Category Archives: World of Perfume

Zagreb spice market

Is actually a little shop called Harissa in Masarykova street.

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I’ve never been to a spice market so I really don’t know what the offer would be like there but I  know I was overwhelmed here.

 

You can pick up any of the jars containing spices and smell them. Everything is listed on the jar,

including one notice that actually warns against opening as it’s the second most hot spice in the world (of course I don’t know the name).

I felt like a kid in a chocolate store. 😀 I neither knew where to start reading (let alone smelling) and in the end I just skimmed through everything as the spices weren’t even the reason I was there.

They also have teas, sauces, salts, jars, etc. Well worth the visit if you’re in Zagreb.

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P.S. It turns out harissa is actually a spicy paste used in North African cuisine. Sounds just like the thing for me.

 

 

A new parfum by the famous French shoemaker Repetto

repettoBy perfumer Olivier Polge :

“It is a refined formula which seeks for perfection through authenticity. It is an alliance of emotions: a satin veil which brushes the skin, a body which twirls and arches itself in an infinite grace. It is a musky powdery rose, where the rose is tutu by its dress, quintessence of femininity by its smell, mesmerizing by its beauty  and purity by its authenticity.”

By Repetto:

“A satin rose that the trail twirls to wrap you like an infinite satin ribbon. A graceful and carnal fragrance.”

Top notes: Pear & Cherry blossom

Heart notes: Rose & Orange blossom

Base notes: Vanilla & Amber wood

 

I love their ballerina flats, I wonder how much will I love this fruity rose…

All info and pic by Repetto.

Croatia is in the EU

flagI admit, I could be counted among the Euro-sceptics (although I’ve been told that’s actually fashionable and trendy these days) but ever since Croatians voted for entering the EU, I can’t help but think of the bright side of the situation.

I can freely order from all the sites that delivered only to EU!!! 😀 Top of my list being Serge Lutens of course.

I don’t expect it to become available today but hopefully in the near future, Croatia will be added to the list of EU countries many sites ship to.

I was happy to notice that Paula Begoun International site welcomed Croatia  to their shipping world today. 🙂

In anticipation of new fragrant (and other) delights, to all my fellow Europeans – a warm hello from a new member!

 

Winner of Alyssa Harad’s

Coming to my Senses is….

 

Elly Wang!

 

Please contact me with your address so I can forward it to the publisher. 🙂

Thank you everyone for entering.

Giveaway of Alyssa Harad’s COMING TO MY SENSES

alyssaIn celebration of A. Harrad’s book, Coming to my Senses coming out in paperback, the publisher has offered to give one book to a lucky winner living in the US.

Leave a comment by June 25, when  the official publication date is, and I will draw one name to enjoy the “aromatic memoir” as the publisher called it (I find that to be a quite good description). 🙂

I am leaving you with  some of my favourite thoughts about the book:

“The great thing about this book is that if you are a perfume lover, it will make you smile and nod your head in agreement when you recognize the same steps you took in your perfume journey. It will also make you wonder what perfumes is Alyssa referencing by describing the way they smell.
It will also give useful advice on what to do and not to do if you are organizing your wedding.

But basically, it will confirm that enjoying your path in life with the people you love is the only way to live your life. Be it by smelling perfume and sharing it, or doing something else you enjoy.”

This one was mine.

Bonkers about Perfume

“The best kind of book is one which you simply don’t want to end.  Which, when you realise you havejust thirty pages to go – or less, if you have forgotten to factor in the acknowledgements – makes you start to slow down and savour every sentence, or even reread entire paragraphs to postpone the inevitable moment when you set the bookmark to one side and close the cover for the last time.”

Olfactarama

“Perfume wears close to the  psyche. This beautifully written book is a story of a life reclaimed, a maturity attained by making peace with femininity and with traditions of an earlier time. More than that,it’s a guide to bravery: enough to insist on a little glamour. Here’s how the beauty of the fragrance you’re wearing sinks in and becomes, well, you. Here’s how this little habit, which you might have once scoffed at, changes everything.”

Ayala Moriel

Alyssa Harad‘s book Coming to My Senses is a wonderful journey of self-discovery through the world of scent, and perfume in particular. Alyssa has a poetic, genuine way with words and that is how she describes perfume – striking a chord yet without ever exhausting the readers like most of us bloggers tend to do. And to my delight – the book is dotted with evocative perfume descriptions that rarely disclose the names of the perfumes she’s referring to.”

Another Perfume Blog

“What made the book a success for me, and what did keep me engaged, was the craft of it. I picture Harad as a spinner, each thread of her novel a delicate strand, interwoven and laced just so with another strand. It can’t have been easy to find exactly the right place in her personal narrative to add a bit of history, or chemistry, or discussion of gender in modern culture—but she did it.”

Please share the giveaway, it is truly a lovely book to read. 🙂

Zagreb is a linden city

I’ve been thinking about this for the last two weeks since the weather turned warm enough for all the blooms in the city to start releasing their scents.

I do wonder though how come I never realized it before – I grew up with a linden tree in our court yard and I know the smell. I just didn’t realize it before this year though how much linden trees there actually are in Zagreb.

The wonderful thing about the smell of linden is the fact that it can be both sultry and refreshing. I wouldLinden never have thought it, but the heat wave we’re having at the moment is making the smell of linden blossom permeate the air in a wonderfully sultry manner – the air is very humid and hot and the smell of linden flowers just fits with the idea I usually have reserved for tuberose (and some other white flowers).

But, if you climb some of the city hills and enter into a bit more fresh air, the smell of linden feels refreshing. Reminds me actually of having a glass of cool juice made of elder syrup (rather common here).

Basically, if you’re walking or driving an open vehicle, the city smells great.

It’s just a matter of where you are, whether you will be feeling languid, warm and saturated with the smell or a bit refreshed and lively.

Mr. Roucel rules!

I was away for the weekend, otherwise I would have written about it on Saturday ASAP. 🙂

It was great fun and I was a bit surprised to find myself nodding to many things Mr. Roucel discussed. I somehow thought perfumers were more than just real human beings one could have a fun conversation with.

It was supposed to be a talk on the subject of Noir perfumes but the discussion spontaneously moved on in  another direction and we got to hear Mr. Roucel give his opinion on many subjects.

He makes a lot of sense and sounds very down-to-earth and realistic in his thoughts on many different perfume  subjects.

Some of the things he mentioned:

“Oud is fantastique!” – as he went on to explain it has so many different facets and is therefore a good material to work with.

“Perfume is about smelling good” – and not about sex (on the subject of how fashion perceives perfumes these days).

And he loves Suskind’s Parfum – thinks of it as a work of art actually, which makes me ashamed to admit I haven’t read it yet.

Anyway, I would say Mr. Roucel has a new fan club in Zagreb now (as evidenced below):

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A quick photo session at Velvet

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The chandelier getting in the way

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One blurry photo with me

And before you all go thinking I had a chat with Maurice, it was just two sentences in which he asked what I was wearing, to which I happily replied L de Lolita Lempicka. 🙂 My little perfume company all wore Mr. Roucel’s creations in honour of his talk.

 

P.S. I made a video with my phone, some 20 minutes of the talk . I’m trying to make it available on request (it’s still in the process), I will not be posting it publicly though.

On being discrete. And Technique Indiscrete

I admit to feeling rather ashamed of myself yesterday. But I wasn’t the only one.

There was a happening at the street where I grew up, and still go often as my parents live there, meant to introduce people to the new stores and studios hidden in its inner courts (and some on the street too) – called Propuh (meaning draft, as in wind).

I walk down that street at least 3-4 times a week and I’m ashamed to say that I never knew there was a lovely little studio called Sapunomanija producing soaps.

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It looks much better on the inside – this used to be a cookie factory quite long ago (long even before I was born).

But more importantly, there is a little Croatian design clothing studio called Roba where I never walked in, mostly because I am not a person who shops at designer stores (either Croatian or foreign, for the simple and practical reason of not being able to afford it).

In this case though, it seems I was mistaken. The clothes are more expensive than what I am used to buying usually, but still not too bad. What I am ashamed to admit to, as a perfumista, is that they carry the Technique Indiscrete line. And I’ve been walking by for two years without being aware of it.

It was rather busy yesterday everywhere we went so I gave the perfumes only a cursory sniff but I’ll be going back there for a better perusal of both perfume and clothes.

As I ended up buying my first designer item yesterday – after all, it WAS 50% off. 😉

Pics are mine – my neighbourhood I never noticed until  yesterday. Seems I’m rather discrete when it comes to new discoveries.

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Small doors in the middle of two buildings, seemingly going nowhere…

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In front of the photo studio I wasn’t aware existed

Tuberose term, starting… Now!

TuberoseActually, it started this morning but still, today is the day.

Our spring weather has finally decided to stop channeling autumn and we are finally heading for summer warmth and that means TUBEROSE. 🙂

I am very happy that the weather has consented to allow me to happily wear my lovely white flowers and I started this day with Vamp a NY.

That was a very good choice.

Other tuberose choices I will be dealing with in days to come include: MdO Tubereuse, Guerlain Mahora, Noix de Tubereuse by Miller Harris, the HdP Tuberose trio (Virginale, Capricieuse and Animale), L’Artisan’s Nuit de Tubereuse, Le Labo’s Tuberose, Estee Lauder Tuberose Gardenia and possibly Fracas(and I’m including here Songes, Une Voix Noire, Wildwood flower by H&M and Cruel Gardenia as they fit with my ideal).

For special evenings, I will be choosing between my samples of Carnal Flower and Tubereuse Criminelle.

If you have any suggestions what other tuberoses should get into the rotation, I’m waiting eagerly to hear them.

I’m also always open to receiving some.

You know, like the Bolt of Lightning… 😉

Maurice Roucel speaking at Noir Festival Zagreb

If by any chance you are visiting Zagreb and/or are free this Friday evening (June 14), Maurice Roucel will be talking on the subject of noir perfumes at the Velvet cafe/gallery as part of the Noir Festival.

There are many other interesting topics being covered by the festival, but the perfume one is the one I will be attending. 🙂

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