Category Archives: World of Perfume

A Dozen Roses

Joint blog project, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 11, 2013 Comments: 27

Participating in joint blog projects is always fun. 🙂 A big thank you to Ayala for inviting me to think about roses and name a dozen in any way I find them interesting.

I realized, roses feature as people, places and ideas in my mind – so here, in short order are those that managed that:

The Poison Rose – Paestum Rose by Eau d’Italie

I realized not everyone agrees with me on this one, but I still think of it as featuring thorns while you wear it.

The Seductive one – Lyric by AmouageDozenRosesX12

Sweet and seductive. If you are not careful, you might not even realize it’s a rose. Or that you are seduced.

Spending a day at the SPA? – Eau Egyptienne by Cinq Mondes

Easy to like and enjoy during the day where enjoyment and relaxation are the order of the day.

The sexy-contemplative rose – Costes by Costes

I’d say it’s sexy if worn by a contemplative man, I don’t think many would agree women are sexy when being contemplative. 😉 Or am I wrong? A great review by Suzanne.

Is that a siren coming out of the sea?! – Rosam by Histoires de Parfum

The strangeness that is this perfume can shortly be summed up by what a strange sight it would be seeing a siren.

The Prim British Rose –  Mohur by Neela Vermeire

Rose-cheeked Miss drinking tea.

Can it be called a rose? – Jabu by Mona di Orio

Possibly not, but there is some rose in there and it deserves a mention for being a perfume evoking happiness.

Dark viney rose – Baie Rose by Le Labo

Hmm, a rose perfume for Batman perhaps?

Dangerously sexy and seductive – Worth Courtesan

I talked about it yesterday – if you want to get noticed, you need not look further. 🙂

Rose for dessert – Rose flavoured rahat loukhum

The most decadent non-chocolate sweet ever. Leaving a dusting of sugar on your fingers so you have to lick them as well.

It’s been a pleasure and now for some more, please visit other participating blogs:

Girls Just Want To Have Fun! (part 2)

Joint blog project, World of Perfume February 10, 2013 Comments: 27

Up until the time I sat down and started writing this post, I had a completely different idea in my mind of what it will look like. But after Asali’s post yesterday and turning on radio this morning to the sound of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (talk about synchronicity), I decided to go with the flow.

It’s my birthday after all. 🙂

I have to filch parts of Asali’s post though. 😉 After last year, which has been a successful one if one is to look at what I managed to accomplish during it, it was also extremely difficult, tiring and stressful for me so I decided to take this day as the beginning of a new year that is bound to be more happy and less stressful. By the Aquarius3light covering of snow to which I woke today, I’m taking it is a sign from providence that my life might be on a much easier route now.

Enough of that, I’m sure you want to know more about my perfume choices for having fun. 🙂

I started my day with Chanel 18. 🙂 I want to feel as sparkly and happy as that perfume smells. I might privately think of it as the diamond-type of perfume (due to its sparkly feeling) and even though I won’t be wearing anything sparkly today, it’s the way I want to feel today.

Plus, being a rather low projecting perfume, it is fitting for small gatherings where you don’t want your perfume to take over space but just enhance it.

But, if I were to have fun with girls and decide to take over some space – I would go with Guerlain’s original La Petite Robe Noire. I always smile when I think about that perfume as in my mind it fits perfectly for a girls’ night out (which I will probably have soon). It’s flirty, fun, and makes you noticed. I’d say the right combo for a girls’ night out, wouldn’t you?

And last, but not least, the perfume I remembered just this morning as the perfume for calling out your inner sultry seductress which both takes over space and everybody in it – Worth’s Courtesan.

I still live in the belief that there is an inner sultry seductress I could call forth (but, honestly, I’m not sure I’m that kind of woman) but even if there isn’t, that is the perfume that can make everyone believe it.

The strange thing about Courtesan is that it’s actually a lovely (albeit strong) flower perfume. Which can make you overlook the hidden “dirtiness” inside it. And the fact that if you wear it, no one is going to overlook that fact as that one will definitely take over any free space around you (in the radius of at least 5m). You are warned. 😉

Wishing everyone a lovely Sunday like the one I have planned for myself (and there’s going to be some champagne in mine). 😉

See you in two days at Undina’s!

 

P.S. A big thank you again to Valerie Rodriguez for creating the pictures for our little blog bash – this one is practically the color of my hair at the moment. 🙂

 

 

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Joint blog project, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 9, 2013 Comments: 17

By Asali

It is my pleasure to invite you to a 4 day birthday-perfume-blogger-bash.

I hadn’t known Ines for long, before I realised that our birthdays were only one day apart, and when Undina wrote her story about finding a Guerlain in Las Vegas , I realised that her birthday had to be close to mine and Ines’. I thought that this would be an ideal opportunity for a 4 day long birthday-celebration. And luckily both Ines and Undina agreed.

As a child I loved the excitement of birthdays, the presents, the cake, the guests and all the surprisesAquarius4 the day consisted of. I am aware that I probably kept this excitement a great deal longer than most of my friends. One thing about becoming an adult was realising that if one wanted a birthday party, one would have to make the party and arrange the surprises if there were to be any. Celebrating one self, seemed such a hard thing to do, and has made me hesitant of any bigger celebrations over the last many years. However Feb 9th 2013 is the date where finally I will have finished a lot of things which have burdened me over the last year; I’ve sold my old flat, moved out, I managed to find a new flat (although it won’t be mine till later in the year), I will have finished an exam, for which I definitely did not have enough time or energy to study, and I will finally be able to find more time for the things that matter and things that make me happy. So this year, on my birthday, I will not be shy of celebrating, I’m determined to have as much fun as possible. So why not also celebrate with you here?

Of course this should be about perfume too, so here come the scents of my birthday 2013.

It will most definitely start with the smell of freshly ground coffee, shortly followed by a cup of the hot drink itself, and a croissant. Hopefully I’ll wake up and smell the coffee…

I was planning to wear something light during the day, so that I can wear something different for the evening. Light in all ways; light-hearted, easy-going and a bit fleeting. I am thinking the new L’Heure de Nuit; because it’s L’Heure Bleue without the melancholia, and for this occasion that’s just perfect. It’s elegant and a bit cheeky, but only slightly so. Despite the name, I think of this for daytime wear and when it will have evaporated I’ll wear my evening perfume.

I plan for there to be enough champagne for the evening – I haven’t thought of much else, just as long as there is enough champagne; and to match that, I’ll wear some happy-bubbly, sparkly, head-high- stilettos on – Arpège. My bottles are well packed away (and alas the purple peep-toe stilettos too), but I do have a sample of the Eau de Arpège, and I plan to spend it all.

No birthday is complete without gifts and wishes, so here they are:

My perfumed gift that I’ll grant myself (sooner or later, it’s been on the list for long enough) MDCI Promesse de L’Aube.

My birthday perfume-wishes include (I’m being adult and restraining myself here, pretending to be a person of measure): Vintage L’Heure Bleue parfum and Puredistance Opardu.

Please spend my birthday with great enjoyment. See you tomorrow.

 

A big thank you to Valerie Rodriguez for creating the wonderful pics for us to have for this perfume bash. 🙂

Intoxication and seduction by Arquiste – Anima Dulcis

World of Perfume February 4, 2013 Comments: 14

I believe I am finally getting the whole enthusiasm behind the Arquiste line. So far I only tried Anima Dulcis and I’m already thinking the rest are probably as great as this one.

I see it’s one of those brands that hide the notes and all I could find was this:

Notes include: cocoa absolute, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, chilli infusion

The notes might make you think it’s a sweet perfume but that wouldn’t be true. There is some sweetness to it but it’s in the background. Although now I said that, I wouldn’t say anything is up front.anima d

On me it starts with a light boozy feeling accompanied by hints of anis and cuminy warmth – very seductive. Of course, I could be just imagining these things, but there is a warm “musky” feel to the start of this perfume and that is why I’m guessing some cumin but who knows, the cocoa absolute could hint at that as well.

It stays close to skin and slowly radiates its seduction off of you. Soon what radiates gives off spiciness, I thought the cinnamon possibly bolstered by some clove too. I can’t say I smell chilli but as the spiciness is unmistakable, I’m sure chilli is doing its thing.

The more you smell it, the more intoxicating it gets. I didn’t get the feeling it changed much after getting into the perfect spicy warmth skin.

I must say I haven’t smelled such a seductive conjurer of a perfume in quite some time. I am very much in love. Or possibly just very infatuated as the seduction certainly worked on me.

 

I have to add that the description on Arquiste site is very interesting as it mentions nuns  making cocoa infused with chilli and “making a rich experience for the senses” and all I can think is – those are some very naughty nuns there. 🙂

 

Pic and notes by: www.arquiste.com

Hidden memories – Memoire Liquide

World of Perfume January 31, 2013 Comments: 9

Epices Precieuses and Hommage

It is easy finding the Memoire Liquide site but it is not easy at all finding any information on their perfumes. The most helpful site was Surrender to Chance and they didn’t have Epices Precieuses listed.

So, I’ll go with that one.

Epices Precieuses, if you go by notes, should work like a charm for me. 🙂 And if I only had the beginning of it, I would have loved it.

Notes: ginger, pink pepper, cinnamon bark, clove buds, nutmeg and cardamomnutmeg and cinn

It starts sweet (I thought of the amber kind) and boozy, lightly spicy and with cinnamon, hinting at some fruit as well. The one that is sweet and can be immersed in alcohol for additional enjoyment. The closest idea in my mind was date. Very soon what I thought was ambery sweetness turns into nutmeg sweetness and the clove also comes out to play. I honestly can’t say that I smelled pink pepper but the spiciness was present in the opening, so I guess it did its part.

It starts losing the sweetness rather quickly but the clove and nutmeg do not lose their place. Soon, some woodiness starts peeping through, and I thought initially if the cinnamon bark  could be responsible (bark is wood after all) but I’m thinking there must be something else in there. Here is where I could actually smell the ginger in the background.

And this is pretty much where the development stops and it remains woody and lightly spicy (ginger hints possible).

 

Hommage

is another thing entirely. The development is pretty much the same as with Epices Precieuses.

Notes: frankincense, myrrhe, amber, musk, sandalwood

It’s probably me, but as I’m very careful with incense (it takes everything over for my nose), I don’t usually like those perfumes.It just so seems that this is the one of those perfumes that reminds me a lot of the smell of Cockta (the local soda drink, containing incense, I checked).
cockta
It even smells, in the opening, lightly caramel-like and sparkly. Sweet and incensey at the same time. At some point the sweetness actually reminded me (again) of sticky-fruit type of sweetness but that didn’t last long.

Basically what I get from this is the smell of Cockta. So, deciphering the notes was pretty much beyond me, I got stuck there. 🙂

P.S. It only just occurred to me that the name of Cockta might seem strange to natives speakers of English. 🙂 Is it?

Unexpected, surprising gardenia – Wildwood flower by H&M

World of Perfume January 13, 2013 Comments: 9

I wanted to call it a cheap find but as I received it in a swap, I actually don’t know how much it costs but being an H&M perfume, I imagine it’s quite affordable.

And I must say, quite good too!

Finding any information on the perfume proved quite impossible. I wonder why doesn’t the H&M site have any perfume related information on it?!

So, if I go by my nose alone, I’d say it starts strangely. Once I spray it on, I can smell the white flower (gardenia in this case) in the divljiair around my wrist, but when I put my nose to the wrist, I can’t smell a thing. 🙂
That lasts only for a minute and then there is the most intriguing opening. I can smell the gardenia in there (Une Voix Noire being my reference gardenia) but it is hidden among some fruit and nettle?! I mean that is the first thing that pops into my head. There is a light fruity sweetness to the opening but it’s not overdone, it’s rather subdued when you think of the fruitiness that surrounds us these days. I might not be nettle that I’m smelling, but there is a slight bitter feeling subduing the sweetness. It could be just an almond note, as there is both a sweet nutty creaminess to it and a light bitter/herbal note.

But at all times there is the gardenia in the background filling your nose with its body. Each time you breathe it in, it fills you up completely. Not that I mind. At all. 🙂

Several times during its development I was scared it was going to turn into, in my case, much detested, clean muskiness but that never happened. There must be some of it in there as I feared the perfume veering towards it but luckily, it didn’t. It is pretty much linear but I don’t mind at all.

The fact that there is a slight saltiness to that nutty note and that the drydown displays some vanilla and amber I’d say, make this a really lovely perfume to be had for a probably very small amount of money.

 

Now, let me know – who has any experience with H&M perfumes (they aren’t available here)? Can you point me in the direction of some other hidden gems among their line?

And does anyone know who made this? The perfumer behind it I mean.

 

P.S. A big thank you to Oktopusy for sending this! 🙂

Looking back on 2012.

I've been thinking, World of Perfume December 28, 2012 Comments: 18

Prompted by this lovely post of Olfactoria’s.

This wasn’t an easy year for me and I can honestly say I can’t wait for it to be over. But even so, it has been incredibly fulfilling and has taught me and showed me many things I am grateful for. None of them came easily but nothing that is really valuable comes easily.  And here I am mostly talking about non- material things.

I think the most important lesson (after never say never)  I learned this year was that there is nothing you cannot do if you really want it and work hard for it.
Both apply to running. I never thought I’d get hooked, let alone run 2 half-marathons in a year. I was pretty much saying that would never happen when I heard that particular running school plan.

What I still can’t believe is that all the work (and torture) I went through with my thesis is finally done. I did it! IT’S OVER! 🙂

It took a lot of time and energy, taught me many things about researched writing that will be judged by university professors and generally gave me a glimpse into the world of research. It was fun to research and do it (except for the judging part but that also went well).

As with all life, the happiness seems to always be balanced with grief and I got my share when we had to take my little old dog to the vet as she was suffering very much.

When I look back, those are the things that occupied most of my time and concentration and are basically the reason I didn’t do as much reading, blogging and smelling as I would have liked.

I want to end on a positive note so I want to say that as I grow older, I appreciate more the friends and family I am blessed with.

Here I need to point out that my new friends are more and more coming into my life through our common virtual world.  Meeting them in real life is always incredible fun but getting to know you all virtually is both globalization at its finest and a wonderfully exhilarating experience. 🙂
Don’t you feel our lives would feel like we missed the friends we never would have
otherwise met?

I wish you all a successful and a fulfilling year – full of fun, hapiness and health!

champagne_toast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. No perfumes in this post, but I’ll be posting about them soon enough. 🙂

Ghosts of Perfume Past, Present and Future

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume December 21, 2012 Comments: 23

Welcome to another Christmas-y blogfest! 🙂

Organized by Natalie of Another Perfume Blog with the name coming from Undina of Undina’s Looking Glass, bloggers will be posting their own thoughts on Ghost of Perfumes.

As we’re doing this right before Christmas and on the first day of winter, my thoughts naturally turned to smells and perfumes associated with this period.

I believe one of the first smells I ever associated with winter and the one I enjoy the most in this period, is the smell of snow in the air. Sometimes the air will smell of snow even though none will appear.
miris snijega
It might not really be the smell of snow, it could just be the crisp, cold air of bright winter but as days like that are hard to come by in Zagreb (the air is neither clear nor bright), on those rare occasions it smells like that – it reminds me of snow. The way air smelled in my childhood when it snowed or when we went skiing in the mountains. The one you breathe in as much as you can and the one that feels like it’s bringing health back into your body with every inhale.

If you know of a perfume that smells like that, I would very much like to know. I know one will eventually appear – it happened so far several times when I wished for a perfume to fit the idea I had in my head. This is the Ghost of Perfume from my past.
vanič
As for ghosts of present perfumes, I will be calling those forward before Christmas when I plan on doing vanilla crescents (that’s my free translation of the name of cookies) and again the meringues with cinnamon and almonds.

The warm scent of vanilla and spices will work its magic and I expect bring more calm into my life (and pleasure to my taste receptors). The perfumes that evoke such sweet and spicy things – Spiriteuese Double Vanille (review by Olfactoria), Piment et Chocolat, and basically any warm vanilla or warmy spicy oriental (some ideas would be welcome on this part as well). 😉

My future perfume ghosts still tease my mind.

Those are the perfumes I imagine when I read the notes and then when they come, they are not what I imagined. Not that they are bad, just not what I imagined.
boži kolači
The smell of Christmas trees, candles, mulled wine and cookies. As a perfume. All at once.

The dry smell of dirt and asphalt during summer in the city.

The green, wet smell of spring.

Please visit other participating blogs:

Olfactoria’s Travels

Another Perfume Blog

EauMG

Muse in Wooden Shoes

Undina’s Looking Glass

Suzanne’s Perfume Journal

ChickenFreak’s Obsessions

My Christmas picks

World of Perfume December 18, 2012 Comments: 8

My Christmas list pretty much always includes things I would like to receive for Christmas (sometimes things I give myself for Christmas). 🙂
So here is the list of my fragrant picks:

winterwoods
A we’ve been snowed in the past weekend, my thoughts naturally turned to Winter Woods and the perfumes Laurie Erickson makes. The other one I find very lovely and in the spirit of giving warmth is Ambre Noir.

No Christmas spirit is possible without some of Dawn’s creations. I know I repeat myself each years but I can’t help it, Christmas time spells Dawn’s perfumes for me.
pimetchoc_forweb
Some of my favourites include Festive, Piment and Chocolat, Gingembre, Nourouz and Cimabue and I’ll be having those in regular rotation these days.

I know this has already been mentioned on my blog but I am very much impressed with Voluspa candles. They don’t have Christmas candles but they do have seasonal candles and it’s not difficult to find those that would fit for the Christmas time.
I use the jar they come in for holding decants handy afterwards. 🙂

No list of mine would be complete without the mention of L’Artisan Parfumeur but this time I’m not going to reference perfumes but other fragrant items like: L’Artisan candles
and the most lovely L’Artisan Amber Balls.
amberballs

The last but not the least, the perfume to wear for snuggling on a cold winter night – Ambre Sultan

And this year’s other picks would again include Mariages Frere Christmas tea – I am a huge fan of their teas and regularly buy them.
I still haven’t tried the Noel one – hmm, I could make that my Christmas gift to myself.

Like I did with this last item. 🙂
Made by a Croatian designer Zoe leggings, they come in all manner of fun designs and I had a hard choice in front of me when I tried to decide which ones to buy.
In the end I went for Back to the Roots.

roots

P.S. And Santa, if you’re checking my list for possible gifts for me, a bottle of good whisky or red wine would be fine too. 😉

Images taken from: http://www.deshperfumes.com, http://www.sonomascentstudio.com, Zoe Leggings facebook site

Tranquility connected to whiteness – White Aoud

World of Perfume December 12, 2012 Comments: 15

I’ve known for some time that smoky woody notes, especially those that were historically used for holy (and similar) purposes work for me when I need psychological tranquility. So it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that oud would fit right in with those type of perfumes.

I feel like a broken record, this whole year I kept whining about how stressed I am and I kept hoping it would pass. Well, it hasn’t, and I’m even more exhausted now which is why I am craving tranquility in any manner I can gesnow whitenesst my hands on.

So, in keeping with that thought, yesterday I went to try some of the decants I have but never use, and ended up trying White Oud.

Oooh, the serenity that went through my nose and spread to my mind!

Today when I sprayed it on I got the most weird opening that is terribly familiar but for the life of me I couldn’t remember from where. 🙂 I keep thinking it must some type of medicine I took at some point in my life but can’t remember what. The saffron, oud and cardamom combination are to be “faulted” for that but I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t last long though, and I find it funny that even though I can smell oud perfumes and realize the differences between them, I still have a problem smelling those differences that aren’t oud.

There is some kind of bitterness swirling around the rose in the heart, possibly a combination of patchouli, cardamom and vetiver. It is also where the rose is most prominent to my nose.

Wearing White Oud has really helped me be calm and collected today and managed to keep my stress levels low as I breathe it in with each inhale (and I furtively smell the collar of my turtleneck each chance I get).

The combination of whiteness outside (there is still snow around) and the White Oud (how aptly it is named in my case) are really working for me – obviously the whiteness spells tranquility for me.

 

Notes: Damas Rose, Safran, Oud, Cardamom, Jasmine, Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood,
Precious Wood, Amber, Vetiver, Vanilla, Labdanum