Savvy Thinker » Chocolate http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:15:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Ah, sweet licorice in tea and chocolate and perfumes http://savvythinker.com/ah-sweet-licorice-in-tea-and-chocolate-and-perfumes/ http://savvythinker.com/ah-sweet-licorice-in-tea-and-chocolate-and-perfumes/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:52:51 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/03/05/ah-sweet-licorice-in-tea-and-chocolate-and-perfumes/

I'm not one to eat a lot of black licorice, but I do like it.

When our son was five, we had one of our most beloved exchange students from Finland. He came when he was 17, and until he was in our house, we didn't realize he was a twin. His brother spent the year in Maine, but on various school holidays he came to visit us or our student went there. During the year his parents and their older sisters also visited us. It was a grand year.

I'd always said I wanted twins, but I never thought I would get them in this manner. I skipped the bulk of the work.

One of the things he introduced me to was Finnish chocolate which is quite superb.

When I visited Helsinki a number of years later, I asked that they stock some of this chocolate for me. Imagine my dismay when his wife said she got me something better. It turned out to be chocolate with black licorice pieces in it. Who'd ever heard of such a thing!

Actually, it wasn't bad. Finns probably eat more licorice per capita than any other country. And when I especially miss him and Finland, I wish for some of the chocolate with licorice which is not to be found in these parts. I've been known to eat a piece of licorice with a piece of chocolate, but it isn't quite the same.

Two of my favorite perfumes are by Lolita Lempica:

with licorice flowers, anise seeds and violets, touches of veviter, tonka bean, vanilla and musk. Its a lovely blend in a beautiful bottle shaped like an apple. (Each bottle has the same shape, just with different colored decorations.)

Lolita Lempicka Midnight (Limited Edition) was introduced in 2004. It is a deeper juice with notes of Aniseed, Ivy, Myrrh, Iris, Amarena, Violet, Jasmine, Tonka Bean, Musk, Vetiver, Benzoin, and Vanilla. Its bottle is also beautiful.

And at one time there was a purse roll-on decorated in the same manner, quite lovely. I actually found it: Lolita Lempicka Midnight Fragrance .24oz ROLL-ON FRAGRANCE CONCENTRE DE PARFUM. It makes me feel good when I am carrying this with me.

To my nose, they smell very similar. But Midnight is headier. Except for the beauty of the bottles, you could choose one over the other and likely not miss the other one.

There is also a lighter version: Lolita Lempicka Eau Legere Light Fragrance Spray (Tester)

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin for Men is the men's version, introduced in 2000. It is complementary to the women's versions and includes notes of licorice, vanilla, rum, cedar and bark. For myself on myself, I prefer the women's to the men's. The women's is sweeter. The men's is sharper and woodier.

I am quite surprised to see how much perfumes are discounted, if you know to look. Testers are generally discounted a bit more, but sometimes they do not include a cap. In the case of the women's Lolitas, there are no caps, so it is a moot point, making a tester a good buy. I've found through experience that I miss the cap, at least on some bottles.

And on the subject of teas again, there are two herbal teas with licorice that I love: Stash Wild Raspberry tea (hibiscus flowers, rosehips, orange peel, lemongrass, licorice powder, citric acid, raspberry and natural flavors) and Stash Licorice Spice tea (with licorice root, cinnamon, orange peel, star anise, sarsaparilla, vanilla, cardamon, and clove.) They both taste as good as they smell. I wouldn't mind a fragrance in either one.

Karin

And here is Finnish Idols 2007: Ari Koivunen singing Perfect Strangers. Whatta voice! I look forward to seeing him mature.

Originally posted 2007-03-05 07:17:45.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/ah-sweet-licorice-in-tea-and-chocolate-and-perfumes/feed/ 3 Comparing Guerlain Moscow to Chanel Coromandel http://savvythinker.com/comparing-guerlain-moscow-to-chanel-coromandel/ http://savvythinker.com/comparing-guerlain-moscow-to-chanel-coromandel/#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:36:53 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5981

I'm laughing at myself today. Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do!

I have so many fragrances that sometimes it is hard to choose, and if it's been a while since I've worn something, I need a scent nudge to remember how it smells on me or how it makes me feel or how it enhances my mood. But I don't want to pick the wrong scent for the day, because if it doesn't match what I hoped for, I'd be better off going scentless.

Yesterday I wore Guerlain 68 for a while, but it wasn't doing it for me. It didn't have enough going for it or for me. I'm looking for a deeper fragrance to match the weather, I guess.

I've been thinking of Coromandel for a couple of days, but first I was drawn today to Moscow. Then I thought, why not wear both at the same time, not one later, you might like it!

So I have Moscow on my left arm and Coromandel on my right. I smell good!

And to top it off, I'm burning a scent tart Autumn Fruit by Yankee Candle. That's yummy too. Interesting that they all go together.

The stars have aligned!

Moscow Notes: Musk, fruit, wood...vanilla, bergamot, red currants, absinthe, lemon, plum

Coromandel Notes~ "named for the Chinese lacquered screens Gabrielle Chanel collected, is a spirited oriental with amber and dry notes". Orange peel, frankincense, patchouli, chocolate, vanilla.


Coromandel is much more in your face. It overpowers Moscow on the first spritz, but as it settles down, the two are equals.

Moscow has a little more fruit (plummy) but this is not a teeny-bop fruit, oh no! This is grown up.

And Coromandel has that patchouli-chocolate thang going for it. I'm a sucker for both, unless the chocolate is fake smelling or the patchouli is too dry. This is just perfect.

Often if I layer a fragrance, I just spritz one on top of the other, but this I believe I would do exactly the same again. Each is more interesting with the other, but I would not want them blended. I like the distinctness of them both, and I get to enjoy two fragrances, not one.

If you like plum
Another plum is Rochas Femme, but I don't wear it as well.

Notes for Femme
Top Notes: Peach, plum, bergamot, lemon, rosewood
Heart Notes: Ylang-ylang, jasmine, May rose, clove, orris
Base Notes: Musk, amber, oakmoss, vanilla, patchouli, benzoin, leather

You might also like
Ghost (deep night) (pretty bottle too, it looks like the moon.)

top: hibiscus, rose petals and ambrette grains.
mid: Jasmine, spicy sandalwood and warm frankincense tones
base: vanilla, musk, ambergris and apricots

Notes: Rose, apricot, peach, vanilla, musk

So, asking a friend which she prefers, she likes them both, but Moscow might have the edge. But I love what Coromandel is bringing to it, having the edginess of the patchouli-chocolate along with it. I actually like them both together better than I've liked either one of them alone.

Do you wear either of these?
Do you have a favorite chocolate? patchouli? plum or fruit?

And I'm listening to Christmas music on my iPod -- jazz at the moment. I hope you are having a great day!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-12-10 12:18:03.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/comparing-guerlain-moscow-to-chanel-coromandel/feed/ 0 A sweet patchouli kind of day http://savvythinker.com/a-sweet-patchouli-kind-of-day/ http://savvythinker.com/a-sweet-patchouli-kind-of-day/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:32:37 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/05/16/a-sweet-patchouli-kind-of-day/

Sometimes only patchouli will do, but not the strong, sour kind of headshop patchouli left over from the 60's. I'm talkin' about sweet patchouli.

I've already been sidetracked a couple of times today trying to write up my impressions, so this might be the short version just to get it on the table, and then I may expand it.

For the past two days I've been trying out Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 on one arm and Prada on the other. The '1834' of the name supposedly refers to the year when patchouli leaves were first wrapped to ward off moths in bales of silk shipped to Europe.

At any rate, I think I smell quite good!

Borneo 1834 has notes of “florals”, galbanum, Indonesian patchouli, cacao, camphor, cardamom, cistus, and labdanum.

Prada: Italian Bergamot Oil, Orange Oil, Bitter Orange Oil, Mandarin Flower, Mimosa India, Rose Absolute ABS, Schinus Molle ABS LMR, Peru Balsam, Patchouli Oil LMR, Raspberry Flower, Labdanum Resinoide LMR, Tonka Bean , Musk, Sandalwood Oil. Amber fragrance with 4 dimensions.

A while back I tried Borneo on one arm and Yves Rocher's Cocoon on the other. I have to be careful with Cocoon as it is so strong on me. Or, perhaps it is that I want to change during the day, and it is still very present. I get tired of its strength. YR's Cocoon has more chocolate and even a vanilla presence, whereas Borneo is much stronger with patchouli. Of course Borneo is a lot more money! Of the two, Cocoon is stronger on me and more one-dimensional. Borneo (which I am not spraying, as I only have a sample) is quite gentle. Of the two, I liked Borneo better. I would wear Cocoon if I diluted it with unscented lotion, for example. Borneo I would wear just by itself.

Cocoon notes: vanilla, chocolate, sandalwood, and patchouli. Spicy, woody, oriental notes.

The first year Prada came out, I wore it a lot. It had everything going for it. It was strong, but not too strong. It went through various stages, and it was just different. Then I stopped wearing it, as I explored other fragrances and families of fragrance.

As I wore Borneo, it reminded me of Prada. That's why I decided to test them out against each other. If I were to say, Borneo transports me to another time and place, and it isn't the 60s. Prada is a modern rendition, and I stay in this time and place.

At various times today, I asked several people which of my two fragrances they liked the best. They all picked Prada. By comparison, one said Borneo smelled sour. I don't think they would have thought that, if I had been wearing only Borneo. Surprisingly, Prada did not smell heavy to me today, perhaps since I've been away from it so long, and also because I did not spray it, since I wasn't spraying Borneo.

To me, they are both sweet. And I liked them both. I want to buy Borneo. Unfortunately for us Americans, it is in Serge Lutens non-export line, so available only in Les Salons du Palais Royal in Paris, where it retails for 100 Euros for 75ml. They will not ship it to the US, but they will ship it to other places in Europe, where if you have a friend, they will ship it to you. I was fortunate that a perfume friend sent me part of her sample, thinking she didn't like it. But when she divided it up to send, she realized she liked it more than she thought so she began to wear it again.

Have I said I want to go back to Paris?

Do you wear any of these? Which is your favorite? Do you wear them all, just depending on the day or your mood or the weather?

You know, when you want patchouli, then only patchouli will do. And it is nice that it is not going back to the 60s, but forward to the 2010's.

Karin

I wrote about Borneo and Cocoon earlier, if you go here.

Originally posted 2007-05-16 21:21:07.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/a-sweet-patchouli-kind-of-day/feed/ 0 When only orange will do http://savvythinker.com/when-only-orange-will-do/ http://savvythinker.com/when-only-orange-will-do/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 19:42:41 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/03/04/when-only-orange-will-do/

I got to thinking about the favorite summer fragrances I recently posted and realized I have a number of sweet orange fragrances which I have talked about in the past. I decided to update my list. Edited to include Atelier Orange Sanguine.

I am wearing these everyday, starting with one as I feel like it, then layering up to another. It's the right time of year!

There are times when I hanker after orange in perfumes. I don't care for orange blossom in most fragrances because white florals usually take a nasty turn on me; it is the sweet orange of the juice that I want to wear for fragrance.

Citrus is a top note, a fleeting concept, quick to disappear, leaving the other notes to anchor the fragrance. But when it lingers, it is enjoyable. It is a precursor to spring and refreshing in the summer.

When orange juice is in season and fresh from the grove, squeezed in such a way to eliminate all bitterness from the skin or pulp, it is sunshine in a glass. This is the fragrance I want. I have bought cream and lotion from the grove. They are delightfully fragrant, but not long lasting. And it tends to smell more like an orange creamsicle than just orange. The only edp they sell is orange blossom, which I do not wear.

Some of my favorites in this category are:

Atelier Orange Sanguine
Not as fleeting as some. It is slightly bitter in the dry down. Surprisingly the base notes are not heavy or sweet in this one.

Notes:
• Top notes: blood orange, bitter orange
• Heart notes: jasmine, geranium from South Africa
• Base notes: amber woods, tonka beans, sandalwood

L'Occitane Ruban d'Orange Eau de Toilette, new for the holidays in 2006, is rich in the natural essential oils of citrus fruits from the Mediterranean. The spray edt is not particularly sweet and could easily be worn by a man. I especially love the the Shower Gel which is enriched with softening pulp concentrate and the Soft Skin Milk. Both of these are sweeter than the edt. You can find these either at a L'Occitane store or through their website. I like the lotion.

I Love Love Cheap and Chic by Moschino is a sweet orange scent with notes of Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Redcurrant, Tea Rose, Lily of the Valley, Cinnamon Leaves, Musk, Cedar, Tonka Wood. The only notes I smell are the citrus, mostly orange. It is light and effervescent.

Couture by Moschino is a headier citrus scent. It has notes of Bergamot, Mandarin, Pepper, Peonies, Jasmine Pomegranate Flower, Poppy Seed, Vanilla, Cedarwood. The Bergamot and Mandarin waft through the fragrance, but are less predominant than they are in I Love Love.

Sonoma Scent Studio is another company that I love. Laurie's fragrances are lovely. Her Constant Comment scent smells like Constant Comment tea, but is sweetly orange throughout, while anchored with the cinnamon. I hope she offers it again.

Mandragore By Annick Goutal is lush and fresh, woody and elegant with notes of Bergamot, mandrake (which makes it quite unique), black pepper, and ginger. It's one of my favorites and lasts well. This is the same for men and women. The only difference is the bottle.

While in a drug store in Innsbruck, I found fragrances by Accord Parfait. They are quite inexpensive. I bought 3 of them. One is a chypre: The Noir and Bergamote. It is quite lovely, but is more black tea than bergamot, as the bergamot leaves the fragrance. This is another one that could easily be worn by a man.

The Body Shop has an energizing Bergamot Body Mist. It is lovely to add to others to give them a boost, but extremely fleeting.

Bigarade Concentree by Frederic Malle, created by Jean-Claude Ellena has notes of Bitter Orange, Cardamom, Pepper, Rose, Hay, Aldehyde. It is a lovely fragrance, but not very long lasting.

I just used it over Mary Kay TimeWise Body™ Hand and Décolleté Cream and it is still going strong 45 mins later. Super staying power with this as the base.

Victoria Secret's Very Sexy Now is full of blood orange ... plus notes of pineapple juice, hazelnut leaf, purple freesia, peony, nutmeg, sandalwood, grapefruit wood, tonka bean, and vanilla. Unfortunately it was a limited edition, so I don't know how easy it will be to find. I still love it! I did not care for the body oil in this. It had lovely sparkle, but was very oily. The fragrance dissipated too quickly in the oil form. There are a number of similar reincarnations.

Fendi Theorema smells like chocolate oranges with notes of jasmine, amber,vanilla, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood.

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Sanguine Muskissime has notes of Morrocan blood oranges, bergamot and tangerine with musk. On me, the musk is predominant and spoils it for me.

Do you like orange? what do you wear in it?

Karin

BATH AND & BODY WORKS ORANGE SAPPHIRE EDT EAU DE TOILETTE 2.5 OZ PERFUME SPLASH BATH AND & BODY WORKS ORANGE SAPPHIRE EDT EAU DE TOILETTE 2.5 OZ PERFUME SPLASH Paypal 0 Bid US $14.99 2h 52m
NIB Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Natural Soap NIB Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Natural Soap Paypal US $5.00 3h 37m
20 Jo Malone Cologne ORANGE BLOSSOM Spray Sample 20 Jo Malone Cologne ORANGE BLOSSOM Spray Sample Paypal US $34.00 3h 54m
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BLOOD ORANGE VANILLA Concentrated Pure Perfume Roll On BLOOD ORANGE VANILLA Concentrated Pure Perfume Roll On Paypal US $7.25 5h 45m
6 FRENCH LIME BLOSSOM + 6 ORANGE BLOSSOM Jo Malone 6 FRENCH LIME BLOSSOM + 6 ORANGE BLOSSOM Jo Malone Paypal US $22.50 6h 10m
Bath & Body Works Bath & Body Works"Orange Saphire" Full Size (Hard to Find) Fragrance Mist Paypal 3 Bids US $2.26 6h 22m
BOSS ORANGE * Hugo Boss 1.7 / 1.6 perfume 3 PC Gift Set BOSS ORANGE * Hugo Boss 1.7 / 1.6 perfume 3 PC Gift Set Paypal 0 Bid US $46.05 6h 28m
~HEAVENLY NEW C.O. BIGELOW ORANGE BLOSSOM & LEMON EAU DE PARFUM~BATH BODY WORKS~ ~HEAVENLY NEW C.O. BIGELOW ORANGE BLOSSOM & LEMON EAU DE PARFUM~BATH BODY WORKS~ Paypal 1 Bid US $14.95 6h 34m

Originally posted 2010-04-06 10:20:25.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/when-only-orange-will-do/feed/ 2 Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 http://savvythinker.com/serge-lutens-borneo-1834/ http://savvythinker.com/serge-lutens-borneo-1834/#comments Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:15:32 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/03/02/serge-lutens-borneo-1834/

Thanks to a friend at POL, I finally have a bit of Borneo to sample.

I've been waiting a long time to catch a whiff of this one. Frankly, I wasn't really eager because of how it has sometimes been presented: camphor and patchouli. Two highly possible negatives.

Camphor wouldn't interest me, but patchouli is a favorite, provided it is the right presentation of it. Patchouli has many different manifestations, some of which are just too dark and bitter or 70's for me to wear. But the patchouli in Borneo is my favorite kind -- it's heady on the sweetness, similar to that found in Prada By Prada For Women..

Wow! My sample is not a spray, but this is a love from the first blast. Loads of sweet patchouli...even when daubed on. There's something sensual about applying a fragrance in drops, made doubly so, when the fragrance is sensual to begin with.

It reminds me a bit of Yves Rocher's Cocoon, which is a much less expensive version. But whereas Borneo is deliciously smooth and holds close to my skin, Cocoon is brass and wild and stronger through all the layers of notes, including the chocolate. Another way I'd describe it would be that Cocoon feels a bit artificial, whereas Borneo has no feeling of artifice in it. For me, I find Borneo far more wearable -- darn! (I expected it.)

Well, never say I don't have expensive tastes. I generally like the best.

I decided today, after smelling Borneo from the sample yesterday, that I would try Borneo on one arm and Andy Tauer's L'air du desert marocain on the other. They have notes reminiscent of each other, while being different.

And because I liked it from simply smelling it, I wasn't afraid to really give it a real try the first time I wore it. I was pretty sure it was not going to be a scrubber on me.

Both of them are sweet and hot and dry. Borneo settles quickly into more sweetness and a uniform nature. DM settles into sweet and dry and sensual, while still holding distinct notes that blend but are not lost in each other. Of the two, I can smell DM more strongly, but not so strong I would tire of it over the day. I think I'd have to reapply Borneo to keep pace. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Well, I will have to drag out my Prada again to compare that also a bit later in the day. If you are lucky enough to find a sample or a decant, definitely try Borneo, if you like sweet patchouli.

Borneo 1834, part of the non-export collection, is available only in Les Salons du Palais Royal in Paris, where it retails for 100 Euros for 75ml.

Karin

The notes of Borneo include Indonesian patchouli, white flowers, cardamom, camphor, cistus, galbanum, cannabis resin, cocoa accord.

Originally posted 2007-03-02 12:49:45.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/serge-lutens-borneo-1834/feed/ 1 Layering your scents Iris Ganache with… http://savvythinker.com/layering-your-scents-iris-ganache-with/ http://savvythinker.com/layering-your-scents-iris-ganache-with/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:41:30 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=1204

I often layer my scents, as anyone who knows me will find out. I prefer, if possible, not to wear a scent that is so heavy or long-lasting that I have to wear only it for the entire day. I don't mind changing every couple of hours or morning, afternoon, evening, when a fragrance winds down.

Recently I was looking for something to cut the strength of the never-ending Iris Ganache from Guerlain. Guerlain is probably one of my favorite houses.

I like Iris and I like Chocolate, but something about this fragrance was not working for me. I don't care for the chocolate note in this one, because it doesn't smell rich enough, and it makes the Iris unbearably sweet on me -- and to top it off, on me anyway, the Iris just keeps on trucking and never softening down.

So I sold some decants to make me feel better about a bad buy. (I bought it on the strength of recs from folks who dearly loved it. I do not have a Guerlain store near me in which to smell it before I bought it.) I like spicy, oriental fragrances, but while this one has cinnamon and patchouli, it only smells like sweet Iris. It wasn't oriental at all.

Fragrance notes: Vanilla, Cinnamon, Bergamot, Patchouli, White musks, Cedar, iris, chocolate

The Charnels Elixirs collection includes another chocolate, Gourmand Coquin, that is definitely better on me, but I didn't need two so close to each other. And frankly I was worried that it might be too reminiscent of the IG.

Gourmand Coquin notes: black pepper, rose, rum, chocolate.
black peppercorns and a trickle of chocolate. A dash of rum, and the spice and cocoa bean

When I was at the Guerlain store in the Palazzo in Las Vegas, all of us had fun trying to figure out something that would work to cut the Iris in Iris Ganache. Anything that seemed to work, worked only for about 90 seconds before the Iris came through with a bang and overwhelmed anything else that was with it.

After I was home, Claire Young (who had waited on me) shared a couple of other things he had tried, but when I tried it, the Iris was still overwhelming.

When I layer, with a few exceptions, but especially with Guerlains, I generally stay with the house. (Though I might not with a few exclusive Chanels. They might layer with a different house.) I thought, hmmmm, what do I have on hand that might possibly work?

And I thought what about L'Instant for men? Bingo, it was a go!

FRAGRANCE NOTES - Citrus, Star Anise Crystals, Peppery Elemi from the Philippines, Jasmine petals, Mysore Sandalwood, Lapsang Tea, Bitter Cocoa beans, Hibiscus seeds, Indonesian Patchouli flowers.

It was really exciting to find something that would make this fragrance wearable for me. And the two together are better than they are apart. Even though it was long wearing, it had some extra panache, so I didn't tire of it.

I shared this with Claire. He tried it the next day, and agreed that it worked very well for him too.

If you have one or the other, or both, you might try layering the two, especially if you are near a store that carries both, and you only have one. You might have another find in your repertoire. And if you have both in your stash, you now have a third.

Let me know what you think!

I can't stress enough how helpful the Palazzo Guerlain store is. They are top notch in customer service and follow up. They ship for free and keep in touch after you are gone. Make them your store of choice.

You can reach them at (702) 732-7008 or email them at GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com. Ask for Claire (he's on vacation right now) and tell them that Karin sent you. Kyle was also a help with layering this one -- and Jorganne is the manager.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-02-26 20:38:34.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/layering-your-scents-iris-ganache-with/feed/ 0 Chocolate Rose and Limone Con Chocolate, fragrances for Valentine’s Day http://savvythinker.com/chocolate-rose-and-limone-con-chocolate-fragrances-for-valentines-day/ http://savvythinker.com/chocolate-rose-and-limone-con-chocolate-fragrances-for-valentines-day/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 13:57:05 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/02/04/chocolate-rose-and-limone-con-chocolate-fragrances-for-valentines-day/

These are both available from Make Me Smooth in Canada. They ship in about three weeks, but their products are great. I love the foot cream, and I love the body fluff. Both are scented strong enough to wear for fragrance. I actually prefer the creams to the sprays or dry oils, but I like the hair spray/scent also. It's very nice for your hair to refresh it.

Karin

Chocolate Rose
At first whiff, this scent is all rich, Dark Chocolate with hints of Red Rose, but what follows in the dry down is its true beauty. With subtle additions of White Amber and Vanilla Absolut, this scent is all romance and softness with a rich, steady middle. ~EMS

Limone Con Chocolate
~Limited Edition~ Back for Valentine's & Mother's Day only. Chocolate and Lemon unite with sweet additions of Pink Sugar and melted Caramel Chews Accord. This is a gorgeous twist on Chocolate, very languid and sweet, with a rich and creamy background. ~EMS

Originally posted 2007-02-04 22:21:27.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/chocolate-rose-and-limone-con-chocolate-fragrances-for-valentines-day/feed/ 2 Fendi Theorema http://savvythinker.com/fendi-theorema/ http://savvythinker.com/fendi-theorema/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:40:31 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/03/10/fendi-theorema/

The last couple of days I've felt like wearing FENDI THEOREMA.

The bottle
It has an interesting bottle because it slants upward, making it both a tactile and a visual delight, and the box is handsome and different with an Asian-type closure, as can be seen in the link.

The notes and classification
It has notes of jasmine, amber, vanilla, musk, oakmoss, and sandalwood. Is is classified as an oriental fragrance and is somewhat spicy.

How does the fragrance develop on the skin?
I bought this unsniffed, because I was told by several that it smells like chocolate and oranges. Surprisingly, it does. These notes flow beneath the whole of the fragrance.

It is not a linear fragrance, so it is pleasurable to wear it through the various stages as it develops.

It starts out with a blast of orange/jasmine with bits of chocolate woven underneath. This is the only time it has a sweet aspect, and that part doesn't last long. After a short time the amber, sandal and musk play into the rest of the notes. The dry down is not sweet, but rather, it is interesting, perhaps giving credence to its name Theorema. At that point, it feels like relaxing in an orange grove eating bitter dark chocolate. It has good staying power and wafts gently as I move my arms.

Can it be worn by both men and women?
Yes, I believe it could be worn equally by a man or a woman.

Is this a gourmand fragrance?
I didn't include this, when I first reviewed sweet orange fragrances, but I added it later, because it feels more like orange blossom, as it develops to the base notes.

The chocolate is quite strong, so I'd likely include this with chocolate fragrances that I like.

Do you wear this?
What do you like about it?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2007-03-10 11:45:34.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/fendi-theorema/feed/ 0 Review: Il Profumo Chocolate Amere http://savvythinker.com/review-il-profumo-chocolate-amere/ http://savvythinker.com/review-il-profumo-chocolate-amere/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:25:30 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4893

Chocolate Amere by Il Profumo $135 for 100 ml or $3 for .7 ml at Lucky Scent is chocolate the way it ought to be done.

Lucky Scent carries 16 Il Profumo fragrances.

It is supposed to be for men, but seriously, it's great for women too. It is not like L'Instant for Men, which also has some chocolate. It is more incensy and less sharp.

Do you remember how much I disliked Iris Ganache on me? -- that it was the sort of chocolate scent I didn't care for and way too sweet? Ditto for the Chocolate Base Note from Creative Scentualization...

Chocolate Amere, by contrast, is a semi-dry, almost dark chocolate scent. I'm sure it is the sandalwood and incense that takes it to a new dimension.

Chocolate Amere Notes: galbanum, nutmeg, ginger, flowers, cocoa, sandalwood, incense.

L'Instant for men notes: woody with jasmine, citrus and star anise, then hibiscus, patchouli, sandalwood, lapsang tea and bitter cacao bean.

I find Chocolate Amere a bit sweeter than L'Instant for men. The chocolate is more apparent. Bookgirl pronounces it, "Delicious!" She doesn't care for L'Instant for men.

I find both fragrances similar. She doesn't see any similarities at all. The difference for me is the Patchouli in L'Instant for men. This is a drier Patchouli, not a sweet patchouli, but as it softens, it gets sweeter from the other notes.

Do you wear either of these?
What do you think? I have to be in the mood to wear L'Instant for men, and it has to soften for me to really like it on me. Chocolate Amere creates a mood, is wearable from the beginning, and might even keep me from chocolate, not a bad thing altogether.

Karin
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Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-il-profumo-chocolate-amere/feed/ 0 Iris Ganache by Guerlain http://savvythinker.com/iris-ganache-by-guerlain/ http://savvythinker.com/iris-ganache-by-guerlain/#comments Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:19:35 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/07/07/iris-ganache-by-guerlain/

Guerlain's fifth fragrance in the niche L'Art et la Matière collection is Iris Ganache. The others are Cuir Beluga, Rose Barbare, Angelique Noire, and Bois d'Armenie.

Thierry Wasser was the nose for IG, as well as such diverse fragrances as Calvin Klein Truth (with Jacques Cavallier and Alberto Morillas), Gres Caline (2005), Lancome Hypnose (2005, with Annick Menardo), Mary Kay Domain (2000) and many others.

Sometimes I choose a fragrance by the nose; other times I choose by the house or the notes. I'm not sure I would have chosen by the nose this time, as others of his fragrances I like well enough, but do not wear. Generally, I do love the older Guerlains. I cannot wear Insolence, for example. So based on the notes, the house, and what others had said, I gave it a try.

Iris Ganache includes note of bergamot, iris butter, white chocolate, floral notes, cinnamon, patchouli, white musks, cedarwood and vanilla.

It has been described as either classically Guerlain or as pleasant chocolate powder. I hoped for the former. Some chocolates smell artificial to me. And I didn't care for the white chocolate in Bvlgari's Omnia (I can't smell it). I do love iris. So....I jumped in the deep end and hoped for the best.

I have never had ganache, a mixture of chocolate and cream, that I know of, so I can't compare it to that.

As usual, when I first try a new fragrance, baring a scent strip, I don't spritz very much, just in case it is a scrubber on me. I did not respray as the day moved on, but let it dry down for several hours to see the progression.

It was elegant, but somewhat off-putting to me. I think I might have been getting a hint of Hypnose in it, though the notes wouldn't lead you to think it. I could live with it, but didn't know if I'd reach for it very much. Because I had heard that a wearer of IG received compliments many hours later, I specifically did not respray as I didn't want to mess up the possibility of that.

IG has also been compared to L'Heure Bleu, another fragrance that I can only wear carefully and in certain formulations. Of the two, I prefer IG.

Today, on my second try, I decided to spritz more, as I knew how it progressed on me. This time it is much lovelier. It is one of those fragrances that do better if you spritz more, not less. I may even spritz again, but haven't decided on that yet, to see what that would do. It's been on for about 4 hours. I can still smell it, if I get my nose close to my arm.

In my thought, I am sitting on the sidewalk in Paris eating chocolate with a cup of tea, enjoying the ambiance of the day and the people passing by, while a soft rain falls. It is a little slice of heaven. If I were really there, I'd amble on down to the 68, Champs Elysées Guerlain flagship store to try the other L'Art et la Matière fragrances et al.

IG is also available at Bergdorf Goodman. $200 for 2.5 oz edp.

Have you tried IG?

ps I did reapply, and it added lushness. I may just do it again later. For those of you who apply lavishly, you would know this already. I tend to be sparse as a fragrance can overwhelm me up close and personal.

Karin

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