Christine Nagel

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EdT by Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian 2004

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Hey Happy Huffers,

This is one of my favourite go to scents. It seems to be a good fit for almost anything. Dressy, casual, close or far. It never interferes with what I’m doing or those around me yet it also manages to garner compliments often when it gets some public skin time. And while that happens a bit, with no other fragrance is it so regular. I have also got other people in my orbit hooked on its luscious softness.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EdT 2004

NarcisoRodriguez FragranticaPhoto stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: African orange flower, osmanthus
Heart: Amber., musk
Base: Vanilla, amber, vetiver

Whenever I get the first waft of Narciso Rodriguez for Her I immediately feel light, lovely, happy and thankful that I am a perfumista and that Narciso Rodriguez for Her came into my life. It’s a little like the feeling as you take off in an airplane to go somewhere lavish and interesting. SWOOSH up my nose flows a translucent shimmer of what I always thought was a sweet rose but it turns out to be African orange flower and osmanthus! Oh well, I’ve been wrong before. The musk is already there, soapy and sugary like musk sticks that we ate as children. I still eat them sometimes! Jin can’t eat them because to him they are exactly like eating cheap Korean soap from his youth.

The amber I get on my skin is sweet and dry, no bitterness just a creamy vanillic amber that presents as smooth and cool as the big fat opaque pale eggs of low grade amber that I find so distinctive and beautiful in jewellery. Together the whole blends during the heart to give the impression of beautiful skin fresh from the pool, just dried so still damp but slightly salty and the blood is pumping so the flesh is warming quickly. I find the heart of Narciso Rodriguez for Her to be nearly narcotic in its peaceful pleasureability. I swoon with a Stendhal syndrome effect because it’s so damn lovely. When I wear Narciso Rodriguez for Her I sometimes wish I could be a one frag person, don’t worry it doesn’t last.

How did they get it so sheer and so hefty? Sillage is fabulous and the scent bubble is too yet it’s never overwhelming and I think it a perfect working scent, as well as the sexy come hither scent, and one you can pick the kids up from school in. It seems there is nowhere that would be inappropriate. No wonder this has been such a popular, game changing scent.

imagesPhoto Stolen sevanya

Further reading PerfumeShrine takes you through all the variations available and BoisDeJasmine contrasts it with sister scent SJP Lovely
FragranceShop has 50ml/$48.50 after discount
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2.50/ml up to $7.50/5ml

Have you spent some time with Narciso Rodriguez fragrances? Do you have a favourite iteration?

Thanks for wandering through my fragrant musings,
Love to you and yours,
Portia xx

Narciso Rodriguez Spring/Summer 2013

Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant by Sylvaine Delacourte and Christine Nagel for Guerlain 2008

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Another split that has taken me a while to get my review sniffer onto, thanks again Ruth K from FFF, and Sydney has turned inexplicably cold just so I could feel really comfortable rocking a fully fledged glorious Oriental in Summer (honestly! Who am I kidding? I wear anything ANYTIME the mood grabs me!). For all the Northern Hemisphere people this will be a super dooper winter WINNER!

Oriental Brulant by Guerlain 2008

OrientalBrulant fragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Tangerine
Heart: Almond
Base: Tonka bean, styrax, vanilla

Tangerine? Nope. Nougat? YES!! Maybe some citrus but it is a soft counterpoint to almond essence and vanilla/tonka beans. MMMM This is gourmand but not sweet, sweet. Bakery but the combined smell of a bakery, not the foodstuffs themselves. Maybe the dream of a bakery or a cartoon one. What does happen though is a fabulous fragrance that has enormous scent bubble and sillage while not being a punch in the face. Oriental Brulant is a sheer, seductive vanillic force of nature that makes even me feel pretty and feminine, like the seductress below. Less confrontational than its older sister Shalimar yet still with that enthralling super waft of vanilla cleanness. Like a very fit athletes skin after a shower, but even more delicious. Quite linear but with a little extra warmth and depth through its long dry down, over 6 hours.

Also very girlish, young and accessible scent that would be a super great Sweet 16 or 21st Birthday first fine fragrance, if you can meet the price tag. There is also an underlying sophistication to Oriental Brulant that will appeal to the more mature woman and a nod back to the old days of perfumery while being bang up to date. Now that it’s gone onto my skin it’s surprising how quickly the decant is emptying, I think 4ml of 10 is gone. I think a likeable, loveable, cuddly, delicious, sensual, easy, go-to scent for cool weather but wearable even in Sydney summer.

Underneath the review you’ll find a recipe that will give you a very similar scent, if you like the cake then the fragrance will bowl you over.

Woman layOutSparksPhoto Stolen LayoutSparks

Further reading TheNonBlonde and OlfactoriasTravels
PoshPeasant starts at $6.50/ml
From your Guerlain counter you can grab 2.5oz/75ml for $250, not sure about Australia

Have you tried Oriental Brulant? Any of the Charnal Elixers from Guerlain? What did you think? Would you like to? Why?

Till tomorrow I wish only the good stuff for you,
Portia xx

Carrot, Almond and Orange Cake

CarrotAlmondOrangeCake Taste.com.auStolen from Taste.com.au

  • Melted butter, to grease
  • 1 orange, unpeeled, coarsely chopped, deseeded
  • 150g butter, melted
  • 155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 (about 320g) carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
  • 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
  • 1 x 110g pkt almond meal
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 50g (1/2 cup) flaked almonds
  • Double cream, to serve
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Place the orange in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the butter, sugar and eggs and process until well combined. Add the carrot, flour, almond meal and baking powder and process to combine.
  3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with flaked almonds. Bake in oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 1 hour to cool. Cut into wedges and serve with cream.