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

Hermes EAU D'ORANGE VERTE Eau De Cologne Spray Set 3.3 FL. Oz.+ 0.50 FL OZ.

0 Bid

US $82.99

1h 17m

BATH & BODY WORKS NIB 2.5 FL OZ EAU DE TOILETTE ORANGE SAPPHIRE

US $14.99

1h 44m

" BOSS ORANGE " HUGO BOSS Men Cologne 3.3 oz " 3.4 EDT

US $53.63

1h 54m

LOT of 2 NEW Bath & Body Works ORANGE SAPPHIRE Body Mist Splash 8 oz. each

0 Bid

US $12.99

2h 30m

Unisex CARRERA SPEEDWAY KEE LF BLACK CRYSTAL / ORANGE Aviator Sunglasses 63mm-12

US $115.77

2h 49m

Eau D'orange Verte by Hermes EDC Spray 3.4 oz Mens NEW

US $87.29

3h 9m

Hermes D'Orange Verte Cologne Spray Refill 50ml MEN Perfume Fragrance

US $61.32

3h 20m

NEW PACIFICA ROLL_ON PERFUME TUSCAN BLOOD ORANGE .28 fFL OZ 10 ML CHEAP SHIPPING

2 Bids

US $5.75

3h 25m

Boss Orange Hugo Boss for Women 2.5 oz EDT tester

US $41.95

3h 39m

Ralph Lauren Big Pony Collection # 4 Orange. Mens, 4.2 oz, NIB, free beach towel

US $70.00

3h 44m

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

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Today I'm going to write about two of SSS's newer scents: Opal and Femme Jolie. As I've mentioned before, her descriptions are accurate, so if you know you like the notes and the description, give them a try!

Opal
A comforting soft skin musk with just a touch of powder. Sandalwood, vanilla, musk, bergamot, ambrette.

I was drawn to Opal because it is my birthstone. I was intrigued enough to try a sample, even though generally I do not care for musk. I ended up buying a full bottle because it is different than anything else I own, and I think I could layer it to create interest with other fragrances, though I haven't tried that yet.

If I were to liken this to an opal, I would say it is mostly opaque white, but in the right light it has small flashes of color. Over all it is sweet and powdery, but not too sweet and not too powdery. It is likely the skin musk and mandarin that cuts the sweetness. The other notes serve to soften the over all effect. They are not divisible from the whole.

Femme Jolie
A long-lasting woodsy cedar scent composed of woods, soft spices, musk, fruits, and florals. Notes are ginger, cinnamon, clove, plum, peach, orange blossom, violet, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, benzoin, musk.

I wondered if this might be similar to Femme because of the peach. It has some reminiscences, but it is wearable for me, whereas Femme is not one of my better fragrances.

At first scent, it is spicy and woodsy. It reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. As it enters into the drydown, the spiciness softens but is still there, and the woodsiness and fruits take over. Again, it is different than anything I own and would be FBW.

Her pricing is reasonable, but that doesn't speak to the worth of her line. I wish all lines were as accessible in price: oil sample $2.75 edp sample $2.75 1/6 oz oil $18.00 1/2 oz edp $25.00 1 oz edp $39.00. Email her at info@sonomascentstudio.com. Visit her website for more fragrances.

Have you tried any from SSS? Which are your favorites?

What are you wearing today?

Karin

Originally posted 2007-07-05 11:15:01.

Related posts:

1. Sonoma Scent Studio, part 2 I've been fortunate to try several of Laurie's newer scents....
2. Sonoma Scent Studio, part 1 Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio is a very talented...
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2009 was a good year. Any time one's health is good, and that of one's family and friends, it is a good year. Then throw in a few good times, a lotta good perfumes, some good books and movies, and it becomes a very good year indeed.

It's always nice to put some thought into those things we love.

Best Perfumery Trends in 2009:
It has to be oud, which is everywhere, suddenly for us in the west, but always a presence in the east. I am not located in a place easy for access to many of these, so I'm personally limited in knowledge to the ones I've sampled.

Kilian Pure Oud

First, perfumes.
As for perfumes, remember I'm in the back of beyond as far as easily sniffing some of the lines, so if you have a favorite or are a favorite, if I have samples, I'll be glad to add my voice.

Best expensive niche:
Andy Tauer Une Rose Chyprée: A wearable rose, with vintage aspects, not quite dirty.
Anything by Ormonde Jayne or Andy Tauer or Ayala Moriel or Neil Morris or...

Best less expensive niche
Anything by Sonoma Scent.

Best in fragrances more easily found, some niche:
Kilian Back to Black
Kilian Pure Oud
Guerlain exclusives, take your pick. I like a number of them, including Moscow, Double Vanilla, 68, Chypre Fatale, La Petite Robe Noire...then there's also Mon Precieux Nectar...I buy from Guerlain @ Palazzo in Las Vegas, ask for Claire. Call (702) 732-7008 or email: GuerlainPalazzo.STORE@lvmhuspc.com. Be sure to tell him that you heard it from me. (I saw them recently on a trip more locally, but the sales agent blew the sale with me. That'll teach her, LOL!)

Serge Lutens, take your pick.
Prada, the original, and L'eau Ambree.
Chanel exclusives -- I like Coromandel.

Best surprising fragrances
Le Jardin Retrouvé should be more fully known. I was glad to get a chance to review them.

Best inexpensive fragrances
Make Me Smooth
Bathed and Infused

Skin care that really works:
These are not new for 2009, but they still are going strong, and more importantly, work.

Best Moderate to expensive
Arbonne products RE9 or FC5; RE9 for the body is terrific.
Estee Lauder New Perfectionist CP+
La Prairie Cellular Anti-wrinkle Firming Serum; Cellular Hydrating is good too.

Best inexpensive skincare
Avon Ultimate Gold or Anew Alternative Intensive Age Treatment

Best cosmetic trends 2009
Minerals, everywhere. Some much better than others in texture and look.

Best color products, Not Mineral
High end
Chanel

Less expensive
Arbonne
Aromaleigh
Maybelline
NYX

Best lip gloss
MAC dazzlers comes in first
Beaute
Arbonne
Chanel

Best mineral niche
Aromaleigh or Fyrinnae

Best new product
Kindle 2 International -- would be made better if it incorporated the ease of reading library ebooks, if our library had any. Please send us a free wireless download to add this in order to be competitive with Sony's ereader. (Elena, you will really enjoy yours! Congrats on receiving it as a gift this Christmas.)

The best things in life are still free
You can find a gazillion free ebooks to read on your Kindle or other ebook reader before you even consider buying any ebooks.

Don't forget to take time to view sunrises or sunsets or enjoy seeing bodies of water, free to all if we but take the time.

Internet friendships that become RL friendships. This is an amazing time we live in, when we can be instantly connected to friends around the world. You know who you are! I regularly keep in touch with friends in Europe and China, as well as at home from coast to coast. Not to mention checking in on blogs and yahoogroups I love that originate anywhere.

The qualities of hope, inspiration, gratitude, happiness, safety...

Don't forget prayer...

What are your favorites?

I'm sure I left something out...
If I think of anything amazing, I will add it as the day goes on...

Have a good one!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Check out the other particpants:

http://mossyloomings.blogspot.com

http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/

http://ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com/

http://bittergracenotes.blogspot.com/

http://qwendy.typepad.com/shoescakeperfume/

http://www.eiderdownpress.com/Perfume_Journal.html

http://www.scenthive.com

http://olfactarama.blogspot.com/

http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com/

http://arosebeyondthethames.blogspot.com/

http://thenonblonde.blogspot.com/

http://underthecupola.blogspot.com/

and http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/

http://sonomascent.wordpress.com/

http://alliam-aredhead.blogspot.com/

http://scelfleah.blogspot.com/

http://ismellthereforeiam.blogspot.com

Related posts:

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Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio is a very talented perfumer. Additionally, she offers fast service (the exception has only been when she was working on her line and had disabled her website) and lovely products.

I heard about her first at POL, and I've purchased from her ever since. She ships very fast and you practically have it before you get off the phone/email.

Currently she is redoing her scent line, but if you have a favorite of hers from the past, it is possible that she can make it up for you if she still has the ingredients. At times she has disabled her shopping carts, but all you need to do is email her: info@sonomascentstudio.com and she will get it right out to you.

Also she is generous with her samples. If you purchase from her, you will receive samples of other scents. That is a help in knowing if something fits you or not.

I asked her how she got started making her own fragrances:

I started making fragrances many years ago just using natural absolutes and oils because I loved the scents of flowers in my garden and wanted to have some of those scents year-round. Way back then, before Mandy Aftel's book, we didn't have as many ready-made natural perfume options, so I purchased rose, jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood etc and started blending my own. Later I learned how to incorporate synthetic aroma chemicals into blends because they can extend longevity, add lift, and add notes that are hard to do with naturals. I still avoid strong ozone notes and some other synthetic smells that don't appeal to me, but many chems are beautiful in their own right. Still can't beat mother nature though -- I love the fresh cut roses from my garden all summer and treasure the annual jasmine bloom.

And I asked her to comment on why she has changed the number of scents she offers, if it had to do with the ingredients now allowed or disallowed in fragrances:

I'm going through my scent list to change direction a little bit. I've been dropping some of the sweeter scents and adding things that make use of some wonderful new materials I've sourced. Only one scent was discontinued for ingredient issues: the Chaos dupe is no longer available because I can't get an ingredient anymore. I only offered a few dupes and decided to drop those to focus on my original blends. I'd like to keep the scent list shorter than some online sites to keep it more manageable both for me and for clients, and also to limit the list to specialty items not found elsewhere. I may bring back a few scents in new forms, for example I had a spicy citrus tea scent and I'm currently doing some yummy tea tinctures and will produce some new tea scents with them.

Over the next couple of days I will include fragrance reviews of some of her new fragrances that I have sampled. I find they are long lasting on me (I buy the edp, not the oils, so I can't speak for the oils. I have yet to try any of her lotions. I'm a SSS edp kind of gal.)

Let me know if you've tried any of her lotions and if you prefer the oils over the edp sprays.

More will follow over the next couple of days. Stay tuned.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-07-02 13:18:01.

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I've been fortunate to try several of Laurie's newer scents. Bois Épicés and Bois Épicés Légère are two of my favorites. Of course, I knew they would be, as I like her fragrances very much and these have notes that I generally like on me.

What I particularly like, outside of Laurie's service, is that none of her fragrances smell artificial or have that plastic scent that is off-putting to me. All that I've tried are as she describes them.

It's very simple: if you like her description and the notes are what you can wear, you will love the fragrance.

Bois Épicés

Soft, warm spices over a musk/wood base. Primary notes are musk, sandalwood, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and mandarin with supporting notes that include cedar, cypress, and hint of coffee.

The over all feeling to me of Bois Épicés is warmth. I even get a tiny bit of sweet patchouli notes when I wear it, though it is not listed as one of the notes. It is definitely woodsy in a good way.

Though I agree that it has a warm feel, it is a fragrance that could be worn in summer, as I am wearing it today. (It's about 94 degrees here today.) I find the woods refreshing and cooling, as a forest would be, which is no surprise given my feelings about trees. I like green fragrances, but this is not green woods, this is a hint of autumn, without any smoke, because it is warmed by the spices.

This is a walk in the woods, sunlight filtering through the changing leaves, while wearing spices. I have yet to go wrong, on me, with spices.

Bois Épicés Légère

A new version of Bois Épicés that has slightly softer, more refined woods and a bit more mandarin. The original opens with strong sandalwood that gradually softens, but this version opens with softer woods that gradually intensify in the later drydown as the top notes diminish. The Légère version is overall a little softer but crisper with a bit less warm spice, which makes it work as a summer woodsy skin scent. Notes are musk, sandalwood, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and mandarin with hints of cedar, cypress, and coffee.

Bois Épicés Légère is equally strong (I mean this in a good way -- why wear a fragrance if you can't smell it?) but it is less warm. The mandarin comes through brighter. I couldn't tell you which one I like better. I like them both. It's possible I might use one as a daytime scent, then layer it with the other for evening. And then the next day reverse the order.

Now that they've been on for a few hours, one on each wrist, the BEL is sweeter than the BE. BEL still has hints of mandarin, which is interesting, considering that mandarin is usually fleeting.

If you like woods in a fragrance, you can't go wrong with either of these. If you've read my blog, at least the perfume portions, you know I like orange fragrances (but not so much orange blossom). These two combine the best of both worlds, to me.

I have to be careful with musks. Sometimes, on me (and to me on other people), musks can be scrubbers. I often wonder why someone wouldn't notice that on themselves. But Laurie's musks are not dominant, and the type(s) of musk she uses add to the fragrance, they do not detract.

Her fragrances are so well blended that the notes combine to be something more than they are on their own, so while you can pick out the notes if you know they are there, they aren't so distinct that they feel staccato. And both of these fragrances have movement to them, something that I like. If a fragrance stays the same from top to bottom, it isn't as interesting to me. When a fragrance moves, it holds my attention and keeps me aware of it. Each portion of the drydown of these works to give me new energy in a languid sort of way.

Her pricing is lovely: oil sample $2.75 edp sample $2.75 1/6 oz oil $18.00 1/2 oz edp $25.00 1 oz edp $39.00. Email her at info@sonomascentstudio.com. Visit her website for more fragrances. I will write about others tomorrow.

What kind of scents do you prefer and what are you wearing today? Have you worn any of SSS?

Karin

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