Undina: I think most of my readers know Lucas and his blog Chemist in the Bottle – but if no, Lucas is one of rare perfumistas who went beyond just perfume appreciation: he works in the industry, and one day, I’m sure, I will be wearing perfumes of his creation. While thinking about the ways to keep ourselves and our blogs even more entertaining, we thought it would be a good idea to swap blogs for a day. Yesterday he hosted my Second Sunday Samples on Chemist in the Bottle, and today I invite you to welcome him on Undina’s Looking Glass.
* * *
I am new to the brand of Paul Schütze and it seems I started discovering this brand from its bold side. Tears of Eros (yes, I chose the sample based on its name!) starts with a big hyacinth – it’s very floral at first but several minutes later it becomes very green, with a plant juice dripping all over the place. Plus it gets really earthy & vegetal. Kind of like a gloomy orris root. Woody notes of guaiac wood and cedar follow next, as they spread their scent. It’s dry, woodsy and has a rough feeling to it. It’s very solid and thanks to incense accord this perfume feels much darker and mysterious. It has a spiritual accents but to me this is how a dangerous forest from a fantasy book could smell like. Ambergris makes Tears of Eros more mineral, benzoin adds a resinous facet while cardamom makes it a little bit more spicy in a cool way. This is a daring perfume for perfume people with a lot of courage.
In response to the success of Gucci Guilty Absolute pour Homme this renowned fashion brand recently introduced its counterpart for women. Guilty Absolute pour Femme opens with beautiful and mouth-watering blackberry note. I just love how nicely it incorporates juicy and sweet aspect of this red fruit with its more tart, tangy side. Through this balance it smells very realistic and super delicious. Gentle zing of bergamot guides us further to a cypress accord that has a green, slightly woody smell. It actually makes me think of a blackberry bush. Next there is a lovely Bulgarian rose than blends nicely with red fruity aroma making it much more feminine and sensual. Pink pepper provides something tingly, sparkling in the background. Amber and patchouli in the base make Guilty Absolute pour Femme more guilty and seductive through its warmth. There’s a bit more woodiness later (from Goldenwood® molecule). Well done Gucci, really well done! Thumbs up!
Making Of, a niche brand based in Cannes debuted with 5 fragrances four years ago and this fact somehow slipped my mind. I haven’t tried them for all that time, despite having samples somewhere in the drawer. For today I picked Inavouable, a composition that sets off with tangy combination of lemon, bergamot and blood mandarin. What I noted is that there’s not much juiciness to them, they feel more dry (gin?) and aromatic. Aquatic and sheer magnolia follows next but it gets completely overwhelmed by a slightly indolic jasmine that appears shortly after. After some time tiare flowers gives Inavouable a tropical twist. Sweetness of vanilla blends with it and on my skin it smells like a lovely suntan lotion. It’s a little sultry too. Ambery facets appear after few hours introducing more warmth and sensuality to the fragrance. Benzoin makes Inavouable more balsamic while musk gives something animalic. It’s not a bad perfume, just not memorable one for me.
***
And now please join me in wishing Undina all the best for her birthday, which happens to be today! Everyone raise your glass for our beloved birthday girl. May all your wishes come true and may 2018 be filled with many wonderful things. We love having you around.
Undina's Looking Glass 
Hey Lucas!
Tears of Eros sounds fantastic. I really want a hyacinth-filled enchanted forest.
Many happy returns to our wonderful Undina! I hope she’s doing something fun.
LikeLike
Hello from this side, Tara!
If you’re up to a challenge of a perfume then it’s definitely worth giving Tears of Eros a try. It’s odd enough to make it interesting without any repulsiveness.
I hope Undina has awesome birthday today
LikeLike
Thank you, Tara! It was a lovely birthday indeed (with no computers and limited Internet on the phone; I strongly dislike WP app as a result :) ).
LikeLike
Happy Birthday to Undina!! Tears of Eros sounds so interesting, although I’m more likely to encounter the Gucci for a quick sniff.
LikeLike
You will find Gucci in any bigger departament stores now, it’s promoted quite widely now
LikeLike
Thank you, MMKinPA :)
LikeLike
Happy birthday, Undina!
LikeLike
Thank you, Koyel :)
LikeLike
Happy Birthday (again :) )
LikeLike
Thank you (again :) )!
LikeLike
I bloody *love* Tears of Eros, and wear it pretty often. It doesn’t feel daring to me, just beautiful. But not in a standard way. I like the way it catches at my brain as well as at my senses. (And it seems to change a great deal, depending on the weather–not entirely, but different aspects of it have different weights.)
And many happy returns to Undina.
LikeLike
Wow, you seem like a big fan of this perfume. It wears quite differently on my skin and it’s not a type of fragrance I usually would wear, hence my mixed feelings about it. But great to hear there are people who love it. I definitely fancy the name
LikeLike
Aye, I am! I find it endlessly fascinating the way different people react to different scents–I was out with a friend yesterday, and we did some idle sniffing after lunch. She was recoiling from things that made me purr, and vice versa. We have very few overlaps. I think we would both be miserable if we had to wear each other’s collection!
LikeLike
Tastes can be so different which I think is awesome
LikeLike
Thank you, crikey.
LikeLike
First, happy birthday 🎂🍰 to Undina!
Second, I am thrilled with this cross-over, like family coming together!
Third, MQS!
– Gucci Guilty Absolue Pour Femme was sadly a fruity-floral on me. Maybe I need to give it skin time but will need to scheme to get some – this is currently only available at Macy’s where the SA’s are so tight you could bounce a coin off their face.
– the rest sound interesting and I will try them when I encounter them!
LikeLike
Ha! Love this comparison! Yeah, it’s kind of like a visit at the relatives.
Oh, that’s disappointing if it turned fruity floral on you. Maybe other two will be better for you?
LikeLike
Thank you, hajusuuri!
I think with Macy’s it must be a store policy about samples. Sometimes I think they are trained to behave so that nobody even thinks about asking. I stopped – not just asking for samples but even trying perfumes there – let alone buying.
LikeLike
Happy birthday, Undina!
LikeLike
Thank you, Carol.
LikeLike
Many, many happy returns, Undina (with apologies for being late with my best wishes).
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
LikeLike
Thank you, Anna! I’m taking good wishes up to a week after the event… on the second thought, I don’t think there is a statue of limitations for that type of things :)
LikeLike
Lucas, thank you for all the nice words and for doing a great job on this posts exchange project. For me it was a lot of fun.
I also enjoyed your mini-reviews: I would have eventually tried Gucci one (well, probably) but I have never heard before about the other two brands. I’m not seeking them out since you didn’t love them but if/when I come across them, I’ll probably remember that you didn’t hate them and might even find some skin space to try them.
LikeLike
Thank you! It was a nice thing to exchange. We should do it from time to time.
Glad to hear that the fragrances sound ok to you. Gucci is probably easiest one to like in this bunch but I encourage you to try others too if you have a chance
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am now officially following Lucas’s blog. And a very belated happy birthday, Undina. Hope you had a wonderful day. R
LikeLike
I’m pleased to hear that, Richard :)
LikeLike
Thank you, Richard! This year it was an amazingly good birthday.
LikeLiked by 1 person