Monthly Archives: May 2010

This perfume love of mine sometimes scares me

Perfume thoughts May 18, 2010 Comments: 9

Like yesterday for example.

I was home looking for some samples to add to packages and at one point it jus hit me. Oh my god! I have so many samples, they are going to run over me and leave me for dead!

Ok, so maybe not dead but exhausted or just depressed because I don’t see how are they going to run me over if I don’t take them in my hand and try them but there are so many! And the amount is just going to grow and grow. And I have no idea how 80% of them smell like even though I tried them. It really scared me and then I got depressed. Every once in a while I read about one of them and take it out to smell it. If I cannot make my mind, I put it back for another try. But while I’m doing that, I’m also swapping and ordering stuff, and new samples arrive. And find a place to live their life somewhere near me but probably hiding so I wouldn’t find them when I need them (even though I try and put them at places where I’ll be able to find them).

And what happens yesterday? I try looking for stuff that I already put aside for swapping extras and suddenly there are samples wherever I look. They really scared me. I guess we can live in peace if some of them are hiding and I don’t need to be aware of them most of the time.

I think I’ll stop now and not go back to reading what I wrote because just thinking about it makes me sound like a lunatic. 🙂

But! I’m a lunatic with a new perfume fixation. Ok, so it’s not really a fixation, more of an interest in a certian area. Like attars.

I got two Amouage attar samples last week, Al Mas and Homage, and even though attars smell a bit different than what I’m used to, I wanted to try some more and of course, I ordered some.

From Arabian Bazaar. They were the first site that came up when I browsed for attars and they have sample packs (2). So I oredred both (and can I just say I’m their first Croatian customer).

And I got very surprised – I ordered on Thursday (5 days ago) and the package was waiting for me today when I got home. 🙂 Talk about fast.

Of course, there wasn’t much time for testing yet, I just put on 2 of them randomly and turns out one of them smells quite a lot like Al Mas by Amouage (for quite a lot less money). Honestly, it actually smells even better to me (hope lightning doesn’t strike me).

Sedra costs 58$ for 30ml. I couldn’t find Al Mas but Homage is 270 E for 12ml. And for that money, I’m likely to think it’s not compatible with my skin chemistry because otherwise I would have to say it’s really not good (it smelled a lot like I put something pickled on my skin for quite a while until getting relatively normal).

Kim Harrison: Black Magic Sanction

World of Books May 18, 2010 Leave a comment

And another installment of Rachel Morgan is behind me. 🙂 I really like the world this story is set in (genetic modifications in tomatoes killing a lot of population so that the witches, vampires and the rest of non-human species get public in order to help with the problem).

Anyway that’s the beginning of series and in no way has anything important to do with this book only to give people who haven’t read any of the Rachel Morgan books an overview of the world.

I noticed this before but I’m putting to words now, even though I enjoy the books and the characters and I never know where the story is going to end up (which is probably the consequence of what I’m going to say next) – I cannot for the life of me get in the head of any of the characters, but that is especially the case with Rachel Morgan. I just cannot understand her reasoning and that is probably one of the reasons I never can guess what is going to happen, i.e. what is she going to do next.

Btw, I couldn’t help but notice the opposites in this book with Anita Blake. Rachel has a chande to deal with some trouble by killing those who are doing it but decides against it at the last moment and deals with the consequences – which are manyfold and make her life even more complicated. And Anita has to kill in order to keep all her loved ones alive – of course, I don’t mean to judge any of the characters who have to kill. Rachel is not a vampire executioner so she never meant to do that in her life and is basically a good witch (or not a witch, it’s debatable what exactly Rachel is) – but even using demon (=black) magic does not make her a bad person because any kind of magic can be used for both good and bad. What I still don’t get is how come that reason never came up in Rachel’s problems, especially in this book where white magic is used for some bad stuff.
So, basically, you get another set of Rachel’s problems, very interesting ideas, previous bad guys turning not good, but positive, and some previous ok guys turning seriously bad (some of that was expected but some definitely wasn’t).
If you enjoyed previous books, you will like this one as well. I wonder what else can be in store for Rachel in the future since this book finally ended on a positive note.

And the winners are…

Uncategorized May 17, 2010 Comments: 3

Since it seems the Random.org requires payments now (at least I wasn’t able to find a free version), I did this the old fashioned way, putting names in a bag and taking two out:

1. La Bonne Vivante
2. Beautiful Things

You won samples of Puredistance I so please contact me with your addresses. 🙂
Hope you enjoy them.

Matthew Reilly: Seven Ancient Wonders

World of Books May 15, 2010 Leave a comment

I’ve been a Matthew Reilly fan since the first book of his I read (I no longer remember which one it was, but I bought everything else I could at the time). And now after some years have passed, I finally read another of his books and enjoyed it a lot.

But, you should bear in mind that Mr Reilly has a specific way of writing not everyone might enjoy. I once read somewhere that he tries to re-create the action movie atmosphere in his books, and honestly, I think he does a good job with that. Of course, ending sentences in the middle and making you read the following line with a bombastic statement helps. 🙂

I loved the way this book explored some ancient history mixed with myths and how Mr. Reilly used it to create his own story. I just wish he would follow the example of James Rollins and state at the end what parts of the story are actually based on true facts. That is always a fascinating reading and I’m sure the readers would be surprised by the stuff they read as true.

Anyway, the book offers a lot of action, a lot of lucky coincidences and just plain James Bond/Indiana Jones abilities in one person who for a change is Australian this time (MR is Australian as well). I am really glad to see his country put in a special place by this book and I loved the ending.

I also loved the mention of the Da Vince code – that book is just part of our culture now. 🙂 I still can’t understand what the fuss was about because nothing new was said in that book but I guess the public was unaware of many things before it (but that’s a completely different topic).

In the end, even if you don’t find Mr Reilly’s type of writing something for you, all I can say is when I start his books, I cannot stop until they are done (even if I started reading something interesting before it – like I did with this one). Action packed – his novels really are.

Kelley Armstrong: The Reckoning

World of Books May 14, 2010 Leave a comment

It’s been almost a week since I finished this and this whole week I’ve been thinking what to write about it.

After finishing The Awakening I was really anxious for the book 3, but now I’m sort of ambivalent. I read it really fast but it feels like something is missing from it hitting it with me. I still can’t believe that the whole series happens in only 3 weeks or so.
I was already suspicious as to how much can happen in book 3 to resolve the whole situation with the genetic manipulation regarding supernaturals in the previous books and I think I was right (I will have to check what other bloggers thought of it).
If you read the first two books, you probably got an idea who is Chloe going to fall for even though she gets terribly surprised when she realizes it. 🙂 Teenagers.
Anyway, a lot of things happen, some people get killed and it seems that the kids will have to keep hiding for the rest of their lives since it turns out the whole project had backing from a Cabal. And if you read anything of Ms Armstrong before, you know about Cabals and how ruthless they are. So yes, it feels like there should be more story to this Darkest Powers thrilogy. But I was also thinking that since we are talking here about the world K. Armstrong created and that the characters from the previous Otherworld books know each other and keep appearing in others’ books, I guess we can assume we’ll be seing more of Chloe and friends in some other books to come (I certainly hope so).
In the end, I thought there should have been some more elaborate closure but since Chloe’s flight is nowhere near its end (even though the series is), I suppose we’ll read more on that in the future so I’m not actually upset. And I did enjoy the book after all.
To leave you with a final thought, I think that only young people can have so much trust in each other in so little time.

Swapping is so much fun!

Uncategorized May 13, 2010 Comments: 4

I’m a bit late but it took some time to deal with the photos. Yesterday I came home to find 3 packages waiting for me through swapping. The strange thing though is that they were all shipped at different times so I don’t even want to start thinking what do the people in post office do with our packages (I received one some time ago with a shoe imprint on it!).

The first one was from Germany with some Arabian oils I am trying to get to know and a new Italian house for me (and I still don’t know the name – I’m just lousy with new names).


The second one, a more interesting from my perspective because there was some Ava Luxe, DSH, Roja Dove (which unfortunately arrived broken – maybe someone stepped on this one too?) and Van Cleef and Arpels from Canada.


And the last one, which probably seems like the smallest and containing nothing of any interest but you would be very wrong. Because two of the smallest vials contain precious (and by that I mean extremely expensive) drops of 2 Amouage attars (Homage and Al Mas).
Thanks to Susan from USA.

Btw, I really like the word attar, it connotes many things for me without me even knowing what exactly does it mean. 🙂 So I did look it up today and got some basic knowledge on the subject. Just enough to understand that attar does not correlate to smelling oudish (which is what I somehow thought).

This was just a quick post, I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to smelling those attars (everything else as well, but attars are at the top).
Pictures are mine.

Puredistance I – my story

World of Perfume May 10, 2010 Comments: 19

And where to begin this story?
How about, here is what true niche house and exclusivity are. One perfume, not many places to buy it in the world but available to anyone with an internet connection. Well, available might be putting it a bit optimistic – you know, the cheapest bottle goes you can buy is 165 Euros. But there are always samples…
Ok, this doesn’t tell you much about what I think about it. I will try and do it justice but you know me, I sometimes (often) lack the words to describe things as accurately as they appear in my head, so I can only say I will do my best.
Honestly, the first sniff and my initial thought was, this is of the type of perfume I usually don’t wear (due to the fact that I haven’t actually smelled any of the classics I find wearable). And believe me, it won’t take you long to realize it’s a classic, even though not the classic as I seem to have understood it before Pure Distance I came along. You know, it’s hard writing about something which creates new associations each time you smell it. 🙂
I will follow Suzanne’s lovely example and skip the notes. They are really not that important, they can never describe the actual feeling. You might already be impatient to hear what that feeling is and now I’m going to say that the booklet I got with my bottle is completely correct and quote them:
“A lady stepping into a room crowded with people. Conversations stop. Everybody loooks at her. It is not here serene face.. there is the elegant, natural way she mover. And her simple, stylish white dress… So beautiful. Beautiful in a pure and natural way.”

“The name Puredistance originates from this dream. What makes the lady stand out from the crowd is her understated elegance. Which is the essence of Puredistance.”

I’ve been looking for the right words to describe this and then I read the booklet and there they were. But not only elegance. For me, Puredistance is exactly the way a woman seduces. It is a bit austere and cold at the beginning, with flowers hinting at femininity but not so much that you can be sure before she slightly smiles at you five minutes later. And still, you enjoy the company so much, the talk is gentle and intelligent, the atmosphere relatively relaxed but not really completely at ease. You can’t say she likes you yet, you are already falling a bit for her and she is standing there elegant, relaxed and with a little smile curving her lips. But after a while, you can see the signs telling there is warmth underneath that smile and the woman behind that elegance is the one you will never find tiresome.

That is what Puredistance I smells like to me. It’s there one minute, the next I’m wondering where did it go, only to find that it’s playing with me, seducing me with each new sniff I take.

And just so you know how strong a character I am, it took 3 tries for me to fall in love, while my boyfriend only smelled it from the bottle and asked me instantly: Are you going to wear this? For me? (with that knowing look). 🙂
I wish I could have given you more with my review. You can always go read Suzanne’s (she did it wonderfully).
I also had this serious doubt – you know, they were so kind to send me a bottle of this expensive perfume, what if I don’t like it? But I shouldn’t have had doubts. 🙂
And since people from Puredistance were so generous with me, I want to give you 2 samples from my bottle. Just comment and you will be entered. I can’t give more, I already promised my good friend a decant. 🙂
P.S. I remembered while getting to sleep I didn’t put the date until you can enter, until May 17 when I’ll randomly select the winners.

The smell of matches

Perfume thoughts May 8, 2010 Comments: 8

I have no idea actually how come I am talking about the smell of matches – I mean I do, but I still find it a bit strange. First, I read this morning Carol’s review of XIII which is all about smoke and then, I smelled matches at a barbecue (another smoke smell) and realized I haven’t smelled matches for quite a long time (everyone uses lighters these days) and that the smell of matches is actually quite particular.

Which got me thinking that even if I had smelled it before in a perfume, I probably wouldn’t have realized it because the smell of matches just wasn’t a smell I had a conscient thought of recognizing.
I really like the smell of smoke in my perfumes and today realized I love the smell of matches.
So there must be a note that might not smell exactly like matches but is close enough to it. I mean, there are so many perfumes out there with smoky notes, does anyone know of a one that has a note of matches’ smoke?

Same thing each month

I've been thinking May 6, 2010 Comments: 15

Ok, I’m warning you now, there might be TMI in this post so you might want to stop reading now.

Otherwise, you’ll read a bit on my musings of a female life.

Since it’s been more than a year of me writing this blog, I noticed certain things happening each month (or would that be cycle?). You know, the time of monthe when nobody better cross your path the wrong way or says something with the wrong intonation.
Well, it’s that part of the month and I (again) have no wish to smell anything new and consider how much can I learn from it or how much I like it (and it’s not that I don’t have unsniffed samples at home). The only thing I want is some rest (ok, a lot of rest) and a book. And if there is a nice smell wafting around, all the better but I can’t be the one who applied it or who thinks about what’s in it that smells so good.
Does this happen to anyone else?
I also noticed that my English deteriorates at the same time (ok, not only English, my Croatian vocabulary is down to 20% of its usual size). And I cannot say a sentence without having to start over for it to sound normal and understandable. Couple of days from now, and I’ll be back to my normal optimistic scenting self but until then, this is all you get.

And a quick note to say I will be giving 2 samples of something special next week when I will also be in my normal review-thoughtful mode.

Patricia Briggs: Silver Borne

World of Books May 5, 2010 Leave a comment

The Mercy Thompson series is one I like and enjoy very much but now it has come to that point that I like and enjoy several of those type of series and it’s harder and harder to remember what happened before since there is always enough of a gap between books that I read so much else i the meantime, I cannot for the life of me remember all of it.

But that is not important today, I remembered enough to be able to thorougly enjoy this Mercy installment. Mercy Thompson is a coyote shifter, not to be mistaken for a were animal (start reading the series if you are interested in what constitutes a difference). 😉

Anyway, this book is far enough in the life of Mercy that she is already mated with the werewolf pack’s Alpha who happens to be her neighbor.

In each book she ends up in trouble so you can imagine her life is not exactly safe which comes to bite her in the back when friends are considered in this book.

This time the story revolves around the misterious book she was lent by the half-fae, bookstore owner Phin. As you can guess there is more to that book then meets the eye and it is quite interesting once you find out.

Of course, bad fae want it so there is some bad stuff happening along with the fact that Samuel (Marrok’s son who lives with Mercy and is a lone wolf) is having a serious life crisis that resolves itself quite interestingly out. I loved that part.

There is a quality to Ms Briggs’ writing that I cannot determine what it is but makes for easy, not too long but full of meaning reading. It feels like the story is much longer and the connection between Mercy and Adam finally clicked into place for me.

The only thing that scares me is that this was book 5, meaning the next one is book 6 where usually someone dies at the end and the book ends for readers with incredulity – how did the author dare do this and make me wait for the next book?!! – which is usually a year or more in the future. 🙂 This is speaking from personal experience.