More Like Me – Review: Sonoma Scent Studio Lieu de Reves

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Olfactoria

I really like rose-violet scents. Their powdery, ultra-feminine accord, so reminiscent of cosmetics (and God knows I love those as well), is very attractive to me and I find their soft, pinkish aura very comforting and inviting.

Lieu de Rêves, or Place of Dreams, is one of two of Laurie Erickson’s creations that deal with that particular floral accord. The second one, To Dream, I have already reviewed and I own a travel spray that is being rapidly depleted. It is safe to say, I love it a lot.

Another epic rose-violet combo, or may THE most important rose-violet combo in niche perfumery these days, is Frederic Malle’s Lipstick Rose. So of course I wanted to compare the two SSS perfumes with the vastly more expensive Malle creation. But more of that later, let’s see how Lieu de Rêves fares first.

“Lieu de Rêves, or place of dreams, combines soft floral notes of violet and rose with a base that balances sweet notes of heliotrope, tonka, amber, vanilla, and musk with woodsy notes of cedar, vetiver, and orris. Gentle aldehydes add elegance and the intriguing base notes add unique accents to this modern take on the classic powdery floral heliotrope theme.”

– from the SSS website

Lieu de Rêves was released in 2009 and includes notes of heliotrope, violet, rose, jasmine, cedar, amber, vetiver, tonka, orris, vanilla, musk, and very soft aldehydes.

Lieu de Rêves makes me happy every time I apply it. It is so lovely, so innocent and so pretty, I can’t help but smile. It is a billowy soft cloud of violets and rose and heliotrope sitting pretty on a very gentle base dominated by soft vanilla, a woody aspect (cedar?) and tender musk, with a powdery veil of orris softening the edges. The aldehydes are almost imperceptible, but they help to lift and diffuse the whole creation and make it even more airy, gauzy and dreamy.

For the first half hour the sillage is quite considerable, but then it retracts to a lovely skin scent, it wears close to the body for at least five hours.

Its sister scent in Laurie’s collection, To Dream, shares the same floral heart as Lieu de Rêves, but is not nearly as close in smell as I have thought before trying them side by side. To Dream’s earthy and woody base is massive and dominant in comparison, the oak wood note is very strong and takes To Dream into a much more solid direction. The airy, gauzy feel is only there in remnants clouding the broad wooden base. An amazing perfume in itself, but when it comes to comparing only the floral qualities of my beloved rose-violet accord, I prefer Lieu de Rêves.

And what about Lipstick Rose? Here, upon first spraying it, the rose is much more dominant than the violet, whereas in Lieu de Rêves, both are equally weighed to my nose. Lipstick Rose is stronger, more assertive, louder, a hot pink to Lieu de Rêves’ pastel hue, if you will.

Lipstick Rose can dominate a room, it is about fun and being fearlessly female. Lieu de Rêves in contrast, is tender, soft and caring. She prefers staying at home underneath a pink blanket and reading a book, a love story of course. Lieu de Rêves is a romantic soul and a fragile one. She would get incredibly self-conscious when confronted with the exuberant personality of Lipstick Rose, who wouldn’t even notice Lieu de Reves sitting in the corner. Lipstick Rose notices only her own image in the mirror.

Both ladies have their advantages and having someone like Lipstick Rose to accompany me on a party can be a much needed boost to my self-esteem.

But I prefer quiet and wistful Lieu de Rêves, she is just so much more like me.

Image source: sonomascentstudio.com, pino-artist.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Frederic Malle, Heliotrope, Iris, Rose, Sonoma Scent Studio, Vanilla, Violet, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Magic Skin! – Review: Guerlain Angelique Noire

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Olfactoria

Guerlain Exclusives are a bit of an obsession with me, especially the L’Art et la Matière line. In an ideal world I’d have them all (on second thought, hold Cruel Gardènia, I don’t really need that one). But the others, all those gourmand wonders, so very Guerlain and so modern as well. Oh yes, please! I’ll take one of each.

In the real world I own one of the line (Iris Ganache, sadly discontinued now!) and my wishlist is flush with Guerlain Exclusives jostling for the first few positions.

Tara reviewed Bois d’Armenie for us, Tonka Impèriale, Rose Barbare, Cuir Beluga, the new Myrrhe et Délires, they will all be reviewed here eventually.

But now for Angelique Noire: I received a whopping 30ml decant from Lady Jane Grey, loyal reader and commenter on this blog and fellow Viennese, she was very generous with me. And it turned out to be a truly amazing gift, as I fell for it immediately. (Unfortunately so did my husband, with an entirely different agenda though!)

Created by Daniela Andrier in 2005, Angelique Noire includes notes of angelica, bergamot and vanilla.

Angelique Noire smells great! Aside from that unqualified statement, I couldn’t quite pin it down of what the perfume reminded me. It felt familiar with its bitter-sweet beginning and vanilla-soft drydown. Then all of a sudden I had it – it is reminiscent of Serge Lutens Douce Amère.

Angelique Noire is not noire in the least. It is light, airy, uplifting, bitter, sweet and features an unusual top note and the familiar Guerlain-vanilla in the base. Citrus paired with bitter angelica contrasts beautifully with the sweet and almost treacly base, setting a force field of sorts, a tension that serves to hold the fragrance up in the air. It is like an electrical current, an arc of energy that is self-sustaining.

I was told that I seem to wear Angelique Noire quite well, (Vanessa exclaimed that it smelled amazing and I must have magic skin. I wouldn’t go that far, but) I like to think it meshed well with my skin and fits me somehow. It is no stretch for me to wear it, it is like a favorite garment, that is particularly flattering and therefore worn often and without second thought.

The Husband’s shenanigans with this perfume brought me a promise of a full bottle, and the way I am going through my big decant shows that this promise will have to be made good soon. (I hope the relevant party is reading this right now.)

What is your favorite exclusive Guerlain? Do you like the L’Art et la Matière line?

Image source: fragrantica.com, pixabay.com
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Guerlain, Guerlain L'Art et la Matière | Tagged , , , , , | 51 Comments

Looking For Spring With Pierre Guillaume – Review: Huitieme Art Vohina

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Olfactoria

Every year around this time, I abandon all my heavy ambers and blankety comfort scents and start raiding my perfume closet and sample boxes, looking for spring.

Every year around this time, I have had it with winter, with the cold, with having to bundle up and forever trying to locate my gloves.

Perfumes that I adored yesterday are cloying and constricting today and I crave air. I need the warmth of the sun, not an oven, I need blue skies and green meadows, not my living room. I need the sparkling freshness of a light summer scent. I wear more cologne-style perfumes and tender florals in February than I do in June (which is when I’m back with the ambers. 😉 )

So which perfume is all that and more? One by Pierre Guillaume of course. Trust Pierre to help me out. I’m so grateful, I might even forgive him for the bottle.

Created in 2011 by Pierre Guillaume, Vohina includes notes of peach blossom, lavender honey and hay.

The notes list alone looks delectable, just listen to how this smells…

Opening with lush peach, lavender honey comes through quickly, accompanied with a soft hay note. The Huitieme Art perfumes are all very airy, transparent and deceivingly simple, and Vohina is no exception, but we all know that is a style I like (Jean-Claude Ellena is my friend.)

I have heard some say that Vohina is very sweet, it isn’t dry, that is for sure, but it is not cloying and sugary sweet at all, and I am someone with honey-amplifying skin after all.

Vohina on me is exquisitely feminine, tender and evokes pastoral scenes of rolling hills and blossoming flowers in the sun.

Every year around this time, I go looking for spring. I have found exactly what I craved in Vohina. I dare you to apply it without a smile.

Image source: huitiemeart.com, fairchildgarden.org
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Fruity, Huitième Art, Lavender | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Can’t Stop! – Review: By Kilian Amber Oud

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Olfactoria

That I had to try Amber Oud the second I could, was a no-brainer. I have a reputation* to live up to after all. 😉

I have a list for this year’s perfume purchases, there are twelve items on it, one for every month, all subject to change of course.  Amber Oud has been on this list from January 1, although I hadn’t smelled it of course. I thought it would be better to figure it into my projected expenses for the coming year, since a perfume from Kilian is always dangerous, but one with amber in the name, is a definite threat. It is always easier to take it off the list again, than having to find a way to put it on later.

That was good thinking, it turns out, because there is no way I am taking it off that list again. Amber Oud is what I expected, no hoped, it would be – perfect.

Perfect in the luxurious, elegant and highly refined Kilian way. Amber Oud is a perfect synergy of my favorite note in perfumery and the dedicated work of a perfume visionary.

Notes include amber, oud, bay leaf, cedarwood and vanilla and was created by Calice Becker in 2011.

The opening of Amber Oud is very sharp, harsh almost and the oud is at its most medicinal. I don’t care all that much for this stage, but before disappointment can even begin to settle in, Amber Oud starts to develop and change. Smoky benzoin and a herbal amber accord reminiscent of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, but a lot softer and more restrained, appears and slowly evolves more and more towards a soft sweetness, like a cushion, of amber and vanilla. An underpinning of wood stays throughout, so despite the sweetness and tenderness, Amber Oud retains a wooden skeleton that keeps the shape intact, that gives needed structure to a fluffy soft cloud.

Once fully developed on my skin, about a half hour in, Amber Oud is pure pleasure. I have a hard time keeping an appropriate distance from were I applied it, but attempt to, so as to not look like an idiot in public, who nozzles her wrists and rolls her eyes.

Amber Oud is an intimate perfume. For me it evokes a closeness, a shared space, it propels you closer, it draws you in. Amber Oud is incredibly sensual and hits all my buttons.

Amber Oud is one of those perfumes that cut through all my defenses and get to me, get right to my core, touch me, make me vulnerable yet strong, at the same time.

There is no ambiguity. There is not thinking involved. There are no circumstances to be considered. There is only this moment. This passion. This desire.

*Some call me the Queen of Amber, a title I humbly accept not because I am an expert, but rather because I am an amber glutton.
Image source: bykilian.com, tvline.com
Posted in Amber, By Kilian, Oriental, Vanilla, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , | 81 Comments

Monday Question – Which Perfumes Do You Wear To Work?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Olfactoria

By Tara

Are there certain perfumes you think are appropriate for work?

Have co-workers ever commented on your perfume?

Which perfumes make you feel more professional and businesslike?

Are you happy wearing any one of your perfumes to work and don’t think in terms of “work perfumes”?

Are you unlucky enough to work in an environment where perfume is prohibited?

If you don’t work, are their certain fragrances that help you to focus when you need to?

My Answer:

My work perfumes are not of the subdued “office appropriate” kind. Since being promoted last September I seem to rely on my perfume a lot more for extra confidence. Therefore my perfume choices for work actually tend to be quite strong perfumes with an authority all of their own. Through the autumn and into winter these have mostly been bold roses and leathers.  My favourites include Frederic Malle’s Une Rose and Portrait of a Lady, Chanel’s Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles, Cuir by Lancome and Ta’if by Ormonde Jayne.

What about you?

So do tell us about your “workhorse” perfumes.

Editor’s Note: This issue is a hot one apparently, take a look at The Candy Perfume Boy’s excellent post about perfume at the workplace and the resulting discussion.

Posted in By Tara, Monday Question | Tagged , , | 72 Comments

A Little Something For The Eye – A Sneak Peek Into My Perfume Closet Part VII – The Albatross Edition

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Olfactoria

The final installment of my peek into my perfume closet series comes to you by request of Vanessa, who wanted to see my so called Albatrosses as well.

And I thought that would not be a bad idea at all. Let’s take a look at those neglected bottles…

Here they are looking really good, I have to say, a photogenic bunch. But sadly they live out their lives unloved and unused in a cool and dark box. There is only so much perfume one person can wear. That is a sacrilege, if you ask me.

Guerlain Idylle, Guerlain AA Flora Nymphèa (sold), Tauer Incense Rosé (sold)

Guerlain Idylle, a lovely, modern floral chypre, too clean and happy for me in the end. Guerlain Flora Nymphéa, uplifting and pretty. Tauer Incense Rosé, I mourn this one, because I think it is awesome. Unfortunately I can’t wear it without getting a rash, I am allergic to some natural ingredient in there. 😦

Sensuous Noir, Youth Dew Amber Nude (sold), Aromatics Elixir (pending)

Estée Lauder Sensuous Noir: I love the original more, but this is a nice take on a feminine woody fragrance with some dark florals added. Estée Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude, it has an overly long name, an adorable bottle and was created under Tom Ford’s patronage. I never seem to find the right time to wear it though. Clinique Aromatics Elixir – I like it, but it is just too loud for me, a classic none the less.

Escale aux Marquises, Wedding Bouquet

Dior Escale aux Marquises, inoffensive white floral ideal for summer, tiaré flowers and musk. Floris Wedding Bouquet is really nice, but something’s got to give.

Illuminum White Gardenia Petals, Balmain Ambregris (sold)

Illuminum White Gardenia Petals: my most read review. 🙂 This is the version I vastly prefer to the current one. Balmain Ambregris, has everything going for it (apart from that ridiculous bottle cap that is), but it always gets overlooked in favor of something new. I am unfair and Ambregris really deserves better.

Veld’s Prends Moi Slimming Fragrance (reviewed on PST), a fruity floral that is actually well made, if slightly too cheery for me. Comptoir Sud Pacifique Matin Calin (100% full) is discontinued. This is a pristine backup bottle. (As if I would ever go through a full bottle…)

Tara's Bird's eye view

If you see something you would like, shoot me an email and I’ll make you a very good price. Every offer is considered. What is left will go on ebay over the next weeks. I need a clean dark box slate. 😉

Most bottles have been sprayed only a few times, apart from Youth Dew Amber Nude which has about 70% left. All, but the Guerlains come with their original boxes.

Please don’t negotiate the shipping costs with me, the Austrian Postal Office is an enigmatic entity beyond my powers of comprehension, but at least they have never lost any package I ever sent. One bottle will incur about 15€ for shipping, I charge only the actual shipping costs.

I look forward to hearing from you! Go get yourself a bargain and give my albatrosses a loving home.

What are your albatrosses? Do you have any? What do you do with them?

All photos are mine.
Posted in Collection Photos | Tagged , , , | 46 Comments

Frédéric Malle Goes Facebook

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Olfactoria

Just a quick note to inform you that Frédéric Malle has a page on Facebook now.

Most of you probably know that already, but for those of you who don’t, hop on over an take a look.

Malle shares tips, press links and interesting tidbits about the line. A must for fans.

“Looking ahead, we plan to offer Facebook fans exclusive access to Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle perfumers to give fragrance lovers an insider’s look at the driving forces behind the collection.”

Now that does sound interesting, doesn’t it?

I can’t wait to read his book, btw. It is quite expensive though, and therefore counts towards my perfume budget, so I have to wait and save. 😉

Have you read it already? What do you think?

Posted in Frederic Malle, Ramblings | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Move Over, Honey! – Review: Aroma M Geisha Amber Rouge

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Olfactoria

I am very late to the party with my review of Amber Rouge. There are many lovely takes on Maria McElroy’s newest perfume out there already. But I needed time for this one.

There have been perfumes in Maria’s line I fell for upon first sniff – Geisha Noire is one fierce and wonderfully dark, sensual amber that I desperately want a full bottle of (it’ll happen this year) or Geisha Rouge, a spicy hot affair that doesn’t leave anyone cold.

It is on this latter perfume, that Amber Rouge is based. A flanker or spin-off of sorts, Amber Rouge is a darker, sweeter development of the very spicy, but still airy and playful Rouge.

Geisha Amber Rouge includes notes of amber, cinnamon, clove, star anise, resins and incense and was created in 2011.

So why did it take me so long to “get” Amber Rouge?

It is no secret that I like amber perfumes in its many permutations, but I also have a history with honey, and not always the best. (Miel de Bois, Back To Black, Tobacco Vanille, Indochine – examples, in varying degrees, of me amping up the honey until nothing else is left.)

And so, for the first few times I wore Amber Rouge, the honey (not listed, but definitely there to my nose) took over.

It was a very cold day, when I got out Amber Rouge once more and gingerly, almost warily applied it to my wrist. And lo and behold – that day I smelled the whole picture. All of a sudden spices were there, hot cinnamon, cool anise, a rich clove. A deep, dark vista of resinous warmth opened before my nose, where previously there was only treacly sweet honey. It is still there, make no mistake, but now the honey chooses to play along with the others without overshadowing them all.

As Amber Rouge develops a smoky facet steals in, further diminishing the sweetness and lending a more airy feel to the dense notes.

And thankfully, once smelled in its entirety, I can’t un-smell Amber Rouge. It is a honey monster no longer.

Amber Rouge is sensual and inviting, it embraces you with warmth and it does feel comfortable. It is soft and tactile. But this is not an innocent hug like embracing a cuddly teddy bear, but rather a more grown-up version of closeness is evoked. (My mom would be proud of this chaste, but still informative sentence.)

As always with Aroma M perfumes, I adore the fact that it is an oil. It feels decadent and caring to apply it and it is a great respite for my dry winter skin not to be drenched in alcohol for once.

I’m glad I didn’t give up the fight against the honey too early, once honey moved over, Amber Rouge’s beauty was unveiled.

Image source: aromam.com, vintageadbrowser.com
Posted in Amber, Aroma M, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Honey, Incense, Spicy, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

No More Layering! – Why One At A Time Is Enough For Me

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Olfactoria

In my early days of Perfumista-dom I experimented with layering perfumes. When I look back, I really don’t see why I thought I had the ability to do that, and what’s more – I don’t see why I felt the need.

Well, one reason probably was that my collection was smaller, so layering what I had into new combinations seemed like a great way to increase the possibilities. The operative word here is seems, though.

Now that I have more experience and undoubtedly a larger collection too, I am horrified at my audacity. Who am I to tamper with well-thought out and finely balanced creations? (We are not talking about “Smell one, know them all!” mainstream scents here!)

I am a lot humbler now, because I realize the kind of work that goes into a well thought out perfume much more.

I shake my head at myself and my early lack of respect for perfumes.

I know some lines encourage layering, Jo Malone for one, makes it sound like the done thing. But honestly, there is a reason for that, and the reason is more sales. Why not make the customers buy two or more bottles if you tell them to…

On the other hand there are undoubtedly some combinations that bring out the best in one another, but personally I do not layer anything anymore. I have become a purist.

What do you think about layering? What do you layer, when, how and why?

Image source: timelessvintage.com
Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , | 71 Comments

La Femme Idèale Or How Blue Grace Entered My Life – Review: Armani Privé La Femme Bleue

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Olfactoria

There is a new bottle in my closet. Not just any old bottle, no, one of only a thousand made and sold at exclusive retailers worldwide. My bottle bears the number 489 and hails from London.

Sorry, it sounds like I am boasting, but I am so proud and happy about that bottle. It is not full of course, I split it and that is the best (the only) way to own such unreasonably expensive perfumes. I thought about buying it long and hard, since it came out last year, and I am very glad I finally did before it was too late.

My bottle was among the last four that Harrods had, and I’m thankful that the lovely Tara was kind enough to acquire it for me.

“This perfume was inspired by a collection that was in turn inspired by the desert, serving as an original scent-track: a vision for clothing transposed into a cloud of fragrant emotion. Giorgio Armani wanted a fragrance for his collection, a legend to be experienced through scent. 1,000 numbered bottles for 1,000 unique women. La Femme Bleue: a perfume for a person in love with blue, its shadows, its depth. It all starts with an imaginary Black Iris, rare, precious and enveloping. Here, Giorgio Armani has started with this royal blue flower creating a unique perfume that is at once bright and dark, secretive and bare, full and floaty. A spicy, reserved hint of chocolate, as dark as the dreamed iris it accents, grows deliciously sweet as it threads itself into this textured and addictive composition, adding a soft, creamy consistency. The instant the stopper is removed, the bottle breathes forth a mysterious and carnal sensation: the recollection of a journey yet to be made, the memory of a moment yet to be lived. A unisex fragrance that eludes any attempt at neat categorization.”

No doubt, La Femme Bleue is a beauty to behold, but how about the juice inside that blue piece of art?

I can honestly say I would not be moved at all by this bottle, despite its enticing color and smooth glassy planes, where it not for the divine perfume inside.

Created in 2010 by Serge Majoullier (a perfumer to watch for sure!), La Femme Bleue includes notes of  iris, chocolate, woody notes, incense and vanilla.

Iris and Chocolate, well, that brings one perfume to mind instantly that is a bit easier to come by, but not by much and it will be a rare commodity soon, since it has been discontinued recently – Iris Ganache, a Guerlain Exclusive of which I own a bottle as well. But those two are very different and owning both is totally warranted. (And no, that is not just a justification. 😉 )

La Femme Bleue opens with a soft and powdery iris that is soon underscored by an only slightly sweet-ish chocolate note. It is deep and rich, but never, not for a second is it heavy or cloying.

La Femme Bleue has a light and airy character throughout its development, it is no gourmand, but uses the iris and chocolate to evoke something refined and elegant, expensive smelling and simply beautiful.

La Femme Bleue develops into a woody incense over the course of the next few hours. It has moderate sillage and extraordinary longevity.

La Femme Bleue does to iris what not many iris perfumes can do – it makes it soft and pliable, warm, flowing and textured like silk. It is not dusky, not earthy, rooty, grey, cold, or aloof like many iris perfumes are attributed (Iris Silver Mist for example). It is not powdery and stringent and overly schoolmarmish (Iris Poudré has that reputation). It is not sweet and thick like the gourmand take of Iris Ganache either.

La Femme Bleue is unique in its take on iris, and the obviously high quality materials do their thing as well. As hard as it is for me to say that: some things are worth the money.

La Femme as a name would have sufficed, because this perfume is utterly feminine to me as it covers all aspects of my ideal woman – elegance, grace, sensuality, beauty and most importantly intelligence.

Another fitting name would be Grace Bleue, because she comes very close to my ideal woman.

I feel blessed being able to wear La Femme Bleue, whatever it is called.

Image source: giorgioarmani.com, mgm.com
Posted in Armani Privé, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Iris | Tagged , , , , , , , | 72 Comments