Month: June 2023

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Saturday Question: What Is Your Favorite La Collection Privée Dior?

Last week we discussed Les Exclusif de Chanel, so I thought it would be interesting to try another grand house – Dior.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #169:

What Is Your Favorite La Collection Privée Dior?

Do you love any of them? Too many or not at all? Do you own them? Do you wear them? What was the last new one you tried?

My Answer

My relationships with Dior cooled off when they stripped my favorite Miss Dior of its name to promote the “impostor” pink juice (not even in the original kind of interesting formulation!). And then they repackaged their Privée line. I didn’t mind it in principle, but they released so many new perfumes that I felt completely lost and overwhelmed. So, I am not even sure which perfumes I tried and which I didn’t. The last one that I tried and liked was Vanilla Diorama. I don’t want a large bottle of it, but I like it enough to wear it from the sample a friend sent me.

Technically, I do not have a favorite La Collection Privee perfume since 2 I own came from the pre-reformulation La Collection Couturier Parfumeur line. But since “my” perfume is still present in the updated collection, I will nominate it: New Look 1947, the first full bottle I bought from this line. It feels very elegant. It is present but quiet. Slightly powdery, with a exquisitely balanced floral and amber notes. Tenacious but not tiring.

Dior New Look 1947

How about you?

What Is Your Favorite La Collection Privée Dior?

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)
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Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)

Hi Crew, Cote d’Amour byL’Artisan Parfumeur was released way back in 2009. I remember first trying it a few years later and it was already impossible to find, especially out here in Oz. Then it turned up on Surrender To Chance a few years later in the 8ml sale. So I bought some. My decant is nearly 2/3 gone and after that there will be no more. I thought you might like to enjoy one of my last ever wears of this beauty together.

It caught my eye that this is a Celine Ellena fragrance. Cool!

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2009

Cote d’Amour by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary Grapefruit Tangerine
Heart: Immortelle Cypress Rose
Base: Pine Woodsy Notes Laburnum

My memories of first smelling Cote d’Amour are very fuzzy now, the where is completely gone. I do remember being told that L’Artisan were trying an All Natural route but smelling its now that seems highly unlikely. What I do remember is thinking how differently the pieces were put together. That it smelled like pieces of things I knew but nothing smelled quite like it. Also the name, it felt like love as an adventure. Something you’d travel great distances to find. Haven’t we all?

Anyway, let’s smell this long lost beauty eh? The happily strange greenly herbaceous citrus is gone way too quickly and overtaken by crisp green woods. There are still tinges of the opening, hollow reminders. The immortelle is clean, all that gooey, sticky, stanky fabulousness shorn off. It’s still recognisable but barely. This is immortelle light and if its presence is often a huge no for you then this will sit quietly enough I’m sure. I’m getting some very vanilla vibes, and some cedar-ish pencil shavings. Funnily, Jin just bought persimmons and the scent is a little like them with woody overlay.

Cote d’Amour L'Artisan Parfumeur

Though this has very typically L’Artisan low longevity when it starts to fade off and meld with my scent it becomes a sexy me but WAY better. So manly. Well, clearly that’s some connection I’m making from past olfactory experience. Can’t place it but that soft overtone on my own smell is bloody good. Not fragrant anymore but a sheer overlay. Very cool.

Do you remember this? Did you get to try it?
Portia x

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Saturday Question: What Is Your Favorite Les Exclusifs de Chanel?

I was thinking about large brands’ exclusive lines and realized that it has been a while since Chanel released their last perfume in their Les Exclusifs collection (it was Le Lion, back in 2020). I was too absent recently, so I haven’t heard any news about new launches from Chanel. Have you? Meanwhile, let’s talk about our existing favorites.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #168:

What Is Your Favorite Les Exclusifs de Chanel?

Do you love any of them? Too many or not at all? Do you own them? Do you wear them?

My Answer

While I like many perfumes from this line, I have just two full bottles, a couple of minis and a few decants in my collection. So it makes sense to choose one of the two FBs. I think.

So, if I had to choose just one, it would be Cuir de Russie, probably the most favorite leather perfume in my collection. (And I’ll chime in if you mention my other favorites in your comments.)

How about you?

What Is Your Favorite Les Exclusifs de Chanel?

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Saturday Question: What Do You Think About Opaque Perfume Bottles?

Last week brought an unexpected interruption, and I couldn’t publish the SQ post. But I’m back, and I’ll try not to skip these traditional posts in the future.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #167:

What Do You Think About Opaque Perfume Bottles?

Do you like them? Do you own them? Or do you avoid them?

My Answer

I have mixed feelings about opaque bottles: many of those I’ve seen were beautiful. I almost bought Chanel Coco Noir even though I wasn’t that enamored by the scent. And I would have bought Chanel No.5 Red Edition if I hadn’t missed it – and I don’t even like No. 5!

But when it comes to owning and using those perfumes in opaque bottles, it bothers me that I can’t clearly see how much juice is left in the bottle, which is especially annoying with heavy, quality bottles. I know that it is not rational: I won’t go through most bottles I have, so it’s not like I need to be prepared or will buy a backup bottle. And still.

 

How about you?

What Do You Think About Opaque Perfume Bottles?

Ylang 49 by Le Labo
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Ylang 49 by Le Labo

Hey ULGers, Here’s a funny thing. A couple of years ago Surrender To Chance had a couple of sale days where you could buy 8ml of things for much cheaper than normal. Seriously good discounts. So I spent a truckload. Sometimes buying a couple of the same thing, many blind. Yeah, so I know YOU KNOW how that usually goes. One win to every 10+ WTF. Anyway, one of the things I bought a couple of was Ylang 49. Because it’s only tangentially ylang I was thoroughly let down and they got lost amongst the many. Then as I was packing for London it went in the bag. OMG! With all expectations removed it is bloody fabulous. Full disclosure: Someone I was spending time with HATED it on me and found it hippy patchouli heavy hell. Me, nope, LOVED IT!

I think part of my loathing it earlier is my general side eye cringe and snort at the Le Labo mix-just-for-you bulls**t. It’s so annoying. The juice then needs to macerate in your bottle and takes up to a year to smell like the tester you tried in store. (yes, I know you know all this but it rubs me wrong)

In their favour, the simple Le Labo bottle that is used by so many companies is one of my favourite. Clean lines, easy to hold, nice and hefty.

Ylang 49 by Le Labo 2015

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Oakmoss Tahitian Gardenia Vetiver Benzoin Sandalwood

The opening is all cool white florals and grassy greenery. A little more fresh than you would expect from something ylang named but well within purview.

The opening lasts about two minutes and already patchouli has pretty much taken over the field. At about 5 minutes Ylang 49 goes completely quiet on me. It’s so weird. Like a complete drop out of fragrance. When it comes back, not very long later, it’s a complete patchouli bomb with some quiet backing players. Dark, earthy patchouli that feels like walking through the cold still air of underground water cave complexes. Strange, beautiful, slightly dank and cool. Nothing tropical or ylang-ish at all.

Ylang 49 by Le Labo

Later Ylang 49 does get a little sweeter and creamier but still the patchouli is king. Lasting power is excellent and it has excellent projection, even though I as wearer only notice it in huffs.

Is Ylang 49 something you love?
Portia xx