Harry Potter musings

I've been thinking June 22, 2010 Comments: 10

I don’t want to write reviews of Harry Potter books – I could write about the Croatian translation which I was forced to read when starting the series again as I couldn’t locate my English one. It’s incredible how a translation can be at the same time brilliant and completely miss the point. The words JK Rowling invented were put into Croatian geniously but the language in which the book is written is in my opinion completely wrongly translated. This is a children’s book and is written in such a language (I recommend it to my friends whenever someone wants to brush up on their English) but I cannot read the Croatian one in the same manner. It displays the richness of Croatian language but I have to concentrate on what I’m reading in order to understand, and I keep wondering how are the children reading it managing. And if there is one thing this book has to do, it has to be approachably written (translated) for children. But this is not what I wanted to discuss.

I wrote recently about the depressing turn my life has taken and the first thing I could think of of alleviating that pain and depression was Harry Potter books. And I’m happy to be reading them from the beginning (I usually re-read just the last 3) because the movies made me forget how many things are actually missing from them.

But the point I’m trying to make is, Harry Potter is my therapy. When I need to feel better and want to lose myself in a world where my problems don’t exist, I go there (sometimes I go to Middle Earth as well, but HP is more approachable). With each reading, I get more and more from these books. The friendship, the loyalty, the bravery, all in the face of much adversity, human evil and pain (both physical and emotional).

The books are progressively darker (and longer which is a great plus) and even though people start to die, the evil starts to spread, and friends are sometimes not there for you, the reader never loses the thread of hope that being true to the human ideals we should all posess is what will win in the end and bring about a happy future.

I just finished the fourth one and I wouldn’t be writing this post but reading the book 5 if only I was able to find it. Like I said, I keep offering them to people. 🙂 So now I have no idea where it is. I’m not really worried about that (although I do wish I could have started with it tonight) – tomorrow I’m off to my favourite bookstore because they notified me that some other books I ordered have arrived, so I’ll just add this to the pile. I can live with not starting to read it tonight, but tomorrow I have to go on. 🙂

SOTD: Eau Egyptienne by Cinq Mondes

Sample of the day June 20, 2010 Comments: 5

Turns out I’m reviewing Ms Giacobetti’s work two times in a row without doing it on purpose. I really didn’t know it was made by her until I went to check the notes some time into smelling it. Now, I’ll have to give it more effort and find her other creations to smell because I love this.

I have no idea what’s happening to me that I’m getting more and more into roses.

Notes: lotus, caraway, rose, mint, myrrh, cypress, geranium, jasmine, juniper, pistacchio.

I’m not going into how this came about, there is enough written about that. What I want to talk about is how incredible it smells to me. My initial thought was that it was a surprisingly good citrusy, spicy, flowery, warm thingie. I say thingie because it just seems so delicate, feminine-like but it turns out it’s only delicate because I think of it as feminine in the general sense of people who don’t understand women. I don’t think women are really delicate – quite the contrary. I think they are strong and solid while at the same time they are caring and warm. And this is what I get from this, the warmth in the heart around which the spices and flowers dance making it seem girly and feminine but the warmth giving it solidity and strength. If that makes sense. And the rose-lotus-geranium combo underscored by caraway definitely helps.

It’s warm and at the same time fresh with something that makes your senses come alive. And if I got the prices right, it’s 48 euros for 100ml. Which seems quite reasonable to me. 🙂

SOTD: Vamp a NY by Honoré des Prés

Sample of the day, World of Perfume June 18, 2010 Comments: 8

What a better way to return to my blogging life than with this gem, I am sure I wasn’t the only who set her alarm to be on time for the 50 samples being given at Grain de Musc almost a month ago. 🙂 I didn’t want to forget and miss out. And I didn’t. Lucky me.

I should probably call it the sample of the week, I’ve been sampling for several day now, in small quantities so it lasts a bit (I’ll divulge why a bit later). And the sample is a large one (thank you H des P).

What I could find of the notes mentioned is rum, tuberose and resins. That is true but also not enough.
This has made me smile through the last week when smiling wasn’t something I was prone to do. I do have to say that I don’t find it vampy (which is a good thing because I probably wouldn’t like it so much) but actually, I find it sexy in a different way (I’m sure many see vamp idea as sexy).

For me, this is sexy the same way a girl/woman having fun at a party in the sun, smiling and laughing around a bunch of guys who are there vying for her attention is sexy. The completely natural, unforced in any kind sexy. The best kind.

And that is why I’m saving my sample. I’ve been thinking for some time what perfume am I going to wear to a dear friend’s wedding in a few weeks – and this is it. I knew that the first time I smelled it. It’s perfect for a summer day wedding at the seaside (I’m sure it’s perfect for many other occasions as well) – it is just so easily loved. And I know why that is so in my case. To me, it smells like L’Artisan’s Vanillia mixed with a lot of tuberose (I love Vanilia and I adore tuberose, so this is a direct hit for me).

Yes, I got the rum (although much more strongly on paper than on me) and it’s a particular smell, not really as boozy as some perfumes containing boozy factors are. And then, there’s tuberose and anything else that appears in Vanilia. 🙂 I think that is the best way of summing up what it smells like. And if you have a chance, try it.
Btw, Nathan Branch wrote a great review of another perfume from the We love NY series, Love Coco. From what I read there, I pretty much think I will love it, so now I’m wondering if that means I’ll love the carrot thingie as well. Probably. I really like carrots. 🙂
And last but not least, I think the marketing strategy that enabled people like me (bloggers who are seriously interested in new creations) to be able to get a sample just by reading one of the (best) perfume blogs is straight on target. I wish more companies would consider this tactic. The word will spread wider before this hits US and the way it’s going, it will have a seriously positive vibe. 🙂

Time for grieving

Uncategorized June 10, 2010 Comments: 17

As I hinted yesterday, this has been a hard period for me and my boyfriend and there is some additional hardness in store for us. His father died last night after a fight with cancer so this is going to be a time for grieving for all of us.

Joža wasn’t my father but I knew him for 8 long years and my boyfriend’s family has become an additional family to me.

He was one of the nicest people I know – forgiving of everyone, with a kind word for everyone, a silent pillar of strength with a lot of knowledge (some of which included making great wine and spirits).

We will miss you!

The best part

Uncategorized June 9, 2010 Comments: 2

The best part of this perfume love of mine (probably other people’s as well) is coming home to packages waiting there. 🙂

That’s what happened today.

I got the package from Carol that contained some vintage gems that I am still too excited to write about so here is a quick photo:

The one in the middle is the one that started it all and my quick first sniff told me that I will fall in love (it already started). This has really made my day which I don’t want to go into detail but was seriously depressing as will the next few weeks be as well.

The second package came from Switzerland as an MUA swap. But was this swapper generous! Thank you Jindra!

I was swapping for 10 ml of Palais Jamais and I ended up with a little bottle of vintage L’Aimant and a bunch of samples and candies:

I really feel bad now because I only put a few samples in her package. 😦 I will make it up to her next time (we already swapped before).

So tomorrow is Palais Jamais day for me. But tonight it’s party with Carol’s bottles!

SOTD: Ava Luxe, Red Tara

Sample of the day, Short perfume review June 8, 2010 Leave a comment

I received a swap package today and it held a sample of this. So, I gave it a go. It’s a really nice, warm, spicy, woody scent.
And I went in search of notes which I found at Perfumed Court: sandalwood, iris absolute and myrrh.

I wasn’t able to find this perfume listed at Ava Luxe site so these are all the notes. I really like this one, even though the lasting power is a maximum of 3 hours.
If I didn’t read iris absolute, I’d never have guessed it – I mean I still don’t know that I was smelling it. 🙂 I get the sandalwood and I kept thinking from the beginning there must be something else in it making it slightly sweet and warm (my guess was benzoin).
Unfortunately I don’t have much more to say. It’s really nice and right up my alley but can’t say it’s spectacularly different or great. It’s exactly what I said the other day regarding Vetiver/vanille, perfectly wearable (in cold weather probably better) without thinking too much about what you are wearing.

Can there ever be enough figs?

Uncategorized June 7, 2010 Comments: 6

Not for me. Turns out at the moment I have four different fig scents and if I can get my hands on more, I won’t mind (so after you read this post, please comment with some new choices for me).

Today it was actually (finally!) a real summer day here so I wore Fleur de Figuier by Molinard. Did you know that a 100ml bottle of this costs 31 euros? I couldn’t believe it and once my decant is empty, I’m buying a bottle. The only thing that angers me a bit is that I don’t have to pay VAT so it’s even cheaper, but the shipping cost is 27 euros (more than the bottle without the VAT).

This is a green, fresh fig that has some serious lasting power and feels refreshing when you wear it.

Then, of course I have a decant of Diptyque Philosykos which is another great fig (one it seems everyone is familiar with). There’s not much to add to the name. 🙂 It’s similar to Molinard and just as great.

One more decant, L’Artisan’s Premier Figuier, my introduction into fig category. And a love at first sniff, the one that started all this fig love.

In the end, a fig that passed under my radar, Ninfeo Mio. I’m ashamed to say that I went down another path when smelling this for the first time and haven’t even realized there was a fig in it. But after wearing it for some time, now I cannot mistake it even though this is not a fig scent like the other three before.

So, I told you my favourites. Now, let me know what are the scents that make you feel figgy too?

Stephanie Laurens: The Elusive Bride

Uncategorized June 7, 2010 Comments: 2

This is the second book in the Black Cobra Quartet and another one of the original four soldiers/spies is on a quest home to bring the scroll which will bring down the Black Cobra cult in India (which is of course run by evil Englishmen). I actually do not remember whether in the first book we realize there is more than one person at the top of the cult (I read so much, I cannot keep it all in my head).

Anyway, this time we follow our brave English aristocrate (of the warrior type – that’s what they usually are like) on his road home who gets followed by the woman who delivered the original scroll into their captain’s hands at the beginning of book one (we see it from her perspective this time around). She is on the lookout for her “one” (hearing a lot about that kind of a man from her married sisters) and since her first encounter with Gareth Hamilton who moves her senses, she decides to pursue him and see if that is the beginning of her finding her “one”. And now the adventure starts.

What struck me quite strongly in this, is again the warrior theme. All male characters in Mrs. Laurens’ books are these types of dominant, agressive towards bad guys, possessive males that fight against falling in love and thus being weak. Here it struck me as the strongest theme so far. Especially since they travel a part with Berbers where the separation between females and males is strongly enforced but the women know their men love them and protect them (and therefore show their love in such a manner).

But our female hero will have none of that male dominance crap, and wants to be seen as a partner, not someone to be saved who cannot take care of herself. She is actually quite brave. And of course in the end she gets what she wants. But what I find fascinating and admire a lot, in all these relationships and encounters, when one of the characters “wins” in a situation, it is never used as an advantage over the other and spelled out so. It’s a partnership and one that involves compromise. We could all use some of that kind of behaviour in our lives.

SOTD: Le Jardin Retrouvé, Vétyver Vanille

Sample of the day June 5, 2010 Comments: 2

I am really glad I made myself go through a sample a day. I finally have something to say about this sample I received from Le Jardin Retrouve’s Mr. Gutsatz.

As I can’t find a list of notes on their site, I’m citing here what they have to say with regards to some notes:

“Each Perfumer interprets Vetyver perfume in his own manner, and that of Le Jardin Retrouvé with its tangy head note (Bergamot, Lemon), its bouquet – warm, woody with a touch of tobacco, and its base note that is spicy and peppery, makes this a classic and original fragrance. Vetyver Essence is one of the best-known elements for creating the core and base notes for several feminine and masculine fragrances.”

It seems I’m actually a vetiver fan even though at the beginning of my perfume journey I was quite sure of the opposite. Just a little advice, do not begin your vetiver journey with Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire because it’s seriously vetivery.

Anyway, this started for me instantly flowery (have no idea where that came from) and then went on to a vetiver dominated scent. I mean that in a good way, you cannot forget it’s there but you can smell different things displayed on its surface. It felt warm and sunny, and I thought some hay may be hiding in there.

In the drydown I got some saltiness (I really get that a lost) that led me to believe there might be something irisy in it but thinking more about it, I realized vanilla could probably give off the same thing. And it finally appeared in the drydown.

I cannot say that this was instant love for me but I really like it. It’s easy to wear and for me it’s one of those scents you can grab when you don’t want to think too much what are you going to wear but fall on things that are reliably good (I just wish I didn’t have half a sample left but a bottle I can fall on to). 🙂

New books challenge! Summer at Hogwarts

World of Perfume June 5, 2010 Comments: 2

This one is definitely for me (yes, I’m aware I said the same for the Romance Summer challenge too). 🙂

But the thing is, I love Harry Potter books and I was thinking about reading some of them again but not sure where to start so now I know. At the beginning. 🙂

If you are interested in participating, head on over to Loving Books and enjoy. You have 2 months (summer at Hogwarts) starting June 1 to finish all 7 books (which is plenty of time).
Hope you join!

P.S. It seems she was a bit mistaken (I realized it only when I started reading the series again). Summer holidays at Hogwarts start with the July 1.