Year of Perfume

Scent arrivals this week

2010-04-10T11:43:00.002+01:00

I've not a proper review post this week because I'm all full of cold, and don't think my nose is up to it. This is a damn shame as I've got some fantastic stuff this week. I have sniffed everything though, so nose fuddled musings are :

Histoires des Parfums Tuberose #3: Animale - bit of tuberose, bit of leather. Nice but neither jump out as I'd expect them to. Looking forward to testing this.

Serge Lutens - Muscs Koublai Khan - this already smells amazingly good. I may have to buy a big bottle of this for Matt and I. Again, one to test very soon.

Bal a Versaille - Jean Desprez - First impression, if Shalimar had been born in a barn it would smell like this. BIG on the day. Again, looking forward to test.

Etats Libre d'Orange - Secretions Magnifique - wholly unremarkable aquatic floral. I quite like it in the vial (which is double bagged!). Can't wait to do a test, am considering an "as it happens" audio or video review.

Creed - Tuberose Indiana - WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN.

Diptych - Tam Dao - death by sandalwood. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Cumming the Fragrance - uh-oh. Bad first impression. Lots of peat and oakmoss, not a lot else. Boo. Hoping I'm wrong about that.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Psychological Horror - In the bottle I smell powder, cumin, and earth that's had dead things in it. Matt had a very extreme reaction when he sniffed it, shuddering and saying it was a deeply disturbing smell. I've agreed never to test it around him (so September, then for that one!) and we both agree that this is what Sadako smells like. Weirdly brilliant, brilliantly weird.

Capsule Reviews - Lubatti Bath Oil & Do Son

2010-04-07T10:53:00.003+01:00

Continuing the search for the perfect tuberose

Pure Indulgence Bath Oil Tuberose & Mimosa (Lubatti)

A sweet, enchanting and intoxicating fragrance. Lubatti’s Pure Indulgence Bath Oil, infused with Tuberose & Mimosa, will leave your skin feeling silky-smooth and gorgeously fragrant.

These are fleshy, almost overripe tuberoses with a hint of green. The bath oil is excellent, very well frangranced and long lasting, and can just be used to rub into your skin post-shower. The overall effect is beautifully relaxing and a little does go a long way....

Which is just as well as the RRP for this is £24 a pop. It's nice, but not that nice. I got mine from ebay for a tenner less, and am using it at such a rate of knots, that it's ridiculous. Worth it as a special treat though.

Do Son (Diptych)
A gorgeous floral blend of tuberose, orange tree leaves, roses, benzoin, iris, and white musk.

This is a pale, green tuberose, similar in tone to Carnal Flowe, if not in longevity. It has none of the bright, buttery, shininess that I associate with Beyond Love or Fracas, and as such, I don't love it. But, if you don't want that WHOMP TUBEROSE! effect then this may well be for you. Layered with the Lubatti bath oil, it has reasonable staying power too. While I don't love it, it is far less intimidating than other tuberose scents, and is certainly cheaper.

Review - Jasmin Noir (Bvlgari)

2010-04-01T15:43:00.000+01:00

Top Notes
Green sap, Gardenia.

Middle Notes
Sambac jasmine absolute, Satin almond notes.

Base Notes
Precious woods, Tonka bean absolute, Licorice.

I will admit that when this arrived I was very cautious about it, rememebering how much I *hated hated hated* BLV II. And indeed the first spray had an alcohol roundhouse kick that left me reeling.

However, within seconds I was revelling in a beautiful jasmine and woods smell, sweet and powdery, a little bit foodie (that will be the tonka bean) but delicious, not cloying.
The gardenia is very subtle and a little sharp. This is actually really really nice. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, it was recommended by Katie Puckrickwhich means at the very least it was worth a sniff.

I'm liking this a LOT, mainly because I'm starting to realise that actually all florals are NOT bad and that when, like here, they have super woody basenotes, then they are actually very me.

Also, can I just mention how MUCH I love the design of the bottle of this one?

About 15 minutes after spraying it, it felt like all the jasmine had whooshed away, leaving me a little bereft. HOWEVER, I do have bit of a cold at the moment, so rather than damning it in perpetuity, I left it alone, didn't respray and didn't worry about it.

Amazingly, that was the right thing to do because now, nearly 6 hours after I first sprayed it, I'm still catching wafts of jasmine and woods. KP referred to it as having "something the teens go crazy for" and I'm not sure I quite catch that. Would I wear it again? Yes, definitely. Would I buy a full bottle, probably not design lust notwithstanding. However, if it appeals be assured buying a bottle won't break the bank.

Capsule Review - Insense Ultramarine for Her (Givenchy)

2010-03-31T22:27:00.000+01:00

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)

2010-03-30T16:10:00.001+01:00

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)

2010-03-30T15:53:00.001+01:00

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

2010-03-26T18:55:00.000Z

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...

2010-03-26T13:31:00.000Z

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.

That doesn't mean I'm bursting into tears on smelling these scents, more that they confound me a little and I can't get to the heart of them because of this strange reaction. It completely sideswiped me yesterday, because I didn't expect it. It didn't make me wish I could phone her up and tell her about it, because we didn't really have that kind of relationship. We'd talk about films and books, but not girly stuff. I don't know if the scents that provoke that "oh it smells of perfume" reaction in me are ones that I will ever be able to review in a analytic fashion.

The second OMG realisation was about half an hour ago. Penhaligon's Facebook page is running a competition to win the two latest scents in their Anthology Collection (I've sniffed both, they're fab). To win, they've asked to fans to describe a favourite scent memory from childhood. Here's what I wrote

My father had this amazing tweed overcoat when I was small, it used to smell of cloth and his cigarettes. At the same time I had an afghan coat that also smelt amazing. I think those two smells, the leather/hide nature of my coat and the tobacco/tweed of my father will always stay with me. He was very tall and I was very small but I always felt protected and safe around those smells. That's probably why I like tobacco/leather smells so very much too.

You know, until I typed that I never realised that those scent memories affect my fragrance choices so much. Hmmm...

The realisation that my love of these smells stems back from when I was four or five really pulled me up short. It's not a bad thing, you understand, quite the opposite, but not something I had expected. When I think of why I love leather smells I always assumed it's more to do with a more.. how shall I put it... "adult" view of leather. (Trent Reznor, Reading Festival 2007, leather gloves, *THUD*).

I don't know whether I would have always liked smells like Knize Ten or Feuilles de Tabac without these memories. Is my love of these scents hardwired, or an emotional response to child of the early 70s self? I'm not even sure that it matters, but it just threw me...

Thoughts?

2010-03-25T08:43:00.001Z

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)

2010-03-22T11:32:00.001Z

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.

Which is a pity because I can smell something nice behind it if I sniff REALLY hard. Still hardly a surprise bearing in mind the way my skin eats up soft fruit smells. All I'm really getting from this to start with is a really sharp nasty THING that smells aritificial and chemical. I've only got it on one wrist too and it's quite heady, almost eye-wateringly so.

*Sigh* I wish I could get a proper idea of this damn scent. I need to sniff it on someone else. My sample doesn't have an atomiser so I can't even spray it on a blotter. The daft thing is, I can almost see/smell what Angel is about, but it's nebulous, fleeting. While I know it's not for me I still keep going to sniff my wrist.

What it isn't is inept or ugly. Somewhere there is a lovely musky chocolatey smell on my skin just waiting to erupt and I imagine for the right skin chemistry this slicks and slides all over the fragrance shop. Amazingly the lily-of-the-valley isn't shouting at me, but that's because that weird wintergreen thing is still hawking it's wares, gettin gintpo my eyes and down my throat.

(I'm not sure why I'm being so nice to Angel, by rights I should be ripping it to shreds, but on my skin it doesn't even warrant that. I "meh" it more than anything.

Finally, after about an hour the tonka bean start to emerge, blinking into the sunlight, making me want to *whomp, tackle, hug" the life out of it. That weird note is STILL there, like, well, a bad smell, to be be frank. FINALLY that smell buggers off and I'm left with a sub-Organza Indecence vanilla hot chocolate.

Poor Angel never really stood a chance on my skin, so if you like foodie scents, and something a bit out there, if you've never tried Angel before, then you probably should and you'll probably like it!!!

Many thanks to Han who sent me her 5ml bottle. I feel bad that I didn't like this more...

Review - Knize Ten (Knize)

2010-03-21T13:21:00.000Z

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.

Yet on my skin it starts to soften pretty quickly. Probably because my skin appears to eat up ALL the top notes again (damn you citrus!), so I get LOTS of wood, with vague florals and a lovely leather backbone. Faun has just sniffed it and pretty much tried to get as much as possible in her nose, so I'm guessing it smells as good on me as I think it does!

One thing I've realised almost straight away is that this won't be a daytime perfume for me, unless I'm kicking ass and taking names. Faun, who has just sniffed it again, says that her first thought was of a female assasin, and we've pretty much agreed that Elektra probably smells of Knize Ten.

The longer it's on my skin, the more cedar I get, for me this is all cedar and leather right now...ooh with a teeny bit of vanilla.

After a couple of hours I thought it had it had disappeared completely, but every now and again I get a quick whiff of this floating around my skin. I'm really impressed with this scent, it is much more than I expected it to be, and something I definitely want to wear again. While a full sized bottle is a bit pricey, there is a 15ml available for just over a tenner. SOLD!!!

Apology to a flower

2010-03-20T14:30:00.002Z

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.

I was wrong. So very very wrong. I know this now thanks to Bois D'Iris and 28 La Pausa, both of which are a joy in very different ways.

Though you are a damned expensive flower and root, I promise I will not shun you, but I will hunt down other scents that are as unexpectedly pretty.

I am your humble servant

Sarah

Too much? Well maybe, but 28 La Pausa is a wonderful scent of solely iris root. It starts with a surprisingly citrus top note, then relaxes into a wonderful creamy floral. Far more glamorous that I was expecting and really REALLY lovely. Be warned, it's part of Chanel's Les Exclusifs range so not cheap, but worth grabbing a sample of, without doubt.

Evil Perfume Mummy is Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil

2010-03-20T12:30:00.002Z

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.

Remember this face?

We got it again today, and off Faun ran to scrub it off.

To be fair it was mean of me to ask her to try it, her skin chemistry is probably very different to mine, bearing in mind she has her father's propensity for dry skin. It was a loaded test. Which means that I still have to try it on my skin. Unless my Evil Twin would care to volunteer? Our skins are very similar as evidenced by The Great Penhaligon's Elixir Love-In.

Comfort Scents for Uncomfortable Times

2010-03-20T11:50:00.000Z

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.

Shalimar Eau de Cologne (Guerlain)
I have a vintage bottle of this (made in late 80s at the very latest) in one of these bottles (but not the glass stopper) and for the longest time it just sat on a shelf because I didn't think I should use it. Pish tush! Such idiocy. I love the warm powder of this scent, and while it probably shouldn't be, this is fast turning into my "schlubbing about" scent, for times when I want to feel safe, loved and warm. Yes, I'm wearing it right now... ;)

La Petit Mort (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab)
Another beautiful warm powdery scent, and another one I wear at bedtime. It's deliciously post-coital, snuggled up in warm sheets. Not a filthy scent, just a satisfied one.

Organza Indecence (Givenchy)
Ah Indecence, how I love you. It's like being wrapped in cashmere, in front of a warm fire, drinking really good hot chocolate. While Shalimar and La Petit Mort speak quietly of sensual pleasures, Indecence is more like your best friend giving you a well needed hug.

Beyond Love By Killian
This is my confidence without being overstated scent. I wear it to meetings when I need a little lift, but don't want my perfume to be louder than my presentations. I also wear it to bed... Oh tuberose soliflore, never leave me, you may be damn expensive, but you make me feel so good, so often.

Do go and see what other perfume bloggers have chosen for their scents, it makes interesting and heartening reading.. :D

All I Am - A Redhead

A Rose Beyond the Thames

Bittergrace Notes

I Smell Therefore I am

Katie Puckrick Smells

The Non-Blonde

Notes from the Ledge

OlefactoRama

Perfume in Progress

Perfume Shrine

Roxana Iluminated Perfumes

Savvy Thinker

Scent Hive

Smellyblog

Capsule Review - Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel)

2010-03-18T16:41:00.000Z

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)

2010-03-18T14:21:00.002Z

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.

So the good news is, that at least on first whiff I get none of the deathly geranium smell I was so worried about. Instead a very light pretty iris, with a cedar background. And sadly, on my skin, it may be that the cedar kills everything else. Don't get me wrong, it smells GLORIOUS, it's just I get an awful lot of cedar and not a lot of flower. Now bearing in mind my concerns about the floral nature of this, you may think it churlish of me to berate the scent for not being floral enough. But I'm pretty sure it's not Bois D'Iris' fault, more my skin chemistry.

Having said that... DAMN it's good. There seems to be something very sweet in the centre of it, which I'm guessing is the narciussus. It's not all cedar, but the floral sits very close to my skin and I really have to breath deeply to pick it up.

After a while it starts to get a little powdery, which is just fine by me. I'm starting to feel very silly for not trying this sooner, I have to admit. Eventually it settles down to a lovely gentle musk, lasting about 6 hours on my skin. For me it's probably more Bois than Iris, and as such probably not worth a full bottle for me. (Indeed with it's lovely cedar hit, I've just offered my sample to the Evil Twin, while I get the wherewithal to decant her half of Penhaligon's Elixir.)

But henceforth, I am no longer scared of iris smelling things, and who knows? May even start to look more kindly on geraniums (at least from a perfume perspective, still hate the plants)

Getting hold of samples of this isn't easy, and there are no UK retailers according to The Different Company's website. Once again, those lovely folk at The Perfumed Court are your best bet, although do keep an eye open on Ebay.

Review - La Reine Margot (Les Parfums Historiques)

2010-03-17T11:34:00.001Z

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...

Yes you could say that La Reine Margot is a wee bit shouty at the start. Big galumphing jasmine with the tuberose popping it's head above the parapet every once in a while. But oh! What jasmine and tuberoses. What is it about this glowing white florals that makes me so happy bearing in mind my love of "dirty" scents? Seriously if anyone can recommend me a dirty tuberose I'll be in hog heaven. (Actually I think this will fit the bill nicely, and so will be getting some very VERY soon...)

All silliness aside, this is a lovely floral, that descends into a surprisingly quiet drydown of leather and vetiver that sits very close to the skin. If you inhale deeply the tuberose is still there, with the sharpness of vetiver occasionally catching you off guard. In the bottle this seems completely unremarkable, yet on my skin it's great fun. I'm not sure yet if it's a keeper, trying to temper my love of the film with a rational response to the perfume, but it's hard.

I've only found samples available here and it may well be that Les Senteurs is the only place in the UK you can get this. Certainly it's a wee bit off the beaten track, there are very few reviews of this.

Worth a look if you're white floral obsessed or like quiet leathers in your basenotes.

London Perfume Crawl?

2010-03-16T14:58:00.000Z

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)

2010-03-16T14:50:00.000Z

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.

However, it's not for everyone. Lyn Miller has said herself that this is a scent that shifts and changes on skin, varying greatly from person to person. Some reviews talk of it smelling like manure, some like wet dog. There is definitely something animalic about it, but on my skin, it is nothing but good. Even if there is a hint of the stable about it...

As you'd expect, it sits very close to the skin, as it has no need to shout. I've worn this for 5 days on the trot now, despite having plenty of scents to review, and other lovely "signature" scents to wear. (Poor Elixir is sulking, but that's getting another go soon). Because it's not too shouty, I'm happy to wear it in the daytime, have worn it on the school run, like some kind of filthy in-joke between myself and my skin. I'm tempted to layer it with Beyond Love by Kilian and see if the tuberose dances with this (which Birkin would hate but tough, my skin, my toys).

Without a doubt, my love for this ties in with scents like Feuilles de Tabac, and Elixir as this seems to have a definite sense of place and time. It took me an age to get a sample of this, and if you're brave enough then The Perfumed Court may once again be your best bet.

Capsule Reviews - Tresor & Delices De Cartier EDT

2010-03-15T09:42:00.001Z

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)

2010-03-14T20:29:00.001Z

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.

For both the Evil Twin and I, this scent immediately conjures up history. Old libraries, old ships, leather, paper, polished wood and dust.

Looking at the notes you can understand why, to a certain extent. The white cedar has a pretty big hit, with the rosewood and sandalwood not too far behind. Neither of us get much floral out of this (similar skins as well as everything else), but oh my stars, this is warm and beautiful. I was certain there was some amber in this as it really shines, like brightly polished brass. The spices make me think of stored tea crates, rather than walking into someone's kitchen. Every piece seems to fit perfectly with the scent picture that's being created. The incense kicks in early too, all warmth and smoke.

Eventually it dries down to a beautiful warm, not to sweet vanilla and tonka bean, reminding me for all the world like Organza Indencence. But it takes a long time to get there, having great staying power and wonderful silage.

Evil Twin and I went halves on a 50ml bottle of this as it was too good to pass up. (And when we left the shop we were squeeing like a couple of tweenagers who'd just left a Jonas Brothers' gig). It's rare for a perfume to get me THIS gleeful on first sniff, but Elixir is an utter joy. Indeed Evil Twin's reaction to it was "HELLO LIBIDO!!!", and it is indeed DAMN sexy, on top of everything else.

You can order it here or alternatively, I'm sure if you tweet nicely @PenhaligonsLtd they will send you a sample, they're lovely like that.

(Big shout out must go to the SA at the Wellington Street shop, who was an absolute darling, was really fun to chat to, told us about some FAB new releases, and was a genuine delight to deal with.)

One final note, if you really want to go the whole "history hit", tag team this with Miller Harris' Feuilles de Tabac, then you have a rather rakish man standing in your library....

Highly recommended.

Capsule Reviews - Boucheron & First

2010-03-14T20:27:00.000Z

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)

2010-03-14T20:24:00.002Z

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.

First off WHOOMPH! Oh lord, yes this was formulated in the 80s and feels a bit like being hit by a perfumed piece of 2 by 4, but those top notes fade pretty damn quick and you get this lovely gentle blend of tuberose and jasmine. This is much softer than I remember it, and indeed it has been reformulated. It now sits incredibly close to my skin, but what is VERY weird is that it smells different on my fingers to my wrist. WUT? How's a girl to review this?

On my fingers lots of bright floral narcissus and carnation, slightly bitter too (the castoreum?). On my wrist it's a very soft patchouli and sandalwood. Still waiting for that dirty civet to kick in. From *somewhere* I'm still getting lovely hits of tuberose, and it's so strong and so NOT what I remember from this last time that I'm wondering if my Beyond Love By Kilian from yesterday is still loitering.

(A brief note about that one, I was wrong to dismiss it as not for me, it's *wonderful* and you should all take out remortgages to buy it).

While to me this smells of my lost youth (ha!) It is sweetly pretty with nice woody undertones. Once you get past that mahoosive HELLO it is a joy to wear. I remember it lasting longer, but the reformulation and change in skin chemistry may explain that. Not a "young" scent, but enduringly classy and yay! affordable.

Review - Attitude (Giorgio Armani)

2010-03-14T20:23:00.000Z

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.

This is a gorgeous masculine with great staying power and sileage. I kept wondering who was it who smelt so gorgeous, and then realised it was me! If anything it's *too* masculine for me, which was something of a surprise, but this does hark back to classic men's scents like Aramis. The lavender and cardomom hang around for a surprising length of time, until it settles to a beautiful cedar and patchouli. It's not as cologne-y as you might expect, a throughly modern scent.

I wish the top notes had hung around a little longer for this one, but even without them, this is a lovely modern scent, that I could quite happily sniff on someone else, all day. Not quite right for me, but worth checking out and good value for money.

Review - Cabaret (Gres)

2010-03-14T20:20:00.001Z

Originally posted on Dreamwidth on February 26, 2010.

Cabaret (2003) was created by perfumer Michel Almairac and contains notes of rose, lily of the valley, peony, pink bay, violet, blue orris, patchouli, incense, sandalwood, amber and musk.

First hit, ooh soapy cologne but is there's something lurking just behind it that's a little dirtier? Whatever that note was it disappeared very quickly, I'm guessing to resurface later.

This is very clean... which is nice if you want to smell of soap, not perfume. The lily of the valley hasn't shown up yet, thank goodness, although I'm sure it will just when I least expect it.

Damn but this is relentlessly cheery, like an overly perky galpal. I am aware that in the foul mood I'm in today, I may end up making Caberet cry and hate myself for it. It's a cheerleader in scent clothing. All shiny on the outside. But as it settles, slightly darker on the inside. Like a really bitchy cheerleader who gives blowjobs behind the stands. Trouble is that darker stuff, the patchouli, incense, sandalwood all sits far too close to the skin for me to really enjoy.

Look dammit, this isn't the scent for me today. I suspect that it is actually quite good but that my skin is eating up some of the more interesting notes. Also being rude about it is more fun that being objective. It's not inept, it's not a scrubber, it's probably quite good on other skins. It's also quite cheap if you shop around.

The insane wishlist

2010-03-14T20:18:00.000Z

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.

Of things I've already tried I want bigger bottles of:

A Taste of Heaven - By Killian - My review is here.

Back to Black - By Killian My review is here

Vetiver Bourbon - Miller Harris My review is here

Feuilles de Tabac - Miller Harris (decant from The Perfumed Court should be on it's way) My review is here

Rose en Noire - Miller Harris

Fracas - Robert Piguet My TUBEROSE review is here.

Champagne - Yves Saint Laurent (had a bottle a lifetime ago, want to get small sample for old times sake)

And then there are the scents I want to try but the samples are rarer than hen's teeth:

Acqua Di Cuba - Santa Maria Novella (recommended by Katie Puckrick after I revealed my love of Feuilles de Tabac AND Back to Black)

Cannabis Rose and Cannabis Santal both by Fresh (because I'm really curious as to what they smell like on my skin). Both of these on their way currently.

L'Air De Rien - Miller Harris (because it's supposed to be pure filth!)

Carnal Flower - Frederic Malle (another tuberose, which I'm a bit obsessed by at the moment)

Tonka Imperiale EDP - Guerlain (because tonka, om nom nom, and the heavily marketed newer Guerlain's depress me)

Cumming The Fragrance (not because I am twelve, although that too... but because the notes look fab and right up my street).

Damn.

The Perfumed Court is getting a lot of my hard-earned over the next few months....Thank GOD for the 5ml bottle of Organza Indecence I got from ebay, eh? (Review here).

Edited to add: This post currently lists the original DW reviews. I'll amend the links soon, all the reviews are here too. Carnal Flower and L'Air De Rien are both now in my posession, one's a keeper, one not so much...

Review - Vetiver Bourbon (Miller Harris)

2010-03-14T19:00:00.001Z

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.

I'm trying very hard not to slather myself in this as it sits SO close to the skin and I really want a big hit of it. That would be wrong, this is a subtle scent, quite intimate and sensual. Such a contrast to that big fat tuberose that I wore yesterday, yet equally as entrancing.

(WHY can't I just like something cheap and cheerful? Something I could get from Fragrance Direct?)

My one line description for my SOTD Twitter feed was "HELP I'M LOST IN THE WOODS" and this somehow reminds me of The Company of Wolves.. hmmm, projecting much, Heather? But actually as it settles there is something very woody and animalic about it, so it's not that far off.

This is very BPALy, if you like their darker muskier scents, then chances are you'd like this too. Of course it's pricier than BPAL, which is a bugger, but damn it smells good and Gothy...

Like Feuilles de Tabac it appears to have some good staying power, it hasn't diminished in the last 6 hours, so it will be interesting to see just how long it hangs around.

Not for everybody by a long chalk, but utterly delicious and very striking. Best place to get a sample will be from the lovely The Perfumed Court.

Review - Fracas (Robert Piguet)

2010-03-14T18:58:00.001Z

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!!!!

I knew Fracas had lily of the valley as a note so I was expecting this, but I'm hoping that it's not too grannyish on me. It is quite soapy though and I get none of the peach (not a suprise, that's a recurring issue with my skin chemistry).

Also I get a BIG hit of buttery tuberose, which makes me very happy. The hyacinth is noticeable too, but not the mandarin, peach or violet. I'd say that's again more to do with my skin than anything else.

Damn but I love this. As yet I'm not getting too much Yardley on me. However it also feels like my skin is eating this up very quickly. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts on my skin.

After another 10 minutes this is shouting TUBEROSE in the same way the little Golden Wonder Jungle Fresh man used to shout PEANUTS. But oh my word I love it. Not as an every day scent, that could get tiresome for everyone, but for now and again? Wow.

(This makes me happy as my last few reviews have either been scathing or "meh" which must be awfully dull reading!)

After an hour, it's nowhere near as shouty but still buttery warm tuberose and powder. Surprisingly though, no cedar or sandalwood as yet. Occasionally I'll get a whiff of all the garden flowers in the heart notes. I can't believe how much this has softened, I *almost* want the shouty tuberose to come back and play. I think I need to revisit Beyond Love by Kilian. I wasn't sure about that one when I tried it, but I keep going back to how it smelled and maybe I was wrong about tuberoses not being for me. Matt will just have to deal, he was a bit "meh" about the Kilian.

This is a bit of a goddess scent, one that I'd wear, happily, to bed. That could be because of the powder, which is always a winner for nighttime. In fact, the more I think about it, the more this is a dirty flirty scent. Probably not good for the office, but great for a hot date or even just to get you in the mood. I think the musk and vetiver have kicked in, there is something really quite civet-y about this, which on other skins could turn quite pissy. Personally I love it, but then I am a dirty birdie...

(It also occurs to me that this is why I shouldn't review fragrances I adore, I'm either tongue-tied or ridiculously verbose).

Anyway, yes, Fracas = lovely tuberose, not *too* pricey, little bit dirty, you should track it down.

Review - Alien Liqueur EDP (Thierry Mugler)

2010-03-14T18:47:00.001Z

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.

It's also quite spicy, in a kitchen spicy kind of way, the cumin is pretty clear after about 5 minutes. I like this as a smell, I think, but not necesssarily as a perfume. And other than the first sniff out of the bottle, I'm not getting a lot of rum out of this which is a bit of a disappointment.

Eventually the amber really starts to shine through, the almonds retreat and you have glowingly subtle white flowers. Once it settles it is a very warm scent with great silage.

It's...nice... but that's all on me, just nice. It lasts well too, after my shower I can still smell it faintly on my skin. If you like white florals (and as we've seen before, I'm not over keen), then this is a very good choice. I'd say it's more mature and sophisticated than Angel. A good day wear perfume, once you've got past the whole "amaretti avalanche".

More Old Spice Ads with Bruce Campbell

2010-03-14T18:45:00.001Z

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)

2010-03-14T18:44:00.001Z

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.

Naturally I get NONE of the orange blossom which isn't helping, because something needs to temper this. This is actually setting my teeth on edge. Damn. I'm not getting soft and sensual out of this one.

I really want to scrub this off, but want to see how it dries down because the basenotes are all things I love.

If the Prince who rescued Sleeping Beauty had hack his way through honeysuckle rather than roses, this is the smell it would produce.

But then something weird happens after an hour. WOOSH the floral retreats leaving a very soft, pretty, floral vanilla musk.
Thing is I have plenty of soft vanilla musks and none of them have such a hyper first hit.

Suddenly I see where the "soft sensual" bit of the advertising copy comes from. This is quite lovely but only if you love honeysuckle to within an inch of its life. My skin amps the floral and squashes the citrus too much for me to ever wear this. Think this would work well for tweet pal Gailoh though, who has far fewer issues with wild flowers than I do...

You can get samples on ebay fairly regularly, and if you like your big florals, I would recommend it. Just not for me, not ever, ever ever....

Review - Nuits de Noho (Bond No 9)

2010-03-14T18:42:00.001Z

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!!!
There's a cologne-y element, something very sweet, a bit of floral. Something tells me this is another bastard child of Thierry Mugler's Angel.

The floral is jasmine, and it's lovely and warm, but then you have the pineapple leaves jostling in at regular intervals shouting SMELL ME SMELL ME SMELL ME. Needless to say I can't smell any of the mandarin (DAMN YOU CITRUS), and sadly the vanilla drowns most of the patchouli and bergamot.

This is immense, just not sure if it's in a good way, more in a "break your brain" kind of way.

As it settles down more, of all things, the pineapple leaves seem to hang around. The vanilla buggers off, the patchouli and musk are non-existant. Then after a couple of hours it struck me as to where I'd smelt something like this before. As a child someone bought me a perfume that was in a square cut bottle with a little felted plastic cat. This is EXACTLY what Nuits de Noho smells like once it's settled. I'm pretty sure that was not what Bond No 9 intended.

And then... before you know it... it's gone leaving just a slight manilla envelope smell from the grey musk.

If you love Angel, you probably don't need this. If you don't love Angel but want a schizoid scent, and want to smell like a 9 year old, then this is for you. Otherwise, I'd keep looking...

Old Spice Superbowl Ad

2010-03-14T18:41:00.000Z

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

2010-03-14T18:38:00.001Z

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.

But then last week something happened. Something terrifying and amazing, I came across Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac, another scent with strong tobacco basenotes. I loved it more than Back to Black, it was more subtle, more interesting and lasted nearly 24 hours on my skin.

But surely that makes me some kind of perfume ho-bag. How could I fall so deeply in love with Back to Black and then discard it for Feuilles de Tabac?

The Feuilles de Tabac hits with an almost citrus note on my skin, drying down to a wonderful herbal, sweet, tobacco-y musk,

The Back to Black hits with tobacco first with cardomom and cedar drying down to lots of vanilla and patchouli. The tobacco is stronger and sweeter on the Feuilles de Tabac with a hit of fruit at the start before the sage and pine needles take up the tune. It's more subtle than it sounds, never risking smelling like Pine-Sol.

The fruit in Back to Black never really surfaces on my skin, so it seems more one dimensional.

Don't get me wrong, Back to Black is a fantastic scent, the tobacco is still string enough to be noticeable and it's deliciously warm. It's just that the Feuilles de Tabac is even more delicious.

On price points, the Miller Harris wins, as long as you refrain from buying it from Liberty, and I've already bought a 5ml decant from The Perfumed Court of this, as I know I will wear this on a regular basis.

As for the Kilian, it loses out on price and staying power. However I do recommend both, either as masculines or feminines for they both stand out a little from the crowd without being too shouty.

Capsule Reviews - Insolence & Classique X

2010-03-14T18:36:00.001Z

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.
Eventually mutes down to a nice sandalwood musk, but the violets are still hanging around with dangerous intent. A very young scent, (my 9 year old adores it), but on my skin at least just faaaaaar too many sweeties and not enough Guerlain history.

Classique X (Jean-Paul Gaultier)

Top
Mandarin and Bergamot

Heart
Orange Blossoms and Peony

Base
Vanilla and Iris

Very sharp peony note on first hit, very strong alcohol whiff too. The bergamot is very well hidden, sitting so close to the skin you may need a scaple blade to release it. As per usual I get no mandarin or orange blossom, but skin just damps it to nothingness.

Peonies always seem a bit of a "meh" flower to me, but this is really quite nice. Not as much fun as Madame X which is bonkers plastic orange fun, but this is pretty, not too shouty and a little flirty. Certainly a little more sophisticated than I was expecting from JPG.

It decends nicely into a vanilla/iris hit. This is both pretty and unremarkable, a good workday perfume, if little else.

Review - Beyond Love Prohibited (By Kilian)

2010-03-14T18:35:00.001Z

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.

This is a beautiful floral, another Calice Becker and so very lovely. The coconut top note is so soft and gentle, be assured wearing this will NOT make you smell like a glass of Malibu.

The buttery tuberose is delicous, I think this could be lovely Valentine's scent because while it's not in yer face sexy like Agent Provocateur, it is alluring, and draws you in. This morning when I put it on, I thought it was pretty, but not for me. This evening I'm less sure, certainly it's different from a lot of scents I love, but I can see there would be occasions when this is perfect. (Sadly, I've just asked Matt to sniff me, and he's gone "meh", so not worth a splash out on a bigger decant. Probably just as well...)

Samples of this come around occasionally on ebay, alternative, The Perfumed Court do decants, which is just as well (see previous blog sighings about the cost of this niche perfume house).

Review - L'Heure Bleue (Guerlain)

2010-03-14T18:34:00.001Z

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".

After about 20 minutes I notice something else. In the same way that most B Never scents just tend to say "hello I came from B Never" on my skin, Guerlain scents appear to do the same thing. I got the same kind of powdery whiff from Shalimar too. I may have to do a compare contrast with those two and Mitsouko. Don't get me wrong, I love this as much as I loved Shalimar but neither of them appear to have the "Hello, my name's Gypsy, what's yours?" effect that I'd like from a signature scent.

It dries down into an amber/vanilla blend which is beautiful, but it faded very fast indeed. A lovely scent, classical Guerlain but probably not one I'd buy a full bottle of.

Guerlain don't do 1ml samples of the classic scents as they are so well known, but those lovely people at The Perfumed Court do decants for a reasonable price.

Review - Flora (Gucci)

2010-03-14T18:33:00.001Z

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.

So what we have here is a light, pretty, powderly flor....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Wha? Huzupf? Sorry, I dozed off for a moment.

It's a perfectly good pretty floral with a nice drydown, nothing that makes me want to swing from a chandalier or sing hallelujahs in it's name. But it's nice, unremarkable, inoffensive day wear perfume. I'm guessing that on other people you get some of the citrus too, which would be fab if my skin didn't eat it up for breakfast.

I have to say Faun and I tried this on a paper strip at the weekend and were in awe of how lovely it was. So my damning with faint praise may be a little unfair. It's certainly better than J'Adore if you were wondering.

Review - J'Adore (Christian Dior)

2010-03-14T18:31:00.001Z

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.
Feel this is going to be powedery in dry down. It doesn't feel as nuanced as some of the Becker fragrances I've smelt recently, but according to The Perfume Guide it has been reformulated. (Which is a pity as the description of the original sounded divine!).

As a result this is not as good as I'd expect from Becker, it's nice enough but not particularly outstanding. Indeed at the moment it smells like a nice soap from Boots more than anything. Good sillage if you like it, but as I'm not bothered...

To be honest, it's very close to a scrubber on me, but in the interests of my fair readers I feel I need to see how the drydown pans out. (I hope you appreciate this). Don't get me wrong, it's not particularly unpleasant, but nor is it inspiring or remarkable. It smells clean and pretty though.

It descends into a slight, soapy rose, brings no surprises to the table and it actually rather disappointing. I couldn't smell any of the basenotes, which is a surprise bearing in mind how much my skin amps vanilla and musk. I still have a sample going if anyone would like it....

Review - Taste of Heaven Absinthe Verte By Killian

2010-03-14T18:25:00.001Z

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.
Once again a really warm lush fragrance from Kilian. Soapy, slight woodsy smell, guessing that's the green absinthe oil something warm and musky underneath. DAMN YOU KILIAN, and damn you Calice Becker...This is a brilliant lavender/green cologne smell, a fantastic masculine without a doubt, but wonderful for a woman too.
I'm not big on lavender scents per se, although saying that both Vicomte de Valmont and Casanova by BPAL both have big lavender hits, and actually it would be interesting to compare the three fragrances together. All have a sense of gravitas and history about them, all are delicious.

After a couple of hours it's still very clear on my skin too, not so much lavender at this point, but LOADS of patchouli, amber and the briefest hint of vanilla. This is a wonderful smell very special but OH! the price... I need to do a sniff test against the BPAL scents I've mentioned as the Kilian is very pricey indeed. I've already blogged about the cost of niche scents here and the equivalent BPAL would be £25 cheaper. Alternatively I could splash out on a 5ml decant from The Perfumed Court for under £20.

This is a fantastic scent, one I immediately adore, but the price tag is fierce. Samples are pretty readily available on ebay and it is worth checking out. Sadly a full bottle will never be mine... :(

Capsule Reviews - Madame X & Glam Princess

2010-03-14T18:24:00.002Z

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
. Fizzy and slightly plasticky but lots of fun. Very young, very silly, not terribly rosey. GREAT silage, I sprayed this on my foot, and the smell still reached my nose. Worth hunting down if you want something flippant.

Vera Wang - Glam Princess
Top notes of crushed red berries, juicy guava and sparkling pear

Heart notes of orange blossom and vanilla orchid

Base notes of warm ambrette, sugary marshmallow and soft cashmere wood

Smells of artificial fruit (apples, more than anything else). Utterly horrid. If you want a nice girly scent, splash out for Daisy by Marc Jacobs instead.

Review - Agent Provocateur Eau de Parfum

2010-03-14T18:21:00.001Z

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 soapy smell is quite distracting because the floral is brilliant, but still soap? Plastic? Something very strange for sure. But that doesn't mean I don't like it. I think it would go very well with the outfit I bought yesterday, it's very confident. And I keep getting a waft of musk rising up, which surprised me so soon on my skin. Dear lord though, it's strong, you have to be very sparing with this.

Wow, that musk is very... intimate... no wait, that's the vetiver. This suggests a very personal relationship. Kind of blindsided me there. I mean I know it's marketed as a seduction scent and I can see why. This is real rip your clothes off stuff. It's not subtle AT ALL. And not for les jaunes either, this would be terribly wrong on a 17 year old...

It's also NOT a day scent. Well, not unless you want men going "guh" at every opportunity. (And who doesn't want that?) Put it this way, I wouldn't wear it to the office or anywhere I was planning to be with work colleague. Nor would I wear it around the in-laws. Objects of my affection? They'd be totally fair game though...

I think also I want to test this later in the day, it does seem a bit brash in the sunlight.

This is such a dirty dirty floral, really upfront about what it wants. I like that... ;) The musk is civit-like and for some people I think the fragrance will stand or fall on how you respond to that. As it sits on my skin it also becomes very powdery, sitting very close.

Personally I love it. Worn wisely I think this could be a very effective scent indeed...

the high cost of smelling

2010-03-14T18:20:00.001Z

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.
That sometimes you are not just paying for the better ingredients, but also better packageing and the cachet that a "name" brand brings. While I adore Benefit's foundation, I've also been lucky enough to get Rimmel products in Poundland that did the job just as well. You don't see me haunting the Clinique counter that often, although Clarins occasionally get a whiff of my cash for their Beauty Flash Balm which does actually do what it says on the tube. Other than that, I'm a great believer in buying what's on the best offer, regardless of the manufacturer.

But with perfume, it's not that simple. You can go to the The Perfume Store for good prices but if they don't do your signature scent, then you're a bit stuffed. They don't do Chanel no 5 for example, presumably because Chanel don't want the brand to appear to be in the same market as High Street Celebrity fragrances. So immediatly there is an instant snobbery. (Could you imagine the excreable Liz Jones buying her perfume at Superdrug for instance? Of course not, it would be beneath her, and were her scent to be sold there, it would be suddenly far too plebian for her tastes.)

Now, as I may have mentioned, I'm a bit of a BPAL obsessive. To the point where I now have more imps than I can gainfully use (nearly 90 at last count). I've always said that what with the fact that these are perfume oils, BPAL fragrances are cheaper than high end products. Certainly the imps do allow you a wider choice of day to day scent, with BPAL communities selling imps for $1 a pop. So it never feels like you're spending much money, the 5ml bottles retailing for $15.00 (£9.32) for the General Catalogue up to $25.00 (£15.52) for the Gaiman/Hellboy scents.

So far so good. But one of the downsides of the year of perfume meme is the fact that suddenly I want some "posher" fragrances. Chanel no 5 for example, a scent I'd stayed away from for years because I never expected it to smell good on me, is something I'd now quite like a bottle of. Then over the weekend I tried something so delicious that it felt like a signature scent.

That was By Kilian Back to Back Aphrodisiac. I'll review it properly when my cold buggers off, but for now I can tell you its tobacco, vanilla, patchouli heaven. Now I knew it was "niche", knew it was a little exclusive, but didn't quite realised what that meant until I started looking at prices. According to the website, a 30 ml travel spray will set me back €95 (£79.11).

{Insert Cary Grant type double-take here}

So there I was, with a scent I loved, already a bit embarrased by the whole niche ponciness of the thing, and now a scary price tag.

Time to do some maths.

Working on the prices of 5ml bottles of BPAL, if a GC was available in 30ml, it would cost £55.92, whilst a Gaiman/Hellboy (and I wear Liz, currently) would be £93.12.

Oh.

To put this into a context, a 35ml bottle of Chanel no 5 costs around £42.00.

Ooooooh.

Ok then.

So my lovely bottle of BPAL is, per milligram, more expensive than high end niche perfumes. Which was a bit of a shocker, but, because I buy it in 5ml bottles, doesn't feel like an excessive purchase. Still, that doesn't help with the new lovely scents, which I can't get in 5ml.

Except, thanks to The Perfumed Court, I can. A 5ml decant of Back to Black costs $29.99 (£18.62). Obviously you're paying for the decant service (and then P&P on top) but it's still in a more manageable outlay.

If I resist the decant option and choose to splash cash on the exceptionally pretty travel spray, simply because it is a thing of beauty quite frankly, then am I just buying into this whole "niche perfumista snobbery"? Which wasn't why I started this project. It doesn't help that I'm a total design tart, because I'm exactly the sort of idiot who'd want this little monolith travel spray (that's really what it's called).

But I really like the scent. Which means maybe hunting down GE BPAL scents and seeing if there is anything similar. Alternatively, I could just rationalise the fact that one 30ml bottle costs less than 2 brand new Xbox 360 games.

And then, while I was writing this earlier today, I tried Bond No 9 Chinatown, £90 for 50ml and almost as beautiful as the Back to Black, in a equally pretty container.

I can say hand on heart, when I tried both fragrances, I didn't know their prices or the prettiness of their packaging. Both are EDPs so will go the distance. Neither are available on Duty Free so I'm pretty much stuck with those prices. I could, perhaps justify one for my birthday and one for Christmas? Plus it's not like I'm going to be boasting about how much the damn things cost every time someone compliments me on my perfume. I think most of my friends just take it as read that I'm going to smell nice, Matt tends to just smell "perfume" rather than anything specific.

I think, in my roundabout, cold-addled brain, that what I'm saying, is that while sometime you do get inept expensive scents, sometimes you do also get what you pay for, and then the only question is Xbox or fragrance?

BLV Eau de Parfum II (Bvlgari)

2010-03-14T18:19:00.001Z

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.
Another back of the throat scent, plus has a bit of a washing powder smell. Not loving this to be honest. Neither the star anise or licorice comes to the fore, or indeed the citrus. Dried down to tonka and musk with a hint of manilla envelope but by then I really had lost all interest. If you want a nice clean aquatic you'd be better off with BPAL's The Deep Ones, if you want something muskier, hell just go through my back reviews. Not inept, not a scrubber, just "meh".

Oh and extra wank points for the webpage.

Review - Amarinthine (Penhaligon's)

2010-03-14T17:41:00.001Z

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.
It opens with a dramatic flourish of spices and tropical green. This unsettling lick of drama is beautifully ambushed by an unctuous accord of jasmine and ylang-ylang, a heady bloom renowned for its aphrodisiac properties, and clove swathed in spices, tea, musk and the rounded beauty of tonka bean absolute.

Wow. On first sniff it's a real shocker, not at all what I'd expect from a Penhaligon's scent. As I put it on, I'm wondering *what the hell* is in those top notes that smells a) so good and b) so different. I think it's the freesia and cardamom. This is a dirty, dirty scent, there's little that is clean and crisp here, which perhaps you might expect with the green tea and freesia. It is green, but in a "sap rising" kind of way.

The floral notes of this are very good, althought not separately identifiable as one separate flower. Underneath is the sandlewood which gives it a wonderfully strong base. The base eventually diminishes to sandlewood and tonka, becoming oh so similar to a number of other scents I have with similar base notes. It fades a little too fast for my liking, but I don't think that's a problem, as this is not a day scent. This is a scent designed for rudery and passionate nights in, not business meetings, church functions or picking kids up from school. (Luckily it had faded by the time of the school run!)

It's quite hard to write dispassionately about a scent that I'm really loving (I had the same problem with Shalimar) as I'm responding to it on an emotional level. I think I've found my fragrance for the honeymoon! It's not for everyone, but if you like Clinique Aromatics Elixir, you may also like this. Both have the same filthiness at their heart. As mentioned before, Penhaligon's are on Twitter and are very helpful when it comes to providing samples. (Kudos to Katie Puckrik, who made me aware of this here.)

vintage perfume is an addiction I cannot afford...

2010-03-14T17:34:00.001Z

Originally posted at Dreamwidth January 20, 2010

See this pretty thing? Full of Shalimar by Guerlain?

Guess who won an almost full bottle of it on ebay yesterday? For just under 20 quid...

The last time these bottles were made was in the 70s, which means its pre-EU nonsense too.

This on top of the L'Air Du Temps bottle from last week.

Now I can justify both of these purchases a bit by pointing out that both were made before the EU started their stringent regulations on fragrance. L'Air Du Temps has definitely changed in recent years, and it would be interesting to see what differences there are between my recent EDP of Shalimar and this bottle

But seriously the Shalimar has to be the last purchase for a while. I have 33 fragrances ready to review, along with a whole slew of BPAL that I have barely even sniffed. It's been too easy, every time I've been down in the past month, to just pop onto ebay and splash another fiver on samples.

So, no looking at vintage perfumes and buying them in case they don't come up again. No more trawling ebay for interesting samples. (Sorry Le Feu d'Issey, I may never smell you after all). NO MORE BPAL even though the Valentine's scents have just been released and some of them look amazing.

Similarly, once I've gone through all the BPAL it will be time to destash. The whole point of year of perfume was to learn more about fragrance and discipline myself to write on a daily basis. NOT bankrupt myself.

If I look like I'm straying from this resolute path, give me a poke, please...

Review - Shalimar (Guerlain)

2010-03-14T17:30:00.001Z

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.

First hit is all citrus and bergamot (the thing that makes Earl Grey so gorgeous). Very soft and powdery. Its a very warm, sensual scent, that absolutly exudes class.

After an hour though, it seemed to have disappered? WTF? This is the Eau de Parfum? COME BACK! So I reapplied. Yum... citrus, bergamot, powder.... (Faun said "it smells like baby powder! And she has a point, it is very powdery indeed.)

After a couple of hours this is all about the vanilla and tonka bean, the powder has disappeared and it sits very close to the skin. It's utterly delicious and beautifully warm.

Bad news? After 4 hours it had almost completely disappeared again. Maybe my skin is just eating this up because it's so scrumptious. Maybe I need to be a *bit* less frugal with it, or maybe an atomiser rather than a little dab from the sampler would give a better spread. I'm not sure. But this is a fantastic scent, and once again, like the Chanel no 5, I understand it's enduring appeal.Best place to get a tester is from The Perfumed Court.

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

2010-03-14T17:27:00.001Z

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.

On first spritz in the morning, I got a herbal cologne, that actually seemed *too* masculine for me (weird I know). It had a very clean soapy smell, that I found unremarkable and dried down to a very familiar patchouli and vetiver base. Don't get me wrong, nothing bad about it, but just... meh. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good scent, but didn't make me feel the way cologne usually does. (This is the point where writing about scent can be so problematic, because it is sometimes very hard to disassociate your emotions/memories fromt the scent that you're reviewing!). Plus, I'm not a big fan of soapy, if I want to smell of soap, I'll wash, rather than splash on something expensive. My reaction to this was so "nothing", neither like nor loathe, that I didn't feel a review would be interesting.

However, later on in the day I ended up refreshing it and got completely different notes. This time the herb hit was far better defined, not basil as I was expecting, but fresh chopped coriander (om nom nom!). On the drydown, I there was a much stronger lilac hit. That pesky vetiver still hung around, but this time the overall effect was dirty, rather than soapy.

Now lord only knows what was going on with my skin that would make something smell so different, or whether this cologne is a little schizo. Certainly it is more interesting than I first gave it credit for. On the downside, it is a cologne, so only lasts about 3 hours on my skin. I still don't think I'd buy a big bottle of this, it doesn't grab me by the heartstrings and the lime never gets a look in, which saddens me. Samples are available on ebay, but this is one I'd definitely recommend spritzing in store if you can.

Review - Flower (Kenzo)

2010-03-14T17:25:00.001Z

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?

Throughout the first part of the morning it seemed very strong, lots of violets, a bit of rose, lots of powder. Then at some point that all drifted off and what remains is...no shock... vanilla musk. But don't be put off, that musk is really good. The transition between the two is very subtle, its only now after a couple of hours, that I realised what had happened. This goes from being a very pretty scent with, I suspect, good sillage, to something more sensual. I imagine this would be a very good date fragrance, for when you're hoping to get "up close and personal" at the end of the evening.

I'm torn on this one I have to say. Faun loved it on me, but I think Matt was less approving (not being a big violet fan). I think it's more "me" at the end of the day, and that's probably not enough to justify a purchase when I have lots of vanilla/musk/opoponax/woody scents already. I'm not a great fan of foodie/sweetie scents either, and for me this is a tad too sweet.

Don't let my reticence turn you off though, it's a very well-crafted scent.
Best price here, samples should be readily available.

a week in perfume (PICSPAM)

2010-03-14T17:24:00.001Z

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

BPAL box as of Tuesday

That's a new box for my BPAL because the other one didn't have a lid on it and Faun and Matt kept knocking it off the shelf under the coffee table. As you can see, it's already quite full.

Samples box as of Tuesday. Included already owned Penhaligon's and Urban Decay and a few sprays.

Samples box on Wednesday...

Vintage, 6ml bottle of L'Air Du Temps, best bargain so far. (Also made me wish that MovieMom was still alive so she could tell me whether it was her or Grannie who wore this...)

Somebody asked me how many fragrances had been delivered this week. This is without doubles - 28 bottles, plus 18 BPAL imps. Yes, this is obsessive behaviour, have I mentioned that I know this already ;)

The BPAL box as of today..

The samples box as of today...

I have some Gaultier Madame, some Chanel no 5 Eau Premier and Salvador Dali Eau de Dali turning up in the next couple of days. After that I'm hitting the department stores for freebies. I think I've got enough here for the perfume blog for a while, yes?

Review - Amethyst (Lalique)

2010-03-14T17:22:00.001Z

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.
The heart beats with the accords of intoxicating rose, it is spiced with pepper, peony, lily and sweet, floral ylang-ylang. The base is powdery and soft with Bourboni vanilla and sensual musk. The designer of the bottle is Lalique, of course, and it was inspired by Ralf Lalique’s object for bathroom, Epines – thorns designed in 1920.

First hit is of fruit and powder, this is more dry than I was expecting. Very sweet, ooh and peppery on the first stage. Dammit this reminds me of something I used to have, there's something hugely familiar about this. Giorgio maybe? It does feel very 80s, very similar to something MovieMom wore.

Ooh... on drydown there is a lovely soft musk, that blends well with the rose. Blimey! I was expecting this to be big and brash but it has suddenly calmed down into something much more demure. Not at all what I was expecting, but so good I want to keep sniffing and sniffing and sniffing.

I wonder how long those top notes will last, before its all just roses, musk and vanilla (that you know is waiting in the wings, my skin loves to amp vanilla to 1 louder...). What a cheery little scent!

After 4 hours, there is just the faintest whiff left on my skin, which is a great shame. Surprisingly its not the vanilla that has hung around but warm, musky fruit.

This scent has been a real surprise, I have to say. Samples are hard to come by, so a visit to The Perfumed Court may be in order. If you can find a 4ml official sample, I recommend it, as the packaging is delightful. If found, do try it, full bottles can be ordered here, from John Lewis.

Review - Chanel No 5 (Chanel)

2010-03-14T15:37:00.001Z

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.
Rose and jasmine hit straight away but don't spank you. This is soft and powdery. There's a very familiar note here, which I think is the jasmine that fizzes slightly. Something that reminds me of YSL's Champagne. But that was big and brash, this far more subtle.

And gorgeous. Did I mention gorgeous? This is the EDT and already I'm wishing I had the EDP because I suspect my skin is going to eat this all up for breakfast. Luckily I have that coming with my Perfumed Court samples, so I'll be able to compare and contrast.

Oh hai vanilla, I didn't see you there. 3 hours wear and that's pretty much all I can smell, the vanilla, with sandlewood and patchouli. Wow. Very faint now, can't imagine a lot of sillage from this one. Rare for me to want MOAR smell rather than less.

It fades far too fast on my skin and while i dearly wanted to top it up with more, its only a 1ml sampler.

Its very easy to get caught up in the mythology of Chanel no 5, and the beautifully directed Christmas ads, but at the end of the day, this is a wonderful, golden scent, that harks back to a more glamorous time, but still manages to seem vibrant and modern. I'd stayed away from this for years because it smellt "like cats" on MovieMom (her words). That was a shame. Worth the outlay for a special occasion, cheapest price for the EDT I could find was Boots at £47.

Review - Blenheim Bouquet (Penhaligon's)

2010-03-14T15:36:00.002Z

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

Created in 1902 and taking its name from Blenheim Palace the seat of one of England’s most respected bloodlines, Blenheim Bouquet is a bracing mix of citrus oils, spices and woods. Inhaling Blenheim Bouquet today it is hard to imagine it was created over one hundred years ago. It is a fragrance that has continually adapted to every twist and turn of its existence. Blenheim Bouquet is discreet, sensual and immaculately turned out with a flash of heritage flourish.

Starts with BIG citrus/lavender hit, very sharp, astringent. Almost immediately I can smell the black pepper and pine too. This is *gorgeous*! Luca Turin said that could do with better quality raw materials, and that its unremarkable. Of course there are many citrus/woody masculines jostling for position and I don't know bigger and better ones to compare it to, as yet. But this smells good, well made and achieves what it sets out to do.

Pine/citrus scents are a weird one, get it wrong or have the wrong body chemistry and you end up smelling like Flash. But the blend here is good, the pepper tempers it quite a bit. I had to sniff BPAL's Christmas 2009 scent, Faunalia, to remind me of other sucessful pine fragrances. Faunalia has a much bigger pine hit, like being in a forest and nearly walking into a pine tree. Blenheim Bouquet is nowhere near as bold, if you weren't looking to smell it, then maybe you'd miss it altogether because of the general woodsy/fresh/peppery smell.

(At around the 2 hour mark, I had several packages delivered. One of them had Anubis by BPAL in it... it leaked. This fubar'd my nose for HOURS, so don't ask me what this scent did for the middle part of the day!)

As it settles and fades, this is just a lovely musky, peppery smell that sits very close to the skin. You could do an awful lot worse than buy this, or at least sample it. Penhaligons do have a twitter feed and are lovely at sending out samples. Worth investigating if you're curious, and although its marketed as a masculine this works well for women too.

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

2010-03-14T15:35:00.002Z

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).
Cloying back of the throat stuff. I get no orange at all from this, bitter or otherwise. Very strong gardenia and just washed and dried clothes smell. Which isn't terrible in itself but this seems to be one of the those perfumes for people who don't like perfume.

Ugh.

Fruity, bittersweet and spicy? WHERE? Either the copywriter or the perfumier was on crack. Its supposed to be a playful fragrance, but its playful like Lara Flynn Boyle in Wayne's World. NO spice, not yet (and sorry but I'm not going to wait for it, not while its like this)

Horrid. Really really horrid.

*goes to scrub off*

UGH! STILL THERE!

*goes to scrub some more*

I may end up like Lady Macbeth by the end of the morning.

*scrubs and sniffs*

Actually, when tempered with Snow Showers from Lush its almost bearable, I think that's just given it the orangey/spicey tang it was missing.

Still, if I have to layer a Dior perfume with anything to temper it, then the original fragrance just ain't doing its job properly...

If you like floral fabric softener and want to smell of clean clothes, then this is the perfume for you, without a doubt. Personally, I prefer something a little more interesting, and yes, dirtier...

Review - Fuel for Life (Diesel)

2010-03-14T15:33:00.001Z

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?

Wet - yup, there's the mandarin and the patchouli all right. Will be interesting to see how long that lasts on my skin, orange scents tend to disapper quite quickly...

As it starts to drydown, hellllllloooo jasmine.

An hour later and this is quite powdery now, more than I was expecting. The jasmine is still there in full force, more so than the patchouli. As for the blackcurrant, there is a sense of sweetness but its not identifiable as anything in particular. That top note of mandarin wasn't meant to last and sure enough its over as soon as its begun.

Maybe I've been a bit spoilt over the past couple of days, or maybe I'm guilty of a little bit of snobbery, but this doesn't seem as complex and certainly doesn't last as long as any of the other three scents I've reviewed this week.

As it fades it becomes a fruity floral, sitting prettily on a eiderdown of patchouli. Its lovely, not change the world lovely perhaps, but very good, something that can be worn easily as an every day scent. Saucy vixen? Quite possibly, but not a prerequesite to wear this.

Cheapest price I found online was here although I think The Perfume Store usually stocks it so you should get a good high street price. I have 3 samples if anyone wants one, just give me a shout.

Review - Ricci Ricci (Nina Ricci)

2010-03-14T15:30:00.001Z

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.

Fragrance

Ricci Ricci is a fresh and sensual floral built around the Beauty of the Night flower.
Full of contrasts, the fragrance is easy-to-wear, branded and extremely feminine. It is designed for an optimistic and self-confident woman.
Daring, the sparkling top notes of Rhubarb and Bergamot bring a modern freshness. The middle note is floral, glamourous and feminine. It is built around the Rose Centifolia and the Indian Tuberose, and is enhanced by the Beauty of the Night, a unique and mysterious flower that reveals Ricci Ricci’s personality. Sensual and elegant, the base note comes with warm, deep notes of Patchouli Fraction and Sandalwood.

Remember all those perfume ads you see over Christmas, how many times have you watched one and thought "who buys perfume based on an ad?".

Psst, don't tell anyone, but I got the sample for this scent, solely because of the ad....

On first sniff - sweet floral...

That tuberose is immense filling my nose, throat and lungs, but there is a fruity sweetness to it that I guess has to be attributed to the rhubarb zest (seriously?). Immediate thought is that this needs only the tiniest drop, otherwise its completely overpowering. It smells how you think perfume ought to smell, what my 5 year old self would think that all perfume should smell like. That doesn't mean it's simplistic or unsubtle, more that it excels at what it wants to achieve.

The sandlewood is lovely, I keep getting flashes of it as it tries to tame these immense roses, but I wonder if this is too floral, too young for me. However, the main issue I have with this straight away is that its gone straight to my throat, I can almost taste it, and thats not good. I wonder if this says more aboutmy body chemistry/nose than the perfume itself, but right now I feel like I've been sucker punched. Dear lord I want to love this, but its one of those perfumes it would be easy to hate if you were caught in a lift with someone who'd splashed it all over.

I've realised I like my roses to be less rose-y to be honest. BPAL's The Rose is a fantastic fragrance because it also has the green smell of cut stems. Nearly 2 hours after putting this on and its still like sitting in a bath tub filled to the brim with petals. Which is fine,but I'd like that to ease off now. Sniffing my wrist again, I get the briefest whiff of patchouli but its so subtle against the wall of rose.

After several hours the sandlewood comes to the forefront and the rose starts to recede (thank god) and this becomes a fragrance that I really want to wear. Now as a rose and sandlewood blend its far more interesting. I fell that I should give it another chance at a later date, putting just the tiniest microdot on to see how it develops.

If you like big flirty roses with a backbone, this is definitely for you. As the day progresses it feels less like a scent for someone in their early 20s and more everywoman. Currently not something I'd want to wear on a daily basis, but interesting enough to have piqued my attention and want to wear again.

You can buy Ricci Ricci here and samples are easily obtainable via ebay.

Review - Organza Indecence re-issue (Givenchy)

2010-03-14T15:29:00.002Z

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.

Top: Cinnamon, Tangerine
Heart: Jacaranda Wood, Plum
Base: Amber, Patchouli

First impression, fruity musk, almost chocolate-y. Very warm, very very nice. Almost immediately I love it. After a couple of minute. WOAH, this is a big scent, not terribly subtle, but really good. It was only then that I looked at the notes for this - oops, that patchouli would be what I thought was musk, idiotic woman. I realise that chocolate-y smell is actually a HYUGE vanilla with the cinnamon resting behind it.

This seems to be the perfect scent for a snow day like today, with the warmth and depth (if not the smell) of hot chocolate. After a couple of hours its still very vanilla-y, but the tangerine top note also comes through very faintly. (I suspect my skin eats up orange scents until they're nothing more than a whisper). After 2 hours it is still very similar to the first spray.

Sniffing again, I realise that the vanilla note is very similar to the one in BPAL's Liz scent (Hellboy LE), but slightly less sweet, possibly tempered by the tangerine top note. That patchouli that I got a huge whiff of at the start has also retreated quite substantially, nothing is overpowering here, but dear gods its GOOD. Like wrapped up in cashmere in front of an open fire.

Eventually it just fades down to a more and more quiet vanilla. Still clear on my skin after 6 hours though, and if you get up *really* close that top note of tangerine is still there.

This is a glorious winter scent, that becomes softer as the day goes on, but never any less charming. Cheapest price for a full bottle that I could find was here, but you can always get a sample from here. I’m not planning on buying any large bottles this year, but a full bottle of this will go on my Christmas Wishlist for 2010. Definitely worth investigating if you like vanilla or foodie scents.

Review - Breath of God (B Never)

2010-03-14T15:28:00.002Z

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.
Perfumer Simon Constantine created Breath of God after a trip to Tibet wanting to create a perfume that was a return to the simpler way of Life. Breath of God was reportedly developed after Constantine created two separate scents on this theme, Inhale for women (uplifting neroli, refreshing bergamot, stimulating violet leaf and exotic jasmine) and Exhale for men (warming amber, soothing sandalwood and stimulating patchouli ) and decided they would work well combined.

I love B Never, in the same way I adored Cosmetics to Go, and grew to love Lush. Ginger by CTG is still one of my favourite perfumes and indeed I still have a bottle squirrelled away from *cough* 17 years ago (hmm, maybe I should replace). But B Never fragrances and I have never really got on. All of them seem to distill down to one very sweet B Never note, instantly recogniseable, but never quite what the perfume is actually supposed to smell like. The only B Never scent that didn't do that was Om... which smelt of curried cabbage.

However, with the news the B Never are going to cease trading, and a 5 star review of Breath of God from Luca Turin, I thought I'd give this a shot.

First impresssion THUNK, like being hit in the face with the entire B Never store in Carnaby Street. Its a massive, fluffy floral, and exactly the same feeling as most of the other range.

However, don't let that put you off, because after a while it settles down and becomes far more subtle, with the sandlewood and citrus notes shining through. This is not a fragrance for the fainthearted, as it is a bit "shouty" to start with but it becomes incredibly warm and the notes seem to shift continually.

The duality between the "inhale" and "exhale" shines through, it is both masculine and feminine, which means I would be happy to wear it for all sorts of occasions. I'd suggest that its applied very sparingly, a little goes a remarkably long way, but it lasts on my skin beautifully, after nearly 5 hours I could still smell it.

You can still buy it directly from the B Never site, alternatively, if you're not sure if you'd like it, you can get a sample here.

And So It Begins....

2010-03-14T15:25:00.001Z

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...)

Yet I've always been intruigued by scent. After a brief dalliance with Lentheric's Tramp in my late teens (yes, bought by a boyfriend...) I moved on, swiftly, to Rive Gauche, then Jazz, LouLou and Ysatis. My first niche fragrance was Cosmetics To Go, Ginger, a bottle I still have, but use sparingly now.

I stopped wearing perfume of any sort when I became pregnant with Faun as I couldn't handle any strong smells, and then in the mire of depression, there seemed no point in smelling pretty.

Climbing out of the wreckage of that, along with my marriage, I sorted out my wardrobe and makeup, but scent was still missing, and it was only a couple of years ago, when wicked wicked LJ friends introduced me to BPAL that I started to think about perfumes again.

I have a hell of a nose, a veritable rudder. Strong scents, brutally applied can knock me for six. I can still smell Matt's BPAL on his skin at the end of the day, long after he's thought it has worn off. Clinique's Aromatics Elixir can stop me short in my tracks when shopping, MovieMom's favourite perfume for the last years of her life.

I have BPALs that I wear to help me sleep, and some that I use like a comfort blanket when I'm feeling shaky. Recently I've been on a total BPAL frenzy that was only halted when Christmas came along and I had to spend my disposable cash on my best beloveds.

Its ironic that I've decided that this year of Operation Knock Up should also be my year of perfume. Using this as a good starting point, and with the help of The Perfumed Court, I plan on smelling and reviewing as many perfumes as I can this year, or at least until I become pregnant. I will review BPALs along with more mainstream perfumes as that's an obsession that won't go away (and also there are no BPAL reviews in the guide, which saddens me). I'm hoping that the precision needed to review scent may help me in other writing, both in terms of discipline and style.

And yes, I recognise this is a mad project, in a long line of mad and obsessive projects. I'm fine with that.

Hope you enjoy what will come next ;)