Tag Archives: perfume

Perfume shopping in Zagreb – TOP

Perfume shopping, World of Perfume May 14, 2013 Comments: 11

There is a new niche place to visit in Zagreb! šŸ™‚ And, it’s one that is right on me routes around the town. The address beingĀ Tomiceva 4.

You can check their facebook site too.

It opened yesterday, when I learned about it from my Zagreb perfume crowd – so of course I went to check it out today.

The place is rather small and cosy (when compared to other niche destinations in Zagreb) and at the moment, you are greeted by Borut, the lovely SP who I first met at ViktorĀ Koncept.

It might seem like there aren’t many lines there at the moment (the number will definitely grow once Croatia enters the EU) but I had to stop smelling at some point as my brain decided to process what I’ve smelled so far.

So, here are my reflections so far.

I am happy to say it seems L’Artisan’sĀ Caligna will be available here (and I might get to try the tester even sooner, hopefully next week).

I finally got to test Blood ConceptĀ and even though I’m not sure I would wear any but my own group (A – strangely likeable) and realized again that I pretty much suck at rebus because I had to have the name +MA explained.

Also for the first time I tried A Lab on FireĀ perfumes – What We Do In Paris Is Secret is my favourite of the trio. The more I smell it, the more I fall in love. Well, I’m predisposed to it just by seeing the name. šŸ˜‰ It is very romantic and seductive.

JHAG Mad Madame had the most intriguing opening and is the first JHAG perfume I liked from the start and the next time I’m there, I’ll give it some arm space (didn’t have any left today).

The more I smell ByredoĀ line, the more I like them. I am not a fan of InflorescenseĀ (or whatever is the name) but I quite like La Tulipe.

Of the LM Parfums I only triedĀ O de SoupirsĀ and I admit, it smelled much better on the blotter than on me.

A lovely surprise was Eight & Bob which I find a rather lovely concept and a perfume I will try at a later time when in passing.

So, from memory, here are the lines that can be found at TOP:

Juliette Has a Gun

Escentric Molecules

Parfum de Nicolai

Blood Concept

Naomi Goodsir

LM Parfums

Byredo

Eight & Bob

A Lab on Fire

LaDureeĀ Beaute

L’ArtisanĀ Parfumeur

While waiting for summer – Figue Amere by Miller Harris

World of Perfume May 7, 2013 Comments: 21

smokvaI did some perfume wardrobe re-organization last weekend and came upon an almost empty decant of this perfume. And before I use the last drops, I realized it would be the perfect time to talk about it.

“FigueĀ AmĆØreĀ introduces a curious contrast of fleshy fruit and astringent salt, this sun-soaked fragrance captures bitter green figs and sea air. Top notes of bergamot and mandarin contrast with narcissus poeticus, rose, green violet leaves and angelica, which gently fade into a heady base of cedar, amber and seamoss.”

True to the description, the initial smell of this perfume opens with the smell of fig tree wafting on a salty sea breeze.

There are some milky undertones to the perfume, as it seems someone is picking those figs by the sea (the milky sap that figs produce). I find it strange that only now, when I decided to review this perfume after finishing my decant, is when I realized I can smell the floral undertones in it. I find the peeking narcissus and the lightly bitter feel of angelica to work greatly with the sweetness that one would associate with fig but which you would be hard-pressed to find here. Ok, this sounds strange now. šŸ™‚

But I cannot describe it better at the moment.

There isn’t much development to the perfume, it settles down after a while and the initial breeze is no longer in the air but you can smell it on your skin. It smells like the sun is setting down and what you thought of as the sunny aspect of this perfume (the salty, warm breeze) disappears and the greenery surrounding you is allowed to breathe in the still warm summery air.

I always enjoyed wearing this perfume but until now I didn’t realize how good it actually is.

I’m slowly becoming a convert to Miller Harris perfumes (I admit to initially dismissing the line).

A springtime search for flowers

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 3, 2013 Comments: 18
Spring garden

Spring garden

Is loosely the name I gave the little perfume presentation I will be holding on May 21. šŸ™‚

I still can’t believe I was asked if I wanted to talk about any perfume related subject I chose, as part of an informal group of perfume enthusiasts meeting every third Tuesday of every month.

I still haven’t had a chance to go listen to someone else and now I will be the one talking.

My idea is to bring around a dozen perfumes featuring a flower note that can be easily distinguished and to ask the participants to figure out which flower they are smelling. After that we can talk about the perfume and then move on to the next.

I am very much looking forward to it and I hope people will enjoy our little flowery search.

It’s an open thing and anyone can come so I hope people show up.

I’ll post my choices and how it went afterwards.

 

 

Let’s hear it! Where do you apply perfume…

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume March 12, 2013 Comments: 32

apply shalimIt only dawned on me yesterday that I am the most conservative type of person when it comes to perfume application. That was a bit of a shock! šŸ™‚

As that is the label I would never apply to myself.

Anyway, my perfume applicatingĀ ways haven’t changed much in the recent days but I did evolve from applying it on the sides of my neck and sometimes doing a sweep and applying some on my decolleteĀ as well, to taking advantage of the fact that I have short hair and applying some on the back of my neck, thinking itĀ would make for a nice sillage circle. šŸ™‚

So that’s what I’m doing these days.

Which is what got me thinking – what are the places where you apply perfume? Do you have some more innovative ones? Do some work better than others?

The only time I have perfume somewhere else on my body is when I’m testing it. And that only applied to arms.

I really am aĀ conservative perfume wearer it seems…

A Dozen Roses

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

Participating in joint blog projects is always fun. šŸ™‚ 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 RoseĀ 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 oneĀ – 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 – CostesĀ 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. šŸ˜‰ Or am I wrong? A great review by Suzanne.

Is that a siren coming out of the sea?! – RosamĀ by HistoiresĀ 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 –Ā  MohurĀ by NeelaĀ Vermeire

Rose-cheeked Miss drinking tea.

Can it be called a rose? – JabuĀ 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 roseĀ – 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. šŸ™‚

Rose for dessertĀ – Rose flavoured rahatĀ 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:

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 ArquisteĀ line. So far I only tried Anima Dulcis and I’m alreadyĀ 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 anisĀ 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 addĀ that theĀ description on Arquiste site is very interesting asĀ it mentionsĀ nunsĀ  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. šŸ™‚

 

Pic and notes by: www.arquiste.com

Does every perfume smell perfect?

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts January 22, 2013 Comments: 17

It’s a thing I asked myself today.
Today I applied Cuir de Russie and forgot about it, as it seemed to have blended with my skin, unlike yesterday, when Back to Black first choked me with tobbacco leaves and then presented the bad kind of honey note. I guess my skin killed it.

Anyway, it got me thinking, does there come a time when you apply a perfume and it fits like a glove and practically seems perfect, even though you applied it before and were underwhelmed? Or just ok with it.
Or, a better way to explain it – you know you have a mediocre (at best) perfume but you put it on and it seems perfect? And you wonder how that happened.

The next time you apply it, the magic is gone.

So, that’s what got me thinking – does every perfume have its day of being perfect?
The only problem being finding what day it’s going to happen.

What do you think? Am I being optimistic (idealistic)? Did it happen to you?
It happened to me. Keeps on happening actually. But I can never guess when or why…

How I review

I've been thinking July 18, 2012 Comments: 8

I guess I should have written this long time ago and not after three years of writing a blog (I still can’t believe it’s been so long).
But now at least I can look back and explain how I do it. If you had asked me in the beginning how I decide what to write, I don’t think I could have given a meaningful answer.

This post has mostly been prompted by the stuff happening in the book bloggers community that I managed to almost completely miss but that has been brought to my attention by this post.

So basically this is about books but is also valid for perfumes.

  • Most of the stuff I read is the books I bought. I probably should mention that in my reviews because if I think a book worth reading, I will buy it.
  • This is where NetGalley comes in – I get a lot of books for free from there. So far I only reviewed 12 of the 40 I received. Those are the ones that caught my attention amid everything else that I can choose from (and believe me, I can choose from quite a lot).
  • I don’t have a problem with not finishing a book. There are many out there I won’t have time to read so I don’t get worked up because I stopped reading a book that didn’t interest me. This also means if I reviewed it (even if not in the best of ways), I find it good enough to be read (before everything else I can choose from).
  • This brings me to the fact that I could put in action my own style of grading the books. There would only be 3 categories: Had to start reading sth else in the middle of the book as it didn’t really hold my attention, Read it without stopping for something else, and Had to force myself to go to sleep because I couldn’t stop reading
  • As my library (valid for perfumes as well) is rather large, the fact that I haven’t yet reviewed something I received for free doesn’t mean I didn’t find it interesting or good (but it could mean that), it probably means it wasn’t yet time for it to catch my attention – sometimes I’m in the mood for particular things and the rest lingers
  • I believe in being nice and polite to people – so if I don’t like something, I probably won’t get nasty about it, but then again, the topic probably won’t come up unless I’m provoked
  • Lately, my tolerance for YA adult novels is diminishing and by that I mean, I look for more than a new type of story
  • I also believe authors shouldn’t get all worked up over bad reviews – does everyone you meet in real life like you!? Why should then every review be a good one? Not to mention the fact that literary geniuses are rare.
  • I don’t believe my book reviews are typical – I don’t find it necessary to repeat the basics of the story (as that can be found everywhere), so I just try and go with things I enjoyed about a book (I just wish I was more in the habit of making notes while reading a book)
  • I’ll finish this list by saying I am always up for reading a genre I haven’t yet – one of those being steampunk novels (I look forward to reading my first one)

And to end with some of my thoughts on reading:

  • Have you ever noticed how everyone in novels speaks without problems? Usually all the sentences are correct from beginning to end without any hitches. I never talk like that. Then again, it might just be mine particular problem with forming and pronouncing sentences perfectly at all times.
  • The other thing I noticed from my favourite books, but it also seems books that are usually most loved,  and on top of lists, feature difficult, tragic situations where there is a lot of suffering for the main character – Is it just me, or does that sound very Matrix to you too? It wouldn’t be believable or good enough if there wasn’t suffering in it to balance the happiness?

Your blog is F*ck!ng Fabulous Award

Uncategorized May 12, 2009 Comments: 4

Well, I have to say reading new posts on perfume blogs has been a surprise today. šŸ™‚ Lovely Divina from Fragrance bouquet has awarded me a F*ck!ng Fabulous award and caught me completely by surprise (a very nice surprise I must admit). Now, all I have to do is explain the procedure, add 5 of my addictions and name 5 fabulous blogs.

Rules and instructions:

1. You have to pass it (the award) on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.
Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then ā€œadd imageā€ it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the ā€œpictureā€ widget. Also, donā€™t forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

My addictions (huh, this might get embarassing):

1. Books. Ok, so not all books but the fact that I like to read a lot means I have a lot of books (and a serious lack of space) and I am not happy about the fact that 10 years from now it will be much more difficult to buy them as paper copies instead of just downloading them to my Kindle or whatever else might come along. And honestly, I am seriously addicted to Harry Potter and Kresley cole’s IAD series.

2. Body and hair products. I simply have to try all the body lotions/creams/butters I can get my hands on (I have dry skin and use them up pretty fast) and even when I find something great, I just have to try something new. The same goes for hair – for someone with such short hair, I spend more time thinking about it and loving it than anyone I know (personally). šŸ™‚ Favorites at the moment: body – Korres, hair – Tigi.

3. Perfume. You knew that one was going to be on this list. šŸ™‚ This might sound superficial to someone not sharing this addiction but I honestly feel like the world has opened its doors and shown me new vistas that bring so much joy and learning into my life.

4. I’m trying to curb this addiction – underwear and bathing suits. Don’t know where this came from but I simply love underwear and I mean all kinds: sporty, elegant, sexy, casual, whatever catches my attention. The same goes for bathing suits (and I blame VS site for that one). I have way too many for the amount of time I spend actually at the sea side.

5. And I’m up to five and don’t know which one to put here. So, I’ll simply list something I enjoy very much – whisky and wine. I love the taste of whisky (favorites being Johnny Walker Black, Jameson and Chivas) and enjoy very much a glass (or two) of good wine. šŸ™‚

Ok, onto the fabulous blogs out there:

1. First and foremost, Divina’s Fragrance bouquet. I simply love the poetic way she has of describing perfumes. I feel like I’m following a scented story when reading her reviews. Wonderful!

2. I smell therefore I am by Abigail and Brian. They bring simplicity (by that I mean they are easy to follow and understand) and love of perfume to their reviews and are great to read.

3. The initial blog that put me on my way Now smell this – for a beginner that one is a well of information on just about anything a beginner perfumista needs to know and also keep track of new houses, perfumes and shopping hints. šŸ™‚

4. And following straight behind that one and also deserving for spiking my perfume interest is Perfume posse. The way they write about perfume shows how it becomes one’s way of life (in a good sense) and gives you glimpses into their lives as well.

5. And last but not least, and a relatively recent find, WAFT by Carol – I love her short and to the point reviews that are often making me laugh. It feels to me that she brings so much joy into her reviews.