Tag Archives: vetiver

Bella Belissima: Vetiver Spice (and all things nice)

Perfume review, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume May 30, 2014 Comments: 9

Or, spicing up your life with vetiver. 😉

That should be their motto. Because I am more than willing to spice up my life with this one.bella b

I can thank Tara for bringing this perfume to my attention. The most amazing people of this world are perfumistas, and Tara was so lovely and aware of my love of vetivers, sent a package with several vetiver perfumes I’ve never tried before. Vetiver Spice was a clear favorite.. So, not only are perfumistas amazingly generous and nice people, they are also the worst kind of enablers. 😉

Notes:aged Java vetiver, bittersweet absinthe and cypress, citrus notes and violet,  green cardamom and clove bud, guaiacwood, leather, cashmere musk and Haiti vanilla.

It opens with a blast of citrusy-gaiac vetiver with vetiver being in the background to these two. I must say, violets have passed me by completely. It’s rather spicy and green and smells energetic. Then the energy part slowly starts to dissipate and the more mellow notes appear.

The strange thing is, I smell many things but most of them don’t relate to what the notes list says.

The green, vetiver notes are so well combined with the spices (cardamom and clove) that you can’t really smell them out. I keep imagining I can smell traces of violet and leather in there if I really try. 🙂

The best thing happens once the drydown begins.  I’m guessing the cashmere musk does something magical with violet, vetiver and cardamom as it gets a botanically humid note that just smells perfect.

So, yes, I found another vetiver perfume to love. 🙂

The problem is, it’s probably going to be unrequited love as it’s not available here and I’m on a non-shopping spree (so even though  £82 for 100ml sounds relatively ok, still no go).

But if you get the chance, try it. 🙂

My top 5 spring notes

I've been thinking, My top 5, World of Perfume May 10, 2014 Comments: 17

I like this top 5 series because it’s much easier coming up with 5 things than with 10. 🙂 Unless you’re choosing your top 5 perfumes for life.

When I think of spring, I think of green, dewy grass and spring flowers. Asali did a great lilac post a few days ago but for some reason, I never think of lilacs when I think of spring even though I adore the smell.

My first idea is always green (grass) when it comes to spring. It still surDSC_0875prises me how difficult it is for me to find perfumes that smell green to my mind and are not chypre/galbanum variants because even though I think of galbanum in those terms, I would love a perfume that reminds me of dewy grass. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m open to all.

And then, the flowers. You can’t have spring without flowers and in this case, my first idea is somehow always iris. I have no idea when irises actually bloom but they are among first spring flowery perfumes I decide to wear.

Closely followed by the most perfect grass of this world – vetiver. So far there wasn’t a vetiver perfume I smelled and hated. I just think I have a natural propensity towards that smell. 🙂 (there is a top 5 vetiver perfumes post in the making)

One note I unfortunately only smelled in one great perfume and would love to wear more during spring is narcissus. I absolutely love the smell of L’Artisan’s Fleur de Narcisse and I wish from the bottom of my heart they would bring that perfume back. I wasn’t aware of it when it was available and only got to try it later but it is perfect. If there is another great narcissus perfume out there, I’d love to try it.DSC_0871

And the last, but not least (although if considered by the amount of wear it gets…) – the loveliest smell of the little white flower – lily of the valley. I both love the smell of it in Diorissimo and it will always remind me of my mother who adores those flowers. I also wish that annual Guerlain release of Muguet wasn’t so awfully expensive.

 

 

Pics have no relation to notes I mentioned but were the first spring flowers I saw this year some time ago so it seemed fitting.