Category Archives: Perfume thoughts

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. 🙂

Discovering attars

Perfume thoughts May 20, 2010 Comments: 4

I might have been a bit wrong on the Al Mas by Amouage and Sedra by Haramain being the same. Similar, but not the same. And now I don’t know how to proceed. Attars are a completely new area for me and I seem to have ideas regarding attars that are wrong. 🙂 Well, they were right for the first 3 I tried, and then I tried Attar Mubakhar and it turned into this soapy, sea-like thing (which I seriously don’t like and enjoy) but after a while it really wasn’t that bad (as in smelling too much of soapy sea) and I can start with that.

It turns out (at least for me), attars are shapeshifters. Usually with perfumes you can guess where they might evolve and what you might expect. But all the attars surprised me (pleasantly I must say), including the sea one. That was a real surprise.

Anyway, I thought that attars were all dark and had this desert-like base, dry but at the same time full-bodies, arid and spicy. Strange actually. I really need (and want) to experience the desert.

So, I decided to try Sedra and Al Mas at the same time to compare them and see if my initial thought were correct. Of course, it would be extremely inconvenient to have these 2 smelling the same for such a wide money difference. Honestly, I lean toward Al Mas. 🙂 But that’s probably because Sedra displays more rose than Al Mas and I’m still not a fan of rose.

First off, let me say that most of attars I tried (less than 10 so far) are these oudish, rose, dark thingies. So, no wonder I thought smelling them apart that Sedra and Al Mas were the same. The truth is, smelling them side by side, Sedra starts more bitter (as in rose) and oudish than Al Mas. I would never thought I’d say after my first try of Al Mas that it was mellow, but it was more mellow than Sedra. I thought it had some cedre hints but I was wrong – one of the notes is sandal (that is the most similar I could find). I couldn’t find any notes for Sedra, all I found was that it was oriental and spicy.

When first smelling Al Mas, I thought the rose was prominent enoght but when compared to Sedra, it really does not make any kind of important appearance. This rose in Sedra also makes it more feminine than Al Mas, which seems very unisex and more oudish than Sedra. Also. it seems more competently blended. This sounds wrong now – what I wanted to say is that Al Mas is so round and complete, nothing peeks out strongly while in Sedra I can smell the rose quite well.

And then it started. First, I got this camphor/minty? note in Sedra which I have no idea where it appeared from some 2 hours into application. And then also some fruitiness peeking out. Al Mas remained a warm background on my other arm at that time. And then it hit me for both. They seemed to have blended with me (or more precisely my skin). It was like I rubbed them in, which I didn’t and anyway, that would be obvious from the start if I had done it. My guess is, my skin absorbed it and it just became part of me. I loved that part because I almost never feel the perfume becoming one with me, it is always a part that is with me not me.
I am really glad I have some more attars to try. I don’t think they would make a good choice for
everyday (work) wear but they are something.

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).

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?

Meeting a fellow enthusiast

Perfume thoughts April 27, 2010 Comments: 12

Until yesterday, I never met a fellow perfume enthusiast in real life, someone who won’t mind talking hour and half about perfumes, perfumers, notes, niche perfumery, what can be bought where in Zagreb, where is a good place to shop both here and online… It was only hour and a half because I had some other stuff I had to do, otherwise it would have taken longer. 🙂
We talked about what our favourite notes are, genres, perfumers, what do we think of the non-niche stuff, we smelled the samples we had with us, discusse why some things are just unbelievably expensive…
The time just flew by and there are so many things we didn’t even touch (so much left for the next time, and the time after that…)

Ankica is this lovely, vivacious, smiling young woman full of creative energy and ideas. And her ideas are not limited to her work, she was happily pointing out things I could do with my blog if I wanted to give it more time and effort. You never know, I just might listen to some of her advice.

What’s great in all this is the fact that Ankica is interested in creating her own perfumes and has already given me some of her creations to try. She has a much deeper knowledge of basic ingredients and how to mix them to get some wonderful results – I am totally in love with one of the creations she gave me to try, I really like one other and the third I tried is just not me, but there are more hidden gems in the little bag of samples she gave me so I’m already looking forward to trying them all out.
And I’m also looking forward to the next time we sit down surrounded by samples and enjoy some mutually enthusiastic company. 🙂

Is tea a spring note and other musings

Perfume thoughts April 21, 2010 Comments: 15

I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time now but I’m glad I waited and had a chance to smell some DSH creations that arrived last week.

As the spring started, I thought a lot about things I would like to wear, what feels right in spring and came up with tea among other things, smelling it in Amaranthine and The Silk Road (also by DSH). But the tea note I crave is not black tea, I need greenery now in all forms. Not the tea that makes appearance in CdG Tea – that smells like some Chinese tea I tried some time ago and hated. That is just a total scrubber in my case.

So, in my mind, green tea is one of the spring notes I like and prefer.

Then I read Katie’s comment to my Scents that sing Spring! post and realized she is right. My choices are zesty and yes, I enjoy citrusy stuff because it gives off an energetic vibe I seem to need in the spring. Everything is waking and after the initial surge in energy, my energy level slowly decreases so I crave smells that will help with that.

So, you can imagine I was happy when I discovered some new gems in the DSH package.

I just wish that they weren’t letting go Wasabi-Shiso. That is bottled spring energy! And I have no idea why is it considered an autumn scent on DSH site?!

I have the notes now but when I smelled it for the first time it was a rush. 🙂 The description at the DSH site says Whoosh! Well, that certainly is one way of putting it. You get this strong lemon peel vibe underscored by green (those are my initial ideas – lemon peel and perhaps basil and majoram). It is very optimistic and energetic and once I saw the notes, I realized there was quite a lot to give that citrusy vibe. It is almost grapefruity, smells more like lemon peel and pits and is just a limey, juicy, happy thing. It practically fizzes with all those citruses. Later it settles down and I lose my note detection ability. Some easy vetiver and sandal.

I am happy to have a little bottle of this, especially if it’s going out of production.

And now on to the one that has my spring cravings. Bancha.

Here is what DSH has to say about it:

“The season of new life, new beginnings and renewed wellbeing, Spring signifies a rebirth through a harmonious celebration of balance and revitalization. To welcome this invigorating time of year, we’ve created a special ayurvedic, all botanical scent elemental to the season, Bancha. Charismatic and refreshing, the bold citrus top notes of Bancha intertwine with a base of earthy, green aromas for a crisp, lively fragrance that will revive the senses and restore harmony.”

My initial thought was osmanthus perhaps and it smelled like lemon-tea but better. 🙂 I know, I really smell a lot. 😉

The problem was I smelled this after Wasabi-Shiso and thought it smelled like a watered down version of it. With citrusy opening but with the grapefruit association, some lemon peel no pits.

It doesn’t have the juiciness and doesn’t project so much energy but it grows on you. Me especially because there are similarities with Charmes et Feuilles and whatever is similar to that is guarantueed my love. The mandarin and lime peel underscored by greenery hinting at spearmint and basil, what more could you ask? And then it mellows even more and the tea note comes from somewhere (have no idea where, it is not listed, perhaps yuzu and rose?). Anyway, it is really a calming scent and totally for me and my spring cravings.

Although, you know, nothing beats spring. I guess that is why I keep looking for something to wear in spring but I don’t think anything will ever compare.

Thoughts on spring and recent sniffs

Perfume thoughts March 27, 2010 Comments: 14

I know I’m lagging behind a bit with writing about perfume. I want to do a real review of Bal d’Afrique because I think it deserves it and I’m somehow lost in the crossing between winter and spring. I cannot seem to find spring in my perfume wardrobe so today I did a bit of sample classification and put florals and those that seem spring-like and green close to my hand so I can put them on when I need something of that sort without having to go look for them.

I find it really strange that I have full bottles of stuff that is for winter and also for summer (autumn comes in between and is never really a problem) but when spring comes, I get lost and don’t know what to wear.

I don’t know if anyone noticed, last spring there was much talk about lily of the valley and lilies in general for spring. This year it’s mostly about narcissus and hyacinths. And not only that there is much talk of it, I also feel this year I want to wear those flowers (again, am I that susceptible to trends?)

One of the things I’d like this spring seems to be Amaranthine. The more I think of it, the more I want it. You know where this is leading, don’t you? 😉

In my search of spring scents, I tried again Lolita Lempicka original. I just can’ see the appeal. And honestly, I get completely lost in the samples of LL stuff I have. How many flankers are there?! I’m never completely sure which one I’m testing. I also have L de Lolita Lempicka (I find that one better than LL) and I also have Fleur Defendue (I still have to try that one).

One of the things I realized this spring is that I enjoy tea in my spring scents (I’m planning a post on that soon).

And a thought to finish with, I finally get the Parfum de Therese and Une fleur de Cassie by Frederic Malle. And when I say I get them, what I actually mean is, I love them and need them in larger quantities than a sample.

P.S. I bought Cadjmere by PG quite some time ago for my boyfriend who doesn’t seem to appreciate it, so it is MINE now. 🙂 Yes! Yes! Yes!

Quick post-ski thoughts

Perfume thoughts March 15, 2010 Comments: 4

First day after a vacation is always filled with so many different things to do, so I’ll just give you a quick rundown of what I wore while skiing, hot it behaved and some photos of the mountains.

Even though I thought skiing in March will prove to be a sunny, warm activity, I was quite wrong. On those days when it was actually sunny, it was still cold and windy and although not as cold as on non-sunny days, cold enough not to mistake the weather for spring.

Bal d’Afrique is definitely something cold cannot kill. 🙂 And 3 spritzes of it are too much. It got trapped between my layers of clothing and I could smell it all day. A large plus for it. The same goes for Alamut which managed to reveal new facets in the cold (wet and rose-smelling). That one is strange – I’m not sure what I think of it.

I had high hopes for Sushi Imperiale but they were dashed by the coldest day I ever experienced. I don’t think I was ever that cold in my life (it was a windy -15 degrees Celsius). The cold killed the Sushi Imperiale. The same happened to Vetyver Vanilla by Gutsatz house.

On one of the sunny days I wore Keiko Mecheri Iris Pourpre which turned quite sweet in the sunny cold.

In the evening I mostly kept to my new discovery – Nuxe dry oil for body which has a lovely smell that combines great with By Kilian Back to Black (and feels great on skin).

That’s all for today – here are some photos:




The last one is me of course. 🙂

Acquired taste

Perfume thoughts February 16, 2010 Comments: 11

I seem to do more thinking about perfume lately than actual smelling. Yesterday I came home and there was a package from Niche place waiting for me – I ordered without smelling it, just from reading about it, Tommi Sooni, Tarantella.

Of course I had to try it straight away, without thinking about notes or anything regarding a review, all I wanted to see was if I made a mistake or not. 🙂 And it seems sometimes it’s ok to risk. I liked it although my initial thought was, this smells real good but it’s not what I usually go for. What I usually don’t go for are aldehydes, chypre and roses. Well, all I can say is that this seems to be changing. I started giving more wrist space to roses and getting surprised by the results. Aldehydes have just wormed their way into my fragrance wardrobe, now all it takes is for me to start loving the real chypres. That still might take some taste acquiring. Ideas wanted and needed! I mean, I have tried several of the more famous ones, but I’m still waiting for the bells to start ringing when I smell one and my knees going week. You know, all the signs that this is probably the one that will stay with you for the rest of your life. It might leave for a couple of months, but will eventually come back. For now, one that I would like to wear without fighting it would be just fine. Like it just happened with Tarantella. I don’t know yet if it’s going to be a life long relationship but it will last a bottle. 🙂
I figured, perfume groups are like food. I seriously didn’t like sushi when I first tried it. Then, I got the opportunity to try it again and it was ok, but not something I would ever want to eat. Nowadays, there are days I need to go and get a bite because it is exactly what I crave.
Even though I smelled Tarantella briefly, I know it is going to be one of those bottles that I will crave occasionally and will know exactly when I want to wear it.
Like I know when I would like to wear Amouage Lyric, the only problem is I don’t own a bottle of it so that is kind of a hindrance. But that rose went straight for my knees and I didn’t even recognize it.
I plan on giving them all a proper review (I still have some Lyric left in my sample – I’m saving it).
Btw, while writing this, I was looking for chypre ideas and found that the Perfumed court has a beginner’s list of things to try regarding chypre. 🙂 I think I tried all of those, and none of them made my knees go weak (ok, maybe vintage variants of some of them would, but they are rather hard to find).

P.S. If someone has a bottle of Lyric and doesn’t know what to do with it, please, just remember I’m here and I need one. 🙂

I’m scared

Perfume thoughts September 30, 2009 Leave a comment

This week has not been kind to me so far and it seems to have spilled over onto my love of disovery. After discovering treasures last week, now I’m scared to test anything new for fear of it being not good enough (which given the amount of bad or mediocre in the perfume industry, is not actually so far off the target). I don’t know what to do now, but hope it will pass. In the meantime, I sniff things I know I liked and I try learning more from them. It’s actually working, I can tell that my nose has progressed from 2 years ago when I started this road of discovery.

That is not to say that there isn’t so much more to discover but it’s heartening to realize there was actually some progress along the way. 🙂 Since I’m not a terribly patient person. 🙂 What an understatement. 😉

So, no particular perfume or book to talk about today, just my thoughts. I hope I’ll be able to try the Van Cleef & Arpels collection everyone has been talking about lately and saying such lovely things. Maybe that would be a less scary road forward. 🙂 Chances are I will like them.

Enough of my bad mood for today. Hopefully, soon I’ll write about a new discovery that lifts both my heart and mood. 🙂

Pic of my Paris visit (I so want to go back and enjoy it some more).