Month: February 2014

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Love at First Sniff or Portrait of a Serial Spontaneous Perfume Buyer

Look at me – I’m all grown-up: I have a new and cleaner looking blog design (I had to do it since WP has retired my original theme), use a real poll and even got my first guest writer!

Please welcome hajusuuri – a perfumista, my close scent relative and a regular commenter on many perfume blogs.

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In the hierarchy of perfumista sins, blind buying full bottles (FB) ranks as #1, and buying spontaneously (or impulsively) comes in at a close second. Given Undina’s meticulous recording of all perfumes in her possession (down to the very last sample) and her supremely enviable tracking of her SOTD and sampling activities for the past three years, was anyone surprised that the closest she came to being spontaneous) ended up being a YEAR after she took home a sample of Diptyque Volutes? (That was the post in which I offered hajusuuri to write a guest post to “compensate” for my indecisiveness – Undina)

Spontaneous Perfumes

So what normally prompts spontaneous perfume buying? Assuming you liked/loved the first encounter with a perfume, here are some of my reasons and a list of the perfumes I bought1:

  • The perfume is being discontinued or is a limited edition – Guerlain Iris Ganache
  • I’m on vacation and may not have the opportunity again – read all about it at Chemist in the Bottle
  • I have a deal such as % / $ off, Gift with Purchase (GWP), etc., and don’t have the patience to wait for a better one to come along – Atelier Cologne buy four 30 ml get one free and I ended up with Sous le toit de Paris x 2, Rose Anonyme, Mistral Patchouli and Vetiver Fatale,  Atelier Cologne Silver Iris (20% off at Sephora AND a free 30 ml of any Atelier Cologne…I picked Silver Iris for the freebie), Demeter Tomato and Pumpkin Pie (they were cheap and were buy 2 get a rollerball free), La Collection Privee Christian Dior Bois d’Argent ($s off event at Bergdorf and a very generous SA), I Profumi di Firenze Vaniglia del Madagascar (30% off 2 items and if you must know what the other item was…it was Mona di Orio Violette Fumee which became a relative bargain with the discount), Jo Malone Saffron Cologne Intense (gift event at Bloomingdale’s), Marni Rose (another creepy doll! and since I got this at Saks, I was able to have the SA walk around with me to obtain perfume samples from other counters), Tom Ford Violet Blonde (free faux ostrich leatherette atomizer filled with perfume of choice)
  • Do I really need a reason? – Atelier Cologne Cedrat Enivrant, By Kilian gold snake wrapped atomizer, Hermes Jour d’ Hermes and Voyage d’ Hermes, Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit and Parfumerie Generale Indochine

Spontaneous Perfumes

Tell us about your spontaneous perfume purchases (whatever this means in your book – be that purchasing a bottle the same day you tried the perfume for the first time or getting the perfume from the bottom position of your wish list).

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For this month’s Entertaining Statistics post please vote on the main reason of your spontaneous perfume buys:

And now – a giveaway!

To celebrate her first guest post on this blog hajusuuri offers a 5 ml decant of Atelier Cologne Silver Iris. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide. To be entered vote in the poll and leave a comment telling in what country you live. If you do not want to be entered still vote, please. The giveaway is open until 11:59PM PST on March 1st, 2014. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in the February Statistics post. Please note that neither Undina nor hajusuuri is responsible for replacing the decant if it were to get lost or damaged.

1It’s possible I may have selective amnesia but, to the best of my recollection, these were my spontaneous buys. Note: I excluded: 1) anything I bought online immediately after sampling at home and 2) any < 30 ml FBs; if I included these, this post would be 2x as long and that’s all I will say about that :)

Images: all by hajusuuri

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Chasing Daphne

I have a brown thumb. I know it is so because once I killed ivy – and it wasn’t even my intent! It doesn’t upset me too much since I never felt like growing anything. But despite that I’ve just adopted a plant. I wanted to do it for a while but for the last several years something would come up in January-February – the only two months when Daphne Odora (Winter Daphne) blooms. And knowing my “abilities” I wanted to get at least the first bloom.

Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Apollo and Daphne, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

I found Daphne many years ago while walking in the park next to the office. I smelled something wonderful in the air – and just methodically sniffed every flower I could see around until I found it. Then it took me another year to figure out the name of that plant and then several more years to finally get it.

Daphne’s flowers aren’t that impressive: pale pink with darker center. They resemble many others flowering shrubs’ blooms. But the scent is heavenly. I thought how to describe Daphne’s aroma when serendipitously a couple of days ago I saw Ineke Ruhland’s Facebook post about that plant and I figured out that she was better qualified to give you an idea of how it smells – in case you haven’t smelled it before.

I would say it’s a must-have plant for gardeners who like scented plants or for perfume lovers. I’ve heard many gardeners rave about the scent, which I would describe as orange flower + lemon + honey + molasses. It’s sweet but not cloying. […] When you run across one with loads of blooms, it’s a real wafter.

Daphne odora

Since I smelled Daphne for the first time I wanted to have perfume with that scent. “Daphne odora” was my standard answer to questions in different polls as to which note/scent you want created in a perfume form. From what I read, all parts of Daphne plant are poisonous so I don’t think there will ever be an actual Daphne note in any perfume but I’m fine with a recreation – as long as it smells close.

The first (and so far the only) perfume I ever saw listing Daphne as a note was Eau de Tommy Sooni II by Tommy Sooni (it’s not the most imaginative name, is it?). I read Victoria’s (EauMG) glowing review and it was an immediate lemming. You should read it too if you haven’t tried this perfume yet. I don’t think I can describe it better.

Does it smell like Daphne? It doesn’t the way Carnal Flower smells of tuberose, Diorissimo of lily-of-the-valley or Miss Charming of roses. When I smell it on its own, my mind doesn’t conjure Daphne immediately. But when I do a side-by-side sniffing of the real flower and Eau de Tommi Sooni II, I can “see” the resemblance. It might be that this perfume has one of the many other types of Daphne, not Daphne odora that I like.

I think that Eau de Tommi Sooni II is one of those perfumes praising which one does it a disservice: since this perfume doesn’t wow you from the first sniff telling you how wonderful it smells might create wrong expectations and cause a disappointment. But I can say that it is interesting: once I applied it I wanted to smell it again and again, it captivated me. When I finished the first sample I thought that I’d need a decant. By the time the second sample was half-gone I decided to get a bottle and see if I could make the plant last as long as 100 ml of the perfume. I hope that Daphne plant doesn’t run away from me in terror or turn into a nymph.

So despite the not inspiring name and an objectionable bottle size (brands, be reasonable! Why make only 100 ml bottles??!) Eau de Tommi Sooni II has joined my collection as this year birthday perfume bottle.

Eau de Tommi Sooni II

Images: Apollo and Daphne – from here, the last two my own

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Short Conversations About Perfume: Like a Stranger

 

Kiss me
I want you to kiss me like a stranger once again
Kiss me like a stranger once again…

It’s a warm sunny winter day. My vSO and I are driving along the coast. It’s my birthday and he’s taking me on a short [almost] surprise vacation to the beautiful ocean view hotel. Tom Waits’ voice from the speakers – I gave that Bad as Me CD to my vSO for his birthday a while ago but I haven’t heard it until now:

You wear the same kind of perfume
You wore when we met
I suppose there’s something comforting
In knowing what to expect
But when you brushed up against me
Before I knew your name
Everything was thrilling
‘Cause nothin’ was the same

I (turning to my vSO):  You know, I actually am wearing today the same perfume as I wore when we met.
He: Oh, really?
I: Yeah, it’s my favorite Climat. It felt right for the occasion.

Monterey

The next day on the way back I find the same song. My vSO: Are you listening to it again because of the perfume?
I: Yes. And because it’s a very romantic song.
He: It is.
(after a pause)
I: Could you recognize any of my perfumes?
He: (with a sigh) No, I can’t say that I could…

It doesn’t upset me: he never did. So for me “…there’s something comforting in knowing what to expect…” And for him? At least my perfume every time is not the same. “Like a stranger…”

 

 

Image: my own

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A Postcard from Undina: Rain!

Marple Leaves In Water

Finally it’s raining! Who would have thought I would be that excited about gray sky without a single ray of light coming through the clouds! I feel very peaceful and calm  – as if the rain washes away my stress from the work week. A purring furry ball  on my lap intensifies the effect. I do not need to be anywhere. I do not have to do anything. I can just relax and enjoy an almost colorless watercolor wash from my window.

I hope your weather cooperates with your plans this weekend.

With love,
Undina

 

Image: my own

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Entertaining Statistics: January 2014

 

I know how it sounds to the most of my readers but I have to say it: we had an unpleasantly warm January. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy the light jacket weather as much as the next freezing east coaster would but we really need at least some rain. And +22˚C (71˚F) isn’t a normal temperature for this month even in our region. So now I can’t even pretend that it’s winter and time to wear my winter perfumes.

For this month’s statistics post I asked you to name five niche brands that, in their opinion, are in the “need to know” category for anybody who’s interested in perfumes. I asked the same question in one of the perfume groups on Facebook.

29 people participated on FB and 19 in the blog. 49 brands were named, 26 of them more than once.

Since I know that some people participated both here and there I thought of splitting results by the source but it didn’t change the outcome: both groups, as well as the total, returned the same set of 5 brands, just in slightly different order (numbers in parenthesis – places FB/Blog):

Serge Lutens (1/1)

L’Artisan Parfumeur (4/2)

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle (2/3)

Amouage (3/4)

Parfumerie Générale (5/5)

Stats January 2014

The chart above shows actual number of votes for the top 10 recommended brands. From my original list only Ormonde Jayne didn’t make the cut and moved to the sixth place. I need to get more samples from Parfumerie Générale line and see why it made it to the fifth place.

Out of 52 perfumes I wore or tested in January 17 perfumes were from 5 out of these 10 brands. What was unusual: this month I tried only five perfumes for the first time. Did you come across anything interesting this year?

Rusty had nothing to do with any of the numbers but he has to requite all the compliments he got in the previous post – even without appearing in it! These are pictures of him with perfumes from the “need to know” list.

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Images: my own