Author: Undina

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A Postcard from Undina: Happy Thanksgiving 2021!

Rusty and Thanksgiving FoodDear Friends and Readers,

Whether you are celebrating this holiday or not, I’m thankful to you that by coming back to my blog you give me a reason to find time and energy to take an extra picture of Rusty or perfumes, write something about samples I test or come up with the next Saturday Question. Without you, I would have been depriving myself of this wonderful distraction in favor of even more work. Thank you!

I wish my compatriots to have a wonderful celebration with warmth of your loved ones company and great traditional food (whatever tradition you follow) despite all the Supply Chain Shortages. And I wish everyone else a quiet end of the week and a relaxing weekend.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Saturday Question: Who Is Your Favorite Indie Perfumer Or Indie House?

This week’s question was one of the topics Brigitte suggested back when Portia solicited SQ ideas from the APj’s readers. Whenever my week gets so busy that I don’t have time to think about this post until I sit to write it (an hour before the midnight or even later), I open the spreadsheet with all the suggestions and choose one that feels right. This one was that type of a week.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #91:

Who Is Your Favorite Indie Perfumer Or Indie House?

I’m not sure if there is a strict distinction between indie and niche brand definition, so each of you can think of your own criteria. But I think as the year comes to the end, and we all will be thinking about gifts either for others or ourselves, it would be nice to be reminded of those brands that won’t have massive ad campaigns or YouTube influencers lining up to recommend those perfumes in their holiday shopping guides.

In addition to naming a brand, please share your most favorite perfume from the line.

My Answer

I’m not much into indie perfumery. I have a number of favorites from several brands, but none of the brands really stands out.

But if I have to name just one, I’ll probably go with Tauer Perfumes. And perfume that I like the most is L’AIR DU DÉSERT MAROCAIN.

I think that even full bottles of Andy Tauer’s perfumes are priced reasonably for the quality of ingredients he uses. But unless you plan to bathe in one of his perfumes, a travel spray, a couple of samples or a 5 ml mini (if there is one for that perfume) will go a long way.

Tauer LDDM Mini

Who Is Your Favorite Indie Perfumer Or Indie House?

 

Image: hajusuuri

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Second Sunday Samples: Teo Cabanel Les Expressions Parfumées

Are you familiar with this house?

If you’ve been at this hobby for longer than 5-7 years, most likely, you’ve heard about at least one of their perfumes: Alahine. It is great. I mean, it was great. I haven’t tried the newest version, but according to the update in Kafka’s glorious review of this perfume, at some point around 2017 it had been poorly reformulated. I also suspect that it has been reformulated again since then, who knows for better or for worse, so probably most of the reviews you can find now online would describe some of the versions that you won’t get today anyway. Which means that you’ll have to try it yourself.

Teo Cabanel brand’s story is interesting. I won’t repeat what you might read on their site, if you are curious, I just wanted to mention that it seems like the brand keeps trying to find its “it” for the last 100+ years of intermittent history.

The chapter of their classical perfumes – Alahine, Early Roses, Julia, Oha, etc. – is over. As I mentioned, I’m not sure how well all of these survived the reformulations, but I’m glad they haven’t just discontinued all of them and started over. Instead, they pivoted.

This summer I saw Teo Cabanel’s campaign for their new perfumes and got curious. These newest perfumes were created not by the same in-house perfumer who authored the brand’s first 10 perfumes (Jean-François Latty). Patrice Revillard is the nose behind Ça Boum, Et Voilà, Je Ne Sais Quoi and Oh Là Là; Rendez Vous and Très French were done by Marie Schnirer. I haven’t tried any other perfumes from these two perfumers, so I had no expectations one way or the other.

Rusty and Teo Cabanel Samples

These perfumes clearly target the younger demography but not in the mainstream sense: none of these is fruity floral; none is too sweet. The bottles are simpler than those for their earlier perfumes, but they look nice and clean, at least on the picture. Prices are lower than for the original line. And the brand makes a point mentioning that they use good raw materials, but that they also use synthetics where it’s appropriate. I think most niche perfumes these days are made either in France on in the country native to the brand, so I’m not sure how much of a distinction it gives to Teo Cabanel that they proudly announce that they produce their perfumes in France. What does impress me is that they claim: “90% of our components are French and the remaining 10% are Italian.”

Ca Boum

Top notes: salty & iodized notes, Sand Lily; middle notes: rose absolute, jasmine absolute; base notes: green vanilla, immortelle

As much as I like lilies (flowers), this note in perfumes never works for me. And prominent jasmine is rarely my thing too. But if you are a fan of these two, Ca Boum might be right up your alley.

Et Voila

Top notes: neroli, aldehydes, clean accord; middle notes: white flowers, heliotrope, rose; base notes: white musk cocktail, sandalwood.

It smells too soapy on my skin, so I won’t consider wearing it. But I’m sure that Et Voila will have its following.

Rusty and Teo Cabanel Samples

Je Ne Sais Quoi

Top notes: puffed rice; middle notes: maté, violet leaf, matcha tea; base notes: guaiac wood, Tolu balm, vetiver Haiti, sandalwood.

I think this perfume is named aptly. It is very unusual. If you can survive the opening (or if it doesn’t bother you to start with), you might find Je Ne Sais Quoi interesting.

Oh Là Là

Top notes: hazelnut, saffron; middle notes: tobacco, iris; base notes: tonka bean, sandalwood, white musks.

I think that the notes sound a lot better than perfume smells. Believe it or not, I’m saying it not as criticism. I want to tame your expectations because I like Oh La La, and I know from experience that with lower expectations there’s a better chance to like what you test. It is not gourmand but has that slight dessert vibe in the opening. The iris is powdery, not earthy. And drydown is lactonic and somewhat creamy. I’m thinking about getting a small bottle of it.

Rusty and Teo Cabanel Samples

Très French

Top notes: crunchy pear, peony; middle notes: lily of the valley, Sambac jasmine, Crystal clear notes; base notes: sandalwood, benzoin, vetiver Haiti, white musks.

Lily of the valley, while being “very French,” for me is a deal breaker in this perfume: I really dislike it. And in this case, it’s not a question of lily of the valley being an artificial cheap ingredient (these are not expensive perfumes, and some of LotV’s perfumes are quite nice). I actually do not like the particular representation of lily of the valley in this perfume, and I cannot get past it. But you might.

Rendez Vous

Top notes: mimosa, violet leaf, almond; middle notes: violet, rose, jasmine, orange blossom; base notes: white musks, vanilla, tonka bean.

I thought I’d finish on a high note. I like Rendez Vous very much. I know, I’m not objective: I love mimosa. And I immensely enjoy this perfume in development: it’s very cozy, warm and sunny.

Even though I have many other mimosa perfumes in my collection, I think there is space there for one more. Conveniently, Teo Cabanel makes all perfumes from this line in nice 30 ml bottles.

Rusty and Teo Cabanel Samples

Currently, on the brand’s site you can get the complete set (16 1.5 ml samples) for 25 euro + S&H. And they offer that 25 euro as a voucher for future purchase of any full-size bottle. Shipping to the US isn’t too friendly (15 euro), but even with that ~$45 for 16 manufacturer samples including delivery isn’t that bad.

 

Images: my own

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Saturday Question: How Far in Advance Do You Plan What to Wear?

Today I have this question/discussion topic and an idea to share with you.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #90:

How Far in Advance Do You Plan What to Wear?

When do you decide what you are going to wear? On the day? The night before? What about perfumes for occasions (birthdays, family gatherings, etc.)?

Do you ever plan your perfume wardrobe several days in advance, for several days? (Trips don’t count!)

My Answer

I used to lie in bed the night before, mentally going through my whole collection (year, there were times when I could do that) and deciding on what perfume I’d use in the morning. As my collection grew, I switched to the stare-at-my-collection-in-the-morning method, which worked for a while but became less reliable once my perfumes filled in the shelves so that those boxes that are stored farther from the front are harder not only to get to but also to see. But better or worse, it still worked: I had to make a choice before leaving the house.

Then I started working from home, and my schedule changed so that I would have my meetings earlier than I would like to, so more and more often I would go commando (perfume-wise) for a couple of hours in the morning planning to figure out what to wear later… and more and more often my work takes over, and I keep going scent-free for the most of the day. And then I have to decide whether I want to apply perfume to wear or would rather test something new.

So, I just decided to make it easier for me this holidays season: I will make an Advent Calendar with 24 perfumes to wear in December. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll do daily or weekly posts: it might be too hard in addition to doing my planned countdown to Rusty’s birthday on Instagram, but I might still try.

Will you join me? I’m sharing this idea in advance – so that you have enough time to make your own calendar. You can do it from really simple to extremely fancy. 24 envelopes with written numbers, optionally decorated. Or Ziploc bags with decants/samples wrapped in some colorful tissue paper. Or one of those DIY sets from a craft store or Amazon. If you do not have a smaller decant or sample for the perfume you plan to wear, you can write down the name and put it into the bag or box. Alternatively, you can choose 24 samples that you want to try (again) and place them in random order into those bags – so, it’ll be kind of a surprise.

Advent Calendars

 

How Far in Advance Do You Plan What to Wear?

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Saturday Question: What Are Your Top 5 Amber Perfumes?

This is that time of the year again when the weather in the most places of the Northern Hemisphere unequivocally suggests wearing heavier and more opulent perfumes. Are you ready?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #89:

What Are Your Top 5 Amber Perfumes?

Not of all times, not the best creations ever, but just those that you think you will especially enjoy in the next couple of months?

For my readers on the opposite side of the World, do you have summer ambers?

My Answer

I love amber perfumes and have enough of those in my perfume wardrobe. But I often wait too long for the perfect weather – and then the season is gone before I could fully enjoy them. So, this year I decided to try and enjoy all of my favorite ambers. And I’m starting with these five:

  • By Kilian Amber Oud
  • Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
  • Bvlgari Black
  • Ormonde Jayne Tolu
  • EnVoyage Perfumes Captured in Amber

Rusty and Captured in Amber

What Are Your Top 5 Amber Perfumes?

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Scent Semantics #1: BRAVE

Introducing a new collaboration of six bloggers: Portia (A Bottled Rose), Elena (The Plum Girl), Sheila (Alembicated Genie), Daisy (Cool Cook Style blog and IG), Old Herbaceous (Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities) and Undina (Undina’s Looking Glass).

Once a month, one of us will be selecting a word (any part of speech representing an emotion, color, flavor, etc.), and we all will try to come up with a scent that we can connect to/associate with that word. We’re not limited by any particular format, so expect anything from a New-Yorker-cartoon-style picture caption to a War-and-Peace-type piece of writing (and everything in between).

Scent Semantics Project Banner

I agreed to participate in this project only because I love group efforts, AND it was Portia who organized it – how can anyone refuse? But I’m beyond bad in paring anything with anything. Nevertheless, I’m here, so let’s try.

* * *

This month’s word is: BRAVE

Unexpectedly, this one came easy.

Vol de Nuit was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1933, according to mentioning in different sources, inspired by the title of the book by his friend, Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

Vol de Nuit, both in its extrait and EdT versions, had been reformulated since then, probably more than once, which we all got used to. What amazed me beyond any words (well, I found some once the first reaction subsided) was that now marketers and brands reformulate not only perfumes and their stories but also classical literature.

My search for Vol de Nuit extrait (it seems no stores carry it now in the US) brought me to Harrods, where I discovered the following:

Vol de Nuit description at Harrods

“the story of love and romance”? Have we read the same novel? I won’t argue “spicy musks” since for all I know we smelled different versions. But I question a blanket statement “the first years of aviation” (but that time aviation in general was quite well established). But at least they still mention the Art Deco aspect of the bottle design.

And then I decided to check the brand’s site. I don’t think they read the book at all:

Vol de Nuit Description at Guerlain site

Just in case you don’t remember or haven’t read the book yet, without giving away too much, I’d like to mention that the flight central for the story takes place on the route from Patagonia to Buenos Aires; it’s a storm, not a tornado, that plays an important role during the flight; there is nothing sudden in losing radio contact; and, finally, the pilot is flying towards his loved one (though, alright, let’s issue a poetic license here).

Night Flight is a story of bravery, bravery demonstrated not just by pilots who flew those early planes, but also radio engineers who accompanied them to keep communications going between the plane and airports, and even by those on the ground making decisions that influenced not only the lives of people who worked for them, their own careers but also the progress itself. It’s not war-time heroism we grew up appreciating and almost expecting, regardless of the cultures we were brought up in. It’s ordinary, almost prosaic courage that still would deeply impress you if you muse about it for a while.

What about perfume, you might ask? I hoped one day to try the current version again and, if it’s still recognizable, buy Vol de Nuit extrait during my trip to France or the UK. But with all the recent changes with Guerlain perfumes (and considering their attitude towards both their brand’s history and their national literally treasure), I started thinking that maybe I should brave international shipping from Harrods while that beautiful Art Deco propeller bottle is still available?

Guerlain Vol de Nuit

Please visit other participants (links in the opening paragraph) to see what associations for the word “Brave” they came up with. And return in a month for the second episode of this joint project.

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Saturday Question: What is the Spookiest Perfume You’ve Ever Tried?

I used to like Halloween. Even though we stopped dressing up and having parties with friends for those years that didn’t fall on a weekend, I would usually do some decorations and wear some Halloween-related pieces to the office. Last year was the first one when we didn’t decorate our house either inside or outside, and we didn’t have any candies ready for rare even at better times flocks of costumed children. This year, even though the restrictions are less severe than they were in 2020, and Halloween falls on Sunday, I don’t plan to do anything. I feel somewhat burnt out. But if not to count these last two years, I think that Halloween is a nice tradition, so I’ll use this post to make at least a slight nod to the occasion.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #88:

What is the Spookiest Perfume You’ve Ever Tried?

Are there any perfumes that scare you, be that being too loud, striking you as extremely unpleasant or just causing an uncontrolled shiver down your spine for any reason?

When was the last time you’ve experienced it? Do you think you’ll ever try it again?

My Answer

Oriza L. Legrand Chypre Mousse, hands down, is the worst offender: it was so unpleasant on my skin, that I still shudder just from the thought of it. I think that probably about the half of my current readers (I mean, those who participate in these weekly posts) haven’t been around when I did a post about it (The Royal Nonesuch of Perfume), and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to them because I think it would resonate with many – not specifically about this perfume, since I know that many people still like it, but in general, the way it feels sometimes when we try something highly praised by everybody and find ourselves hating it.

I sent my decant off into the world about 4 years and hope to never experience it again. If the whole perfume industry collapses, and that perfume would be the last bottle of perfume in the World, I would not try it again in a hope to change my mind because I still remember how hard it was to scrub it off.

How about you?

What is the Spookiest Perfume You’ve Ever Tried?

Rusty and Halloween Candies

Happy Halloween 2021!

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Saturday Question: What 5 Brands Do You Always Test?

All of us who has been into this hobby for a while are at least a little jaded: it’s not that easy to attract our attention, we have everything and then some, and when it comes to getting interested in trying anything new and unknown, we are not the easiest audience. But today I’m asking not about brand-new brands (pun? probably somewhat) that are growing like mushrooms or established brands spawning new lines trying to cover a larger or different market.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #87:

What 5 Brands Do You Always Test?

You might love and own a dozen of perfumes by Guerlain. But do you follow all of their new releases? You might adore classic Miss Dior, but do you know what was the last perfume from Dior? L’Artisan Parfumeur… Who?

What I mean is: regardless of the “past performance” and presence of the brand in your perfume wardrobe, are there any brands new releases from which you follow diligently and try to get your nose on? Name up to five such brands, if you can think of that many.

My Answer

There are just two brands that are still on my radar no matter what: Amouage and Puredistance. With these two I do make an effort to get to try all of their releases. This loyalty has a couple of components: first, I have multiple perfumes created by these two brands that I love or strongly like, so with each next release I hope that the new one will be as great as the earlier ones (or better!). And the second reason, I suspect, is that I could never sample them at a store, so I’m used to paying for samples from these brands. But since the hit/miss ratio with them was great, at least for a while, I feel more inclined to “risk” it.

There last three brands that I always test are Tom Ford, Jo Malone and Atelier Cologne. But, at least partially, it’s a factor of convenience: I have a relatively easy access to them from local stores. So, I think that I tried all perfumes from these brands in the last, let’s say, 5 years. I do like these brands and have many favorites from them. But I’m not 100% sure I would have been pursuing them with the same rigor if I had to pay for all those samples. Though I still might have…

What about you?

 

What 5 Brands Do You Always Test?

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Vacation in the Time of COVID-19: Episode IV, Hawaii Big Island – Flowers

This work week was so packed with words (I wrote 17 pages of documentation and edited another 50 written by others) that at this point I’m all “worded out” (I promise to find some for the Saturday Question post tomorrow), but I want to share with you the next set of photos from my becoming more and more distant recent vacation.

Pictures of these beautiful, strange and unusual tropical flowers I collected just in one day (and I’m showing not even all!). I wonder if you can figure out which of them is a torch flower, a rattle snake flower or a cat’s whiskers flower.

 

 

Images: my own

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Saturday Question: Do You Travel Light?

Following my yesterday’s post on perfumes I took with me to the recent trip to Hawaii, I decided to ask you about your packing habits when it comes to bringing perfumes.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #86:

Do You Travel Light?

I know, the last 18 months weren’t great for trips, but before we completely forget how it was in the “old normal,” let’s talk about it. How many perfumes do you usually bring with you? Do you take full bottles, travel bottles, decants or samples? Do you have a set of perfumes that travel with you to specific/all locations, or is it something different every time?

My Answer

Normally, I take with me about 2 perfumes per day away plus a scent to wear on a plane. I don’t wear all perfumes that I bring, but I like to have a choice. For each trip I select perfumes that I think fit the occasion. And since most of my travel destinations do not repeat (or at least that happens not too often), every time it’s something new.

Usually, I take with me decants – either those perfumes that I have in that format or those that I make from my bottles. The only place to where I bring a real bottle is Hawaii: my Bronze Goddess always travels with me there.

Hawaii trips are unique in sense that it’s almost always the same predictable weather and activities. So, I collected a whole wardrobe of tropics-suitable perfumes, and I take them with me every time I have a vacation on one of the islands. And after the last trip, to which I brought about 25 different perfumes for 8 days, I’m thinking about sticking to my “2 perfumes per day” rule in future.

 

 

Do You Travel Light?