Tag Archives: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Is tea a spring note and other musings

Perfume thoughts April 21, 2010 Comments: 15

I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time now but I’m glad I waited and had a chance to smell some DSH creations that arrived last week.

As the spring started, I thought a lot about things I would like to wear, what feels right in spring and came up with tea among other things, smelling it in Amaranthine and The Silk Road (also by DSH). But the tea note I crave is not black tea, I need greenery now in all forms. Not the tea that makes appearance in CdG Tea – that smells like some Chinese tea I tried some time ago and hated. That is just a total scrubber in my case.

So, in my mind, green tea is one of the spring notes I like and prefer.

Then I read Katie’s comment to my Scents that sing Spring! post and realized she is right. My choices are zesty and yes, I enjoy citrusy stuff because it gives off an energetic vibe I seem to need in the spring. Everything is waking and after the initial surge in energy, my energy level slowly decreases so I crave smells that will help with that.

So, you can imagine I was happy when I discovered some new gems in the DSH package.

I just wish that they weren’t letting go Wasabi-Shiso. That is bottled spring energy! And I have no idea why is it considered an autumn scent on DSH site?!

I have the notes now but when I smelled it for the first time it was a rush. 🙂 The description at the DSH site says Whoosh! Well, that certainly is one way of putting it. You get this strong lemon peel vibe underscored by green (those are my initial ideas – lemon peel and perhaps basil and majoram). It is very optimistic and energetic and once I saw the notes, I realized there was quite a lot to give that citrusy vibe. It is almost grapefruity, smells more like lemon peel and pits and is just a limey, juicy, happy thing. It practically fizzes with all those citruses. Later it settles down and I lose my note detection ability. Some easy vetiver and sandal.

I am happy to have a little bottle of this, especially if it’s going out of production.

And now on to the one that has my spring cravings. Bancha.

Here is what DSH has to say about it:

“The season of new life, new beginnings and renewed wellbeing, Spring signifies a rebirth through a harmonious celebration of balance and revitalization. To welcome this invigorating time of year, we’ve created a special ayurvedic, all botanical scent elemental to the season, Bancha. Charismatic and refreshing, the bold citrus top notes of Bancha intertwine with a base of earthy, green aromas for a crisp, lively fragrance that will revive the senses and restore harmony.”

My initial thought was osmanthus perhaps and it smelled like lemon-tea but better. 🙂 I know, I really smell a lot. 😉

The problem was I smelled this after Wasabi-Shiso and thought it smelled like a watered down version of it. With citrusy opening but with the grapefruit association, some lemon peel no pits.

It doesn’t have the juiciness and doesn’t project so much energy but it grows on you. Me especially because there are similarities with Charmes et Feuilles and whatever is similar to that is guarantueed my love. The mandarin and lime peel underscored by greenery hinting at spearmint and basil, what more could you ask? And then it mellows even more and the tea note comes from somewhere (have no idea where, it is not listed, perhaps yuzu and rose?). Anyway, it is really a calming scent and totally for me and my spring cravings.

Although, you know, nothing beats spring. I guess that is why I keep looking for something to wear in spring but I don’t think anything will ever compare.

I’ve been thinking…

I've been thinking December 29, 2009 Leave a comment

At the moment I have no perfume to review and no books/authors to write about. Soon, but not today.

I don’t know if this happens to anyone else but I find it annoying and strange. Over these Christmas days I didn’t have neither the time nor the will to concentrate on smelling something new and interesting (or just new, or just interesting) so I didn’t. Then as the new week started yesterday, I wanted to go on with all those wonders of samples I have everywhere, so I did. And what happens?! A complete fiasco. My nose and my brain seem to have lost the connection. It is like I’m a beginner once more (ok, so I’m not really far down the road, but I’m not at the beginning either). This has already happened before – right after I came from summer vacation. There seems to be a break where once was a way. It will probably take 2 or 3 days for me to get back on track, but what I find annoying is that it happens. Does this happen to anyone else?
So, yesterday I wanted to begin smelling the color series by DSH and I start with Quinacridone Violet and I got everything mixed (the fruit in the opening) and then I see the list of notes, and I realize there is so much happening in what I’m smelling and I can smell it happening, I just can’t seem to verbalize it. In any manner. 😦
Then I went on with Estee Lauder’s Jasmine White Moss. I already smelled it before when I got the sample but since it was lying near and I saw it mentioned on MUA, I went to check it again. And this time I smelled much more than the initial time, but all I could say is after is that it would be nice to own a decant of this. Depressing really what time away from concentrated sniffing can do to me…
Well, that too shall pass.
I don’t know what you are going to be doing this New Year’s Eve but I’m really only up to enjoying champagne in front of the TV. And it seems that is what I’ll be doing together with my boyfriend. Everyone I talk to these days is pretty much thinking the same. What about you?
This has been a difficult year, to finish off a difficult decade and I hope what awaits us in the years to come brings more light and joy to the world. The world deserves it.
Picture is mine.

DSH round-up (so far)

World of Perfume December 18, 2009 Comments: 3

I’ve been wanting to write this for days but it’s pre-Christmas time and free time usually dwindles to non-existant in that period (at least for me). 🙂

When I ordered last from DSH site, I didn’t realize I actually ordered so many samples. I was a bit surprised when I started unpacking them but I’m not complaining – there will be things to try and try and try… 🙂

So, let’s start:

Silver Fir

I actually had a couple of samples that I almost thought had mixed labels. 🙂 This was one of them. It is the season so I smelled several fir scents lately when this one came along and in the opening instead of fir, I got citrusy fresh opening. 🙂 I was wondering what was happening and then I took a look at the notes and realized I could smell the spearmint and grapefruit/bergamot. 🙂 Then this went through a phase that was a strange sweet vanilla? which I didn’t like and subsided into a lovely drydown.

Festive

Top notes: Spice Notes

Middle notes: Fir Needle, Spruce

This was the other scent I had on my other wrist and the one that made me think someone mixed the labels because I got a strong fir note from this. I thought I was smelling lavender and rosemary at the beginning but then realized it was probably me mixing it with fir scent. 🙂 I mix notes a lot in my head.

I really liked this one because once the fir subsides what you are left with is the atmosphere of the name. Very appropriate – like having a party around a Christmas tree, one where you smell sexy. Incredible really how she managed that.

Winter White

Top notes: Raspberry

I wasn’t exactly thrilled with opening of this one – reminded me of marzipan and flowers. I guess that can be attributed to the white chocolate (which I’m not a fan of in real life) and raspberry combo. Later, the chocolate was nice but the whole idea is too powdery for me and I’m not really into that. It’s not too much though and I will wear my sample because the chocolate ends up smelling great. And calory-free. 😉

Gingembre

Cookies, cookies, cookies. Here in Croatia (and around) we have soft cakes that are made of some kind of thin sponge cake, with orange jelly covered in chocolate (jaffa cakes). I don’t think there is any ginger in those but the opening of this reminded me strongly of that. No wonder, mandarin, ambrette and cocoa. It starts a bit alcoholic and herbal sweer and then I get my jaffa cake association. This one is as edible as they get and totally yummy. I would never have guessed I would contemplate wearing something that reminds me of food so strongly and smelling like cookies, but you never know what awaits you around the corner. 🙂 Anyway, I will smell like Gingembre this Christmas but not of cookies all the time, some clove, and labdanum and sandal as well.

Piment and Chocolat

This is definitely my favorite of today’s round-up. I cannot describe it in words that will bring this forth as it deserves. I already mentioned it the other day and I need to repeat that. This is thick, dark, hot chocolate mixed with chili to better warm you up when you drink it, only this one will be drunk through the nose and enjoyed guilt-free. If nothing else of the ones I mentioned today – try this one.

Lumiere

I will have to give more nose-time to this one. I got the bergamot and cinammon but I kind of spaced out on the rest and just the list of notes makes me wonder how in the world did I manage to skip through the rest. So, no actual thoughts on this one yet, sorry.

On to the last two I thought got mixed up as well.

Three Kings

There is no listing for this on the DSH site. So, no notes for this. I thought it was going to smell like myrhh and incense (in the very hard to breathe church way) but I was completely wrong.

It smells more green and sharp – ish, I thought I got some smoke/incense but couldn’t be sure (it was wafting barely through). My thought on notes ran like this: vetiver and benzoin?, perhaps labdanum, galbanum and oakmoss maybe, I think something smells celery like. 🙂

We’ll see eventually how wrong I was. 🙂

Twelfth Night

Middle notes: Laurel Leaf, Patchouli

As you can see by the notes, this one has the notes I thought Three Kings should have. 🙂 I thought I smelled vetiver but realized that could be the patchouli + laurel combination. And I could smell myrhh and incense. It’s not a happy and festive scent like those mentioned before but it is interesting.

It’s incredible how DSH can evoke specific feelings/atmosphere and still manage to make one long to wear such a scent.

Some I love completely, some I like in the beginning and some I like in the drydown more. But there is something to like in all of them. I just have to say I think that is some great talent Ms Hurwitz has.

My DSH package

World of Perfume November 21, 2009 Comments: 8

has arrived the other day. I didn’t order much but what came in it made me very happy. Then I started smelling what was in it and I was no longer that happy, I was quite distressed. I know I ordered sampled according to notes I usually like, but I didn’t expect them to smell so nice that I decide I need those in larger amounts, and I only tried 2. There are 3 more left!

Notes for Nourouz:

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone but once you smell that, you’ll recognize pomegranate anywhere. I love it here! It smells like the real deal, so juicy. It made my mouth water. The other thing I realized except for that top note, I get lost in the wonderful smell of the DSH perfume. Don’t ask me if I got the other notes, I just smelled my wrist and wondered how much more money was I going to spend on DSH site. 🙂

Notes for Cimabue:

For those of you who might not have realized it yet, I’m a total clove fan. I grew up smelling it each winter when my parents made hot wine and lated, tasting that same wine and smelling those wonderful aromas. Actually, while at university, I tried the Swedish variant (glög) and that’s where I learned I liked the smell of cardamom as well.

But on to Cimabue. I smelled it before reading the notes (you can get lost in them, there are really many) and straight away I got the nice sweet smell of clove. Then I went to see if I was imagining it these days and saw the list of noted. It is not listed in the top notes but I guess all those citrusy fruits are the ones that made me not think of clove in terms of hot wine. I tried my best and only managed to catch whiffs of cinnamon, the rest was again lost in the wonderful smell that emanated from my wrist. In the end, I got some vanillic undertone to my clove but I’m sorry to say, my nose wasn’t able to distinguish much else.

The good thing about my new infatuation with DSH is the fact that they are going to have a holiday sale! And it will be starting this weekend! Yeey!

20% means I’ll be able to squeeze something more in the package for the same amount of money. 🙂