Author: Undina

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Saturday Question: What Perfume Would You Wish To Be Named After Or Dedicated To You?

Thank you all for your kind words about my dear Rusty. Your warmth, kindness and sympathy meant a lot to me.

For a couple of years, long before Rusty got sick, thinking about the future I was telling myself that I would keep this blog going while he was with us and then stop because it would be too painful to continue. But in the last 8 months, as on many days I had to hold off wearing perfumes not to provoke Rusty’s asthma when I gave him the medication or held him on my lap and didn’t have much time, strength or inspiration to write for my blog regularly, these Saturday Question posts were the only strong link to the Perfumeland left, and I held onto it and appreciated all of you coming here week after week to talk to me (and sometimes even to each other). So, after giving it some time (Thank you, Portia, for the support!), I decided that I wanted to come back to at least these weekly posts – and then see how it goes with other topics.

I also want to mention that today’s post is somewhat special: #222 was the last post Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) did for her Monday Question series (though, she didn’t number them), which was an inspiration to Portia’s (Australian Perfume Junkies) Saturday Question series, which I “inherited” 4+ years ago. Some of you participated in one or both of those “original” series. Some joined SQ posts on my blog. And I am happy to see all of you here, so I’ll keep coming up with new Saturday Questions.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #222:

What Perfume Would You Wish To Be Named After Or Dedicated To You?

It’s a fantasy question not connected to reality. Just think of any perfume and imagine that you could magically become an inspiration for that perfume and have it either named after you or be dedicated to you. What would it be?

My Answer

I contemplated this question for a while. I wouldn’t want a perfumes to be named after me. I mean, I wouldn’t mind creating/inspiring a wonderful new perfume called something like Undina’s Dream. But for this exercise, I don’t want to mess with what already exists. But I wouldn’t mind if I could claim that I was a muse for one of the great perfumes that I love. Strangely, my choice is not one of my top two perfume loves – Lancome Climat or Ormonde Jayne Ta’if. It’s the #3 on my list – Amouage Ubar. It would have been great to have it dedicated to me. But I would settle for just having it re-launched – not for me, I probably have enough of it for years to come, but for others. Though, judging by the fact that it was discontinued, Ubar wasn’t doing that well for the brand.

Amouage Ubar

How about you?

 

What Perfume Would You Wish To Be Named After Or Dedicated To You?

Farewell to Rusty
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Farewell to Rusty

Rusty is no longer with us.

I hoped he would be one of those long-living cats living beyond 20 years. He was mostly healthy for the first 14+ years of his life, but then suddenly it was as if his body had exhausted its resources, and multiple issues started appearing within a couple of months.

Last November, he was diagnosed with heart failure. His condition wasn’t encouraging. In December 2023, when I started on IG my traditional “count up to Rusty’s 15th birthday on Christmas Eve,” we weren’t sure he’d survive that long. But I hoped that maybe sending something positive into the Universe would return in the form of some luck for Rusty.

We fought for him, and he gifted us with an extra 8 months together.

It hurts. For 15 years, Rusty was a member of our family and one of the most joyful parts of our lives. Two weeks after we had to let him go, I’m still coming to terms with the realization that he isn’t here. He was such a wonderful, social, well-natured, curious, slightly mischievous, funny, cuddly cat!

 

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June 19, 2024

 

I am an adult. And I know that it doesn’t work like that. But just in case I don’t know something about the Universe, and whoever is reading this has such a power: I WANT MY RUSTY BACK!

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Saturday Question: What Is the Most Youthful Perfume in Your Collection?

I’m running a little late this week because in the last moment, I decided to make a question that I had into a longer post (hopefully, coming up soon), and then I had to quickly find another SQ that would feel right for today. But here we go.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #219:

What Is the Most Youthful Perfume in Your Collection?

Leaving aside that we all subscribe to the idea that any perfume can be worn by any gender or age and not trying to use any formal definition of “youthful perfume” – just based on your internal feeling and personal classification, what perfume from those that you have in any format (not counting samples) you would consider the most youthful? If it helps, imagine that you would want to make a decant for a 12 years old niece or recommend to a 14 years old son of a friends whose tastes you do not know but had to limit the choice only by what you have at home. If 12-14 is too young, try 16-18.

My Answer

I think I mentioned it before, I come with these Saturday Questions first and then start thinking how I would answer. So, imagine my surprise when I went through the list of perfumes I own and realized that I would have a really hard time making that decant. Looking through my favorites, I find them either not interesting enough or … “too much” for an imaginary teen or adolescent.

But I can’t not answer my own question, can I? So, I spent some time sifting through the list and came up with three perfumes I think might fit the bill: Jo Loves No. 42 The Flower Shop, Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede and Ineke Hothouse Flower.

Rusty and Jo Loves The Flower Shop

How about you?

 

What Is the Most Youthful Perfume in Your Collection?

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Second Sunday Samples: Jo Malone Scented Mementos Collection

Jo Malone is a very special brand for me: over the years, I’ve tested over a hundred of their perfumes, more than any other single brand. And thanks to the combination of their accessibility (several stores nearby carry the line), pioneering small format (10-15 years ago, not that many brands had even 30 ml bottles), relative affordability and focus on my favorite perfume family, florals, Jo Malone is the best-represented brand in my collection.

My top 12 perfumes from the brand are French Lime Blossom, Sweet Milk, Mimosa & Cardamom, Orange Bitters, Blackberry & Bay, Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, English Pear & Freesia, Lotus Blossom & Water Lily, Pomegranate Noir, Wild Fig & Cassis, Black Vetyver Cafe, Wood Sage & Sea Salt.

And even though in the last five years, only a couple of new perfumes interested me enough to get a mini bottle, I continue to check all their new releases religiously.

My recent trip to the Jo Malone counter at Nordstrom has almost resulted in an impulsive purchase. I saw their Scented Mementos collection and wanted it before I even sprayed any on paper.

Jo Malone Scented Mementos Collection

“A limited-edition collection inspired by unique pieces filled with memories, found at the British antique market.”

* * *

I’m not into antiques or trinkets. I don’t even like vintage perfumes. But every time in our travels we come across an antique store, in some childish hope I expect to find there something magical there… In all the years that I’ve been doing that, I bought just a couple of mini bottles. But since one of them was a perfect replica of Chamade extrait bottle, I keep searching.

I saw all of Jo Malone’s limited edition collections in the last 13 years, and I liked many of the perfumes as well as the colorful variations on the standard Jo Malone bottles. But these bottles from the Scented Mementos collection fit the theme spectacularly. Not only they are very different from anything previously released by the brand, but they are so eclectic and random that you can easily imagine them being picked up at a garage sale, flea market or provincial antique shop. In the photo above, they seem larger than they are in real life, and I was drawn to them.

I sprayed them all on paper strips… and liked three out of four, which paradoxically saved me from an impulse purchase right there on the spot. Even if it weren’t for my low-buy year, I couldn’t imagine buying three perfumes after a brief sniff, no matter how cute and cohesive I found the collection to be. So, I sprayed two perfumes on my wrist, borrowed my vSO’s wrist for the third, and continued shopping, periodically sniffing all three wrists to decide which one should come home with me. By the time I was ready to leave, I still couldn’t make up my mind and left without getting any of them.

At home, as we probably all do from time to time after sniffing something we liked, I started searching the web to see if maybe one of the stores had some promotion that would entice me to buy one of them… but then, even if could find any, which one? In the end, I was happy to see that the Jo Malone site had a discovery set for the collection (smart!) and bought it without hesitation.

Jo Malone Scented Mementos Collection Samples

Musk Memento (the rightmost on the photo) with a bottle that strongly reminds me of vintage Estee Lauder Pleasures perfume was the only one from this collection that I didn’t like. To my nose, it smells like a laundry detergent, and I wouldn’t have used it even as such since I prefer unscented ones. The positive aspect of this perfume is that it smells exactly as intended if judged by the brand’s description:

“A clean musk scent inspired by a ceramic soap dish. I’ve long loved the scent of a traditional soap bar […]. The nostalgia and comfort are captured in clean notes of soft musk and aldehyde, a sprinkle of English lavender and elegant cedarwood.” If I deciphered correctly from the recent interview in The Cheshire Magazine, the nose behind this perfume is Marie Salamagne. I liked just a couple of plethora of perfumes she authored, so I’m not surprised that Musk Memento left me unimpressed. Ironically, it is the most tenacious of all.

Ginger Beer created by (I think) Yann Vasnier is a spicy woody composition with a prominent citrus opening that quickly subsides, and after about 20 minutes all I get is a delightful slightly sweet skin scent. I can’t tell if it smells even reminiscent of the beverage it borrowed its name from (I’m not sure I’ve ever tried it), but I like how it smell. The Ginger Beer bottle doesn’t remind me of anything in particular, but it looks well-made and is pleasant to hold.

The last two perfumes, Emerald Thyme and Passiflora, were created by Anne Flipo. Emerald Thyme is a heavenly cologne for all 15 minutes of its development, and then it becomes a very pleasant skin scent. The juicy bright and slightly sweet lemon opening is mouthwatering (literally!). As it dries down, the sweetness goes away together with the lemon, and what is left is a masculine-leaning dry composition grounded by herbs. The Emerald Thyme’s bottle looks like many cologne bottles I saw before, but I can’t pinpoint any specific one.

Passiflora is the most feminine perfume in the collection. It’s warm and smooth from the first slightly spicy cardamom burst until the comforting ambery-vanilla skin scent in 30 minutes after the application. When I picture Passiflora’s bottle in my mind, I feel on the verge of recognition: I definitely saw another perfume in a similar bottle… but it slips away, and I cannot place it.

* * *

I love these bottles. I quite enjoy Ginger Beer, Emerald Thyme and Passiflora, and would gladly wear them. But at $3/ml, these perfumes just shouldn’t be that fleeting! I can live with reapplying perfumes after 2-3 hours, and my collection of Jo Malone perfumes is proof of that. But a skin scent 20-30 minutes into the development?! It feels like they are giving customers just enough time to make a purchase decision at a counter. That doesn’t feel right.

Despite that, if they had released a set of mini-bottles for this collection, I would have paid even more per ml just because I would love to have this bottles in my collection.

 

Images: my own

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Saturday Question: Are You Tempted by Chanel No 5 L’Eau Drop Bottle?

On June 13, Chanel is releasing a new limited edition of their Chanel No 5 flanker – Chanel No 5 L’Eau. It’ll be available in their boutiques and on chanel.com. I’m not sure why they decided to call it “Drop”: it looks rather like an egg, but that’s how it is referenced on the Chanel site. And “a drop of perfume” sounds a lot better than… you got it. It holds the same No 5 L’eau from 2016 (or at least they claim so: who knows how many reformulations it went through in the years passed). It will be available in one size, 50 ml, and the US price is $155. You might be more than positive that it will sold out, and even if it gets to one of the retailers, it won’t survive long enough to wait for some site-wide promotion.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #218:

Are You Tempted by Chanel No 5 L’Eau Drop Bottle?

Do you like this perfume? Do you have it in your collection? Are you contemplating the purchase of this limited edition bottle?

My Answer

I tried just a tiny sample of No 5 L’Eau (that’s how I requested it from a perfumista friend since I didn’t expect to like it and didn’t want to waste her perfume), and unexpectedly I liked it. It wasn’t love-love to send me buying that perfume immediately, but I was considering a purchase if I happen to come across it at a Duty-free store. It haven’t happened yet.

This bottle looks appealing to me. If it weren’t for my “low-buy” this year, I would have tried to buy it. I am arguing with myself and still not sure if I want to make an exception. We’ll see.

How about you?

 

Are You Tempted by Chanel No 5 L’Eau Drop Bottle?

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Saturday Question: Are Perfume Splits Dead?

I like NST. Whenever I get there, I enjoy glancing over some perfume news and reading friendly exchanges in daily SOTD threads. It doesn’t happen often these days because I’m too busy when most people are active there, so by the time I can take a break most commenters are already gone – and I didn’t see a point in talking into void. So, with any extra time I have, I prefer to visit friendly blogs. But I am trying to watch for splitmeets because it used to be my steady source of 5 ml “samples” for interesting new releases.

This year I knew it was coming – and then almost missed it. I remembered about it last moment, went there in some giddy anticipation… and was both surprised and disappointed. Not only I didn’t find anything that would interest me (I’m not even sure what I wanted – maybe Chanel Comete?), but the even itself was quite underwhelming: 8 splits were offered, just 2 of them “closed,” 2 got no takers, and the rest gathered some interest, but I don’t know whether they went through.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #217:

Are Perfume Splits Dead?

From the SQ four years ago, I know that many of my loyal readers did not participate in splits for various reasons. But my today’s question is not just about whether you stopped or didn’t start participating in friendly splits, but also about your opinion as to what’s happening with this part of our hobby. And, if your answer is “Yes,” why do you think it is happening?

My Answer

I know, this is my fault, it happens to me all the time: I might be going to a restaurant or a store for years; then something happens that introduces a prolonged pause in my visits; and the next time I decide that “It’s been too long, let’s visit X!” I find that X has closed. So, with my no/low-buy in the last couple of years, I’m not surprised the splitting subsided.

Jokes aside… I know, this is my fault. Well, not just mine, since probably each of you contributed to this. More and more brands have finally realized that “perfumista size bottles” (10-15 ml), about which we all kept talking for the last 13+ years, is where money are. And while small bottles from brands are more expensive per ml than a friendly split, those official bottles survive better than their manually decanted counterparts. So, having said our farewells to more than one evaporated decant neglected in our collections for two long, when (or rather “if”) adding anything else to our SABLEs (“Stash Above and Beyond Life Expectancy,” according to Vanessa’s (Bonkers About Perfume) SIL), we might be more inclined to buy a travel bottle.

 

What do you think? Is it my fault?

 

Are Perfume Splits Dead?

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Saturday Question: Do You Like Musk Perfumes?

Musk in perfumery was recently on my mind: Portia just published a post about Musk by Lorenzo Villoresi, and while commenting on that post, I discovered that I had more than 25 perfumes in my database that had one of the variations on the word “musk” in the name. Also, one of new perfumes I’ve been testing features that note (stay tuned for the mini-review post).

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #216:

Do You Like Musk Perfumes?

If yes, what are your favorites? If no, are you sensitive to any musks or some specific ones?

My Answer

I have never thought about musk as a leading note in perfumery: it was mostly a base note in perfumes I liked or didn’t like but not something that would define how inclined I am to feel one way or the other about new perfume I intended to try.

What I didn’t like about this (or any other) note was when it was used as a name of perfume. Not because I know that I do not like the scent profile but because I don’t like that type of names.

But what about perfumes? I decided to look only at those perfumes from the list of testes perfumes that had “musk” (“musc”) as a part of their names.

It looks like I don’t like musk in my perfumes, after all: of the 27 perfumes in my database with “musk” in the name, I do not own a single bottle (full or travel) and only one small decant.

Out of all musk perfumes I’ve ever tested, I would like to own only three – Annick Goutal Musc Nomade (the original one; I haven’t tried the last at least two reformulations, so I’m not sure that I would even like it now), Hermes Musc Pallida (maybe one day, but today I can’t bring myself to pay its price) and maybe Ramon Molvizar Musk Oriental Goldskin (but I tried it only once, many years ago, so even if it hadn’t been as expensive as it is, I wouldn’t have bought a FB without trying it again). There were 2-3 more that I thought were nice but not to the extent of wanting more.

 

How about you?

 

Do You Like Musk Perfumes?

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Saturday Question: Perfume Names In What Language Do You Prefer?

Many of us speak (or at least read) more than one language. Does it influence what names we favor when it comes to perfumes?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #215:

Perfume Names In What Language Do You Prefer?

It doesn’t matter whether you own or even like those perfumes, just thinking about perfume names, do you have a preference for the language of the name?

My Answer

I do not like French names: it’s enough that probably until the end of my days when I speak English people will be asking me “Where are you from?”, so trying to figure out which of the 5 letters in the end of the name are silent when answering the question “What perfume are you wearing?” isn’t my idea of fun.

I thought I would go with “English” as my answer, but after thinking about it for a while, I realized that I prefer portmanteau names, which merge parts of two or more real words (preferably English) into a single, innovative term, such as Splendiris, Felanilla, Irisistable or Sheiduna.

Rusty and Dusita Splenderis

How about you?

Perfume Names In What Language Do You Prefer?

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Second Sunday Sample: Memo Paris Madurai

It has been a minute (well, to be precise, 1,310,643 minutes) since I did a post in this series last time.  I’m not traveling much, and combined with my “no/low-buy” policy, it is not a fruitful ground for getting suitable materials. But recently, thanks to IG, I gained access to some perfumes I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. So, I decided to revive the series.

About a month ago, I stumbled upon Memo’s IG post offering a free sample of Madurai, perfume I haven’t tried before. I didn’t really believe they would send anything, but I decided to try… And this week an envelope came with Memo printed on it. An envelope. I touched it and thought: Oh, no… Not a scented blotter or a perfume sachet…

I was pleasantly surprised. This sample is a clever one! You pull a paper tab, and then you can spray perfume from a tiny nozzle squeezing the packet.

Memo MaduraiBut enough about packaging (though, I am still impressed!). What about perfume? Madurai is a part of the Memo’s Fleurs Bohèmes collection. Created in 2022 by Gaël Montero, it has the following notes listed on the brand’s site: Turmeric Essence, Sambac Jasmine, Absolute Peach, Italian Bergamot Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Indian Tuberose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Tagete Oil from Madagascar, Australian Sandalwood oil, Suede Accord.

Had I known the notes beforehand, I might have skipped requesting Madurai, as it contains two ingredients – peach and tuberose – that almost never work for me in perfumes. Jasmine is also tricky for me: while I do not mind it in a supporting role, as a main player it usually wears me out, even in the most iconic and masterful creations. But I didn’t check dental hygiene of the proverbial horse before signing for a sample or testing it. And it was the second pleasant surprise.

I liked Madurai from the first sniff. It starts as a sweet floral composition. But despite the promised peach, it is not your standard fruity floral we all love to hate: if you keep sniffing it very intentionally, you might conjure something reminiscent of a peach, but I do not perceive it edible in any way or form.

It is interesting that the perfumer chose to use two different kinds of jasmine. It almost makes me want to get these raw ingredients to compare. (I probably won’t.) Jasmine in Madurai is present and recognizable, but it is a lot less heady than in many jasmine-centric perfumes I’ve smelled. As to tuberose… If any of you tried this perfume, please tell me whether you recognize tuberose in it. I don’t, but this is a good thing since I strongly dislike this note in most perfumes I tried.

At some point in the development I distinguish sandalwood, and I can probably agree with the suede accord (though, do not expect it to be as present as in Bottega Veneta or even Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede). Turmeric? I don’t know… But I don’t care either way. These days it’s in everything, so why not in perfumes?

I don’t think Madurai is groundbreaking or extremely original, but somehow this particular combination of notes came together in a way that has me researching prices. I think Memo’s bottles are very attractive. But I can’t buy a 75 ml bottle after a single try, and even then, do I need or even have space for that bottle? Probably not. I was tempted by a travel spray from the brand, but in the interest of adhering to my low-buy resolution, I decided to go for a decant from ScentBird (no affiliation): even as a one-time purchase, their price is a lot more reasonable ($21.95 for 8 ml) than that from Memo ($70 for 10 ml), and with a subscription, you can save even more.

Speaking of reasonable prices. While Memo’s aren’t (but whose are these days?), they have an appealing and reasonable sampling program: you can choose a set of any 7 samples for $40, and they offer a $40 coupon off your future $150 purchase.

 

Image: my own

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Saturday Question: Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?

Unlike the New Year Eve/Day or some common religious holidays, Mother’s Day is celebrated in different months either on the specific date or certain day of the month. But since it looks like countries from where many of my loyal readers come share the same day, the second Sunday of May, this SQ is in celebration of this beautiful holiday.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #214:

Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?

Not necessarily for Mother’s Day, but for any other occasions or just because? If yes, was it something you knew she loved, or was it an experiment?

 

My Answer

In my childhood, since perfumes weren’t widely available, even adults used perfumes as gifts just occasionally, so no romantic stories about saving pennies and buying anything perfume-related. As I grew up and started earning money, times were hard, so money were designated for less frivolous, day-to-day necessities. But once we moved to the US and settled down, on each of my visits home I would bring my mom some perfume as a gift. And I always saved some perfume samples: since years ago department stores were much more generous with samples with purchase, I always had a bunch of extras to share with her.

She would actively use them up (but kept bottles for a while, so I know that she finished them), but I don’t think she cared enough to remember which ones she liked more. Or maybe she didn’t want to ask for another bottle trying to be considerate – even though I always asked for her wish list (in general, not necessarily perfume-related).

Since every time I would bring something different, the only three perfumes I remember were Diorella, Yves Rocher Desir de Nature and Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. I wish I could remember more. I wish I would have shared more.

Rusty and Orchid

How about you?

Have You Ever Gave Your Mother Perfume as a Gift?