckily, this isn't PINK, but it is a fruity floral. I know that makes perfumistas reel, but hang on for a bit, ok?

Notes for Flower Tag are: mandarin, blackcurrant, rhubarb, jasmine, peony, lily of the valley, tea, vanilla and musk. It definitely starts with mandarin - a nice juicy blast. For awhile, that note predominates, which makes me happy. A sparkly and peppy mandarin is a lovely way to start the day. I never get much lily of the valley in this, but the tea adds a nice twist to the florals. As the scent ages on the skin, the tea gets stronger (at least on me) and almost hay-like, before settling down into a sweet and subtle musk.

As for that bottle I keep prattling on about, for this flanker it's red glass with graffiti-style tagging representing the iconic poppy and the word "flower" over and over and over. Pretty!

Vs.

Flower Tag is what I consider "a proper flanker". It's a tweaked version of the original, where the ties to the original are still apparent. So let's compare them, shall we? I have Flower on my right arm, Flower Tag on my left...

more Banksy. i'm addicted.

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Where Flower is soft and powdery, Flower Tag is brighter and sharper. Where Flower is classically floral, Flower Tag is... well, less so. It's not that peonies aren't classic, but they surely aren't on the same level as the delightfully retro violets and roses of the original. Where Flower wears forever, softly wafting, Flower Tag is not as tenacious and sits closer to the skin. However, both scents are fairly streamlined, both are chic, and both are wearable in most situations.

Both are well-done scents - clever, lively without being noisy. I suspect the "younger version" prose and "fruity-floral" descriptor will keep many a perfumista away, but I hope the tea note draws a few of them back. I think this is a pretty good perfume and I'm pleased to have it.

I will stop before saying "If you like Flower you'll like Flower Tag". I suspect if you enjoy fruity scents and you like Flower, you may like Flower Tag. I also think that if you enjoy the old-fashioned-modern twist of Flower and luxuriate in its powderiness, you may not like Flower Tag, because that just-opened-a-vintage-compact smell is not here.

Tell me: do you like Flower? Have you tried any of the other flankers? How about Flower Tag? And have you ever eaten those candied Parma violets?

PS: Wouldn't the Kenzo Amour and Kenzo Amour Indian Holi bottles look great on my dresser, too? :)

2011-09-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Warum has a horseshoe hanging from her neck and has already won a sample of this lovely scent. She suggested I redraw for the Pandora sample, and so I did. Congrats to our new winner, the lovely Muse in Wooden Shoes! Lady Muse, please email me at jen@beautyschoolblog.net so I can have Dawn mail you your sample.

Shalimar - the pink one. (A perfume review)

2011-09-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've gotta be honest with you: this perfume review has been hard to write. It's not that Shalimar Parfum Initial is terrible, which is why I usually have trouble writing a review. It's not really complicated, either, which often makes reviewing a challenge.

In fact, I really like Shalimar PI! It should be easy to write this puppy up!

So I settled down at the park this morning, while Lulu played. That lasted 3 minutes. Literally. My writing time and the kid's slide time were ruined by some nasty yellow jackets. They wouldn't leave us alone!! A ringing endorsement for Shalimar PI, though, right?

Anyway, I was thinking about how to describe Shalimar Parfum Initial and then I started thinking of that kid from grade school. You probably had one like her in your school. She had an older sister who was going through school just a few grades ahead. The problem, if you want to call it that, was that the big sister was good at everything. And I do mean everything. Honor Roll. Soccer star. Musical prodigy. She could even glue felt without making a mess. She had it all!

So when the younger sister hit the school, all of the teachers knew what to expect: excellence! Only... having an older sister, or cousin, or father, or grandmother who is good at something doesn't mean we are. Nowadays we, I hope, realize that everyone learns differently. Everyone has different talents and different challenges. That poor little sister had a lot to live up to, and sometimes she did - but sometimes she didn't. And that's ok. She was pretty awesome and a lot of fun!

Which brings us back to Shalimar Parfum Initial. As the name suggests, it's meant to be a version of Guerlain's famous Shalimar. Talk about living up to your big sister! First of all, she's quite a bit older. She launched in 1925. And she's not just successful - she's iconic. Love her or hate her, she's a legend!

As a side note, Shalimar also outshines her older brother! Jicky, which I actually love even more than Shalimar, was created in 1889 by Aimé Guerlain. It was a unisex scent, as were they all at the time, possibly named after Aimé's uncle, Jacques, who went by Jicky. This fabulous perfume opens with bergamot, lemon and some famously gorgeous lavender. Luscious rose and jasmine melt into orris and some vetiver. It's the base that's most delicious, though, in my opinion. Civet is the famous ingredient, and it's joined by a leathery, ambery, somewhat smoky vanilla-tinged sexiness. Delicious!

Supposedly, Jacques Guerlain was playing around with a new synthetic vanilla, ethyl vanillin, and dumped some into Jicky. Not just some - a lot. An "overdose". And thus Shalimar was born (maybe, if the story is true). It's still smooth, ambery, sensual goodness, like Jicky, but sweeter, with less herbaceous bite.

pardon the smudgey label. it was ruined by crappy packing
and a leak in the mail. :(

Shalimar is often considered "an old lady perfume". Oh man, that kills me to write. How?! It's smooth, it's sexy, it's a little raunchy (thank you civet!). I suspect it's not that it's old-fashioned, rather it just doesn't fit in with the jeans and t-shirts in current fashion. Shame, since it's so damn good! And on a personal note, I wear it with jeans, thankyouverymuch. But the truth is, Shalimar is A Big Perfume. It's not terribly subtle, nor is it going to melt into your skin.

So, what do the kids wear these days? Pink pepper; fruity celeb scents; fruitchoulis - if most bloggers are to be believed. And someone is wearing those scents, because they're the top sellers at the moment. Classic perfumes are often revamped or "updated" to give them a fighting chance in the current market. And that, folks is how Shalimar Parfum Initial was born. It's meant to be a training bra of sorts, meant to bridge young women into the land of grown-up lingerie, er... I mean perfume. I kind of got lost in my own metaphor there, but I think you catch my drift. Plus, it's pink, so the kids will love it (or so say the marketing geniuses).

This pink Shalimar isn't the first Shalimar flanker (like a tv sitcom spin-off), but it's the only one I have tried. I do have a somewhat vintage Shalimar edt (it's not current - probably from the 90's) and a more vintage Shalimar edc (from the 70's according to this source, which is awesome, btw). And now Shalimar Parfum Initial.

Here's the official notes list for Parfum Initial: created of citruses, green notes, flowers, woody accords and oriental scents. Starting from citruses, the composition adds zest of bergamot and orange. Rose flowers and jasmine enjoy embrace of woody accords of vetiver and patchouli, while oriental notes of vanilla, white musk and luscious tonka give seductive warmth to the whole composition. Green notes provide a fresher tone to the composition.

What do I smell? A light and sparkly citrus opening, with fruity facets. Nice. Pretty. Fresh. Youthful, but not childish or bratty. There's iris (not orris) and some lovely woodiness. No civet, here. Instead you'll find patchouli - pretty stuff, not head-shoppy or sharp. The base is pretty signature Guerlain fare: there's a little extra musk with that vanilla and tonka, but it's recognizably Guerlain. I have all three of my Shalimars on right now, and the Parfum Initial has a drydown that's definitely like my Shalimar edt, just sweeter and softer and a little lighter. The more vintage edc, though is a further branch on the family tree. It's definitely wafting that civet that neither of the newer perfumes are putting out, but still has that vanilla-tonka yumminess that makes me want to sniff it constantly.

No matter what anyone says, Parfum Initial is somewhat reminiscent of the original Shalimar. It's got that decadent, almost foody aspect to it. It's not quite as sticky and nowhere near as dirty, but it's definitely an oriental fragrance. Is it the same? No. Not at all. The younger sister is a little more green and has a lovely softness. Her older sister had bolder characteristics and was a little more Knowing if you catch my drift.

Just as that girl from my gradeschool was very different from her sister in many, many ways, Parfum Initial is not really similar to Shalimar at first glance. Look at them a little more closely though, and you'll see the similarities, just as you could eventually notice that both sisters had the same freckles and sense of humor. Sisters, but different.

I really wish Guerlain hadn't named this Shalimar. I get it. I understand why they want to draw younger folk toward their products. It's important and it's probably quite challenging. After all, Parfum Initial smells nothing like Justin Beiber's perfume, nor does it smell like those cute little L.A.M.B. perfumes Gwen Stefani puts out, or really any of the perfumes you'll smell in your local high school. But it doesn't really smell enough like Shalimar, either - at least not enough to be considered a flanker. Then again, it is a great gateway into the Guerlain signature drydown, AKA "Guerlainade". And once the kids are hooked, watch out!

When taken on her own merit and not compared to her big sister, Parfum Initial is really, really good. Delicious! I can't stop wearing it, and it even worked well in the hot weather where the original Shalimar was stifling and overly-sticky. I do love a multi-seasonal oriental fragrance! Try it. You might like it. Just don't compare her to her big sister - it's not fair.

Shalimar Parfum Initial. Yellow jacket approved!

Disclosure: I bought this with my own money. And I'd do it again!

Announcing the winner of the Pandora (by DSH) sample!

2011-09-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Warum, contact me at jen@beautyschoolblog.net and provide me your address, please, so I can let Dawn know! Congrats. :)

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