Entries Tagged 'Perfumes' ↓
September 27th, 2008 — Perfumes
A recent article details the love a woman’s father had for her mother in buying her what he considered a luxury, Royall Lyme Toilet Lotion. Along with the gift came the admonition to use it sparingly, only for special occasions. Her mother appreciated the gift, and the author watched the level of the bottle, hoping her mother had special occasions, whatever they might be. After her mother’s death, the now-empty-after-a-lifetime bottle sits in a place of honor in her own house. She writes:
I’m sure if he could rewind time, my father would tell my mother to splash some scent on every day, to sprinkle it on her pillow at night, to bathe in it if she felt like it. He’d tell her that every minute she breathes is a special occasion.
The green bottle on my shelf reminds me of this every day.
I hear her. I loved when my mother wore fragrance, and I loved what she wore.
For me, scent is more than something to be taken down on occasion. The word necessity seems too barren and frugal. I wear perfume for my own good, to make me happier. I wear it close to the skin, for the most part, a kind of personal aura.
Perhaps I should wear more so that I get more comments, but my sillage only lasts for a bit. Partly this is in deference to those, like me, who dislike some fragrances, and this allows me to layer up as the day goes on, so that I usually wear several compatible scents in a given day.
I’ve pretty much been bored with one fragrance ever since I felt the necessity to finish a bottle before buying another. Would that I still had my vintage Rive Gauche! It would still be perfect — most of mine are out of sunlight and kept cool. Now, I buy what I like and wear it as frequently or infrequently as I’m led. It makes me happy just to have them around for choices.
It might be something that will lift my mood; or it might be something that enhances my mood. I like to tweak my thoughts with scent. Taking a whiff of my wrist is a moment away. I don’t need a 15 minute break.
Scent is a reminder to treat myself well, to be loving to myself, not to put myself or my needs last, which is easy to do with a busy family and work life, but to make an effort to live an abundant life moment by moment. It helps me make every moment a small celebration.
Wearing scent is closer to my heart, something I’m not dependent on others for, compared to having tea with a friend, a massage, a manicure or pedicure. Even if done on a regular basis, they aren’t daily. I need the dailiness of living abundantly and treating myself well.
After all, I’m worth it. And so are you.
What functions for you in the way that wearing scent does for me? What do you do to feel abundance in your life? Do you feel the same about perfumes? Or is your necessity something else? And what is your reasoning?
Karin
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September 26th, 2008 — Fashion, Friendship, Hope, Inspiration and creativity, Inspirational, Just thinking, Nature, Opportunity, Perfumes, Relationships, Safety, Spirituality and God, Travel
Just when it seems like a bit of good news would be exceedingly welcomed, comes this true story (I’ve checked it with Snopes) about a woman hand feeding hummingbirds.
Isn’t it great that with the Internet we have a way to easily share these experiences that we might never hear about otherwise?!
Thanks to Cathy for sharing with me in the first place!
It’s a reminder to me that “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world.”
from “Pippa Passes”
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven -
All’s right with the world!
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Is it possible that in these difficult times we could trust more deeply that God will feed and clothe us, as he does the birds and the lilies? Whether we are literally in need of food, shelter, clothing, water, health, employment or any of a myriad of other needs, the most basic need is for the ideas that will lead us in the right direction and out of limitation.
Ideas are always limitless! (This goes along with the short movie I posted earlier.)
Not too long ago while pondering how I should schedule my day, though my first inclination the night before had been to get on down the road and back home, I felt it was all right to meander a bit. In doing so, I had a number of interesting conversations with strangers, some welcome time with a friend, and a bit of fashion enjoyment, including some time with perfumes.
After I’d been back on the highway for a while, an electronic sign informed me of an accident 26 miles down the road. One lane was closed. (I learned later that it had only cleared about an hour before I got there.) If I had hurried my way home, I would have been stuck for hours while they cleared the road. I was able to get past it without any lost time.
Sometimes we do not know what we or others are protected from, but this time it was apparent. And it could have been far worse, but thankfully wasn’t. On this busy stretch of road, many more could have been involved in this accident but were not.
That’s just a small example of how ideas will clear our day for us. Expect ideas today and always that will help you!
Karin
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September 18th, 2008 — Perfumes
Considering that everyone and his brother, practically, now has bespoke fragrances, and some are priced in the stratosphere, if you were interested in only one bespoke fragrance, what line would you pursue and why?
If price were no object, what line would you choose?
And if price is an object, what line would you choose?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Karin
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July 14th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
When I was asked to be part of the ones who mentioned their 25 all-time favorites today, I was pleased to be a part of it! While bread is the staff of life, perfume is the essence of life. What would bread be, without the scent wafting from the oven or as we eat it!
There are many ways to delineate this, and I’m going to use some of each: houses, notes, personal history to me…
I really couldn’t keep it to 25, not when I consider adding my favorite niche houses and vintage (which we weren’t supposed to include.)
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed cataloguing them. I tried to include a wide price range, from very inexpensive up to the more pricier ones. Let me know your thoughts!
Karin
See the others here:
Ayala
PerfumeShrine
Gaia, thenonblonde
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To start off:
For Men (or women — I wear them)
Angel pour homme by Thierry Muglier
L’instant pour homme by Guerlain
Isfahan pour homme by Ormande Jayne
Obsession pour homme
Old Spice
Ormonde Man by Ormande Jayne
Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens
Cedre by Serge Lutens
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Perfumes that have a personal history for me:
Coco (this smells wonderful on my daughter-in-law)
Desert Flower or Intimate (my mother wore these well, may her memory be a blessing)
Rive Gauche (vintage)
Shalimar (vintage) (or parfum today)
Tabu, its headiness for that day
80’s fragrances that smelled great on others, but were way too strong for me.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
By Houses:
If I listed them under notes, for the most part I didn’t list them under Houses.
Bond No 9
Chinatown
Scent of Peace
Caron (gotta mention them)
Chanel
Bois des Iles
Cuir de Russe
Cristalle, No 5, 19, 22 (Though I don’t wear them well, they need to be mentioned as classics.)
Dior
Dioresscence
Dolce Vita (I wore this a lot when it first came out.)
Miss Dior
Guerlain (I could mention more.)
AA Mentafolia
Attrape-Coeur / Guet-Apens
Chamade
Chant d’aromes
Parure
Mitsouko
Vega
Vol de Nuit
Estee Lauder (I like the solids, especially.)
White Linen with Cinnabar (I used to wear this.)
Sensuous (Haven’t bought this yet, but I likely will.)
Youth Dew
Hermes
Caleche Fleurs de Mediteranee (Neiman Marcus only)
Hiris
Eau des Merveilles
Un Jardin sur le Nil
Un Jardin Mediteranee
Vetiver Tonka
L’Artisan
Ananas Fizz
Bois Farine
Fou d’Absinthe
Mure et musc
Timbuktu
YSL
Nu
Opium
Rive Gauche (vintage, I cannot tell a lie)
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Notes
I generally put categories here that I don’t wear a lot of or that stand alone, like Lily of the Valley.
almond
Cinema by YSL
Poison Hypnotic by Dior
Rose (Generally I cannot wear rose — there are a few more I could add, if you are interested.)
Bvlgari Rose Essentielle
Elle (modern rose) v. Paris (which I cannot wear) by YSL
Kelly Caleche by Hermes
Stella
T’aif by Ormonde Jayne
Lily of the Valley
Diorissimo
Floral
Bvlgari or Voile de Jasmine by Bvlgari
Cristobal by Balenciaga (beautiful bottle!)
Heure Exquise by Annick Goutal (aldehydic also)
Flower by Kenzo Oriental
Kenzo Flower le parfum (red bottle)
L ‘ i n s p i r a t r i c e by Divine
Madame Rochas by Rochas (aldyhydic also)
Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana
Gourmand
Angel, when in the mood, esp the extrait
Incense
Angelique Encens by Creed
Iris
Bois d’ Iris The Different Company
Infusion d’Iris by Prada
Iris Ganache by Guerlain (beautiful bottle, a little sweet for me.)
Iris by Molinard
Iris Poudre by Malle
Orange (I could have added a lot more to this as it is one of my favorite notes.)
Bigarade Concentree by Malle
Mandragore by Annick Goutal
Sweet Patchouli (yum!)
Ayala and Neil Morris
Prada
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
Woods (love ‘em!)
Chypre
Cabochard by Gres (vintage parfum) (Miss Balmain, which I cannot wear, takes this to the limit.)
Knowing by Estee Lauder (A little goes a long way, unless this is your Holy Grail, but don’t knock someone out! Again, I like
the solid.)
Greens
Cialenga by Balenciaga
Oriental/Spicy
Anne Pliska
E. Coudray Nohiba
Euphoria by Calvin Klein
Le Baiser Du Dragon by Cartier
Organza Indecence by Givenchy
Prada
Tolu Ormonde Jayne
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Niche Houses
Andy Tauer (He has some fabulous fragrances.)
L’air du desert marocain
Ayala (Let her help you choose what you like in samples. Lovely fragrances!)
Espionage
Film Noir
Finjan
DSH(I love all the ones I’ve chosen to sample. A very deep line of scents.)
MPG (Love these!)
Or des Indes
Secrete Datura
Neil Morris (Each that I sampled was delicious — choose notes you love.)
Dark Earth
Dark Season
Ormonde Jayne (I bought the sample set and liked them all.)
Serge Lutens (Simply choose what you like.)
His Bois series
Sonoma Scent (Reasonably priced, well made. Choose what you love. Laurie is great!)
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Strictly for fun
Avon/Mark
Tahitian Holiday
Greek Isles
. . . . .
Any fragranced lotion you like from Make Me Smooth or Bathed and Infused. They are so reasonably priced, you can choose a bunch! Go by notes you like. I’ve only been wrong for me a couple of times. And they’ve been right for someone else.
. . . . .
Pink Sugar by Aquolina, layers well. Takes the harshness off fragrances that may seem too dark. Conversely, they balance the intense sweetness of this.
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July 5th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
I have been remiss in reviewing this scent. I’ve had it now for a couple of weeks because a generous POL’er shared some with me. I have no excuse not to have reviewed it sooner, or expressed my thanks in this way, but it is summer and life is in the way.
I probably have more Guerlain fragrances than any other house. I still remember how vintage Shalimar smelled when I wore it in the dead of winter, snow on the ground, the scent of fireplaces in the air. It was amazing. (A friend told me that it smelled best on her when she was still smoking — the mix of the perfume with tobacco was intoxicating.) I’ve moved past this scent, though I still like it on occasion.
I had high hopes for Sous le Vent!
This is one that I would like to spritz more heavily to see how it really does. I’m being wildly cautious, making my sample last, but giving it more than one try.
The notes are:
Notes: lavender, tarragon, basilic, citrus, carnation, oakmoss, iris, woods, patchouli. [It is said to be a leathery chypre.]
Sous le Vent came out originally in 1933 and was created for (or worn by) Joséphine Baker who would drench herself in the luxury of it. It is easy to see how one could drench oneself, as it is not over powering.
Some say it smells heavily of lavender. I’m very grateful I don’t smell (much) lavender on me, because it isn’t one of my favorites.
On me, the predominant over-all feel is salt or salty leather. This salty-air feeling gives the impression of the trade winds blowing near an ocean getaway. I am ready to go! This contributes to a dry feeling. It’s a place I’d like to visit, compared to my hot and humid area, even if we do get breezes.
The iris is not powdery. The patchouli is a whisper; it is not heavy. I had hoped to smell more of the tarragon, which is a spice I truly love — and I love the smell of tarragon.
The question for me, which has yet to be settled, is if this fragrance on me has too much of a masculine feel to it. Perhaps that is the lavender which I sense only as a periphery, a note that gets me in trouble if it predominates. If this is the scent that wafts its way through the whole, I will have to pass, but if it is dry, salty, and airy it would have a place in my scent lineup. Time will tell!
Karin
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July 5th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
Over the past few weeks I’ve sampled small bits of Sensuous because one of the local store’s SAs was sharing her own small purse size with customers. I liked it well enough to try a larger spritz when the full size bottle came in.
I’ve had a love/hate affair with Lauder fragrances through the years. One of the nicest combos, which never fails to get me compliments, is layering Cinnabar with White Linen. They are better together on me, than separate. But it is big and bold.
My late mother-in-law smelled amazing in Estee, which does nothing on me. Another relative used way too much Private Collection for my taste. Rooms where she had been still held her fragrance after she left.
My sister wears Beautiful wonderfully! That is her Lauder signature fragrance.
For the most part Lauder fragrances are too in-your-face for my tastes. They just don’t soften down on me. For example, Knowing, in very small amounts is OK. Unfortunately most people that wear it wear it far too heavily. I know one woman who wears it extremely well, and if it smelled like that on me, it would be my Holy Grail scent.
What I find interesting about Sensuous is that I cannot smell it at first. I have to get right on top of myself to catch even the smallest whiff. (College Girl said she could smell it right away, and she liked it. She feels it is an evening scent.) But the longer I wear it (it’s been on about 5 hours now) the better it smells and the more I can smell it. It stays close to the skin, but if I move quickly I know I’m wearing it. Right now I feel elegantly wrapped in the scent. It is not too strong or sweet. It isn’t cloying or flowery. Classified as woody amber, it is a lush wood, with a hint of amber. Both of which smell real, not artificial or like plastic. In a way, it has a caramel aspect to it, a kind of gourmand. I suspect it is the honey that gives it that richness. But as I said, it is not sweet.
The notes of Sensuous are:
Ghost Lily Accord, Magnolia, Jasmine, Molten Woods, Amber, Black Pepper, Mandarin Pulp and Honey.
Who knows what molten woods are! Perhaps it is giving the impression that it is not woods on a snowy night, nor woods that are burning in your fireplace, but if you could melt them, so that they permeate the recipe you are preparing (or eating), that gives you a sense of it.
Warm, lush, sensuous with an understated elegance. I think it’s a winner. Sensuous was created by perfumer, Annie Buzantian at Firmenich.
I would not purchase a fragrance, if I didn’t like the opening. If I have to hold my breath for the first few minutes to get to a drydown that I like, I have too many perfumes that I like from the get-go to bother. But this fragrance sneaks up on me. I don’t care that I can’t smell the beginning. It doesn’t offend me. And I really, really like the dry down.
I would love to smell this on a man.
There is an upcoming gwp at Neiman Marcus, a perfect time to get it, but you’ll have to wait until August 3. OTOH, you can pre-order and they will throw in something else to the gift.
Karin
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June 28th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
Between L’artisan and Serge Lutens were testers from The Different Company. Since I love Bois d’Iris, I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to at least try one of them.
Bois d’Iris notes
iris (iris pallida aka “the Fastuous” or iris florentina), vetiver, bergamot, cedar wood, narcissus, geranium, musk
I decided to sample Un Parfum des Sens et Bois as much because I like woodsy notes as that I like several of Serge Lutens ‘Bois’ fragrances.
Un Parfum des Sens et Bois notes
Chinese Cedarwood, White Violet, Black Pepper, Elemi, Ginger, Patchouli, Vervain, Bergamot, and Incense.
Of the ones I tried, this was not on my list of favorites. It was more pungent than it was sweet or spicy. The predominate notes on me were pepper, ginger and incense. It was more masculine than I usually wear, and I would love to smell it on a man.
So there you have it, three companies sampled in one day. At least two that were bottle worthy. I might order decants before I get down to smell these in person again. I wish I had them tonight!
Karin
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June 28th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
Moving on to Serge Lutens from L’artisan:
Ahhhh… Oh my. This is the first time I’ve seen so many Lutens fragrances in one place since I was in Paris. On that trip I was overwhelmed by the choices, didn’t really know the offerings, and felt confused enough not to make a choice. Then a generous POL’er (you know who you are) sent me from Europe a wonderful selection of sample vials so that I could really try them at my leisure. I went on to order several decants and a couple of partial bottles.
This week I sampled Rousse, Datura Noir, and Miel de Bois.
Miel de Bois is practically straight honey. I prefer L’Occitane’s Honey and Lemon which has less honey predominating:
Miel de Bois:
Notes of honey and woods with top notes of ebony, gaiac and oak wood, middle notes of honey and bottom notes of beeswax, iris and hawthorn.
Honey and Lemon:
lemon and citrus fruit, golden honey, vanilla and caramel scents.
I liked this Datura Noir quite a bit, but I have Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier’s Secrete Datura* and while not the same, it gave me pause to think of getting this one. I look forward to putting it on skin again, and comparing it to SD.
Datura Noir
Notes of myrrh, bitter almond, tonka bean, and musk, heliotrope, mandarin, lemon flower, and tuberose, vanilla, coconut oil, and apricot.
My favorite of what I tried was Rousse . I fell in love with this one, but I would want to sample it comparing it to Fou d’Absinthe on my next trip, unless I simply decide to bite the bullet and get both. Rousse was created by Chris Sheldrake. Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices, so to have it in a fragrance that is more than gourmand, is a delight.
I expected it to be like Chypre Rouge, which I find masculine, but it is not. Rousse is certainly wearable by a man; it is equally wearable for me.
Rousse
notes of mandarin, cinnamon, cloves, spices, floral & aromatic notes, fruit, cinnamon wood, precious woods, amber, musk and vanilla.
Now, I would be completely happy concerning fragrance if I had one or both of the ones I loved — but then would I be on the hunt for more? Yes, probably, but I’ve resigned myself to the knowledge that there are so many new offerings that it is impossible to test all of them. I must be satisfied with the few.
There were a couple Lutens I didn’t care for, but I didn’t write their names on the cards, and I am having trouble recognizing the names as I look for them, so I will have to have an addendum when I sample them again.
Karin
Secrete Datura’s notes:
Notes: Datura, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Chocolate
Top: intermingles the lily, heliotrope and lemon.
Mid: jasmin, honeysickle, wallflower and orange blossom,
base: iris, vanilla, chocolate, and sandalwood.
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June 28th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
This week when I headed to a major city a few hours away, I thought I’d check out the perfumes at Neiman Marcus, because I knew they had L’Artisan and also Serge Lutens. The last time I was in a NM closer to home, they had neither.
I planned to treat myself, but ended up not choosing anything, because my idea of what I thought I wanted was different from what my sense of smell was telling me. I’ll check them out again, before I decide, and by then, a decant might be enough until I really know that what I want is FBW. The SA was helpful to me without being pushy. She was happy to let me spray cards and give some thought to the selections.
I sampled the following L’Artisan’s: Timbuktu, Passage d’enfer, La Chasse Aux Papillion, and Fou d’Absinthe. They didn’t have Dzing ! or Dzongkha or Poivre Piquant or Ananas Fizz (I love this one and might have bought more) or Navegar in a tester, unless they were in another location.
My favorite of the ones I tested was Fou d’Absinthe, which smelled lush and spicy. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect this would be my favorite. I have never had Absinthe, so I don’t know how well it compares. I only know it was spicy and delicious, without being heavy or overbearing. It was a delightful surprise.
Fou d’Absinthe
Notes: absinthe, angelica, blackcurrant buds, star anise, four-spices, patchouli, pine needles, labdanum, fir balsam
Perfumer: Olivia Giacobetti
Passage d’enfer is a fragrance well beloved by many, but I can’t smell it on me –or on the card — or it is so light that it operates below my radar. To my knowledge, so far, it is the only fragrance I’ve ever smelled that I can’t smell. I had hoped that in larger quantities, I might be able to smell it. OTOH, if I would have had to use so much in order to smell it that it would have knocked out anyone around me who could smell it, it would not have been good! It is said to be incensy and hypnotic, but you couldn’t prove it by me. Can you smell this one? Do you wear it? What category of fragrance do you usually wear?
Passage d’Enfer
Notes : white lily, frankincense, aloe, white musk
I was already familiar with Timbuktu, and I like it because it is spicy which I love, but it is similar to others I have, so I would prefer something different; I just wasn’t sure what. I was willing to spritz it again to see if it called my name.
La Chasse aux Papillion is one that is loved by many people, so I wanted to sample it. I have to be careful, because it is mostly white flowers, but it is different enough that I think I can get away with it. I was, however, afraid to try it on my skin because of how this category reacts on me. I might try it on skin the next time, but I likely would buy something spicy.
La Chasse aux Papillons
Chasing Butterflies!
Notes: bergamot, lemon, pink pepper, orange blossom, lemon blossom, linden blossom, tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang
Perfumer: Anne Flipo
I was surprised they didn’t have Ananas Fizz, simply because it is a lovely summer time fragrance. I’ve reviewed it before. Perhaps they had it to sell, but not to sample. It is subtle and elegant, not fruity or too sweet.
Notes: Pink Grapefruit, Bitter orange, Rum, Victoria Pineapple, Lychee Sap, Cocoa Milk and Vanilla.
Next I moved to the Serge Lutens counter. That will be my next post.
Karin
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June 25th, 2008 — Perfume review, Perfumes
If you like any of the beachy smelling perfumes, such as Estee Lauder’s or Tom Ford’s, then check out Avon’s Tahitian Holiday for a fraction of the cost — while it is being introduced it is only $9.99, later it will be $15, still a bargain.
This scent smells a whole lot richer than the price! One of my daughter’s loves it and would like some of her own.
First, I have to say I’m not a fan of either Estee Lauder’s from last year or this year, but I like Tahitian Holiday. (Not to mention I’d like to go on a real Tahitian holiday!) To me, and on me, Estee Lauder’s grabbed the oiliness of the scents, and I was afraid over time it would smell rancid. Second, when it smells so much like suntan oil, why bother paying for a perfume, just use suntan oil…
The notes of Tahitian Holiday are:
Ginger, tiare, coconut oil, musk, monoi oil (evidently monoi oil is tiare flower and coconut oil.)
There is enough coconut to balance the tiare, and while there is a beachy/oily/coconut smell, it smells like fragrance, not suntan lotion.
I bought the edt spray. I have not tried the body spritz (now $6.99, will be $9) which is dual-phase (it includes moisturizing oil.) They say it cools, moisturizes and refreshes (that’s 3-phase.) (I didn’t notice that it separated in the bottle, so I’m assuming it didn’t and is thus blended well.)
There is also a shimmering body lotion ($5.99, will be $7) and a hair mist ($5.99, will be $7) that is a leave-in treatment with moisturizers and UV filters.
I’ve also ordered Meet Mark’s Instant Vacation Greek Isles. I’ll let you know more about that one when I try it in quantity vs. a small sample. I loved my time in Greece, so this will give me some memories.
Karin
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