Category Archives: Short perfume review

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: 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…

New purchase and some detective work

Short perfume review March 2, 2010 Comments: 5

I really, really should learn from experience. Especially when it’s mine. 🙂

All I wanted to do was doi a quick visit to Viktor Koncept store, try Bal d’Afrique and Amaranthine and leave because I was in a hurry to the next appointment I had. Of course, what happened is that I was more than 20 minutes late and with a new perfume purchase I never planned on doing. I blame it on SAs there. They were really helpful and we were discussing different houses they have and what should I try for my ski trip (he, he, I’m mobilising people right and left to help me choose) and at that time, while smelling some very interesting things on strips (like Tilleul, Eau de Gantier, etc.) I realized my right wrist smelled great and mistakenly thought it was Bal d’Afrique which was on my left wrist. Or, I thought right but everything got messed up in my head because I was in a hurry. So, I decided to take Bal d’Afrique home with me because even though the name doesn’t suggest it, it feels right for skiing. 🙂 Unbelievable. I’ll let you know when I come back if I was right.

Notes: lemon, neroli, African marigold, cyclamen, vetiver, jasmine, violet, bucchu, cedar, black amber? and musk.

At this moment, I cannot give you a coherent opinion on what this is because mostly what I’m thinking is what it’s not. 🙂 It reminds me of many different perfumes but it’s not them. Even though I’m not madly in love with it, I am completely fascinated. It feels like it could hypnotise my nose and not let it go.

On the other hand, I could fall in love with Amaranthine if I give it some time. At the moment we are eyeing each other and flirting, considering what might happen in the future. Are we going to go for the real thing or just flirt a bit?

Notes: green tea, white freesia, banana tree leaf, coriander, cardamom, rose, carnation, clove, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, condensed milk and tonka bean.

I won’t even try to decipher the notes I smell. Do you see how many are there?! At first, I didn’t think there was going to be anything happening between us. It started like a bitterish green floral (I attribute the bitter part to tea and coriander) and then the bitter edge dissipated and what I was left with was a green floral going for vanilla. I kept thinking why so much vanilla and where is it coming from – making its way through the green floralcy. I guess the condensed milk and tonka bean are helping there.

So, I came home and went in search of notes and found at NST that it was “reminiscent of the scent of the inside of a woman’s thigh” – once I read that and the notes, I could totally see it, the muskiness and dissipating bitterness giving one an idea like that. This is not something to turn you away from this, just try and see if you get it as well. 🙂

Now on to the part where my bad streak of things not happening as they should continues.

We were talking about Viktor Koncept getting some new perfume brands for their store, here you can see what they have so far, and me being in a hurry, I paid, and since I was in a hurry and the bag they packaged for me wasn’t close, I asked if I could get the bag and wave good-bye, and they gave it to me. Unfortunately for me, there were no samples in it which I realized once I got home. And I’m not blaming the SAs, they always put interesting samples when I’m there, but I asked for my bag right after the discussion and I don’t think they even realized there were no samples in it. 😦 I’m so sad I’m not going to try anything new, but hey, these things shouldn’t be done in a hurry.

And, here is where some detective work comes into play. 😉 They plan on adding some new brands to their store but those that are not yet present here. That means brands that aren’t at the Institut Parfumeur Flores either which narrows the field. My first hope was that someone was finally going to have the whole SL line. Which of course, I don’t know beacuse Viktor is keeping it a secret.

The others that might come as per my detective work (and they are going to Paris to talk to them): Boadicea, Caron, Divine, Ego Facto, Fifi Chachnil, Fragonard, Frederic Malle (oh, yes please!), Le Labo, Montale, Nez a Nez, Reminiscence…

I didn’t put here houses that are present here but have exclusive lines (Chanel, Guerlain, Van Cleef and Arpels, etc.). I mean I hope they arrive but sincerely doubt it.

There are also some lines that are not from Paris but which I would LOVE to see here. Tom Ford if anyone who can make a difference is reading. 🙂

Huh, that was a lot to go through.

Big thanks to the NST team which helps with pretty much any investigative work relating perfume (I used their list of houses and notes).

All my efforts are just not good enough

Short perfume review February 24, 2010 Comments: 11

Spring is right around the corner and all my efforts regarding scents are not bearing any fruit. It all started with Roxana’s solid chocolate perfume samples. Which are btw really interesting and smell delicious but in my case cannot be put into much words or summed up as what they smell like. I’ll give it a try but you shouldn’t expect much.

Then this morning, I got dressed and was happy that I can wear lighter clothes since it’s getting springish here and the temperatures have risen about 10- 15 degrees Celsius. And I realized I don’t know what perfume to put on. In the end I ended up wearing Daim Blonde just because it didn’t remind me too much of a winter scent. And it is still not time for summer scents so I’m a bit lost now. What are you all wearing these days when it’s too warm for winter scents but it’s not really spring yet?

And now when I was starting to write this, I wanted to download the photos I took with my phone and for some reason, it won’t work. Like I said, nothing seems to be going right.

My Roxana chocolate samples included the following six:

1. Noir – “Like it’s edible counterpart, this chocolate is deep, dark and mysterious with a strong musk note.”

Yeah, there’s no mistaking the musk part and the fact that of all six, this one lasts the longest. It does smell of dark chocolate with slightly bitter feel but the musk unfortunately makes it not for me.

2. Cerise – “Succulent cherry with a base of rich chocolate.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. 🙂 I kept thinking, I know this, I know this, what is that fruit in this? And then I read cherry, and it hits me. There is a Croatian chocolate producer that has this perfect chocolate filled with boozy cheeries and this one smells exactly like that little chocolate morcel. And I get the boozy vibe too (have no idea if it’s only me because of the chocolate association).

3. La Foret – “A dense conifer forest meets an ocean of chocolate.”

This one is my favourite. There is less chocolate vibe in this (even though there’s an ocean in the description), it’s less sweet and more deeper and darker than the rest. I got some earthy-smoky vibe from it and it reminds me of chocolate forest (more foresty than chocolatey).

4. L’Orangerie – “Mouth watering citrus in a base of rich chocolate.”

Roxana also said it is very fleeting although I didn’t see it as more fleeting than the rest (they all had some problems with sticking a while on my skin). But boy, is it mouth-watering! All that juiciness you can practically feel in your mouth. You smell it and it feels like a burst of juiciness exploded in your head. How did she do that? Yeah, and the chocolate is there. 🙂

5. Bois de Chocolat – “Smokey woods and chocolate.”

I got more of the wood in number 3, this reminded me more of wood shavings and chocolate. Not bad but since it was a bit sweeter than 3, 3 is still my most wearable favourite.

6. Epices – “Spice, a hint of vanilla and chocolate.”

I think I smelled some orange peel and clove, it started juicy and spicy. Reminded me of Christmas cakes (the orange/spice combo) and I thought that there might be some cinammon in it but cannot say for sure. It was stronger than number 5, so that is a great plus for it (coming on top those great spices in the beginning).

I think they would all work great as body lotions because putting these solids (and they go on as an oily mousse de chocolat for a lack of a better description) and feel slightly decadent. Rubbing chocolate and spices on your pulse points and warming them up? Mmmm. I think they would work great as mood enhancers. Just rub some chocolate solid that melts into your skin and relax.
I ordered the samples from Roxana’s Etsy shop. There are many more gems hiding there, just waiting for me (or my credit card). 🙂