Category Archives: Perfume review

Perfume gods smiling down on me

I've been thinking, Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume July 29, 2021 Comments: 6

A while ago I wrote about whether my collection should contain classics, if only for reference purposes. And lamented the fact that I don’t own a vintage variant of Chanel 5.

Well, that is no longer true. 😀

Like the title says, it seems the perfume gods were really smiling down on me and put half a bottle of vintage Chanel 5 in front of me. I cannot describe my happiness upon coming across it (the story is a bit macabre so I’m not going to share it).

And it smells nothing like the modern variant! Oh, it smells amazing.

The luck didn’t stop there though.

The small collection of perfumes I came across also contained bottles of Balenciaga Michelle, Max Factor Blasé and unopened bottle of Givenchy III that looks like it came from the 80s.

I have to say that the woman whose collection this was obviously had great taste in perfume.

Except for the happiness this brought me, I also came to a conclusion. The Balenciaga perfume house seems to be neglected in the perfume world (or at least by me) because everything I have tried so far was amazing. OK, it was only 3 perfumes that I recall, but randomly trying 3 perfumes from one house and being amazed how great they are is a good sign in my book.

So, I’ll be trying their perfumes some more. If you have any favorites from them, please share.

I don’t like it at all

I've been thinking, Perfume review, Perfume shopping, Perfume thoughts, Sample of the day, World of Perfume August 26, 2018 Comments: 3

I just realized my love of perfumes is back but my writing skills aren’t.

I can write about things but I’m drawing blanks when it comes to perfume. I’m really not happy about that but I lost the practice and now it will take a while to get it back.

In this post I’ll try to explain why I love the perfumes I’m writing about.

I’ve been wearing April Aromatics’ Tempted Muse before my vacation and loved it so much that the decant is gone. Btw, thank you Asali for sending it – you really know my taste. 😀

Which brings me to Undina’s post and her explanation how perfumes are thunked.

Discover-Muse

Of all the muses out there, the one that speaks to me is Urania (surprise, suprise)

My decant is done but the perfume is definitely not thunked.

After a long time, I used up a decant and now I know I want a bottle of it. It’s kind of funny that when I look back at the bottles of perfumes I fell in love with, ones that I purchased in the last few years, they were all perfumes that I labeled completely wrong with my nose.

For example, the beginning of Tempted Muse reminds me a lot of Jicky and therefore I concluded the perfume must contain lavender. Turns out, that’s not one of the listed notes.

Notes: Frangipani, tuberose, jasmine, rose otto, tonka bean, sandalwood, ylang ylang, pink grapefruit, vanilla, anis fruit accord.

Which brings me to the seductive one.

On summer vacation evening I went out for a stroll along the seaside and as this was a quick weekend getaway I brought no perfumes and just fished out of my purse one of the samples I  always have there for backup. Turns out it was Andy Tauer’s Une Rose de Kandahar.

What an amazing perfume to wear on a hot summer night!

I would never have guessed it and feel a bit ashamed. I always felt ouds were too much for heat which is the opposite of where they originated. Luckily, I found out for myself how great they work in heat.  I could smell it wafting off of me all the time but in an easy wave that is enjoyable to smell. You’re not sure where it’s coming from but you like that it’s here and want it to remain in the air around you.

Notes: Apricot, cinnamon, almond, bergamot, Bulgarian rose absolute, rose from Kandahar, bourbon geranium, tobacco leaf, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, tonka bean, musk and ambergris.

Being true to the introduction, I cannot describe it better than that it’s a rose oud but I’ll work on that. 🙂 I mean out of all these notes, in the drydown I get vetiver in addition to the beginning of rose and oud. Which also isn’t a note of this perfume (oud) but hell, obviously the base notes combine well to give that impression. And that makes it even more amazing.

Now that I wrote this, I realize that it’s the small niche brands I’ve been enjoying the most lately. Little gems of novelty brilliance in the sea of sameness.

A Month of Irises

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 16, 2018 Comments: 12

I am really glad I decided to participate in Undina’s Month of Irises. First, I really needed a kick-start to begin writing about perfumes again, and secondly, I seem to have  a hidden love of iris. 🙂

When I started thinking about what iris perfumes I have that I could write about, only Hiris came to mind. And then I rummaged a bit through my collection and in no time, 6 of them came to light.

I really enjoyed smelling them again, having forgotten I actually had some of them. It’s funny, if anyone had asked if I enjoyed iris perfumes, I would say not so much but it turns out, I actually love them and enjoy wearing them.

Washington Tremlett: Iris Absolute

This one smells old-fashioned, quite aldehydic and buttery underneath. This is one very proper iris. 😉 With time the musk comes to bring the white flowers in this perfume to more prominence. As I’m usually not a fan of white musk, I must admit here it performs its job perfectly. As do the vanilla and tonka bean, making for a quite sweet drydown.

Notes: iris, Bulgarian Rose, jasmine, absolute of iris, heliotrope, lilies of the valley.
white musk, vanilla and Tonka Bean.

 

Aedes de Venustas: Iris Nazarena

It has a very earthy, carroty fruity opening, and all I can think is ‘god I love that perfume’. Then I read the brief and it made sense, loving it the way I do,  with that special iris: “rare Iris Bismarckiana is also known as Iris Nazarena because it grows mainly in the mountains east of Nazareth”. I’m not sure how special this iris smells, but I’m fine with giving it special properties.iris_nazarena_1

This is the most earthy of the bunch. At some point it gets a rosy, spicy feel due to the base notes. The longer you wait, the more the spiciness starts to come out.

Notes: iris and incense accord, ambrette, rose, juniper berry, star anise, patchouli, vetiver, incense, clove and oud.

 

 

Hermes: Hiris

Smelling Hiris after Iris Nazarena gives me no carrot hints even though that note gets mentioned often in this perfume.  It actually smells more grassy and dewy, very springlike and maiden-like, unblemished. It’s the happiest of iris perfumes in this post. It’s the type of perfume that makes you relax and smile. Soft like summer rain but fresh like spring dew. The best I can come up with in the end is that it exudes softness.

 

L’Artisan Parfumeur: Numero 8

Now this is one I struggled with, it’s the most austere of them and at the same time teeming with strength and nuance. No sweetness in the beginning,  it smells calm, cool and poised. And when the initial cool dissipates, you can feel a smile forming on your lips because the cool facade gives way to a heart that sings of spring. It just starts smelling so buttery soft and pleasant. It smells like flowers are starting to come out of it making it feel more approachable.

Notes: Coriander, apricot, carrott, violet flower, jasmine, narcisse, rose, mimosa, iris, vanilla, white musk

 

Van Cleef and Arpels: Bois d’Iris

Bois d’Iris smells quite unlike the other irises. All afore-mentioned perfumes have this recognizable iris opening note, you cannot miss it. This one smells more green and vetivery, more than it smells like an iris perfume.

Notes: Iris, exotic wood, and ambergris

Now that I took a look at the notes I have a better understanding of what I smell. The ambergris in this is very reminiscent of the Amber Gris by Balmain. The common thing is this slightly metallic tinge of the ambergris. With time the amber and woody notes start taking over and it gets more woodsier and amber loses the metallic tinge. The funny thing is that by the time it dries down, no iris remains, but I don’t mind – amber can never go wrong with me.

 

Which brings me to the first iris perfume  I fell in love with.

 

Prada: Infusion d’Iris

It makes me smile smelling this and thinking of how much I loved it. Compared to the rest of iris perfumes in this post, this one comes a bit short. I still love its citrusy opening, and the fact that it’s the most bitter iris of them all. I also love the fact that it contains vetiver and that I can smell it and enjoy it (that is still one of my favorite notes).  This one is the most obviously a summer perfume. The rest are seasonless, for the lack of a better word,  but this one would go best for summer.

Notes: Mandarin, Orange blossom, Iris, Vetiver, Frankincense, Benzoin, Galbanum, Cedarwood

 

I realized writing this and smelling all these iris perfumes that the iris note makes perfumes containing it very elegant and distinguished. Smelling of irises makes you instantly feel more classy. Just in case you needed something to make you feel like that. 😉

The good thing is it is often paired with frankcincense and green notes. Green notes are never amiss in my case, but the fact that I don’t mind (or smell) the incense is quite astonishing.

Iris truly is an amazing note.

I won’t be powdering my nose – Narciso Poudree

Perfume review, Perfume shopping, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 23, 2016 Comments: 4

I’ll be powdering everything else I can. 😉

It’s funny – one day you’re lamenting how you can no longer find a perfume that will make you fall in love and then, suddenly, from the most unexpected place, one appears.

I’m not complaining though. Ok, maybe a little as it’s not yet out so I can’t get a bottle of  my own but in the overall scope of things, I can live with that. I can even live with the fact that I’ll be encountering many other people smelling like me once it’s released.

I think Narciso himself introduced this perfume in the clearest of ways:NARCISO image9.indd

“With the original NARCISO fragrance, I wanted to create an extremely sexy fragrance. NARCISO eau de parfum Poudrée captures femininity at its core in an even more seductive way. It is both tender and powerful and immediately addictive.”

I cannot but agree with everything stated here. I liked the original Narciso perfume but it is this one that is at the same time sexy as hell and feminine and not overpowering. It speaks to me like in all the ways I didn’t think a perfume can. It reminds me of younger days when I thought Very Irresistible by Givenchy was all the rage. There is a character note they share (rose) and where Very Irresistible made the air in the room unbreathable with its overbearing silage, Narciso Poudree is the wisp of air that makes you turn your head in search of the sensuality you think you noticed and want to make sure you didn’t imagine, because it smells too good to be truly there.

Yes, it’s obvious I’m in love, isn’t it? 🙂

Notes from I gathered from the press release include: jasmine, Bulgarian rose, vetiver, black cedar, white cedar, powdery musc.

Before going on to what I smell, I want to say a big thank you to Raquel Zimmerman who made me re-think the fact that synthetic muscs will never work for me. It is obvious this was made expertly as this perfume never veers off into territory where muscs take over, even though the longevity is here – my blotter still smells amazingly strong after 3 days and it smells great.

I admit with shame now that when I first smelled this I have no  idea what it was I was smelling, I just loved it from the first spray. The best thing I can say for myself is I understood why they named it Poudree. 🙂 It took me a while to understand that rose was the one seducing me from the start, accompanied by her minions whom I ignored. It is only now that I smell the drydown again and again I can understand where vetiver comes into play (I would never have guessed it was there by myself) and I would swear there is some vanilla in the base as the warm, seductive sweetness it exudes cannot all be attributed to the mentioned notes.

I love the powdery feel of this perfume as it keeps the rose in check and I love that the creaminess you feel in this perfume is a sleight of hand done by jasmine. And even though I would say that vetiver adds its dryness and sweetness to the poudree part of the name and the perfume drydown, I still think a drop of vanilla helps. 😉

So, I hope now you are all as eager as I am to see Narciso Poudree released.

Please let me know what you think once you get the chance to smell it.

 

And I would like to say a big thank you to Ivo who shared this gem with me. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick perfume thoughts

I've been thinking, Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, Short perfume review, World of Perfume June 11, 2015 Comments: 20

After quite a long time, I finally got to see some of my perfume friends and we shared what we have acquired lately that each of us might like to try (I didn’t have much though).

So, here is what I remembered from the quick sniffs I took today:

Piguet Knightsbridge – a lovely, boozy, warm perfume for colder days, it really hit all my boozy-vanilla-amber buttons 😉

Amouage Opus IX – in the beginning it’s a monstrously dirty jasmine/something (and dirty coming from me is really something), 2 hours later it smells like a slightly bitter floral, rather nice

Mugler Cuir Impertinent – the surprise of the meeting (at least for me) – a really wearable light leathery smell with a rather green-herbal opening and undertones of Angel, I can see myself wearing it easily

Odori Iris – nice feminine iris with no big projection, actually a rather soft and elegant feel

MFK  Oud – well, it’s anything but oud if you ask me (at least what I’m used to when it comes to oud), and if you take it like that, a rather nice perfume that works as edc just fine

TDC I miss Violet – also a perfume without much projection but with a soft side and easy smile. I had a bit trouble smelling it in the beginning as it was so light but later I got the lovely violet tones (and I get light fruitiness in the drydown)

There were also the Zoologist perfumes: Beaver, Panda and Rhinoceros and I am honestly pleasantly surprised how much I liked them.

Aedes de Venustas – Palissandre d’Or

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 13, 2015 Comments: 17

Like with all perfume releases, the story is full of dreamy and seductive phrases to make you fall in love with perfume even before you smell it.

Now that you know that, you don’t have to read it, smelling it will be enough for true love. 🙂

At least it was for me.palissandre-dor-web

It’s been so long since I smelled something new and fell in love with it instantly. So long that I started wondering if it was still possible. Turns out it is.

I won’t talk about the idea behind it or what it is supposed to evoke. I’ll just talk about what it evokes for me.

First of all – surprise.

It starts off with pink pepper, which I learned from the press materials I received, is the note introduced into perfumery by Alberto Morillas, the perfumer behind Palissandre d’Or (no wonder it works so great, he obviously knows how to use it).

So, how does it really smell? Hard to tell. 😉 The pink pepper dances around with the spices (cinnamon  and coriander) with kind of booze in their hands (nutmeg, ambroxan and copahu balm) while the warmth in the background smells of slightly burnt amber and smoke. All wearing classy clothes.

Notes: Ambrette, pink pepper, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, sandalwood, copahu balm, cedar trio (Chinese, Alaskan and Virginian), patchouli, ambroxan

If I were to sum it up in three words I’d say polished, elegant and seductive, especially if worn by a man. No wonder I like it so much, what with my leaning toward the masculine side (I so wish I could have said the “dark side” now). 😉

The longevity is great but the longer it works, the more masculine it smells. You lose the warmth and the light sweetness (not to mention the boozy side of it) and are left with an elegant trail of polished, slightly spicy creamy woodiness (mostly sandalwood).

 

 

P.S.  With this perfume I realized Aedes de Venustas is my new favorite house. I loved Iris Nazarena and I love this. I tried their Oillet Bengale the other day and I need to try it again as it showed promise.

Finally Puredistance M

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 3, 2015 Comments: 14

I say finally because I’ve been in love with this perfume ever since I first smelled it. and I first smelled it when it came out. 🙂

The Puredistance people are a lovely bunch and I am always happy to receive their new releases – albeit this is far from a new release (it’s just that I am slow when it comes to writing).puredist m

Anyone who has smelled this will probably say it is hard to describe this perfume. I mean, you can actually smell all the notes but hell, that doesn’t come close to describing what it smells like in real life.

To my mind, it’s a perfume that share a genetic code with Shalimar. Where Shalimar is its female predecessor from a distant past, this is a perfume that has all the perfect bone structure of his famous ancestor, only it’s not a female descendant, it’s a really great looking male one. You see, it’s the bone structure he inherited, it didn’t come with the accumulated wealth and modern education. And he smells like all of it.

I can’t help it. In that first instant I smell Puredistance M, I smell the lemons and the underlying warmth of spices and vanilla and I instantly think, oh, Shalimar. That said, this doesn’t smell anything like Shalimar, it’s only the initial blast and just so you know, the lemony-spicy notes smell like candy a bit and give me the idea that our rich guy has a prankster side to him.

I can completely understand the smoky part of this picture

I can completely understand the smoky part of this picture

There is a slight sharpness to this initial blast and I blame it all on the rose (and when I say blame I actually mean thank).

This is just such a wonderfully full perfume that makes you want to burrow your nose into whatever part of the body it’s on and stay there. At least it does when it’s dabbed on.

Anyway, the leather makes its presence known quite quickly and it has that lovely irisy feel to it (that’s how I differentiate leather). Supple and smooth and oh so seductive. (honestly, men should not be aware this perfume exists)

The official notes are: Bergamot, Lemon, Rose, Jasmine, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Mosses, Cistus, Vetiver, Patchouli, Vanilla, Leather, Musk

What I smelled before I saw the notes is leather, spices, flowers, patchouli, woody notes, sandalwood (missed the mark with that one) and vanilla as that is what always comes with Shalimar associations. The thing is, I should have recognized cistus, I love that smell and once I saw the notes I could smell it (as well as vetiver – shame on me for missing that!).

If it hasn’t been obvious, I am a huge Puredistance fangirl. 🙂 And even though I love the their feminine perfumes, I have no problem wearing this. Well, that’s an understatement. I love wearing this.

The sunny side of life – Monegal’s Kiss My Name

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume October 21, 2014 Comments: 13

I apologize for the disappearance. Life gets rather busy sometimes. And interesting. 🙂

That said, the weather here’s been interesting as well. After a summer that resembled more of an autumn, we were in for some warm sunny weather. So this time around I turned to some white flowers by Mr Monegal. Ever after hearing him speak several weeks ago, I’m more and more leaning toward acquiring several more of his perfumes (Cuirelle is always a huge hit whenever I wear it).
So, I’ve been wearing Kiss My Name rather often. It  makes me think of the sunshine and happiness all in one (hence the title). The brightness of neroli just adds to the experience of the sunshine. And then tempered with tuberose and jasmine… What’s not to give you an instant smile? 🙂
I’d say Mr Monegal has mastered the art of seduction through perfumes.
I am certainly succumbing to more and more of his wonderful creations.kiss my name

So now that it was sunny and warm, I was wearing Kiss My Name a lot, a Monegal version of white flowers..

Notes: tuberose, iris, egyptian jasmine, tunisian neroli and tolu balsam.

A very refreshing start with neroli, based on jasmine and tuberose and I’d swear some kind of fruit. My guess would be peach. and then tuberose slowly leaves its nice position to let neroli and jasmine take center stage, all the while lurking in the background.

I admit the iris is playing hide and seek with me (rather well as I haven’t found it yet) but the tolu balsam is what I’d say gives the wonderful longevity to this perfume and the warmth to the notes that can sometimes be shrill.

And that’s basically it. An overwhelming feeling of happiness and warmth due to white flowers.

It seems though the enjoyment of the warm and sunny is finished for this year. Tomorrow the cold weather begins…

 

P.S: I can’t help it, that makes me instantly think of “Winter is coming…” (Game of Thrones)  😉

Comfort zone – tuberose and vanilla

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume June 17, 2014 Comments: 11

Or, to give it a name Watch by M. Micallef. Or, Time for Love.

Although it seems tuberose might be a figment of my imagination as it’s not listed in the notes but I see people on Fragrantica thought they smell it too. Ylang-ylang as well,  but I’d say what I think of as tuberose could also be jasmine + ylang-ylang (sometimes I mix the two). But ylang-ylang isn’t listed either. 🙂

I had more fun smelling this while not looking at the listed notes. 😀watch

I cannot say it’s a breathtakingly novel perfume. Or that it will be loved by the masses (although you never really know but as it came out in 2002. and costs and arm and a leg, that’s a safe bet). 😉

What I can say is that it offers me comfort all day long as when you have tuberose and vanilla in a perfume, you can be pretty sure the longevity will work in its favor. 🙂 I’m guessing amber and musk help too and luckily the musk used here is one I am fine with (I don’t think they used too much).

Unfortunately, I can’t say much about the fruit and the peony except the fruit obviously works well with the sweet notes, and peony works well with the white notes. I also can’t help but wonder if there is some opoponax in there as well, as it has that special smell I always associate with my childhood play-doh equivalent.

No wonder I find it a comforting perfume…

Top notes: jasmine, vanilla and mandarin.                                                                      Heart: fruit and Chinese peony                                                                                        Base: amber and musk.

 

P.S. I knew I’d forget something. 🙂 This lovely perfume came to my through Asali who knows my perfume tastes better than I do at times.

Bella Belissima: Vetiver Spice (and all things nice)

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 30, 2014 Comments: 9

Or, spicing up your life with vetiver. 😉

That should be their motto. Because I am more than willing to spice up my life with this one.bella b

I can thank Tara for bringing this perfume to my attention. The most amazing people of this world are perfumistas, and Tara was so lovely and aware of my love of vetivers, sent a package with several vetiver perfumes I’ve never tried before. Vetiver Spice was a clear favorite.. So, not only are perfumistas amazingly generous and nice people, they are also the worst kind of enablers. 😉

Notes:aged Java vetiver, bittersweet absinthe and cypress, citrus notes and violet,  green cardamom and clove bud, guaiacwood, leather, cashmere musk and Haiti vanilla.

It opens with a blast of citrusy-gaiac vetiver with vetiver being in the background to these two. I must say, violets have passed me by completely. It’s rather spicy and green and smells energetic. Then the energy part slowly starts to dissipate and the more mellow notes appear.

The strange thing is, I smell many things but most of them don’t relate to what the notes list says.

The green, vetiver notes are so well combined with the spices (cardamom and clove) that you can’t really smell them out. I keep imagining I can smell traces of violet and leather in there if I really try. 🙂

The best thing happens once the drydown begins.  I’m guessing the cashmere musk does something magical with violet, vetiver and cardamom as it gets a botanically humid note that just smells perfect.

So, yes, I found another vetiver perfume to love. 🙂

The problem is, it’s probably going to be unrequited love as it’s not available here and I’m on a non-shopping spree (so even though  £82 for 100ml sounds relatively ok, still no go).

But if you get the chance, try it. 🙂

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