A serious flaw in my perfume collection

Uncategorized May 11, 2011 Comments: 22

It only hit me yesterday.

I have no florals in my collection!

What I mean is, the only florals I have are of the white and lush kind and I’m sure there are others out there that don’t fall into this category.

Is it possible that so far I haven’t come across one I liked?!  The only thing I could come up with that is floral and I have it, is Paestum Rose (but this also falls into category “there must be other flowers out there besides roses”).

I’ve been going in my mind through my bottle and decant collection and just can’t come up with anything that could be termed a floral (without being a tuberose/gardenia/jasmine or rose). I mean, there are other florals out there, right?

And the only floral perfume I know I like and think of as the best representative of the genre is Juliet by Juliet Stewart. Which of course, I don’t own. 🙂

So please, suggestions would be most welcome of where to start my floral journey.

P.S. I seem to have journeyed through every other perfume genre out there but this one.

Tebe hair products

Uncategorized May 10, 2011 Leave a comment

Most of my friends know how much I love cosmetic products and trying new things. That is how I came by Tebe shampoo and conditioner.

I don’t talk much about cosmetic products on my blog, but sometimes, discovering something that really exceeds my expectations, I need to spread the word. 🙂

I’m not really sure about the availability of Tebe products, it’s a New Zealand based company and they seem to me like a well kept secret.
They also have a special line of products based on olive oil, and this is their description of Tebe line.

“Tebe’s products are made from a carefully selected blend of natural and organic plant extracts and oils, balanced to enhance and protect all skin types. The olive leave extract found in Tebe products is a powerful anti-oxidant. Tebe will nurture and protect your skin, leaving it feeling smooth and conditioned.”

I absolutely love the hair products, they don’t dry out my hair (it’s dry enough due to coloring), instead, I can feel under my fingers that it’s hydrated at the time of washing and once it dries off, it isn’t as dry as usual and has this amazing shine.

I should also state now that I use Moroccan oil regularly but I did that with my last hair products and the result wasn’t as healthy and shiny as with these.
I definitely plan on buying these for myself once I finish my fast depleting duo.

Here is a link to Simunovich Olive Estate site where all their products are listed.

P.S. I also have to add that the family is originally from Croatia (the island of Brac). 🙂

Choices, choices…

Uncategorized May 6, 2011 Comments: 6

Sometimes the fact that I smell so many perfumes and have ideas of them in my head is very frustrating

Tomorrow I’m going to a friend’s wedding and for the past week I’ve been thinking about what perfume to wear.
I finally decided to go with lush white flowers and thought I might choose Carnal Flower and wanted to try it on before deciding, only to find out after a 2 day search that:
1) I either misplaced it so thouroughly that I won’t be able to find it until tomorrow
2) or I remembered wrongly and don’t have it at all and the image in my mind is of sth else.

Both options are equally possible I’m afraid. 🙂

So, now I’m back to deciding what to wear.

I was thinking possibly FdO by SL but that might prove too much for people around me. I’m guessing it will be a tuberose but that still doesn’t narrow it down. My first choice though is Vamp a NY because it’s flirty and happy and I believe enjoyable all around.

But I’m also considering Cruel Gardenia, any of the Histoires de Parfums Tuberose trio, A la Nuit, Tubereuse Criminelle and I’m open to all suggestions.

Perfume trivia

Uncategorized May 3, 2011 Comments: 21

Did you know jasmine belonged to the olive family? And that there were some 200 species of jasmine out there?
I didn’t. Well, at least not when leaving this weekend for a few days off at the seaside.

Where the most interesting thing happened.

So, there’s my boyfriend, putting everything to rights around the house, while I’m doing the same inside and at one moment he comes up to me and say: “How nice this shrub smells!” (he was cutting off the branches that were in the way).
I smell it and… It’s jasmine!

OK, so I felt like the most stupid person on Earth (or very close), at that moment. See, I’ve been with my boyfriend for ages and to his house at the coast numerous times, and it only dawned on me when he pushed the branch under my nose that we had jasmine growing in the garden. 🙂

In my defense, we’re never actually there when it’s blooming so I guess that is an easy way to overlook it, especially if you have no idea what the tree (shrub) is supposed to look like. And I’ve been wondering for years what are these shrubs growing all over that little village (not just in our garden).

Here are some photos (and if my nose is playing tricks on me and it’s not jasmine, please let me know):

The shrubs:

The flowers:

Pics are mine.

Vero Profumo – Kiki

World of Perfume April 29, 2011 Comments: 14

I want to finish with my favourite. And oh, what a favourite!

Btw, I never considered myself a huge fan of lavender. I like the smell of it but it doesn’t make me weak at the knees.

These are my favourite extrait and the edp of the line. Edp won by a margin but the extrait is just incredible. I just wish I could write about them in a normal way and not with gushing emotion. 🙂

It’s just, the extrait reminds me so vividly of my childhood summers spent at the middle Croatian coast, in a little village with lavender fields. That is a smell you never forget.  And then when you find it in perfume, I don’t need to tell you how wonderful it makes me feel. I can smell and see in my mind the lavender fields bathed in the sun and smelling warm. This might not sound like a perfume, but believe me, it is.
Of the notes, except for variants of lavender, I can’t say I smell anything particular. It’s more the case of realizing the notes are making lavender smell differently than actually smelling the other notes. But then again, maybe it’s just the fact that my nose has trouble going around a familiar note which is prominent.

I don’t want to sound again like edp is not worth the same notice. It is. It’s the best variant of the passion fruit note because for some reason, here it smells most alive and the least sweet.
You know, from the notes, you’d think you could smell the lavender straight away but that’s not the case. It’s hidden in there and it forces the fruit to behave from behind the scenes.

Really, that lavender is an intriguingly shady fellow…

I have to apologize if my Vero reviews sounded more like my imagination running wild than actual reviews, but I just didn’t seem to be able to help myself.
They take you on a journey and you’re not sure where you  will end up, but you will definitely have an interesting ride (and a satisfying end point).
Basically, it’s the same as with good books, you never know where they will take you and where you will end up.

Edp notes: Lavender essential oil, bergamot, citron, passion fruit, lavender absolute, geranium, caramel, patchouli, musk

Extrait notes: lavender, caramel, musk, fruits

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

Vero Profumo – Onda

World of Perfume April 28, 2011 Comments: 6

How to do this without resorting to same ideas as for Rubj?

I don’t want to repeat myself and say I prefer the extrait again (which I do). It’s just that the fruity (passion fruity) opening makes me think of candy. You know, combine ginger and fruit and see what you will think of.

So, the extrait starts off very seriously, green and menthol-like with bark and woody hints. I like the opening a lot, lets you breathe it in with open lungs. And then, it gets a bit problematic for me, getting an oily vetiver quality that does not go well with my stomach (especially when combined with light leathery smokiness). I can’t help smelling it and waiting to see if it will disappear. It does and then I can happily state that I’m in love with its character and strength (and it has both in spades).

On the other hand, the edp feels boyish and flashy. You know, if the extrait were a man of strength and character and some years, the edp would be a young, flashy man. Not a bad one, just not yet grown up (psychologically). But you can see after spending time with both, that they must be some kind of family as you recognize the facial features of your man in the young man standing before you.

Edp notes: Bergamot, citron, mandarin, ginger, coriander, basil, passion fruit, iris, ylang-ylang, honey, vetiver Bourbon, patchouli, musk, cedar wood

Extrait notes: vetiver, ginger, mace, coriander

I really don’t want you to think the edp is not good because it is. And if I haven’t smelled the extrait, I would probably think it was great. But I can’t help it when the extrait speaks to me and I want the edp to grow up. And smelling them side by side didn’t help much as I kept giving more attention to the extrait even though I noticed the lightheartedness (fruitiness) of edp disappearing and more character showing.

All 3 extraits make me feel like they were given freedom to develop and spread their wings while the edps feel a bit stumped in their growth.  And I have no idea where that came from but it felt right in writing it down.

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

Vero Perfumes – Introduction and Rubj

World of Perfume April 26, 2011 Comments: 14

I have samples of Vero Perfume extraits for a couple of years now. I ordered sometime early in my budding perfumista days, spritzed and promptly concluded I have no idea why they are hailed as great.
As you might have noticed, lately I’ve been going through those samples that didn’t get love in my early days and realizing you really need to build up to some perfumes and smell many, many steps to get there. Eventually though, your effort is awarded and new smelling vistas open before your nose.

That is what keeps happening to me. So, when I discovered samples of edp of Rubj, Kiki and Onda in the package Helg sent, I was overjoyed. 🙂 I could finally test the extraits and edps side by side and see if I understand what the deal is. Which is what I’ve been doing the past week or so and today I’ll talk about Rubj.

EdP notes: Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk

Extrait notes: Moroccan orange blossom, musk, Egyptian jasmine

You know, you really need to have some serious talent if you can get 3 notes to smell like Rubj.

The extrait opened on me like a sweet, jasminy floral and for someone who loves orange blossoms, I seem to be able to miss them each time they come with some other white floral.

Rubj smells seducingly warm, lightly sweet and enveloping.

The edp on the other hand smells more and less sweet at the same time. Like a brash version of the elegant woman that is extrait. It’s fruity sweet and louder and at the same time, that sweetness is tempered with something that smelled fir like to me, but there are notes in there that can lead you in that direction easily (and it’s not like I recognize the nuances).
Honestly, to me, these two don’t smell like variants of the same. The edp is fruity, cuminy warm (I’m warning you well in advance you smell cumin in there), stronger and bolder in a tropical way.
And the most interesting thing to come from smelling Rubj extrait is that I think it smells clean and light-hearted, and I guess clean smelling comes from the fact that it smells very much like L’Oreal hair color which I found very funny and enjoyable at the same time.

I should also warn you that wearing Rubj edp might cause some concerned smelling of yourself to check if your deodorant is working as it should. 🙂 The cumin at its best work. 😉

To me, it was only in the drydown of both that I could see the family resemblance.

I should also state now that after smelling all the extraits and edps, I prefer the extraits. I believe the edps will probably sell better but the extraits are the strange, tempered beasts you want to spend time with.
Also, the extraits are much more elegant in their approach towards the world, they are not brashly spoken young things but softly spoken creatures of a world of their own.

I’ve read that Ms. Kern worked the edps around the passion fruit note. After smelling all of them, you cannot miss it.

Soon to come – reviews of Ondas and Kikis. 🙂

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

Lois McMaster Bujold: Shards of Honor

World of Books April 21, 2011 Comments: 3

This is one of 2 prequels to Miles Vorkosigan stories but my second time around, I wanted to start at the beginning. And it’s been quite a while since I read the Vorkosigan saga.

This is the story of Miles’ parents meeting and falling in love. 🙂

Btw, I love it when reading a book makes me come to a whole bunch of realizations, one of which is also that by the time I write the review, I forget some, get some new ones, and forget to write some of those down too in the post. 🙂 But then again, I never said my mind was organized.

One of the realizations was the fact that I read for fun and thrills. What I mean is, that the story can be made interesting and breath-taking (reading without breathing much) and the love story can develop and characters not even to kiss well after they both know they are in love. And the best thing? It wasn’t even the kiss that was thrilling – it was all the dialogues that came before and after. 🙂

One of the more disturbing realizations was, what was I doing when reading this for the first time?! It’s normal to forget parts of the story, I just can’t remember everything after one reading, but I seem to have missed quite a lot of underlying hints too, looking in retrospect. And I’m not sure I can blame it all on the Croatian translation (as this series was translated into Croatian) and that’s how I read it originally. That was quite some time ago so I decided to do it again, only this time in original. And I’m glad I did. You always lose something in translation, it’s normal. Now, I’m enjoying myself fully.

It is such an intelligently written book and if you don’t pay attention, you can actually get lost in both the dialogues and underlying politics. It certainly engages the mind while giving it a thrilling science-fiction ride.
And even though the stories revolve around warfare and the Barrayar society is based on military basics, this book and the whole series is actually a strong voice against was, aggression and bloodshed.

I highly recommend this to anyone even slightly interested in either fantasy or science-fiction. You won’t regret it. Especially after Miles enters the scene. 🙂

My perfume criteria

Uncategorized April 20, 2011 Comments: 6

Or, how I determine it’s a perfume I’d like to own a bottle/decant of.

I realize some of my criterions might not be objective but then again loving perfumes cannot be termed as objective as love is in there. 🙂

1. On the first inhale it makes me smile or relieves stress from my shoulders (Scarlett and Timbuktu respectively).

2. Notes are so well blended, you can’t take them apart and they tell a story (Antonia).

3. It smells like the epitome of its category (Shalimar and Ambre Sultan).

4. It smells strange and compelling (Jardin du Nil).

5. It smells strange and interesting but might not be compelling to me (Vero Rubj).

6. It is so new to my nose that I can’t resist trying to figure it out.

7. I lack words to describe what I’m smelling (as I’m overwhelmed usually – Antonia and Ambre Sultan again).

8. I simply love what I’m smelling as it hits all the right buttons for me, even though it might not get much love from everyone else.

P.S. I do plan on adding to this list as I realize I might be applying some other criteria I’m yet unaware of.

J.D. Robb: Treachery in Death

World of Books April 19, 2011 Leave a comment

You know, I always wondered how someone who wrote 33 books in one series manages to make them all interesting, thrilling and basically un-put-downable (is that even an expression?!)?
I still have no answer, but JD Robb (Nora Roberts actually) manages just fine. Well, more than fine as I can’t wait for paperbacks and I keep ordering hardcovers, now, when the series is going so well, as you can’t get the books otherwise. Btw, I really hate that – I’m a long time reader of this, I should deserve being able to buy them at paperback prices without waiting so long. But ok.

The other thing I was wondering is how you review installment 33 of a series?! I mean, those who came so far don’t need a review and will probably buy the book as soon as possible, and those who haven’t probably aren’t interested in reading a review of book no. 33.  😉

So, if you’re wondering how I’m going to do it – I won’t.

I’ll just say it contains everything that made the previous books interesting – the love, the friendship, the intrigue, and the moral code good cops live by.
It all combines into another story that made Eve Dallas become a live character for me, a character that stands outside the novels and that is something that doesn’t happen often.

P.S. She also has the body and the husband I want. 🙂 Not the job though.