Reviews

Essence Aromatique by Michel Almairac for Bottega Veneta 2014

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Post by ElizaD

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Hi APJ,

On a beautiful spring morning, I sit on a park bench, sipping my coffee and watching people as they stroll by. Suddenly I am drawn to one couple, both of them sharply dressed, tall and lithe, arms touching as they walk. Her fragrance intrigues me. It is a bit of Chanel, a bit of Bulgari, some tea, citrus, flowers and patchouli, soft and powdery. I rise to follow them, determined to find out what it is. I have never been so bold, but I have to know.

Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique Couple hands WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

I approach them. “You smell so lovely” I say to the woman, “what is that fragrance you are wearing?” She responds “I am not wearing fragrance today.”

Now I am confused. Clearly this wonderful soft aroma emanates from this couple. “But my husband is,” she finishes, “it is called Essence Aromatique.” I walk away delighted.

Essence Aromatique by Michel Almairac for Bottega Veneta 2014

Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique Bottega Veneta FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot and coriander
Heart: White rose, tonka and vanilla
Base: Patchouli and sandalwood

Essence Aromatique eau de cologne is advertised on the Bottega Veneta website as a women’s fragrance, along with their other three feminine perfumes: Bottega Veneta, their signature scent; Bottega Veneta Eau Legere; and Bottega Veneta in Murano Glass Parfum. But Fragrantica readers consider it to be unisex. The leather notes, which lurk at the bottom, offer a balance to the floral heart notes, while the bergamot adds that splash of aftershave freshness. The coriander, tonka bean and vanilla become the suggestion of warm skin. In the right place–probably not Eugene, Oregon, where I live–I can envision my well-dressed and self-assured gentleman wearing this. His fragrance need not make any more of a statement than his other carefully selected accessories.

Bottega Veneta Paris WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

I was not disappointed by the fragrance of Essence Aromatique. On me, it’s perfect: a light woody floral that is professional and age-appropriate but not dowdy. I feel grown up in this perfume. And Essence Aromatique could have become a new addition to my collection, save for one drawback. Sillage is nonexistent. An hour after first applying this, I was wishing I had brought my tiny sample with me to the office so I could respritz. It’s an eau de cologne with an eau de parfum pricetag.

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Now Smell This
StrawberryNET has $86/50ml and body products
My Perfume Samples starts at $3/ml

Ah well, perhaps I will try the shower gel, or wait until it hits the discounters. Too bad.

How do you feel about unisex fragrances…where do you draw the line?

ElizaD

Kalimantan by Pierre Negrin for Chantecaille 2010

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Post by SarahK

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Amber is a fragrance family that I really like in theory, but in practice rarely end up wearing. Many just feel too heavy for me to wear even in the dead of winter. I may like the smell, but if it doesn’t meld with my skin, and just sits there like a thick layer of gold, I feel like a fraud wearing it.

Kalimantan by Pierre Negrin for Chantecaille 2010

Kalimantan Chantecaille FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Thyme, rosemary, bergamot
Heart: Incense, labdanum, patchouli
Base: Benzoin, agar, styrax, vanilla, cedar

Kalimantan is not like this. It’s an amber suitable for any time in my book. It is my Goldilocks amber – not too sweet, not too spicy, it has some heft but is not too over the top. I can feel several layers in this scent. There’s a smooth labdanum-benzoin mix, some cedar, a gentle kicker of incense and some dry herbs, though these are not in any way foody. The aromatic green edge that the cedar and herbs give the scent means that I am as happy to wear it in the heat of summer as I am in colder weather. For me, this isn’t the smell of the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo after which the fragrance was named. It is the scent of a thyme-covered Greek hillside baking in the sunshine, so it suits the warm weather, while in cold weather it reminds me of the heat.

Kalimantan Chantecaille Hill GeographPhoto Stolen Geograph

There aren’t a lot of reviews around for this fragrance, but those that exist often compare it to Serge Lutens’ Ambre Sultan or Andy Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain. For me, LADDM is a lot drier and has a gasoline note that I do not get at all in Kalimantan. It brings to mind a road running through a parched desert, not Kalimantan’s aromatic, sun-baked hill. Kalimantan does strike me as very similar to Ambre Sultan, and if you own one, I can’t imagine needing to own the other, but the Lutens fragrance is a touch drier, with a stronger incense note in the heart, while its herbs and cedar are less golden and honeyed until you reach the drydown. Kalimantan is my favourite of the three, but that may be because I tried it before Ambre Sultan.

Oia Iconic ViewPhoto Stolen HuffingtonPost

Further reading: EauMG and Perfume Posse.
Nordstrom has $175/75ml

Come and sit with me on a Greek hilltop at sunset, watching the last rays of sun bouncing off the warm stone of a church. The bells are ringing and incense is already burning.

Felanilla PG21 by Pierre Guillaume for Perfumerie Generale 2008

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Hiya Happy Huffers,

I hope this finds you happy and well. Obviously, it may not. If you are not either or neither happy nor well then I hope at least we can take your mind off your troubles for a few minutes. If you can, or want to, go grab a cup or glass of your favourite. I have a cup of Korean tea here, it has a freaky nutty flavour that is both repulsive and more-ish. Jin also tells me that it is a good aid in digestion, cool, I’ll take that too. Hang on, I’m going to grab a refill…. I put some honey in this one to soothe my throat, trying to make yourself heard above rowdy pub crowds can take it out of your voice and my throat is a little tender tonight.

Felanilla PG21 by Pierre Guillaume for Perfumerie Generale 2008

PG21 Felanilla Parfumerie Generale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Italian iris, amber, hay, saffron, Tahitian vanilla, banana leaf

My mate Lakshmi swapped me a 10ml split decant of this for something in my collection, I didn’t even try it for a while after he gave it to me. One day though it made it to the front of the to try box and I think I was running out the door and grabbed the first thing to hand without really looking, mmmmm warm was all I thought till in the car I was assailed by the most beautiful and sensual vanilla/amber and I was lost. That 30 minute journey became all about Felanilla,

Felanilla Parfumerie Generale Warm Feet PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Felanilla is beautiful, interestingly I can’t find most of the listed notes, for me and on me Felanilla is a vanilla/amber/saffron bomb that has some other stuff in the background that stops it smelling like a bake sale and keeps it firmly in the un-gourmand sweet range, a warm, dry, comfortable, sweetness that is both enveloping and welcoming. A hug, fire, fresh coffee, hot bread feeling. There are definite nods in Felanilla to the perfumery of years gone by. The amber is soft and resinous with none of the dark or scratchy backbite of an Ambre Russe, here we smell a caramelled amber both smooth and weathered. The story is not a long one, basically Felanilla continues in much the same vein till dry down only getting slightly dryer through the heart (I think it may be the iris/hay), a little bit of a bed-head/fur thing happens and comes & goes and then the whole fragrance grows sweeter towards the end as it fades. Having now read a few reviews and most people get a much more varied journey than I do with Felanilla, maybe I’m not paying enough attention or maybe my skin throws a different ride.

Felanilla Parfumerie Generale Catfur Doug Waldron FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Longevity is excellent but after the first couple of hours Felanilla gets very close to the body and you need to be quite close to notice fragrance.

Even though there is not much story on my skin I totally enjoy wearing Felanilla, the fragrance hits a sweet spot with me and I find myself reaching for it quite regularly, of the 10ml there is now only about 3ml left. Will it be a full bottle in my future? I’m not sure, though it’s different I don’t think it enough different from L’Eau d’Ambre by L’Artisan or Ambre Ceruleen by Huitieme Art. When I finish those bottles though it could be the one I go for.

Further reading: The Non-Blonde and Grain de Musc
First In Fragrance has €94/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/ml

Have you tried Felanilla? Did you enjoy its warm silky caress?
Portia xx

 

 

 

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

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Hello Indie Lovers,

One of my favourite Indie Fragrance Houses is SOIVOHLE with it fabulous Artist turned Perfumer Liz Zorn, who still paints incredibly evocative images that have become less attached to pictorial representation and more to finding and conveying emotion. So too with her perfumery, when I wear a SOIVOHLE fragrance I find it completely mood enhancing or changing, depending on the scent and my intention.

Today I would like to introduce you to a fragrance that Liz currently has in her Sale Section for $15/11ml. I know, outrageously affordable and in a perfect size to fit in your purse or as a travel frag, it also looks very nice on the dresser.

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Orris root, wild orange, violet, honey, narcissus, cedar, suede, muhuhu (very hard to find wood), palisander rosewood

Orris Ochre opens on my skin with honey and orange peel, there is a soft powdery fuzz too that reminds me of pith. Dabbed I get much more iris in the opening and it is clear and clean, carrot rather than dirt but with a vegetative depth that may be the violet leaf. When I sprayed though I get a lovely warmth, a feral animal heat both sexy and intriguing. They could be two entirely different fragrances. Most interesting.

 Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE See-Ming Lee FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

It takes about 20-30 minutes for the two different applications to merge into more related scents and they seem to come together as the woods appear, old dry furniture wood made even more reminiscent of old through the honey. It smells like my 1960s sideboard that has been beeswaxed every few months by my mother and now me since it was new. There is a beautiful richness to its smell now that is both waxy honey and wood. The lovely iris goes all soft and fluffy on me, weaving through the woods and after about 4 hours my skin smells like that lovely, fresh washed, just worked out, healthy young flesh smell.

Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE Carlsons WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

It is absolutely intoxicating and I can’t help putting my nose down my top and huffing hugely. I smell like the lovely nubile young musclebound men I used to tryst with many, many years ago after the disco. It is an extremely specific smell of health: fresh, soft skin over rock hard muscles that have been dancing and are now fresh washed and ready to cavort. This is the EXACT smell. Gorgeous.

This lovely scent stays around for about 4 hours on my skin, much longer on my clothes. My jumper still smells beautiful at lunch time the next day, it will need a wash but maybe not this week. Really excellent scent.

Don’t miss the SOIVOHLE SALE<<< JUMP

Which of the SOIVOHLE fragrances have you tried?

Portia xx

 

 

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

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Post by TinaG

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Perfume holds a vision of truth – a truth which can strike deeply to our core, a trigger which can bring to the surface a crazy mix of visions in a flash of memory, borne only from a single, deep breath. It is such a personal sensation, that rush, corners of the mouth relaxing into a smile and just the enjoyment of being swept away in an all-encompassing pure experience, if only for a few moments.

One of the challenges I find is conveying that feeling, those emotions to other people. How do you capture that? You can’t photograph a smell, but you can convey the sense of a moment through an image. Sometimes we write beautifully crafted landscapes to try and explain what it is that we are experiencing – I think that is often the most successful way, but ultimately one may need to go on that experience themselves to see whether they agree, disagree, or are led down a completely different olfactory path.

Flashback by Olivier Cresp for Olfactive Studio 2013

Flash Back Olfactive Studio FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rhubarb, orange, grapefruit
Heart: Granny Smith apple, pink pepper
Base: Vetiver, cedar, amber, musk

Olfactive Studio’s fragrances have taken a different approach to their scent creations, by starting with photographic art, and creating a fragrance which reflects that moment. Sometimes I get it, like the half-light of a distant hotel room with Chambre Noir, other times I’ve been taken my own journey like the amazingly visual images I got whilst testing Still Life – albeit quite different from the photograph Still Life was created in conjunction with. And I’m OK with that, it is all part of the story.

Flash Back Olfactive Studio pic FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

So here on another Olfactive Studio journey, I give my wrists a light dewy dusting of Flashback, allowing the fragrance plenty of breathing space. The reward is a whoosh of gentle pink pepper and a deep moist green rhubarb. The rhubarb here is freshly picked, the stem snapped in half with juices flowing. This fresh bitterness is countered and lifted by the beautiful understated warmth and sweetness of the pink pepper.

After half an hour it is joined by grapefruit, such as one which has just been cut and squeezed. It is crossing over between smell and taste in a big way as I can feel my tongue tingling from the sharp juiciness. The wallflower orange is shyly floating in the background but never really makes a stand. At two hours cedar comes through along with some pink musk which help soften the citrus, but this seems to fade after an hour and I get the predominant grapefruit back again but this time with a lingering underlying touch of vetiver, and this combination lasts and lasts.

Flash Back Olfactive Studio Alice Henneman FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactoria’s Travels
First In Fragrance have €72/50ml and samples

Libertine Parfumerie has 100ml/$195 including postage within Australia
Peony Melbourne has 100ml/$195

Because of the tanginess of this fragrance I’m considering it for a travel scent, as the rhubarb and citrus would be a refreshing pick-me-up after a long haul flight. So perhaps there may be stories in our future – always happy to make some new & fun memories!

Tina G

Velvet Flowers by Montale

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Post by Ainslie Walker

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It’s time for a Spanish pilgrimage. We know Spain is famous for its pilgrimages…Camino De Santiago in particular. Here at APJ, we are pilgrams of perfume, so therefore I want to tell you about an awesome little perfumerie in San Sebastian, Spain, which just might be worth “pilgrimaging” to when next you are in Europe.

The store was first started as an English style barbershop and perfumery in 1908, and was named Casa Benegas. The founder D.Francisco Benegas and his wife Dona Justa Echeverria were extremely entrepreneurial, incorporating the latest trends from both the French and the English. It’s a lovely store, on a corner in Donostia, San Sebastian and actually HUGE once inside. Shelves surrounding from floor to ceiling FILLED with beautiful gleaming packages. San Sebastian was and still is full of glamour: artists, celebrities and royals have headed there for their summers, even before the perfumery opened. These”high profilers” made up the majority of Casa Benegas customers, right from the start.

BenegasPhoto Stolen Benegas

Fifty years later the business was taken over by their son who concentrated on the perfumery, introducing international brands and then some cosmetics. Now in the hands of the 3rd and 4th generation of Benegas’s, this incredible family business still manages to show the original owners entrepreneurial spirit, selling many leading pioneering brands and yet keeping the feel of the original concept.

The personalized service is exceptional, and it was here my friend was guided towards a bottle of….

Velvet Flowers by Montale

Velvet Flowers Montale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Peach blossom, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, saffron, fruit aroma, sandalwood, gurjan balsam, musk

Out of it’s Benegas giftwrap and box comes a sleek silk bag, inside an brushed gold aluminum bottle with a decorative pin which also stops it from being pressed unintentionally. Impressive. Modern, and not really giving away, what’s inside.

Benegas WrappingPhoto Donated Ainslie Walker

First spray is fruity and floral – peachy and clean, womanly but with a bit of flirty, sexy fun. Woodsy enough to feel a little unusual, and certainly robust. It’s warm, perhaps a touch of spice, and VERY sweet and intoxicating. As it settles its rosey-peachy waxiness goes on and on. Under this though is something interesting. Candy? I am reminded of opening a bottle of Darryl Lee ‘bo peeps’. YUM. Such an interesting fusion of strong woman and girl in a candy store! This fragrance screams fun.

Velvet Flowers Montale Jjb@nalog flickrPhoto Stolen Fotopedia

Strong and long lasting, it’s not necessarily the most natural of smells but there is something about it I like nonetheless and the fruity floral remains steady, even on waking the next day.. Sometimes that’s the great thing about synthetic smells, they are new to the senses. I am reminded of Mugler’s Alien, but my sample is not nearby for a closer comparison. But this is definitely peachier, rosey and less heady. There are also some softer tones to velvet flowers. On a hot day the floral evaporates faster, leaving me with an odd metallic musk smell, which is probably my worst moment with VF. The best time is the first 1-2 hours. It’s clean, fresh and slightly creamy….but more waxy.

Velvet Flowers Montale Loo Treated Myself to FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Scent for Thought
Beauty Encounter has $130/100ml
First In Fragrance has €99/100ml and samples

Marketed as unisex, I find this fragrance hyperfeminine. I cannot imagine smelling it on a man. Really modern version of a fruity floral oriental, with additional sweetness. It’s certainly a pick me up kind of a fragrance, with more than 1 meaning! ;D

What other perfumes stores have you found around the world and where are they?

Ainslie Walker X

Evelyn's Rose by Mark Evans for Evocative Perfumes

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Post by Sister Mary Magdalen, Patron Saint of Perfumers

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Today APJ I invite you all to remember and enjoy simple pleasures…

Although ordinarily living an entirely cloistered life, recently myself and another of the Sisters ventured to our nearby provincial Rose Garden for seasonal devotions. Marvelous sunshine and hundreds of rose varieties in full bloom saw hours pass in happy contemplation. Whilst some folk no doubt admire the colour or form of the bloom above all, for us the attraction was chiefly in the fragrance. This led us in short order to beds planted with David Austin roses. This English rose breeder introduces cultivars that are selected for their rich intense scent. With so many varieties of his roses blooming, it was not long before we were exclaiming over such notes as violet, hyacinth, musk, myrrh, honey, incense, quince and apple in the various flowers.

Evelyn's Rose Evocative Perfumes Rosa_Evelyn WikipediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

One of these David Austin roses, Evelyn Rose, had a delicious peachy note along with a superb Old English Rose heart. He named it for English toiletries company Crabtree and Evelyn who are said to use this rose variety in some of their products. I had not fallen for the C&E perfume on recent test, so it was a treat then to discover another Evelyn’s Rose by an Australian perfumer.

Evelyn’s Rose by Mark Evans for Evocative Perfumes

Evelyn's Rose Evocative PerfumesPhoto Stolen Evocative Perfumes

Evocative Perfumes gives these featured accords in one line”
Evelyn’s Rose, rose, clean musks

A burst of almost minty freshness heralds a delightful rose heart with a fresh peach character. Musky notes start unfurling early on, and despite my initial concern that the musks might stray too far in the direction of the laundry for my tastes, they are restrained and balanced with the fruit and floral facets in the composition.

The overall impression is of a naturalistic fresh rose with fruity and clean musky elements. As the scent wears, a wisp of incense smoke seems to weave its way through. Evelyn’s Rose is a sweet and simple rose scent. For me it is a lovely memento of a day out amongst the real roses. This is a perfume oil to be applied sparingly. A few dabs give around 6 hours of being the centre of a pleasant rosy cloud.

Evelyn's Rose Evocative Perfumes Heidi-Klum-Rose WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Often people seeking a rose perfume will declare they are looking for a “true” rose. Having sniffed scores of these luscious shapeshifters, I’m not sure such a thing exists!

Evocative Perfumes has $35/12ml Perfume Oil

Do you have a favourite rose soliflore scent or favourite variety of rose bloom? What other notes have you smelled in rose blooms?

Remember, take time to smell the roses,
Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers.

Luxe Champaca EdT Comme des Garcons 2007

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Post by FeralJasmine

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I have a secret fantasy about having my hair done in India. In this fantasy it would again be long and auburn, and would be skillfully braided with strands of jasmine. I would feel the smoothness of my light silk clothing, and smell the single Champaca flower floating in a bowl of water nearby, and wait… for what, exactly? I’m not sure. The whole point would be that moment of beauty, radiant and complete.

Luxe Champaca EdT Comme des Garcons 2007

Luxe Champaca Eau de Toilette Comme des Garcons FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
White pepper, angelica, champaca, cardamom, pepper, white musk, iris

I can’t claim that Luxe Champaca provides that exact moment, but then, how many perfumes do? It does offer a radiant sweetness, light but somehow penetrating, that floats around me like the memory of beauty. I haven’t yet sampled the Champaca EDP from the same line, and maybe it’s a richer scent. But the EDT has its place. Like everyone else, I have a million tasks a day to complete, and very little time to sit around having fantasies of beauty. But the memory of radiance that the EDT carries can follow me around, wafting lightly, appearing and disappearing unexpectedly, whispering to me to remember perfect beauty and believe that it could exist. It’s as if my waiting jasmine-braided self were reaching toward my professional persona with a calming hand. Stop, she whispers softly, and feel.

Eau de Toilette Comme des Garcons Lei_pikake WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

For such a delicate beauty, Champaca is surprisingly persistent and lasts hours on my perfume-eating skin, coming and going a bit but always there. It’s a good scent for spraying on scarves and lingerie. I can’t imagine this one on a man, but that may be due to a limited imagination, so gentlemen, try it if you feel so inclined and report back.

Eau de Toilette Comme des Garcons Flower_garland_sellers WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Now Smell This and Perfume Smellin’ Things
First in Fragrance has €110/100ml and samples
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $5/.5ml

Now, I would love it if you shared one of your beauty fantasies with me. In your lovely thought, where are you, what are you doing, and what do you smell?

FeralJasmine

New perfumes for a new life

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Post by Gabriella

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Hello fragrance friends! For those of you that read my last post, you’ll know I’ve been busy with my relocation to Melbourne.
The good news is that we’re here now and besides being really cold and missing my fragrance collection that’s still in transit, there are plenty of things to look forward to. One of these is that perfume shopping is way better in Melbourne than Sydney (I’ll be sure to post some of my shopping adventures soon!). The second is that I’m really excited about introducing some new perfumes into my life.

I find that relocating gives a new outlook: not only do you feel different, but it is often a great time to try new things, like a different fashion style, a new lipstick and of course, new or different perfumes. When I moved to London, my tastes in perfume changed quite a bit and gems like Chanel No 19 EDP, Lipstick Rose, Musc Ravageur and Habanita became new loves. So, what beauties will Melbourne bring perfume-wise? Here’s five scents that I’m looking forward to adding to my permanent rotation:

New perfumes for a new life

Dans Tes Bras by Maurice Roucel for Frederic Malle 2008

Dans Tes Bras Frederic Malle FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Heliotrope, jasmine, woodsy notes, patchouli, pine tree, cashmeran, sandalwood, musk, incense, violet

This beautiful but quirky violet scent has always intrigued me, but I have never really found the perfect time or place to wear it. It’s woody sombreness never quite fit with Sydney’s warmer clime, but it strikes me as the perfect accompaniment to Melbourne’s chill. A good choice for the weekends when I’m swathed in a big black jumper, jeans and boots and mulling over life, sipping an espresso.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Mecca Cosmetica starts at $142/30ml
Surrender to Chance has $7/.5ml

Louanges Profanes by Pierre Guillaume for Parfumerie Generale 2008

PG19 Louanges Profanes Parfumerie Generale FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lily, benzoin, hawthorn, incense, neroli, woody notes

I’m including this one because I’m dying to wear it after experiencing a massive olfactory memory the other week. While packing boxes, I smelt it there and then, even though I last time I sniffed it was more than three years ago and only from a small sample vial. Does anyone else ever experience this? I’m thinking this opulent oriental with its smoky lily accord and smattering of hawthorn will be lovely in the cold weather when I want to feel glam: it’s all plush red velvet, cashmere and patent heels.

Further reading: The Olfactorialist
Luckyscent has $125/50ml
Surrender to Chance has $5/ml

Love by Calice Becker for By Kilian 2007

Love by Kilian By Kilian FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, bergamot, pink pepper, coriander
Heart: Iris, jasmine, rose, honeysuckle, orange blossom
Base: Musk, vanilla, civet, caramel, sugar, labdanum

I’m by no means a gourmand lover but I’m finding that the cold, dry air has me hankering after something sweet. Love is a good fit for me, given the neroli and jasmine give me the much-needed white floral hit within the sweetness of caramelised sugar and vanilla. This is cotton candy and marshmallows, pink and pretty. A somewhat frivolous and light-hearted scent when the grey skies will make me want to take my girly-ness to the max.

Luckyscent has $145/4 x .25oz
Surrender to Chance has $4/.5ml

Moor Street Gardenia Eau De Parfum by Klein’s Perfumery 2014

Moor Street Gardenia Eau De Parfum
Photo Stolen Klein’s Perfumery

Anyone who’s read my posts will know of my love of gardenia. Like many, I’d given up on finding a really good one given Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia is discontinued. Klein’s Perfumery Moor Street Gardenia is part of the boutique’s new line up that I discovered on a hasty reconnaissance visit here a few weeks ago. It’s as perfect a gardenia as I’ve ever encountered. A heady, slightly green composition that evokes the creamy petals in full bloom. A good choice for when I’m longing for the Sydney mugginess and just that little bit homesick.

Klein’s Perfumery has $110/50ml

Ta’if by Geza Schoen and Linda Pilkington for Ormonde Jayne 2004

Ta'if Ormonde Jayne FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these notes:
Top: Saffron, date, pink pepper
Heart: Orange blossom, white peach, rose, freesia, lily of the valley, jasmine
Base: Amber, tonka, musk, vanilla absolute

It’s now clear to me that I’m craving orange blossom, since Ta’if is the third scent that I’ve mentioned, along with Love and Louanges Profanes that includes a hefty dose of the note. However, Ta’if is first and foremost an opulent rose scent. I’m pretty picky with roses, preferring them dark, and Ta’if satisfies this want with a spicy opening of saffron and pink pepper. The rose is full and lush, tempered by a breath of jasmine, lily of the valley and freesia before the voluptuous orange blossom comes to life in the dry down. This is the scent to wear when I want to feel powerful and confident whilst job and flat hunting: regal, rich and very sophisticated.

Further reading:  Now Smell This and EauMG
Peony Melbourne has $195/50ml
Surrender to Chance has $4/.5ml

So, do you like any of my picks?
What new perfumes have you discovered when moving to a new place or traveling?

With much love till new time!
M x

CHANEL Cuir de Russie (Les Exclusifs de Chanel) by Jaques Polge for CHANEL 1983

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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First composed by Master Perfumer Ernest Beaux 1927
and retuned by Jaques Polge in 1983

CHANEL Cuir de Russie by Jaques Polge for CHANEL 1983

(Les Exclusifs de Chanel)

Chanel Cuir de Russie Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featureed acciords:
Top: Tunisian orange blossom, Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian mandarin
Heart: Jasmine, oriental rose, ylang-ylang, oriental notes
Base: Albanian birch wood, tobacco, musk, leather

Cuir de Russie = Sybaritic Grandueur (Sybaritic – pertaining to or characteristic of a sybarite; characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure)

I have waited so long for this moment. I have had tiny samples, a lovely small dab bottle and finally a large decant. Being able to spray without a care really does make such a difference.

Chanel Cuir de Russie Church Spires PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

You know instantly it´s a Chanel classic, even not being familiar with the scent itself. It is so beautiful that I am sat here at a loss for words. Cuir de Russie has been written about so many times there is not really much I can add. Perhaps though there is someone out there reading about it for the first time. This then is for you.

Cuir de Russie, or Russian leather was quite the modern theme around the end of the 19th century. Women were smoking cigarettes and perfume houses were coming up with fragrances for them. Women who smoked were scandalous and Cuir de Russie was provocative and shocking, which was its purpose.

Chanel Cuir de Russie Orlov Trotter WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

From the CHANEL Website: “The tumultuous events in Russian history offered Mademoiselle Chanel the opportunity to meet the Grand Duke Dimitri, who introduced her to an ingenious perfumer: Ernest Beaux, born and trained in Moscow. In 1927, she worked with him to create Cuir de Russie. Through long musky, smoky notes, it evokes a wild yet elegant world, with its scent of leather boots tanned by birch bark and the essence of Virginia tobacco.” 

It is smoky and leathery, but it is softened by the sweet and lush floral notes. It is incredibly feminine, sensual and warm. It enticingly wraps itself around you like a smokescreen. It is elegantly animalic. It makes me feel fabulous.

Val CQ & Christian SperrerPhoto donated Val CQ

And when you work out after a long day, Cuir de Russie is reignited in the sweat. And it´s ravishing. It is your duty, if you haven´t already, to at least try this.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Olfactoria’s Travels
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/ml
You can try and purchase Cuir de Russie at most CHANEL boutiques and some CHANEL specialty stores

Cuir de Russie is who I was and who I am now.

CQ