Pearless – Review: L’Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 1

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Olfactoria

Mon Numéro is the new collection L’Artisan Parfumeur is launching right now. See my sneak peek post with mini-reviews of all of the perfumes here.

The first one in the line – Numéro 1, is exclusive to Malaysia and available online.

A fruity-floral – yes, that is what it is, and that genre does have a bad reputation, indeed, thanks to thousands of similarly bad and unimaginative launches in the last years, but we need not fear. Bertrand Duchaufour and L’Artisan won’t let us down.

Mon Numéro 1 is a fresh and delightful duet of mimosa and pear. Like Marla said in her review on PST, pear is not an easy note to love. It can be screechy, overly sweet, terribly artificial or if worse comes to worst, all three.

In Mon Numéro 1 it is thankfully neither. It is very green, very crisp, somehow clean and freshly cut. That is how Mon Numèro 1 starts out, then slowly it warms up a little and sweetens, but only barely, for the mimosa here is not dusty, sweet and cloying, as it can be, but sheer and transparent.

The base is a softly rounded musk, a little soapy, but largely unobtrusive by itself, only there to make the pear and mimosa couple hold on, and they do hold on until the very last, when they slowly fade out of existence after an impressive period of about eight hours. In the drydown Mon Numéro 1 reminds me a bit of soap, expensive fruity soap. Not a good association in most cases, but here I like it a lot, it smells clean in an innocent and almost childlike way, without being bland at all.

Imagine my surprise when I found a soap called Pears, when looking for an illustration for this post.

Mon Numéro 1 actually smells a lot like I wanted Annick Goutal’s Petite Chèrie to smell, which turns artifical and frankly horrible on me.

The softly singing, carefree and happy attitude Mon Numèro 1 inspires perfectly fits the beginning of summer. It is likened to a summer dress in the press release, I see it as a light and airy silk scarf, a pale green color, floating in the soft summer breeze. It is light, but is has still substance, it even can hug you with a little warmth if the wind gets chilly at night.

Mon Numéro 1 is a lovely addition to my summer fragrance wardrobe, perfect for carefree days and balmy nights. It will go on vacation with me and I will wear the heck out of my generous sample, for this one is even husband-approved.

Image source: parfumo.de, vintageadbrowser.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Fruity | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Monday Question – How Much Is Too Much?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Olfactoria

When it comes to perfume, or rather Perfumistas, it can never be too much, or can it?

We like variety. But when is it too much? Too much money spent? Too many bottles accumulated? Too many samples in a box?

Where do you draw the line?

What perfume is just too expensive?

How many full bottles fit in your cabinet?

My Answer:

A though one again… 🙂

I don’t know, to tell you the truth. It is hard to put a number on it, but since I chose to pose the question I have to give an answer too.

It is probably too much, when you don’t know what you have anymore, when your collection gathers dust rather than being worn, when you forget what you own, or when you go over the constraints of your budget.

It has not come this far with me, but I have to watch it. Which is what I am doing with my self-imposed embargo, but still the craving for more and new perfumes is there.

I would not spend lots and lots of money on a pretty or somehow special bottle, Xerjoff, MCDI – I am looking at you here. I would not spend money on experimental things like Le Petit Mort, Duchaufour or not.

My perfume cabinet is not small. It is a white Ikea Billy closet with glass doors, there is plenty of space left though. I keep my collection in there in their boxes, to keep them away from light.

How many are there? I won’t tell. I can’t tell actually, since I don’t know. I refuse to count my bottles, it is a bit of self-preservation probably, I prefer to stay uninformed about the exact number of bottles in there. Let us just say, I won’t run out of perfume anytime soon. 🙂

How about you? How much is too much?

Image source: gomonews.de
Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , | 63 Comments

Last Week In Perfume Land – Weekend Link Love

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Olfactoria

This week we were busy de-cluttering and rearranging our home a bit. A few new closets were bought yesterday and today is dedicated trying to figure out how to build them (Yay, Ikea!).

In all that activity we almost forgot our five year anniversary on Friday. On June 3, 2006 we got married in my hometown church while a torrential downpour almost closed off the town from the rest of civilization. Those weather conditions were not ideal for attempting photos or outside activities, but it sure made the day memorable for everyone and it brought our guests closer together, if only out of fear. 😉

This past week the following posts touched me, read them (again) with me:

Suzanne of Perfume Journal wrote about Guerlain Samsara in a way that made me want to seek this out, although it never before piqued my interest. She has that knack.

Carrie of Eyeliner on a Cat beautifully described her feline associations with Amouage Opus V, it is her own fur, she does not share it! 🙂

Annemarie of Beauty on the Outside talks about a topic we Perfumistas want to keep mum about, since it interferes with what we love best. And Dee has momentous news – BoTO goes Texas.

Tarleisio of Scentless Sensibilities is a real lady, a green one, and one with a real gift for writing.

Ines of All I Am – A Redhead takes us on a trip on a motorcycle through Zagreb at night – scent is powerful, no doubt and so are words.

What are you up to this Sunday? Enjoy it, whatever you do!

Image source: Flowers at the Altar – my own.
Posted in Weekend Link Love | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

A Virtual Sniffing Trip To Antwerp – Shopping At Parfuma.com

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Olfactoria

It is my steadfast belief that even people on an embargo should be well aware of their options. 😉

Also in the interest of public service I took it upon myself to investigate a new online-store located in Antwerp, Belgium. Parfuma.com carries many niche and hard-to-find perfumes brands as well as many cosmetics and skincare lines.

Among many interesting perfume houses like Armani Privé, Tom Ford, Amouage and Serge Lutens, they carry harder to find lines like Byredo, Odin, Juliette has a Gun, Donna Karan Collection, Van Cleef& Arpels Collection and even Atelier Cologne. Most interestingly for me at the moment is that they also carry the entire Parfum d’Empire line.

For my birthday I ordered Equistrius (yes, and Ambre Russe, but don’t shoot me, okay?) from them and mentioned my interest in the entire line. When my box arrived safely a few days later I was extremely happy to find samples of the entire line in there, including travels sprays of the three most recent perfumes (Wazamba, Aziyadé and Fougére Bengale).

Parfuma ships throughout Europe.

I was very happy with the customer service and the choice of products is not huge, but very good, one can hope that they will expand their line-up over time.

I am in no way affiliated with this site and receive no compensation for this post, I am just a contented customer.
Image Source: parfuma.com; my own
Posted in Shopping | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments

Nebraska – Review: Parfumerie Générale Bois Blond

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Olfactoria

Bois Blond by Parfumerie Générale first came to me from the well-edited collection of the admirable Mrs Howe.

Bois Blond is part of Pierre Guillaume’s Private Collection and was created in 2007, it was a limited Edition once, but PG took pity on devastated Perfumistas all over the world and made Bois Blond part of the permanent Private Collection. Such a thing gives hope! Notes include cereals, grass, galbanum, cedar, hay, blond tobacco, amber and musk.

A summer’s day in a bottle, Bois Blond is reminiscent of Cartier L’Heure Fougueuse and Serge Lutens Chergui, but it is less. Sometimes less is more and in this case that is definitely true. Bois Blond is less cluttered, less notes, less development, less volume.

Bois Blond starts green and grassy. Galbanum reigns supreme for a few minutes, then the drier, woodier notes kick in. The relentless sun has bleached the green grass over an entire summer, dried it, yellowed it, Bois Blond goes through that summer in a few minutes. Hay, glorious hay and tobacco make up the heart together with a beautiful cedar note. The drydown is like sun-warmed wood, dry, amber-y and musky and comfortable.

If I saw an entire farm scene including the pipe-smoking Grandpa Walton in Chergui, or a horse ride over the fields on a summers day in L’Heure Fougueuse,  Bois Blond is the free vista over the prairie. Nebraska on a clear day, acres and acres of sun-bleached grass and crops. Not even a cow in sight, clear blue skies and the feeling of utter freedom in the face of the vastness of the land.

The Frenchman Pierre Guillaume recreated my ideal America in a bottle.

When I was young(er) I spent all my free time and my money on traveling the US. I saw a lot and I am so glad I did, it opened my horizons coming from provincial Austria, and I learned, among other things, how to properly curse in English (not that I would ever need that. 😉 ) What I loved most was the driving. Here in Austria I feel exhausted if I have to go visit my parents, a two hour drive from Vienna, but in America, I would drive for hours every day. Racking up 10 000 miles in four to five weeks was a typical trip.

Sitting in a car, nothing there but the road, visible for miles and miles ahead, left and right only the land. Nothing man made. The vastness of rural America always fascinated me, the wide open spaces, the sheer amount of air to breathe, the sky taking up most of the view. Those drives across the Great Plains, across the desert, they showed me the world was big, the world was beautiful and I was happily still looking for my place in it. Now, years later I have my place, but inside me I also hold on to those wide open spaces of freedom, even when in reality I cannot even cross the room without being asked why.

These days I open my bottle of Bois Blond and breathe just as deeply as I did then.

Image source: luckyscent.com, vintageadbrowser.com, Fields and Sky courtesy of Photo8.com
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Green, Parfumerie Generale, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Flowers In Space – Review: Hermessence Vanille Galante

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Olfactoria

Vanille Galante has a misleading name. It is many things, but a vanilla fragrance it is not.

Which, frankly, put me off it for a long time. I may be too literal a person, but my expectations and the perfume itself were so far from each other that I pouted and left it in the back of my closet, unloved and unworn.

Even I can not hold a grudge this long though (at least not with a perfume, with people I am like an elephant, I never forget), so I got Vanille Galante out of purgatory for another run. And lo and behold – it is quite interesting. NOT vanilla, certainly, but a unique and mighty strange floral.

Vanille Galante features notes of ylang ylang, green notes, spices, lily, salicylates, sandalwood and vanilla. It was created by Jean-Claude Ellena in 2009.

Vanille Galante opens on a heady accord of fruity and floral, even a little spicy notes. I smell banana (of all things!) distinctly in the first few minutes as well as a strong aquatic-melon note that screams of calone. (Not my favorite molecule…)

Then it develops into a lily fragrance. I smell wide open petals, a certain spiciness and saltiness often present in lily, a little ylang-ylang, green stems, sitting in water that has not been changed in a few days.

What comes to mind is a vanilla orchid, the flower part of the plant that gives us vanilla pods. Light yellow, pretty, but very exotic and unapproachable it sits there and judges you.

Vanille Galante is easily the one with the strongest sillage and the strongest character of all the Hermessences I have tried (I am missing only Brin de Reglisse (Update: no longer true 🙂 ) and Paprika Brasil). And while it has a lot of diffusive, statement making power, it is still a recognizably Ellena creation in the sense of its transparency and light-flooded airiness. What sounds like a contradiction when written down, is clear as day once you smell it.

It is large, all around you, but almost invisible. It feels like being inside a giant cheese cover (don’t take this metaphor olfactorily!), it is invisible, but you are surrounded.

Vanille Galante reminds me in smell of Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranée and Serge Lutens Un Lys, but in execution they are light years apart. It is like comparing a soap bubble to a piece of wood and a stone, respectively.

In the late drydown there is a hint of actual vanilla, but it is a mere puff, that makes you believe it might just be wishful thinking after all.

Do I love Vanille Galante? No.

But I am immensely impressed (once more) by the skills of its creator, to make such heavy floral notes, that hit you over the head almost in other perfumes, into something so gossamer thin and barely there in weight, while retaining their distinct smell. It is like he kept the substance of the flowers but took out their mass. Like astronauts, the flowers hang there in front of my nose, gallivanting in space, weightless, gravitation-less and free.

For that reason alone, Vanille Galante is worth a sniff. Of all the Hermessences it is not the most wearable for me, but the most interesting by far.

Vanille Galante engages my curiosity and my sense of wonder.

Not bad for a vanilla fragrance. 😉

Image source: hermes.de, nevadaspacegrant.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Hermès | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

A Day At The Beach – Summer Scent Mini-Reviews

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Olfactoria

Despite wearing all manners of perfume year-round (Ambers are ALWAYS good!), there are a few scents that say summer, sunshine, carefree happiness like nothing else.

Here are a few mini-reviews of my favorite mood-lifting, Pina Colada drinking, Beach Boys playing, sand, salt and sun evoking fragrances.

Jil Sander Sun: This was launched in 1989, when I was 14 and I believe this was my first perfume ever (not counting stolen spritzes of my Mom’s and Grandmother’s stashes). Sun is by no means a light fragrance, it is a full-fledged oriental, obviously laying the cornerstone of my love affair with that kind of perfume. I have great memories associated with Sun, and also a few embarrassing ones. 😉 After all this time, and with my “new nose”, I still like it and it still works to get me into holiday mood, also it is really well made, maybe that is why it is still here and considered almost a classic by now, at least in Europe.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess: I have already devoted a real review to this, but it deserves another mention here. The non plus ultra of summer scents.

Creed Virgin Island Water: I cannot get over the dishwashing liquid-like super synthetic top notes. Sorry, I had high hopes for this, but it is like bug spray with a tiny hint of coconut.

Bobbi Brown Beach: Another oldie in my collection, Beach is an exotic floral fragrance with an added whiff of salty sea. Very sunscreen-y, in a good way, but a bit thin and synthetic, I miss substance here.

CB I hate Perfume 1966 At The Beach: That is the niche version of the above. CB At The Beach is exactly what it says – beach, sun, sunscreen, salt, wind and skin. Lovely.

Honoré des Pres Love Coco: aside from inspiring experiments with male perception, Love Coco is a wonderful summer scent, fresh, clean (not in a shower associated kind of way) and exotic, it feels as refreshing and healthy as the coconut water you drink.

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino: A very straightforward neroli/orange blossom cologne-style fragrance, Tom Ford’s (overpriced) scent is undoubtedly lovely, even available in a special turquoise bottle this season (accompanied by body care products), yet it is nothing unique. You would be able to find very similar fragrances for a fraction of the price. It smells good, but not better than Dior Escale a Portofino , and certainly not better than Atelier Cologne Grand Neroli.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca: This is one of the bestsellers of the Aqua Allegoria series by Guerlain. It is a quick refreshing fix for hot days, interesting because it features mint, which cannot be found very often in perfumes. Here it works well, without evoking toothpaste in the least. A blend of herbs and citrus, Herba Fresca is perfectly unisex, perfectly nice, perfectly refreshing, perfectly uplifting and perfectly shortlived. After an hour only the memory remains…

Six Scents Series 1 Number 1 Urban Tropicalia: This is a lovely surprise for me! Urban Tropicalia (love the name!!!) was part of a generous sample set Ines sent me, and I did not expect much from it, I have to say. The whole series with their long names and complicated numbering and limited distribution and number of bottles available, was not interesting to me before. Enter the little roll-on vial of Number 1, Series 1 (See what I mean?). It smells delightful. Happy, summery, fresh florally, fruity, exotic and light – does not sound very interesting yet, huh? But it is also unique. There is an edge to it (I guess that is where the urban part of the name comes in) that makes this exotic bed of flowers bloom amidst the asphalt jungle of a big city. In my mind there is a garden on a roof, although very different from this one here, where a little oasis grows in an unexpected environment. A place of escape. No wonder this works so well on me… 🙂

And finally let me remind you of the lovely Atelier Cologne fragrances, all of them are perfectly suited for summer, they combine freshness with longevity – that means perfection, as far as I am concerned. Orange Sanguine – Bois Blonds – Trefle Pur – Oolang Infini – Grand Neroli – Vanille Insensée

I think I am well armed for the coming summer. But I won’t stop wearing my heavier perfumes, but mostly at night. On really hot nights something like Ambre Orient is the only blanket one needs.

Image source: Vintage Ad Browser
Posted in Citrus, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Tea Time, Or Rather Milk Time – Review: Jo Malone Sweet Milk Cologne

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Olfactoria

Sweet Milk was an impulse purchase (luckily I was with my husband who wanted me to select one bottle of my choice for my birthday). I took one whiff and I knew I had to have this. HAD to.

Part of the five item Tea Collection, Sweet Milk is the one that stands out for me. The others are fresh, tea-based colognes more of the usual Jo Malone variety. Fleeting, but refreshing and nicely done (by Christine Nagel, btw).

Sweet Milk is a scent to lean, to snuggle, to fall into, to cuddle up with and let go of all sorrow. It comes in 30ml bottles and is limited edition. Aargh, for once I would want a 250ml, ah, heck a 500ml vat delivered to my door every six months. I have Sweet Milk for barely a week and it is almost half empty already.

I need to be quick with my review, before it is gone.

Notes include star anise, heliotrope, bergamot, milk, caramel, vanilla, almond and musk.

Despite being a cologne, Sweet Milk is very long wearing, it is a skin-scent, no big sillage, but a definite presence. People who come close inevitably compliment me and ask what I am wearing. I am almost reluctant to tell them, for fear that they all run out and buy up the meagre supply the Vienna Jo Malone boutique has, leaving nothing for me to replenish my dwindling supply. I am glad most of you readers are not in Vienna. 🙂

Sweet Milk reminds me of my children, when they were newborns. So sweet and innocent, so pure and cuddly and cozy and warm.

Niki, one day old, the real life version of Sweet Milk.

Sweet Milk is a wonderful comfort scent, it makes me happy in one sniff. It figures that such a pleasure has a definite end, and one that is in sight already.

Milk lovers, what are great perfumes featuring a milk note?

What are your favorite comfort scents?

If you know Sweet Milk, is there a dupe out there?

Image source: beautesse.at, my own
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Jo Malone | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Kick Start – Review: Anya’s Garden Light

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Olfactoria

Citrus scents are fleeting by nature. That is why citrus notes are usually top notes, opening a fragrance with its light and effervescent brightness and then evaporating into thin air, leaving only a beautiful memory.

Anya McCoy, founder of Anya’s Garden, head of the Natural Perfumer’s Guild, created a citrus scent that does the impossible – stay. Citrus notes on a base of incense, Light is exactly what it proclaims to be – light, probably Floridian sun light, in a bottle.

Light is the newest (2010) fragrance by the natural perfume house Anya’s Garden. It is a 21st Century cologne soliflore. The bright composition includes Sicilian cedrat, Israeli gold grapefruit, neroli and Chinese perfume tree flower. The base is composed of various frankincenses. Bright.

-from Anya’s Garden PR materials

Sometimes I have a hard time getting in gear in the mornings (sound familiar?), but life demands immediate attention, two small children do not care how fast or how happy I am at five o’clock. In the last weeks I have found something to wake my zest for life (okay, my “I have to get up, there is no way around it” view of life at least) – I dab a little of the pure perfume oil that is Light on my hand and breathe deeply. No way to stay in bed after that. Light is very uplifting, it is quasi aroma-therapeutic, yes, but so much more too.

Light is happiness, Light is energy, Light is wakefulness and alertness, Light gets me going.

So how does Anya achieve the lasting citrus impression? By cheating.

Following the top notes of cedrat and grapefruit the heart notes are dominated by the Chinese Aglaia Flower, it gives the impression of lasting citrus. It smells a lot like neroli with a little fresh jasmine cut in. The base of frankincense adds a cool smokiness to the drydown, still keeping up the appearance of citrus in the sun, although with the shadows getting longer, the air becoming cooler. For me Light encompasses an entire day in its evolution of a few hours.

I cherish my little sample vial and carefully mete out only a tiny drop every morning, to make it last as long as possible. I fear going back to mornings without my drop of Light.

Image source: anyasgarden.com, vintageadbrowser.com
Posted in Anya's Garden, Citrus, Floral, Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Monday Question – What Perfume Spells Summer For You?

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Olfactoria

What are your favorite summer scents?

The ones that you would take on a vacation?

The ones that help you through the worst heat?

The ones that contain your memories of summers past?

My Answer:

My favorite summer scents are refreshing and exuberant cologne-style citrus scents that bring energy and a boost of wakefulness into the heat of the day. I like Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine or Hermès Eau de Pamplemousse Rose.

I also enjoy “salt water” scents, perfumes that evoke salty skin and hot sand like Hermés Eau de Merveilles or Parfumerie Gènèrale Bois Naufragè.

The third category I love in summer, are light, tropical florals with a hint of coconut. The forerunner in this category is of course Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess, lovely are Honorè des Pres Love Coco, Yves Rocher Monoï de Tahiti body oil or a good fig scent.

The one summer scent that holds many memories of my youth is Jil Sander Sun, almost a classic that is still available. I wore this a lot in the summer after finishing high school, a summer spent in Greece, enough said. 😉

Let’s hear about your current and past summer favorites!

Stay tuned for summer scent mini-reviews this week.

Image source: gomonews.de
Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , , | 41 Comments