Perfume

Perfumista by Anatole Lebreton
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Perfumista by Anatole Lebreton

Hi there ULGers, Do you remember in 2019/20 first reading or hearing about the audacity of Anatole Lebreton to make a perfume named for us? Perfumista?!? Honestly, the few people I talked to were in agreeance that it would definitely bomb because how could he encapsulate EVERYTHING we would expect from such a title. So I ignored it. Then, a while ago, I saw it on the Surrender To Chance site and was so curious to find out what I’d dismissed so easily. Into the cart it went and made it all the way through checkout with a few other things that piqued my interest. Here it has sat, unloved and forlorn, awaiting the attention of this perfumista. Today is the day. Please come on a journey of discovery with me.

Perfumista by Anatole Lebreton 2019

Perfumista by Anatole Lebreton

The Anatole Lebreton site gives the featured accords:
Top: Pear, Plum, Raspberry
Heart: Bulgarian Rose, Indian Jasmin, Patchouli
Base: Virginy Cerdarwood, Peru Balsam, Musk

The opening is like a vintage chypre. Aldehydic fruity floral, clean and clear as a bell. GOSH! it even has that slightly over ripe fruit and feral backbeat you’d expect from vintage but one that has been kept perfectly. There is even a touch of the hairsprays that make vintage feel so glammed up and ready to hit the town.

The heart is jammy rose with some other florals but I don’t smell jasmine per se, more a bouquet with maybe some bulb flowers, lilac, peony and marigold. The word that keeps popping into my head sniffing the heart is petal-y. There’s a soft, fluffy, powderiness like rubbing flowers against your cheek. Though not a big bombastic scent, Perfumista is quietly noticeable through the heart. That jammy rose also has some earthy greenery as we head towards dry down.

The dry down brings back the fruits (now canned) over a woody, smoothly resinous base. It’s a surprising revival and makes the last couple of hours very sniffable. Get up close and breathe deep. You’ll be amply rewarded.

Perfumista by Anatole Lebreton

 

Well, that was 200% more glorious than expected. A real modern reimagining of a vintage ride for a true perfumista. I do love to be proved wrong and thrilled by a scent. I”ve only worn it three times but right now a bottle is right near the top of my To Buy List. Why am I so late to this brand?

Though anyone could and can wear it Perfumista veers heavily traditional femme. Longevity is good and the first hour, more really, are quite fragrant before softening into a streamlined, still interesting, dry down.

Do you remember when Perfumista launched? Were you intrigued or dismissive?
Portia xx

 

Spice Blend by DIOR
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Spice Blend by DIOR

Hey there ULGers, With my recent Vanilla Diorama came a sample of DIOR Spice Blend in its gorgeous box. They have definitely gone down market from the original 8ml miniatures and now we get a 2ml sample but at least it’s now a SPRITZ! YAY! That means we get to smell exactly what the fragrance will smell like as it’s jetted out of our full bottles. So though they aren’t as glam they are better for us perfume peeps to really know what’s coming. Also, 8ml is quite a lot of perfume. 2ml is exactly enough to get me giddy with excitement over a couple of wears and leave me wanting more.

Spice Blend by DIOR 2019

Spice Blend DIOR

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Bay rum, Ginger, Madagascar pepper, Pink pepper, Cinnamon, Rum absolute

The opening moments of Spice Blend are delightfully boozy with a sharp spicy flare up. I say flare up but in fact the spices are cool and still in their bottles but fragrant and portentous. It’s spicy but not overwhelming. This excitement lasts better than most openings and doesn’t really calm for nearly 30 minutes with only a few changes.

Once we hot the heart are still in a softly spicy place, maybe walking past a spice cart. Now I feel like unnamed resins are making a smooth play that changes the feeling of Spice Blend to a more sophisticated, less dazzle dazzle adventure. The heart stays linear for a while, the next hour or so. At this point still fragrant, done in the very laid back, under the radar gorgeousness of DIOR Prive style. My feeling is that you’ll still stand out but moderately. If someone passes you or spends a moment sitting near you they will be enamoured by Spice Blend. It’s different enough to elicit comment but similar enough not to be obnoxious. It’s at this point that I can smell the cinnamon as plain as day, quite a surprise that it’s taken so long to hoist its flag. It’s a fun moment that I can only really smell/taste when huffing up close and it remains till we head towards dry down.

What I find at the end is a sweet, resinous wash that fades to a better than me scent hours and hours later. For something so low key the longevity is excellent.

Spice Blend by DIOR sample

If you have not got a spicy, booze laden fragrance in your collection then Spice Blend could definitely be the one to fill that niche.

Is Spice Blend lovely? Yes. Beautifully blended? Yes. Does it make me yearn for a bottle? Yes. Are there other fragrances out there that scratch a similar itch? Yes, many, even a few in my collection. Is it so special that I really need to buy it, even in 40ml form? So here is my conundrum: Do I lay down money for something that delights me but in all reality will probably be passed over in favour of others that I’ve loved and worn for years? Or does it eclipse them and I wear Spice Blend over them, relegating old loves to the dreaded “love but don’t reach for” category?

Have you tried Spice Blend?
Portia xx

 

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

 

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

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

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

Soleil Brûlant by Tom Ford
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Soleil Brûlant by Tom Ford

Hey there ULGers, Recently my mate Ainslie was given a bottle of Soleil Brûlant by Tom Ford in a perfume swap and did not find it to her taste. She passed it along to me and I’m so excited to give you a heads up on this very lovely fragrance. Now I’m the first to poo poo the ridiculous price point of Tom Ford scents, especially considering they are really just dressed up Estée Lauder. Even originally they were pricey but in the current rush to cash grab the whole expenditure has reached insane levels. In Australia this 50ml retails for nearly AU$500, that’s $10/ml. Ridiculous.

You’ll know perfumer Daniela Andrier’s work. She is responsible for the 2003 remix of YSL Rive Gauche, the Prada number extraits, Candy and Amber PH, Memo Moroccan Leather and ELdO I Am Trash among many others.

Soleil Brûlant by Tom Ford 2021

Soleil Brûlant Tom Ford

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, Bergamot, Mandarin orange
Heart: Black honey, Orange blossom absolute
Base: Resins, Frankincense, Vetiver, Amber, Leather, Woods

Fizzy citrus with a much more black pepper than pink feeling which quickly morphs into a honeyed floral. The floralness is transitory and leathery amber takes prominence quite early on. This and honey remain the key players till dry down with occasional wafts of woody greenery and white floral that keep it all interesting. There are some slight hints of that suntan lotion accord too, I’m surprised ylang and sandalwood aren’t mentioned in the notes list.

Soleil Brûlant means burning sun, so I thought this review particularly apt for you all in the Northern Hemisphere right now. For me though this fragrance has nothing to do with a burning sun and is much more like being curled up on a cold winter night watching TV with a clean pet and blanket. Maybe because that’s what I’ve been doing quite a lot of in the Sydney winter.

Interesting side note, black honey is only naturally produced by bees in northern Turkey. Other black honey is a manufactured product from sugar cane. There is also dark honey which is regular golden honey treated with heat, it changes the colour and only very slightly the taste. We have a friend who gives us dark honey for cooking and tea from his hives, it’s bloody gorgeous.

Soleil Brûlant Tom Ford

So a warm honeyed amber that’s totally unisex. Projection is good for the first hour or so and quietens considerably. Longevity is good, a soft whisper by the end of a work day.

I’m really glad to have this in my wardrobe. Did I need it? Amber is one of my largest note in FB but Soleil Brûlant scratches a different itch to the regular amber. So yes, it does fill a hole. Imagine it being an Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess for winter and you get my drift. If this cost 1/2 the price I’d probably have bought myself a bottle at retail.

Sound interesting?
Portia x

L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci
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L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci

Hello Fellow Fumies,

Some of you may know that way back in the dimness of time I was a Squirt Bitch for a department store in Sydney’s suburbs, my fragrance section was Guerlain, Oscar de la Renta, Worth and Nina Ricci. At the time I was so dazzled by the Guerlains and Oscars that poor old Nina Ricci got left behind, it was the 1980s and very few people were after such subtlety, especially once I started on my “Make a statement” spiel. I recently purchased some L’Air du Temps parfum just for old times sake. Then I found  on Fragrantica Miguel Matos did a sensational 2013 L’Air du Temps 65th Birthday piece and judging by the packaging on my acquisition it’s 1986-2008 juice, except the parfum has gold doves on the box. Which is a SCORE. Today was always going to be about L’Air du Temps but now it has an extra special reason, Happy 75th Birthday L’Air du Temps.

L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci 1948

L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci 1948

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, Rosewood, Spices, Bergamot, Peach
Heart: Carnation, Lily, Ylang, Iris, May rose, Orchid
Base: Sandalwood, Ambergris, Benzoin, Moss, Musk, Cedar, Vetiver

I love a floral, fruity, aldehydic opening of yesteryear, there is so much depth and glamour. It’s spicy and sugared, crisp and warm and fizzy, L’Air du Temps is fun! The parfum version is so much fuller and more powerful in the opening than my memories of the EdT back in the 1980s but the scent is still the same, no not the same but same enough to feel the memories flood back. Both cozy and starched elegance at the same time. Luminous! I am back in time over 20 years and just getting my first perfumista stars.

After the first ten minutes L’Air du Temps takes a definite step towards soft, there becomes space between the various notes and the wall of scent becomes a lovely warm floral aura that is still spicy and punchy but more restrained. There is so much going on in L’Air du Temps that I find it hard to pick individual notes. The cloves are most discernible and I can smell flowers but it’s a dream of flowers nothing specific. While half the time feeling totally old fashioned and dated it also is still spare and pretty enough through the heart to be at ease in today’s fragrant climate. An hour in and I am softly fragrant, maybe if I was sitting in a small room for a while you’d smell a change in the air but otherwise you’d have to hug me to know I’m perfumed.

L’Air du Temps parfum by Nina Ricci 1948 parfum

Amber and sandalwood/cedar are what I smell most of in the dry down, there are other things but I can’t decipher them as notes it’s more of a harmonious background hum. After around 4 hours L’Air du Temps goes so soft I can barely register it but I know that I’m not smelling me, it is definitely other, an amorphous wash that I lose at around 5-6 hours.

How does L’Air du Temps make me feel? Pretty, I feel pretty, no bold statement, very laid back and comfortable. Wearable on any occasion, even close working quarters would not be offended by L’Air du Temps parfum. It is subtle and glamorous without the hard work of appearing to be.

Do you have any L’Air du Temps memories you’d like to share?
Portia xx

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)
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Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)

Hi Crew, Cote d’Amour byL’Artisan Parfumeur was released way back in 2009. I remember first trying it a few years later and it was already impossible to find, especially out here in Oz. Then it turned up on Surrender To Chance a few years later in the 8ml sale. So I bought some. My decant is nearly 2/3 gone and after that there will be no more. I thought you might like to enjoy one of my last ever wears of this beauty together.

It caught my eye that this is a Celine Ellena fragrance. Cool!

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2009

Cote d’Amour by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary Grapefruit Tangerine
Heart: Immortelle Cypress Rose
Base: Pine Woodsy Notes Laburnum

My memories of first smelling Cote d’Amour are very fuzzy now, the where is completely gone. I do remember being told that L’Artisan were trying an All Natural route but smelling its now that seems highly unlikely. What I do remember is thinking how differently the pieces were put together. That it smelled like pieces of things I knew but nothing smelled quite like it. Also the name, it felt like love as an adventure. Something you’d travel great distances to find. Haven’t we all?

Anyway, let’s smell this long lost beauty eh? The happily strange greenly herbaceous citrus is gone way too quickly and overtaken by crisp green woods. There are still tinges of the opening, hollow reminders. The immortelle is clean, all that gooey, sticky, stanky fabulousness shorn off. It’s still recognisable but barely. This is immortelle light and if its presence is often a huge no for you then this will sit quietly enough I’m sure. I’m getting some very vanilla vibes, and some cedar-ish pencil shavings. Funnily, Jin just bought persimmons and the scent is a little like them with woody overlay.

Cote d’Amour L'Artisan Parfumeur

Though this has very typically L’Artisan low longevity when it starts to fade off and meld with my scent it becomes a sexy me but WAY better. So manly. Well, clearly that’s some connection I’m making from past olfactory experience. Can’t place it but that soft overtone on my own smell is bloody good. Not fragrant anymore but a sheer overlay. Very cool.

Do you remember this? Did you get to try it?
Portia x

Ylang 49 by Le Labo
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Ylang 49 by Le Labo

Hey ULGers, Here’s a funny thing. A couple of years ago Surrender To Chance had a couple of sale days where you could buy 8ml of things for much cheaper than normal. Seriously good discounts. So I spent a truckload. Sometimes buying a couple of the same thing, many blind. Yeah, so I know YOU KNOW how that usually goes. One win to every 10+ WTF. Anyway, one of the things I bought a couple of was Ylang 49. Because it’s only tangentially ylang I was thoroughly let down and they got lost amongst the many. Then as I was packing for London it went in the bag. OMG! With all expectations removed it is bloody fabulous. Full disclosure: Someone I was spending time with HATED it on me and found it hippy patchouli heavy hell. Me, nope, LOVED IT!

I think part of my loathing it earlier is my general side eye cringe and snort at the Le Labo mix-just-for-you bulls**t. It’s so annoying. The juice then needs to macerate in your bottle and takes up to a year to smell like the tester you tried in store. (yes, I know you know all this but it rubs me wrong)

In their favour, the simple Le Labo bottle that is used by so many companies is one of my favourite. Clean lines, easy to hold, nice and hefty.

Ylang 49 by Le Labo 2015

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Oakmoss Tahitian Gardenia Vetiver Benzoin Sandalwood

The opening is all cool white florals and grassy greenery. A little more fresh than you would expect from something ylang named but well within purview.

The opening lasts about two minutes and already patchouli has pretty much taken over the field. At about 5 minutes Ylang 49 goes completely quiet on me. It’s so weird. Like a complete drop out of fragrance. When it comes back, not very long later, it’s a complete patchouli bomb with some quiet backing players. Dark, earthy patchouli that feels like walking through the cold still air of underground water cave complexes. Strange, beautiful, slightly dank and cool. Nothing tropical or ylang-ish at all.

Ylang 49 by Le Labo

Later Ylang 49 does get a little sweeter and creamier but still the patchouli is king. Lasting power is excellent and it has excellent projection, even though I as wearer only notice it in huffs.

Is Ylang 49 something you love?
Portia xx