First week in the new office was… interesting. We’re getting settled down, figuring out new quirks and trying to find positive things to counteract inevitable drawbacks.

The definite improvement to my office life is a nice view from the window: all those small dots on the picture below are birds (though they do look a little like lemmings).

Most likely I missed to link to some posts that fall into one of my categories but here are those that caught my attention. If you came across anything funny please share – I can use some extra laughs.

Lemmings

I really-really-really want to try perfumes from new By Kilian’s collection In the Garden of Good and Evil. It seems the brand is taking a different marketing approach with this collection: you can already pre-order it from Luckyscent but I still haven’t read a single review for these perfumes. Octavian (1000 Fragrances) hints that he’s tried and liked them but not much information even there.

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Victoria (Bois de Jasmin) made Serge Lutens Une Voix Noire sound very appealing: It has a surprising combination of softness and warmth. Its presence is generous, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s dramatic without being heady or dense. Une Voix Noire feels velvety the moment you put it on, and it gracefully moves from one stage to another. Frankly, if Lutens said that he was inspired
by ballerina Maya Plisetskaya’s Black Swan, rather than by Lady Day, I would have believed him.

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Freddie (Smellythoughts) reviews one of Annick Goutal’sperfumes that I haven’t tried yet and now I want to – Sables: Its aura and sillage is wonderfully ever-changing, flickering between a fragrant curry (but not so literally it could be mistaken for food residue), and sweetly spiced amber. Bone dry and dusty in the end, its power is still impressive – lasting hours and hours.

Laughs

Most of you have probably read already Meg’s (parfumieren) dialog with spammers. But if you missed it – here’s a link. It’s funny and sad at the same time. I always wish people would have directed their efforts to something more productive than writing spam-bots and coming up with deceptive phrases for them.

Loves

Michael (From Top to Bottom) expresses exactly my feelings about Sonoma Scent Studio‘s perfumes.

I had a really hectic week because my office is moving so you can imagine all the packing added to the regular work. Friday was the last day at the old place so a note to all of my correspondents: the address you have is no longer active.

I still managed to read most of the posts on my Reading List though I was on a lighter side with commenting. Here are posts that created some lemmings, made me laugh or reviewed perfumes that I love.

Lemmings

Lanier (Scents Memory): I have to say that I enjoy Diptyque and I am still exploring their line but when I smelled Volutes I flipped! Sold to the tall guy with the red shirt! Lane noticed that on my skin it smelled very masculine yet on Hilary it was wonderfully feminine. This amazing transformative aspect of the scent by this point in the evening did not surprise me.

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Christos (Memory of Scent) combines his childhood memories with a review of Serge Lutens’ perfume and it makes that perfume sound very appealing to me: Now after all these years rediscovering the combination of sweet milk and rubber strikes strange chords. Douce Amère is way too sweet for my tastes but every time I wear it I get this nostalgic feeling of sheltered childhood. Soft clouds of fuzzy cotton wrap around me, I feel the warm sensation of snoozing in a dimly lit room knowing that someone is watching over me.

Laughs

Lanier (Scents Memory): Fumehead and blogger Lanier Smith avoids the press leaving his home as news breaks of cologne heist in San Francisco. When questioned Smith snapped “Why don’t you ask John Robie where HE was last night?”

Loves

Meg (parfumieren) offers a lovely and funny take on one of my favorite L’Artisan‘s perfumes – Tea for Two: Well, it’s spicy. Comforting. It makes me think of wintertime, all nasty sleet and slippery ice outside while indoors you’re safe and sound and WARM […]

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Mel (My Life In Rouge) reviews one of my most favorite perfumes Chanel No 19: this unique iris ‘cold’ scent exudes elegance and ‘assertiveness’… in other words, a perfect companion for the ice queen in you.

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Ari (Scents of Self): Trayee is a heartbreakingly beautiful incense scent, made full and rich with blackcurrent and a fruity jasmine note. Y’all know that I don’t like jasmine and I don’t like fruity, so it is a true testament to Duchafour’s skills that he was able to render these notes wearable and even attractive to me. For my take on all three perfumes in the line read Three Pieces of Neela Vermeire’s India Puzzle.

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Portia (Australian Perfume Junkies) isn’t sure if my favorite Ineke‘s Field Notes From Paris will become a FBW: I really love the opening and the journey is a good one with highs, lows and interesting things happening, I want to be madly enraptured because the work is so good and the price is not outrageous either. Field Notes From Paris is the kind of niche offering that we wish the big boys would emulate, and the bottle itself is gorgeous.

Last week was a little strange because the long weekend (Labor Day) abruptly turned into a very busy week at work. And then I read Carol’s (bloody frida) post about cataloging and sorting samples and spent Sunday weekend catching up on my samples instead of posting this weekly round-up. Do you think I’m done with those samples?

I read almost all posts from my Reading List but I think I was more distracted than usually and might have missed some of the articles that made me laugh, reviewed my favorite perfumes or conjured lemmings. Here are posts that I didn’t miss.

Lemmings

Ines (All I am – a redhead) reviews Santal Majuscule by Serge Lutens: warm, spicy, boozy fruit with the general feeling of seriousness and darkness (there’s not frivolity to this fruit as the feeling is dry and not sparkling and happy) with cocoa underscoring the darkness and warmth and sandalwood making you swoon. Now I know it’s there, I can smell the rose appear and the fruitiness slowly disappear.

Laughs

Natalie (Another Perfume Blog): Appropriately, the full page feature on Dot is a hot mess of garish colors and plants that look carnivorous. I like the truth in advertising, which says: Watch out; this fragrance will eat you and everyone in a 10-foot radius.

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I think everybody has read Arielle’s (Scents of Self) skit on Chanel Coco Noir creation but if somehow you missed it I highly recommend it: whether you liked Coco Noir or not you’ll get a chuckle out of her post.

Loves

Susan (Eiderdown Press) reviews one of my all-time favorite perfumes Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal: This fragrance is like a butterfly kiss or fairy wings or the peal of laughter from the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen: pure, light refreshment and much too fine a thing to be pinned down. Its fizzy top notes smell like an irresistible spritzer of one’s imagining—pear nectar and a splash of rose water added to a glass of Perrier—and are so gently effervescent that it is no surprise that what follows is a skin scent so quiet, you might assume it has floated off into the stratosphere. If you want my story read Weeklong Test Drive, Episode 1.6: Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal.

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Portia (AustralianPerfumeJunkies) reviews my favorite New Look 1947 by Dior: […] it opens with a big flashy and fleshy burst of white floral, I love to just stand and drink in the warm aromatic glamour that lasts about 10-20 minutes. All the accords are already there but the tuberose is at this point king. It’s like a fantasy fragrance, all the good stuff without being heady, overwhelming or an oxygen stealing white floral screamer (which I also love BTW) so those of you who are repelled by such overt displays will be thrilled.

Last week I took a mini-vacation. It’s amazing how within an hour one can travel from bright and hot vineyards of Sonoma to an overshadowed and cool trails of Muir Woods.

Somehow this week I didn’t come across any really funny posts (please share if you did) but all other categories are represented.

Lemmings

Lucas (Chemist in the Bottle): Rose of Rose Anonyme is a specific rose, hard to compare with other rosy perfume created so far. It smells like you took a fresh, deep red rose and mixed it with an older, almost black rose petals, sprinkled it with a little bit of rose water and combined it with traditional rose potpourri. It’s a rose of hundred faces.

Loves

Steve (The Scented Hound) wrote great reviews for two of my favorite perfumes: Perfect for today’s rainy weather, Field Notes from Paris does remind me of exactly what Ineke was trying to convey; “sweet-scented Paris afternoons, life measured out in coffee spoons.”  Perfect for hanging out in your favorite sweater and jeans on a Sunday morning while recuperating from your all too fun Saturday night and A*Men Pure Havane opens with a wonderful sweet tobacco ladened honey.  It’s warm and delicious and oh so edible; you just want to lick it off of your skin.  This could easily have gone over the top, but it doesn’t as the labdanum and amber mixed with the vanilla and cocoa leaves this scent grounded.

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Suzanne (Eiderdown Press) paid a beautiful tribute to one of my beloved perfumes: Wearing Vera Wang eau de parfum, and yes, you can strip me of my perfumista card, but it is what I’m craving.  Maybe it’s not the kind of fragrance that inspires one to write anything deep or meaningful about it, but it’s intensely floral and makes an überly feminine statement that feels both polished and dreamy (my Vera Wang story: What Happens in Vegas… Part II: Confession of a Sillage Monster)

Leftovers

Ines (All I am – a redhead) tries to help to promote Croatia. Follow the link and take a look at great pictures of her recent vacation.

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Cheryl has moved Perfumed Letters from Blogger to WordPress. Visit her new home to say hi.

Since I skipped last week’s round-up this “issue” has posts from the last two weeks. But if your time behaves like mine (meaning disappears before I realize where it’s gone) you might have missed some of them.

So here we go: posts that made me laugh, created lemmings or reviewed perfumes that I love.

Lemmings

Sergey Borisov (Fragrantica) describes the new release from Puredistance – Opardu: This perfume is a beatifully nostalgic, as it was said. To me it smells as an armful of fresh and wet lilacs, with a tender powdery floral heart. The first general impression of a lilac bouquet falls into nuances of heliotrope and orris, – an echo of Caron powder, fresh violet, heady jasmine, hyacinth and fresh green lily-of-the-valley. I also found a trace of rose petals found between pages of a romantic book. I agree with their press information, the perfume is hypnotizing. I really-really-really want to try this one.

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From NST new fragrance announcement: DjHenné is like a warm shadow. A leathery veil of golden wheat and myrrh, that offers protection from the scorching with delicate mint leaves and seringa blossoms.

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Ari (Scents of Self): […] it’s great. Better than I could have hoped. I loathe fruity fragrances, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be buying a bottle of this. Blackberry & Bay opens with the deliciously savory combination of bay leaves and grapefruit. There’s a lot of grapefruit in here, and it does an perfect job of keeping the (very realistic) blackberry note tart rather than overly sweet.

Laughs

Lanier (scents memory): … it is like smelling Freon mixed with sewage from Tijuana that has been fermenting in an old cooler for about six weeks in the Mojave Desert. I have passed homeless men on the street that smell better than this travesty. Follow the link to see which perfume evoked such strong feelings.

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Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels): Lancome La Vie est belle: No, it ain’t! (belle, that is.) I hate this. But that doesn’t come as a surprise, because I already know it. This is Coco Mademoiselle, Flowerbomb and any other fruity patchouli ever created (why, oh why?). Iris gourmand? Oh please, berry patchouli with the power to kill small animals and the half-life of Uranium.

Loves

Portia (AustralianPerfumeJunkies) reviews one of my favorite Ormonde Jayne’s perfumes Champaca:  It’s now 8+ hours, we’ve been for dinner, watched a movie at home on TV and I’m finishing up my post, there is now a slightly musky smell but it’s a sweet sweat, the myrrh and still, amazingly, a little of that sexy neroli; but you have to be close enough to…. (Don’t pay attention to all the personal praises: it’s the perfume talking)

Leftovers

Victoria (Bois de Jasmin): If you’ve ever plotted to mail order a coveted Serge Lutens bell jar from Paris, you’ll be happy to know that starting this month, you can simply order the perfumes from Barneys in New York.

It was a great summer week: I got to wear a summer dress twice (!) and yesterday it felt like a Bronze Goddess day – so I showered in it. It has been more than a year since I won my decant at Dee’s blog and bought a full bottle of this perfume but still every time I wear Bronze Goddess I think of Dee: small acts of kindness go a long way.

Laughs section is unusually full this week – and I haven’t even had enough time to finish reading all the posts from my reading list!

In addition to my regular sections Lemmings for perfumes I want to try, Laughs for posts that made me smile, Loves for posts about my favorite perfumes and Leftovers for everything else I find noteworthy from my readings, I introduce a new section Looking for – to publish requests for perfumes.

Lemmings

Parfumista (Parfumistans Blogg) keeps reviewing new (at least for the US) niche brand by Ramón Monegal: The general impression of Umbra can be summarized as the picture and smell of the coolness of the mossy, forest floor under high pines a summer day. Even if classified as unisex I precieve Umbra as the most feminine vetiver I have sniffed so far.

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Thomas (The Candy Perfume Boy): To create Les Parfums de Cuir Thierry Mugler parfums a “tailor made […] natural leather” was added to four custom made vats containing each perfume allowing them to infuse & mature for four weeks and eventually, after the “leather-imbued extracts” were added to a solution, they became Les Parfums de cuir.

Laughs

Steven (The Scented Hound): Mechant Loup means “Big Wolf” in French, but the L’Artisan Perfumeur website lists it as “Big Bad Wolf.”  With that kind of name, I expect something over the top and powerful.  Sorry, there is nothing wolf like about this scent.  Instead, maybe it should be called “Nutty Ecureuil” or “Nutty Squirrel,” in English as it’s about as big and bad as a squirrel and holds a hazelnut note.

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Blacknall Allen (aperfumeblog by Blacknall Allen): […] French Women Don’t Get Fat.  It was full of helpful advice about dieting including eating leek soup (leeks are ace diuretics) and then limiting portion sizes drastically.  You can have anything you want, basically, so long as whatever it is comes in a tiny spoonful.  Quiche? Go for it.  Mousse-  no problem, grab your spoon and then put it down, you’re done.  Do not repeat.

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Portia (AustralianPerfumeJunkies): One of those spectacular grabs was Tous EdP in the gold package with the TOUS bear on top. Is it just me or does the TOUS bear look like a bear putting its arms behind its enormous BOOBS!!!! It looks very Dolly Parton/Pamela Anderson to me.

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Arielle (Scents of Self): I blame Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which taught me that having sex causes your boyfriend to revert to his evil vampire state and then you have to kill him to close the vortex to a hell dimension.

Loves

Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) revisits Jeux de Peau  – one of my favorite Serge Lutens’ perfumes (see Mind Games: My First Decant – Jeux de Peau). 

Leftovers

Melissa (She Blogs it All) is trying to organize a trip to/meet-up in France .

Looking for…

I’m on a Guerlain kick. I’m looking to swap for or buy at cost 2-3 ml decant of current formulation of Jicky extrait, Vol de Nuit extrait and Chamade extrait as well as 5 ml decants EdT versions of the same perfumes. If you have any of these please contact me and we’ll work out the details.

It was a good week: still great weather; many wonderful posts in those categories that I track (and then some) and a very enjoyable opening ceremony of the Olympics 2012. I read a lot of criticism about it but I had good time watching it. Though I have to admit that I watched it recorded so I had a luxury of skipping through all the advertising. What I didn’t miss was the information that Ralph Lauren promises that for the next Olympic Games our team’s outfit will be Made in USA (instead of China).

Lemmings

Victoria (Bois de Jasmin) reported the new Hermes L’Ambre des Merveilles perfume to be launched in August. Somehow I managed not to try any of Merveilles’ incarnations before so I decided that I would start there.

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Dee (beauty on the outside): In Equistrius, [rice note] creates a warmly tactile aspect to the cool, silky, powder of orris— not unlike a quick stroke on the heated neck of your mount after an elegantly executed passage.

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Natalie (Another Perfume Blog) found her leather perfume (Nappa Noir by Six Scents) but even if you’re not in the search for the one I’m positive you’ll enjoy an accompanying fiction story (I don’t want to give away anything so I’m not quoting). UPD: APB is closed now.

Laughs

Kathleen (No Disassemble Charlie No. 5): Although my favorite part of the sniffing trip was her reaction to the Montale display. “What is, this…fancy Axe?”

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Marlen (The Perfume Critic) published a funny story about his visit to Coty’s office in New York.

Loves

Clayton (What Man Should Smell Like): I wonder if I presented Opus III to the version of myself that existed 10 years ago, would I screw my nose up and say, “I think this is weird”. Perhaps so- but there is something about the scent that 2012 me loves. My last year’s post Library of Amouage touches first five perfumes in the collection.

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Kathleen (No Disassemble Charlie No. 5): If the Marilyn Monroe that popped out of JFK’s Birthday cake wearing little more than sparkles and a knowing smile had a love affair with Clark Gable in The Misfits, THAT would be Tuscan Leather!

Leftovers

Susan (Fine Fragrants) is getting married. If you want to say anything to her here is the right place.

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Jessica (Tinsel Creations), an art historian by trade who you might know better from her weekly reviews on NST, on her own blog has interesting series of posts The Art of Perfume Ads.

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Judith (the unseen censer) created My Perfume Portrait page on her site. She says it was easier than it seemed to do once she took my page as a template. Melissa (She Blogs it All) has also just launched a similar page Perfume Talk.

Carol (bloody frida) has List of perfume bottles and Steven (The Scented Hound) shares with his readers The Scented Hound’s Fragrance Collection. They do not specify which perfumes are their absolute favorites but at least it’s clear they like these enough to keep in their collections. If you are reading this post and have your own blog think about creating something like that someday – I’m sure many of your readers (I am for one) would be really curious to have your tastes mapped out in a readable format.

Last week was very serious: I haven’t come across any funny posts or comments. And I read most of the posts not only on my reading list but from “news & noise” category as well! So please, if I missed something laugh-worthy – give a link in your comment.

UPD: For a smile read Susan’s (Fine Fragrants) Juicy Crittoure dog shampoo review.

Lemmings

Victoria (Bois de Jasmin): Santal Majuscule is […] a romantic and tender scent of warm sandalwood brushed with honey and scattered with rose petals. Never mind Scheherazade’s palace, her skin must have smelled like this–of milk, roses and sweet spices.

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Modesty Brown (Modesty Brown loves make-up): On selected dates from 27th July, artists will be available in Jo Malone Boutiques in the capital, to customise boxes with your favourite London landmarks. There is no extra cost for the service and as you can see above, the sketches look really striking on the signature cream and black gift boxes. There’s no doubt that this would make an extra special gift for someone. (you have to click the link to see a picture!) WANT!

Loves

Blacknall Allen (aperfumeblog by Blacknall Allen) muses on the pedigree of Coco by Chanel: Polge  thought he could  reproduce this atmosphere of richness, of muffled ultra-refinement, by fusing three existing Chanel formulas to come up with a correspondingly intricate and Byzantine mixture to reflect the subdued baroque richness of the late Mademoiselle’s decor, so he combined Bois des Isles, Cuir de Russie, and Sycomore.  Et voila, the resinous, slightly sweet woody oriental that everyone now associates with the successful excesses of the eighties.

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Denyse (Grain de musc) shares beautiful pictures and haikus for the Hermessence collection. For my favorite Vetiver Tonka:

And away it flows,
Robbing the sun’s bright light
Such is the source!

Find your favorite here.

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For those of you who scans through posts headlines to decide if to read it, I want to bring to your attention touching Angela’s (Now Smell This) review of the discontinued Dior-Dior perfume by Christian Dior. This one was my least favorite out of three that my mother had when I was a child and it is discontinued and practically unavailable so I could have missed this post as well. And I’m glad that I haven’t: perfume itself doesn’t matter. It’s hard to use a vintage, discontinued fragrance knowing that when it’s gone it’s likely gone for good. But enjoying a perfume sure beats simply having the perfume.

Leftovers

In case you missed, Sigrun of frafrancefanatic has moved her blog. New blog is Riktig Parfym.

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I like Atelier Cologne brand. I was an early adopter and bought two small bottles of their colognes two years ago. So of course I was thrilled to read that they will release two new perfumes this Fall – Rose Anyonme and Vétiver Fatal. And when they come to my local Neiman Marcus I will test them. But I’m mildly annoyed: did they really need to release two more agarwood perfumes? Well, yes, they did – how else do you justify nowadays raising prices 20-30% (two years ago I paid $55 for each!)? And it’s not even read agarwood!

Last weekend was filled with events – a short trip to Carmel with my vSO to celebrate an anniversary on Saturday (a post is coming at some point, I think); the First Artisan Fragrance Salon on Sunday (my post and pictures are here). Since I didn’t have time for my weekly round-up post for the last week here’s a double portion of those posts that made me laugh, created lemmings or reviewed my favorite perfumes.

Lemmings

Thomas (Candy Perfume Boy): Since its release in 2005 Mugler has released a plethora of Alien Editions, each of which has seemed better than the last, and it would be fair to say that the very latest edition ‘Alien Essence Absolue’ is the best yet, and they know it too hailing Essence Absolue as “The Supreme Perfume”. And, if it wasn’t enough, here comes news about four more upcoming limited editions: Thierry Mugler is set to release four limited edition leather interpretations of their most popular scents.

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Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) keeps creating Amouage-related lemmings: The many faces of Interlude Woman can seem chaotic at times, only to resolve themselves into recurring moments of perfect clarity again and again. The seemingly rivaling accords of almost masculine spices and woods and the tender, feminine florals dance a powerful choreography around a core that is imperturbable and stands like a rock in the midst of all that agitation. And once you think she’s done, here comes the second volley: Interlude Man feels like a strong man with a soft heart, someone to protect you, care for you, be there for you. Oh my, can it be that Interlude Man is my knight in shining armor?

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Parfumista (Parfumistans Blogg) reviews a perfume with an interesting name from the brand about which I haven’t heard before: Impossible Iris is high quality stuff, very versatile, it’s the perfect officescent, a sort of first-class Prada Infusion d’Iris Edp replacement. Impossible Iris is also the perfect “lunch at some elegant restaurant fragrance” or something to wear at a day time reception… If you want to know more about this brand and when it’s coming to the US read Carrie’s (eyeliner on a cat) interview with the perfumer.

Laughs

Speaking of lemmings…
Dionne: … it was amazing how quickly they [lemmings] quieted down once I stepped away. Conversely, I swear I heard a couple of them yell “CANNONBALL!” the moment I opened up my Google Reader.
Mals: Your lemmings yell “Cannonball!”?? Mine rub their hands together and whisper evilly. Then they go have mad lemming sex and multiply.) More in comments.

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Vanessa (Bonkers about Perfume): What were the owners of the store trying to tell their customers, I wondered? Interestingly, no other ornaments were used on any other items of furniture to suggest possible usage. There were no fruit bowls on the dining tables, no hats on the hat stand, no monks on the monks bench, for example.

Loves

Steve (The Scented Hound): Bombay Bling is a hard fragrance for me to describe. It goes on sweet and fruity, but in a very subdued and subtle way. Maybe it’s because there’s a tinge of pepper that hides behind the top notes, or maybe it’s the base of warmth that keeps the sweetness under control. In any case, the opening stage of this fragrance is lovely and embracing. In fact the nice thing about this scent is that as it wears the opening doesn’t really disappear it just becomes a bit more subtle.

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Madeline (AustralianPerfumeJunkies) reviews four perfumes from my favorite perfume house: AMOUAGE Awesome Foursome.

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Natalie (Another Perfume Blog) writes a perfect “thank you for visiting” letter (UPD: APB is closed now) to my new perfume love – Cruel Gardenia (here’s my story of falling in love with this wonderful perfume).

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Portia (AustralianPerfumeJunkies): On my skin I love the crackling, nearly burnt herbs and spices that fly and waft freely as soon as you spray Ambre Sultan, as if you’ve just thrown them on a very hot, dry pan over a campfire. It’s harsh, bitter, green, wood, vanilla and smoke all at the same time and it jumps up and assaults your nostrils, BAM!

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Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels): Chypre Palatin is a very unique perfume. I don’t have anything like it in my collection and I love its total recognizability. This is a perfume you could immediately identify when you smelled it “in the wild”.

Last Friday when my vSO showed me one of the temperature maps of the US (similar to the one below) my reaction was:” We do NOT pay enough for our real estate!” (For those who aren’t familiar with the subject, take a look here). It was such a beautiful week here, in San Francisco Bay Area! Warm but not hot, breathy, with just enough sun to feel summer-y.

Here are posts that created perfumes lemmings, made me laugh or reviewed perfumes that I love.

Lemmings

Even though I still haven’t tried the last two perfumes from Amouage – Opus VI and Beloved, I’m lemming already for the next one. I definitely have a thing for dark blue bottles!

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Gaia (The Non-Blonde): People who dislike the popular pairing of coconut milk note with fig will rejoice at the Armani Privé interpretation. It also doesn’t have even a hint of creamy woods, or much wood at all. This is not the olfactory representation of the lush Mediterranean tree or the wonderful aroma of its leaves, green and sappy, giving much needed shade and relief on a hot summer day. Instead, Figuier Eden focuses on the ripeness of the fruit, sweet and juicy, paired with mandarin orange and what smells like peach tea. Once again I don’t understand why they stopped carrying Armani Privé line of perfumes in most places in the U.S.

Laughs

Sigrun (fragrantfanatic): Let’s start with the name, “1889 Moulin Rouge”, a legendary nightclub in Paris, mostly known for its can-can dancers. How might it have smelled in 1889? Like lots of warm bodies, probably. Some of them wearing the same skimpy scene costumes night after night at a time when hygiene standards probably did not include daily showers or dry cleaning. Is that something you’d want bottled? If you’re not some kind of Victorian bent pervert, sure, but most us would likely prefer living in ignorance on this one.

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Vanessa (Bonkers about Perfume): I am patiently waiting for the day when someone attempts to lick me wearing ANY fragrance. Or while not wearing any fragrance. I am ludicrously happy just to receive a compliment about my SOTD, as that is such a rare occurrence.

Loves

Angela (Now Smell This) reviews one of my favorite perfumes from one of my most favorite brands: This review is a cry for glamour and an entreaty to give Gold Woman a square sampling. Perhaps you’ve dared a spritz at a perfume boutique and were daunted by its Birgit Nilsson of a voice. Maybe you thought, sure I’ll wear Gold Woman — as soon as I get gold taps for my bathtub and a Persian cat. I get it. I can’t pull off Gold Woman most days. I suspect that most of my current readers have read four participans’ take on Amouage Gold Woman vs. Lancome Climat but if no – you might want to take a look, it was an interesting experiment.

Leftovers

I wasn’t sure if to put it in loves or laughs so it ended up in this section. You’ve probably heard already that Chandler Burr’s mystery S01E01 perfume was Prada’s Infusion d’Iris. I find it really ironic: a day before Mr. Burr unveiled his first offering I posted Alien wears Prada Infusion d’Iris in which I told the story of not being influenced by the brand, the bottle, the packaging and even the perfume itself but later falling for the picture from the ad campaign. As Katie Puckrik’s pen pal called it: “It’s the anti-Burr approach.”

Now, when you know what perfume it was, have you changed your original judgment of the project (whatever it was)?

Me? Whereas I can clearly see how Prada’s original bottle is more beautiful and attractive than CB’s “unmarked 50ml lab bottles”, I do not understand why

structure is virtually invisible; it is one of the most seamless pieces of scent work I know, almost unnervingly perfect. It has an astonishing olfactory texture, soft, cool, precise.

The beauty in this scent lies, in part, in the fact that it is designed to function while making virtually no noise at all. Wearing it makes you feel like you’ve walked away to a distant point and sat down in a cloud bank; it lends you the purity of purpose and the luxury of self-imposed isolation.

… is supposed to be considered less of “marketing techniques” than

was inspired by a quest for balance and harmony in a chaotic, contradictory world. […]

“A perfume is like a dream, a journey to Italy, an atmosphere, the clean fragrance of starched linen sheets against naked skin. It comprises familiar aromas, natural oils and priceless extracts. It imitates none of the current trends in perfumery. It does not follow in the footsteps of the established olfactory or descriptive stereotypes for perfumes for women, but is expressed in the contrast between extraordinary freshness, apparent lightness and a sort of delicate, yet sensual and strong veil that embraces the body and the clothing of the woman who wears it.”

Yesterday, while stopping at the local Nordstrom’s perfume counter to chat with a friendly SA, I sniffed the air and immediately asked if she was wearing Infusion d’Iris. She was. Infusion d’Iris Absolue, a sample of which I got from her to do a parallel test at home with the EdP version. So I was right not to play this game. I do not think I need that “blindfold” to appreciate perfumes: I like perfumes many other people completely dismiss; I cannot wear some perfumes from the brands I love and I stay completely cold towards many well-respected and highly acclaimed perfumes. I do not need Chandler Burr telling me Infusion d’Iris is a warm scent – for me it smells and always will smell cold and, I agree with Katie, standoffish.