Category Archives: Perfume thoughts

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. 🙂

The one and only – Parfumarija

Perfume shopping, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 25, 2014 Comments: 10

I’m saying one and only as it’s not only Dublin’s sole niche perfumery, it’s also Ireland’s only niche perfumery as I’ve been told when I was there.

Personally, I love the name as it’s a play on words, perfumery is called “parfumerija” in Croatian (and most of ex-Yugoslav countries) and the owner’s name is Marija (she’s Macedonian) so there it is – Parfumarija.

I didn’t spend nearly enough time in there as my group was waiting for me, but the little time I did spend there was great.

I was greeted by a fellow perfumista/blogger Freddie who also has a youtube channel where he reviews perfumes. It was quite a lot of fun discussing perfumes with him. 🙂

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Freddie talking me through perfumes

He talked me through the novelties they have and through some perfumes I haven’t had the chance to try yet, as they aren’t available in Croatia.

He also gave me the new F. Malle to try – I can’t remember the name, but it is Carlos Benaïm’s new scent by F. Malle.

*Eau de Magnolia* by Lucas’ comment

It’s a magnolia perfume and honestly, the beginning didn’t really wow me due to my idea of magnolia watery-green scent smelling like botanical garden, but its development gets more and more interesting and I want to smell it again and give it more time and thought.

I tried the two MDCI I haven’t yet had the chance to try, Nuit Andalouse and Vêpres Siciliennes. I should’ve known a white creamy floral would win my heart in an instant, but realistically speaking, I really don’t need another one (even though that Nuit Andalouse has my name written all over it). 😉DSC_0186

For the first time, I got to try Ys Uzac line and I must say I was rather impressed. There were only 4 perfumes in the line, Pohadka, Monodie, Metaboles and Immortal Beloved. And in all the hurry I remember liking Pohadka and Monodie rather a lot, but I would need to re-smell the whole line again for a better memory.

It seems I was there only for the experience of a new perfumery but even so, I loved it.DSC_0184

I finished my quick smelling escapades by smelling Aqua Sextius by Jul et Mad which Freddie said reminded him of Womanity (luckily for me it didn’t). But I understand why he would say it.

I read Lucas’ take on Aqua Sextius and for some reason thought it would be too watery/ozonic for my taste. But no, it’s actually quite lovely and very easy to like and wear. Unfortunately, it’s also 230 Euros for 50ml of edp…

*Lucas informed me it’s actually extrait de parfum*

Parfumarija is also on Facebook if you want to follow them. And if in Dublin, go and visit them for a little bit of perfume fun. 🙂

The Vogue connection

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 1, 2014 Comments: 8

Turns out I get most of my perfume news out of the French Vogue. I wonder what that says about my perfumista proclivities… love rose

But, I must say that the new Reminiscence perfumes, White Tubereuse and Love Rose sound rather appealing.

Well, in my case, whenever I hear the word tuberose, it sounds appealing. 😉

Notes for Love Rose: start of citrus fruits, a refined heart of fusing rose, iris and jasmine absolutes, over an enticing musk base.That musk base doesn’t sound that promising, I have to say.w tubereuse

Notes for White Tubereuse: tuberose, ylang-ylang, cinnamon These notes, on the other hand, sound very promising. 🙂

 

One other perfume that sounds appealing as well (if only by name) – Extatic by Balmain.

extaticNotes: nashi pear, rose, osmanthus, orris, sharry baby orchid, woody-leathered trail (that was the best I could get out of the Balmain site).

Since I really like Ambre Gris by Balmain, I tend to think this might be good as well.

 

 

The French Vogue says Reminiscences are going to be 78 Euros per 50ml.

And Balmain site says Extatic is 42 Euros for a 40ml bottle.

My top 5 perfume houses

My top 5, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume April 21, 2014 Comments: 25

Well, Birgit beat me to it. 😦 Even so, I’ll go with the one I had planned several weeks ago and never published (now wonder people beat me to different things). 😉

So, as there are posts like these all the time (your favorite perfumes, notes, brands, perfumes from a brand, etc.), I wanted to share my preferences on the subject.

I have a hard time naming favorite perfumes as that changes all the time. Plus, there are so many good perfumes out there, I hate having to choose among them. I have enough love for all of them. 😉DSC00761

That is why I decided to tell you about my favorite perfume houses because even though I don’t like everything they do, I like/love most of their perfumes and look benevolently on others even when I don’t like them. They are also better represented in my collection. 🙂

In no particular order:

Serge Lutens – I’m guessing most perfumistas have Serge Lutens on their list of perfume houses they enjoy. I don’t think a special explanation is needed but to explain my reasoning – they are like a wonderfully intelligent conversation you might lead at the most unexpected places but one you really need to be alert for, otherwise you will lose your strain of thought.

Guerlain – again, some of the ingeniously great perfumes came from this house and they still come up with some great perfumes.

Ramon Monegal – now, I only recently discovered this gem of a perfume house and the more I smell their perfumes, the more I fall in love. Which isn’t surprising considering Mr. Monegal’s love for books which in my mind only means he knows what he’s doing when it comes to perfume as well. And the inkwell! I was sold at that. 😉

Histoires des Parfums – I always think they don’t get enough love and raving reviews because honestly, those perfumes are great, and very wearable. And not expensive either (considering what else is out there and how much it costs).

The last but not the least, the house that started my perfume journey – L’Artisan Parfumeur. They are also the house I would recommend every perfume newbie to start with as they make you fall in love with some amazingly down-to-earth notes.

 

I noticed in this list that my European heritage is rather obvious. 🙂

And of course I have special additions. 😉

Special mention goes to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (being both an American perfume house and indie as well) whose perfumes I keep enjoying since the first time I smelled them. I’m amazed at the work Dawn does, both in its expanse and quality and look forward to smelling many more perfumes her artisan hands make.

And Frederic Malle which would have made the list if I were to mention 6 perfume houses. They’ve been steadily climbing my list of favorite houses for some time now…

P.S. Special thanks to Asali for the absolutely wonderful photos I could use for this post and my blog header.

Iris Nobile by Acqua di Parma, or

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume April 7, 2014 Comments: 10
How I thought I didn’t care about iris perfumes

A long time ago, when I was a fletchling perfumista, I thought iris perfumes just weren’t for me. I don’t remember what it was I tried first, but somewhere at the beginning a decant of Iris Nobile found its way to me and I still remember how I was a bit underwhelmed.

I wonder to this day what exactly was I thinking. 🙂

Except for the fact that I love it, I think of it as a warm, mellow floral. Irisy, but also lightly sharp, a bit green and so very, very lovely.irisn3

Right from the start I get that warm, soft floral feel of iris underscored with warm notes. I can say they are the warm base notes (vanilla) as the whole thing reminds me a bit of an irisy dessert.

My mind thinks I smell jasmine and gardenia in it (as well as something menthol-like which seems to be anise) but once you look at the notes, it seems my nose is mixing up orange blossom for jasmine (wouldn’t be the first time).

Notes: iris petals, star anise, mandarin, bergamot, cedar flower, orange blossom, iris roots, vanilla and amber crystals.

I also discovered a strange thing while looking for the notes. I saw the citruses listed as the top notes and kept wondering how in the world I missed them while smelling and wearing this?! I mean, even though you expect them most of the times, I still thought I wouldn’t just fail to register them.

So I sprayed the perfume on a strip. Imagine my surprise when they all appeared there?! And lasted. It seems my skin kills off (eats) the citrusy notes in this perfume. And in my opinion, it is for the best. I love the way it smells on me.

Unfortunately though, I loved it a bit too much so now I have none.

Which wouldn’t be so bad if my search for notes hadn’t revealed the fact that what I had was probably the edt and not the edp now being sold (no chypre, patchouli notes in mine).

Does anyone know if the edt version of Iris Nobile still exists? The site doesn’t say so…

The smell of candy in the air

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume April 1, 2014 Comments: 12

This candy to be precise (PEZ):

pez

Basically it’s a lightly sweet smell permeating the air close to blooming trees.

As my knowledge of trees and plants is somewhere around kindergarten level, I can’t tell you what trees those are, but my guess would be some wild/decorative kind of fruit trees. Whatever it is, the air is rather warm these days so the smell wafts around you as you walk and all you can do is breathe it in and smile as childhood memories beckon with a grin of their own.

I grew up with those candies and even though I still remember the smell, I don’t really need to as now my nephews are the ones who are growing up with them.

So, tell me, who else remembers PEZ candy (and the accompanying dispensers) from their childhoods? And their powdery fruity smell?

 

P.S. It just never occurred to me before now how the smell of those candies was actually reminiscent of the smells in nature.

(I guess someone did a really good job with those aromas)

Open letter from Luc Gabriel (TDC) – Save the independent perfumery

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 25, 2014 Comments: 6

I received this a couple of days ago and thought it needed to be shared as many times as possible.

Even if only one new person sees and reads this, the message will slowly spread.

 

Save the independant perfumery

March 19th 2014 – We are perfumers, perfumeries, brand owners. We drive our energy towards creating olfactory beauty and each of us is a key part of this amazing process that turns components into olfactory emotions, futile for some, of the essence for us and our clients.

The recent proposals made by the European Commission, if they become law, threaten to destroy fine perfumery as we know it, an art slowly built for centuries by creators and craftsmen and part of our cultural common good.

This destruction will end up in modifying formulas of mythical perfumes, in restraining the freedom of using key ingredients that are absolutely necessary for a creative high end perfumery (some of these components being used for centuries in our fragrances), in losing a unique know-how and in destroying thousands of jobs.

Our goal is to have our line of work recognized by the institutions and the general public as it is and always have been: a collective cultural good, a pillar of our history, an art which contributes to the beauty of the world.

We want to have the concept of Freedom recognized along the concept of Safety and Precautions and have perfumers free to create, brands free to develop and customers free to choose, our profession being already widely regulated.

Eventually, we intend to inform the general public and the institutions on the reality of our business and our products and communicate as widely and transparently as possible so that they make their choices fully aware and informed.

If you share our values and wish to contribute to saving a perfumery in danger, thank you for signing this manifest. We will inform you on a regular basis about the actions taken and we might also ask you to contribute to the ”think-tank” and our actions.

Truly yours.

Luc GABRIEL/The Different Company infoatthedc.fr – François HENIN/JOVOY

Missed my anniversary

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 24, 2014 Comments: 29

Again!

It seems since this is the fifth, I would have remembered the date by now.

Seems I was very wrong. 🙂

I haven’t been a very proficient writer the past couple of years but I somehow still managed to keep my blog alive and I certainly hope I will keep on doing that for quite a long time in the future as well.

As it’s my 5th blogging anniversary (or was on the 20th), I want to celebrate it by doing a little give-away.

3 lucky winners will get some Croatian chocolate and one of three of the following decants: Cuirelle, Dries Van Noten and Parfum de Therese.

You can state your preference in the comments. The draw closes Wednesday midnight.

 

P.S. And please leave a way of contacting you so I can notify the winners (sometimes winners forget to check back they won something).

Sharing the perfume bug

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 6, 2014 Comments: 22

I can’t really say I shared the perfume love as what I chose requires more getting used to than what people generally smell in mainstream stores (god, that sounds so condescending). 🙂

Anyway, yesterday I shared my love and a little bit of my collection with my female colleagues. I already had several perfume-y coffees with one who then spread the word. So that is how yesterday I ended up giving them a crash course through what perfumery offers if you know where to look.

I admit to being ambitious and offering them 22 perfumes to try. 😀 That was mean of me. 😉 And they did!
I never expected them to find anything to love among them, my goal was to make them understand how many more notes and possibilities exist out there and that they should try and figure out if they possibly like something and might want to discover more.

What I learned surprised me. 🙂 It seems people  (women in this case) are fed up with sweet perfumes. That was what everyone kept saying, I don’t want anything sweet. And the general consensus on what they found good was also surprising (although it shouldn’t be as I love it as well).

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I made them cheat sheets with all the perfumes so they can take notes for themselves

That was Monegal’s Cuirelle. 🙂 Closely followed by Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather. 

I shouldn’t get surprised anymore that Cuirelle is such a hit among people who smell it. Especially after reading Birgit’s interview with Ramon Monegal where he said his favorite perfume is “true leather”. It’s obvious he knows what to do with that. 😉

It was a boisterous gathering (all perfume gatherings somehow end up boisterous) and we laughed a lot. I heard some interesting adjectives being ascribed to perfumes:

– smells like toothpaste (for Vamp a NY)

– lemon peel! (Bigarade Concentree)

– Terrible! Smells like sweat. Just too much. (Tubereuse Criminelle – I had to bring that one for shock effect) 😉

– Toilet cleaner (Tuscan Leather) – actually have no idea how that came about…

We agreed to meet again with a selection geared more toward spring and summer in a couple of months.

I definitely hope to keep this up until their perfume vocabulary upgrades from: It’s interesting/ok/sweet/too much, to – Oh, I smell white flowers/amber/green stuff, etc..

That’s not asking too much, is it? 😉

 

A lingering collection

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 14, 2014 Comments: 20

That is what I have. 
My collection has been growing for years but unfortunately my perfume review output hasn’t. And I can’t get rid of anything I haven’t actually reviewed (unless it’s so bad I never want to smell it again). Or anything I grew out of in my smelling journey. The irony in all this is the fact that for what seems most of my life I’ve been lecturing my mom on clearing her life of stuff she no longer uses, only to end up in pretty much the same mess.
According to my limited knowledge of Feng-shui (very limited actually), the stuff you don’t use but only accumulate weighs down your life energy. As my life energy feels pretty much down most of the time, I’m guessing I did it to myself (well, it’s not really guessing if I’m sure of it). 😉

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So basically, if I don’t want to weigh myself down I have two choices. Start writing even short reviews if I don’t have much to say so I can decide what to let go, or just have a quick smell and let go of at least half of the stuff I have (I’m talking mostly decants now).
Then again, I keep thinking what if there is something of what I let go I later decide I would like to revisit and I no longer have it?

Has anyone faced a similar problem? How do you let go of accumulated perfume which lingers because you never got the time to get to know it?
Should I let it go or still try to get to know it?

I must say, I don’t have such problems with clothes. At least my wardrobe is clear of lingering clothes… 😉