Category Archives: I’ve been thinking

Harry Potter musings

I've been thinking June 22, 2010 Comments: 10

I don’t want to write reviews of Harry Potter books – I could write about the Croatian translation which I was forced to read when starting the series again as I couldn’t locate my English one. It’s incredible how a translation can be at the same time brilliant and completely miss the point. The words JK Rowling invented were put into Croatian geniously but the language in which the book is written is in my opinion completely wrongly translated. This is a children’s book and is written in such a language (I recommend it to my friends whenever someone wants to brush up on their English) but I cannot read the Croatian one in the same manner. It displays the richness of Croatian language but I have to concentrate on what I’m reading in order to understand, and I keep wondering how are the children reading it managing. And if there is one thing this book has to do, it has to be approachably written (translated) for children. But this is not what I wanted to discuss.

I wrote recently about the depressing turn my life has taken and the first thing I could think of of alleviating that pain and depression was Harry Potter books. And I’m happy to be reading them from the beginning (I usually re-read just the last 3) because the movies made me forget how many things are actually missing from them.

But the point I’m trying to make is, Harry Potter is my therapy. When I need to feel better and want to lose myself in a world where my problems don’t exist, I go there (sometimes I go to Middle Earth as well, but HP is more approachable). With each reading, I get more and more from these books. The friendship, the loyalty, the bravery, all in the face of much adversity, human evil and pain (both physical and emotional).

The books are progressively darker (and longer which is a great plus) and even though people start to die, the evil starts to spread, and friends are sometimes not there for you, the reader never loses the thread of hope that being true to the human ideals we should all posess is what will win in the end and bring about a happy future.

I just finished the fourth one and I wouldn’t be writing this post but reading the book 5 if only I was able to find it. Like I said, I keep offering them to people. 🙂 So now I have no idea where it is. I’m not really worried about that (although I do wish I could have started with it tonight) – tomorrow I’m off to my favourite bookstore because they notified me that some other books I ordered have arrived, so I’ll just add this to the pile. I can live with not starting to read it tonight, but tomorrow I have to go on. 🙂

I’ve been thinking…

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, Sample of the day May 25, 2010 Comments: 5

It seems that’s all I do lately when it comes to perfumes. I think of them, ocassionally dig up a sample and sniff and write about it even less. I think it’s all connected to my perfume samples scare from the other day (which is when I realized it, I think it lasted a bit longer).

I love reading what other perfume bloggers are sniffing and thinking about possibilites of me trying so many different things, but it lately all remains in my head. Which is not a good thing when one is writing a blog. Kind of defeats the purpose. 🙂

So today, first I decided to go in search of some summer decants I have accumulated and put everywhere (we are having summer temperatures these days, which are going back to spring for the weekend). And while I was locating them and just sniffing the openings, I got an idea.

Well, it’s more like defiance against all my samples. And it will force me to write more regularly and to learn more effectively.

I’ve seen many SOTD posts, and even though in my case they will get called the same, they will actually be sample of the day. That way I will go through most of them in some kind of an organized manner, even if all I write is a sentence. Or two words. Ok, that has never happened before but you never know.

We’ll see how it goes. Being constant in my obligations is not something I am known for. 🙂

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.

I smell stuff

I've been thinking April 9, 2010 Comments: 4

Yesterday evening I realized something. I smell more stuff and I smell hints of things other people don’t.
I guess when you start consciously smelling or trying to detect certain notes in scents (or anything else for that matter), you actually exercise your sense of smell to a better degree than other people.
I used to think that my entrance into the perfume world would just enable me to differentiate more and better different things I smell, but it actually got me ahead of most people I know in that I can smell things they don’t. My reasoning why they don’t consists of 2 things:
1) They are probably not consciously aware of the smells around them
2) As they do not try and smell things, their noses just aren’t used to picking out smells.

What usually happens is this (this is a situation from 2 days ago) – I’m walking with my boyfriend by our neighbors house and I say, “Oh, the neighbor spritzed the front steps with that cat spray again – yuck!” And my boyfriend says, “I can’t smell anything.” 🙂 OK, so he is most evidently one of those who can’t smell a thing, but it happens with other people as well. Btw, that spray so the cats wouldn’t pee on the steps is just horrible. It keeps me away as well.

One last thought for the end. This is something I am aware of for quite a while now. Smelling good food (either while walking through the city or at home) and inhaling it deeply works almost as good on my hunger as actually eating it. You inhale the smell deeply and your hunger is assuaged for a little while longer.
Does this happen to anyone else?

My sample storage is wrong

I've been thinking March 25, 2010 Comments: 3

I just realized this two days ago when I wanted to bring forth spring-like samples and decants to see what am I going to wear this spring. Well, I didn’t do much with that idea.

The thing is, a year ago I decided to arrange my ever growing sample/decant collection by houses, so I would be able to find them when I need to. They used to be all over the place with no order to them. It seemed like a nice, rational way of storing them and making them easily available. Well, now I have a problem. 🙂

I don’t really know/remember how all of them smell like and since they are by houses, the best I can do with those I’m not sure how they smell, is to try them again. Which would take an enormous amount of time and I need the spring scents now.

So now I decided to first find the time (that is one of the things I miss these days) and then to see what I don’t know what it smells like and locate some notes/reviews for those so I can re-order my collection into seasons, colors and genres. Depending on which strikes me as most important for that scent. Rita from the Left Coast Nose wrote some time ago how some smells bring forth colors for her, so that is going to be one of my sample categorizations (some do it for me as well). Also, notions like spring, autumn, summer, winter, leather, incense, fruit, green, marine, etc. I know this is going to take a while but I think it will be a good way for me to find things later by the way my nose categorized them.

I will let you know how it goes. 🙂

I’ve been thinking…

I've been thinking December 29, 2009 Leave a comment

At the moment I have no perfume to review and no books/authors to write about. Soon, but not today.

I don’t know if this happens to anyone else but I find it annoying and strange. Over these Christmas days I didn’t have neither the time nor the will to concentrate on smelling something new and interesting (or just new, or just interesting) so I didn’t. Then as the new week started yesterday, I wanted to go on with all those wonders of samples I have everywhere, so I did. And what happens?! A complete fiasco. My nose and my brain seem to have lost the connection. It is like I’m a beginner once more (ok, so I’m not really far down the road, but I’m not at the beginning either). This has already happened before – right after I came from summer vacation. There seems to be a break where once was a way. It will probably take 2 or 3 days for me to get back on track, but what I find annoying is that it happens. Does this happen to anyone else?
So, yesterday I wanted to begin smelling the color series by DSH and I start with Quinacridone Violet and I got everything mixed (the fruit in the opening) and then I see the list of notes, and I realize there is so much happening in what I’m smelling and I can smell it happening, I just can’t seem to verbalize it. In any manner. 😦
Then I went on with Estee Lauder’s Jasmine White Moss. I already smelled it before when I got the sample but since it was lying near and I saw it mentioned on MUA, I went to check it again. And this time I smelled much more than the initial time, but all I could say is after is that it would be nice to own a decant of this. Depressing really what time away from concentrated sniffing can do to me…
Well, that too shall pass.
I don’t know what you are going to be doing this New Year’s Eve but I’m really only up to enjoying champagne in front of the TV. And it seems that is what I’ll be doing together with my boyfriend. Everyone I talk to these days is pretty much thinking the same. What about you?
This has been a difficult year, to finish off a difficult decade and I hope what awaits us in the years to come brings more light and joy to the world. The world deserves it.
Picture is mine.

Objective thinking – can I do it?

I've been thinking November 25, 2009 Comments: 8

Helg of the Perfume Shrine had a really good post yesterday on Perfume appreciation and objective beauty (mostly concerning perfume). It is really interesting and quite educating but most importantly it discusses if and how to objectively assess perfumes, i.e. their beauty using several criteria. I think she has some valid points but that is not what is on my mind now.

For a while now I’ve been thinking that not only am I a lousy critic, I don’t really think I could every successfully be one. Everything criticism can be applied to is a work of effort on someone’s part. How could I ever be able to say that it isn’t just good enough, beautifil enough or anything of the sort when I keep thinking in the back of my mind – I would never be able to create something of the sort, he/she really did his/her best and gave it wholehearted effort?

I know that even when people do their best and pour their souls into their work, the result might not really be good, or even remotely good. But still I cannot find it in me to criticize and say, OK, you should have done this in such a manner and if you did it like this, it would have turned out better. Maybe I’m missing the whole criticism point (wouldn’t ne the first time I’m in the dark regarding a topic).

Anyway, Helg’s post came at exactly the right time because yesterday morning I tested Bond No. 9 Madison Soiree. What I got from it straight away was it was exactly the perfume someone who wants to look chic, expensive and unattainable would want to smell like. By that I mean a woman. After a while, she would also remain fresh/clean smelling while still being all those initial things. Anyway, I think that the perfume is really a great creation, and I also think that it is made exactly for the right type of target audience:

“A direct hit of authentic ladies-who-lunch fragrance. Ultra-feminine elegance and unmistakable posh meet unabashed sultriness in this day-into-late-night-blooming floral bouquet.”

By Bond no. 9 site.

Notes are: gardenia, jasmine, oakmoss.

I won’t go into the 3 notes I didn’t distinguish. 🙂 From the beginning it was obvious this wasn’t the perfume for me, in the way it is publicised, in the way it smells and in the end, obviously not meant to be taken apart by me. I still think it is beautifully done though. Just not my kind of beautiful.

I’ve been thinking…

I've been thinking October 1, 2009 Comments: 4

Yesterday I was at my French class and as always, had a great time. But afterwards I started thinking about stuff we discussed in the class (it’s a conversation class). The thing is, the group consists of several people my age (around 30) and we have 3 older ladies (they are all retired, so my guess is they are over 65). What I was thinking yesterday is how great the group functions. We’ve been together in this state for years now and I realized yesterday that what I find fascinating is how much we can learn from each other. One of them is a mathematician, one was a professional dancer and the third was the equivalent of a highly sucessful business woman. They are completely different but all three have kept their interest in life and additional activities and I hope one day, my retired life looks similar (and I get to spend time with young people). 🙂

On to some perfume news. I’m over my fear. 🙂 I got my package from the Posh Peasant yesterday with Coquette Tropique by Monyette (and the wonderful big candle) and I tasted summer again.

Notes: Hibiscus, Gardenia, Plumeria, French Anjou pear, Madagascar vanilla

I was looking for melon in the notes because I could have sworn I smelled it, but it’s not listed. Anyway, I’m a bit angry with myself because I had a product this summer that smelled exactly like this (hair or body), and I can’t recall what it was. What it did was make me happy I tried it because it transported me straight into summer. I am really looking forward to wearing it next summer. Such a lovely creamy tropical smell.
The other thing I tried today was Kinmokusei by Ayala Moriel.

Notes: Ambrette (musk) seed, Coriander, Green tea, Linden blossom, Olive tree resin, Osmanthus, Sandalwood, Tabac blond, Wild orange.

It is an osmanthus soliflore and if that’s what an osmanthus smells like, I like it. It almost went overboard into too heady-sweet category but in the end, it balanced out nicely. The beginning was great though – aromatic peppery opening with wild orange. Wonderful!
I find this a lovely autumn scent I am going to wear this year. I ordered this guessingly, some time ago (there was some kind of a sale beginning of the summer I think) and I still need to try the two samples I ordered with it (Ayalita and Espionage).

Btw, Kinmokusei is the Japanese name for osmanthus.

I’ve been thinking…

I've been thinking September 21, 2009 Leave a comment

First off, I love Mariah Carey’s version of “I want to know what love is”. Me, singing with her, not so good. 🙂

I’ve been thinking about perfumers yesterday. It came about quite spontaneously strange. I tried En Passant and realized why I gave my sample to a friend. She had a deodorant that I just couldn’t stand and it smelled too powdery to me (didn’t realize at that moment that there are violets or something of the sort painted on the deodorant). That’s what En passant reminded me of, in a much better way and without making my stomach turn. Smelling it, I can tell it is really well done and I hate the fact that I just can’t wear it. I’ve been reading reviews of En passant and the whole “rainy” idea is completely lost on me. 🙂 But all that is not the point.

I was thinking how there are families of perfumes I just don’t like, and some notes as well, but I’ll stick with families. I think it’s normal that we like some things more and some things less. And I believe that might be true of perfumers as well. So, what I was wondering is, do perfumers create fragrances belonging to all families or do they stick to their preferences? And a perfume being a unique work requiring inspiration, how can one be inspired to do something that just doesn’t rate high on the list of likes? I believe if one truly loves orientals, it might be easier to be inspired in that direction. Or in my case, I don’t think there will ever be an aquatic perfume I will love. Or do truly great perfumers put aside their likes and dislikes and approach the creation of a new perfume objectively/dispassionately? And should they? Perfumes are little works of creation and inspiration, a small work of art, they shouldn’t be done objectively, should they? Which brings me back to my original question – do then really good perfumers stick to families they like more and where their love can shine through the fragrance, or do they try their knowledge with families they are somewhat indifferent to? And is there then a difference in the experience of the public of those different scents?

Well, those are questions I’ve been asking myself since yesterday and have no real answer to. That actually happens often to me (the part with no answers, there is always a lot of questions in my head). 🙂
Do you have similar questions, or perhaps some answers?

It’s been almost a year since my visit to Paris and I’ve been thinking how much I’d love to see Versailles again, so the photo is a little reminder of my visit.