Balancing Act – Review: L’Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau D’Ambre

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Olfactoria

L´Eau D´Ambre is my winter go-to fragrance, like a favorite sweater it fits comfortably and never goes out of style.

It was one of the first fragrances by L´Artisan that I tried and it somehow symbolizes all that is great about the brand. When I think L´Artisan, I think Ambre.

Created by Jean-Claude Ellena back in 1978, it is the quintessential amber fragrance for me. Warm, sweet-ish, soft, cuddly, comfortable. The notes according to Luckyscent include cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, amber, vanilla, rose, patchouli, sandalwood, benzoin and tonka bean.

There are ambers that are too dry or medicinal for me. Currently I am trying to find a way to co-exist with Ambre Fetiche by Annick Goutal, I´ll keep you posted how that goes, for now it is 1:0 for the perfume. 😉

But not L´Eau d´Ambre. I think it is the masterful use of vanilla that turns the amber into something perfect for me, softly swaying in a delicate balance of dry and sweet.

It starts out spicy, but soon the rich amber dressed up in the cuddly softness of vanilla, tonka and some patchouli, to keep it from getting too sweet, appears and stays for about four hours.

I am aware that some people think this is “a bland amber for people who don´t like amber” (quote from a review on Basenotes). Maybe I am an amber wimp 😉

If so, that is something I can live with.

What I don´t want to live without, is L´Eau d´Ambre.

Picture source: luckyscent.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Amber, Fragrance Reviews, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Oriental | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Masterpiece – Review: DSH Perfumes Mata Hari

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Olfactoria

I worked myself into a lather many times over the irrational and plain stupid (so sue me!) restrictions of the IFRA. The emergence of The Natural Perfumer´s Guild´s Outlaw project was something I followed with delight. Take that, bureaucrats without noses!

One of these Outlaw perfumes, that got nothing but the highest praise (see for example Gaia´s review here), was Mata Hari, a perfume by American independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.

Dawn is based in Boulder, Colorado (it is so nice there, apart from the Stanley Hotel, that is ;)) and she is an amazingly talented perfumer, whose work I had the opportunity to experience recently, for the first time.

Along with the Mata Hari perfume I purchased, Dawn was so generous as to send me many samples to familiarize myself with her line. I´m only starting to get to know them, but be assured, this will not be the last review of her fragrances on this blog.

Mata Hari – the perfume, was inspired, of course, by the infamous spy and exotic dancer Mata Hari. She was portrayed in a movie from 1931 by one of my favorite actresses, Greta Garbo. Dawn, apparently drew a lot of inspiration from the great Garbo.

But what about the perfume?

Truth be told, I was hoping to not like it.

It has been produced in an extremely limited edition, only 35 mini bottles and ten 15ml bottles of perfume. To ever get my hands on it again, should I like it, would prove well nigh impossible.

But, as you can imagine, I had no such luck.

This fragrance is amazing. It is simply put, very, very good.

I can only hope that Dawn is moved to produce more of it, upon hearing the perfume community´s desperate pleas! (Although I am aware of the fact that it is probably not easy to produce a perfume with so many expensive and rare, natural ingredients.)

But on to the review now:

Mata Hari opens with a bang! There is no mistaking it. A blast of dirty, but glorious fruitiness makes you take note. This is no harmless little scent, but a PERFUME.

As it develops, the “skankiness” of the top notes fades, leaving the stage to soft – almost airy all of a sudden – floral notes of rose and lilac dipped in spices, closely followed by the green plushness and exceptional richness of oakmoss, that I never experienced in such a complexitiy before (again: I have to thank the IFRA for that). The base is a gloriously complex soft leather, lasting for at least 12 hours on me. This chypre is lush, plush, flush and full bodied.

This is how perfume should smell.

This is what perfume should be.

This is art.

And no one should dare to keep the artists from doing their work. The loss is incomprehensible.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

I highly recommend to check out Dawn´s blog, DSH Notebook, for a very sympathetic and personal peek into the work of a perfumer.

Picture source: naturalperfumers.com, greta-garbo.de, fragrantica.com, dshnotebook.wordpress.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Chypre, DSH, Floral, Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

My Favorite Things – Winter Edition

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Olfactoria

I am always interested in other people’s current reads, or what they like to listen to or what perfume is on the top of their lists at the moment. Well, if I want to be curious about others, I must tell you about my favorite things first.

I hope for yours in the comments 🙂

Book: Deluxe by Dana Thomas, very interesting read, but a bit sad, too. Essentially it is about the fall-down of many “institutions of luxury”.

Perfume: Caron Parfum Sacré EdP, such a great scent for cold weather, review will be up soon!

Music: J.S. Bach Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratory), I always listen to this at the end of the year, nothing gets me in a festive mood quicker, it just makes me happy (“Jauchzet, frohlocket! after all ;))

Art: Richard Stumm Akt, 2008, we bought a painting from this series, like the one below for our living room, the more I look at it, the more I love it. The combination of colors and the texture of the background is beautiful.

Something Frivolous: Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color in Black Orchid, I saw this on LondonMakeupGirl´s blog and bought it, although a lipstick that dark should theoretically look awful on me, guess what, it doesn´t. I look very good in it, if I may say so myself 😉 Highly recommended, since the lipstick is really good quality (that is reflected in the price, though).

Picture sources: amazon.com, unlimitedperfumes.com, di-arezzo.de, kunstsupermarkt.at nohanoor.blogspot.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Review, Interrupted: Balmain Ambre Gris

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Olfactoria

First things first:

1. I really like this fragrance.

2. I really hate the stopper.

And as long as there is this indescribable golden golf ball in the picture, I am unable to concentrate.

Now, isn´t that much better… Balmain take note: mistakes can be corrected!

On with the review then 😉

Balmain Ambre Gris first came to me in an unassuming hand labeled sample. I wasn´t even sure what it was, but a little research quickly identified it as being of Balmain´s provenance. It was a case of love at first sniff.

My research led me to Gaia´s review first – read it here. The hype having gone by me completely, I was still determined to find this scent, which did not prove an easy task.

But I love a challenge, the hunt was on.

To make a long (and for other people potentially uninteresting story) short, I now am the proud owner of a bottle. That fact alone, diminished its allure by about 50%.

It is still a very nice fragrance, eminently wearable, smells real good, but (dare I say it?) it is just the teeniest bit boring. Actually, I´m losing interest while writing this, a sure sign to stop a review.

Maybe they thought the golf ball was excitement enough?

Picture source: my own

Ingenious new cap on fragrance: re-assigned from Lovely by SJP by me.

Posted in Amber, Balmain, Floral, Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Monday Question: What Perfume Are You Wearing For The Holidays?

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Olfactoria

What are you planning on wearing in the upcoming days?

Do you have any favorites for the Holidays?

What fragrance is especially festive in your eyes?

What scent do you think is most appropriate for office parties?

Which ones for church?

My Answer:

We celebrate a very traditional Christmas in our family. We go to church, we eat unbelievable amounts of food, lovingly prepared by my mother-in-law (not me, thank Goodness!) and we sing carols under a big tree.

This calls for a classic. Usually I am wearing Chanel N° 5 or N° 22.

Caron Parfum Sacré or Nuit de Noel are hot contenders for this year though. Both are such classic and festive scents, maybe I´ll start a new tradition this year.

Puredistance I is my fragrance of choice for the day after Christmas, for a walk in the winter white woods and crisp air (need to walk off all those calories!) nothing would be better suited.

The office party saw me wearing Shalimar this year. Yes, raunchy, but I let you in on a secret: I am on very good terms with my boss.

(No need to be scandalized, he gave me a ring five years ago ;))

I look forward to your answers!

Picture sources: gomonews.de, nbc.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Last Week In Perfumeland – Weekend Link Love

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Olfactoria

Another week galopped past me, as the Holidays come nearer time is going by faster and faster, as if it knew how much I still have to do. If it were not for my children (and, truth be told, my parents and parents-in-law) I´d rather flee the scene and spend Christmas on a beach in the Caribbean or a remote spa or an exiting city. Basically anywhere where it is possible to NOT celebrate Christmas. It is kind of sad, that I can´t get into the spirit, but having to do it anyway is sadder still.

But for now, I am taking a time out, browsing through all the great posts the past week has seen in the land of perfume fanatics.

Join me on a little round-trip!

Feel free to tell me about posts you loved around the blog scene, in the comments. I am always interested, maybe I have missed something good!

My friend Danielle on Beauty On The Outside had her first encounter with Mr Andy Tauer. I think it is love…

Victoria on EauMG, one of the most cleverly named blogs I have ever seen btw, gave me a much needed sniff into summer with her review of Penhaligon´s Castile. We are mostly snowed in here, so I  am glad for every piece of sunshine I encounter.

Bois de Jasmin´s Victoria had a close look at the differences between Shiseido´s and Serge Lutens reformulated Feminité du Bois. Results are in, but they are not encouraging.

Brian and Abigail on I Smell Therefore I Am are having a great series about eighties fragrances, presented in the most clever (and for John Hughes fans, wonderful) way. A must read!

A really funny, yet insightful post came from Persolaise this  week. I wish his notions would come true!

Finally, Tarleisio on Scentless Sensibilities professed her love for Caron´s Bellodgia so poetically, it went right to the top three on my must-try list.

I could go on and on, but all good things must come to an end. The same should be true for the Holiday frenzy as well. 🙂

Have a great Sunday, I see you next week!

Picture source: virtualvictorian.blogspot.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Weekend Link Love | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Going Indie – Review: Ava Luxe Love’s True Bluish Light

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Olfactoria

I am fascinated by independent perfumers.

The internet opened unique possibilities of getting into “personal” contact with people, you would otherwise never even hear of. (Not meant as an insult to these people, but alluding to the fact, that I live in Austria, which is on almost nobody’s priorities list when it comes to establishing a brand presence. My beloved Puredistance, being the notable exception!)

American indie perfumers like Mandy Aftel, Alaya Moriel, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz or Serena Ava Franco are amazing talents and following their work is something I am very interested in. Thanks to the internet those wonderful perfumes are also available in my neck of the woods.

For my first indie experience, I took the plunge and ordered unsniffed (this is a case of “What else can I do?”) a few gems by Ava Luxe, the brand of perfumer Serena Ava Franco from Providence, Rhode Island. They arrived lovingly packaged, with samples added.

I fell in love with one name first.

Love’s True Bluish Light – what´s not to love here? It is an amazing name. Turns out it is a lovely fragrance that bears it.

Ava Luxe Creme Brulée, Love´s True Bluish Light, Madeline

Love’s True Bluish Lights smells like cookies and cream, that’s what the men in my life say, at least. It is sweet, soft, the ultimate comfort scent. Notes include white vanilla, white amber, milky notes and musk.

It won’t bowl you over with either sillage or longevity, but that is not what it is meant to do after all. It is not meant to be a complicated, multi-layered perfume that challenges you and makes you follow its development over hours.

I like to wear it to bed, like a soft, enveloping embrace of sweetness, to fortify me against cold winter nights. And to put a smile on my face…

The bluish light of the name conjures up the inner part of a flame, the most steady part, but still evanescent, possibly fleeting, just like love itself. You have to take it as it is, enjoy it while it lasts and bask in its soft, warm bluish light, preferably without getting burned by the surrounding yellow flames.

Love’s True Bluish Light is available as perfume oil or Eau de Parfum (that is what I tested) at Ava Luxe’s website.

Picture source: my own, Blue Flame via everystockphoto.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Ava Luxe, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Meeting with Royalty – Chanel N° 5 Parfum

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Olfactoria

Chanel N°5 isn’t a perfume, it is an institution.

It is probably not an institution waiting for little old me to amble along and review it.

Try to stop me!

I first wore the Eau de Parfum version of N°5 in my early twenties. It was an unabashed attempt to emulate an image of sophistication, that I, woefully lacking, sought from a bottle.

The Eau de Parfum I selected just because I liked the bottle more that the one the Eau de Toilette came in, and I couldn’t see why I should pay even more for a tiny mini-sized flacon labelled Parfum.This gem of shopping savvy was heartily encouraged by the sales assistant, as I clearly remember.

Ah, such were the days…

I wore it. I hated it.

For a long time I did not like its smell at all. If that was the price of sophistication, clearly that was not the way for me to go. I’ll try a Hermes scarf…

Now, years later, sophistication having come with age (Hey, I can hear the laughter from here!), and a lot wiser on the perfume front, I started to circle the Grande Dame again. This time I was not going to fool around. This time I went straight for the Extrait de Parfum. Because I am in the know, you see?

I wore it. I loved it.

For a long time I was unable to separate my nose from my wrist. So different to my memory, so much smoother than the Eau de Parfum, so rich, dense, layered and unapologetically super-flowery, so powdery-soft in the drydown.

Ah, these are the days…

Today I am wearing it proudly. Countless women having blazed a trail to sophistication for me, that I can follow, smelling divine.

Finally, I am in on the secret.

Picture sources:  pret-a-bloger.blogspot.com, parisianevents.com, gala.fr, fabulously.french.blogspot.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Aldehydic, Chanel, Floral, Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Timelessness – Review: Puredistance Antonia

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Olfactoria

Just in time before it is available on the company´s website (on 17.12.10), I received a sample of Antonia, the new fragrance by Puredistance.

The dutch founder of this elusive and exclusive company, Jan Ewoud Vos, was nice enough to contact me after reading my review of Puredistance I. He was so kind as to offer me samples of the two new fragrances Antonia and M to try.

Let us start with the first one.

That I am in love with Puredistance I, becomes clear pretty quickly, if one reads my review. But what I stated then, I repeat now: I am a cynic at worst, a skeptic at best. Just because one perfume was knee-bendingly great, that doesn´t have to be true for everything they put out, does it?

Antonia has to live up against the enormous shadow of her big sister. A lot of expectations are piled up on this tiny box holding the almost clear liquid that is Antonia.

How does she fare?

Antonia is holding her own, by being her own. By being unique.

She is no Puredistance II.

What I find intriguing about Antonia is the clever way green and warm notes are balanced perfectly, from start to finish many, many hours later. And the interesting thing about that is not, that the perfume starts out green and develops into something warm in the drydown, but from the very beginning it weaves both qualities together, pairing galbanum with soft flowery notes and continuing by juxtaposing vetiver and vanilla in the base.

Antonia blooms and billows slowly, like a dance in slow motion, enveloping the wearer in its cocoon of green velvet. The olive green fabric, maybe it is satin, I can´t tell just judging from the promo pictures, used in the packaging fits perfectly, as for me, Antonia smells exactly like this color. She is wearing a green velvet dress.

She is sweet, sweeter than Puredistance I, but always well balanced by the green notes.

I am wearing her (what is it that compels me into totally anthropomorphizing this perfume?) today in cold and icy winter weather and she feels like a warming velvet shawl. But I can equally see me wearing her in spring or summer, when I imagine the green aspects coming to the foreground exercising their cooling properties.

Antonia is neither modern, nor old-fashioned. She is a timeless perfume, transporting in her feel of innocence, yet feminine and confident. She grabs you with unassuming gentleness and faithfully stays with you, tenacious, but far from overwhelming or intense.

I read about the inflationary use of the word “classic” on Normand´s excellent blog The Perfume Chronicles, the other day (see his article here). In my definition, classic means to be above a distinct trend, or fashion. To be relevant independent of time, location or current preference.

Antonia, for me, fits these criteria, as does Puredistance I.

Jan Ewoud Vos, together with perfumer Annie Buzantian, has suceeded in making his brand the high quality, timeless classic he envisioned it to be. That is a noteworthy endeavour in times like these, where the objective to make money is often the only parameter considered when developing a fragrance.

Puredistance develops pieces of art, that define the word classic and therefore more than deserve being called just that.

Jan Ewoud Vos, Founder of Puredistance

The perfume is available at the Puredistance website, First in Fragrance, Essenza Nobile and Lianne Tio Parfums. The 17.5ml pure perfume costs 165 Euros and can be accessorized with the Swarowsky crystal column, of course.

P.S.: Remember the Puredistance Perfume Lounge in Vienna, I wrote about? I made an appointment for January, when a friend from London is in town. I will keep you posted about our visit!

Picture source: liannetioparfums.nl, “Woman in the green Dress” by Birgit Schnapp via fineartamerica.com, puredistance.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Green, Puredistance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Ka-Ching! Online Shopping Truths and Consequences

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Olfactoria

Online shopping is undoubtedly one of the great new inventions of mankind.

From the comfort of your very own home, it opens the world to you, whatever you can imagine – it is there for taking, at the tip of your fingers. All you need is a search engine and a credit card.

All good? Well…

With that kind of freedom come several problems (Isn´t that always the case? Sometimes it is so tiring to be a grown-up).

If everything is available, is there anything you don´t need?

If everything is for sale, is it even worth coveting?

In the limitless world of online shopping, how to set the necessary limits?

Is instant accessibility a blessing or a curse?

The magic word seems to be moderation.

When there is a lot on offer, a lot of moderation seems to be necessary, to come out on top, particularly for people with a hobby (or an addiction, as I call it on a bad day). The new possibilities the internet offers are such, that they demand a whole new level of self control from us. It was not necessary to reign oneself in, when there was no way to fulfill every whim and craving.

I flew to the US once a year in my twenties. Once there, I shopped to my hearts content, not shying away from dragging a ball gown for 9800 miles across the western USA, because it was on sale on Day 1 in San Francisco, and might have been gone on Day 28 when I returned. That might have been stupid, but it is also a great memory, that gown is forever connected with a wonderful trip.

But these shopping extravaganzas where naturally limited, I went home, where there are shops too, but it is not the same, even if 90% of the stock is exactly the same, you know what I mean, don´t you? It is just not the same. 🙂

Now there is the internet. There is eBay and its evil tempters, there are convenient online stores, that ship internationally and even add the custom duties for you, there are friends you made in cyber space, who take care of that one last wish that cannot be fulfilled by hitting Buy it Now! yourself. Not so many memorable buys here. Do you remember that one time you logged into Paypal? It was so funny…No?

Wishes are getting a very short half life.

Oh, I´d love that… click, into the cart it goes. And it would go so well with that, click! If I order anyway, why not add this, I´ll need it eventually, one more item and I qualify for free shipping, click, click, click…

The thrill of finding something long cherished, the hunt for the hard to find, the memories of strange locations where this unlikely bargain turned up… now it is eBay we browse, not flea markets. There is more lost here, than only time.

As good as it is, as helpful and modern, online shopping also took something away.

Is it still worth wishing for something, if the wish can be granted right now?

 

Picture source: oshoppingdirectory.com, surveysuperstore.co.uk, photo by foxtongue/flickr via visualinsights.blogspot.com, some rights reserved, thank you!

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments