Scent arrivals this week

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 :

Capsule Reviews - Lubatti Bath Oil & Do Son

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)

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.

Capsule Review - Insense Ultramarine for Her (Givenchy)

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

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

Bueller?

Bueller?

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

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

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

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

Capsule Review - L'Eau Ambreé (Prada)

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

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

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

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

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

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




Don't be, it's fab :D

Review - Le Petit Grain (Miller Harris)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Star Trek colognes and what they should smell like

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

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

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

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

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

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