Taklamakan by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 2016

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Post by Sandra

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Heya APJ!

Hope ya’ll are doing well.

School started at the beginning of September, the leaves are changing ever so slightly and I am getting excited about heavier perfumes already.

I have been a fan of Stéphane Humbert Lucas for a while now and once I heard that he was creating a vanilla centered perfume my ears perked up and I could not wait to sample it in Vienna.

Taklamakan hit the stores in August this year and truth be told I did not know what to expect. The name Taklamakan had me looking it up on wikipedia which states ‘It is the world’s second largest shifting sand desert with about 85% made up of shifting sand dunes ranking 16th in size in a ranking of the world’s largest deserts.’ The desert is in northwestern China and was part of the Silk Road route. This desert has also been nicknamed “the sea of death”. One can imagine why a desert would have that nickname but a perfume to bear this desert’s name? Intrigued I am…

Taklamakan by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 2016

taklamakan-stephane-humbert-lucas-777-fragranticaFragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, rose, Chinese cedar, sandalwood, iris, patchouli, guaiac wood, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum, musk

Mr Lucas has a deft hand at creating some beautiful perfumes with incredible lasting power. As my skin usually eats up perfumes very quickly, I am always looking for some tenacity in that area. So, naturally I was curious as to what awaited me. Fragrantica gives us the following as notes for Taklamakan: bergamot, rose, chinese cedar, sandalwood, iris, patchouli, guaiac wood, benzoin, vanilla, labdanum and musk.

The perfume opens with a sharp spicy note reminiscent of cinnamon. The cinnamon is quite strong at first and I wondered if this was going to be off-putting at all – but thankfully this subsides quickly and then I do detect the delecate iris which is beautiful. Taklamakan shifts very quickly to a linear state and I will try to describe that as best a possible for you. The initial perfume dries down quickly to a contemplative, spiritual and quiet perfume not so much dark, brooding and extremely dry. This is more of a woody vanilla scent with little to no sweetness on my skin. In fact it has a hint of incense and smoke with amber and only a touch of vanilla in the dry down.

taklamakan_desert-wikipediaWikipedia

Having tried this in solely warmer weather and receiving the woodsy vanilla incense drydown with no sweetness I understand the link to a desert comprised of shifting dunes. Take a look at some of the pictures of the Taklamakan desert and the varying colours of the sands and dunes. However, I also wonder if the colder temperatures will bring forth more vanilla, more sweetness, or more incense and dryness. I will be going back to test this again as soon as the temperature shifts because this could possibly be a full bottle purchase in the near future.

%e9%9f%b5%e5%8d%87yunsheng-%e7%99%bdbai-taklamakan-desert-flickrFlickr

Thanks to Maison de Parfum in Vienna, I have one sample decant for a lucky winner to try.

SmoochyWoochy,
Sandra

Giveaway Kesha&Co

Taklamakan GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winners who will receive:
1 x decanted sample of Taklamakan
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please let me know what scents you consider to be meditative or spiritual in character. I would love to hear what you have to say.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Friday 30th September 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Monday 3rd October 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

 

36 thoughts on “Taklamakan by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777 2016”

  1. I love rose!!!!

    Follow via FB or email

    Hmmm, meditative. Well, I usually use lavender when I meditate. As for an actual perfume, I think musks and ouds make me feel earthy and grounded.

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    • Hi Gina. Rose is beautiful but can be so tricky on me. Lavender essential oil is what I use frequently. Thanks for sharing. Sandra

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  2. Feminite du Bois makes me think of serene meditation under an ancient tree. Woods and greens are generally calming. Not what I’d wear out for a night on the town! Follow by email. 🙂

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    • Hi Tara. Thanks for the perfume tip. I will have to go out and smell that one soon. Incense in general is very calming to me. Sandra

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  4. A woody vanilla scent with no sweetness? Now, that sounds very interesting!
    A meditative scent should be warm, woody…Feminite du Bois comes to my mind.
    Thanks for the giveaway. I follow APJ via email.

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  5. I follow by email. I soooo want to try this fragrance. Some of the Aroma M scents seem contemplative to me. Thanks for the giveaway.

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    • Thanks Ellen. I adore the Aroma M on other people and can see how they would be contemplative. They just last a nano second on my skin unfortunately. Sandra

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  7. I follow by e mail and Crabtree and Evelyn’s Nantucket Briar is very meditative due to its incense vibe for me.Remnds me of a church type smell.

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  9. As far as meditative scents are concerned, I usually opt for light but long lasting ones. MFK Univeralis Forte is one such fragrance. I follow APJ through email and FB.

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  11. Oh I am so excited about this giveaway! I’ve been super-curious about it. I follow by e-mail.

    I think Mohur is quite meditative. It reminds me of being on a rooftop rose garden in Kolkata very early in the morning–when dawn has just broken, and it’s still chilly and crisp and silent. You’re dressed in white, of course, and you look out over the marvelous city that’s still calm and a bit sleepy, and in that moment of peace, you have a chance to reflect upon yourself before the city starts bustling noisily.

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  12. Thanks for the review. I follow via Facebook. My meditative scent is incensi. Currently I use for this purpose TF Sahara Noire and Fate Woman.

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  13. I was curious about your take on Taklamakan, Sandra ! Monsieur Lucas created something gorgeous again – without being bombastic. It’s a quietly beautiful scent. and I cannot wait to learn how it feels in cold weather. After all, I have a full bottle at home already…

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    • Hey there LJG! I look forward to hearing what you have to say about it in cooler weather. I am hoping it will be just as beautiful. Hope you are well. Sandra xo

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  15. Hi Sandra,
    My meditative, charasmatic and heeling power perfumes are JoAnne Bassett perfumes. JoAnne Bassett fragrances are designed to align, shift, and enhance mood, spirit, and well being. I love wearing my signature scent JoAnne Bassett INTIMACY for the said purpose. The TIMELESS and LUSCIOUS ROSES are awesome.
    Thanks for the review and would love to win.
    I follow via email mostly.

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    • Hi Hikmat Sher Afridi. Thanks for sharing. I have only smelled a couple of JoAnne Bassett perfumes. I will try to smell the ones you mention. Sandra

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  16. I love vanilla Amber and incense and wood and everything about this sounds great!

    To me, Tauer LADDM is meditative spiritual and brings me to a wide-open golden space full of sunlight and warmth

    I follow via email

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  17. Following on bloglovin (lubaska) and by emails

    I think that meditative fragrance should contain incense (probably with rose), amber or tabac … I ve had a sample of Tauer s Incense Rose and this was such scent. Also my Guerlain Shalimar Ode…du Mexique creates a bit similar atmosphere. Thanks for great giveaway!

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  18. Hi Lubka K. Thanks for sharing. I really wish that Guerlain would bring back the Shalimar Ode de Vanilles. I really enjoyed all of them. Sandra

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  19. L’orpheline is meditative for me, which I suppose is probably due to the church-y aspect (though I’m not religious, and haven’t actually spent all that much time in churches during my life – I guess the sociocultural links between incense = church = contemplative/meditative has resulted in this association being indelibly printed onto my subconscious!)

    Thank you for the draw; I follow by email 🙂

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