Author: Undina

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Will you go to the Ball?

 

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Ball”? For me it’s Cinderella and her Glass Slipper (though in the version from my childhood it was a Crystal Shoe, which sounded even more romantic), the first ball of Natasha Rostova from War and Peace and a strange game we would play as kids.

The host would start with a rhyme (loosely translated):

Lady of the Manor has sent you some money.
She has instructed: you buy what you want;
Don’t wear black or white during your jaunt;
“Yes/No”’re off-limit and even when funny
Don’t dare laugh or smile,
Don’t twitch at all!

Will you go to the Ball?

From this point participants will answer different questions about the imaginary ball, their attire, means of transportation and so on and so forth – until one of them slips the forbidden exclamation or adjective. You would think that this game is like Tic-tac-toe: once you know the algorithm it should end up in a tie every time. But no: kids’ minds are very inventive and persistent. “Are we there yet?”

With all that in the background, could I not be predisposed to like Grand Bal from Dior’s La Collection Privée?

Grand Bal by Dior – created in 2012 by Francois Demachy, notes include bergamot, orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, musk and sandalwood. I really-really-really wanted to try it. I contacted a friendly SA from a Dior’s boutique and he was kind enough to send me some samples of Grand Bal.

The first attempt wasn’t successful: the package had arrived with two completely smashed vials. Rusty had inspected the content of the envelope and found it interesting for playing with (I didn’t allow him to proceed with that) but useable only as a room freshener (I kept it for a couple of days in that role).

Rusty and Broken Vials of Dior's Grand Ball

The second time was a charm and I got a chance to wear Grand Bal on the skin. It’s a lot of jasmine. When I tested Jasmin Rouge by Tom Ford I thought I didn’t like jasmine as a dominant note in perfumes. But unlike Jasmin Rouge and Sarrasins by Serge Lutens that both come out unclean on my skin Grand Bal smells very clean, uncomplicated and easy flowing. It reminds me of this Waltz of the Flowers scene from the animated film from my childhood:

 

 

I know that there are notes other than jasmine in Grand Bal but for my nose jasmine dominates the composition allowing all other components to play an entourage on its appearance at the ball. And only when I smell it in parallel with other jasmine-intense perfumes I detect orange blossom and realize how different all those jasmine perfumes are. It’s hardly an original thought but it hit me. Probably because on previous occasions of testing those perfumes I just thought habitually: “It’s a lot of jasmine…”

Will I go to the ball for a bottle? Yes No I don’t know yet. I will try wearing the remaining portion of my Grand Bal sample “for real” (sprayed multiple times and not only on my wrist) and then decide.

 

Image: my own

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 13

 

Last Saturday was a very hot day the Bay Area (99F/37C) and I managed to miss it because of a short trip south (!). By the time we came back the heat wave was over. I’m overjoyed: during a very cold summer last year I realized that it was exactly how I liked my summers.

Because of that trip I haven’t had enough time to comment on all the posts I wanted to (but I still plan to, so it’s not an excuse – just an information), but I read (and now present to your attention) posts that covered perfumes I want to try, posts that made me laugh or described something I love.

Cat Parade Quilt

 

Lemmings

Suzanne (Eiderdown Press), as she describes Chypre Palatin by Parfums MDCI, finds exactly the right words to appeal to my cat-loving soul: There is a gentle fruitiness to the floral heart of the perfume that is what reminds me of Jubilation 25 a bit, along with a creaminess that smells a touch oily and mink-like, like the scent of a good fur coat or a very well-groomed cat.

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Steve (The Scented Hound) makes L’Ombre Fauve by Parfumerie Generale sound really appealing: It feels like it hugs the skin, but you find that it comes up to greet you as well… playing tricks on how it sits on your body. The amber is just so lightly sweet which makes this perfect for both men and women alike.

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I have a soft spot for Tom Ford‘s perfumes (they work for me in more cases than not) so the upcoming Café Rose perfume release mentioned in this article produced a sizable clowder of cats lemmings.

 

Laughs

Meg (parfumieren): Wearing Jasmin et Cigarette is an olfactory ventriloquism act: it throws its voice, and the hearer perceives an entirely different entity than the one you might think you know. […] Oscillating between wood and smoke, flowers and ashes, vulnerability and toughness, Jasmin et Cigarette is a mercurial scent that switches its tactics constantly. What to make of it?
It all depends on which zone you’re standing in when you smell it: smoking or non-smoking.

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Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels): That oud in there is giving its very best barnyard performance and there is civet in there and not just a dusting either. Leather Oud is positively growling on my skin in the drydown. I kept checking my sons diaper and giving my husband the evil eye, but both were innocent. The animal was me.

 

Loves

It’s not an ordinary selection for my Loves section since it’s not about perfumes (I can’t believe it but there was no coverage for any of my favorite perfumes this week!). But it’s still about something I love. I’m almost positive that everybody has seen the cutest post ever by Arielle (The Scents of Self) – The Difinitive Guide to the Perfume Bloggers’ Cats but if you missed it somehow you absolutely have to read it! Has she forgotten any cats? 

 

Image: I can’t find the source.

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In the Search for the Perfect Linden, Take 2

 

I’m not much of a spontaneous person, if you haven’t noticed yet. I try to plan most things in my life. It gives me the feeling of comfort and control. But, as with many other things we crave because we do not have them – straight/curly hair, lighter/darker skin, etc., from time to time I wish I would do something on an impulse, without going through every detail in my head first.

My vSO is even less spur-of-the-moment man. So when a couple of weekends ago he told me: “Let’s go to Santa Cruz mountain wineries!” in less than an hour we were on our way there.

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I just couldn’t pass by a small boutique named Scentsations# – a tiny soap and cosmetics shop. An older gentleman, most likely an owner, peeked over the newspaper he was reading to greet me. A usual small shop small talk (as I keep sniffing different soaps):

– It’s a nice day. What are you doing today?
– Yeah, it is. We’re here for the wine tasting.
– Are you even old enough to drink?
– (I laugh: I know I’m old enough to have a kid of a drinking age but since he’s old enough to be my father I do not feel bad about his obvious flattery) Thank you, I appreciate it.
– Where are you from?
– (my habitual answer to such questions) I live in the Bay Area, my accent is from…
– I thought so. You should try this one…

He hands me a bar of soap. It is tender green and smells of linden. On the paper wrap it says “Tilleul” and “Made in France”. How could I not buy it?

Linden Soap And Rusty

In my last year post I told the story behind my affection towards linden blossom and reviewed briefly perfumes that I tried while looking for the perfect linden-centric perfume: French Lime Blossom by Jo Malone, Linden by Demeter, Tilleul by Provence Sante and Zeta by Tauer Perfumes. I didn’t find the perfect perfume then so I kept looking.

Waltz No. 14 by Tokyo Milk – notes include linden, honeyed rose, wisteria petals and white musk. To my nose it’s a bitter green scent. I can smell what is supposed to be a linden note (it’s not a bad representation of linden if smelled alone without comparing to other takes on the same scent). I do not smell rose in Waltz – honeyed or otherwise. It’s nice and crisp on my skin for the first 10-15 minutes but then gets a little soapy for a while. Like most Tokyo Milk’s perfumes that I tried it doesn’t stay for too long. The sample sent me by Victoria of EauMG (thank you!) will stay in my scents library. Read her real review for Waltz.

Tilleuls au Vent by L’Artisan Parfumeur isn’t really a perfume, it’s a room spray but it usually doesn’t stop a real perfumista in the search for a perfect scent (thank you to Vanessa of Bonkers about Perfume for sending me this sample). What can I say? It’s a room spray. Tilleuls au Vent is a very pleasant scent but it’s too single-dimensional and lacks depth.

La chasse aux Papillons by L’Artisan Parfumeur – created by Anne Flipo in 1999, notes include linden blossom, lemon tree blossom, orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose. I tested it for several times and even though I couldn’t smell too much linden in it, I enjoyed the scent. And then I read Victoria’s (EauMG) review for La chasse aux Papillons and now I cannot help smelling in it tuberose to which I didn’t pay attention before. I do not like tuberose and now it haunts me in this perfume. I’ll try to test it again in a while but for now a sample in my scent library is all I need.

Linden Soap And Rusty

Unter den Linden by April Aromatics – created by Tanja Bochnig in 2012, notes include linden blossom, mimosa, frangipani, honey extract, bergamot and gardenia. I haven’t heard about this brand until I read Asali’s (All I am – a redhead) beautiful review for Unter den Linden. Asali was very generous and sent me a sample. I’m very grateful to her but I’m not sure if I’m glad that I’ve got to try it. It’s a very pretty perfume and I take back my original impression that Unter den Linden smelled like a more lemon-y version on one of my favorites Jo Malone’s French Lime Blossom. Unter den Linden is lighter, more refined and blended more seamlessly than French Lime Blossom (I still like the latter though). What makes me unhappy is the price: however beautiful, this perfume isn’t unique enough or using really expensive and rare ingredients to justify to me $7/ml price for EdP. But if it weren’t for that I’d love to add a bottle of Unter den Linden to my collection. I still might.

Honey Blossom by Aftelier Perfumes – created by Mandy Aftel in 2010, notes include linden blossom, orange blossom, ambergris and benzoin. It is not a linden perfume. For my nose it’s a very sweet honeyed floral bouquet, warm and soothing scent. I like smelling it from my wrist but I do not want to wear it as a perfume. It makes a perfect sleep scent for me though. So once my small parfum sample that I’ve got from Mandy via Natalie (Another Perfume Blog) – thank you both – is gone I’ll probably buy the next one. For a real review read Victoria’s (Bois de Jasmin) Aftelier Honey Blossom : Natural Fragrance Review.

Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour by DSH Perfumes – created by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz in 2012 for the YSL Retrospective Collection, notes include bergamot, lemon, ozone, Bulgarian rose absolute, Dossinia orchid, French linden blossom (accord), honeysuckle, linden blossom absolute, lily of the valley, sambac jasmine, wisteria, ylang ylang, Australian sandalwood, civet, East Indian patchouli, musk and vanilla. This perfume got me by surprise: it was the last perfume in the collection and I didn’t expect it to be a linden scent. I like it. Will Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour become a full bottle in my collection once I’m done with the sample sent to me by Dawn (thank you!)? I don’t know yet.

Linden Soap And Rusty

I still can’t say that I found the perfect linden perfume but I will suspend my search until I get a chance to smell a real blossoming linden tree to re-acquaint myself with the aroma of my youth. On my recent trip to Baltimore I saw those pre-bloom linden trees and almost cried – two more weeks and I could have smelled something I hadn’t smelled in 15 years. Maybe next year…

If you are looking for a linden-centric perfume definitely give a try to Unter den Linden and Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour and judge for yourself. You might just fall in love.

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# Address for Scentsations: 402 Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831) 423-8900

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Images: my own

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 12

 

I don’t know either I felt less inclined to laugh or there actually wasn’t anything funny but this week I came across only some articles about move favorite perfumes and adopted a couple of small lemmings. If you read anything that you found amusing please share!

Lemmings, Laughs, Loves

Lemmings

This week’s lemmings aren’t perfume-related. Well, not directly perfume-related. I read two reports about their Paris meet-up – by Suzanne (Eiderdown Press): The four of us stayed at the same hotel in the historic Marais neighborhood and spent the next several days sniffing perfumes to our hearts’ delight, eating enough foie gras and drinking enough kir royals to leave us in a state of purring contentment, and conversing on all manner of subject, from the general and specific craziness of family life to the physical requirements of opera singers… and by Ines (All I am – a redhead): Asali called it “nerding” about perfume and I admit, I kept waiting for someone to say, OK, enough of the perfume talk already, but that never happened. I want to visit Paris and I want to meet at least several of the blogo-friends I’ve got to know through our mutual passion. Not necessarily in this order or combination.

 

Loves

This was the only post last week that was supposed to make my LLL series so I moved it to this week: Christos (Memory of Scent) reviews one of my all-time favorites: Chanel No 19 is the perfect example of what leather is to fragrance. It is the illusion created by the artistry of the perfumer, Henri Robert in this case, using the ingredients to evoke memories of leather. It reminds me of those abstract pictures that are supposed to become three-dimensional images when you squint and look sideways. When you focus on what you look at the illusion is lost.

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Blacknall Allen (aperfumeblog by Blacknall Allen) reviews “the year round floral”: Antonia is called a green floral, but this is only partly true. The top of the fragrance is green but of a very softly engineered sort. It reminds me of the smell of tulips and the pollen that you always smell in them. (and here’s my Shahrazad story about Antonia by Puredistance)

 

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Entertaining Statistics: May, 2012

 

I can’t believe it’s summer already. At least according to calendar. May was cool and I could still wear my ambers though I noticed a more floral and lighter tendencies in my perfume choices.

For many months I concentrated on being fair towards my favorite perfumes. And I succeeded: I wear one of them on most days. Then I’ve added another resolution/goal: not to buy any samples until I reduce the number of untested samples I already have. In the last five months I bought just five samples (it was a really good deal – $8 including shipping). And I managed to decrease the number of untested samples. But in pursue of these two goals at the same time I didn’t realize that it resulted in me not being fair to new perfumes I was testing. How?

I created a list of all perfumes I tested in May for the first time. Then I rated what I remembered was my reaction when I tried them: like, don’t like or indifferent. Then I compared that to my notes. Not only I remembered my reaction correctly in only 66% of the cases but also in 24% of the cases my recollections were worse than a reality. I got curious and pulled a similar set of data for the same period last year. Results were slightly worse (61% of guessing right and 28% of more negative memories) – see the chart below.

My thoughts: it doesn’t make much sense to test new perfumes if I can’t even remember if I liked those that I tested or not. So now I’m trying to decide how I should change my testing practices.

May 2012 Stats

Quick May stats:

Numbers in parenthesis are comparison to the previous month’s numbers.

* Different perfumes worn1: 27 (+1) from 19 (+1) brands on 31 (+1) occasions;

* Favorite perfumes worn: 20 (-1) on 23 (0) occasions;

* Different perfumes tested2: 45 (-5) from 28 (+1) brands on 56 (-1) occasions;

* Perfumes I tried for the first time: 29 (-3);

* Perfume house I wore most often: Chanel and Tom Ford;

* Perfume house I tested the most: DSH Perfumes;

* Most popular notes (only from perfumes I chose to wear) are almost the same as in March: top – (not counting bergamot) galbanum, pepper and mandarin; middle – (not counting rose and jasmine) iris root and ylang ylang (the same as last year); base – musk and sandalwood;

* Perfumes I tried for the first time and liked enough to put them on my wish list or bought already: Ambre Noir by Dior, Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens, Rose d’Amour by Les Parfums de Rosine and The Beat Look by DSH Perfumes.

 

How do you test perfumes to get the right impression of them and keep it? 

 

1 For the testing I apply a perfume to one area on my arms easily available for the repetitive sniffing. But, most likely, I’m the only one who can smell it. I can test two, sometimes even more perfumes at the same time.

2 When I wear a perfume I apply it to at least three-four points and usually I plan to spend at least 4-8 hours with the same scent so I’m prepared to re-apply if the original application wears off.

 

Image: my own

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(Open)Sky is the limit?

 

Sometimes a small stupid thing rubs you the wrong way, you keep thinking about it and just can’t let it go. Usually I let it steep for a while and then just drop it. But sometimes I feel like I still want to say something. This is one of those cases.

Many popular perfume blogs published recently information about the upcoming Chandler Burr’s project, which he runs under the umbrella of a “social shopping” (whatever it means) site OpenSky.com. I won’t repeat PR information but if you somehow missed all the postings about this project I refer you to the post on Olfactoria’s Travels from which I learned about it first.

 Sky and palm

The idea

For anybody whose interests are in the perfume field the idea of a blind sniffing isn’t new. Basenotes monthly blind sniff threads come to mind (e.g. March Blind Sniff Orient Express – The Red Line). Earlier this year I read about Blind Sniff Roulette: pronti, via! Ready to go! project at La gardenia nell’occhiello blog (you can read also Christos’ story Pomegranate Noir: the joy of blind sniffing revisited about his participation and re-discovery of one of his favorite perfumes). I even ran my own blind comparison projects (Déjà vu, Episode 2: huge floral vs. abstract floral and Déjà vu, Episode 3: powdery fruit vs. peony oriental vs. sandalwood jasmine). And these are just off the top of my head. Why do we all it? Because we know that we’re susceptible to external factors (brand, packaging, LT&TC’s opinion, you name it) and are curious how we’ll feel about the scent if we remove any surrounding noise.

 

The implementation

“Definitely let me hear from you. Keep in mind, please: This isn’t about guessing what the fragrance is. The point is the experience of a work of olfactory art on your arm without a name or anything other than what the artist set, in its purest state, before you. So gives us that experience.”

Does anybody need a 50 ml bottle to experience “a work of art” on their arm? Let’s say it together: NO!

I usually complain about 50 ml of the perfumes that I know I like…Why on Earth would I want to pay $50 (+$3.75 S&H) for an unknown scent? To prove what? Chanel No 5 and Shalimar are extremely well made and beautiful perfumes – with or without the packaging and marketing hoopla. But I wouldn’t want to wear any one of them even if I got them for free – leave alone paid for an ugly decant bottle.

Just to make it even more real, would you want to pay $50 for a decant of Paris by YSL, Le De by Givenchy, Calyx by Prescriptives or Cologne by Thierry Mugler? I didn’t just come up with those perfumes – I got them from different Burr’s articles where he gave those very high ratings.

On Birgit’s blog the argument was made that Art can’t live without money. I completely agree that art requires investments! And I do not mind paying for going to a gallery or an exhibition. And I wouldn’t mind paying for a carefully curated blind sniffing art project: ten 3-5 ml unidentified sample bottles for $50-$60; plus an option to buy an actual manufacturer bottle of the perfume you liked for an offered price but still not knowing the name. I understand that a shopping site is supposed to generate an income to those who run it so actual names might not be revealed for some time (more than a month) to prevent people from going and finding them cheaper somewhere else. Something along these lines might have intrigued me enough to gamble.

 

“Don’t trust anybody. Trust me. “

I do not think Chandler Burr is in this project for money (we’re talking about $5,000/month revenue even if all 100 decants will be sold – it’s nothing). But it’s definitely not for the art. This probably is Art. OpenSky is commerce. And marketing. And publicity: see, we are talking about it.

So, buyers shouldn’t be influenced by brands’ ad copies, clips, packaging and names. They should doubt their own perception of a perfume because it’s distorted by “sensory noise”. But it’s OK to buy a 50 ml (sorry, I can’t get past it) bottle because Chandler Burr said that “it’s one of the few scents I know that smells like a state of grace” and that it is “almost unnervingly perfect. It has an astonishing olfactory texture, soft, cool, precise.” Because it’s not like he’s trying to sell them anything, right?

 

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Alien wears Prada Infusion d’Iris

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If I’m supposed to identify with those extremely beautiful women from different perfumes ads, dressed up either impeccably or with a calculated carelessness, I should say that it doesn’t work on me. I do not feel that any perfume might transform me into one of them – or even make me feel like I’m one of them: they are artificial; they are abstract and just an expected visual aid to the release de jour.

When Infusion d’Iris* by Prada was released, I immediately went to a store to try it. I didn’t like it. I think it was my first perfume with a prominent iris note (though I’m not sure I even knew then what it was). I didn’t expect to smell what I smelled – so I didn’t like it.

 

Prada Infusion d'Iris ad

 

I don’t remember how exactly it happened but I remember that one day I was looking at the ad above and thinking that I liked that image so much that I just had to have Infusion d’Iris. I don’t even like that model, I prefer them older and … more human. But the image is hauntingly weird and cool and elegant.

I tried Infusion d’Iris again, liked it that time and bought a bottle without even waiting for it to make its way to discounters online. For me it smells very elegant, cold and refined – exactly the way that alien in gloves looks on the picture. And unless they colonize the Earth tomorrow, I do not want to look like it or project that image. But five years later I still enjoy wearing Infusion d’Iris and probably won’t want to be without in – just in case, you know, extraterrestrial invasion and all that.

 

Alien

 

For a real review (and a very cool suggestion on layering) read Birgit’s (Olfactoria’s Travels) Wallflower? – Review: Prada Infusion d’Iris. Robin (NST) had also reviewed this perfume. If you reviewed Infusion d’Iris on your blog share a link please.

Update: one more review of Prada Infusion d’Iris at Scentandshinythings.

 

* Infusion d’Iris in this story refers to the EDP version.

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 11

 

The weather is still cool which I rather enjoy. We had two very windy days. As the house was making creaking and rattling sounds Rusty kept listening worriedly to what was going outside and even almost stopped shedding; though the last part should be probably attributed to the temperature, since cats are known to shed more when they are nervous.

I still hope to get more responses to the idea of multiple mirrors for the Perfume Shopping around the World page. So far Olfactoria’s Travels, All I am – a redhead, the unseen censer and Bonkers about Perfume decided to host a similar page. If anybody needs help with creating that page on either WordPress or Blogger I can guide you step by step.

I read most of the postings from blogs on My Reading List but somehow none of them created any lemmings; which is probably not a bad thing. My wallet is definitely better off with me laughing at my friends’ posts or reading about those perfumes that I already own and love.

SF Heart

 

Laughs

Ari (Scents of Self) analyzes 2012 Fifi Awards: I would have given this FiFi to Untitled, especially considering that Jasmin Rouge also won the Nouveau Niche Men category! Who do y’all think Tom Ford had to sleep with to pull that off? (Answer: everybody. Tom Ford slept with everybody. And not to win the FiFi. Just because.) There are also many funny comments: “Soon there will be a 7-11 perfume that will win,” “Victoria’s Secret Angel? Really? I couldn’t be more surprised if a Yankee Candle had won.”

 

Loves

Suzanne (Eiderdown Press) tells a beautiful story that weaves into her review of one of my new favorites: You won’t ever mistake Bombay Bling for an overly sweet cocktail, however—its emphasis is not only on mango, this is a scent with all of the complexity of a true perfume—but because it opens with such an uplifting combination of mango and cardamom, it’s hard not to smile when wearing it.

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Ron (Notable Scents) joins in with his commendations for the same perfume: Fruity floral fragrances are all over the place, but Bombay Bling stands out as one of the best ones that I have ever experienced. Not only is there a clear development, it feels incredibly rich and full without being too strong. He also reviews the other two perfumes of the trio and offers a draw for a sample set. Just in case you want even more, read my story Three Pieces of Neela Vermeire’s India Puzzle

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Michael (From Top to Bottom) praises the perfume that is my absolute favorite on my vSO: What makes Terre so good? I can think of a number of reasons, but one simple reason is that it smells like no other perfume on the market. As simple as that. It doesn’t smell generic, it doesn’t smell like it has been done before. For me, that is enough to state that it is one of the few modern mainstream men’s classics out there.

 

Image: my own

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Know-How: Perfume Shopping around the World

 

We, perfumistas, live around the world. We travel around the world. We publish our perfume shopping stories and share our first-hand knowledge and discoveries. A year later, while preparing to a new trip, some of us might even remember where we read that great guide for this tiny town in which we’ll have a stopover on our way to or from somewhere. Or maybe not that tiny but still.

SF Macys entrance

For a while I’ve been compiling links to those posts that I came across. Now I decided to create a page to hold links to those guides – Perfumes Shopping around the World. If you’ve written an article you want to include in this list (or exclude from it – I respect writers’ choice) or if you know about somebody else’s article send me an e-mail.

Also I think it might be useful to have multiple pages referring to these guides. So if you want to host a similar page on your site send me an e-mail and I’ll forward you the HTML file. I plan to update this page with new links three-four times a year and I will be sending updates to those who decide to host the page. You do not have to publish this page on your blog to have your links included and you can host the page even if you do not have any perfume shopping guides of your own (yet?).

I’m open to any suggestions. If you like the idea please spread the word. I have no commercial interest in this project I just think it might be useful for those who will be planning trips tomorrow. 

 

Image: my own.

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Laughs, Lemmings, Loves – Episode 10

 

Last week was busy for me. I’ve got promoted – which is, of course, great but now I feel that I need to concentrate on my work even harder. And I need to figure out if I want to buy a special celebratory bottle of perfume. In general, I always want to buy one perfume or the other but if it’s supposed to be special to commemorate the occasion it has to be special. And I’m not sure if I have that special bottle on my wish list now.

Speaking of a wish list. While answering Birgit’s Monday Question – What Is Your Number One Perfume? I tried to stay within the set criteria and choose just one perfume. Have you noticed how people almost never answer questions the way they were asked or follow the instructions? I’m not immune to that: earlier this week I tried to bake rugelach using my friend’s very clear recipe and I managed to miss an important ingredient (though I still liked the results). Mais revenons à nos moutons. When I chose The One perfume it felt as if I betrayed all my other favorites. The feeling was so intense that it compelled me to finish finally My Perfume Portrait. Immediately I felt better.

And now to the posts that made me laugh, created lemmings or reviewed perfumes that I love.

Lemmings Laughs Loves

Lemmings

Only a small and very weak lemming this week from NST – Blackberry & Bay by Jo Malone. Wild Bluebell and Plum Blossom weren’t that interesting but Garden Bloom collection didn’t disappoint. So I’m hopeful about Blackberry & Bay.

 

Laughs

I don’t know what I would have done without Vanessa (Bonkers about Perfume) since most posts this week were too serious and composed: Orgasm did noticeably brighten up my cheeks whilst managing not to deposit an excess of age-inappropriate glitter, and in a trice Donna had called for the SA to “get me an Orgasm” – as in a pristine product from her drawer, of course.

 

Loves

Thomas (The Candy Perfume Boy) reviews one of my favorite Epic by Amouage: Epic Woman is no exception, it fits the Amouage feminine bill of being rich, floral, oriental, laden with spices and extraordinarily sensuous. Oh yeah, the Amouage Woman is a complex character.

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Michael (From Top to Bottom): It smells smooth and classy, no surprise coming from Hermes, who do understated luxury very well indeed. I think Rocabar is fantastic, and I’m so glad that I’ve finally tried it. Highly recommended wearing.

Leftovers

A couple of creative ideas for the scented strips and inserts from magazines brought to you by The Scented Hound. Please share your useful tips on the subject.