Capsule Review - Insense Ultramarine for Her (Givenchy)

Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, green leaves, sea water grass, rose, orchid,cedar, white musk & amber

Ok, can ANYONE tell me what kind of brain fart I was having when I put a bid in for ebay for 7mls of this?

Bueller?

Bueller?

I'm guessing it was the Givenchy thing. Silly me.

ANYHOO Insense Ultramarine for Her is a perfectly good, clean, aquatic floral. It's kind of "meh" to be honest. Too clean for me, possibly too clean for most as it has an air of Bold Fabric Conditioner about it. (I don't get this love of perfume that smells of clean clothes. I'd rather make sure I wore clean clothes and smelt AMAZING!). I don't get ANY bergamot from this, or indeed any of the musk, cedar or amber. It doesn't shine or shimmer in perhaps the way you'd expect it to given the notes.

I suspect that in the summer, in atomiser form, it could be lovely and refreshing. It also doesn't appear to dry down to anything interesting at all.

The worst I can say about it is it's unremarkable.

Capsule Review - L'Eau Ambreé (Prada)

Notes of rose de mai and amber, vanilla, citron, opoponax, patchouli

I've tried to review this fragrance three times now. Yesterday I got as far as making these notes:

Faint hint of citron wet, as it dries it opens out to a curious rose. Very soft and powdery, very understated. An evening scent, for close wear rather than a morning scent. Bad choice for me today, this won't wake me up, it makes me want to snuggle under the covers with Matt. Cosy sensuality more than anything else. It's lovely and will be interesting to see how or indeed if it progresses through the day....

After that, nothing. And it was the same the last time I wore it, AND when I reapplied it last night. But be assured L'Eau Ambreé isn't dull, instead it's incredibly subtle and soft. Not a "rip all your clothes off" dirty, but warm and sensual in a "come to bed and lets see what happens" kind of way.

I kind of love the way it's so understated, the fact that I don't end up sniffing my wrist every ten seconds. And while I probably wouldn't buy a bottle of it, I can see me using the rest of the sample as a nighttime scent.

You may possibly have been put off by the frankly terrible advert:




Don't be, it's fab :D

Review - Le Petit Grain (Miller Harris)

Sweet orange and angelica racine are fused with bergamot from Italy and Sicilian lemon, grounded with rosemary, red thyme, French tarragon and lavender. The heart is petitgrain essence and Tunisian neroli, whilst the base is oakmoss, vetiver and patchouli leaves.

Citrus scents seem to fade very quickly on my skin, so I'm curious to see how well Le Petit Grain lasts. It smells fantastic in the bottle, a huge, natural smelling orange hit (as opposed to the fun plastic fizz of something like Ma Dame). On my skin, wet, wow I still get a big citrus kick with a touch of tarragon of all things and a hint of bergamot.

This is a gorgeous scent, although the orange retreats quickly, so it lies very close to my skin. Sigh. Oh orange scents, won't you stay and play... (I think I'm going to have the same issue with Penhaligon's beautifully diaphanous Orange Blossom... *Sigh*)

Once again I've chosen exactly the wrong perfume for today. Although Le Petit Grain doesn't make me sleepy, it's the complete antithesis of the current weather. This is a spring/summer scent, full of air and light. It feels like it's battling against the all the heavy rain.

Sadly after about an hour ALL the citrus has disappeared and I'm left with a very light vetiver/oakmoss that is as warm and furry as a sleepy dormouse. It sits very close to my skin and is deliciously soft, more so than you'd expect from vetiver. Trouble is, as ever I have a lot of scents with this kind of drydown, and I really want more of that lovely citrus hit.

The basenotes ended up lasting another five and a half hours, so I can't really complain.
If citrus scents are your thing, then this is a must purchase for Spring/Summer. Truly scrumptious. If you're like me with citrus it's still worth a sample, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Star Trek colognes and what they should smell like

I was already aware of the Star Trek Colognes when they came out last year. I thought it was a cute idea, wondered what they smelt like, and then forgot all about them. (I was in a deep seated BPAL phase at the time IIRC).

A twitter pal asked me about them again today and whether or not I'd smelled them. Of course I haven't although I am rather curious as to whether they are any good or not. I doubt it, but I'd love to know. Still, I wouldn't love to know enough to splash out on a whole bottle....

Still it got me thinking (mainly about how badly wrong they've got Pon Farr), if you could have other Trek related scents, what characters would you choose, and what notes should the scents have?

For example, Picard's scent (called Make It So) should have bergamot and Earl Grey, Worf's should have a faint whiff of violets, and Seven of Nine's should smell of tuberoses and steel.

So here's a challenge/quick comp for you. In the comments tell me what Trek scent you'd like to smell and what you think it should smell like. Whomever comes up with the best one will get a little prize, the closest scent in real-life to one you've imagined for your Trek character.

Comp is open until 5th April because I know you're a busy bunch.

Scent Memories...

I've been pulled up short twice in the space of 24 hours regarding scent memories and my perception of smells.

The first one was yesterday as I tested Ineke's Evening Edged in Gold. Sometimes when I test a perfume, my main reaction is "it smells of perfume". Sometimes I genuinely can't pull it apart much more than that, even if I've got a list of notes in front of me. Yesterday I realised why that might be. When I say something "smells of perfume" I think what I'm actually saying is that it "smells like perfume my mother would wear if she was still alive". Because of that sense I get from a particular scent, it makes it quite hard for me to judge it on a rational level.

Thoughts?

I'm about to do my monthly perfume sample shop from Lucky Scent and The Perfumed Court. Any suggestions on what you thinks I should be trying based on recent tweets/blog entries.

My current obsessions are:

Cedar
Iris
Tuberose (still!)

My testlist is here which includes everything I have queued up currently in the samples bag and those I'm desperate to try.

So hit me, what do you think I should be smelling?

Also, has anyone tried any of the Crazylibelule line? I'm thinking about splashing out on one or two of those this month...

Review - Angel (Thierry Mugler)

Top notes are melon, coconut, mandarin orange, cassia, jasmine, bergamot and cotton candy; middle notes are honey, apricot, blackberry, plum, orchid, peach, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, red berries and rose; base notes are tonka bean, amber and vanilla, patchouli, musk, vanilla, dark chocolate and caramel.

First whiff, chocolate, then a big WHOMP of omg is that DEWBERRY? Which has always smelt of wintergreen on me anyway. I'm not a big foodie scent fan, I have to say, so this is always going to be a bit of a stretch on my skin. It doesn't smell as terrible as it did on Faun's skin, but that damn dewberry smell kicks everything else out of the ballpark for me at the moment.

Review - Knize Ten (Knize)

Top Notes
Bergamot, Lemon, Orange, Petitgrain, Rosemary .

Middle Notes
Geranium, Cedarwood, Rose, Orris, Carnation, Cinnamon, Sandalwood .

Base Notes
Leather, Musk, Moss, Amber, Castoreum and Vanilla

When my little 1ml decant of this arrived from Les Senteurs, I thought perhaps I'd found my hard limit for leather. It's very dense in the bottle, almost petrol-like.

Apology to a flower

Dear Iris,
I'm so sorry I've misjudged you. I thought you'd be a ghastly floral, that my skin would amp irises like lillies, so that I'd smell like a little old lady.

Evil Perfume Mummy is Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil

Robin over at Now Smell This posted a poll yesterday, and one of the questions was:

Name a fragrance you were so sure you would hate that you weren’t even going to try it, but for whatever reason you did try it and you loved it.

My reponse was that I didn't think I had one of those yet, but I have been avoiding Thierry Mugler's Angel, and maybe that would be the one.

Today, mindful of this, I asked Faun if she'd put a little Angel on her skin just so we could smell it.

Comfort Scents for Uncomfortable Times

Ayala Sender over at Smelly Blog tasked a number of perfume bloggers with the meme of listing their favourite scents for times of strife and need for comfort.

Hey, I'll happily gack any meme that makes me happy and allows me to talk about perfume, so here is my list.

Capsule Review - Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel)

Top :Orange, Bergamot, Grapefruit.

Middle: Mimosa, Rose, Italian Jasmine.

Base :Indonesian Patchouli, Haitian Vetiver, Bourbon Vanilla, White Musk.

Dashing out to pick Faun up from school, having just had a shower, I rummaged around in the samples bag for a quick spray of something, and came up with Coco Mademoiselle. 3 quick sprays later, as I was getting dressed, my reaction was this:

Vile. Utterly vile. Plastic fruit on me with a HORRENDOUS chemical drydown that smells suspiciously like a an alcoholic who drinks so much Strongbow all day that the smell seeps from his pores...

I'm guessing this has a lot to do with my skin chemistry rather than this being an ineptly made fragrance. At least I sincerely hope so...

Review - Bois D'Iris (The Different Company)

A woody-floral-musk fragrance from the roots of the Iris Pallida, the most aromatic lily, from the hills of Tuscany. This is the same flower that Iris Silver Mist from Serge Lutens is made from. Eight years of processing are required to extract one litre of iris absolut from 40 tons of rhizomes making it one of the most scarce ingredients in today's perfume world. With notes of iris, vetiver, bergamot, cedar, precious woods, narcissus, geranium, and musk.

Oh... hello....

I have to admit that while I've had this one in my samples box for AGES, I'd been very cautious about wearing it. Mainly because I was cautious of the geranium note, plus I wasn't sure how this floral would sit on me. Then I received a sample of Chanel's 28 La Pausa, and thought maybe it was time to give Iris a chance.

Review - La Reine Margot (Les Parfums Historiques)

LA REINE MARGOT, celebrates the amatory career of Catherine de’ Medicis’s younger daughter, the beautiful Queen of Navarre. Margot was the sister-in-law of our own Marie Stuart of Scotland. A majestic, indulgent, utterly ‘femme fatale’ of a perfume. A sumptuous arrangement of tuberoses, jasmine, leather, golden amber and vetiver.

(To the tune of BadgerBadgerBadger.com )JASMINE JASMINE JASMINE JASMINE TUBEROSE TUBEROSE, JASMINE JASMINE JASMINE JASMINE TUBEROSE TUBEROSE...

London Perfume Crawl?

After pretty much falling into Penhaligon's by chance last week, and with the opening of the new Le Labo store in London last month, I was wondering, would anyone be up for a Perfume Crawl? Covering Penhaligon's, Libertys, Santa Maria di Novella, et al?

Leave your thoughts in the comments...

Review - L'Air de Rien (Miller Harris)

Created for Jane Birkin, L'Air de Rien is a sensual fragrance of great warmth with notes of French oakmoss, Tunisian neroli, sweet musk, amber and vanilla.

"I have never liked perfumes," she says. "I have always preferred to carry pot pourri in my pocket. It was an interesting exercise in finding out what you don't like. All the things usually associated with heady, dark-haired women like hyacinth, tuberose and lily-of-the-valley made me vomit when they were enclosed in a bottle so this one is much more me – I wanted a little of my brother's hair, my father's pipe, floor polish, empty chest of drawers, old forgotten houses." Vogue Interview.

I love this scent. From the moment I opened the bottle I got lost in it. In the bottle it is warm and musky, almost hay-like. Wet on the skin, I get a faint whiff of sharp neroli before my skin eats it up, and thereafter it is just oakmoss and amber. The vanilla isn't too sweet, the musk is incredibly warm. And it's a dirty, dirty, dirty scent, in best, languid, post-coital fashion.

Capsule Reviews - Tresor & Delices De Cartier EDT

Tresor - Lancome
Top: Rose, apricot and lily of the valley.
Middle: Lilac, peach and iris
Base: Amber, vanilla and musk.

UGH!!! UGH!!! UGH!!! Fruity florals are the bane of my life, I swear. This is grim on first application, then dries down to something not dissimilar to Cacherel's Loulou only not as nice. Starts of with a very brazen HELLO a la Janice Litman and never really recovers from it. Probably lovely on someone with a different skin/temperament/outlook on perfume...

Delices de Cartier EDT - Cartier
Top: Pink pepper, cherry and bergamot.

Heart: Violet, freesia and jasmine.

Base: Sandalwood, amber and tonka bean

Vile plastic fruit, such a high alcohol content that I felt my skin was burning, provoked this face in everyone that smelt it.

Thank God I only sprayed it on my foot rather than near my nose. Avoid.

Review - Elixir (Penhaligon's)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on March 12, 2010.


HEAD NOTES
Eucalyptus, Cardamom, Orange Blossom Absolute and White Cedar

HEART NOTES
Red Turkish Rose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Cinnamon Leaves, Mace and Rosewood

BASE NOTES
Benzoin, Tonka beans, Vanilla, Incense, Red Sandalwood and Guaicum Wood.

Forgive me, there's a little bit of preamble here....On Tuesday, Evil Twin and I went to the V&A to see the Theatrical and Performance costumes. To get to that display we had to walk through the Tapestries room, very low lit, very beautiful, smelt amazing in a way that I responded to on a very emotional level. I mention this because Elixir by Penhaligon's gets an almost identical response from me on first spray.

Capsule Reviews - Boucheron & First

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on March 05, 2010.

Boucheron (Boucheron)
Top Notes:Lemon, Basil, Orange Blossom, Bergamot.
Middle Notes :Tuberose, Geranium, Iris, Sandalwood.
Base Notes:Tonka Bean, Civet, Oakmoss, Benzoin.

Reminds me for all the world of Rive Gauche for the first hour, then settles into a beautiful dirty musky oakmoss. If I can get over that first hour* then this is an absolute delight.

*Please note there is absolutely nothing wrong with Rive Gauche and I wore it in my late teens/early 20s. That's why I'm not sure I could wear something like that again. YOU, however, don't have that history and should consider this beautiful classy (if a bit loud to start with) fragrance.

First (Van Cleef & Arpels)

Notes include aldehydes, mandarin, black currant bud, peach, raspberry, hyacinth, Turkish rose, narcissus, jasmine, lily of the valley, carnation, orchid, tuberose, orris, amber, tonka bean, oakmoss, sandalwood, vetiver, musk, honey, civet.

Obviously I get NONE of the fruit, but I do get a HUGE whiff of aldehydes, which for all the world reminds me of Chanel no5. The tuberose is soft and this has a wonderful soapy/powdery effect. Matt smelt it, said "you smell nice" and then jumped on me.

'Nuff said.

Review - Ysatis (Givenchy)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on March 04, 2010.

Ysatis is a floral chypre with top notes of mandarin, galbanum, rosewood and coconut; middle notes of tuberose, jasmine, narcissus and carnation; and base notes of patchouli, sandalwood, castoreum and civet.

This is a weird one for me as I wore Ysatis in the early 90s for a couple of years. I know that really you should never go back to an old love, but sometime curiosity gets the better of you.

Review - Attitude (Giorgio Armani)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on March 02, 2010.


Top notes: Calabria lemon and coffee absolute
Middle notes:Ceylan cardamom and lavender
Base notes:China cedar and Indonesian patchouli

OMG who stole my top notes? Neither the lemon nor coffee made it as far as my skin. Instead I get a great big hit of lavender and cardomom and an air of Grande Hotel and luggage that costs more than my laptop.

Review - Cabaret (Gres)

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The insane wishlist

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on February 25, 2010


Dear me...

My BPAL wishlist is about 25 imps at the moment. Good news is that in the past few months I've sold or just given away 30 imps. So it's balancing out. Ish. I'm no longer just buying BPAL for the hell of it, but looking for specific notes. So that's a good smart thing...

However the Non-BPAL list is starting to look very scary indeed.

Review - Vetiver Bourbon (Miller Harris)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 25, 2010.

Vetiver Bourbon is a rich Hatian vetiver fragrance with additional notes of oak moss, vetiver bourbon and patchouli.

Wow. Astringent. Vetiver is one of those things that can be gorgeous or totally ICK. This is bitter, yet warm, sharp yet sweet. This is almost antiseptic yet the oakmoss behind it is musty and soothing.

Review - Fracas (Robert Piguet)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 24, 2010.

Top Notes
Bergamot, Mandarin, Hyacinth, Green notes.

Heart Notes
Tuberose, Jasmine, Orange Flower, Lily of the valley, White iris, Violet, Jonquil, Carnation, Coriander, Peach, Osmanthus, Pink geranium.

Base Notes
Musk, Cedar, Moss, Sandalwood, Orris, Vetiver, Tolu balsam.

First thought, oh this must be something Beth from BPAL loves, because damn if I don't have things that smell this good already...

Followed by ARG! Lillies!!!!

Review - Alien Liqueur EDP (Thierry Mugler)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 23, 2010.

Top Notes:
Jasmine (Sambac), Cardamom

Heart Notes:
Coumarin, Cumin, Orange blossom

Base Notes:
Amber (white), Heliotrope, Almond

Boozy whiff wet, then jasmine and cardamom almost straight away. This is very sweet on the skin but with a sharp whiff somewhere just behind it. Not surprisingly, bearing in mind it comes from the same stable as Angel, this shifts around a bit. That sharp smell is the almond I think, already coming to the fore. In fact, it's SO almond-y it's a bit like being pelted with soft amaretti macaroons.

More Old Spice Ads with Bruce Campbell

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on February 23, 2010.

Ok, so Bruce isn't on a horse, but he is all things masculine and wonderful. I know these are old, but they're too good not to share again. Plus we need more ads like this, especially for scent, let's be honest..

Review - Narciso Rodriguez for Her (EDT)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 22, 2010.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her eau de toilette features notes of honey flower, solar musk, orange blossom, osmanthus, amberlyn, vanilla, tactile musk, tactile woods, and vetiver. A soft, musky, sensual fragrance


Ooh that's a lot of alchohol and then a HUGE whiff of honeysuckle. Lots of powder. This is a BIG floral and already I'm not convinced. This makes my nose itch and I can't help but wonder if the fault lies withm *me* as I know this is supposed to be a modern great.

Review - Nuits de Noho (Bond No 9)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 20, 2010.


Top Notes
Bergamot, Mandarin, Pineapple Leaves.

Middle Notes
Jasmine, Rosewood.

Base Notes
Vanilla, Patchouli, Grey Musk.

What is that... that THING? This is all over the shop on first application, shifting at every sniff. STAY STILL DAMMIT!!!

Old Spice Superbowl Ad

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 18, 2010.

If only all scent advertising was as brilliant as this

Review - Back to Black & Feuilles de Tabac

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 17, 2010.

Feuilles de Tabac - Miller Harris
Top
Cuban Cascarilla, Pimento

Heart
Sage, Pine Tree Needles

Base
Tonka Bean
Patchouli
Tobacco leaves

Back to Black By Kilian

Official notes: bergamot, saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, chamomile, olibanum, honey, cedar, oak, tobacco, patchouli, almond, vanilla and labdanum.


In the past I have told you just how much I love Back to Black By Kilian, and promised to write a review at some point. And I kept making notes and sniffing my wrist and never actually writing the damn review, mainly because I seemed to be so utterly fangrrly about the scent I couldn't get another much more than "guh! this is gorgeous" onto paper.

Capsule Reviews - Insolence & Classique X

Originally posted at Dreamwidht on February 08, 2010.

Insolence EDT (Guerlain)
Insolence is a floral fruity fragrance with top notes of violet, raspberry, and red fruit pulp; middle notes of violet, rose and orange blossom; and base notes of iris, tonka bean, musk and sandalwood. it is an eau de toilette, edt, and was created by Maurice Roucel.

Like having a parma violet stuck up each nostril for hours.

Review - Beyond Love Prohibited (By Kilian)

Originally posted over at Dreamwidth on February 06, 2010.

Notes
Coconut accord, Egyptian jasmine absolute, tuberose concrete, tuberose absolute, green tuberose, tuberose petals accord, ambergris, tonkin musk

Coconut hit straight away, on wet, then it retreats and out comes the jamsmine and tuberose. This is warm, buttery, and reminds me of a country cottage with dog roses and jasmine in the garden, maybe some honeysuckle climbing up the walls.

Review - L'Heure Bleue (Guerlain)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 05, 2010.

Notes include neroli, anise, rose, jasmine, iris, carnation, tonka, vanilla, amber.

Powder powder powder powder powder. But no goddamn neroli. Seriously what is UP with my skin chemistry and citrus scents. It's a damn nuisance. Instead this is a nice iris/carnation hit. Floral without being too much like Gumby shouting "hello I'm a bunch of flowers".

Review - Flora (Gucci)

Originally posted over at Dreamwidth on February 04, 2010.

Top:
Citrus mandarin accords
Peony

Heart:
Rose
Osmanthus flower

Base:
Pink pepper
Sandalwood



First hit astringent peony, lots of white flowers, soapy. On the drydown there is also a slight vanilla note, very close to the skin. Strange because vanilla isn't listed as a note, sniffing again, maybe it's just the sandalwood with the peony throwing me off. Strange, but to be honest it's so minimal that it doesn't really matter.

Review - J'Adore (Christian Dior)

Originally posted over at Dreamwidth on February 03, 2010.

J'Adore features top notes of fresh ivy leaves, champaca and mandarin; middle notes of orchids, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley and violet; and base notes of amaranth wood, Damascus plum, blackberry, musk and vanilla.

First hit of very white flowers, slight fizz on wet,then soapy rose and a vague hint of peach.

Review - Taste of Heaven Absinthe Verte By Killian

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 02, 2010.

Inspired by Absinthe, bittersweet nectar of poets, this fragrance gives an initial burst of Orange Blossom then blossoms into a heart of Turkish Rose. Then swirling woody notes of Patchouli and Oak Moss join with lascivious Amber. The fragrance beckons one to enjoy a Garden of Delights, an astonishing olfactory oxymoron combining the freshness of Lavender from southern France and the warmth of Bourbon Vanilla.

Oh wow, as green on the skin as it is in the bottle.

Capsule Reviews - Madame X & Glam Princess

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on February 02, 2010.

Jean-Paul Gaultier - Madame
Notes of Sour Orange, Rose, Grenadine, Musk and Cedar.

Big, huge, MAHOOOSIVE hit of orange on first spray, utterly bonkers

Review - Agent Provocateur Eau de Parfum

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on ebruary 01, 2010


Top Notes
Saffron, Coriander.

Middle Notes
Moroccan Rose, Jasmin, Magnolia, Ylang Ylang, White Gardenia.

Base Notes
Vetiver, Amber, Musk.



Not sure what that top note is when you first spray (guessing saffron, it's very sharp) but then you get big whiff of rose and jasmine. Also something slightly soapy, almost off. What IS that...

the high cost of smelling

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 26, 2010

They say a cynic is someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. When it comes to "luxury" goods such as cosmetics, there is an assumption that you get what you pay for, higher cost items are invariably better quality.

Now I'd argue that's not always the case.

BLV Eau de Parfum II (Bvlgari)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth January 21, 2010

Bvlgari BLV is an icy-hot fragrance for the frankly feminine female, it combines surprisingly chilly notes with warm chords reflecting her passion.
Top notes of Bvlgari BLV Eau de Parfum II introduce violet, star anise, liquorice and mandarin, while letting a floral heart dominate with its aromas of iris absolute surrounded with patchouli and Haiti vetiver. A base incorporates three amber nuances: ambergris and benzoin, with labdanum, finishing with Tonka and musk.

Fizzy irises, eye watering melon.

Review - Amarinthine (Penhaligon's)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 21, 2010

HEAD NOTES
Green Tea, White Freesia, Banana Tree Leaf, Coriander Seed Oil, Cardamom Absolute

HEART NOTES
Rose, Carnation, Clove Oil, Orange Blossom, Ylang Ylang Oil, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute

BASE NOTES
Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Condensed Milk, Tonka Bean Absolute

Created in 2009, Amaranthine is a corrupted floral oriental for those private moments when everything is anticipation.

vintage perfume is an addiction I cannot afford...

Originally posted at Dreamwidth January 20, 2010

See this pretty thing? Full of Shalimar by Guerlain?

Review - Shalimar (Guerlain)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 19, 2010

First introduced in 1925 by Jaques Guerlain, Shalimar means Temple of Love in Sanskrit. Shalimar is an Oriental fragrance with top notes of lemon and bergamot; middle notes of jasmine and May rose; and base notes of iris, incense, opoponax, tonka bean and vanilla

In the 1920s it was said that there were three things a lady did not do - smoke, tango and wear Shalimar. That in itself was enough to make me want to wear it.

Review - Lime, Basil & Mandarin Cologne (Jo Malone)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 19, 2010

Lime Basil & Mandarin by Jo Malone is a citrus aromatic fragrance for women and men. Top notes are lime, mandarin orange and bergamot; middle notes are basil, caraway, lilac and iris; base notes are patchouli and vetiver.

So this is the review that very nearly wasn't...

Probably one of my earliest scent memories are of colognes. MovieMom was very fond of both 4711 and Extra Vielle. BPAL's colognes such as Casanova and Vicomte de Valmont both remind me of why I like the clean fresh cologne smell. So I had high hopes for the Lime, Basil and Mandarin.

Review - Flower (Kenzo)

IOriginally posted at Dreamwidth January 15, 2010

Kenzo introduced KENZO FLOWER in 2000. Kenzo Flower is a soft floral fragrance with hints of violet, vanilla and rose. Notes of Wild Hawthorne, Bulgarian Rose, Parma Violet, Cassia, Hedione, Cyclosal, Opoponax, White Musk, and Vanilla.

First hit, powdery floral, a blend of violet and rose. Faun, on smelling it after about 10 minute said I smelt like Parma Violet sweets and she's not far wrong. Question is do I *want* to smell of parma violets?

a week in perfume (PICSPAM)

Ok, look, I KNOW what I'm doing here, I know I am overcompensating and that as a result I am a bit bonkers.

Review - Amethyst (Lalique)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth on January 14, 2010


This perfume was presented in 2007. It was created by Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich, who enriched the top notes with nutmeg, blackberry and currant.

Review - Chanel No 5 (Chanel)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 13th January, 2010

Chanel No 5 is the first perfume in the floral-aldehyde group and the first by the quantity of aldehydes in its composition (another legend says that the Ernest Beaux's assistant overdosed the aldehydes in the composition by mistake). The top notes are composed of aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli and ylang-ylang, the heart of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and iris, while the base is created of vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and patchouli.

Dear lord it may be a cliche but I understand why people love this.

Review - Blenheim Bouquet (Penhaligon's)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 12th January, 2010

HEAD NOTES
Lemon, Lime and Lavender

HEART NOTES
Blenheim Bouquet has no heart notes

BASE NOTES
Pine, Musk and Black Pepper

Review - Miss Dior Cherie L'Eau (Christian Dior)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 11th January 2010

Top notes of Miss Dior Cherie L'Eau will refresh you with aromas of bitter orange, which are delicate, fruity, bitter-sweet and delicately spicy. A heart is ruled by gardenia, a vibrant, opulent, white flower, while a base incorporates white musk, leaving a cotton-powdery effect and a long lasting feeling of cleanliness and freshness on your skin in a very soft and gentle way.


ACK! This smells like fabric softener (possibly one of those poncey ones that try to make you believe gemstones have a smell).

Review - Fuel for Life (Diesel)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 8th January, 2010


Released in 2007 by Diesel, Diesel Fuel for Life for Her was created by Annick Menardo and Thierry Vasseur. It is a chypre-floral, with top notes of mandarin and pink pepper, heart notes of blackcurrant and jasmine and patchouli and musk at the base of the olfactory pyramid.



A scent that has regular TV spots, so quite high profile. Do I dare associate myself with those saucy vixens?

Review - Ricci Ricci (Nina Ricci)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on January 7 2010


Glamourous and audacious, Ricci Ricci embodies a new urban heroine in the Parisian and sophisticated universe of Nina Ricci. Her power lies in her ribbon she plays with to colour and beautify the world with fantasy and poetry.

Review - Organza Indecence re-issue (Givenchy)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on January 6th 2010

From the Givenchy website
Fragrance:Woody Spicy.
Reedition of the original fragrance / Contrasted, velvety yet untamed, the fragrance is built around Jacaranda wood, cinnamon and patchouli. Highly addictive and distinguished, Organza Indécence remains a reference of warm, timeless feminine sensuality.

Review - Breath of God (B Never)

Originally posted on Dreamwidth, 5th January 2010

B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful’s BREATH OF GOD is a perfume that is unique and beautiful for both men and women combining smoky scents, sandalwood, amber, neroli and patchouli with rose, lemon oil, floral notes and jasmine.

And So It Begins....

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 5th Jan 2010

You could argue that writing about perfume is a bit like dancing about architecture. Smell can be fleeting, ephemeral, whilst body chemistry can skew things out of all proportion. MovieMom used to claim that Chanel No. 5 smelt "like cats" on her, whilst for me, Dior's Poison smelt like bubblegum. (This is not necessarily a bad thing, Poison was not made for my 20 yr old self, although it was perfect for my friend Maria, 5 ft 10, Cypriot, flaming auburn hair, goddess made flesh, damn her...)