New Sniffs + Thunked: 24.1.2019

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies

.

Portia

.

Hey Hey Perfume Junkies,

OK I’m adding a THUNKED section here too. It’s becoming an APJ obsession and I love the idea of us using our fragrances and hoiking the vial, decant or bottle. Thunk is the sound of an empty hitting the bin so you must empty it for the thunk to count.

Anything worthy of comment, either good or bad, that’s passed under my nose through the week will get a short write up. If I think something is terrible, shamefully lazy, greedy or stupid and you should know about it, it will be said. As always YMMV.

I’d love it if you get involved: agree, respectfully disagree, have any thought-out opinion and want to share, do so in the comments below. The point is starting a conversation.

New Sniffs + Thunked: 24.1.2019

New Sniffs:

L’Ombre Dans L’Eau by Diptyque

This is a funny fellow from 1983, I can’t remember ever sniffing it either. Imagine you crossed L’eau d’Issey with Perfumers Tea Rose and L’Artisan L’Eau d’Ambre. It’s a very clever, interesting beauty and I’m thoroughly impressed. I got my 10ml with a First In Fragrance order recently as a GWP.

Gothic 1 by Loree Rodkin

I have smelled this before but it dropped intro my hand from the sample box. Plastic dolls head and patchouli with vanilla. I don’t hate it but…… If memory serves me correctly, last time I tried this I quite liked it. Nope, today I don’t like it.

Aziyade by Parfum d’Empire

While I have sniffed this before suddenly it makes sense. A spicy fruit concoction over vanilla and ginger with an interesting twist through it that smells like matcha tea and chocolate. How have I passed this beauty by?

Palindrome 1 by Santi Burgas

Smoky, resinous, warm and cozy. Anna Maria would definitely wear it. Amber, so luscious. All surreptitiously wrapped in a milk chocolate coating. If you don’t have an amber or yours aren’t using it as the main note this is an excellent choice.

Fugit Amor by Jul et Mad

Oh dear, Anna Maria smells FLY SPRAY at first. HA! For me the spicy herbal opening is a reminder of the 1990s water fragrances but done in a modern way. It’s clean and classy and reminds me also of Mathilde Laurent’s work for the Cartier hours. Not particularly carnation but a nice frag reference to the dream of them.

Thunked:

Aqaba Spring

A lightly spiced fruity floral with no depth.

Black Opium by YSL

I found a few carded samples from when this first came out. One is thunked. Better than I remember. Pink pepper, white flowers and a hint of cold coffee over a modern patchouli done in the modern sheer radiant style.

Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot Mini Shower Gel

Smells lovely but only leaves the merest trace of fragrance on my body. It has made beautiful bubbles for 5 baths, as well as being my shower gel for those quick in and out moments.

 

Have you tried any of these? How did they work for you?
Portia xx

54 thoughts on “New Sniffs + Thunked: 24.1.2019”

  1. All your mentioned are new to me except Blavk Opium which I enjoyed sample of but not FB worthy for me. I still prefer the original Opium and La Chene flanker.
    Palindrome sounds like its worth sampling, I love ambers.
    I enjoy Jul en Mad fragrances and have samples several others and have a bottle of the one that smells of caramel (I can’t think of the name this moment).
    I thunked a decent of Guerlain Ne m’Oublez Pas and loved wearing it so much! I wish for a bottle so much but sadly not available. I can’t even describe the individual notes; one of those fragrances that the sum is better than the notes.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Haven’t tried any of those new sniffs. I have thunked via confiscation Atelier Mistral Patchouli and Sens et Bois. They now live with the youngest Marzipan.

    Like

  3. I have a travel size of L’Ombré dans l’Eau from a set (3 travel sprays, 3 mini candles). I quite like it in the summer, when I’m in the mood for plenty of green. Never took to Black Opium although I seem to have acquired another sample somehow so maybe I’ll give it another whirl.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. New to me this week: Hiram Green’s Hyde. What can I say? I’m smitten, from the raging fire opening to the softening, and long slow unfolding of the worn-smooth leather. And it’s a warm leather without being a filth bomb, and very slightly floral without trying to up the elegance a la Cuir de Russie. Bloody love it. (Thank you CQ ❤ )

    Not tried any of your newbies…

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Thunked my bottle of L’Ombre dans l’Eau a year ago by giving it to a neighbour who loves it. I liked Gothic II a lot better than Gothic I. Aziyadé is wonderful, need to wear it again soon. Palindrome sounds great but I’ve never smelled it, not a widely distributed line.

    Like

  6. L’Ombre Dans L’Eau is a love. I’m not sure if it’s my favourite black currant scent but it is remarkable. I haven’t tried the rest. Portia, I appreciate and admire your honesty: “plastic doll head”! One of the reasons I stopped reading most of perfume reviews is that the top bloggers only say niceties. Except for Turin (and Sanchez). The man can be biased but at least he says what he thinks.

    No new sniffs this week but I think I’ll get a fragrant package from a new perfume lover I’ve met on Instagram. It’ll be an exchange, of course, I’ll elaborate on the SOTD thread in case someone is wondering 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • The all-nice-all-the-time reviews are so misleading. While I understand the politeness urge–to say nothing if you can’t say something nice–I sometimes wonder if too many bloggers are fishing for more freebies from perfumers by sucking up a bit.

      (is this the place to have a bit of a rant about video reviews that take a first sniff of the top notes, make big happy pronouncements, and then move on to the next bottle? Probably not…)

      Like

      • With you on both accounts: I know a few bloggers who used to be more outspoken or even harsh (when it was due) in their reviews but it’s been all sweet talk ever since the number of their followers went up and they started getting free stuff. I can’t say I judge them but this isn’t entirely right.
        And don’t get me started on vloggers: most of their reviews are “oh, this smells so good, my husband/cat/neightbour will like it”.

        Like

  7. New for me this week are Peau Santal and Powdered Veil, neither of which blew me away. Nice enough but meh. The only one from your tryouts that I’m familiar with is Black Opium. Nope, not for me either. In fact I think they should’ve called it virtually anything other than this. I’m annoyed that they used Opium in the title tbh😠 Nobody should have messed with my beloved.

    Like

  8. Gothic sounds interesting. I sampled the Black Opium, but this is only sweet coffee and vanilla for me. I wore the original Opium in the 80ies, the new version cannot compete

    Like

  9. I wanted to like Black Opium but I barely detected any coffee note everyone talks about. Sold it within days. However, I tried two Vero’s perfumes for the first time from sample set I bought recently. Kiki is a bit challenging for my taste but Rubj is very intriguing. I will try onda and mito later. I def. plan to have at least one Vero Perfume in my collection. Even if I did not like Kiki much, I recognized the artistry in it. I hope the line does not disappear.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Of your new smells this week, Palindrome sounded the most interesting….until the milk chocolate aspect is mentioned. Nothing thunked this week, however very likely to be a few next week, because during this traumatic time in my life I’ve decided to only wear samples and decants.

    Like

  11. Hello Portia,

    Almost your scent-twin, I was surprised at your reaction to Aqaba Spring. I’ve found that decants can flatten aldehydic florals terribly – the opening sparkle especially, and wonder if that’s what’s happened… Or maybe we just don’t “snap” on this one.

    I enjoy Amouage Gold pour femme and Dia pour femme, Tommi Sooni’s Jinx, Madame Rochas, Baghari… and for me Aqaba Spring is a similarly fizzy, elegant and slightly haughty floral. (I wish the opening of Aqaba Spring could last forever!) And being an oriental floral makes it unusual among aldehydic perfumes.

    The nose behind Aqaba Spring is French and I think a master of this type of perfume, in the 90’s creating for Avon (!) one of my favourite perfumes of all time. I was very poor then, and unable to buy my then-favourite Paloma Picasso. No exaggeration, men and woman stopped me every single time I wore my Avon substitute. I even blind-bought an Aqaba Spring FB a few years ago simply because he created it, and because I could no longer get his Avon marvel.

    I do agree with you Portia, that the drydown of Aqabar Spring is way too thin. And it has only two phases, going in an exceedingly short and straight line from zingy lusciousness to skin-scent. (I suspect that once upon a time it was more generous and fulsome in its development.)

    But I’m nearly always disappointed with the anti-climactic, powdery drydown of aldehydic florals, and reapply often just to get yet another hit of their joyous opening effervescence. And in the right weather I find that Aqaba Spring’s drydown is quite lovely. After reading your post I put it on this morning and in today’s heat (35 degrees C where I am) its gentle spiciness is still thrumming along nicely, and even occasionally wafting.

    Anyway, just my thoughts and I’m sorry for my long ramble. It’s an unattractive habit of mine, whenever I feel passionately about something or other. I was excited at this opportunity to sing the praises of a skillful jobbing perfumer whose name will never be on everyone’s lips: Jean-Pierre Soubrenat.

    I love your forum Portia, and your thoroughly original style.

    Kerry

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Only new one I tried was Flowerbomb Bloom. Too much like La Vie Est Belle edt Florale. I am keen to get to Chadstone and try some of the new designers out.

    Nothing thunked, though I am ploughing through shower gels as best as I can.

    Gave my mother Chanel’s Deauville and DG’s The Only One to use in hospital. So, rehomed 2 samples. She is now home and annoyingly ok.

    I adore L’Ombre Dans Eau. It is pretty much on my list for this year. I still have not purchased anything. I need to get my 12 bottles sorted in order of preference.

    Like

  14. I found a sample of Guerlain AA Pera Granita or whatever. Seriously the earlier AA scents had more staying power! Nice enough, no need for a bottle.

    My second bottle of Tauer Amber Flush bodyoil arrived Thursday. Love this one! Also tried on Sotti la luna Tuberose. It has that menthol blast in the opening, so I find the middle best when wearing this. Also got a free sample of Tuberose from the Tauerville lineup. That’s a much easier tuberose to wear, but also less complex. Both scents project and last long enough for my liking. But note to self: Tuberose is not for use in the office.

    Haven’t tried any of your new sniffs, and not sure they would fit my perfume style.

    No thunking except various body products.

    Like

Comments are closed.