Pride by Der Duft
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Pride by Der Duft

Hi Ho ULGers, Der Duft is a German brand that seems to be asking some interesting, left of centre perfumers to come work on their fragrances. Pride is by Miguel Matos. The brand is new since 2020 and from what I see started with five scents and has added five more since.

Der Duft Pride was a BIG surprise. I grabbed my 2ml Surrender To Chance decant and spritzed it heavily without even checking the notes list. Don’t know exactly what I was expecting but this sure isn’t it.

Pride by Der Duft 2020

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Patchouli, Sandalwood, Bergamot, Cashmeran, Jasmine, Moss, Narcissus, Amber, Carrot seed

The Pride opening is earthy, grasslike, head shop patchouli and a happily dark narcissus. It’s thick and molten, but for all its density Pride is surprisingly wearable and non confrontational. Sure, if OG style patchouli is not your thing then you may be overwhelmed for the first minute but for me it is gorgeous and fun.

The heart stays patch focussed but the woods come through with a creamy flourish. They are that very dry sandalwood and vanilla rich amber woods. I’m sure there are bit players I’m missing here but that’s the gist.

Having spent the day wearing Pride, with a lunchtime respritz to relive that ridiculously fab opening, I’m smitten. Dry down is a dark, mossy patchouli amber. Very old school reminiscent but done in a 21st century niche way. I could never imagine a modern designer putting this in a bottle. Pride is just not general public enough,. Maybe one of the more interesting mass-tige brands like D S & Durga or Comme des Garcons but this may even be a bit too raw for them.

Pride by Der Duft

Unisex but a definite lean towards modern masculine. Longevity is excellent and projection good for the first couple of hours. It’s not big but it is persistent and very other. This is the kind of fragrance I imagine a very cool suit wearing, a slightly different cut of fragrance, interesting but not showy. People may not even know why they want to be near you.

Pride is definitely on my next Fragrances & Art order, did you know they do Tax Free for international and have FREE SHIPPING if you order over a very reasonable amount?

Are you feeling my excitement?
Portia x

 

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Saturday Question: Do You Ever Wear or Test Unlabeled Perfumes?

With (at least) dozens of perfume bottles and probably hundreds of proper perfume decants and samples, what would possess you to put on an unknown juice?

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #180:

Do You Ever Wear or Test Unlabeled Perfumes?

Tell me if that never happened to you, but most of us in our more or less organized collection of non-manufacturer containers come across a decant or vial either without any label or with something illegible due to the previous contact with the content of said container. What is usually the fate of those? Do you dare to put them on your skin again? Do you try to remember or figure out what it was? Or do you relegate them to a slow, evaporative demise in the depths of your collection?

My Answer

I cannot claim that I’m an organized person. Neither am I completely disorganized. Probably, it’s something in between. But when it comes to perfumes, it is almost impossible for me to have some unidentified vial lurking in my drawers, boxes and other convenient places for storing perfumes that I don’t count as my perfume wardrobe. So, most of my vials, sprayers, decants and other thinkable perfume vessels have nice labels – original or those I printed on my label maker.

Yet sometimes… How many times can one genuinely believe that she would remember what she decanted into that generic Nordstrom-provided sample vial, planning to print a label “tomorrow” just to discover a couple of weeks (or months) later that she has no recollection of what it was? Well… Let’s say it happened more often than I would expect from a reasonable and reasonably organized person. Those unnamed and unsung heroes of department store offerings never make it to the skin: not that I make a conscious decision not to try them, but I keep deferring our time together… until one day I discover just faint remnants of the scent in the empty plastic tube.

Recently, though, I discovered an unusual sample without a label: a tube of one of the Guerlein‘s L’Art & La Matière perfumes – one of those branded 4 ml tubes they used to fill at a counter. At some point, it probably came with a paper box with a name written on it, but somehow, it ended up in a box with another perfume from the same line but labeled. These aren’t the same perfumes (both by the scent and color), and I know that I liked it enough to decide to wear it but not enough to buy a bottle. But that is where my memory ends. I’m sure that many years ago when I decided to “consolidate” it into that box with Rose Barbare I had absolutely no doubts that I would remember what it was… I don’t. But it doesn’t really matter: since it has either been discontinued or reformulated now, I don’t need to know what it is. I like the scent, and I’ll wear it until it’s gone.

 

How about you?

Do You Ever Wear or Test Unlabeled Perfumes?

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Saturday Question: What Is Your Favorite Local Brick-and-Mortar Perfume Store?

Now that I know how many of my readers perceive the acronym B&M, I’m being cautious and spelling it out.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #179:

What Is Your Favorite Local Brick-and-Mortar Perfume Store?

The question is not about Harrods or Luckyscent (unless you live nearby and visit them at least a couple of times a year). I’m curious about your local “go-to” place. Where do you go to smell something new without paying for it? It doesn’t have to be a niche store, but just any place where you know you’ll try something you haven’t tried before.

Do you ever buy perfumes there?

My Answer

For many years, Barney’s San Francisco was that place for me. They carried many niche brands that weren’t available elsewhere – Serge Lutens, L’Artisan, Le Labo, Frederic Malle and many others. After its closing, Neiman Marcus in San Francisco became my favorite: they didn’t have that many niche brands, but they carried many “boutique” lines for Guerlain and Dior, as well as some other popular brands – Memo, Acqua di Parma, Perris Monte Carlo and others. These are not my favorite brands, so even though the Neiman Marcus store that is closer to me doesn’t carry the same variety of brands, a shorter trip combined with free parking made it a more appealing option.

But this week, I discovered a new favorite: ZGO Perfumery in San Francisco. I knew about that store for years and even bought some samples and Mariage Freres teas from them, but I’ve never visited it before. But earlier this week, I decided to investigate that store when I took a day off to run some errands in San Francisco that couldn’t be done over a weekend.

ZGO Perfumery

I loved it! A welcoming atmosphere, friendly salespeople and a wide selection of niche brands. It was a slow day, and I spent there more than an hour figuring out first what I wanted to smell on paper and then which samples I wanted to buy. I chatted with two sales assistants (not at the same time) – they were, as I said, friendly, knowledgeable and absolutely not pushy. I went through dozens (if not hundreds) of perfume bottles, carefully deciding which ones would get a nozzle sniff, which would make their way onto a paper strip, and which remain in place getting just a glance.

While from their website you can buy any number of samples, in the store they usually allow 3 samples ($5 for a 1 ml spray sample). But an above-mentioned slow day and all that, so I left with 5 samples of perfumes that I liked enough to want to try on my skin (and pay for it). I will do a separate post about them once I spend time wearing each one, but in general, I think it was a successful trip (and the parking, if you can find it, is free, which feels like a special treat when you visit San Francisco). The one that I decided to wear from the tester bottle instead of asking to buy one more sample was Atelier Materi Iris Ebene. It was a big mistake! I liked it a lot. So now I’ll have to get a sample of it anyway!

I rarely buy perfumes from brick-and-mortar stores because I rarely feel the urge to buy something on the spot. And when I know what I want, I usually try to find, if not a deal, then at least a GWP or some other incentive to spend money. But if I am ever on the market for a brand that doesn’t do sales, I will definitely go to ZGO Perfumery.

 

How about you?

What Is Your Favorite Local Brick-and-Mortar Perfume Store?

Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara
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Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara

Hey Crew, GOSH! It seems so long ago Jin and I were in South Korea. It’s only a couple of months. This year has already been jam packed. Sorry I didn’t get back to writing about Vetiver Pamplemousse EdP quicker. You may remember I wrote about the candle? Well, in Korea on our last night we wandered into a Zara at Seoul Station. coming across the fragrances I asked if they had Vetiver Pamplemousse. Yes, but only the 10ml. Then the SA looked into the computer and found one last 40ml bottle on the other side of town. The shop closes in 40 minutes. HA! Well, we jumped a train, changed trains and ran to the store (about 400m) and arrived with 7 minutes to closing. We were puffing and sweating and laughing. It was excellent fun and took us to a part of town I’d never seen. It had also been gentrified beyond Jin’s wildest dreams. Loads of shopping, eating and living. A really cool part of town.

Not being a new scent it’s probably going to be hard to track Vetiver Pamplemousse down but I promised a review and then never delivered so, um, SOZ. Here it is. Looking at ZARA Australia they still have stock so you might get lucky.

Vetiver Pamplemousse by Zara 2019

Vetiver Pamplemousse Zara

Zara gives these featured accords:
Grapefruit, mandarin, vetiver

Tangy, tart, lip puckeringly bittersweet is man opening impression of the grapefruit/citrus opening. Though it’s sharp it isn’t crazy and the grapefruit settles nicely into a more generic, sweet citrus. The tart doesn’t leave entirely though, keeping it crisp and interesting. As we head into the heart there is also a pithy softness and furriness. So refreshing.

Further into the heart and that citrus becomes those hard boiled Cavendish and Harvey Mixed Fruit Drops. You remember, in the round tins? Just like some of those. It’s such a visceral memory. We used to get those in our Santa sacks and often on long journeys Mum would bring out a pack to shut us up.

My wear gives hardly any of the slightly oily, grassy vetiver that I expect, especially in the open and heart. In Vetiver Pamplemousse it is a support act. If I sniff hard and go really looking it appears but this fragrance is really a citrus affair for the most part.

Vetiver Pamplemousse Zara

As we head for dry down the vetiver does make a bit of a showing. Dry grasses and a little bit twig and torn leaf. An interesting, low key representation of vetiver but not terrible. That sweet citrus and grassiness carry the fragrance quietly after about an hour. If you told me basil was an ingredient and that vegetal musks were involved I’d say that smells about right. The sugariness makes it all feel very 21st century.

This is an easy wear gem. Don’t be expecting to be blown away by their inventiveness. While it’s not a very common fragrance it’s also not a far leap from existing products. The price though, that’s the difference. Longevity and projection are moderate to low but Vetiver Pamplemousse can and could be worn by just about anyone. Simple and smells good.

Do you have a Zara fragrance? Love grapefruit or vetiver?
Portia x

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Saturday Question: What Do You Think About Fragrant Functional Products?

When I recently got an email from Luckyscent that highlighted the new BDK‘s creation – a laundry detergent – I thought about doing a post about it. But as I started putting my thoughts “on paper,” I realized I didn’t have enough to stretch it to a full post, so I decided to discuss it with you as a Saturday Question.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #178:

What Do You Think About Fragrant Functional Products?

It’s not about unscented/scent-free products versus scented ones. I’m asking rather about products that smell like perfumes – either existing ones or abstract scents, as with this laundry detergent.

Do you like the idea? Have you used any? Would you like to try any?

A bonus question: What laundry detergent do you use?

My Answer

Almost a decade ago (time flies!) I published a post Know-how [not to]: Freshen up a linen closet, in which I told a story of how using a perfume-soaked envelope (an unfortunate mailing incident) as a linen closet freshener had almost put me off my favorite Le Labo Rose 31. So, from that time, I never even considered using any of my favorite scents for anything other than their direct purpose.

In the case of this laundry detergent by BDK, Eau de Lessive (Laundry Water?), they didn’t cannibalize any of their scents but instead created a unique composition for this product. Top: Lavender, Bergamot from Italy, Lemon from Italy, Yellow mandarin from Japan, Red Thyme, Cardamom from India, Pepper mint, Nutmeg, CO2 of pink berries; heart: Small grain of Paraguay, Blue Ginger, Cassis, White flowers; base: Ambroxan, Vetiver from Haiti, Benzoin of Siam and White Musks.

Not every perfume has that extensive list of notes; this product might smell great. But the idea of having all my laundry to smell of any specific aroma just doesn’t seem appealing. Additionally, a laundry detergent costing about half of what one might splurge on a high-end shampoo seems too extravagant. I could have considered a smaller bottle intended for hand wash (though, I’m not sure I have enough lingerie that I would be regularly washing manually), but a €35/$36 liter of a detergent intended for a washing machine… It makes me think of that DirecTV commercial “Opulence, I has it.”

But what do I know? It is sold out within less than a week and on backorder at Luckyscent. On the positive side, this is one of the perfume-related products that a perfumista will be able to use up.

I prefer laundry detergents without any scent. For a long time, I used Seventh Generation Free & Clear. It didn’t smell of anything. But I had to stop using it because of the smell. The smell of my clothes 3-4 months after washing that was (e.g., if I were to launder something and put it away because of a season change). It seems that detergent stayed on the clothes and started disintegrated after a while. Now I wash my clothes with Tide Free & Gentle. It keeps my laundry scent-free and allows me to perfume my things with whatever scent I choose, whenever I choose.

BDK Eau De Lessive

What Do You Think About Fragrant Functional Products?

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Saturday Question: Which of Your Current Favorites Was Released In Your Back-to-School Years?

In the US, some schools are “back in session” already, which still feels slightly surprising to me, whose school years always started on September 1st (unless it fell on Sunday). But hearing all the back-to-school ads and conversations inspired this SQ.

 

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

 

Saturday Question #177:

Which of Your Current Favorites Was Released In Your Back-to-School Years?

Hopefully, a decade (plus-minus a year) is enough disguise for those who don’t feel comfortable disclosing their exact age.

Do you currently have a favorite perfume in your collection that was released between when you started the second grade and when you went back to school for the last time? It doesn’t have to be a perfume that back then you liked (or even knew about its existence). But the bonus question is: when did you get it first?

Hint: You can use Fragrantica search to set the From/To year criterion if you can’t easily think of any specific perfume.

My Answer

Surprisingly, my collection has more than one favorite perfume from that era But let’s go with one – Chanel Coco. I didn’t know it when I was going to school. I think I knew of Chanel No 5 (though I haven’t tried it before much later – and I still don’t like it on my skin), but no other names of perfumes from that brand were even mentioned when I was growing up.

After I moved to the US, I tried many of Chanel’s mainstream perfumes (one of my relatives had them all), but I didn’t like any of them… until about 14 years ago when, thanks to a generous SA at Nordstrom, I got samples of several Chanel perfumes and fell in love with Coco and No 19. In 2010, Coco was my first full bottle purchase from Chanel ever. And this is one of those perfumes that still wows me every time I wear it.

Rusty and Chanel Coco

How about you?

 

Which of Your Current Favorites Was Released In Your Back-to-School Years?

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora
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Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora

Hi there ULGers, Grandiflora is an Aussie brand coming from a very cool, world renowned flower shop in Sydney. Owned and operated by the gorgeous and so friendly Saskia Havekes. She is a florist to the smart set and large corporations, author and creative director/owner of a fragrance house. Some people are like being around a light filled vessel, Saskia is definitely one of them from the little I know and lot I’ve heard. Actually, she’s one of the very few icons that I’m yet to hear a bad word about. In my journey through samples and decants this year I came across an 8ml Madagascan Jasmine from Surrender To Chance. I remember using the first couple of ml and instantly buying a bottle, and later a backup when the bottles were being changed. So, I thought I’d share my love for it with you all today.

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora 2015

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora

Grandiflora gives these featured accords:
Top: Mango, Green Tropical Fruits
Heart: Jasmine (Madagascan), White Flowers, Green Foliage
Base: Musk, Smoky Accord, Roasted Cacao

Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. Not the heady, breathy, creamy ylang and sweet version of so much perfumery but jasmine like the smell of putting your head in the flowering vine. Yes, it does have that fruity hit running through it and the greenery that jasmine so often holds. They make it seem alive and just bloomed in the evening but now it’s a cool spring morning. Chilled and super fragrant.

The heart remains all white flowers and a touch of greenery. That huge opening softens considerable after about 10 minutes and becomes an insistent, pretty white floral. Still fragrant but less over the top. The heart is my favourite part of Madagascan Jasmine. I’ve told this story before but when I was growing up there was a large jasmine growing over our side fence. In spring the scent would travel and I could smell it from the top of our driveway, getting stronger and stronger as I neared the house. The heart is like that scent as I’m walking down the drive. If I went to the vine the sound of bees buzzing would accompany the scent. Madagascan Jasmine is like reliving those days.

Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora July 23

Though I fully support everyone wearing whatever they love, this feels like a feminine leaning fragrance. If you are a guy who either loves jasmine or is confident enough to go against modern traditional type then Madagascan Jasmine will smell so fabulous on you. PLUS you will fragrantly stand head and shoulders above most others. Longevity is good and after the first half hour or so projection is low to moderate.

Do you know Madagascan Jasmine or the Grandiflora fragrance house?
Portia x

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Saturday Question: Do You Have Any Perfumes on Your “To Try” List?

I’m calling all your lemmings!

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #176:

Do You Have Any Perfumes on Your “To Try” List?

Let’s be realistic: it’s not a hypothetical question that calls for something like “original Daim Blond” or “pre-reformulation EL Private Collection.” But are there any currently available perfumes that you haven’t tried yet but would like to?

My Answer

In the last couple of years, I rarely feel an urge to try anything specific. I do still enjoy trying new (for me) things, but I rarely care for anything specific – and even less so if I’d need to pay for a sample.

So, I don’t have a formal “to try” list now. But if I think about it, I can come up with several perfumes I am curious about: several recent releases from Amouage – Guidance, Lineage, Purpose and Search (though, I’m not sure I like the names), Armani Magenta Tanzanite (though I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous “stones” in the collection) and Ormonde Jayne Sakura and Fearless (and while I am at it, any other new perfumes OJ released in the last 2 years).

 

How about you?

Do You Have Any Perfumes on Your “To Try” List?

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Saturday Question: What Was the Last Perfume in Your Collection that Wowed You?

Do you know how hard it is to put some questions in a short form? Something simple like “What is Your Favorite Beach Scent?” or “Name Your Top 10 Birch Tar Perfumes” is easy. But every time I try to ask something more complex (in form), I risk either running a 3-line question or to confusing you all. I just hope you read my explanations and do not rush to answer based on the first impression.

Saturday Question on Undina's Looking Glass

Saturday Question #175:

What Was the Last Perfume in Your Collection that Wowed You?

So, I’m not asking about the last perfume that you loved and bought. We have great collections, and I assume we like most of the fragrances we own. I’m asking about the case when you sprayed on one of your favorites from your fragrant wardrobe and thought to yourself: “Wow! It is so beautiful!” (or something along the line).

What was that perfume? When?

My Answer

This year isn’t the easiest for my family, and I noticed that my perception of perfume is slightly skewed: more often than I’d like it to, I put on a scent I own and think: “It is nice, but I remember liking/loving it much more.” It doesn’t go into the territory where I dislike those perfumes, but I can’t help feeling slightly disappointed by not being enamored of it as I used to be. So, these days, when I do admire perfume I’m wearing, I feel especially grateful to it.

The last time it happened was a couple of days ago when I reached out to Atelier Cologne Clémentine California. I always liked and enjoyed wearing it, but when I bought it six years ago, I thought it was in the same category as the other two citrus perfumes that I liked from the brand (When Life Gives You Clementines, Enjoy Them). Since then, it grew on me, becoming my favorite Atelier Cologne perfume. But that last time, as I put it on, it was that “Wow” reaction that I hope for every time I spray on my SOTD but don’t get often.

Rusty and Atelier Cologne Clementine California

How about you?

 

What Was the Last Perfume in Your Collection that Wowed You?

Gilded by Boujee Bougies NEW! NEW! NEW!
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Gilded by Boujee Bougies NEW! NEW! NEW!

Hi Crew, If you are a regular reader then you’ll know I hit London in April to celebrate a couple of important birthdays with friends. It was a whirlwind trip of 11 days from my doorstep to arriving home. That meant 7 full days on the ground. One of those days I jumped a train or two from Green Square to Leighton Buzzard and met my buddies of the Olfiction crew, Nick and Pia. They are the masterminds behind the Boujee Bougies candle range that has now also become a perfume range. Seeing their headquarters and then having dinner at their home was so exciting and yet curiously mundane. It was as if we did it all the time and had lived next door for years and this was a regular catch up. They and their crew were so easy to be with, plus I got to smell the new perfume range. Gilded is the one that the scentbloggosphere has been going ape shit over so I thought I’d give it some wears and write you all a post.

I’m sniffing from a large decant because at the time they weren’t ready for sale and I couldn’t buy the whole range. This was a gift. Fortunately Jin and I are back in the UK in November so hopefully I can remedy the situation and properly shop.

Gilded by Boujee Bougies 2023

Boujee Bougies give these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, Saffron, Gold accord
Heart: Frankincense oil, Frankincense resin, Carnation, Cedar Leaf, Beeswax absolute
Base: Myrrh, Cedarwood, Labdanum, Leather, Civet, Musk

The opening citrus/metallic is something I’ve never smelled before. It doesn’t stay more than a couple of minutes but it is eye popping. The heart takes over and incense reigns supreme. It says cedar leaf in the notes but for me the scent is very bay leaf, I wonder if it’s the carnation clove-iness giving me cooking throwbacks. I can understand why everyone is going mad for Gilded. It smells like early niche, those gorgeous, mind-blowing, quilted layers of a richly furnished middle eastern dream.

Further into the heart my Roman Catholic upbringing is being revisited in the smoky prayers of Benediction, which always seemed like such a pagan rite to me. A man, led by acolytes, wearing a sumptuous sequinned gown and hat with a smoke stack pouring out scented fumes that forgive all our sins.

As we head towards dry down Gilded becomes a little darker and more feral. Animalic but not a tiger pit. More like a bear cave used for hibernation but now it’s summer and you are just getting some scented remnants of the winter/spring inhabitants. The incenses stay till the very last gasp, overlaying all other parts with a soft smoky patina.

Gilded Boujee Bougies

Gilded it gorgeous. Totally unisex. Fragrant but not overbearing. After the initial hour of spectacular it calms to a quiet, introverted beauty that would be wearable even to dinner, films or work. Obviously, the more you spritz the bigger it will be. I’m hard pressed to think of a perfumista who would not love this.

Have I piqued your interest?
Portia xx