Tag: perfume

What I Wore This Week

April 21, 2019

Hi, everyone! Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who celebrate!

I had a bit of a mixed week as the spring weather here continues to be changeable. It’s hard to pick out something to wear in the morning — for both fragrance and clothing!

  • Monday: YSL Cinéma
  • Tuesday: Tendre Madeleine by Laurence Dumont Les Senteurs Gourmandes
  • Wednesday: L’Eau Chic by Parfums de Nicolai
  • Thursday: Je Suis la Lune by DSH Perfumes
  • Friday: Mon Numéro 10 by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • Saturday: Carven Le Parfum

For Easter today, I’m going with Paris – Venise from Chanel. It’s actually overcast and chilly here, so I’m opting for one of my reliable transitional scents.

What did you all wear this week?

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.

What I Wore This Week

April 14, 2019

Hi, everyone! It’s Sunday again, so I’m back with another weekly round-up of my scents of the day. We’re starting to get some nicer weather but it’s still chilly and overcast at times. I like the Narciso L’Absolu for chilly spring weather because the musk base gives some depth and warmth. Similarly, I think Paris – Venise is good for transitional weather. We’ll see how spring continues to unfold here!

  • Monday: Narciso Rodriguez For Her L’Absolu
  • Tuesday: Chanel No. 5 L’Eau
  • Wednesday: Do Son EDT by Diptyque
  • Thursday: Capri Forget Me Not by Carthusia
  • Friday: Les Eaux de Chanel Paris – Venise
  • Saturday: Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone

What did you all wear this past week?

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily by Jo Malone

April 10, 2019

Notes: cardamom, ginger, pink pepper, jasmine, orchid, water lily, rose, leather, sandalwood, Kyara incense, patchouli, and black amber.

Jo Malone was one of the first fragrance houses that I explored in depth back around 2011- 2012 because it’s reasonably accessible and I initially found the scents approachable. Some people swear by Jo Malone. Others dislike the Eau de Cologne formulations and lament the lack of staying power. I truly can see both sides. I’ve explored many other brands and houses by this point, but Jo Malone still has a special place in perfumery for me (even though Jo Malone herself is no longer with the house). Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is part of the Cologne Intense line, and I definitely get more sillage from this than other Jo Malone scents. Dark Amber & Ginger Lily was originally composed by Jo Malone herself, so it holds a special place in my collection.

I sense the opening of Dark Amber & Ginger Lily in color. It’s very green, cut through with dashes of yellow and pink. I also sense water, as in rain drops or dew drops sitting on green leaves and flower petals. I imagine it’s like being in a rainforest. So, what does it actually smell like? I get zingy ginger and fizzy cardamom right away. I also get a floral note, but not heavy. It’s as though the water lily is rendered in watercolor. It’s vivid and yet in the background somehow. The sillage from the opening and through the first hour is great. It’s not too much, but nicely noticeable.

The incense starts to waft in and out as wear time goes on. I know this fragrance is named for amber, but incense is the star for me. The incense is not medicinal here, nor is it dry or cold. It comes across as quite warm to me and has a calming effect. It balances out the watery floral effect from the water lily, but without being too smoky. This is the kind of incense I’d love to burn while doing my at-home yoga practice. Maybe I will simply wear Dark Amber & Ginger Lily while practicing!

There certainly is an amber effect here, but the actual accord comes across like ambergris to me. The base is a slightly sweaty/ambery skin scent. Remember, this is Jo Malone, so it’s not sweaty in an off-putting way. It’s about as refined as you can get for a skin scent, and it’s blended with a dry patchouli. The ginger seems to come back to my nose and spice up the patchouli. There is also a green effect again, which brings the composition full circle. I’ve seen multiple comments on Fragrantica mentioning a coconut note in the dry down. That doesn’t show up on my skin at all, but I’m just putting it out there because it seems to be present for other people. It’s really a beautiful dry down, and extremely elegant.

I have to report that, even though I get quite a nice sillage trail, I don’t get more pronounced longevity from this “Cologne Intense” concentration. I get between 5- 6 hours of wear time (5 hours is average for me with Jo Malone). I don’t mind because I tend to wear this scent at night, so I’m not looking for it to last me a full 8 hour work day. That being said, I think you could pull this off as a daytime scent, depending on the weather and the occasion, etc.

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I purchased my 50 ml bottle from Nordstrom online. I’m happy to see Jo Malone offering a 50 ml size as the regular line is only available in 30 ml or 100 ml. I personally love the 50 ml bottle. It’s the perfect size for both use and storage.

The list of notes is via fragrantica.

The photo of my bottle was taken by me.

What I Wore This Week

April 7, 2019

Hi everyone! It’s Sunday again so I’m back with my weekly round-up of my scents of the day. The weather next week is supposed to be warm but rainy, so I’m trying to figure out what will work best for that. Anyway, here’s what I wore this past week!

  • Monday: Chanel No. 19 EDP
  • Tuesday: Honeysuckle & Davana by Jo Malone
  • Wednesday: Magnolia Nobile by Acqua di Parma
  • Thursday: Diptyque Volutes EDT
  • Friday: Clementine California by Atelier Cologne
  • Saturday: Chanel Cristalle EDT

What did you all wear this week?

Smolderose by January Scent Project

April 3, 2019

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Notes: Damask rose, bergamot, saffron, roasted seashells, frankincense, elder flower, patchouli, cade, agarwood, and labdanum.

I feel a bit embarrassed that I’ve been into perfumery for so many years now, yet I’m only now trying January Scent Project. What took me so long?! This is one of the really creative indie houses out there right now. John Biebel is the perfumer. He also creates artwork for each of his scents. You can see the mini retro poster for Smolderose in the photo! I ordered the January Scent Project discovery set back in February and I’ve had such a fun time trying all the different scents. Smolderose is one that stood out to me right away. It’s floral, and yet has so much depth. It was a perfect scent to wear during this past winter.

Smolderose opens, of course, with the Damask rose. This is a crisp and clear rose. I actually get the frankincense here in the opening as well. It wafts and weaves its way around the rose. The scent is so clear and vibrant that I can practically visualize incense smoke curling in tendrils around a rose in a vase. It’s quite stunning. I also get a hint of bergamot to add more vibrancy. Overall, it’s a well-balanced opening. It has a prettiness to it and there’s enough depth with the incense to really grab your attention.

Smolderose develops in even more interesting ways from here. One note that stood out to me when I first glanced at the list of notes is the roasted seashells. I can’t say that I’ve ever encountered that before! As Smolderose wears and settles into my skin, I smell something a little salty mingling with the rose. It doesn’t smell like a seashell to me, but more like being at a clambake! This sounds quite strange from a rose fragrance, but it somehow works. There’s a texture to this seashell note. I can sense something fleshy, like the meat of clams or mussels. It’s absolutely fascinating and it mixes shockingly well with the rose note. It works for me because the rose remains quite crisp and pretty. It doesn’t develop into a full-bodied floral, which actually works here. In this case, that funny clambake texture adds the full-bodied fleshy aspect. And the salty roasted accord blends into the frankincense, patchouli, and cade of the base.

The dry down is definitely a smoky/earthy accord on me. The patchouli runs very earthy here. I was afraid the cade might turn a little too smoky and birch tar-esque, but it sits just on the edge of wearable for me. I tested Smolderose alongside Tauerville Rose Flash just for a fun little wear test. This really brought the more earthy aspect of Smolderose’s dry down into relief. Smolderose also held up really well in terms of longevity. Rose Flash is one of the longest lasting scents I’ve tried recently, but I still get a very respectable 8-9 hours from Smolderose.

I can’t wait to write about more of the JSP scents from the discovery kit. One of my issues with discovery sets in general is that they can be overwhelming. I usually like to try 3-4 scents at a time. Any more than that and I can’t properly concentrate on the scents! I chose to focus on Smolderose and give it several good wear tests before writing about it. This just means that it will take me more time to write about some of the other scents. But overall, the discovery kit is well worth it if you’re interested in trying out this house! Smolderose stands out for me as a creative way to showcase rose. It’s also a beautifully balanced composition, which I always appreciate when evaluating scents.

What have you all tried from January Scent Project?

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I ordered the JSP discovery set directly from January Scent Project. Smolderose is available as an individual sample, a 30 ml EDP, a 100 ml EDP, and a perfume oil. Personally, I really appreciate the options! There’s truly an option to suit everyone. I’d love to try Smolderose in the oil format.

The info on notes is via January Scent Project.

The photo of my sample + mini artwork was taken by me.

What I Wore This Week

March 31, 2019

Hi, everyone!

My round-up is a little bit different this week since I was traveling last week! I was in Coconut Grove, Miami. It was gorgeous and the weather was perfect: 75 degrees and sunny!

As you can see from the photo, I brought a travel spray of the Do Son EDT with me. The white floral really suited the mood and I reapplied in the evening for dinner and it was fine.

I also brought my travel sized Hendley Blond with me. Overall, I think Do Son suited the vibe and the weather better. But I did wear Blond my last evening there when the weather cooled down a little bit. The iris in Blond smelled more luminous and radiant in the warmer Miami weather. It tends to smell more dense and textured on me here in Pittsburgh.

I’m planning a New York trip in May and I think I’ll get a lot of Blond wear time for that trip!

Do you guys bring travel sizes or samples when you travel? Do you ever pack your full bottles? I only brought carry-on bags with me so I didn’t have the option of bringing larger bottles this time.

What I Wore This Week

March 24, 2019

Hi, everyone! It’s Sunday again, so I’m here with my weekly round-up of my scents of the day. I’m slowly incorporating some spring favorites (Carven) while also sticking with some old classics (Coco).

  • Monday: Carven Le Parfum
  • Tuesday: Figue Amère by Miller Harris
  • Wednesday: Chanel Cristalle EDT
  • Thursday: Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone
  • Friday: Chanel Coco EDP
  • Saturday: Do Son by Diptyque

And just a note: I’m heading for a little spring break vacation this week, so I won’t have a blog post up until next Sunday. It will be a round-up of my travel scents!

Impossible Iris by Ramon Monegal

March 20, 2019

Notes: iris, mimosa, raspberry, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and Virginia cedar.

It’s mid-March and I think we’re all ready for spring to really make an appearance. Iris is a note that comes to my mind for spring. I wrote a post about spring iris scents here in 2017 where I talk about two very different iris scents: Penhaligon’s Iris Prima and Bruno Fazzolari’s Feu Secret. Likewise, Ramon Monegal’s Impossible Iris is a different twist on the floral, but still eminently appropriate for spring.

This scent opens with a luminous iris. It’s both rich and a touch dry. It’s not overly earthy or powdery though. The iris is the star of the opening for about 15 – 20 minutes or so. The first time I smelled this, I thought what a beautiful iris! I read about the other notes listed, but I wondered if perhaps this was a soliflore. But then, in an interesting twist, I get much more mimosa and ylang-ylang in terms of floral notes. The iris moves to the background to play a supporting role. I can still sniff it out, but it’s quite literally in a supporting role, holding the composition together through the heart.

The raspberry note is an interesting touch here and it really starts to shine a couple of hours into wear time. The heart of Impossible Iris reminds me a little bit of Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte. It has a similar shimmering quality in the heart, and I wonder if similar aroma chemicals were used in both compositions. The raspberry is unmistakably a fruity, red berry note. But I think the real function here is to keep the composition light and shimmering on the skin. The ylang becomes creamier on the skin as wear time progresses and, with the cedar starting to peek through, this could actually become a bit heavy on the skin in warm weather. The raspberry keeps the composition pitched just right.

I honestly don’t get a lot of cedar out of the base. It’s essentially a skin scent by this point into wear time. The cedar is dry in a way that recalls the iris of the opening. Being the cedar fanatic that I am, I wish I could coax a little more substantial woodiness out of this dry down. But rationally, I think the light and dry approach suits the composition. The raspberry has faded by this point, while the last of the ylang clings on, and then fades. I get six hours of wear time overall, which is decent.

I find it interesting that this composition is named Impossible Iris when the iris really serves as a supporting player for nearly all of wear time, but maybe that’s the point. That’s what makes it impossible! I find the raspberry most prominent overall. It’s something to be aware of, if you’re looking for an iris-forward composition, this may not be your first choice. Still, Impossible Iris is extremely pretty. It has a delicate shimmering quality to it, and yet, it has some body and substance as well. I think this balance is what makes it appropriately springy.  Over the past week, the weather here has been trying (and sometimes struggling) to make the changeover to spring. Impossible Iris has kept me in a good mood, despite the changeable weather, and sometimes that’s what I need out of a fragrance.

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I purchased my sample from Luckyscent. However, when I check the site now, Impossible Iris is no longer available. It is still available directly from Ramon Monegal. (It looks like Luckyscent only has a handful of Ramon Monegal scents now. I wonder if they are phasing out the brand. Making room for newness?)

The list of notes is via fragrantica.

The photo of my sample was taken by me. The flower is a white rose, not an iris because that’s what Trader Joe’s had when I stopped by for flowers!

What I Wore This Week

March 17, 2019

Happy Sunday, everyone! I’m back with my usual round-up of my scents of the day from this past week. We’re still in that tough transition from winter to spring weather. I was able to wear Magnolia Nobile this week, which is one of my favorite spring scents. I expect that one to start making more appearances as the weather finally warms up!

  • Monday: Paris – Venise Les Eaux de Chanel
  • Tuesday: I am One of the Deep Secrets of Nature by Graanmarkt 13
  • Wednesday: Dear Polly by Vilhelm Parfumerie
  • Thursday: Chanel Cristalle EDT
  • Friday: Magnolia Nobile by Acqua di Parma
  • Saturday: Twilly d’Hermès

What did you all wear this week?