Tag: now testing

Now Sampling: Rogue Perfumery Part 2

September 4, 2019

Hi, everyone!

Happy Wednesday! I’m here with the second part of my initial thoughts on the Rogue sample set.

40 Rogue: This one feels genuinely vintage without the contemporary edge that the other Rogues have. This is deliberate, as the 40 Rogue composition is based on 40 Love by Jean Desprez. 40 Rogue smells like a garden at first sniff, with fruity and green notes. There are notes of tarragon and basil, so it’s quite herbaceous. I get a nice bit of carnation coming through on my skin. And, of course, a hefty dose of textured oakmoss. There are some aldehydes, which on bounce around on my skin, and keep everything from becoming too dense or heavy. I’ve never smelled 40 Love, so this is a cool opportunity to get a feel for the real thing.

Fougère L’Aube: This one is an instantly recognizable fougère. I get plenty of lavender and a cool, metallic geranium. There’s lots of herbaceous greenery. I don’t sense much of the hay note, but I’ll have to wear it more in cooler weather. I wonder if it might come through more prominently then. Fougère L’Aube comes across as rather dry to me, which I like. It has a crackling cool edge to it, which is nice for the fougère genre. It’s a genre that can sometimes feel dated (although I personally love fougères). This one smells familiar enough as a fougère, but not dated or overdone.

Le Canotier: This is an extremely elegant and very dry vetiver. It’s blended quite cleverly with a pretty, soapy jasmine. Personally, I also get tons of bergamot from this one. I don’t know if it’s just my skin chemistry. I have a jasmine earl grey tea blend from Twinings, and that’s exactly what Le Canotier reminds me of! There’s some ambergris in the base to add some warmth and anchor this on the skin. Otherwise, I find it dry and cool-toned in nature. It’s a very intriguing composition.

Tabac Vert: This one really took me by surprise. I was expecting a somewhat heavy tobacco composition appropriate for fall/winter. Tabac Vert is delicate and elegant, with tendrils of tobacco smoke weaving their way through a soft, powdery composition. I get a black pepper spice mixed with soft jasmine. The base is an amber and wood accord, but it has a sheerness to it that lends a sophistication to the composition as a whole.

All of the Rogue scents are entirely unisex. (Indeed, all fragrance is unisex.) If you’re a woman who feels self-conscious about wearing a fougère or a tobacco fragrance, give Tabac Vert or Fougère L’Aube a try. Likewise, if you’re a guy who doesn’t typically go for sweet or vanilla scents, you might want to give Derviche a shot.

Lastly, don’t be put off by the fact that Rogue is available through Etsy. Ordering was simple and the shipping was faster than some orders I’ve placed with larger department stores. Manuel Cross is committed to pursuing his own independent view of fragrance as art. And, because he is not compliant with IFRA regulations, he can’t sell through the typical platforms that we’re used to. Personally, I think it’s cool that platforms like Etsy allow independent artists to reach their audience.

Final verdict: give the Rogue sample set a shot! You’ll be busy sniffing and testing for days on end!

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The photo above was taken by me. I purchased the Rogue Perfumery Boxed Sample Set through the Rogue Etsy store. Nothing in this post was gifted.

Now Sampling: Rogue Perfumery Part 1

August 28, 2019

I have seen and heard quite a bit recently about Manuel Cross and his non IFRA compliant fragrance line, Rogue Perfumery. Rogue has been added to Fragrantica’s database and you’ll encounter photos of Rogue bottles all over social media. The positive commentary did not seem to be sponsored. I figured the hype might actually be real in this case and I ordered the sample pack!

The shipping was super quick from California to Pennsylvania. The sample pack includes so many scents that I’m breaking this overview into two parts. Part 2 will be up next week. I really want to take my time and give each of these little gems a fair wear test.

Champs Lunaire: This is a lovely creamy white tuberose compositon, bolstered by coconut and sandalwood. It’s like a cross between Fracas and Carnal Flower. There is something here that gives me a slight headache though, so I am using it sparingly.

Chypre-Siam: I find this one quite woody and herbal in the top. Apparently there is a basil note. The jasmine in the mid notes leans clean and soapy (some commenters on Fragrantica mention Irish Spring and I can see the comparison). The base is the star, with rich civet and oakmoss. It’s textured, damp, dense, weird, and amazing. It reminds me of an old sample I have of Cabochard by Gres.

Derviche: This is the undisputed crowd pleaser in the collection. This is how a crowd pleasing, mass appeal fragrance should be done. It’s a yummy amber accord that is delicious, but not quite gourmand. It’s very Autumnal. It reminds me of apple cider. And yet, it gives off a sunny vibe and it shines in this current August weather. Derviche is a crowd pleaser, but not one dimensional or juvenile. I can’t help but smile while wearing it.

Flos Mortis: If Champs Lunaire feels a bit too polite, then Flos Mortis is the tuberose for you! The opening is bizarre. It smelled like smoky cherry cough syprup to me. It started to make sense to my nose once the tuberose really became apparent. There is also a smoky leather and a fruity red currant (which is where my brain was getting the cherry note). This tuberose smells in turns: animalic, like melting plastic, and even a little like corn meal. I got whiffs of the corn tortilla tuberose in Tom Ford’s Orchid Soleil. Flos Mortis is the weirdest Rogue I’ve smelled, and also the most interesting.

Mousse Illuminée: This is my favorite so far. Mousse Illuminée brings every aspect of a forest to life. It’s earthy, woody, mossy. There’s a quite a bit of green, vegetal influence here even apart from the oakmoss. There’s some cypress that really elevates the composition. We’re taken from the mossy forest floor to the higher reaches of greenery. If this were a designer scent, it would definitely be marketed towards men. However, I love it and I think it’s a really sophisticated option for women.

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I ordered the Rogue sample pack online. Nothing in this post was gifted.

The photo was taken by me.

Now Sampling: Chris Rusak

June 29, 2019

I first learned of Chris Rusak’s fragrances through instagram. He’s an indie perfumer based in LA. Chris is pretty open and honest on social media about the challenges of being independent in the fragrance industry. And he shares raw materials he comes across (as in some tree resins he recently gathered from the San Bernardino National Forest). On his website, he states that all of his fragrances are “built for women, men, and non-binary skin” which is fabulous and inclusive! I think his fragrances are still flying a little bit under the radar, but they are well worth seeking out.

Quasi Una Absurdia: This one is the star of the set for me. QUA recalls classic Guerlain compositions like like L’Heure Bleue with the powdered floral accord and Jicky with the civet. Yet, QUA is modern and daring, even. The civet is right up in my face (and my nose) on first spray. I love it, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart, especially when paired with a huge spiced lily note as it is here.  QUA is simultaneously a classic and feels like a breath of fresh air.

Bluer Skies (Whenever You’re Around): This one took some time to click for me. Bluer Skies is subtle on my skin, but it’s not without impact (especially in hot weather like we’re having right now). The main impression I get is a subdued cloud of peppered musk. There’s some coriander and even a salt accord sprinkled in the mix. Depending on your skin chemistry, this one could be much more loud and tenacious. I would recommend Bluer Skies in particular for someone looking for a scent that’s off the beaten path.

Io: This is a gorgeous balsamic and resinous incense and smoky cedar wood scent. Io comes across as elegant to me. And yet, there’s some actual dirt mixed into the composition. Yes, one of the accords is dry soil! I love the contrast, and who says we can’t be both elegant and edgy, anyway? I enjoy wearing Io in the evening when doing some meditation to wind down before bed. The dry down makes for the perfect meditative scent.

33: This is another one that has taken time to click. The vetiver is so smoky on first application on my skin that it’s almost too much. I really have to be patient with 33 and let it settle into my skin. The patience is worth it, though! There’s a crackled, dry orris melded with a funny kind of green vegetal accord. Fragrantica lists angelica as a note, which always manifests as a bitter celery scent on me, which may explain the vegetal note. For me, 33 requires further wearing because there’s a lot to unpack here. It’s much more than a typical vetiver scent.

Timbre: This one is limited edition and I’m not sure if full bottles are still available. Timbre is an EDT concentration and I believe the only EDT from Chris so far. It’s sharp and aromatic. There is something about it that feels very well-tailored and elegant. I think it’s the balance of notes here. The yuzu in the opening is the star for me. I must admit, I have oud fatigue, but the oud is deployed in a clever manner here. It anchors the composition while keeping everything in balance. I appreciate that Timbre is included in the discovery set so that people can experience a limited edition scent!

Overall, I highly recommend the discovery set! The spray vials are a good size to get some quality wearings out of these scents. I’m not sure yet what I would choose for a full bottle simply because each scent gives me so much to think about.

There are times when I’m in the mood for something more effortless and easy to wear (like my Tocca Simone or Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte). Then, there are times when I’m in the mood for an intellectual challenge and Chris Rusak falls into that category. I have to spend time with each individual scent in the discovery set and really get to know it. It brings out the literature student in me — studying the text and subtext! I appreciate Chris’ cerebral and thought-provoking approach to perfumery.

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I purchased the discovery set directly from the Chris Rusak Perfume site. Nothing in this post was gifted.

The photo was taken by me.

All of the Chris Rusak scents have been added to the Fragrantica database, so you can conveniently browse them there!

Now Sampling: Aftelier Perfumes

May 4, 2019

The thing I appreciate most about Mandy Aftel (and there is much to appreciate!) is that she makes natural perfume for people who truly love perfume. This is not natural perfumery for people who want to smell like a rose quartz crystal or whatever the current wellness trend is. Aftelier is all about natural perfume for people who love Shalimar and Mitsouko. The selection of samples I recently ordered really reflect that!

Fig: I love fig scents so this one is an easy like for me. It’s not a scent that conjures up emotions or deep thoughts for me. It’s just one of those nice and easy-to-love scents that I could wear on a daily basis. This is the type of scent I love to have in my collection to balance out some of the more challenging ones.

Embers & Musk: This is Aftelier’s newest release and I’m afraid it’s not suited to my skin chemistry! The pine tar is so smoky on me, it overpowers the composition. It’s beyond Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex levels on me. It’s just so out of balance and I don’t believe that’s what Mandy intended at all. I will give it a couple more tries in different weather just to make sure it’s not a fluke of my current body chemistry.

Sepia: This is an Aftelier that I’ve been eyeing for years now and finally took the plunge to sample it. It did not let me down! Sepia is a unique composition that is centered on a full-on indolic jasmine. There’s also a jammy strawberry and, somehow, I get a sweet caramel popcorn note! This is such a lovely and interesting composition.

Secret Garden: Even more than Sepia, this one seems to suit me all the way. It really evokes the book for me, which was a childhood favorite of mine. Secret Garden doesn’t just smell like a green and floral garden. It smells like soil, like manure, and like the old stone wall and heavy wooden door that keep the garden hidden for so many years. I may do a separate write-up for Secret Garden because it brings up a lot of details for me.

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I purchased these four samples directly from Aftelier. I hope to purchase a full bottle of Secret Garden (and possibly Fig) at some point soon!

The photo of my samples was taken by me.

Now Sampling: DSH Perfumes

April 20, 2019

I recently placed another order from the lovely DSH Perfumes. I ordered a shower gel (in Tonic, which is ginger + bergamot. It’s so invigorating and refreshing!) and a couple of samples with it. I wanted to try Je Suis la Lune in particular because it sounded like the perfect jasmine for my skin chemistry. Dawn very kindly sent a few other samples along with my order, including one of her newest releases: Au Crépuscule de Lavande.

Au Crépuscule de Lavande: This is such a different take on lavender. It’s not an aromatherapy lavender, nor is it cold or metallic. It’s actually a beautiful warm and rich composition. Funny enough, this reminds me of New Haarlem from Bond No. 9, which is one of my favorite gourmands. But, whereas New Haarlem features notes of coffee with pancakes and maple syrup, Au Crépuscule de Lavande reminds me of sipping coffee along with a buttery, flaky croissant, fresh from your local Parisian patisserie. Au Crépuscule de Lavande definitely has a warm and rich gourmand vibe, but the lavender gives it a more subtle and refined edge. It’s like the best of the gourmand genre paired with a fougère. I plan to order a larger size of this since I drained my sample vial pretty quickly!

Je Suis la Lune: Likewise, I drained this sample vial very quickly! Je Suis la Lune is a creamy and luminous jasmine. It shimmers on the skin, bright and dazzling white, just like the moon, for which it is named. Je Suis la Lune just smells like happiness. It smells happy and peaceful. I’m always on the lookout for a creamy white floral that works with my skin. I’ve been trying to make a decant of Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower (from The Perfumed Court) work for a few months now, and it just smells wrong on me. Granted, that one is tuberose and not jasmine. But I connect much more with this one. I plan to order a larger size of this for the summer!

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I ordered my sample of Je Suis la Lune, while Dawn very generously included a sample of Au Crepuscule de Lavande with my order.

The photo of my samples was taken by me.

Now Sampling: Papillon Artisan Perfumes

March 16, 2019

Papillon Artisan Perfumes has been on my list of independent and artisanal perfume houses to try out this year. I’m a little embarrassed that it has taken me this long to get around to trying some of Liz Moores’ work, but I’m finally here!

Angélique

I wanted to compare Angélique to Jo Malone’s Mimosa & Cardamom, which I enjoy but not enough to spring for a full bottle in my collection. Angélique is lovely and definitely its own scent. Mimosa & Cardamom kind of shouts “yellow floral!” in my face, whereas Angélique does not. There’s a touch of green here, and a touch of bitterness. I actually wanted more from the galbanum! Angélique leans a little more floral on me than I expected, and it’s quite dry from the cedar and incense accord. It’s very pretty, remains fairly linear on me, and only lasts for 3-4 hours. If I could squeeze 5 hours of wear time out if this, I’d consider purchasing it, but the longevity is just not there. It’s so lovely though and I’m glad to have sniffed it.

Dryad

I was intensely curious to sniff Dryad! I have to say, on my skin, it’s an oakmoss bomb. I get oakmoss right from the opening, not just in the base. This is not a bad thing, but it’s A LOT on my skin. It’s damp, earthy, green mossy all at once. It’s also sweaty. This may have been amplified by the fact that I wore Dryad out to dinner during one of our first true warm weather evenings of this spring. It was actually slightly sweaty weather, as opposed to the extremely dry, cold winter we’ve had. My body chemistry was probably adjusting. I have used half of my Dryad sample vial, and I’m excited to get a couple more wearings out of this. Right now, it’s less green than I was expecting on my skin. It’s oakmoss overload for about an hour on me, and then settles into a skin sweat smell. It mainly captures the way I smell after a vinyasa yoga class, right before I take a shower. Its not a bad thing — a little natural sweat is normal and very human. But it is slightly jarring to smell it. I’m so glad I ordered a sample of Dryad because it’s given me a lot to think about.

I want to explore the Papillon line much more in-depth, but I’m glad to have started with these two. Angélique has given me a very pretty composition to admire, and Dryad is a challenging one to really think about. Judging from instagram, it looks like Liz Moores is launching a new creation soon, so that will be exciting!

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I ordered my Papillon samples from Twisted Lily.

The photo of my samples was taken by me.

Now Sampling: Sylvaine Delacourte

January 26, 2019

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I’ve been wanting to smell Sylvaine Delacourte’s creations for some time now. I debated ordering the sample discovery boxes offered directly on the house’s website over the holidays, but restrained myself. Ms. Delacourte has created two collections: the Vanilla Collection and the Musk Collection. There are five individual scents in each collection, with each of the five scents exploring a different facet of the two raw materials.

While browsing Indigo Perfumery one day, I noticed that they carry the brand, so I chose one each from the Vanilla and Musk collections to sample!

Vahina (Vanilla Collection)

This is a vanilla scent that I would describe as yummy, without being a gourmand. In addition to vanilla, Vahina features notes of tonka, orange blossom, and osmanthus. The osmanthus in particular adds a full-bodied texture to the composition. It’s almost as though I can reach out and touch this fragrance. And yet, it’s not heavy. It’s a light and pretty composition, and it’s effortless to wear. I could easily imagine almost anyone pulling this off. I’m not considering a full bottle of Vahina (I’m supposed to be on a full bottle low-buy!) but it’s a lovely fragrance to sample and sniff.

Dovana (Musk Collection)

With Dovana, I can tell these have been composed by the same perfumer. There is a similar delicate touch to both of these scents, with Dovana being the most delicate, almost fragile. Sylvaine Delacourte says she composed this to smell like a childhood soap that she loved. Indeed, Dovana is a fresh musk. There’s also a lovely iris note, which adds just a powder puff of texture to the composition. There is supposed to be some mandarin orange and neroli as well, but I don’t get much beyond a fresh musk and powdered iris. Dovana is breathtakingly pretty in its delicate nature. However, I find it too linear. Just to try something fun, I layered it over my Narciso For Her EDT today, and the result was perfect! This might be how I use up the rest of my sample.

Overall, I’m glad to have sampled these two from the house, and I can’t wait to sniff more! I’m particularly intrigued by the sound of Helicriss from the Musk Collection. What have you all sniffed and tested from Sylvaine Delacourte?

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I ordered my samples from Indigo Perfumery. The Sylvaine Delacourte Paris website offers discovery boxes of both collections.

I took the photo of my two samples.

 

Now Sampling: Serge Lutens

October 28, 2018

I’ve been sampling a couple of recent Serge Lutens releases and I thought it would make sense to group them together for a write-up. So here we are!

Le Participe Passé

Notes: artemisia, bergamot, pepper, fruity notes, Egyptian balsam, resins, caramel, cumin, leather, and patchouli.

This one opens green and bitter from the artemisia. It almost smells like celery to my nose. It’s green and vegetal. It’s an odd opening, even by Serge Lutens standards, and yet I keep applying it just to smell that strange, bitter artemisia.

The composition quickly settles into a more typical Lutens dried fruit note and a beautiful resin note. I’ve never smelled this particular Egyptian balsam before, but it’s very smooth and a little bit aromatic. It blends with the vegetal artemisia, creating a harmonious green, balsamic scent.

This scent is named after my least favorite tense to conjugate in French and it seems that Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens purposely composed this one to recall some older Lutens releases. Perfume aficionados will know that Uncle Serge has had some, shall we say, eccentric releases in recent times. (I couldn’t get on with Dent de Lait at all.) Le Participe Passé is more similar to some older Lutens orientals, like Ambre Sultan. But there is the unique artemisia opening here, making Le Participe Passé its own scent and not just a copy of previous classics.

Baptême du Feu

Notes: gingerbread, powdery notes, tangerine, castoreum, osmanthus, woody notes.

This one is right in the Serge Lutens wheelhouse of warm, wintery, festive scents that just call out to be worn around the holidays. It has some similarities to two of my Serge Lutens staples: Five O’Clock au Gingembre and Fille en Aiguilles.

Baptême du Feu opens with a zingy orange citrus note and a warm gingerbread note that draws you in. The osmanthus functions as an undercurrent holding everything up until the castoreum comes in. And we must talk about the castoreum here because it is of course, an animalic, and it’s not subtle. To me, castoreum smells like a rich, black leather with a dank and oily undercurrent, which is really where the animalic nature comes out. If you don’t like animalic notes, steer clear of Baptême du Feu. The castoreum heart lasts for a good three hours on me before fading to a more approachable woody base note.

Baptême du Feu is rich with a lot of depth. It has foody gourmand notes sprinkled throughout the composition without ever turning into a gourmand like Jeux de Peau. It’s very grown-up and contemplative, but also some sensuality. I think this is the type of scent that a lot of people are looking for from Serge Lutens.

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Both Baptême du Feu and Le Participe Passé are available from Serge Lutens. I got my samples from Luckyscent.

The info on notes is from Fragrantica.

Photo taken by me.

Now Sampling: February 2017

February 17, 2017

Like most perfumistas, I collect fragrance samples. (I have a spreadsheet to keep track of all of them.) It would be impossible to write about every single one. And, let’s be honest, not every single scent merits an entire write-up either. But, I did a Luckyscent haul at the beginning of the year and I’d like to do a short bit about a few scents that were interesting. Hopefully, I’ll do these posts periodically throughout the year to keep track of what I’m currently testing.

Blackpepper by Comme des Garçons

I’m in a black pepper mood, what with Poivre Electrique from Atelier Cologne and now this from CdG. Luckily they are two very different takes on the same theme, and this one is perfect for the dreary winter weather we’ve been having lately. Blackpepper is a warm and rich take on a cool spice, with heavy doses of patchouli and cedar. For such deep notes, it wears very close to the skin. I really enjoy it, but this is not a huge one for sillage or longevity.

Intense Café by Montale

I will try almost anything that relates to coffee or has coffee/cafe in the name. Similar to Café Rose from Tom Ford, Intense Café is a gourmand rose scent to me. The coffee note here is mixed with vanilla, and is more like a rich vanilla latte from Starbucks than the bitter coffee note I’m looking for. Intense Café is very pretty, and very long-lasting, too. But my search for my ideal coffee fragrance continues.

Gold Leaves by Regime des Fleurs

Sometimes there just has to be a scrubber in the mix. The description and the notes for Gold Leaves sound gorgeous, including: iris, oakmoss, and cardamom essential oil — sounds interesting! On my skin, it’s a strange lily note and absolutely nothing else. It’s a scratchy, eye-watering, allergy-inducing, chemical lily. I’m sure Gold Leaves works better with other people’s skin chemistry. It’s just not for me.

Vetiver de Java by Il Profumo

This is the kind of masculine scent I love and wear for myself. The vetiver is very green, mixed with a strong cedar note. However, on my skin, this isn’t a deep smoky woody scent. It leans more green/soapy in that traditional English after-shave type of scent (all that’s missing here is the lavender note). It strikes the perfect balance for me between clean and woody, and this is going to be my transition scent as we head into spring weather.

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As stated, I purchased all of these samples from Luckyscent.

Photo taken by me.