Category Archives: Sample of the day

SsOTD: Colognes in lieu of summer

Sample of the day June 4, 2010 Leave a comment

Yes, I know, summer officially starts on the 21, but here it sort of sneaks in before that date. Not this year though. It came for a few days preview and now we’re back to early spring rains (but that is supposed to end tomorrow).

So today, instead of enjoying summer warmth, I enjoyed some colognes. One of them brought summer to my room instantly, the other was a feminine cologne (if that is possible?).

Notes for Penhaligon’s Eau de cologne: orange, lemon, bergamot, rosemary, neroli

Since colognes are not the type of scents that are famous for their longevity, I don’t expect them to last long and don’t take it against them.

Unfortunately, I think this is one of those scents that works much better when sprayed. It was very light on me, smelling like a cologne with rose wafting through. Lovely actually, and that’s why I thought feminine. It was elusive and stayed close to the skin so that’s why I think I should spray it on before seeing if it’s really that soft and elusive.

Notes for Heeley’s Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St. Clement’s: oranges, lemons, bergamot, mandarine, neroli, petitgrain, earl gray tea, ylang-ylang, vetiver.

While I was copying the notes, I started wondering if I perhaps mistakes the scents on my arms, but I know I didn’t. It’s just that I was expecting to see here a note pointing toward some evergreen tree.

This is the one that transported me straight to a beach in Croatia, lying in the shade of firs, the smell of sunnscreen wafting on a breeze.

Yes, there was that typical citrusy opening (which was much more stronger in this one) with something peppery in it (I like that very much) and then my beach fantasy started. I don’t want to think about which note in combination with some other brought me my beach fantasy, I just enjoyed the fact that on this dreary, rainy day I got to experience it. 🙂

P.S. I just read the Luckyscent desription of Penhaligon’s Eau de Cologne and now I’m wondering againg if I mistaked this two. I just re-applied and no, I wasn’t mistaken, although both open with lemon peel astringency.

Notes and pic by: http://www.luckyscent.com

SOTD: B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful – Breathe of God

Sample of the day, Short perfume review June 3, 2010 Comments: 8

It seems I’m late to the party and I only realized it when trying to find notes for this – they are out of business. Their site says some of their products might appear in Lush stores but that’s it.

Notes: vetiver, sandalwood, Virginia cedar, amber, musk, neroli, Amalfi lemon, jasmine, rose, melon.

This is going to sound awful – but if the rest of their products were like this, it’s really not a surprise they are closed. It really does sound awful. But I had to say it.

It’s not that the Breathe of God is bad – it’s just not really good.

I don’t have much to say about it. It started smoky for me (although I read that it’s supposed to be leathery), sweet and I thought slightly almond-tinged. But what felt wrong with it, is that it floated on nothing. It lead me to expect some kind of base behind it, not feeling like the notes were nowhere. Then it smelled like some kind of a soda (Fanta, Schweppes, sth of that sort) mixed with that leather and I couldn’t figure out what it was in there that was disturbing my stomach but now I see the notes, I realize it’s melon. I just don’t like it – in real life nor in perfume.

My thanks to Rita from the Left Coast Nose who sent this with some other surprises some time ago but I only got around to talking about it now.
Rita I hope you get the urge to talk about perfumes again soon – we miss you! 🙂

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

SOTD: Penhaligon’s Orange Blossom

Sample of the day, World of Perfume June 2, 2010 Comments: 2

I think someone broke my sample. Or more clearly the juice inside. This was made by Mr. Duchafour and as I said the other day, there is almost nothing of his I don’t like – and I was already starting to worry I put my foot in my mouth. Luckily for me, that wasn’t true but it was a bumpy ride for a while (almost an hour!).

Notes: neroli, violet leaves, bergamot, cedrat, cardamom, pink pepper, orange, jasmine, tuberose, rose peach blossoms, orchid, sandalwood, cedar, white musk, vanilla.

It seems there is never a shortage of notes in Mr. Duchafour’s creation. 🙂

It started great, like a bitter jasmine (or possibly some other white flower, orange blossom included) and then, not 5 minutes into it, it morphed into a powdery violet. And remained like that. What?! I’m not a violet fan (especially in this talc manner) and this is the part where it got scary for me. I mean, everyone was singing praises for this and I’m getting a violet thingy?! A nice violet thingy (actually made me wonder if I might find this violet wearable) but still – a violet?!
That’s why I thought someone broke my sample juice.

It helps though when you know that really good perfumes are going to change, so I waited. For almost an hour but was it worth it!

After the passing of violet, things started happening and I was beginning to enjoy the ride for real. None of the notes seemed especially prominent but they all seemed to be there at some point in time. I was waiting for an orange blossom tropical seductiveness and I got it. Not the orange blossom or tropical but seductiveness made by rose, jasmine, juicy orange, probably orchid as well but I cannot say for sure since I’m not positive yet on the orchid smell.

The drydown on this smells like an opening on something, it’s that good and strong. Reminded me a bit of Ninfeo Mio due to sweetness and floral juiciness. And each time I smell my arm, I’m seduced more and more.

Turns out, I can live with violets on me. 🙂

SOTD: Palais Jamais by Etro

Sample of the day, World of Perfume June 1, 2010 Comments: 10

Sometimes a day goes by and I wonder how come I couldn’t find a little time to post a short review of a perfume, book or a sample. Today it’s the sample day and I finally have a little time to post my thoughts.

I love this. 🙂 I could end here with – it’s a mimosa-vetiver cologne for me and I love it.

I thought of it as a cologne but it’s actually an EDT which is basically the same.

Notes: tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, mimosa, violet, tangerine, sandalwood, vetiver, musk, leather, tobacco, oakmoss, civet (there are some variants on the notes but not much).

As I already said, it starts as a green cologne to me (cologne meaning it’s citrusy for me) with something familiar that I just couldn’t figure out until I read the notes. It’s mimosa! This is the best mimosa for me so far. Ok, so I didn’t try that many but this one is still the clear winner.

And for an edt, it has some serious lasting power (more than the last 2 samples I tried).

I read somewhere it has some spiciness, and I agree. At some point, you feel that tingling in your nose that tells you there are spices in it but out of the notes, I cannot figure out what can it be. Besides, it doesn’t last long. It goes on to some white flowers peeking through but I can’t say I actually smell one of those listed. What surprises me is that for an edt, it goes through a lot of phases. At some point it gets really flowery until settling down into a vetiverish mimosa (I can still feel it a little in the drydown) with a salty sandalwood drydown (I have no idea what it this with me and salty drydowns, I promise I don’t sweat much).

I find this a wonderful summer fragrance and quite long-lasting. It’s really good I tried this before summer so I can get some before it starts (it’s raining and quite cold these days so there’s no hurry yet).
P.S. It reminds me of Guerlain Vetiver with some mimosa on the side that turns it into summer freshness personified (not that the Guerlain Vetiver is not like that, I love that one as well).

SOTD: Eau d’Italie, Paestum Rose

Sample of the day, World of Perfume May 31, 2010 Comments: 6

OK, I realized today I will have to give Havana Vanille another go. Because it’s obvious to me that whatever Mr. Duchafour creates, I’m going to love it. 🙂 There must have been a mistake in my nose when smelling HV because it just can’t be. 🙂

As you probably know by now, I’m not a huge florals fan, rose especially, but there are always exceptions, and this is one of them. Oh, I really like this one (I think that the boozy opening helps). 🙂

Notes: davana, cinammon,, black pepper, pink pepper, black pepper, coriander, black currant buds, Turkish rose, peony, incense, osmanthus, elemi, tea, papyrus, benzoin, myrhh, opopponax, vetiver, patchouli, cedar, wenge wood, amber, white musk.

As you can see, there is a wealth of notes which I do not plan on getting entangled in. I love the beginning and I didn’t miss the rose this time (probably because it’s there in the title). It smells boozy (having this rum, thick quality to it) and slightly sweet. Of the notes in the beginning, I can smell the particular juiciness of black currants and the pink pepper – which I believe I am smelling due to the process of elimination. I’ve been finding this around a lot and learned to recognize the particular scent it brings with itself so I think I know it now (it gives the rose in Very Irresistible the same type of freshness). Anyway, I get a healthy dose of tea (I tend to lean toward black but that may be caused by black currant buds).

It smells like an idea of a wet rose, not aquatic but more like a rose inundated in fresh water. Quite lovely really. And totally wearable for me (I’ll try and locate a decant on MUA).

I lose the black currant and most of the rose in the drydown but I’m left with a drydown that is quite nice but doesn’t come close to the opening. I mean, it’s easy on the nose and smells warm and dry (all that wood, incense and benzoin which I love) but is only a drydown.
Pic and notes by: www.luckyscent.com

SOTD: Mark Buxton Nameless

Sample of the day, Short perfume review May 28, 2010 Comments: 6

Only now do I have time to write about my sample and there’s not going to be very much to say about it. It is a very nice masculine scent which I could steal if my boyfriend had a bottle but that doesn’t move me like Juste un Reve did yesterday.

Notes: orange blossom, lavender, mandarin orange, cardamom, cinammon, coffee, clove, jasmine, amber, labdanum, woodsy notes, guiac wood, patchouli, cedar, benzoin.

It starts lavendery fresh with spice notes coming at the heels. I really enjoyed the opening, it reads as masculine but is thoroughly enjoyable if you are into spices as I am. Or even less than I am.

I hate saying this again but it reminded me of something else I smelled and liked but can’t remember what (that seems to happen a lot to me).

It is a terribly nice scent, and I’m sure makes for a great present for a guy who is not very perfume savvy. It’s fresh and spicy and enjoyable. I think most guys would like it.
I might be reading this wrong, because I don’t smell that many masculines and can’t really say if one is good or not, only how much I like it or not.

And after a while, this one had me wondering if each time I get a salty note from a perfume it’s me, or is it a perfume (since it happened 2 days in a row). Luckily for me, my other arm was scent free and didn’t smell salty, so it wasn’t me.

SOTD: Juste un Reve by PdN

Sample of the day, World of Perfume May 27, 2010 Comments: 7

It’s been a pleasurable day smelling this on my arm. 🙂

But, it’s been a bit problematic getting the notes.

Notes by PdN: coconut, apricot, jasmine, tuberose, sandalwood, vanilla

Notes by Luckyscent: jasmine, rose, iris, hyacinth, monoi

As you can see, not much overlap (what an understatement). For me, it’s a mix of both, even though I didn’t locate rose and jasmine but hey, nothing new there.

I saw this mentioned as a perfect summer scent – for me it’s more than just a summer scent. Yes, you cannot skip the summer with coconut and monoi but the florals are quite a bit important as well. At one point, they are all you get.

For me it started fresh, irisy and floral, slightly grassy-sweet and happy – it brought a smile to my face. Imagine my dismay when reading notes by PdN and seeing no iris. But Luckyscent helped with that.

This one gives you a feel like you are smelling your skin warmed in the sun – you smell the perfume of flowers and tropical stuff, and you are smelling it warmed in the sun (even though I’m in the office all day).

I kept looking for the apricot but in the end I decided it combined itself with sandalwood perhaps to give this an aura of apricot suede powderiness (this sounds wrong).

Anyway, this all gives way to some flowers and I cannot claim I smelled hyacinths but I did smell flowers of a particular type I recognize. It could be that the real life hyacinth and the perfume one differ sligthly…

But the end is just as great as the rest, sweet monoi and salty iris turning into coconuty and salty smell of sandalwood. It’s at the same time simple and brilliant. Not simple as an easy, straight-forward thing, but easy as in, it gives off a feeling of being easily wearable and enjoyed.

SOTD: Fig & Vetiver by Anthousa

Sample of the day, Short perfume review May 26, 2010 Comments: 8

I’m starting my sample of the day with a sample that’s been standing on my shelf for quite some time since after smelling it for the first time (a long time ago), I decided it was great and wanted to use it but save it at the same time.

I either mistaked liking it so much with the other Anthousa sample I have (Citrus Sorbet) or the other fig scents I smelled in the meantime have made me more picky.

Notes: green fig, bergamot, mandarin, cyclamen, fresh berry, peach, osmanthus, rosewood, black amber and vetiver.

There’s no way you can miss the fig. And for me that’s the best part – the green, fresh, light and summer feeling.

Of all those fruits listed, I am now wondering how come I got only slightly citruses and then after that flowers and that’s it. The flowers get a bit shrill on me and I really don’t like it when that happens (although I know some people do).

So, no, I can’t say I will be wearing this fig (I might have smelled some vetiver at one point but can’t be sure). The opening is a lot like Philosykos but the rest doesn’t even come near. It’s not bad but it’s just not that great either.
This was quite painless, I think I’ll be able to stick to my samples of the day posts in between real posts. I do have to do something about all those samples…

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. 🙂