Smoking is back!
After so many years of showing off my bottle of Habanita, someone volunteered to spray their cigarette with it to see how it would smell. The effect is ashy and dry, a nice blend with the warm powdery vanilla of Habanita. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Amouage samples I’m trying and L’Oreal Midnight Recovery Cream
The thing about me is that I’ll travel with as many samples and decants I can manage to throw together, because I’m a great packer who also insists on doing it all at the last minute. Here’s a peek at what made it with me this time – really, what’s in my bag. I’m slowly being influenced to love all things Amouage. I tried to resist, but I can’t. A friend of mine has an extensive collection and we have smelled the Amouage’s together a few times, and what has become clear is that the brand has stood the test of time. They just don’t make perfume like it anymore.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I already have a bottle of Fate Woman, I just got Lyric Woman, and others can’t be far behind. I’m going to enjoy wearing Memoir Woman over the holidays, and its spiced tuberose reminds me of Poison. The fruity opening is still there, and a blend of dark spices, including everyone’s favourite cardamom, dresses a tuberose so that it looks fresh and inviting. Amouage doesn’t do anything by half-measures, so the absinthe accord created here is syrupy and rich, inviting and noxious at the same time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I must also travel with the richest face cream I can find so here it is: L’Oreal Midnight Recovery Cream. I don’t have much to say about the serum but the cream is specifically for barrier repair so it creates a nice layer on your skin and then just stays there. Nobody loves actives (acids! retinoids!) more than me, but it’s ok to take a little break while I’m traveling and let skin be skin, let the focus be on living and making new memories.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Serge Lutens Royaume des Lumieres Collection Review
I’ve been working my way through Serge Lutens’ new Royaume des Lumières collection, and my winner is Bois Roi d’Agalloche. Smoky powdery oud-patchouli is part challenging and part comforting for anyone who loves to smell different. The amber accord in here never lets the patchouli get too sweet and it’s like being near a cozy fire, after wrapping yourself up with a blanket pulled out of the cedar chest. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Sidi Bel-Abbes is the one that everyone talks about it. It’s also for the seasoned perfume wearer because it blends a funky oud with a funky musk. We’ve seen Lutens do this before, but this feels different, more nuanced and easier to wear. That said, it reminded me of the Cartier oud collection which is smooth and easy to wear, and shockingly comes out as being more affordable too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The rest weren’t ones I wanted to keep wearing but maybe others will find something compelling in them. Tarab is a rose-oud, a fragrance genre I’m yet to be wowed by. Zurafa is leather made soft with the addition of some iris, and finally Craceuse de Flammes, which is a sweet rose hardly more interesting than others that have come before it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The bottles are beautiful, inscribed with Arabic-inspired lettering, and no doubt appealing to the collector in all of us. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Of course, a new Lutens collection always offers much to dissect and think about when it launches, and so today, even with thousands of launches, this one stands out as something to be experienced. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I know many of you have smelled some of these. Share your thoughts in the comments. ⠀
Zoologist New Bottles vs. Old Bottles
Old bottles vs. new Zoologist bottles – I get that change is hard but the new bottles aren’t terrible. They have a magnetic cap and the name of the perfumer on the side of the bottle. I love that little detail because it is what makes Zoologist so unique.
Sacred Scarab bottle from IndieScents.com.
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur Perfume Review
Musc Ravageur! Seriously, nothing goes better with the scent of sweat than a cinnamon-spiced vanilla. In the midst of all the more savory gourmands that have been launched recently, this one seems a bit old-school but I’ll never get tired of wearing a spiced vanilla that appeals to both seasoned perfume lovers and newcomers. Sunny and effervescent, it’s the dusting of sugar I need in my day, the silver lining to any gloomy cloud.
Zoologist Sacred Scarab Review
Imagine entering a sacred space encased in stone but with sunlight streaming in. A platter of fruit lies at the alter and the remnants of incense smoke hang in the air. You can feel the warmth of resins and of bodies that have been there before you. As you sit there contemplating everything that helped you get there, a cat slinks by, reminding you that you’re not alone. In fact, as you hear the rustle around you, you know that you’ve never been alone. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is Sacred Scarab by Zoologist. The great thing about Zoologist is that the brand pairs with different perfumers, offering them a chance to create something that they might not have made for their own brands. In this case, the perfumer is Sultan Pasha, known for his attars and his collection of vintage perfume. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe it’s because of this that Sacred Scarab feels so familiar – it begins by reminding us of perfumes we’ve known and finishes by reminding us of worlds we’ve lived in. There are aldehydes in the opening, for one, ot the clean aldehydes in today’s modern releases, but the aldehydes of the past. When I think of aldehydes, I think of Chanel No. 5, I can’t help it. There’s that twinkle in the eye, paired with a thick, warm fur. While No. 5 stays cold and aloof, Sacred Scarab has a warmth that beckons. Sacred Scareb is for anyone who has wanted the richness of a vintage perfume in a modern release. The opening is all aldehydic sparkle, powdery peachy lactones, a fading lily, and the distant purr of civet. Then, elements of the ancient Egyptian Kyphi incense, on which it’s based, come out: frankincense, benzoin, styrax, and labdanum, contrasting the old with the ancient, showing off the skill and aesthetic of the perfumer who dares to take us on this journey.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Sacred Scarab offers a reminder of the past. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you had your heart set on one of the older Zoologist bottles, there are still some remaining at IndieScents, including one of Sacred Scarab. Yes, they ship worldwide.
Vintage Guerlain Nahema
Spending the day with an older, perfect version of Nahema today. It’s a plush, juicy rose, and unlike other types of perfume, wearing this type of almost-soliflore perfume takes me to a real memory, instead of a fantastical place. It’s me spending time with my grandmother, who didn’t smell like roses, but had an appreciation for beautiful things, the way that people of the past did. In a world where there are so many perfumes, so many options, so many different ways to smell, the beauty of Nahema is still unmatched. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Perfumes for Love
Perfumes for LOVE. Indiescents now has a curation of perfumes to celebrate love, and packaged in a cute little discovery set so that you can try before you buy.
The set has five indie perfumes, so you know you’ll smell like nobody else.
Francesca Bianchi’s The Lover’s Tale – leather, skin, and a dense powdery warmth.
Notes: Leather, Jasmine, Orris, Castoreum, Labdanum, Vetiver, Musk.
Ex Idolo Love & Crime is a cocoa and vanilla gourmand.Notes: Baking Sugar, Star Anise, Cocoa, Vanilla Sponge Cake
Sarah Baker The Gold Spot is for lovers of oud. It’s sweet and still challenging. Notes: oud, dark chocolate, musk, vanilla.
Lorenzo Pazzaglia Extreme Passion is about unexpected fruit, namely passionfruit, exotic and juicy.Notes: passionfruit, grape, peach, amber.
Jupilo Wine Vanilla – Instead of wine with your chocolate, try Wine Vanilla which is all about vanilla aged in the oak barrels of Burgundy wine.
Notes: Pear, Bergamot, Violet, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cedarwood, and Tonka Bean.
The sample set with 2ml samples of each perfume is $25, available at now, or get them in store.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Ex Idolo, Francesca Bianchi, Jupilo Wine Vanilla, Lorenzo Pazzaglia, Sarah Baker
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Cocoa and Vanilla Perfume Layering
All things vanilla today, even though my body lotion says Almond on it (sadly, no almond scent in it at all, it just smells like vanilla), and the body oil gel is cocoa-scented – more cocoa vanilla to my nose. If you’re struggling with extra-dry skin this winter, my tip is to layer on a thicker moisturizer, and it doesn’t have to be fancy. The Vaseline Gel Oil is mineral oil you know and love mixed with a polymer that thickens it up into a gel. It makes it easier to use because it’s behaves like a lotion but it has all the benefits of the oil. Best used right after the shower, especially in cold and dry weather.
The scent of the body lotion isn’t very strong (which is a good thing) so I’m layering my current favourite vanilla perfume on top: Jupilo’s Wine Vanilla. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Very little has been written about this Roman indie brand, but they’ve got some great perfume here. Wine Vanilla opens with citrus notes, tart and sulfuric, almost like grapefruit juice. As the perfume settles, a definite powdery feel emerges, a floral that reminds me of violet soap. The base is a soft, clean vanilla, rounded with a density that hints at a powdery benzoin and tolu balsam, but in the background, there’s also a fruitiness that reminds me of bubblegum. I like the sharp opening that blends into a warmer, fruity vanilla, and all of it would layer with any kind of scented lotion. ⠀⠀⠀
These last few months of winter lend themselves to a coziness rooted in hopefulness. There’s a lightness because spring is just around the corner, and maybe it’s possible to have hope, to wear something that reminds us of summer but also gives us a sense of comfort, which vanilla always does. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Jupilo Wine Vanilla from Indiescents.com. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Cocoa, Indie Perfume, Jupilo, Niche Perfume, Vanilla, Vaseline
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La Douleur Exquise by Les Abstraits Perfume Review
When we look at the greatest rose perfumes ever, La Douleur Exquise is going to be at the top of the list. Skanky, powdery, animalic rose, a rose for every vintage perfume-lover, for the romantic who laments that they just don’t make them like they used to. To those who are well-versed, this is a cross between Antaeus and Portrait of a Lady. Not as masculine as Antaeus, and not as spicy as Portrait of a Lady. Eau Capitale feels stripped back and basic, missing that weird element that keeps you coming back for more. You think you’ve smelled all the great roses out there but then this one comes along. If all the other roses are a portrait of love, this one is a portrait of lust.
Posted in Perfumes
Tagged Antoine Lie, Canadian Perfume, Les Abstraits, Perfume Blog, Rose Perfumes
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