Hospitals And Holidays – Review: A Lab On Fire L’Anonyme And Sweet Dreams 2003

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Olfactoria

I’ll say it right up front:

While I was intrigued by A Lab On Fire’s latest offering What We Do In Paris Is Secret, I was a bit disappointed by the other two perfumes in the line.

L’Anonyme ou OP-1475-A

L’Anonyme was created by Olivier Polge and includes notes of bergamot, geranium, blonde woods, white amber and suede leather.

I have a bit of a problem with a perfume that calls itself Anonymous. I want to express something with a perfume, some aspect of my personality, some character trait, a mood, a feeling, I want to relive memories or make new ones. I want my perfume to have a soul, a character, a distinct presence. Not be anonymous.

L’Anonyme smells just like its name suggests. Which is hardly something one should criticize, because at least it is truthful and fulfills its stated purpose.

L’Anonyme smells bland, innocuous and perfectly nice. L’Anonyme is what you should wear in an environment that is not perfume friendly. You won’t bother a soul with L’Anonyme, as a Perfumista you won’t be very happy though. Plenty of white musk, softly rosy and vaguely woody is how L’Anonyme presents itself, gender is not an issue of course. It has a low sillage, but lasts a good while.

It reminds me of – but I prefer it to – L’Eau by Serge Lutens but it makes do without the aquatic persistence that winds me up in that one.

When I think about it, there is one environment where I would love to smell L’Anonyme all around me as an ambient scent – the hospital. I think L’Anonyme could be great in waiting areas and emergency rooms, it would enhance operating theatres and bedrooms alike. It is the smell of white, clean and sterile, but in the best way possible, if you know what I mean.

Sweet Dreams 2003

Sweet Dreams 2003 was composed by Thierry Wasser (now in-house perfumer at Guerlain) and includes notes of bergamot, neroli, petitgrain, orange flower, jasmine, musk, amber and castoreum.

A cologne style orange blossom scent, Sweet Dreams 2003 is nice, but I have smelled it in about 435 variations before. It is light, airy and pretty, but I can’t for the life of me be impressed with it in terms of originality. It wears close to the skin and lasts for about four hours on me, the drydown is the prettiest stage, where a delicate amber sweetness bolsters the translucent orange blossom. A soft fresh green tinge is apparent throughout the development, which makes Sweet Dreams 2003 a very lovely summer scent.

One of many, though.

Did you try the line? What is your verdict?

Posted in Cologne, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Jasmine, Leather, Musk, Orange Blossom, Powdery, Rose, Vanilla, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Puredistance Opardu Winners Announced!

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Olfactoria

Puredistance was generous enough to offer a giveaway for 10 samples of the lovely upcoming Opardu.

The many entries on things we all miss from the past, are wonderful to read and I’m very happy all of you shared your thoughts.

I wish I could give you all a sample, because this perfume should be tried in any case, but here are the ten lucky winners, as determined by random.org:

Rene Groyer

Dubaiscents

Asali

Åsa Firth

baconbiscuit212

lissa

Eva S

dremybluz

Gisela

Sandi Lundberg

Congratulations!

Please contact me at olfactoria at gmail dot com as quickly as possible, with your mailing address, I will pass these on to Puredistance. Your sample will then arrive directly from the Netherlands. If you don’t reply within a week, I’ll have to substitute another winner, who I will contact through email.

Again, thank you for participating! It was a great opportunity getting to know you all a bit better.

If you haven’t won – giveaways abound this month on Olfactoria’s Travels! Don’t forget to read Lady Jane Grey’s post on Jo Loves and enter her giveaway if you haven’t already, and wait for the weekend for the usual Bottle of the Month giveaway!

Posted in Giveaway, Puredistance | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Angstgegner – Review: Nasomatto Nuda

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Olfactoria

While I love the English language, German has some great words, the title of this post is one of them. Angstgegner means most feared opponent and jasmine is surely my most feared opponent when it comes to perfume.

But facing one’s enemies is a very freeing experience, and since I made my peace with jasmine, my life is that much more fragrant.

Nuda was created by Alessandro Gualtieri and includes jasmine. (That is all that is apparent at least, since Nasomatto makes a point of not revealing a notes list.)

“Nuda is the latest creation in Alessandro Gualtieri’s project Nasomatto. The fragrance invites you to undergo the unexpected tranquility of giving up oneself without concern for boundary, and to sense the hazy intuition of a depth that undoes distance. It’s a result of a quest to find a vanishing point in nature, the translucence of our senses, nude desire.”

– from the Nasomatto website

Nuda is described as a very indolic jasmine, but my experience is that on me it turns sweet and rich, but not in the least overripe, animalic or fecal, it is positively delicious.

The jasmine in Nuda is not the fresh morning, dew-kissed variety, but the night-flowering, heavy and sweet one, designed to reel in bees and on a woman it is designed to reel in admirers. Nuda is seductive, but not in an overt, vulgar kind of way. I find Nuda to be elegant and restrained, especially in the light of many reviewers saying it is a jasmine bomb.

After a more vocal start, sillage shrinks back and the perfume wears close to the skin and stays for at least eight hours on me.

Nuda is a perfume where the color of the juice itself for once, is exactly the color I smell synesthetically.

Nuda is nothing to be afraid of, my former Angstgegner has turned into a friend whose warm embrace brings out my soft, womanly side.

Nuda even inspires me to reign in the shrieking harpy in me (often brought out lately by the men in my life) and instead take a deep breath, relax and tell myself that all is well, all is well, all manner of things are well.

Image source: luckyscent.com, sky-wallpaper.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Jasmine, Nasomatto | Tagged , , , , , , | 45 Comments

A Visit At Jo Loves In London – And A Giveaway!

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Olfactoria

My dear friend and loyal reader M., known around the blogosphere as Lady Jane Grey, was kind enough to share her account of her recent visit to the Jo Malone showroom in London. Let’s welcome M. and thank her for her first (and hopefully not last) guest post on Olfactoria’s Travels. Be sure to leave a comment to be in the generous draw!

By Lady Jane Grey

I’m a foodie and a fumie – and London is perfect for those two study objects of mine. Thankfully, this year I had to travel to London for work almost every month, so lots of research could be done…

The days are busy then: at 7.30, before starting work, I’m already sitting at the restaurant/bakery to experience food from a new cook – but then again, this is a fumie blog, so I’ll have to stop chatting about food …

My perfume story started back in 2006, and Jo Malone’s airy creations quickly became a staple in my young collection. For me Jo Malone is the queen of translucency in perfumery – her scents are like aquarelles, painted with the light and expert hands of a master. Her Grapefruit, Lime, Basil & Mandarin, and Amber & Lavender have accompanied my days every year from May until September. And there were Jo Malone candles around my apartment, and her bath products in my bathroom.

The Jo Loves showroom in Chelsea, London

Although her company was acquired by Estee Lauder in 1999, she kept working with them until the end of 2006. After Jo left the company, my relationship with the brand started to cool down slowly, but perceptibly and for the past 2-3 years, I wasn’t that excited about the new releases by the house anymore (I didn’t even try them, to be honest).

But then, by the end of 2011, Jo Malone announced her return to the world of perfume under the name Jo Loves and in December the same year, I legged it to the Jo Loves booth, her pop-up store at Selfridges. I sniffed the candles and all four fragrances launched:

Gardenia – I’m not a white floral type of person, but should I marry again I’d wear this soft creamy scent.

Pomelo – I love the fruit and its tart and bitter sweetness – and that’s exactly what you find in the bottle. Delicious !

Orange Tulle – oranges and flowers in a bottle – very feminine.

Green Orange & Coriander – a fresh & clean & green perfume with a pretty fair lasting power for a citrus. This one I took home.

The booth disappeared from Selfridges after the Christmas Season, and I felt neglected and unloved by Jo: her website delivered fragrances only within the UK and there wasn’t a chance to get and try samples. Early summer this year three new perfumes were launched, but there was no change in her distribution politics.

During my last visit in London, sometime in late spring, I accidentally found her office (opposite Ormonde Jayne’s boutique in Chelsea), but there was no shop. How annoying!

Therefore I was tremendously happy when few weeks ago, I received the notification about the possibility to visit her new showroom by appointment. I asked for a date immediately – the communication was smooth and fast and so it happened that last Friday at 4pm, I rang the bell to the Jo Loves Showroom.

A stunning young lady came to welcome me and showed me around the premises. Apparently, it’s the office only – where Ms. Malone comes to work every day. What I could gather from Vierka, my charming guide, she seems to be a lovely boss too.

I was, of course, very curious about the new Mango series: Now, fruit notes are tricky, can easily turn out artificial, but if somebody can master them then it’s Ms.Malone.

There are three of them in the series (the perfumes are produced in Devon, West England):

Mango Nectar – the sweetest of the three, all honeyed juiciness to bite in (you know the feeling, when eating a really ripe mango, and the juices are dripping all over you?)

A Shot of Oud over Mango – I couldn’t imagine Oud with fruit, but it’s a mellow wood note, with just a tad of smoke. It’s Zen.

A Shot of Thai Lime over Mango – it unites everything I like about cologne: it’s tangy and sharp (just a little bit though) and fruity and sweet (and even my husband loves it, I simply had to buy it…)

I couldn’t resist to buy Pomelo as well, plus a candle.

The candles have three layers – the top is lemongrass, which smelled very relaxing to me. But I really started to swoon, when I got a whiff of lemongrass mixing with the middle layer of amber. Oh my, so nice …(the third layer is Tiaré flower).
The second candle contains layers of Frangipani, Wild Reseda and Tuberose.

Lady Jane Grey happily sniffing away

I have some very good news for Jo Loves lovers: early next year the flagship store should be finally opened, I couldn’t get the exact address, but it will be in Chelsea. Well, Jo lives in Chelsea – it’s a nice enough place to live, love and work.

Further, the website will ship abroad soon. (I tried to persuade Vierka that a sample set would be a welcome addition for all fans as well…).

And I left the best news for last: PINK VETIVER! Yes, I was allowed to try the newest fragrance, which will be launched on October 1st. It’s a sparkling, peppery vetiver – with just a shadow of sweetness. And yes, I want it. 🙂

I offer a 5ml decant of each, Green Orange & Coriander, Pomelo and A Shot of Thai Lime over Mango, if you tell me in the comments what your favourite cologne-style perfume is, and why.

The giveaway is open to anyone worldwide, the winner will be determined by random.org. The prize will be mailed after October 8.

Image source: M.B., joloves.com
Posted in Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 97 Comments

Monday Question – What Are Your Slow Burner Perfumes?

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Olfactoria

By Tara

Which perfumes took you ages to “get”?

Are there fragrances you only liked at first but then developed over time in to full blown love?

Do you find that you end up wearing these perfumes even more than those that were love at first sniff?

Does it often take you a while to get to know a perfume and fall for it?

Or are you dismissive if a sample doesn’t really grab you on the first time of testing?

My Answer:

If a perfume has a great reputation with people I trust and I fail to fall for it on initial testing, I will repeatedly re-try it over time to see if I can get what they do. If I really don’t like a fragrance on first trying it, I probably won’t persevere. Otherwise I will come back to it every once in a while to see if my feelings have changed.

The first time I tested my sample of Osmanthe Yunnan I found the idea appealing but it was just too dry for my tastes. Luckily the Hermessences are available in large 4ml samples so over several years I would come back to it in the summer and see if things had changed. Guess what? This was the year it clicked. So much so that we’re talking full bottle love and I can’t understand what took me so long.

Which perfumes have you had this experience with?

Posted in By Tara, Monday Question | Tagged , , | 68 Comments

When Every Leaf Is A Flower – My Top Perfume Picks For Fall

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Olfactoria

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” -Albert Camus

I love the fall season.

That is a relatively recent development though. In previous, unenlightened (read: pre-perfumania) times, I didn’t particularly care for the sadness of nature’s involution, my naturally pessimistic disposition chose to focus on the depressing aspects of fall – decline, decay, decrepitude, deterioration, dissolution, death.

I was quite the cheerful gal! 😉

Perfume allowed me to see the other side more clearly. Crisp air, agreeable temperatures after the summer’s oppressive heat (see, I’m just not one to derive much happiness from the weather), beautiful colors, nature going down with a fanfare. And most importantly of all – the chance to wear wonderful perfumes, to go all out, to choose from the whole palette.

Fall is perfume time, anything goes and it is the time to rediscover old favorites in your collection once again and with a fresh nose.

Guerlain Tonka Impériale: my security blanket, warm and cuddly and ravishingly pretty, this works every time, anywhere.

Ginestet Botryitis: a honey perfume, a grown-up gourmand, Botrytis is golden fall sunlight in a bottle, which is as unusual and beautiful like the perfume itself.

Sonoma Scent Studio Champagne de Bois: a walk in the multi-colored woods, shoving fallen leaves away with your feet and loving the sound and feel of it. (Chanel Bois des Iles is also in that category for me.)

Amouage Memoir Woman: Dark, mysterious, ever changing and unlike anything else, Memoir is unique and the ultimate heart-wrenching fall beauty that doesn’t close its eyes to the darker side of things.

Cuir de Lancome: pure elegance and sophistication that prefers cool temperatures to really shine.

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur: an on-again, off-again heated love affair of mine, always on that thin red line between love and hate. Cuddly and repulsive at once. I hate you, don’t leave me…

Puredistance M: my husband’s signature scent. M smells like him, but on cold fall days that is exactly what I need, the next best thing to an embrace when circumstances make the real thing impossible.

Dior Privée Patchouli Impérial: like a best friend among perfumes, Patchouli Impérial is dependable, reliable and fun. It’s great to spend time with it and its color matches the trees outside.

Chanel Coromandel: earthy elegance and polished poise, Coromandel manages to unite warmth and sophistication. It shows you need not be distant and aloof, to be elegant and refined.

Ormonde Jayne Woman: an enchanted forest, a fairy-tale, an enigmatic companion on your journey though the day, it raises heads and questions, but despite its mysterious allures, it essentially keeps you safe and sound.

Take a look at the fall favorites lists of my collaborating bloggers Persolaise, Eyeliner on a cat and Fragrant Moments.

What are your fall favorites?

Posted in Amber, Amouage, Dior, Dior La Collection Privée, Fragrance Reviews, Frederic Malle, Gourmand, Guerlain, Honey, Lancome, Leather, Musk, Oriental, Ormonde Jayne, Patchouli, Puredistance, Sonoma Scent Studio, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

“I Smell With My Brain” Jean-Claude Ellena’s Point Of View

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Olfactoria

There was an interesting article about Jean-Claude Ellena, the journalist’s most favorite perfumer, in Spiegel Magazine last week that I’d like to share with you.

I read Ellena’s book “The Diary of a Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumeur” and I can’t say I have been overwhelmed. This could have been a great book, if only an editor had taken an interest in it…

But in general I like Ellena and his way of seeing the world and his way of creating. Although I don’t necessarily share his asceticism.

I like what he says about IFRA regulations: “I take that as a challenge to think in a different way. Picasso once said: “If I don’t have green, I’ll use red.” Voilà tout. That’s all.”

What about you? Did you read the book? Do you like Ellena’s perfumes? What do you think about the interview in Spiegel Magazine?

Thank you Sandra for the heads-up!
Image source: timesonline.co.uk
Posted in Hermès, Ramblings | Tagged , , , , | 33 Comments

A Stroll Amidst the Temples – Review: Guerlain Un Ville, Un Parfum Shanghai

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Olfactoria

By Sandra

When I think of Asia, China in particular, I think of all of the smells that I encountered in my travels to the region. First and foremost, tea comes to mind and in reality, there was always a good cup of green tea to be had, wherever I have been.

Other olfactory memories involve the gorgeous gardens, rife with the fragrance of trees and flowers, teak wood and various spices. I have an affinity for China and Japan in particular and could not wait to get my hands on Guerlain’s latest release, Shanghai. I was not disappointed and a bottle promptly came home with me from my recent trip to Paris.

Here is what Monsieur Guerlain states about this newest release from the Une Ville, Un Parfum collection by Guerlain.

“August 2012. Guerlain’s city collection, “Une ville, un parfum”, gets its fifth member. The new offshoot is dedicated to Shanghai, the Chinese megacity that also inspired Vetiver pour Elle. Composed by Thierry Wasser, it features the transparent freshness distinctive of this collection, a woody floral scent of anise, ginger, orange blossom, almond, cardamom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, iris, mimosa, cedarwood, patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood. The bottle is designed by Serge Mansau and showcases Shanghai’s famous Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower. 100 ml EdP.
“

What I have come to expect from this collection is to be momentarily transported to another city through smell. It works magically with Tokyo and I was surprised how well it works with Shanghai.

One of the most striking things for me, on my travels, were the temples, gardens and tea houses with their dark wood. The temples are filled with the smell of incense, but the wood itself resonates with a lively smell, the smell of earth, flowers and water. It varies in the different Asian countries, but it is always there. One would expect the smell of the wood to be dark (as the wood is dark) and brooding, but there is an airiness about it as well.

Shanghai captures the essence of the temples for me, as the temples are not about incense but about the peace and tranquility in the surrounding gardens. Gardens are abundant around many temples and that is where the floral notes come in.

This picture of my husband in Shanghai, in front of the wooden structure in the rain, is what this perfume encapsulates in its bottle (if you disregard the Starbucks in the corner!).

How does it smell, you ask? On first spray, I get a strong blast of orange blossom with just a tinge of ginger. The orange blossom turns almost buttery a few minutes later and then the floral heart arrives. I get about a half an hour of florals, especially iris mixing with cedarwood and patchouli, the latter being thankfully rather faint.

With this perfume, it is all about the drydown for me. Shanghai never gets sweet on my skin and it becomes all wood with a slightly dry vanilla in the background. It has soothing properties, just like the temples I remember from my travels.

Shanghai, Yuyuan temple garden, 1984

Now I think I’ll go and treat myself to a cup of green tea and daydream about my next adventure!

Thank you Guerlain, for capturing the juxtaposition of the smell of the temples and the surrounding gardens so perfectly for me.

More Un Ville, Un Parfum reviews: Moscou :: London

Image source: fragrantica.com, Sandra G., sacu.org
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Guerlain | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Win One Of Ten Samples Of Puredistance Opardu! – Giveaway

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Olfactoria

The lovely people of Puredistance offered a wonderful giveaway for you, my dear readers!

Ten (10) sample boxes of their new perfume Opardu, to be released in November of this year, will be given away to ten lucky winners.

To win, please leave a comment on this post. In keeping with the tone of this beautiful perfume, please state what you are missing from the past.

Tweeting or sharing this post on Facebook or other social media sites, wins you an additional entry.

The giveaway is open until Tuesday, September 25, the winners will be announced on the blog on September 27. The samples will be shipped directly from Puredistance in Holland. The contest is open worldwide.

A big thank you to the team at Puredistance for this generous opportunity!

Posted in Giveaway, Puredistance | Tagged , , , | 173 Comments

Monday Question – Do You Have A Hidden Treasure In Your Perfume Collection?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Olfactoria

Do you own a perfume that you consider to be a secret gem?

A generally under-appreciated scent that you cherish and love dearly?

Something you even consider a shameful secret?

Do you have a fragrant obsession you normally don’t talk about?

My Answer:

In my perfume closet is a small, black vial containing a lovely, retro, soft and subdued, spicy, white floral that I have been wearing a lot over the past summer. It is an elegant perfume, very easy to wear, not extremely inventive, not made with the best of ingredients, to be had for very little money. I bet that bottle feels a bit uncomfortable among its colleagues, the distinguished Chanels, vintage Guerlains and hard-to-find niche creations surrounding it, but it is also quite smug in the knowledge that I have been wearing it more lately than many of its more esteemed closet companions.

I’m not ashamed of wearing it, but I find myself not exactly advertising it either. My hidden treasure, my secret scent is Dita Von Teese Eau de Parfum.

Come on now, spill the beans, what is yours?

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , , | 124 Comments