Monthly Archives: September 2010

Sabrina Jeffries: Only a Duke Will Do

World of Books September 30, 2010 Leave a comment

Sabrina Jeffries is along with S. Laurens, my favourite historical romance writer. I can always count on her books to make my day (in this genre, there are other writers who can do that as well).  I have to admit though that in this case I waited for quite a while to start reading this book, because the main characters have some history from another of Mrs. Jeffries novels and considering that, I had a problem seeing how that can be successfully resolved.

I was still a bit sceptical when I started reading it and realized that the Duke of Foxmoor was going to court Lousia under false pretenses. Ok, yes, as most of those types of characters, he tries to tell himself that it’s all not for love but passion and all for the good. I was shaking my head at the beginning when Simon agrees with the king to marry Lousia (king’s I think illegitimate daughter) in order for the king to make him a prime minister, of course, with Louisa never knowing of that agreement.

Well, I’m sure you can guess how that part went. 😉 Anyway, it turns out, I can understand why Simon acts the way he does, but my hat goes down to Louisa and her character. I know I am sometimes too proud for my own good so when she does some things in the name of love (and she reacts correctly in the situation), I kept thinking, ok, I would probably lose the love of my life (in that particular case) due to my own pride.

I know people treat romance novels like  something that is not good literature but it’s also a genre in which a writer can express his or her talent, and I’ve been proven once again that Sabrina Jeffries obviously has it. Her characters are always believable and their discussions lively, funny and you never know who is going to win which round.

Of course, I don’t think I’d love her novels so much if all the female characters weren’t such strong women.

Visiting ancient Egypt III

World of Perfume September 27, 2010 Leave a comment

And with this, I’ll conclude this mini series. The last scent I’ll talk about is Megaleion.

Top notes: Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Fragrant Wine (accord), Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Balm of Gilead (accord), Spikenard, Turkish Rose Otto
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Costus, Myrrh Gum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

This one was the one that moved me the least. Not to say I don’t like it, I do, but it feels more restrained in its olfactory approach. It smells like something Egyptian priests might have worn, and it feels more masculine than the rest. It could be I’m associating it with priests due to the frankincense in the opening. And when mixed with cardamom, I just get the priest in Egypt association springing up in my mind. 🙂

Anyway, the opening is incensey-green, mixed with cinnamon and cardamom but cinnamon in significantly smaller presence than in Keni. It’s warm, resinic and the fragrant wine accord is again in my mind connected with the cardamon and the warm wine you drink in winter. And that’s about the most sweetness you can expect from it, if you associate fragrant wine with sweetness. This is much drier than the other two, like smoky wood, burnt in a temple perhaps.

I’m aware Dawn wrote that this is “Perhaps the world’s first “designer fragrance”… – but I can’t help think of temples and priests when smelling it. But not Christian variant of incense burned in a church (which is a smell to make me nauseous instantly), more the spicy, dry version that I come to associate with dry climates, sun and temples – Egypt is a good picture. 🙂

Visiting ancient Egypt II

World of Perfume September 26, 2010 Comments: 4

It seems I really don’t know much about ancient history since if someone asked me what spices Egyptians used, I’d have no idea.  I would probably guess at some, but I don’t think cinnamon would be on that list.
And then, here comes Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and her Secrets of Egypt and through my nose, I learn some of the things my school books never managed to teach me.

Today  I’ll talk about Keni – the cinnamon fest. 🙂

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Fragrant Wine (accord)
Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Myrrh Gum, Pine Resin

Ok, as you can see from the notes, it’s not all a cinnamon fest but the opening is, and it lasts for a while so I can call it that.  It’s the most real cinnamon I ever smelled. As with all spices (which I recognize by their particular nose pinching effect, you know, similar to black pepper), this cinnamon is at the same time nose pinching, juicy and bark-like. If you ever tried a cinnamon chewing gum, it smells like that. Wonderful (as I adore cinnamon gums).

As cinnamon starts to subside, there is a light gummy quality to it and then cardamom appears. If you take a look at the notes of the different Secrets of Egypt scents, you will notice many notes being the same in many of them. And then, in the end, they all smell spicy but different.

After cardamon, I start getting some whiffs of sandalwood and after that, it gets tricky. Sandalwood for me gets more dry and resiny and in the end morphs into sweet cedar and then just cedar? I’m not really sure except it’s dry and comforting (but then again, all spicy scents are comforting to me,  and I wonder, does that mean something?).

Pic by: http://www.ground-cinnamon.com/
Notes by: http://www.dshperfumes.com/

Kresley Cole: Demon from the Dark

World of Books September 25, 2010 Comments: 3

I feel I have nothing new to say about Kresley Cole and her Immortals after Dark series. Everything has already been said by both me and other book bloggers.
But reading her books is just so much fun! 🙂 Although this time the male character sounded more like he came out from a Sherrilyn Kenyon’s book due to all the suffering he went through.

Anyway, this time around we meet some new factions in the world of immortals and this time, those are human.
One of the things I like about Kresley Cole is that I can never guess what’s going to happen next. Or at all. Ok, yes, I know in the end the couple is going to work out through their problems and end up together, but the road there – have no idea what’s it going to look like. And that makes me seriously happy.

I liked the characters, Carrow and Malkom both have some childhood problems to deal with (Malkom’s are a bit more tragic though). The sex scenes are steamy hot as usual, love between the characters is as strong as can be and the end hints at the war in the lore happening quite soon. I can’t wait to read the next installment, esepcially since I don’t know whose story is it going to be.

And on the end note, can I just say I am very thankful to Kresley and her publishing house for continuing to publish her work as paperbacks because those books are so great I keep wondering when they are going to want more money for them.

Visiting ancient Egypt I

World of Perfume September 24, 2010 Comments: 10

I’ve been interested in the Secrets of Egypt collection of scents from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz since it came out and then I finally ordered 3 samples of scents that were made for the exhibition in Denver Art Museum.

I don’t know how many of you know, I am a huge fan of Dawn’s work and unfortunately for me, I seriously like pretty much anything I smell that she created. 🙂

So, it came as a surprise realization yesterday (I’ve been having those lately) that the reason I kept postponing writing about several perfumes I tried recently is because I don’t feel I can give them a review they deserve. I mean, whatever comes into my mind as something I want to say about them doesn’t feel as good as they smell to me.
But I decided that’s a stupid reason for not writing about them, so here it goes.

The one I will talk about today is Antiu – I won’t go into details about the name, you can read more about it on Dawn’s site.

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Fragrant Wine (accord), Galbanum, Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Gallica Rose Otto, Honey Beeswax
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Mastic, Myrrh Gum, Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

For me, this starts as a spicy burst (that reminded me strongly of cinnamon which is featured prominently in the other 2 samples) that smelled at the same time green like peas and almondy. And that’s before I read the notes (I just love it when I can smell something on my own). 🙂
It has  a slightly citrusy tang and in the beginning smells to me like cinnamony grass. You know, spicily green. And absolutely wonderful (those are two smells I adore in anything). I still can’t believe there is no cinnamon in this but then again, we put here in our warm wine cinammon and clove so it’s no wonder that the fragrant wine accord will remind me of it. One variant of such wine is glög (that’s what the Swedish do) and it’s a bit more spicy and has a thicker consistency (I’m not sure from what) but cardamom is put into it.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t like cardamom but I can’t help but associate it with warmth and fragrant wine so when it makes a bolder appearance in Antiu, I really enjoy it.

Even though I mentioned winter customs, for me, this smells like a perfect scent for spring. It has some kind of sunny, breezy, grassy freshness and then gets a sweet aspect around the cardamom but in a light, resiny way.  Well, if you take a look at the base notes, you can come to that conclusion as well. 🙂

Soon, I will talk about the other samples and one that is absolute cinnamon heaven for which a friend told me she doesn’t consider that as something one might wear as perfume. Oh well, more for me.

If you take a look at Dawn’s site, I’m warning you straight away, don’t check the Mummy bottles because they are just way too wonderful not to be wanted for oneself. Which is a terrible torture as one costs 275 $.

Btw, it seems I decided to write about these perfumes at the same time as Krista over at Scent of the Day, so you can head over there and see what she wrote about Antiu.

Pic by: http://www.stanford.edu/

Lily of the valley in the forest

World of Perfume September 20, 2010 Comments: 6

There is a reason why my fragrant wardrobe does not include many florals and why I neither wear them not own them. Every once in a while I will come across a specimen that surprises me and works great with my skin but more often than not, that is not the case.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I finally got my hands on Carillon pour un Ange by Andy Tauer and after a great opening, it went down the path of so many florals and turned very shrill and sinus pinching on me. 😦

I was so very sad to smell that happening. Especially since the first burst of Carillon on my skin transported me straight to a forest after the rain where the lily of the valley grows in dark, wet earth. It is such a true rendition of that place that I couldn’t believe my nose. And I know what that smells like since I used to gather them with my mother (who adores lily of the valley flowers).

And there I was, walking in the woods among lily of the valley when the floral shrilliness hit me. I’ve read enough floral reviews so far to notice this thing does not happen to most people. I am one of the unfortunate ones. I am still not sure though if it’s florals or white musk that makes it happen (or they both work like that)but whatever it is, it hurts my nose.
Luckily, in Carillon it doesn’t last, so after  it’s gone, I’m left with the lily of the valley resting on my desk after I picked it off the wet forest floor. The scent is here but there is no more of that dark wetness of the forest where it grew.

Notes: rose, ylang-ylang, lilac, lily of the valley, jasmine, leather, ambergris, moss, woods

I saw reviewers mentioning hints of leather, I have to admit to not being able to smell it. But I do like the drydown, it’s very soft and makes me think I’m smelling some other perfum  the way it gets tamed. Because you know, Andy Tauer creations practically jump out on you from the bottle, and sparingly applying them is the way to go. They are not for the faint of heart, otherwise they may strangle you. 😉

Pic by: BACKYard Woods Explorer on Flickr

P.S. Yes, I did manage to post this originally without a title. 🙂

JD Robb: Fantasy in Death

World of Books September 18, 2010 Leave a comment
There’s not much left to be said about this series. I mean, this is book 30 (or over) in the series. I guess you can tell what I think of the series when I tell you I buy them regularly and have all of them. 🙂 Yes, I do spend way too much money on books. 😉

I don’t know if that happened to anyone else reading this book, although if you follow the series, I guess it was pretty obvious how the victims were killed in holo-rooms without any sign of breaking and entering. What I couldn’t guess in the beginning, but when Lt. Dallas pointed in that direction, I could see her reasoning but still couldn’t understand how is it possible people are so awful to each other? And this book came right after Danielle Steel’s concerning a sociopath (which is what the killer in this book is as well).

That’s actually some scary stuff when you think about it. Sociopaths are so great at adapting socially that you never know what goes inside until they break your spirit or kill you (depending on how sociopathic your person is). Of course, the In Death series have the killer kind since Eve works in homicide so she gets to discover who did it.

Anyway, all the characters we love are back and the relationships in Eve’s life just keep getting stronger. It’s been happening for a while and sort of behind her back so that one day she wakes up and realizes she has friends and she actually needs to nurture those friendships. She perhaps is not always sure how it’s done but her heart is in the right place and in the end it always works out as it should. I mean, her friends know her so they have a good idea how she will react in a given situation. That is just one of the things I got reminded of reading this book.

Drunk on perfume

Perfume thoughts September 14, 2010 Comments: 4

I finally realized what happens to me when I’m in a niche perfume store. I get drunk. And I mean seriously tipsy by all the fumes wafting around while I’m trying perfumes even when I temper it with coffee (like in real life, coffee helps a bit when you’re drunk).

I couldn’t resist anymore so I went to Victor Koncept for some serious perfume sniffa-tour. And that’s exactly what I did. So, of course I overdoses and got extremely giddy and forgot some of the things they told me so I asked twice. Like for example, when is the rest of PG line coming (end of this week) which is bad. Really bad. Because I tried their tuberose and patchouli and I seriously like them (and they weren’t even on the top of my PG list to try! So, I’m thinking, tuberose is not for this time of year, and I have enough patchoulis so I can test the rest next week without problems. Because I have high hopes for some other stuff coming in. But their patchouli is so great. It’s a dark chocolate patchouli, deep and warm and if not black, then very close to it.

I also managed to try Byredo Palermo – a must try more before next summer. It’s a different take on summer cologne/citrusy stuff and that is what I like (bitter orange or something like that got me). Baudelaire is also one I’ll try again. I like the Tulipe but it’s not for me.
After reading some nice things about Penhaligon’s Bluebell, I finally tried it. 🙂 I can see what might make people like it – it’s bottled sprimg meadow. I’ll see in the spring if we are going to it hit it off.

This time around, I took enough time and didn’t have to rush so I got some samples to try as well. Yeey! That is also how I got drunk on perfume. 🙂 But I don’t mind.
I mean, I was a bit light-headed when going home and couldn’t stop smiling due to giddiness but I really deserved a trip there. It’s been six months since my last time. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be that much until my next visit.

Do you want to know what I bought?

After discovering just last week I love amber, L’Eau d’Ambre by L’Artisan came home with me.
Along with – Molecule 02. Yes, I’m very susceptible – I’m sure everyone saw the Luckyscent 5 sexiest perfume choices clip. And, honestly, I tried it before and just couldn’t understand (again!) what the fuss is about. It turns out that the tester is not what’s in the bottle and the stuff only works correctly when sprayed on skin and not on paper strip. So, I bought it unsniffed basically but I’m checking the effect as soon as tomorrow. 🙂

P.S. I was surprised at how many people were at Viktor Koncept, usually when I go, I’m the only one. Also, I really had the time of my life and didn’t want to leave, everyone was very friendly and we discussed so many things (they again let me try something they only received to try and still don’t have at the perfumery).

Danielle Steel: Matters of the Heart

World of Books September 12, 2010 Leave a comment

It’s been years since I read something by Danielle Steel (high school I think) so I was interested to read something again when the chance appeared in the form of a Summer reading challenge.

Well, I can certainly say the book was a surprise. I seem to remember her books having a happy end even though the characters usually face some kind of adversity. It’s not that this book has a sad ending but it’s not the traditional happy one. I’d say the book is not really a traditional Steel novel. I mean, when did she start writing scary stories?

Ok, so it’s not really a scary story but it got me a bit scared at one point.
I just wish there wasn’t a quote at the beginning of what a sociopath is – that kind of gave the story away and made me re-think if I want to read it because I was expecting a love story. And it is a love story but a scary one and one every woman should read (especially if wealthy and/or alone) because it warns of some human aspects we should all avoid.

At the beginning, I couldn’t see where the sociopath could appear from and then some situations started happening and I got worried a bit because almost all guys I know have a tendency to display some jealousy at the beginning of a realtionship and I was thinking to myself that it really can’t be described as a symptom of sociopathy but then things started getting a bit troublesome.

I think everyone should warn young girls/women about falling in love and going with everything their partner wants from them. You should always stick with your character and what you feel is right for yourself but I see how often women disregard that in the name of love. But love is/should be reciprocal and your partner should never ask of you something that you obviously don’t want to do. Or women making all the excuses for male behaviour. I don’t feel men try to understand women so much as we do them, but that’s another story.
Anyway, Hope (an extremely strong woman) goes through many difficult situations in life, only to culminate with the most dangerous one for her.

I’m sure if you cannot guess the end, it wouldn’t require much to get you on the right path so I’ll say it. Of course she deals with the situation in the end and I’m happy to say shows how it’s done for many people who might read this book. The greatest things in life are based on very simple ideas. And spiritual healing is something we should all learn how to do for ourselves – it probably will require some outside help (by that I mean talking to someone, even if that someone is imagined) and I did feel a bit inspired in the end of the book to face life with my head held high and with hope that being true to yourself will always bring the necessary outcome for one to grow and heal.

P.S. I feel like this review is completely scattered but I can’t re-write it. It just came out like that. 🙂

The scent of a ballerina?

World of Perfume September 9, 2010 Leave a comment

I always get surprised by how many different information I acquire while in my pursuit of new scents and their histories.
It seems the one I want to talk about today was done in the memory of balet heroine Giselle (of course, here is where my knowledge is lacking so I had to google it). Anyway it seems that’s a really demanding role and therefore highly sought after.
I kept thinking (before I googled it) that if this is a scent in memory of a ballerina that they might have missed their mark. Because it is very soft and feminine and ballerina’s don’t really evoke soft and feminine with their graceful bodies with absolutely no fat deposits. But, Giselle is another story.

I seem to be still channeling all the summer notes because I sniffed this and what came out of my pen was – warm, flowery and vanillic with exotic fruit hints. Like coconut and pineapple with tuberose.

Here are the notes: ylang-ylang, cinammon, freesia, jasmine, tuberose, vanilla, coconut, caramel, honey and musk.

I can’t say I smelled cinammon, my guess is it is what’s keeping all the sweetness at bay. Or at least tampered, it’s not exactly at bay. 🙂 But I still like it very much. It’s like the epitome of femininity without anything sticking out of the composition. I kept wondering what would a guy smelling this on a girl think? I will try it out on my boyfriend.

Some 2 hours later, some of that musk peeks out and disappears thank god, because it’s the kind of musk that goes shrill on me.
And then it’s sweet caramel drydown. You know, I would never have guessed it reminded me of caramel, even though it strongly reminded me of something and I know why. I would say that if it’s caramel like it falls into the gourmand category but that’s not how I read it. It falls into the warm, soft, pastel-colored cashmere sweater category. Something to wear when you feel mellow and loving towards the world.
I guess we could all feel like that more often.

Pic by: http://www.fragrantica.com/