Monthly Archives: March 2011

Spring is here!

World of Perfume March 11, 2011 Comments: 14

Although not in my step. I have a terrible cold for days now so I’m not able to smell anything and if something is strong enough to register, it hurts my nose and throat. 

But the weather is warm (incredibly so for this time of year) and the sun has been shining all week and should keep doing so in days to come even though it shouldn’t be this warm.
So, it’s the perfect time to dive into spring scents and I’m dying to do so, but at the moment, it is only a heartfelt wish that will have to wait.

In a vain attempt to smell spring, I sprayed Dawn’s Dutch Blue Hyacinth this morning only to smell the barest whiff of something first 5 minutes and nothing from then on. I couldn’t  decipher what it was that I was smelling before even that disappeared (as only the first strongest whiff managed to pass through my runny nose).

Oh, I am so very much looking forward to the moment I can enjoy spring through my nose!

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

Unexpected surprises – Linari

World of Perfume March 8, 2011 Comments: 6

It’s been said over and over again how the perfume community is both friendly and generous. It’s true but I still get surprised each time the generosity ends up in my lap. Not that I mind, especially when it comes from Paris and one of the most intriguing and knowledgeable bloggers out there – Denyse a.k.a. carmencanada of Grain de Musc.
I took advantage of her perfume spring cleaning (I love those!) and she, knowing it was my birthday at the time, sent over some amazing things. Some of which I want to talk about today.

Honestly, sometimes I feel ashamed for not knowing about some of the perfume houses out there. And after smelling these two, I really ought to have at least had an idea of them.

Vista sul Mare

Notes: “fresh citrus notes of Calabrian bergamot, pink grapefruit, lemon and Italian tangerine with a cool ozonic accord, ingeniously surrounded by a spicy-floral bouquet of red pepper, cloves, lily of the valley and wild roses. White musk and seductive amber merge with natural cedar and hints of patchouli to create a sensual, elegant base note”.

I let you go through the notes because I like the way they sound. I didn’t get to distinguish them all but I enjoyed the perfume immensely. It certainly did evoke the feeling of a thrilling summer  seaside affair (this time we’re talking about the Mediterranean) with a sexy stranger. Who smells of green citruses, sea breeze (ozone air) and when you get closer after the dinner you had, you can smell his salty skin lightly wafting a citrusy floralness over the cedar base.
I do wish I could describe this better. It’s so much more than I said but the atmosphere is the one I described. It might not be novel or strange but it’s wonderful, absolute enjoyment to smell from the beginning to the end without ever becoming boring. And that is saying quite a lot.

Eleganza Luminosa

Notes: “enticing freshness of sun-ripened bergamot, luscious lemon and lively orange contrasts appealingly
with the lavish floweriness of finest rose oil, tantalizing jasmine, yellow freesia, powdery iris and lily of the valley. Warm woody notes of cedar and sandal merge with the sensual accord of white musk, whilst Javan patchouli and amber radiate to emphasise the long-lasting, timeless elegance”.

This one on the other hand doesn’t evoke summer breezes and sexy strangers, unless the sexy stranger is you. If you know how Ambre Gris by Balmain smells like, well, this one is similar but better. And Ambre Gris is good.
For me it starts florally-fruity (in an elegant way not celebrity way) with a touch of muskiness. Soon I can detect the grey amber note as it’s so similar to Ambre Gris. I probably should have stated up there with you being the sexy stranger that you are probably a woman as this is more feminine than Ambre Gris.
I just realized that I’m not really distinguishing the notes so well as they are so well blended as to create a story and not a sequence.
Both of them are perfumes for me in the real sense as each time I smell my arm, it is slightly different. I thought the drydown of Eleganza was a lovely ambery dust over the wood notes, only to smell it a bit later and realize amber is gone and floral woodiness is now in charge.

As the Linari site listed their perfumer, I wanted to put his name in the post as well, I do hope I remember his name from the first try as I am looking forward to trying his other creation – Egon Oelkers.

Notes and pics by: Linari site
All Linari perfumes cost 140 Euros but a sample pack is available for 9 E.

Kresley Cole: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

World of Books March 6, 2011 Leave a comment

I couldn’t wait for this book to arrive. As I’m a huge fan of Kresley Cole, I eagerly await each new book that comes out. And luckily for me, now I will no longer have to wait until it reaches Zagreb but will be able to instantly download it to my Kindle – yeeeey! 🙂
That wasn’t the case with this one though, as I’ve been on the waiting list here in Algoritam long before it came out.

Honestly I think Ms. Cole outdid herself this time. I recommend her books to anyone interested in paranormal romance as the place to start (even though that might set the bar high).

A slight spoiler ahead.

I loved Regin’s and Declan’s story. And when I say Declan’s, I do mean that. Aidan the Fierce being reborn through the ages because of his love for Regin, only to die in every lifetime (as someone else) each time they make love is some seriously tragic material. And I suffered through their tragedy, I laughed at Regin’s banter, my heart clenched at the strength of their tragic love, and well, the hot scenes did what they were supposed to as well. 😉

The romance I read usually manages to do one of these things, either I read one for the emotional satisfaction, or the great steamy scenes, or the characters’ conversations are fun to read. Sometimes two of those, but rarely all of it in such a strong (even cathartic) way. And that’s why I loved this book (maybe even a little better than all the others in the IAD series).

The best thing – this is not Aidan’s story, this is Declan’s story and he deserves it.

P.S. I’m left wondering what’s the deal between Nix and Lothaire. And who is this person he so badly needs to save.

Pic by: http://kresleycole.com/

Going straight for summer – Nobile 1942, Casta Diva

World of Perfume March 4, 2011 Comments: 10

It seems everywhere I turn, everyone is talking about spring and waiting for it. I am too, but the thing is, we haven’t really had a real spring in years, it feels we go straight from winter into summer, with two weeks of spring in between. And I know spring is supposed to last longer. 🙂

So, expecting spring, I am valiantly trying to separate myself from my lovely warm, winter orientals (I just don’t want to let them go yet) and I sprayed on some Casta Diva, the sample of which was found in my bag after my last Flores visit.

I’m not even sure I should be reviewing lush, white florals anymore as I love them so much, I keep thinking I will never try any I won’t like. And I love this one. It would certainly fit well into my growing white floral collection. It’s actually one I would recommend people start with as it’s not as heavy and heady as they can get, so I find it acceptable work perfume.

Notes: green and fruity notes, jasmine, ylang ylang, frangipani, osmanthus, neroli, oakmoss, amber, white musk and vanilla.

It starts off smelling fresh and not yet completely tropically lush, you can detect it’s somewhere in there, but the sun hasn’t risen to its zenith yet and the lushness hasn’t permeated everything, there is still a fresh, green breeze wafting. The fruity sweetness you smell is more the cocktails on the beach variety than actual fruit, it has that slight plasticky, candy smell that actually works here. I personally find it great. 🙂
And then as the sun heats you up on the beach while you’re drinking your cocktail, the jasmine and yland-ylang sneak up on you and seduce you into feeling even more relaxed.

I need to see what other people think of this as I find this a very polite lush, white floral, I am not the most objective person in that regard as I could drown in them. But I do think this one will not raise any eyebrows if you wear it to work. It just might get your colleagues to wonder where did you spend your weekend exactly.

After the initial fruity sweetness, it’s no longer that sweet, just what the flowers and vanilla give you and it’s also very polite. And it dries down into a soft, vanillic floral just hinting at that lushness of white, sandy tropics.

A thoroughly enjoyable ride. 🙂

http://www.nobile1942.it/index.asp

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