Category Archives: World of Perfume

Visiting ancient Egypt III

World of Perfume September 27, 2010 Leave a comment

And with this, I’ll conclude this mini series. The last scent I’ll talk about is Megaleion.

Top notes: Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Fragrant Wine (accord), Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Balm of Gilead (accord), Spikenard, Turkish Rose Otto
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Costus, Myrrh Gum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

This one was the one that moved me the least. Not to say I don’t like it, I do, but it feels more restrained in its olfactory approach. It smells like something Egyptian priests might have worn, and it feels more masculine than the rest. It could be I’m associating it with priests due to the frankincense in the opening. And when mixed with cardamom, I just get the priest in Egypt association springing up in my mind. ๐Ÿ™‚

Anyway, the opening is incensey-green, mixed with cinnamon and cardamom but cinnamon in significantly smaller presence than in Keni. It’s warm, resinic and the fragrant wine accord is again in my mind connected with the cardamon and the warm wine you drink in winter. And that’s about the most sweetness you can expect from it, if you associate fragrant wine with sweetness. This is much drier than the other two, like smoky wood, burnt in a temple perhaps.

I’m aware Dawn wrote that this is “Perhaps the worldโ€™s first โ€œdesigner fragranceโ€… – but I can’t help think of temples and priests when smelling it. But not Christian variant of incense burned in a church (which is a smell to make me nauseous instantly), more the spicy, dry version that I come to associate with dry climates, sun and temples – Egypt is a good picture. ๐Ÿ™‚

Visiting ancient Egypt II

World of Perfume September 26, 2010 Comments: 4

It seems I really don’t know much about ancient history since if someone asked me what spices Egyptians used, I’d have no idea.  I would probably guess at some, but I don’t think cinnamon would be on that list.
And then, here comes Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and her Secrets of Egypt and through my nose, I learn some of the things my school books never managed to teach me.

Today  I’ll talk about Keni – the cinnamon fest. ๐Ÿ™‚

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Fragrant Wine (accord)
Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Myrrh Gum, Pine Resin

Ok, as you can see from the notes, it’s not all a cinnamon fest but the opening is, and it lasts for a while so I can call it that.  It’s the most real cinnamon I ever smelled. As with all spices (which I recognize by their particular nose pinching effect, you know, similar to black pepper), this cinnamon is at the same time nose pinching, juicy and bark-like. If you ever tried a cinnamon chewing gum, it smells like that. Wonderful (as I adore cinnamon gums).

As cinnamon starts to subside, there is a light gummy quality to it and then cardamom appears. If you take a look at the notes of the different Secrets of Egypt scents, you will notice many notes being the same in many of them. And then, in the end, they all smell spicy but different.

After cardamon, I start getting some whiffs of sandalwood and after that, it gets tricky. Sandalwood for me gets more dry and resiny and in the end morphs into sweet cedar and then just cedar? I’m not really sure except it’s dry and comforting (but then again, all spicy scents are comforting to me,  and I wonder, does that mean something?).

Pic by: http://www.ground-cinnamon.com/
Notes by: http://www.dshperfumes.com/

Visiting ancient Egypt I

World of Perfume September 24, 2010 Comments: 10

I’ve been interested in the Secrets of Egypt collection of scents from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz since it came out and then I finally ordered 3 samples of scents that were made for the exhibition in Denver Art Museum.

I don’t know how many of you know, I am a huge fan of Dawn’s work and unfortunately for me, I seriously like pretty much anything I smell that she created. ๐Ÿ™‚

So, it came as a surprise realization yesterday (I’ve been having those lately) that the reason I kept postponing writing about several perfumes I tried recently is because I don’t feel I can give them a review they deserve. I mean, whatever comes into my mind as something I want to say about them doesn’t feel as good as they smell to me.
But I decided that’s a stupid reason for not writing about them, so here it goes.

The one I will talk about today is Antiu – I won’t go into details about the name, you can read more about it on Dawn’s site.

Top notes: Bitter Almond, Cardamom co2 Absolute, Fragrant Wine (accord), Galbanum, Lemongrass
Middle notes: Australian Sandalwood, Gallica Rose Otto, Honey Beeswax
Base notes: Copaiba Balsam, Mastic, Myrrh Gum, Peru Balsam, Pine Resin, Sweet Flag

For me, this starts as a spicy burst (that reminded me strongly of cinnamon which is featured prominently in the other 2 samples) that smelled at the same time green like peas and almondy. And that’s before I read the notes (I just love it when I can smell something on my own). ๐Ÿ™‚
It has  a slightly citrusy tang and in the beginning smells to me like cinnamony grass. You know, spicily green. And absolutely wonderful (those are two smells I adore in anything). I still can’t believe there is no cinnamon in this but then again, we put here in our warm wine cinammon and clove so it’s no wonder that the fragrant wine accord will remind me of it. One variant of such wine is glรถg (that’s what the Swedish do) and it’s a bit more spicy and has a thicker consistency (I’m not sure from what) but cardamom is put into it.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t like cardamom but I can’t help but associate it with warmth and fragrant wine so when it makes a bolder appearance in Antiu, I really enjoy it.

Even though I mentioned winter customs, for me, this smells like a perfect scent for spring. It has some kind of sunny, breezy, grassy freshness and then gets a sweet aspect around the cardamom but in a light, resiny way.  Well, if you take a look at the base notes, you can come to that conclusion as well. ๐Ÿ™‚

Soon, I will talk about the other samples and one that is absolute cinnamon heaven for which a friend told me she doesn’t consider that as something one might wear as perfume. Oh well, more for me.

If you take a look at Dawn’s site, I’m warning you straight away, don’t check the Mummy bottles because they are just way too wonderful not to be wanted for oneself. Which is a terrible torture as one costs 275 $.

Btw, it seems I decided to write about these perfumes at the same time as Krista over at Scent of the Day, so you can head over there and see what she wrote about Antiu.

Pic by: http://www.stanford.edu/

Lily of the valley in the forest

World of Perfume September 20, 2010 Comments: 6

There is a reason why my fragrant wardrobe does not include many florals and why I neither wear them not own them. Every once in a while I will come across a specimen that surprises me and works great with my skin but more often than not, that is not the case.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I finally got my hands on Carillon pour un Ange by Andy Tauer and after a great opening, it went down the path of so many florals and turned very shrill and sinus pinching on me. ๐Ÿ˜ฆ

I was so very sad to smell that happening. Especially since the first burst of Carillon on my skin transported me straight to a forest after the rain where the lily of the valley grows in dark, wet earth. It is such a true rendition of that place that I couldn’t believe my nose. And I know what that smells like since I used to gather them with my mother (who adores lily of the valley flowers).

And there I was, walking in the woods among lily of the valley when the floral shrilliness hit me. I’ve read enough floral reviews so far to notice this thing does not happen to most people. I am one of the unfortunate ones. I am still not sure though if it’s florals or white musk that makes it happen (or they both work like that)but whatever it is, it hurts my nose.
Luckily, in Carillon it doesn’t last, so after  it’s gone, I’m left with the lily of the valley resting on my desk after I picked it off the wet forest floor. The scent is here but there is no more of that dark wetness of the forest where it grew.

Notes: rose, ylang-ylang, lilac, lily of the valley, jasmine, leather, ambergris, moss, woods

I saw reviewers mentioning hints of leather, I have to admit to not being able to smell it. But I do like the drydown, it’s very soft and makes me think I’m smelling some other perfum  the way it gets tamed. Because you know, Andy Tauer creations practically jump out on you from the bottle, and sparingly applying them is the way to go. They are not for the faint of heart, otherwise they may strangle you. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Pic by: BACKYard Woods Explorer on Flickr

P.S. Yes, I did manage to post this originally without a title. ๐Ÿ™‚

The scent of a ballerina?

World of Perfume September 9, 2010 Leave a comment

I always get surprised by how many different information I acquire while in my pursuit of new scents and their histories.
It seems the one I want to talk about today was done in the memory of balet heroine Giselle (of course, here is where my knowledge is lacking so I had to google it). Anyway it seems that’s a really demanding role and therefore highly sought after.
I kept thinking (before I googled it) that if this is a scent in memory of a ballerina that they might have missed their mark. Because it is very soft and feminine and ballerina’s don’t really evoke soft and feminine with their graceful bodies with absolutely no fat deposits. But, Giselle is another story.

I seem to be still channeling all the summer notes because I sniffed this and what came out of my pen was – warm, flowery and vanillic with exotic fruit hints. Like coconut and pineapple with tuberose.

Here are the notes: ylang-ylang, cinammon, freesia, jasmine, tuberose, vanilla, coconut, caramel, honey and musk.

I can’t say I smelled cinammon, my guess is it is what’s keeping all the sweetness at bay. Or at least tampered, it’s not exactly at bay. ๐Ÿ™‚ But I still like it very much. It’s like the epitome of femininity without anything sticking out of the composition. I kept wondering what would a guy smelling this on a girl think? I will try it out on my boyfriend.

Some 2 hours later, some of that musk peeks out and disappears thank god, because it’s the kind of musk that goes shrill on me.
And then it’s sweet caramel drydown. You know, I would never have guessed it reminded me of caramel, even though it strongly reminded me of something and I know why. I would say that if it’s caramel like it falls into the gourmand category but that’s not how I read it. It falls into the warm, soft, pastel-colored cashmere sweater category. Something to wear when you feel mellow and loving towards the world.
I guess we could all feel like that more often.

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

I do love coconuts

World of Perfume September 2, 2010 Comments: 8

As I live in a country where coconuts don’t grow, it’s actually, now I think of it, a wonder how I seem to know forever now what it smells like. Probably since the first time I was taken for a beach summer vacation by my parents. The coconut note was quite dominant  in sunscreens then (well, it still can be found everywhere today as well). It was definitely the first tropical note embedded in my mind forever.

Unfortunately as I grew older and wanted to try and discover all kinds of cosmetics, I stumbled upon several different products pairing the coconut with vanilla and ending up with seriously upset stomach. That smell is also embedded in my mind as an example of how two things that smell so nice by themselves and sometimes together as well, can be made into an obnoxiously artificial and nauseating thing.

Ok, now that I put that off my chest, I can get to the subject of the post. Honorรฉ des Prรฉs. Or more precisely, Olivia Giacobetti. Or to be completely clear here – Love Coco.

After being lucky enough (and fast enough) to win a sample of Vamp a NY (and fall in love with it) from Grain de Musc and reading a really good review by Nathan Branch, I knew I had to get my hands on the coconut thingy. And I was right. ๐Ÿ™‚ I just love it when I buy something unsniffed and it turns out a complete success.

It is difficult to describe a coconut perfume since, well, the most true thing you can say is that it smells coconuty (you surely didn’t know that?). ๐Ÿ™‚
Luckily for me, even though the notes mention vanilla, my teenage nauseating experience was firmly forgotten with the first sniff of this joyful elixir.

I don’t know how many of you had the chance to use or smell coconut butter (which has some seriously good hydrating properties) but that is the closest smell Love Coco gets to. It’s not too sweet, it’s exactly like that coconut butter, like there is some bark mixed in with that milky-nutty lushness.

I feel a bit stupid saying this, but adding that coriander leaf into this mix was a stroke of brilliance. I mean Ms Giacobetti obviously knows what she’s doing. I would never guess that coconut smell can get this wonderful herbal sharpishness and spiciness. Makes me want to breathe it in more and more. And even though I forswore wearing coconut scents during my teenage years, I obviously found one that made me change my mind.

The good thing is, I cannot see myself wearing this outside summer, beach ambient so my bottle is going to last a while. That is, I’m hoping it will because I keep spraying my arms so I can inhale it during the day.

Notes: coconut, coriander leaf, vanilla.

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

A stroll down history lane

World of Perfume July 18, 2010 Comments: 6
It’s been a while now that I received a package from Histoires de Parfums (thank you Maxime) but it took some time to get here and write about some of them . As you can see it was more of a leisurely stroll than a walk. And their perfumes tell a historical story which made me realize that even though I knew about this company for quite some time, and even though I know some French, I only realized yeseterday that “histoire” means at the same time a story and history. Which is very true in this case – most of the perfumes are related to a historically significant year and tell a story.

I’m not going to tell you what person is related to which year (ok, maybe just one masculine which I loved and I still don’t know whose story that is), I’ll let you discover that for yourself.
Here we go.

1828
Top note : grapefruit, citrus, mandarin, eucalyptus
Heart Note : pepper, nutmeg
Base Note : cedar, incense, vetiver, pine cone.

This is the one. The one I needed to know who it belongs to. Turns out it’s Jules Verne. Not what I would have guessed but very appropriate for me. ๐Ÿ™‚
It smells dark, male, citrusy and seductive to me (I already gave my sample to my boyfriend and can’t wait for him to wear it).
I get the piney incense vibe and I enjoy it very much, it smells dark and refreshing at the same time, like it’s made for a seductive type of guy, one you can’t resist (how appropriate then it’s related to a writer in my case). ๐Ÿ˜‰ It also has an underlying nutty-sweet aspect, I just love the combination of everything in this.

 
 
1725
Top note : bergamot, citrus grapefruit, liquorice;
Heart Note : lavender, star anise,
Base Note : vanilla almond, sandalwood, cedar, amber.

This one starts citrusy and bitter-clean like, the smell of nettle shampoo from my childhood (hence the clean aspect).
It has a green and slightly earthy/rooty vibe and then it gets into a cedrish-sweet stage (my guess is that sweetness is coming from the vanilla almonds, it’s not too almondy for me). For me it smells slightly spicy, but not in an oriental way, more like an alcoholic aromatic-fruity drink. And also less openly masculine than 1828 (which is really strange because this one is related to Casanova).

1826
Top note : Bergamot, Tangerine;
Heart Note : White flowers, Violet, Ginger, Cinnamon;
Base Note : Patchouli, Amber, Incense from Jakarta, Vanilla

Oops. I thought it smelled masculine but a masculine for me. ๐Ÿ™‚ Turns out it’s feminine. Even better. I like this woman. Sweet and spicy and sligthly boozy – turns out I love ambery scents (wasn’t really aware of that before HdP sample set arrived, there are several ambery scents in it which made me realize this).
Anyway, it’s more dry than my opening statement might suggest.
It was really problematic for me getting to the notes in all these perfumes, they just seem so well blended, even though when they might not be something I’d like to wear.
And almost all of them have this wet and deep aspect to them. I don’t know how to describe it better. Most of the perfumes I tried smelled like what I applied was actually splashed on me with water. It’s not aquatic, it just smells wet, soaked in water with some serious depth going on in the perfume itself.

Moulin Rouge – 1889
Top note : Mandarine, Prune, Cannelle (cinammon)
Heart : Absinthe, Rose de Damas
Base : Cล“ur dโ€™Iris, Patchouli, Musc, Fourrure (fur)

I didn’t have the notes for this one when smelling it, but my thought went like this. Sweet, dry and slightly musky (guess that’s the fur). I’m so proud for getting the musk because it usually flies right  by me and I’m left wondering why is everyone smelling musky stuff when I can’t. It has a fruity liquor feel and I like it a lot.

1876
Top note : Bergamot, orange, Litchi;
Heart Note : rose , iris , violet, Cumin, Cinnamon, Carnation;
Base Note : Vetiver, Guaiacum, Sandalwood

Boozy, woody in a labdanum kind of way (with vanillic hints). I found it smelling slightly herbal/medicinal and somewhat strange. Rose is in there but very well hidden (ok, blended in).
What I found interesting with this one (and some others) is that I realized how some notes work with each other. For example, here I realized that the sweaty part of cumin is held under check by cinammon so it never gets where it shouldn’t in polite company. ๐Ÿ™‚ The cinammon gives cumin a sharp austerity that makes them work really well together. 

 
 
1804 
Top note : Tahitian gardenia, Corsica peach, Hawaiian Pineapple,
Heart Note : clove, Indian jasmine, lily of the valley, rose of Morocco,
Base Note : Sandalwood, patchouli, Benzoin, vanilla, white musk

Well, I didn’t get it wrong with this one, it is so strongly a feminine, you really can’t mistake it for anything eolse. It’s sweet and fruity, slightly flowery  and very cool (not in smelling refreshing, but as in what a cool perfume to wear). I kept thinking what was that familiar flowery smell until I read the notes and realized it’s pineapple (yes, I’m aware that’s not a flower but a fruit).
After the initial fruity-tropic burts, I got a slight sea freshness that I belive was coming from muguet (it sometimes does that to me). And the muguet works great aside pineapple. Really nice.

1969
Top note : Fruits du Soleil, Pรชche Veloutรฉe.
Heart note : Rose, Fleurs Blanches, Cardamone, Girofle.
Base note : Patchouli, Chocolat, Cafรฉ, Muscs Blancs.

Honestly, to me this smells a lot like Noir Patchouli (which will be discussed sometime in the future). Sweet, very fruity and joyful and slightly ambery-musky.  Can’t say I got the peach, more like juicy type of fruit mixed with rose. Very exuberant. It recalls summer through the summer fruit juiciness and fun in the sun. Well, I guess they did have fun in the sun in 1969. And, if you pay attention to this perfume, it just might evoke those type of associations.

1740
Top note : bergamot, davana sensualis (orange flower native to India);
Heart Note : patchouli coriander, cardamom;
Base Note : cedar, elemi, leather, labdanum.

The last one for today. Boozy (again – I think there is sth wrong with me that so many scents evoke that association). ๐Ÿ™‚ Slighty medicinal and woody (guess that’s the start of labdanum/patchouli combo). It smells leathery – juicy, and I love it. Because then it gets completely into labdanum territory where well-balanced wood dances with bare oriental hints and I’m in heaven. It seems Marquis de Sade was a much better seductor than Casanova.

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

Unlocking an Unknown

Joint blog project, World of Perfume July 12, 2010 Comments: 18
I was very happy when Carol invited me to join her blog project which came about when she discovered the Weber collection and a little stash of bottles containing perfume she named Mystery 6T.
I’ve been spending a lot of time with it this last week and I still feel a bit lost when the drydown comes and all the flowers envelop me. The flowers are like my little lost friends that I know but cannot name. And I’m going about this all wrong. ๐Ÿ™‚
Let me start at the beginning.
Mystery 6T will remain  mysterious for me because I will never know for sure what are the notes. But I will forgive my little mischievous marvel because I don’t mind letting it keep some mystery for itself when I get so much joy when it envelops me.
It’s been on my mind for some time now, the smells of the seaside, especially down at the middle and southern Adriatic coast. The ambiental smellls there are different than on the northern part. The soil smells different, the plants are different, the air is more saturated with heat, it just smells different than the north where I spend my summers these days.
And that is where Mystery transported me – to the south of Adriatic, to a beach where air is saturated with heat and the smell of Coppertone, while there is a salty sea breeze carrying whiffs of spruces and firs under which people take cover from the sun.
I suppose this is quite a strong hint that I like my little Mystery? ๐Ÿ™‚

And while it lets me have some fun in the sun, after some 45 minutes, it’s time to get out of that sun and lay in the garden. The salty breeze can be found amid the flowers but it’s the sweetness of flowers that brings joy now.  Who are my flowery friends? I seem to know you but I’m guessing at your names? Rose? Iris? Jasmine? I don’t really care as long as you stick around on this sweet cloud you have me trapped on.

I don’t think I’m transporting anyone near me though. Not that I mind, I like some solace when enjoying the company of such a mysterious friend.

If you want to hear what other people have to say, please visit the participating blogs:

Olfactarama

Abigail at I Smell Therefore I Am

CJScents

Grain de Musc

Perfume Journal
Meg

Bloody Frida

sponsored by WaftbyCarol
 
And, if you are interested in having a little Mystery bottle yourself (and believe me, you are interested) post a comment on any of the participating blogs as to why you should have a bottle of this rare , unreleased parfum and we will choose the most creative reply as the winner of a 15 ml , full bottle of Mr Webber’s parfum 6T , one of the 22 bottles in existence !!
 
P.S. I just have to say this – this is where I found in existence what an aquatic note should smell in my opinion. Not that ozony, terrible thingie (I apologize to all those who enjoy Cool Water and the likes) but this salty summer breeze.

Carol’s vintage gems II

World of Perfume July 8, 2010 Comments: 4
Today I want to write about another two, one of which has left me baffled. I just started thinking how I’m starting to smell more and understand scents a bit better than before and then comes Aramis/Portos by Estee Lauder and I get lost in the drydown notes.
Notes by Carol: bergamot, rosemary, lavender, geranium, vetiver, pine, cedar, moss, fir, musk, patchouli, amber, tonka.
What I smelled was a fresh start (by that I usually mean, it gives my mind a slight fresh boost and that usually happens with citruses). It smelled to me warm, spicy, woody and old (as in vintage, not today’s stuff).  Then I started getting something dry and vegetable-like, possibly smelling of mushrooms. So I thought that might be msuk (I was so glad to read musk as one of the notes). My idea was that it smelled like an old wardrobe,  where flowers were kept to keep some freshness in it.  Which doesn’t sound as good as the scent smells. It reminded me of my grandfather and the way he used to smell, it gets slightly sweet and woody and possibly smoky. The smoke hint just hit me, because if it reminds me of my grandfather then it had to smell at least a bit smoky and that is why I was getting a slightly nauseous vibe from it. The cigarette smoke combined with something sweet smelling always makes me feel slightly nauseous.
I won’t be wearing my sample but I will be smelling it more because there are more notes to be learned from it and I know this one is the equivalent of a really difficult math equation.
The other sample I tried today was Extra Vieille by Roger et Gallet. That one was made right for me. ๐Ÿ™‚ It starts green, flowery and colognish. 
Turns out the notes are as follows: bergamot, lemon, tamgerine, orange, rosemary, carnation, neroli, petit grain, rose and clove.

To me it smelled like minty, flowery grass, you know, there was a herbal fresh aspect to it making me think  mint. It feels like you are walking through a fragrant meadow where there is some rosemary and lavender growing. But since this is really a cologne, it lasts correspondingly. Not that I mind. I could walk through that meadow every day. Breathing in that green, aromatic spiciness.

Pic by: http://ideachic.wordpress.com

Carol’s vintage gems I

World of Perfume July 7, 2010 Comments: 2
I was lucky enough to score some decants and samples from the already famous Carol’s vintage find. So I decided to give them the attention they deserve. You should all take into account that my knowledge of vinateg stuff is seriously limited so I’m just learning my way here. And what a way that is! I wrote the other day how I finally understand all that love for vintage perfumes going around.
Today I’ll talk about two samples I received and I’ll cheat a bit and check what Carol already said about them because it is really hard deciphering notes without anything to go by.
I first tried Blue Carnation. The opening almost threw me off my feet. Boozy chocolate with some saffron and cinammon incorporated into a perfume structure. And I just adore cinammon. Unfortunately for all the other notes, after a while I couldn’t smell anything around saffron/cinammon. ๐Ÿ™‚ Not that that really bothered me. It’s not like it smells only of cinammon (although it’s quite unmistakeable) but that’s what I could smell most easily and I just couldn’t figure anything else. Now I’ll go see what Carol wrote.
I obviously have no idea what carnation smells like. ๐Ÿ˜€ I can smell something a bit flowery and slightly salty-tinged (is there some iris in this?) around my cinammon /saffron thingy – maybe that’s what carnation smells like?
On my second try I kept wondering where did I get that boozy chocolate from the beginning. But I’ll keep hoping it will appear again eventually.
Next off is Stepan. That was a bit more complex to figure out than Blue Carnation (not that I managed well). I thought I was smelling rose (lately, whenever I’m not sure at first what it is, I assume it’s rose). It smelled aromatic in a licorice-like way, sweet and sligthly nose-pinchy  but not as lavender can do it, more in the way of green, herbal aromatics (you know rosemary type although I don’t think it was that). But it could be an aromatic Mediterranean herb of some kind. It was everything – aromatically oriental and spicy. Like an aromatic rose but not a soft and feminine rose (this smells more masculine), it is easy to smell but slightly prickly. And there is this exuberant fruity feeling hidden somewhere inside. Here is Carol’s take.
I will wear this a bit more trying to get more out of it because I can tell there will be more as soon as my nose acclimatizes itself to vintage stuff. I get surprised each time I smell one of them.