Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen for The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

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TinaG

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Hi APJ, hope you have all had a lovely start to the festive season.

I wrote briefly about one of my go-to perfumes in an article on Adelaide a few weeks back. This is Precision and Grace, Volume II of the Beautiful Mind Series. It is a great warm weather fragrance and a good all round travel pick-me-up. I’ve always finished decants when I’ve taken it away with me. “Finished” is not a word many perfume hobbyists use too often…..

I thought I’d revisit Precision and Grace with a bit more detail on the development of the scent on skin and why I enjoy wearing it so much.

Volume II: Precision and Grace by The Beautiful Mind Series 2015

Volume II: Precision and Grace by Geza Schoen

volume-2-precision-and-grace-the-beautiful-mind-series-fragranticaFragrantica

LuckyScent gives these featured accords:
Williams pear, bergamot, mandarin, lemon, Egyptian jasmine, plum, osmanthus, rose, mimosa, pink pepper, freesia, violet, sandalwood, myrrh, moss, amber

Precision and Grace is described as a Fruity Floral. That, in itself, is enough to send many a perfumista screaming and ducking for cover. But with descriptions, you have to start somewhere, right? It puts us in the ball park of maybe what to expect – it’s the quality that then defines the fragrance experience itself.

I always give this a few generous sprays, and it opens a slightly metallic lemon. Over the next 15 minutes or so, from this centre point softly emerges a beautifully balanced sphere of co-habiting notes – mandarin, pear, osmanthus and freesia primarily. The osmanthus and pear are really the stars on my skin. The pear is amazingly juicy and fresh, never wandering in to room-deodorant territory. And osmanthus…. Wow…. It is present with a glowing soft yellow radiance, calming and uplifting.

Woman Sunset Fog Profile Silhouette Yellow CloudsPDI

After about 1.5 hours, a jasmine comes through – nothing indolic, this is fresh as it would be still on the vine. The freshness is tempered with a plum note which drawn the scent down into slightly heavier olfactive territory.

There is something really special about the way this fragrance is balanced, each note is clear and real, but no divas, nothing pushing front and centre. I think that’s why I visualise a sphere, with the lemon surrounded by three main auras at first – floral, citrus, and fruit. You’ve got the precision in the photorealism, and grace in the balance, everything has a purpose and a place, working in harmony.

The fragrance changes ever so slowly, and at about 4 hours I find that a woody notes and dry sandalwood have appeared but I really didn’t have any hint of them coming. The dry down is subtle, and fragrance long-lasting at 8+ hours.

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Further reading: Megan In St Maxime
LuckyScent has $165/100ml and samples

I enjoy wearing Precision and Grace very much. I find it is one of those which grounds and centres me – I suspect that is why I wear it travelling, when I’m working in unfamiliar territory and need to move through my day with a sense of happiness, kindness and purpose. And, of course, the grace to work around those unforeseen hiccups that you always come across on the move.

What is your go-to scent when you need to get things done?

Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful start to 2017! Lots of Love.

Tina G xx

Adelaide, South Australia with TinaG + Photo Essay

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Post by TinaG

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Hi APJ,

I’ve been travelling a lot this year, and last week was for work in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. I thought I’d share my journey and fragrance choices for the trip, along with my travellers notes.

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Adelaide, South Australia with TinaG + Photo Essay

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Day 0 – For the flight down I wore Junky by Jardins d’Ecrivains. A friend gave me this sample a while ago but I hadn’t tried it before now. It’s supposed to have a cannabis note, maybe its fresh picked cannabis? It’s nothing I recognised. The fragrance felt a bit ordinary to me, a green based floral with iris & violet. Pretty, but I was expecting more. How we interpret the meaning in the name is probably the selling point, we’ve all got some level of addiction, don’t we?

tinag-adelaide-nov-2016-1Cocktail at 2KW

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Dinner on the first night was at a trendy top floor bar and restaurant, 2KW. Scent for dinner was Daim Blond by Serge Lutens. I wanted to wear something with a backbone but not so much of a monster it affected other people or my enjoyment of the meal. This suede/peach frag was perfect for a casual but upmarket restaurant meal with colleagues (well, they are all friends, really).

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Day 1 – I was a bit nervous going in to the work event so I chose Muschio, Santa Maria Novella, for its warmth and comfort. It was a great choice, gave me a bit of oomph to get through the day.

There was an dinner at Adelaide Town Hall that was semi-formal. I wore black on black with a brass coloured double chain long necklace and rock-star high heels from Nine West. It’s been ages since I dressed up and I felt totally uncomfortable. Haha! Swapped the heels for flats to walk there which was much better, and a respritz of Muschio helped. Fun night.

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Day 2 – Adelaide was getting warmer as the week wore on, so Precision and Grace: The Beautiful Mind Series was my choice for today. It’s got a great fresh pear/jasmine/osmanthus thing going on, but I swear I get a blast of lemon in the opening as well. Perfect refresher. It has been the highest complement-receiver of any fragrance I own, and it did receive a comment on the day. Yay.

That afternoon a friend & I walked across town to the Haigh’s chocolate factory. The walk was 40mins each way (slightly longer with a few Pokémon critters to catch on the way back). I respritzed Precision and Grace as it was still 32 degrees centigrade out there…

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Adelaide is know as ‘the city of churches’ and there is one in almost every corner in town. The city is very flat, and surrounded on each side by parkland, which made for a pleasant walk. Haigh’s was great, I got a bunch of their experimental chocs and factory seconds which they package up – only available at the factory, they don’t ship these out.

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tinag-adelaide-nov-2016-8Chocolates at Haigh’s

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Because of the Pokémon factor we only had 15 minutes to get changed before dinner, so in lieu of a shower I wore Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens. It smelt bloody brilliant on dusty sun-kissed skin over the top of the base Precision and Grace musks. Damn sexy if I do say so myself.

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Drinks and dinner were down Peel Street in the city, a must-visit if you’re in town. My friend & I shared an alcoholic lychee iced tea at Casablabla, a mixed cultural tapas bar. Dinner with the crew was at a restaurant called Peel Street (same as the street name). Fabulous meals, like my fave the banana flower blossom salad, and it had amazing options for those on special diets because everything was made fresh.

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Day 3 – The last day I went for another osmanthus-based fragrance, Inlé by Memo. I really like this as a travel scent, I wore it almost exclusively when travelling in South Korea with Portia & the crew two years ago. It’s light enough to fit most circumstances, but has an inherent beauty. The work day finished about 3:30 for us as we caught a cab for a flight back to Sydney.

So grateful for the opportunity to have experienced our sector work event in a great city with amazing people. I learnt so much.

Do you have a favourite travel fragrance?

Till next time.

Tina G xx

(Ed: Photos donated by TinaG unless specified. Thanks TinaG, they’re fab)