Be My Valentine? – Special Edition Non-Monday Question

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Olfactoria

It is the weekend before Valentine’s Day, and therefore the perfect time for a special holiday edition of the Monday Question series. 🙂

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day, if at all?

What perfume will you be wearing?

What is the most romantic perfume in your stash, what makes it so?

My Answer:

In Austria, Valentine’s Day is not so big, or at least used not to be such a big deal, but business savvy florists took up this American custom and nowadays it is a big deal at least commercially.  I, personally, won’t be celebrating with anything special, I may or may not get flowers (depending on whether my husband reads this post ;)), but either way is fine. I am not set on that particular date for my romantic notions. That is not the case for birthdays and anniversaries, mind you, I love those. (Mentioned again in case my husband is reading. ;))

My most romantic perfume is wearing something my husband loves more than I do, as a kind of present to him. He lately expressed definite enthusiasm for Amouage Reflection Woman (review upcoming), so, despite this being not my favorite fragrance in the world, I will wear it and be very happy that he likes it.

What I consider most romantic is a perfume I feel my best in, that underscores my best side and makes me feel confident and beautiful. Puredistance I or Sous le Vent are hot candidates for that job.

It is a good thing, that Puredistance I is one of the few perfumes my husband and I are on the same page about.

I am looking forward to your romantic perfume ideas!

Picture source: Vintageadbrowser.com
Posted in Monday Question, Ramblings | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

Olfactoria At Perfume Smellin’ Things

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Olfactoria

Another Saturday post over at PST. Going a little off the trodden path this time…

See you over there!

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wallflower? – Review: Prada Infusion d’Iris

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Olfactoria

You could say Infusion d’Iris was my first iris fragrance, albeit at a time when I didn’t know I really adored iris. Sounds strange? That’s because it is.

Prada’s Infusion d’Iris is a lovely fragrance. It has a special place in my heart. My friend Dee included a little decant in her package the other day that sent me searching the depths of my perfume cupboard and indeed – in there I found a small bottle of Infusion, bought when it was launched and later forgotten, pushed aside by more assertive colleagues.

I wore it again and remembered why I liked it in the first place. I have worn it several times since and that warrants a review for sure.

Notes include mandarin, orange blossom, galbanum, iris, incense, benzoin, cedar, lentisc and vetiver. Infusion d’Iris was created in 2007 by Daniela Andrier.

Luca Turin in his Perfumes – The Guide states the following about Infusion d’Iris:

[…] it contains no discernible Iris note and is a rather grey, nondescript woody masculine.

With all due respect to Mr Turin, I couldn’t disagree more. (The fact that I am a nobody makes sure he won’t be offended my my dissent. ;))

I do smell iris, I don’t find this perfume grey and non-descript at all and I don’t think it is particularly masculine (I think it would work equally well on both genders).

The Eau de Parfum I am reviewing here, (there is an Eau de Toilette version, released last year, if I am not mistaken, that I have not tried yet) is light, unobtrusive but has a lot more staying power than would be expected of such a discrete scent. Provided one doesn’t skimp on application (I use it lavishly, at least five sprays) it holds up wonderfully for at least four or five hours. Compared to Chanel 28 La Pausa that is not bad at all.

After the initial happy burst of mandarin is gone, the iris emerges soft, grey-green, powdery and a just a little earthy, propped up by galbanum and vetiver, with soft underpinnings of smokiness provided by incense and benzoin.

It reminds me of L’Heure Bleue and its sweetly-sad mood. But it is way softer and more muted, like seen through a veil.

I like its slightly chilly and remote softness, it feels like velvet on the skin. Greyish green velvet.

I wear it when I want something a little like L’Heure Bleue but less heavy in its introspectiveness, or when I want something a little like Bois d’Iris but more substantial and textured.

Infusion d’Iris is a great mainstream offering in my eyes, I like most Prada fragrances, but this is my favorite.

If someone asked me what perfume to get at the department store, I always recommend to seek out the Prada line, because aside from slight slips like Eau Tendre and Infusion de Tubereuse, all their perfumes are of high quality and done well.

Infusion d’Iris is one of the perfumes I can wear without thinking, that doesn’t start to bother me at some point during the day, as others can, no matter how much I love them.

It is versatile yet still retains a uniqueness, both these traits make Infusion d’Iris a staple in my collection.

Side note: A really great combination I discovered accidentally, is layering Infusion d’Iris with Rose Ikebana (Hermès). It adds a nice dose of pink to the grey, making it happier and, well, rosier. 🙂

Picture Source: oprah.com, highlydazed.com some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Iris, Prada, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Blackberry Pyjamas – Review: L’Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Olfactoria

As a child I had favorite pyjamas.

They were light purple and had little blackberries printed all over them. The fabric was the softest flannel imaginable, worn thin from many washings, they even had a little rip over the left knee, but I did not want to give them away, even when they got way too small. Some day my pyjamas were gone, I suspect my Mum smuggled them out of the house in the dark of  night. I was furious of course, but to no avail, my jammies were gone.

I got new ones – yellow ducks, I ask you! – they were flannel too, but obviously my Blackberry Jammies were irreplaceable.

Just like Mure Et Musc.

A perfume almost as old as I am, Mure et Musc is my idea of a great musc. That may be a coward’s idea of musc, but I do not care, I love it.

My musc must be soft and sweet not sour and sweaty.

Mure et Musc was created in 1978 by Jean Laporte, founder of L’Artisan Parfumeur. There is also an Extreme (Eau de Parfum) version from 1993, a cologne version and an Extrait de Parfum by Bertrand Duchaufour who created it for the fragrance’s 30 year anniversary in 2008, all of which I have yet to try.

Notes included are citrus, wild blackberry and musk. The perfume – in all probability – contains a lot more than those three notes, but it feels like just three, in a good way.

Mure et Musc is uncomplicated, almost linear, only the blackberry fading over time and the musk getting a little sweeter and softly woody in the drydown, it is simply beautiful in an unfussy, reliable way. The curious thing is that despite its seeming simplicity it manages to smell subtly different on me whenever I wear it. Some days it reminds me strongly of Shalimar, others I get almost no citrus notes, just clean, sweet musk.

Mure et Musc is such a cuddly fragrance, it is the equivalent of a well-worn and well-loved flannel jammie. Something to wear when I want to feel coddled and pampered in an undemanding and familiar way. I have been wearing it on and off for years, but it always makes a comeback when I need to be consoled or calmed down after another of life’s little setbacks. Or even the bigger ones…

I remember wearing Mure et Musc to my Grandmothers funeral. It was a cold and windy day in May, every time the breeze picked up I smelled the softly calm sweetness of Mure et Musc. And although it reminds me of that day, it reminds me more of my Granny herself than of her death and funeral, and that is how it should be.

Mine were similar, but prettier of course 😉

That is why Mure et Musc stayed a happy perfume for me, unlike my beloved flannel jammies, it doesn’t get to small or too old.

Picture Source: lartisan.com, ozarkmountainorchard.com some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Fruity, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Musk | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

And The Guerlain Goes To… – Giveaway Winners Announced!

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Olfactoria

Random.org has drawn two winners from the participants of the Giveaway for a decant of Vega and one of Sous le Vent!

Numbers 8 and 15 were drawn, that means

Dee

and

Sharon

are the lucky winners! I have sent you both an email, the first to reply can choose the perfume she would rather have.

Congratulations to the winners!

Picture: my own!
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Giveaway | 5 Comments

Fits Like A Glove – Review: Teo Cabanel Alahine

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Olfactoria

I want to squeeze in a review of Alahine before the cold season is behind us, since it is a great oriental, perfect for cold days, though it would be too much, at least for me, in warmer weather. But to wait until next fall? No, that is way too long. 😉

I tested the extrait version of Alahine and only later for the purposes of this review I also ventured out and smelled the Eau de Parfum. I prefer the extrait, it is such an exercise in smoothness and richness, the Eau de Parfum just can’t compare. If I would have tried them the other way around though, I would have been quite happy with the less concentrated version as well, I assume.

Alahine for me means Amber deluxe. It is smooth and round, soft edges, just warm oriental coziness. Alahine can be almost too unchallenging, but it is great when you want a reliable, classic, no frills oriental that feels comforting and sophisticated.

The House of Teo Cabanel is actually a very old one, first heard of in 1893 in Algiers, Theodore Cabanel settled in Paris in 1908. He was quite successful in his days, apparently a great favorite of the Duchess of Windsor. The company stayed in family hands. In 2003 the young heir Caroline Ilaqua together with Perfumer Jean-Francois Latty, revamped the business and started over with three reformulated and adapted Cabanel classics. Now there are five perfumes in the line, Alahine, Oha, Méloé, Julia and the newest Early Roses.

The line is committed to quality and I think it shows. I like Alahine enough to feel compelled to try the others as well. But first things first:

According to Cabanel‘s website notes include bergamot, ylang ylang, jasmine, Bulgarian rose, orange tree, pepper plant, Morroccan rose, iris, cistus, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood, and musk.

I only smell the tiniest citrusy top note before the full bloom of floral embroidered amber unfolds. This perfume develops for only a few minutes before it reaches its drydown that lasts for hours on me. I love how Alahine swirls around me, always present but close to me. I like to smell my perfume, but I do not want to project it too much. People who can smell my perfume, should be close.

I already talked about my problems with ambers that are too medicinal (Ambre Sultan or Ambre Fetiche are examples), I love my ambers sweet and smooth (like L’Eau d’Ambre).

Alahine fits perfectly into the latter category. It is like a smooth leather glove, worn for years, comfortable, smooth, soft, warm and cozy, It may not be the most fashionable model available but an elegant glove that fulfills its purpose of keeping my hands warm.

Every collection needs such basics, maybe these are the ones that turn into classics one day.

Picture Source: sniffapaloozamagazine.com, vintageadbrowser.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Amber, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental, Teo Cabanel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Do I Know You From Somewhere? – Review: Guerlain Un Ville, Un Parfum Moscou

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Olfactoria

I must admit to not having the fondest memories of Moscow. I studied Russian in high school and we went there on a student exchange when I was sixteen. Let us just say getting lost all alone on the subway and the “interesting” food worked together, so I ended up not enjoying my stay as much as I could have. (Side note: It later turned out my husband was on that same student train, we didn’t know each other then though.)

Therefore a perfume called Moscou was not the first on my to try list. Since I got a sample, I tried it without any expectations, without having read a word about it anywhere.

So this is an experiment: I am going to review Moscou totally blind, meaning I have not read any review about it. I just checked the facts like launch date, perfumer, notes etc. Everything else is my – hopefully not totally off the mark – uninfluenced opinion.

Moscou is part of a collection called Un Ville, Un Parfum (formerly known as Les Voyages Olfactifs) sold exclusivly at Maison Guerlain and a few select boutiques the world over. It was launched in 2009 with its two companions Tokyo and New York. It was sold in 250ml Eau de Parfum bottles (*shaking head in defeat considering the size*)  designed by Serge Mansau, these days the bottle size is smaller (100ml EdP). In 2011 another city is slated to be added to the line – London. (Shanghai joined the ranks in 2012.) I got my sample from Place Vendome Haute Parfumerie.

Moscou includes notes of lemon, bergamot, red currant, jasmine, absinth, plum, vanilla, pine needles, tonka bean and white musk.

From the outset Moscou reminded me of something else, no doubt a high-quality Guerlinade enhanced version of something else, but still. It drove me crazy that I didn’t know what it was.

It is sweet, it is floral, it smells vaguely edible, like candied flowers. But like a diet version, as it is not overly sweet, which would otherwise send me for the hills quickly. This I like. It is a high class, low-sugar version of – dare I say it – a fruity musk like Narciso Rodriguez, Flowerbomb and the like. It is very feminine, very likeable and utterly recognizable as part of a certain trend. It doesn’t strike me as terribly unique.

That said, I still like it, but I don’t think it would warrant a bottle of that size and price. Give me a dainty, pretty 30ml bottle and easier access and I would happily aquire it and so would many others, I have no doubt.

When writing about and re-experiencing Moscou it suddenly struck me what it reminded me off – Idylle! Ha! It is very satisfying when you finally get hold of a thought or association.

It seems Guerlain did actually make Moscou widely available and in a small (if not very pretty) bottle to boot. I like it when my ideas get picked up. 😉

So if you fancy a little Moscou just go to the department store and smell Idylle. Pretty darn close!

Picture Source: fragrantica.com, zastavki.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Guerlain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Childhood Summers – Review: Cartier L’Heure Fougueuse

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Olfactoria

I was debating with myself (and the lovely #fumechat Twitter community) whether I should add my two (s)cents about this perfume that is very much “in” at the moment, although it has been reviewed by many who know a lot more that I do. We agreed that that is not the point after all, my blog is a place where I talk about what I love, at the moment I choose. And if somebody likes to read that, all the better. 🙂

I did not seek out the Cartiers, because I read they were not so special (aside from Fougueuse) and since I did not intend to spend 200€ on 75ml Eau de Toilette, I thought I would do just fine without trying that line.

(Un)fortunately three samples reached my door along with the lovely Guerlains (don’t forget to enter my giveaway!).

L’Heure Diaphane and L’Heure Promise are decidedly not my cup of tea, they were easily dismissed. But L’Heure Fougueuse posed a problem.

It had my attention before I ever smelled it, because my friend Dee was anticipating it with bated breath, she hoped to find a memory in it. I hoped for her that it would be the one she sought, but for me it held not much interest, because to tell the truth, aside from the occasional Fiaker or at the circus I never met a horse and have no burning desire to do so. And I expected a perfume that smelled of horse and barn, as this was what reviews and Dee talked about.

As this sample lay before me, I was very curious, but the last thing I expected was to fall in love. The rest – as they say –  is history…

This was the one perfume to rule them all, the one to find them, the one to bring them all and in the darkness of a Cartier Boutique bind them…

L’Heure Fougueuse was created by Mathilde Laurent in 2010 for the boutique-exclusive Cartier line Les Heures de Parfum. It bears the number four on the bottle. (Quick thinkers are right to assume that there will eventually be twelve of those, at the moment eight have already launched.) It includes notes of bergamot, magnolia, lavender, horse’s mane note, maté, vetiver, oakmoss, musk and coumarin.

L’Heure Fouguese smells of summer days, of haystacks, of – yes – horses and saddles and barns, of flowers in the mild breeze, of sun-warmed stones. It does so in a totally unexpected and gloriously understated, but persistent way.

It is what I wanted Chergui to be, that eventually proved a bit much for me, it is a westernized version on Chergui’s theme maybe, that is nearer to my experiences and therefore nearer to my heart.

L’Heure Fougueuse opens with a slightly animalic, the teensiest bit dirty idea of a horse. That interesting and complex note is accompanied by bergamot and lavender, adding an air of freshness, of outdoorsiness, of movement even. I get the feeling this fragrance is dancing in the breeze, speeding along with a galloping horse, pick your metaphor. What I mean is it is the antithesis of stagnant and rigid, it is airy and open – moving.

The maté note is prominent on me and lends the perfume an amazing herbal quality, it evokes haystacks and sun-bleached grass. Later the vetiver and oakmoss take over the role of supporting the idea of green, dry and aromatic meadows.

This is a perfume to indulge in fantasies as Victoria of Bois de Jasmin puts it, and I couldn’t agree more.

For me L’Heure Fougueuse evokes summers of my childhood, running through meadows, tumbling and rolling down a hill, laughing, free, summer vacations stretching endlessly ahead, all burdens left behind, camping in the “wilderness” (I was a girl guide! Once a scout always a scout!) and feeling the warm sun on my skin.

I am almost tempted to say that is worth 200€.

Picture source: topmag.lu, Summer landscape courtesy of Photo8.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Cartier, Chypre, Fragrance Reviews, Green, Leather, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Monday Question – What Is Your Favorite Perfume House?

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Olfactoria

Which line do you like the most?

Who has the best track record of creating only perfumes you love?

If there was only one house you had to choose for the rest of your life who would that be?

My Answers:

I ask myself at the moment why I ask such hard questions I have difficulties answering myself. 🙂

I am trying to whittle it down to one brand, but I can’t seem to decide between the last two still in the running.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle versus Guerlain.

One the one hand Guerlain should win, because of its history alone. There are more fragrances to chose from too. But the recent offerings have been so dissappointing they were almost a non issue for perfume lovers.

That is where Malle comes in. There is a limited number of perfumes, but I love each and every one (the exceptions are Carnal Flower and Fleur de Cassie, but I have not given up hope that I may come around one day ;)) and every new launch has me exited and has not left me disappointed yet.

So what do do? Who to choose? Do I have to?

I might just wimp out and say that is my blog, I refrain from answering.

Better yet, I bend the rules: you may state two perfume houses as well. 🙂

I am looking forward to hear your favorites, your island perfume house(s)!

 

Image source: gomonews.de, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Last Week in Perfumeland – Weekend Link Love + Giveaway Reminder!

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Olfactoria

How is it the week seems to drag on endlessly and the weekend barely registers before it is over again?

That is a question brighter people have asked themselves already, without coming up with an answer. So I might as well let it go and use the little time I have to catch up with lovely posts throughout Perfumeland from last week…

Tarleisio of Scentless Sensibilities is back from the sickbed and able to smell again, thank God! Check out the interesting things she has been up to.

Persolaise takes a close look at one of my sugar nightmares, it sounds way better the way he sees it, than what I would have to say about it.

Valentine’s Day is not far off, Victoria of EauMG has us covered with a lovely list of goodies to give to yourself.

Bois de Jasmin’s Victoria had me up in arms this week when posting about this, but she also talked about new launches trends for 2011, a must-read for sure.

Perfume Smellin’ Things posted a big Winter Favorites article, including the favorite of yours truly. There is also a prize draw, don’t miss it.

And finally this post by Dee proves why we are on the same page so many times. Check my version for comparison. 🙂

Have a wonderful Sunday! And don’t forget to enter in my Guerlain Giveaway for the chance to win decants of Vega and Sous le Vent!

Picture Source: myvintagevogue.com some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Weekend Link Love | Tagged , , | 5 Comments