So, I just wanted to make an update post for those of you who end up clicking the link to this blog from my Basenotes signature (thanks for checking it out!) regarding my recent inactivity. Basically it comes down to classes having started again at my university, so naturally my time goes more towards my daily classes and activities than to writing in my blog. That being said, if there is something interesting to review I will definitely do so. I have a Sadanne review coming hopefully in the next week or two (complicated little bugger), so there's that!
Thanks for reading!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Seconds on the Clock: Sucre et Fleurs by Terri Bozzo
So, my friend Terri was nice enough to send me a sample of a fragrance she has been working on called Sucre et Fleurs (sugar and flowers), and I thought it would be a good time to bring back my favorite style of review: Seconds on the Clock. If you don't remember or were not around when I used to do this, the idea is simple: I write a little sentence or two on what I am getting out of a fragrance in few hour long intervals, then sum up the experience and offer a rating of sorts at the end.
Let's go.
1:50 p.m.: Upon application, my first thought was baby wipes. Maybe I'm tainted by too many cousins and relatives having kids lately and thus the smell of baby wipes is around me far too often, but this is really what I smell off the start. I get some powder and some soft florals but that's about it.
2:00 p.m.: After letting it calm down a bit, I am getting a lot more from this already. I am detecting a nutty note which after looking at the notes list I can tell is pistachio alongside some honeyed white florals (jasmine mostly with lily as well). It isn't the most original opening necessarily as I am still getting that baby wipe/newborn room kind of powdery smell, but I think that is partly due to the vanilla that is very prominent on the inhale. We'll see how it settles further in an hour or two.
3:00 p.m.: Thankfully that odd scent association is gone, and now I am left with a very pleasant pistachio/honey/jasmine combo that smells just slightly chemical but not in a "fake" way like some designer scents laden with aroma-chemicals are. Think of it more like a plastic/waxy vibe. The cedar wood/vanilla base is featured in this composition (I have worn the base by itself before and it was great!), and it really serves to curb the overly powdered opening.
4:45 p.m.: The fragrance has transitioned into the cedar/vanilla base almost entirely now. While there is some lingering jasmine the vanilla is now much more noticeable, with just a hint of dry cedar as an underlying note to help things not come off as too saccharine.
6:30 p.m. I'm surprised with how little that I sprayed that this is still going on. At this point though the fragrance has become entirely about that cedar and vanilla dry down with just a touch of florals (I feel like I've said that before). So, I'm going to call this one. I can imagine longevity will be perfectly suitable given how long it has lasted with two small sprays on my wrist.
So, this is definitely a scent that is a little out of my comfort zone, mostly due to the fact that I don't own much in the way of florals, and from the name at least, I expected it to be another super sweet take on the candied florals that litter the genre. That was not the case here, and instead what I received was a much more restrained, simplistic fragrance that does not try to do too much. I can see this being a welcome addition to a wardrobe for when you want something a bit floral but do not want to go full soliflore. The opening is kind of a turn off for me, but I have a feeling that given some time and additional wearings I would get used to it and my scent association would go away. I hope that the little bit about baby wipes does not turn anyone off, because again fragrance is a very personal thing and just because that is what I smell does not mean it is what you will smell.
Once everything dries down I like the fragrance a lot more. I find it clever of Terri to use pistachio, a note I've never really experienced in a fragrance before in place of something like Tonka bean to offer that roasty, toasty mid note. I'm also admittedly a big fan of jasmine in fragrances and I'm not sure why. It is just dirty enough to not be so squeaky clean all the time, almost akin to when lavender is used well in a fragrance. It stops smelling like laundry and creates a new association.
I'd like to also address the fact that she uses the term "sucre" for sugar here, which gives me at least some expectation that it will be a sweet fragrance, and in a way it is. But, it's not cotton candy/white chocolate sweet, nor is it cloying unless you get up close and sniff for a while (I feel like any fragrance would get that way if you did that!).
While I feel like this might have been intended for women to wear, I do feel this works perfectly well as a unisex fragrance as long as men are okay with some florals to go along with their vanilla. While this doesn't stand out from the group of vanilla-centric scents I've smelled recently in terms of quality (of the vanilla), it serves its purpose well enough.
Overall I like this fragrance, especially from a relatively new perfumer in Terri. I think she definitely has a lot of potential and I look forward to trying her stuff in the future.
If you are interested in getting your hands on some Sucre et Fleurs, check out Terri's Facebook page "Decadent Decants." Pricing is an absolute steal at $12 for a 15mL bottle.
Let's go.
1:50 p.m.: Upon application, my first thought was baby wipes. Maybe I'm tainted by too many cousins and relatives having kids lately and thus the smell of baby wipes is around me far too often, but this is really what I smell off the start. I get some powder and some soft florals but that's about it.
2:00 p.m.: After letting it calm down a bit, I am getting a lot more from this already. I am detecting a nutty note which after looking at the notes list I can tell is pistachio alongside some honeyed white florals (jasmine mostly with lily as well). It isn't the most original opening necessarily as I am still getting that baby wipe/newborn room kind of powdery smell, but I think that is partly due to the vanilla that is very prominent on the inhale. We'll see how it settles further in an hour or two.
3:00 p.m.: Thankfully that odd scent association is gone, and now I am left with a very pleasant pistachio/honey/jasmine combo that smells just slightly chemical but not in a "fake" way like some designer scents laden with aroma-chemicals are. Think of it more like a plastic/waxy vibe. The cedar wood/vanilla base is featured in this composition (I have worn the base by itself before and it was great!), and it really serves to curb the overly powdered opening.
4:45 p.m.: The fragrance has transitioned into the cedar/vanilla base almost entirely now. While there is some lingering jasmine the vanilla is now much more noticeable, with just a hint of dry cedar as an underlying note to help things not come off as too saccharine.
6:30 p.m. I'm surprised with how little that I sprayed that this is still going on. At this point though the fragrance has become entirely about that cedar and vanilla dry down with just a touch of florals (I feel like I've said that before). So, I'm going to call this one. I can imagine longevity will be perfectly suitable given how long it has lasted with two small sprays on my wrist.
So, this is definitely a scent that is a little out of my comfort zone, mostly due to the fact that I don't own much in the way of florals, and from the name at least, I expected it to be another super sweet take on the candied florals that litter the genre. That was not the case here, and instead what I received was a much more restrained, simplistic fragrance that does not try to do too much. I can see this being a welcome addition to a wardrobe for when you want something a bit floral but do not want to go full soliflore. The opening is kind of a turn off for me, but I have a feeling that given some time and additional wearings I would get used to it and my scent association would go away. I hope that the little bit about baby wipes does not turn anyone off, because again fragrance is a very personal thing and just because that is what I smell does not mean it is what you will smell.
Once everything dries down I like the fragrance a lot more. I find it clever of Terri to use pistachio, a note I've never really experienced in a fragrance before in place of something like Tonka bean to offer that roasty, toasty mid note. I'm also admittedly a big fan of jasmine in fragrances and I'm not sure why. It is just dirty enough to not be so squeaky clean all the time, almost akin to when lavender is used well in a fragrance. It stops smelling like laundry and creates a new association.
I'd like to also address the fact that she uses the term "sucre" for sugar here, which gives me at least some expectation that it will be a sweet fragrance, and in a way it is. But, it's not cotton candy/white chocolate sweet, nor is it cloying unless you get up close and sniff for a while (I feel like any fragrance would get that way if you did that!).
While I feel like this might have been intended for women to wear, I do feel this works perfectly well as a unisex fragrance as long as men are okay with some florals to go along with their vanilla. While this doesn't stand out from the group of vanilla-centric scents I've smelled recently in terms of quality (of the vanilla), it serves its purpose well enough.
Overall I like this fragrance, especially from a relatively new perfumer in Terri. I think she definitely has a lot of potential and I look forward to trying her stuff in the future.
If you are interested in getting your hands on some Sucre et Fleurs, check out Terri's Facebook page "Decadent Decants." Pricing is an absolute steal at $12 for a 15mL bottle.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
On revisiting old favorites
While not a review, I feel the sudden urge to stream of thought some words down about revisiting old favorites in the perfume world. All too often as our collective collections grow, we forget all the ones that came first. All the fragrances that we looked up, researched, and sampled in order to start up our fragrance collections. I know for a lot of my fellow reviewers this process started out with a few blind buys, maybe even some that they regret. But not me. I was diligent in my methods. I scoured the Internet looking for websites, forums, anything really where I could read up on my newest infatuation: "Colognes."
For me it all started when I was tired of wearing Axe body spray every day, so I started to wear the only fragrance I had ever bought, Armani Code. Code was a night out fragrance, a scent that I would never wear with any actual regularity outside of when I had first bought it and I would wear it to school for a while. As I wore it, I wanted more. I wanted more variety like I had with the Axe body sprays (I would have 3-6 cans going at one time easily). So, I bought 1 Million while I was at Macy's, and tried out HM by Hanae Mori and liked that a lot too but didn't have money for both I ended up getting the HM later, and wore that rotation of scents to death for a whole summer.
Fast forwarding a bit, I had finally found Basenotes while on a trip up to New Hampshire with a friend a few years back and I was hooked. The community was so friendly, and some of them had 20,000+ posts! I knew I could entrust them to guide me through the world of fragrances. As my collection started to grow, I picked out some that I really loved. Aventus was a big hit, and I remember getting a sample of Chergui from someone nice enough to send me a little of their personal bottle so that I could test it (I couldn't afford to be buying a bunch of samples at the time). Both of these were huge loves for me, and I eventually bought a bottle of Chergui and a large decant of Aventus Z01.
In fact, it is Chergui that inspired this vomit of words that is being typed out right now. It's wafting into my nose with each keystroke, building a layer of hay, tobacco, and just a slight hint of powdery cherry with each successive breath. It's been a long time since I last wore this, instead always favoring my newest endeavors into the perfume world, what some might call the more "daring" side of perfumery, filled with musks and extraits and brands few have heard of. I guess I've started to become a fragrance hipster in a way, and I don't wear that self-label proudly. No, I'd rather consider the fragrances I've nearly left behind. The ones that I've loved for years but don't often reach for. I long for those sweet days of naivety where I knew nothing of the notes, the subtleties that go along with fragrances. Of course, this is just a pipe dream, as I feel I've learned a lot in my few years of exploring, but it's a nice thing to think about from time to time.
So, maybe it is time for me to revisit some of my first loves. Back when sparks flew and my eyes glazed over when I discovered something truly special. Sure, these days I am still discovering exceptional fragrances, but there is nothing quite like that old friend to comfort you and bring you back.
--Andrew
For me it all started when I was tired of wearing Axe body spray every day, so I started to wear the only fragrance I had ever bought, Armani Code. Code was a night out fragrance, a scent that I would never wear with any actual regularity outside of when I had first bought it and I would wear it to school for a while. As I wore it, I wanted more. I wanted more variety like I had with the Axe body sprays (I would have 3-6 cans going at one time easily). So, I bought 1 Million while I was at Macy's, and tried out HM by Hanae Mori and liked that a lot too but didn't have money for both I ended up getting the HM later, and wore that rotation of scents to death for a whole summer.
Fast forwarding a bit, I had finally found Basenotes while on a trip up to New Hampshire with a friend a few years back and I was hooked. The community was so friendly, and some of them had 20,000+ posts! I knew I could entrust them to guide me through the world of fragrances. As my collection started to grow, I picked out some that I really loved. Aventus was a big hit, and I remember getting a sample of Chergui from someone nice enough to send me a little of their personal bottle so that I could test it (I couldn't afford to be buying a bunch of samples at the time). Both of these were huge loves for me, and I eventually bought a bottle of Chergui and a large decant of Aventus Z01.
In fact, it is Chergui that inspired this vomit of words that is being typed out right now. It's wafting into my nose with each keystroke, building a layer of hay, tobacco, and just a slight hint of powdery cherry with each successive breath. It's been a long time since I last wore this, instead always favoring my newest endeavors into the perfume world, what some might call the more "daring" side of perfumery, filled with musks and extraits and brands few have heard of. I guess I've started to become a fragrance hipster in a way, and I don't wear that self-label proudly. No, I'd rather consider the fragrances I've nearly left behind. The ones that I've loved for years but don't often reach for. I long for those sweet days of naivety where I knew nothing of the notes, the subtleties that go along with fragrances. Of course, this is just a pipe dream, as I feel I've learned a lot in my few years of exploring, but it's a nice thing to think about from time to time.
So, maybe it is time for me to revisit some of my first loves. Back when sparks flew and my eyes glazed over when I discovered something truly special. Sure, these days I am still discovering exceptional fragrances, but there is nothing quite like that old friend to comfort you and bring you back.
--Andrew
Thursday, May 29, 2014
First Impressions: Eau Des Missions by Le Couvent Des Minimes
Okay, so this one I got for $19 (60mL) in a split from a fellow fragrance lover on Facebook. I figured it was a safe enough blind buy, especially when I heard it compared to a few other very famous (and very expensive) vanilla based scents. So, for such a cheap fragrance, the real question is: Is it any good? Short answer, yes. From the very start this reminded me of another five star cheapy, Choco Musk by Al Rehab. While this does not have the chocolate that the latter has, the opening in both is a very marshmallowy, super saccharine vanilla that is just ever so slightly powdery. Now, I can tell you right away, this isn't the best take on the genre I have smelled to date, but it does do a remarkably good job of remaining wearable and pleasant throughout its first few hours.
Once this sits on the skin and fabric for a while, it fades away very quickly. But, while it is in that process, it turns fairly spicy and just a little hit of benzoin. Now, I can't really fault this for not lasting that long, as it is an eau de cologne strength fragrance, but it is worth noting that this only projects for a few hours. Thus, it is a perfect "fragrance snack." By this I mean it is great to wear in between your morning and night scents if you change over, or if you just want a quick spritz of something different. I also think this could be great for layering as it stays fairly linear throughout its few hours in skin. I generally don't layer, but it is certainly an option here. Overall, this is a good scent for what it is trying to accomplish. It isn't going to blow anyone away, but it is a solid stab at sweet vanilla.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Working my way through Sonoma Scent Studios (part 2)
Tabac Aurea: (5/27/14):
I was told by several people that I would love this one, so needless the say the hype I have received prior to smelling this may affect my view. Anyway, the first thing that comes to mind as I sniff this is a few other tobacco scents I've experienced in the past with a big tobacco note. Like the others, this one has a very raisin-like, sweet fruity quality off the top. This reminds me in a way of the raisin tobacco and suede filled Sana by Slumberhouse, and the tobacco and honeyed hay of Sova by the same perfumer. These, at least from me, are very positive comparisons as I am a huge fan-boy of the house. Though, this one does not have that pungency of either of those, and instead is a little more subtle than a lot of the tobaccos out there. In my opinion though, it really does not develop all that much throughout its life, so if you don't like the opening (fortunately I do), then this probably won't be for you. It does dry down into something more smokey than the initial blast, but in general it's fairly linear. Again, this is up to interpretation on whether this is a bad thing or not. I don't really mind it.
There really isn't a lot for me to say about this that has not already been said before. There is a lot of woods in the base notes, things like cedar, alongside some smoky vetiver that isn't (initially) super noticeable, but once I started looking for it I realized it was quite apparent. Unlike my fellow reviewers, I don't really find this to be a very "true to life" attempt at a cigar/cigarette style tobacco (this is coming from a cigar smoker). Rather, it reminds me more of a pipe style tobacco that's a bit sweeter than your average cigarette or cigar. This is just another style option for perfumers, and one that I've personally experienced a lot of over the last few years that I've been interested in fragrances.
So, bottom line: I really like this scent, and I think it would be great for any collection that is not too heavy on tobacco fragrances. Me? I already own Sova (two bottles actually), which is my "holy grail" tobacco, and I have enough variations on the genre to keep me entertained with the note for the foreseeable future. If someone was to just give me this I'd wear it often, but seeing as funds are always limited this doesn't seem like something I'll end up having in my collection for quite a while. Still though, great scent and I do recommend it regardless of my kind of wishy-washy analysis above.
Spiced Citrus Vetiver: (5/30/14)
Well, this one starts off very strange to my nose. I get an almost citrus cleaner type of smell, with this thin layer of almost plastic-like smelling stuff that is not unlike the waxy candies I grew up eating as a child. Blood orange is definitely present, which brings with it its characteristic and true to life slight bitterness and smell/taste of raspberries. That odd opening that had my nose very confused dies down after ten or twenty minutes and at that point the vetiver is more present. Again, this is a more bitter take on the fragrance than I was expecting, but it certainly isn't bad. This is an all natural fragrance, and with that comes some challenges. I would assume a big one would be figuring out how much to use of each ingredient, and at least to my nose, the top is absolutely dominated by blood orange. Oh, and for those of you who are familiar with blood orange based designer scents like 1 Million, be aware that this is nothing like the more saccharine takes on the note, and is instead a much more true to life version. The spice comes from cloves, which are unmistakable in here. I've noticed Laurie likes using cloves, and here I feel they do their job of spicing up the scent nicely. That being said I am a big fan of cloves both in perfume and in food, so others may not be as keen on it as I am.
The later I get into the fragrance the less plastic shows up, and the more natural side rears its head. While this is definitely an entirely unique fragrance, I'm not sure it is for me. I still am not getting a ton of vetiver, but when I do detect it it is a peppery yet fresh take on the note, which is nice to see in this setting, as a dirtier vetiver would certainly seem out of place. The dry down is nice, but not something I am longing to wear again.
Now for some more rapid fire reviews based on wearings on each wrist and each nook of the elbow:
Wood Violet: (5/28/14)
The start is very light and full of violet. It is immediately a very soft fragrance, with some fairly noticeable minty vibe running through the back of the opening, alongside a soapy quality that makes me think of a high end floral soap my Nana used to have displayed in her bathroom. I don't get a lot of "woods" in the opening for something with this title, but there is a bit of musk that I guess could be mistook for a woody note since it is very faint. As it settles after 10 or 20 minutes, it starts to smell a bit like Play-Dough to me, and I am not really sure why. Maybe that's the violet in there (I don't have a ton of experience with violet since it is really popular in hyper clean designer fragrances...which I don't own many of), but it's got an almost fabric like smell as well. Not an unpleasant smell, just unexpected.
Once the dry down comes, I got much of the same. The scent faded a whole lot and became more of a skin scent. Overall I'd say this one is interesting for those who are looking for a good violet. Personally I'll pass on this one.
Velvet Rose: (5/28/14)
I think this is what I was smelling when I first got the sample pass and smelled the outside of the box the samples were packed in. I immediately smelled a jammy rose, and this was it. For those that love rose notes in fragrances, I can already tell you that this is one to go and sample. I am not a massive fan of the note, but I have been looking for a good rose perfume for a while. This is the epitome of the idea of jammy in a fragrance. This is sweet and only a little on the cloying side (an accomplishment for a sweet rose). This one also has a lot of violet leaf in it, so for those of you who are averse to violet, this might not be for you. The top is very floral, and in my opinion very feminine. I can still see this being worn by a confident man, but you definitely have to be willing to walk on that side of the street, if you know what I mean. I can't quite figure out what I am getting in the back. There might be a little musk, and maybe some sort of berry note (my guess would be raspberry), but I don't see that listed in the note breakdown. That being said, I definitely get some bergamot in here, and it is well done to add a citrusy, spicy aspect to the fragrance.
After this dries down a bit, the rose really becomes the centerpiece. It is a very nice, more relaxed version of the opening and something that I definitely like a lot. So, as I said above, if you are a fan of rose and don't mind a more feminine take on the genre, this one is definitely one to check out.
Lieu de Reves: (6/2/14)
Once again this one absolutely turns up the volume on the violet. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the note, but here it is handles well. It is another smooth take on violet, and altogether is not unlike Wood Violet. There is a noticeable combination of jasmine and some spicy woods after the initial spray which is very welcoming and calming, but to me at least the violet is still very intense. I can definitely see this being a treat for violet fans, much like the aforementioned Wood Violet (but I think I like this one more as it is more distinctive). There is vanilla in the base to be certain, and a sandalwood/tonka kind of combo in there as well (there may not actually be any sandalwood, but the vanilla and tonka gives off a similar vibe.
The dry down is much of the same, which is something I have come to realize in her scents more and more. The doughy violet is still here, and so are the softer notes of tonka and vanilla, though accented more on the tonka now. This is alright, but along with Wood Violet it just doesn't stand out enough to warrant a revisit.
Nostalgie: (6/2/14)
This one comes off as very feminine on my skin. From the start it is a mix of dense florals like jasmine and rose. The jasmine the perfumer uses is really excellent quality, as it is one of my favorite notes and I love experiencing a high quality one like in Nostalgie. This is also a bit powdery, but I believe this is here to smooth out the dense florals, and it succeeds in doing so. This strikes me as a straight from the book take on French perfumery that dates back hundreds of years, only modernized by the rose that is ever so popular these days.
As this dries down the softness continues to show itself, turning the fragrance away from the jasmine and more toward the rose. This got very light very quickly though, and after the bold, humid, thick opening it really settles down into something more akin to a skin scent than a projection monster. This is perfectly okay in my book, but I think I would have personally preferred the "in your face" style of the first few hours to last a little longer, as that is less common than all of the other light florals I've smelled. This is a good one though, and I could see any woman pulling this off successfully. Men, this is probably at least a challenge, but not too far off since the opening is quite strong.
I was told by several people that I would love this one, so needless the say the hype I have received prior to smelling this may affect my view. Anyway, the first thing that comes to mind as I sniff this is a few other tobacco scents I've experienced in the past with a big tobacco note. Like the others, this one has a very raisin-like, sweet fruity quality off the top. This reminds me in a way of the raisin tobacco and suede filled Sana by Slumberhouse, and the tobacco and honeyed hay of Sova by the same perfumer. These, at least from me, are very positive comparisons as I am a huge fan-boy of the house. Though, this one does not have that pungency of either of those, and instead is a little more subtle than a lot of the tobaccos out there. In my opinion though, it really does not develop all that much throughout its life, so if you don't like the opening (fortunately I do), then this probably won't be for you. It does dry down into something more smokey than the initial blast, but in general it's fairly linear. Again, this is up to interpretation on whether this is a bad thing or not. I don't really mind it.
There really isn't a lot for me to say about this that has not already been said before. There is a lot of woods in the base notes, things like cedar, alongside some smoky vetiver that isn't (initially) super noticeable, but once I started looking for it I realized it was quite apparent. Unlike my fellow reviewers, I don't really find this to be a very "true to life" attempt at a cigar/cigarette style tobacco (this is coming from a cigar smoker). Rather, it reminds me more of a pipe style tobacco that's a bit sweeter than your average cigarette or cigar. This is just another style option for perfumers, and one that I've personally experienced a lot of over the last few years that I've been interested in fragrances.
So, bottom line: I really like this scent, and I think it would be great for any collection that is not too heavy on tobacco fragrances. Me? I already own Sova (two bottles actually), which is my "holy grail" tobacco, and I have enough variations on the genre to keep me entertained with the note for the foreseeable future. If someone was to just give me this I'd wear it often, but seeing as funds are always limited this doesn't seem like something I'll end up having in my collection for quite a while. Still though, great scent and I do recommend it regardless of my kind of wishy-washy analysis above.
Spiced Citrus Vetiver: (5/30/14)
Well, this one starts off very strange to my nose. I get an almost citrus cleaner type of smell, with this thin layer of almost plastic-like smelling stuff that is not unlike the waxy candies I grew up eating as a child. Blood orange is definitely present, which brings with it its characteristic and true to life slight bitterness and smell/taste of raspberries. That odd opening that had my nose very confused dies down after ten or twenty minutes and at that point the vetiver is more present. Again, this is a more bitter take on the fragrance than I was expecting, but it certainly isn't bad. This is an all natural fragrance, and with that comes some challenges. I would assume a big one would be figuring out how much to use of each ingredient, and at least to my nose, the top is absolutely dominated by blood orange. Oh, and for those of you who are familiar with blood orange based designer scents like 1 Million, be aware that this is nothing like the more saccharine takes on the note, and is instead a much more true to life version. The spice comes from cloves, which are unmistakable in here. I've noticed Laurie likes using cloves, and here I feel they do their job of spicing up the scent nicely. That being said I am a big fan of cloves both in perfume and in food, so others may not be as keen on it as I am.
The later I get into the fragrance the less plastic shows up, and the more natural side rears its head. While this is definitely an entirely unique fragrance, I'm not sure it is for me. I still am not getting a ton of vetiver, but when I do detect it it is a peppery yet fresh take on the note, which is nice to see in this setting, as a dirtier vetiver would certainly seem out of place. The dry down is nice, but not something I am longing to wear again.
Now for some more rapid fire reviews based on wearings on each wrist and each nook of the elbow:
Wood Violet: (5/28/14)
The start is very light and full of violet. It is immediately a very soft fragrance, with some fairly noticeable minty vibe running through the back of the opening, alongside a soapy quality that makes me think of a high end floral soap my Nana used to have displayed in her bathroom. I don't get a lot of "woods" in the opening for something with this title, but there is a bit of musk that I guess could be mistook for a woody note since it is very faint. As it settles after 10 or 20 minutes, it starts to smell a bit like Play-Dough to me, and I am not really sure why. Maybe that's the violet in there (I don't have a ton of experience with violet since it is really popular in hyper clean designer fragrances...which I don't own many of), but it's got an almost fabric like smell as well. Not an unpleasant smell, just unexpected.
Once the dry down comes, I got much of the same. The scent faded a whole lot and became more of a skin scent. Overall I'd say this one is interesting for those who are looking for a good violet. Personally I'll pass on this one.
Velvet Rose: (5/28/14)
I think this is what I was smelling when I first got the sample pass and smelled the outside of the box the samples were packed in. I immediately smelled a jammy rose, and this was it. For those that love rose notes in fragrances, I can already tell you that this is one to go and sample. I am not a massive fan of the note, but I have been looking for a good rose perfume for a while. This is the epitome of the idea of jammy in a fragrance. This is sweet and only a little on the cloying side (an accomplishment for a sweet rose). This one also has a lot of violet leaf in it, so for those of you who are averse to violet, this might not be for you. The top is very floral, and in my opinion very feminine. I can still see this being worn by a confident man, but you definitely have to be willing to walk on that side of the street, if you know what I mean. I can't quite figure out what I am getting in the back. There might be a little musk, and maybe some sort of berry note (my guess would be raspberry), but I don't see that listed in the note breakdown. That being said, I definitely get some bergamot in here, and it is well done to add a citrusy, spicy aspect to the fragrance.
After this dries down a bit, the rose really becomes the centerpiece. It is a very nice, more relaxed version of the opening and something that I definitely like a lot. So, as I said above, if you are a fan of rose and don't mind a more feminine take on the genre, this one is definitely one to check out.
Lieu de Reves: (6/2/14)
Once again this one absolutely turns up the volume on the violet. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the note, but here it is handles well. It is another smooth take on violet, and altogether is not unlike Wood Violet. There is a noticeable combination of jasmine and some spicy woods after the initial spray which is very welcoming and calming, but to me at least the violet is still very intense. I can definitely see this being a treat for violet fans, much like the aforementioned Wood Violet (but I think I like this one more as it is more distinctive). There is vanilla in the base to be certain, and a sandalwood/tonka kind of combo in there as well (there may not actually be any sandalwood, but the vanilla and tonka gives off a similar vibe.
The dry down is much of the same, which is something I have come to realize in her scents more and more. The doughy violet is still here, and so are the softer notes of tonka and vanilla, though accented more on the tonka now. This is alright, but along with Wood Violet it just doesn't stand out enough to warrant a revisit.
Nostalgie: (6/2/14)
This one comes off as very feminine on my skin. From the start it is a mix of dense florals like jasmine and rose. The jasmine the perfumer uses is really excellent quality, as it is one of my favorite notes and I love experiencing a high quality one like in Nostalgie. This is also a bit powdery, but I believe this is here to smooth out the dense florals, and it succeeds in doing so. This strikes me as a straight from the book take on French perfumery that dates back hundreds of years, only modernized by the rose that is ever so popular these days.
As this dries down the softness continues to show itself, turning the fragrance away from the jasmine and more toward the rose. This got very light very quickly though, and after the bold, humid, thick opening it really settles down into something more akin to a skin scent than a projection monster. This is perfectly okay in my book, but I think I would have personally preferred the "in your face" style of the first few hours to last a little longer, as that is less common than all of the other light florals I've smelled. This is a good one though, and I could see any woman pulling this off successfully. Men, this is probably at least a challenge, but not too far off since the opening is quite strong.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Working my way through Sonoma Scent Studios (part 1)
So, I was lucky enough to get to be a part of the Sonoma Scent Studio sample pass going on via Basenotes recently. I am (so far) the last to receive the samples. As a result, I've been able to read several other member's posts about these fragrances, so my opinions may be slightly influenced based on what others have said. I am not picking these in any real order (except for the first one as I am going out today and wanted something lighter for the heat), so the little reviews you see here are not ordered in any particular way. It is also worth noting that these are very off-the-cuff reviews that are being written first as I apply the fragrance and then again a few hours later when it dries down and I've had time to live with it.
Without further ado:
Jour Ensoleille: (5/21/14)
Right off the bat I knew I'd be interested in this one as soon as people mentioned neroli and musk as being two of the dominant notes in this fragrance. Indeed, the opening is a fairly literal interpretation and representation of neroli, something I am very familiar with as I grew up with a little orange tree in my room. In fact, this fragrance as a whole reminds me of my room growing up. A little musky since it was located in my grandparent's house (I have no idea why their house always smelled musty and musky to me...maybe mildew?), but the neroli and orange scents cut through that musk just like it does in Jour Ensoleille. The opening isn't very complex, as I mostly get the neroli and musk, but there is a tuberose/white florals suite in there as well. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of tuberose, but in this creation it is hovering in the background, so it isn't a deal breaker for me. The name is an excellent descriptor of the fragrance, as Jour Ensoleille translates to "sunny day" as long as my limited French hasn't failed me (I checked a translator to double check), and I feel this is perfect for that kind of weather, especially in the first hour of the fragrance before all of the surrounding florals come more to the forefront.
A few hours later, it has dried down a bit and I am left with mostly the same fragrance. The orange blossom is still at the forefront, but the muskiness has turned into a more plastic-like musk than the original mildew/house musk that it was previously. I fear these descriptions are rather personal and do not really lend themselves to helping outsiders figure out what this fragrance is about, but it is the best way that I can try and describe them. It is worth noting that as this ages on the skin, the feel of the fragrance ages as well. At first it had a classical yet modern feel to it up top, but by the time the mid notes and base notes come out it is very much a vintage, classical smelling fragrance. For me, this is a perfectly good thing, but it isn't something I want to smell like all the time. For an occasional spring wear I could see this being a hit, but it's not something I will be immediately seeking out a bottle of.
Champagne de Bois: (5/22/14)
As soon as this was put on my skin, I got a sweet, spicy vibe that smells almost like baked apples and cinnamon. I think the note is actually pears, but it gives off that same sort of scent profile. There is also a light, crisp vibe coming from the top notes that isn't from the fruit. I am positive this is aldehydes, as this is one of those notes I have a lot of experience with smelling on women since Chanel is so popular. This isn't like that kind of Chanel aldehyde though, it's much sharper up top and has a more gourmandy feel thanks to the pears and spices The whole first blast is very pleasant, with some lurking musks in the background that remind me of the musk in Jour Ensoleille, which had a parallel with a few I've tried from Serge Lutens.
As this starts to dry down there is an excellent dose of a labdanum rich amber accord that really serves to sweeten this up, but not in a negative way. This is the sort of thing I am not used to seeing in perfumery: A sweetened, not overly fruit-filled aldehyde fragrance. It's definitely unique, and one of the better openings and middles of a fragrance I've tried recently. There is something seductive about it that really draws me in. There are layers of complexity here and if I stick my nose to it closely I keep unveiling something new. This kind of reminds me of my grandmother's house as so many fragrances with labdanum do, and the essence that it has with aldehydes reminds me of my mother, who for her entire life has been wearing stuff like Windsong and Cristalle by Chanel. So, this really evokes some scent memories for me, which makes me like it even more. The more it dries down the more animalic it becomes. That musky labdanum becomes more of the center of the fragrance, and while this style of thing isn't new in perfumery, this transformation makes it rather interesting. What started as a lighter, slightly sweet aldehydic fragrance turns into something much skankier and this is a change that I personally really dig. Maybe it's just the name playing tricks on me, but I do kind of smell the idea of champagne soaked wood here in the dry down.
Definitely full bottle worthy. I'll have to wear this once more at the end of the sampling before sending it on to the next person.
Incense Pure: (5/23/14)
Well, the meaning is in the message the name gives off. This is indeed pure incense, with a big hit of frankincense from the very start, which dominates the top notes for a while. There is a lot going on in the background though, and the perfumer mentioned that she wanted to have this be a big frankincense fragrance with some labdanum in the notes to round it out alongside some sandalwood. I can't say that I get the sandalwood yet, but I definitely can see the underlying almost syrupy labdanum. This reminds me of a few other outdoorsy style incense, with the Comme des Garcons line coming to mind immediately with Kyoto (minus the cypress note) and Avignon (though definitely less cold), and Jovoy's La Liturgie des Heures with its coniferous green incense.
This is actually a fairly warm fragrance in terms of the genre, and that is something that I definitely commend it for, as all too often I find myself with cold, almost antiseptic smelling incenses coming in samples. It is hard for me to come to grips with describing and rating Pure Incense, as it is, at least at one point, a very true to life interpretation of its name. But,then as it dries down the greener notes come to light, and the whole fragrance becomes significantly more complex than it once was. It is this kind of duality that makes Incense Pure such an interesting fragrance, and I can tell just after one wearing that this is the kind of thing that I want in my collection.
Now, some have compared this to NK Incense, but I have still yet to crack open my sample that a friend sent me, as I know the stuff is exceedingly hard to find. Still, I feel that if some reviews are willing to toss this into the ring of serious powerhouse incense fragrances like NK, then that can only speak volumes of just how well composed this is. Take what I've written as an amateur's attempt to cover a genre that I've only really ever scratched the surface with. If you want a more in depth and knowledgable take on the fragrance, I'll direct you to deadidol's review on fragrantica.com (at the time of this writing it is the top review).
Another from Sonoma Scent Studio that I plan on purchasing in the near future! Of course my timing is pretty crap since they are on break until fall it looks like, and the prices on Indiescents are a lot more than her personal website. Drats!
Fireside Intense: (5/24/14)
Yep, that's a fire alright. I mean, I didn't really expect anything else off of the top, but I had a feeling that this might smell more like the smoky notes in something like Bois de Ascece, but it doesn't, at least not initially. Right from the start I get an almost barbecued smell to this. There is cedar right up in the forefront, with birch tar swirling in there to make an almost plastic kind of vibe. To me, for some reason, I am reminded of barbecue flavored chips/crisps as you first open up the bag and get that initial puff of air. This actually reminds me a fair bit of Engin by MadHat scents, as it shares that same sort of smoke heavy style while having an odd, almost thin quality in the inhale. Though, unlike the latter, I find this one gets a little tiresome on the senses after a while, and turns into an almost burning trash/wet dog food smell, to me at least.
So, as it dries down I don't get a whole lot of development, and instead it starts to trick my nose into thinking it is something else entirely. My issue with this style of fragrance is that very often it isn't really something I want to wear on my skin for more than a few hours, and this is no exception. So, while I do applaud the attempt, this one just isn't for me.
Fig Tree: (5/25/14)
I'm going to start off by saying that I have very little experience when it comes to fig notes. I don't know any of the "flagship" or "touchstone" reference scents that use the note, so my little review here is about as amateur as you will ever see on this blog. Anyway, the opening is soapy and fresh, using the fig note to offer that almost coconutty vibe that I hear it often has. This opening is a little rough around the edges though, and is definitely not your typical fresh scent kind of opening. It has a lotion/bug spray kind of quality off the top that is not really to my liking, but it dissipates after a handful of minutes as the fragrance settles. Once it calms down a bit I get a big dose of green notes, probably from the leaves of the fig tree itself, boosted with a hit of patchouli and what I think is some sort of herb like basil (but I'm not sure on that one). It's interesting to me that this is much less fruity and much more green/fresh than I was expecting, but it definitely isn't a bad thing.
A few hours into wearing Fig Tree it settles down a bit like most fragrances, but it stays mostly linear from the top. That bug spray vibe is gone, but the green/freshness is still here. It is a bit sweeter and almost gourmand like after it sits for a long while, which is alright, but not really something I want if I am wearing it in the heat like today. Overall this was a good fragrance, but again not something I am going to seek out a bottle of. I wouldn't mind wearing on occasion, so maybe a decant would be in order, but I think I'd rather test out some other fig fragrances and see where this lands in comparison.
Sienna Musk: (5/26/14)
I have to say that I am generally a big fan of musks. Whether it is a dirty, skanky musk, or a cleaner, gentler musk. Sienna Musk is much more of the latter than the former, as it does not have any of that damp pungency of most of the musks that I have fell in love with in the past, and instead opts for a much lighter take on musk than I am accustomed to. The opening is almost entirely the light musk accord I just mentioned, and underneath there is a bit of vanilla that I am told is akin to her amber based fragrance, Amber Noir (which I have not sampled at this time). There is also a little dose of florals that are being hidden by the slightly sharp musk on inhale, but it is hard to identify which florals they are. Other reviewers have mentioned rose, but I find that this whole floral bouquet gets overtaken by the musk and a creamy, milky note that shows itself a few minutes into the opening.
As it dries down it is really much of the same. This scent is very close to the skin and very fresh, so this is definitely something I'd feel perfectly comfortable wearing out. That being said, this close to the skin nature feels like it would be best suited for an oil based perfume. The late dry down is really spectacularly good, as the vanilla and musk blend together so well that it turns into something just excellent, but at this point I can only really smell it on my clothes. This late dry down smells a lot like Musc Ravageur by Malle, as I get that clove spiciness that MR has in the opening. In the end, I didn't get a ton of longevity out of this one, and while it is nice for what it is, there are more interesting takes on the genre out there that I'd rather reach for.
Without further ado:
Jour Ensoleille: (5/21/14)
Right off the bat I knew I'd be interested in this one as soon as people mentioned neroli and musk as being two of the dominant notes in this fragrance. Indeed, the opening is a fairly literal interpretation and representation of neroli, something I am very familiar with as I grew up with a little orange tree in my room. In fact, this fragrance as a whole reminds me of my room growing up. A little musky since it was located in my grandparent's house (I have no idea why their house always smelled musty and musky to me...maybe mildew?), but the neroli and orange scents cut through that musk just like it does in Jour Ensoleille. The opening isn't very complex, as I mostly get the neroli and musk, but there is a tuberose/white florals suite in there as well. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of tuberose, but in this creation it is hovering in the background, so it isn't a deal breaker for me. The name is an excellent descriptor of the fragrance, as Jour Ensoleille translates to "sunny day" as long as my limited French hasn't failed me (I checked a translator to double check), and I feel this is perfect for that kind of weather, especially in the first hour of the fragrance before all of the surrounding florals come more to the forefront.
A few hours later, it has dried down a bit and I am left with mostly the same fragrance. The orange blossom is still at the forefront, but the muskiness has turned into a more plastic-like musk than the original mildew/house musk that it was previously. I fear these descriptions are rather personal and do not really lend themselves to helping outsiders figure out what this fragrance is about, but it is the best way that I can try and describe them. It is worth noting that as this ages on the skin, the feel of the fragrance ages as well. At first it had a classical yet modern feel to it up top, but by the time the mid notes and base notes come out it is very much a vintage, classical smelling fragrance. For me, this is a perfectly good thing, but it isn't something I want to smell like all the time. For an occasional spring wear I could see this being a hit, but it's not something I will be immediately seeking out a bottle of.
Champagne de Bois: (5/22/14)
As soon as this was put on my skin, I got a sweet, spicy vibe that smells almost like baked apples and cinnamon. I think the note is actually pears, but it gives off that same sort of scent profile. There is also a light, crisp vibe coming from the top notes that isn't from the fruit. I am positive this is aldehydes, as this is one of those notes I have a lot of experience with smelling on women since Chanel is so popular. This isn't like that kind of Chanel aldehyde though, it's much sharper up top and has a more gourmandy feel thanks to the pears and spices The whole first blast is very pleasant, with some lurking musks in the background that remind me of the musk in Jour Ensoleille, which had a parallel with a few I've tried from Serge Lutens.
As this starts to dry down there is an excellent dose of a labdanum rich amber accord that really serves to sweeten this up, but not in a negative way. This is the sort of thing I am not used to seeing in perfumery: A sweetened, not overly fruit-filled aldehyde fragrance. It's definitely unique, and one of the better openings and middles of a fragrance I've tried recently. There is something seductive about it that really draws me in. There are layers of complexity here and if I stick my nose to it closely I keep unveiling something new. This kind of reminds me of my grandmother's house as so many fragrances with labdanum do, and the essence that it has with aldehydes reminds me of my mother, who for her entire life has been wearing stuff like Windsong and Cristalle by Chanel. So, this really evokes some scent memories for me, which makes me like it even more. The more it dries down the more animalic it becomes. That musky labdanum becomes more of the center of the fragrance, and while this style of thing isn't new in perfumery, this transformation makes it rather interesting. What started as a lighter, slightly sweet aldehydic fragrance turns into something much skankier and this is a change that I personally really dig. Maybe it's just the name playing tricks on me, but I do kind of smell the idea of champagne soaked wood here in the dry down.
Definitely full bottle worthy. I'll have to wear this once more at the end of the sampling before sending it on to the next person.
Incense Pure: (5/23/14)
Well, the meaning is in the message the name gives off. This is indeed pure incense, with a big hit of frankincense from the very start, which dominates the top notes for a while. There is a lot going on in the background though, and the perfumer mentioned that she wanted to have this be a big frankincense fragrance with some labdanum in the notes to round it out alongside some sandalwood. I can't say that I get the sandalwood yet, but I definitely can see the underlying almost syrupy labdanum. This reminds me of a few other outdoorsy style incense, with the Comme des Garcons line coming to mind immediately with Kyoto (minus the cypress note) and Avignon (though definitely less cold), and Jovoy's La Liturgie des Heures with its coniferous green incense.
This is actually a fairly warm fragrance in terms of the genre, and that is something that I definitely commend it for, as all too often I find myself with cold, almost antiseptic smelling incenses coming in samples. It is hard for me to come to grips with describing and rating Pure Incense, as it is, at least at one point, a very true to life interpretation of its name. But,then as it dries down the greener notes come to light, and the whole fragrance becomes significantly more complex than it once was. It is this kind of duality that makes Incense Pure such an interesting fragrance, and I can tell just after one wearing that this is the kind of thing that I want in my collection.
Now, some have compared this to NK Incense, but I have still yet to crack open my sample that a friend sent me, as I know the stuff is exceedingly hard to find. Still, I feel that if some reviews are willing to toss this into the ring of serious powerhouse incense fragrances like NK, then that can only speak volumes of just how well composed this is. Take what I've written as an amateur's attempt to cover a genre that I've only really ever scratched the surface with. If you want a more in depth and knowledgable take on the fragrance, I'll direct you to deadidol's review on fragrantica.com (at the time of this writing it is the top review).
Another from Sonoma Scent Studio that I plan on purchasing in the near future! Of course my timing is pretty crap since they are on break until fall it looks like, and the prices on Indiescents are a lot more than her personal website. Drats!
Fireside Intense: (5/24/14)
Yep, that's a fire alright. I mean, I didn't really expect anything else off of the top, but I had a feeling that this might smell more like the smoky notes in something like Bois de Ascece, but it doesn't, at least not initially. Right from the start I get an almost barbecued smell to this. There is cedar right up in the forefront, with birch tar swirling in there to make an almost plastic kind of vibe. To me, for some reason, I am reminded of barbecue flavored chips/crisps as you first open up the bag and get that initial puff of air. This actually reminds me a fair bit of Engin by MadHat scents, as it shares that same sort of smoke heavy style while having an odd, almost thin quality in the inhale. Though, unlike the latter, I find this one gets a little tiresome on the senses after a while, and turns into an almost burning trash/wet dog food smell, to me at least.
So, as it dries down I don't get a whole lot of development, and instead it starts to trick my nose into thinking it is something else entirely. My issue with this style of fragrance is that very often it isn't really something I want to wear on my skin for more than a few hours, and this is no exception. So, while I do applaud the attempt, this one just isn't for me.
Fig Tree: (5/25/14)
I'm going to start off by saying that I have very little experience when it comes to fig notes. I don't know any of the "flagship" or "touchstone" reference scents that use the note, so my little review here is about as amateur as you will ever see on this blog. Anyway, the opening is soapy and fresh, using the fig note to offer that almost coconutty vibe that I hear it often has. This opening is a little rough around the edges though, and is definitely not your typical fresh scent kind of opening. It has a lotion/bug spray kind of quality off the top that is not really to my liking, but it dissipates after a handful of minutes as the fragrance settles. Once it calms down a bit I get a big dose of green notes, probably from the leaves of the fig tree itself, boosted with a hit of patchouli and what I think is some sort of herb like basil (but I'm not sure on that one). It's interesting to me that this is much less fruity and much more green/fresh than I was expecting, but it definitely isn't a bad thing.
A few hours into wearing Fig Tree it settles down a bit like most fragrances, but it stays mostly linear from the top. That bug spray vibe is gone, but the green/freshness is still here. It is a bit sweeter and almost gourmand like after it sits for a long while, which is alright, but not really something I want if I am wearing it in the heat like today. Overall this was a good fragrance, but again not something I am going to seek out a bottle of. I wouldn't mind wearing on occasion, so maybe a decant would be in order, but I think I'd rather test out some other fig fragrances and see where this lands in comparison.
Sienna Musk: (5/26/14)
I have to say that I am generally a big fan of musks. Whether it is a dirty, skanky musk, or a cleaner, gentler musk. Sienna Musk is much more of the latter than the former, as it does not have any of that damp pungency of most of the musks that I have fell in love with in the past, and instead opts for a much lighter take on musk than I am accustomed to. The opening is almost entirely the light musk accord I just mentioned, and underneath there is a bit of vanilla that I am told is akin to her amber based fragrance, Amber Noir (which I have not sampled at this time). There is also a little dose of florals that are being hidden by the slightly sharp musk on inhale, but it is hard to identify which florals they are. Other reviewers have mentioned rose, but I find that this whole floral bouquet gets overtaken by the musk and a creamy, milky note that shows itself a few minutes into the opening.
As it dries down it is really much of the same. This scent is very close to the skin and very fresh, so this is definitely something I'd feel perfectly comfortable wearing out. That being said, this close to the skin nature feels like it would be best suited for an oil based perfume. The late dry down is really spectacularly good, as the vanilla and musk blend together so well that it turns into something just excellent, but at this point I can only really smell it on my clothes. This late dry down smells a lot like Musc Ravageur by Malle, as I get that clove spiciness that MR has in the opening. In the end, I didn't get a ton of longevity out of this one, and while it is nice for what it is, there are more interesting takes on the genre out there that I'd rather reach for.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Americana Rust by MatHat Scents review
When I heard that my friend on Basenotes rynegene had started up his own small indie perfume house, I have to admit I was very jealous, as it is something I have been wanting to do for the past year (the cost is prohibitive). I was also excited since he and I share similar scent profiles, and he and I are also big fans of the work of modern master perfumer Josh Lobb and his Slumberhouse line. I feel Josh's influences running through MadHat's line, and this excited me even further.
Anyway, Americana Rust is the first sample I am trying, and right off the bat I am impressed by how lifelike the tobacco note is.It smells not unlike the humidor I have sitting next to me that is filled with cigars that are aging for later use. Indeed, this opening is not so much a raw tobacco smell, but a slowly curing yet still edgy tobacco. One thing that I find interesting about this opening is that there really are not any supporting notes to go along with it. All too often in the perfume world perfumers feel the need to add vanilla or cherry or something along those lines to "smooth" out the tobacco, but this just isn't needed here. The quality is absolutely impeccable, and it's hard to put into words. It's also worth noting that there is a chemical undertone here, but it isn't a synthetic feel, almost a tar like smokiness that might be playing at the idea the perfumer had to make this smell just like a Kentucky tobacco curing house. It definitely is not a light cigar or cigarette kind of scent, as it is more subtle than that, and is smelled only in the background behind that tobacco note. I would wager that it is the combo of cade and oud that causes this. It is worth noting that this intro is very strong, so those of you who do not like assertive scents, you may either find this not for you, or you may have to stick it out a few hours and wait for the mid and dry down where it gets toned down a bit.
Once you get to the mid notes, the leathery vibe starts to enter the forefront. I doubt that any leather is actually present in the note breakdown, as I think this is a trick that the tobacco and smokiness are playing now that they have melded with my skin a bit. The more I think about it the more it smells akin to the slightly powdery leather in Cuir Pleine Fleur by Carner Barcelona. It doesn't have that orris root type of powder, but there is definitely some softness underneath everything, likely due to one of my favorite notes, guaiac wood. It's a nice transition, but the overall scent stays pretty linear throughout its life.
As the dry down comes, the cade/oud combo is mostly what I smell accompanied by a very slight sliver of sandalwood. The tobacco is there but it has faded to the background in favor of that more smoky aspect the fragrance has. The lasting power is very good, as I've gotten 8+ hours easily in my two wearings, and I would say the projection is closer to the skin, at least after the intro where it felt like I could be smelled from across the room. Overall, I really like this scent. It is fairly different in the genre of tobacco scents, and it is a good attempt at trying to get rid of all of the fillers so many houses add into them. One knock I have is that it doesn't smell good necessarily, and seems like it might be more at home in an avant-garde candle than a fragrance one would wear out to places. Though, this isn't truly a negative, as it makes for a great wear while at home, and I'd bet that given the proper weather (read: Not 75 degrees out), it would flourish perfectly into something great.
At the very least, it is worth a sniff, and as with the rest of the line, the price is right.
--Andrew
A homecoming: Starting up reviews immediately
Hello all,
I know I never really gained a ton of views last year, but I am hoping to keep this blog up and running again for at least this summer, hopefully longer. Anyway, I have a lot of great ideas and some cool reviews slated for this "season" and I hope that you all will stick around and check them out! I should be posting a review today to kick things off.
Best,
Andrew
I know I never really gained a ton of views last year, but I am hoping to keep this blog up and running again for at least this summer, hopefully longer. Anyway, I have a lot of great ideas and some cool reviews slated for this "season" and I hope that you all will stick around and check them out! I should be posting a review today to kick things off.
Best,
Andrew
Saturday, April 5, 2014
The return is soon
Hello all,
I kind of doubt anyone is actually still reading this, but I do keep the link in my signature on Basenotes. Anyway, for those of you clicking on said link and seeing that my last review was nearly a year ago, worry not, as coming next month (May) I will be doing reviews a lot more often. As of now, I've been in school and my time has been dedicated to that, but now that the summer is coming up, I'll have more free time to write to all of you.
Hope to see you all in a month,
Best,
Andrew
I kind of doubt anyone is actually still reading this, but I do keep the link in my signature on Basenotes. Anyway, for those of you clicking on said link and seeing that my last review was nearly a year ago, worry not, as coming next month (May) I will be doing reviews a lot more often. As of now, I've been in school and my time has been dedicated to that, but now that the summer is coming up, I'll have more free time to write to all of you.
Hope to see you all in a month,
Best,
Andrew
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Seconds on the Clock: Dries Van Noten by Frederic Malle
So, I received this sample from Sjorn (a salesperson for Essenza-Nobile), and it was one that I was very interested in since I had ordered Musc Ravageur from the same house. Dries Van Noten is brand new for 2013, and has been getting a lot of attention on Basenotes and other blogs. Let's see how it does.
12:10 p.m.: This is the opening of the fragrance. What I get off the top is very sweet and lightly powdery. It has an interesting smooth woodiness here, but it is definitely not a note I'm used to smelling. The note breakdown says it is sandalwood, so perhaps it's the combination between that and the vanilla that is causing this smell. It's not a bad smell, but it has this roasted feeling to it that could be the tonka coming through, and an almost synthetic/plasticy vibe just behind that. Not totally unpleasant, but not the opening I was expecting.
12:30 p.m.: I'm now noticing a milky note coming through. It's not super strong, but it is almost reminiscent of vanilla flavored milk for those of you who've ever bought the syrup. It's still pretty sweet, and that plastic note is still in there.
2:25 p.m.: Things have calmed down considerably. I'm getting the guaiac wood more now, which is a good thing. Much like in the last review, it's interplay with the tonka is very nice and distinctive. The milky notes persist, and the vanilla is more noticeable. It's reminding me of frosted breakfast cereal now.
3:00 p.m.: The softening of Dries Van Noten continues. The woodiness is definitely starting to come up into its own now, but the other players from before are here. I'm not really sure how much longer this is going to last projection wise since it seems like a lighter, softer scent.
4:00 p.m.: It is very faint now, and I assume the drydown is here after 3 p.m. at the latest. I'm still getting woods (guaiac in particular) and a slight vanilla note.
I'm going to stop the time here. It may last a bit longer, but at this point it will be so light that unless someone is intentionally sniffing my shirt, no one would notice. I know 4 hours may not seem very good, but I only sprayed about one and a half sprays from a sample, so I'm sure a full wearing would get you to the 6 hour range that is generally considered the start of the good zone longevity wise.
Overall I'm not super impressed with this release off the bat, but I have a feeling this is one of those fragrances you have to sit with for a while to really understand. I'll probably do a proper review in a few months once I have more time with it. As of now, I like it.
Be sure to check out www.essenza-nobile.de for a great deal on a bottle if you are persuaded enough to pick one up, or are curious yourself.
Monday, April 29, 2013
First Impressions: Rose Ishtar by Rania
Straight up, I want to let you know that I was gifted this sample along with several others by Sjorn from Essenza-Nobile. I also want to mention that he asked me to link to the site at the end of the review, so I will do that. First a quick note on them so I don't have to circle back or mention it elsewhere, I recently bought Musc Ravageur and got a great deal, and if you can wait out the long shipping overseas, I recommend it.
Anyway, on with Rose Ishtar. I want to say that I am not very familiar with or particularly comfortable with wearing female fragrances, and this one is definitely that.
I get a lot of rose off the top, but it's a very squeaky clean rose that's a little piercing on it's own like it largely is in the opening. Fortunately, after that I get some of one of my favorite notes, guaiac wood. There is also some roasty, slightly sweet tonka bean that I like a lot.
Once it settles down a bit, that piercing rose fades down into a pretty realistic rose, but nothing I haven't smelled before. I get a dirty vibe from this, which I think is coming from the guaiac wood and some patchouli that helps round out the composition.
Rose Ishtar seems like a linear composition, which isn't something I particularly like given its price tag. Still, I get what the perfumer was trying to do. It seems like they wanted a different rose fragrance than the hundreds that are out there on the market (most marketed toward women), and in a way they succeed. Sweetness and darkness with rose is something I've seen done before, and done better (Noir de Noir for example), but the woods and patchouli in this does make it stand out from the crowd as something at least worth trying for the women out there who are interested in fragrances, or some comfortable men. It's definitely feminine smelling to my nose, though.
Link: http://shop.essenza-nobile.de/
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A long voyage: First impressions of O'driu part 1- Lalfeogrigio
I want to preface this by saying that I am not a trained nose, and I can tell already that this house is definitely tailored to those who have a high scent knowledge and scent identification ability. This is just my take on the first fragrance from the line that I have sampled. Fortunately, you get enough juice for two or three good wearings, so I can come back to this since these impressions are being made from just one wearing in a stream of thought writing style not too deviant from my Seconds on the Clock series.
Start (12:30ish): The first thing I get is the smell of when I enter my local incense/tea/spices shop Seven Arrows. It smells highly of that type of kitchen spice accord (cumin, pepper, basil, etc.).
~1:00 p.m.: I get a lot of paprika/pepper and woody notes, with a softer edge in the background that smells more floral (but soft, very, exquisitely soft like high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets wrapped around the opening woody notes).
I am also starting to notice an anise like note as well. It is a little sharp and helps to balance out the softness of the floral undertone that I mentioned. It is definitely not in-your-face licorice or anything like that, but it is noticeable to me.
~1:20 p.m.: This seems to change very quickly, almost instantly. I've heard from other reviewers that this actually has over fifty different notes in it, and the stuff listed on Fragrantica really isn't helping me very much in discerning which notes are which. This is definitely a "try it and figure it out for yourself" type of scent, since I can only imagine that every single person who tries it will get something different from it.
Anyway, I'm still in the spicy/woody phase right now, but I am expecting this to turn either floral or resinous once it starts to dry down, just judging from the way it smells now. I have a feeling the florals will die down though, and the darker stuff will reign supreme soon enough.
~1:50 p.m.: I'm starting to get more of a bitter coffee note, but not so much brewed coffee, more the smell of the bag of coffee or what I imagine the roasting process smells like. This combines to my nose with the anise to make a twisting, singular scent when examined very closely. The spices are starting to die down considerably though, and it smells like a shadow of its former self right now (not necessarily a bad thing).
~2:15 p.m.: It is definitely more resinous now and I don't get as many florals. Maybe the floral is jasmine? Anyway, I'm getting some non-sweet amber right now.
~3:00 p.m.: At this point I'm starting to get something more animalic and resinous. Not sure if it is leather or what, but it is noticeable.
~4:25 p.m.: Things have settled down a lot now. I'm getting a slightly powdery smell ala Ambre Precieux, and still some faint spiciness and softness in there. At this point the scent is light.
~5:00 p.m.: This stage of the scent seems to be the end. It has flattened out.
Overall I really like this first offering from O'driu. Is it worth the over $1,000 price tag? Probably not. But, I guess since there were only eight bottles made you would be paying for exclusivity if you found it. Me, I'll stick with the sample! Very nice juice though, and I am very impressed with the ingredients, composition, and overall smell.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Seconds on the Clock: Sel Marin by Heely
I hear a lot about this fragrance, but at the same time I hear next to nothing. How is this possible, you ask? Well, it seems to have found its niche audience (pun intended), and among those people, it's a big hit. But, I still don't hear it talked about a lot on Basenotes or YouTube. Well, I snagged a sample, so let's go:
8:00 a.m.- It has a really familiar aroma. I can't quite place it, but it feels like the background feeling of the heart notes of MI minus the burst of melon. I get a delicate scent that is a little bit salty, a little bit fresh, and very pleasant. It does have a slight chemical smell that reminds me of body wash, but that's not a really bad thing, considering I just got out of the shower and I could be smelling that. We'll see if that goes away as the scent of the body wash dries to nothing and the perfume comes into its own.
8:24 a.m.- I'm getting more of a floral vibe now, which is interesting. I can't place the floral, but it might be the seagrass and moss that is listed in the notes. So, essentially just an odd floral note, but it is actually pretty nice.
8:29 a.m.- Okay, you know what it is....SAND! That's what I am smelling. But, not dirty, wet sand, but fresh, sun baked on the beach sand that mixes with foamed, crystallized salt. I've grown up by the ocean my whole life and I'm definitely being reminded of a sand vibe.
9:40 a.m.- I'm getting more of a sea vibe than before. The sand thing is definitely still there, but I am starting to get a hint of something green in the background (just a little bit though).
10:43 a.m.- At this point I am definitely getting something green. I think it is the seagrass for sure now, though I hear people mention that vetiver is in the notes. I'm not sure I get that, but I like the smell for sure, and it has helped that floral vibe die down a bit. I have to admit, I think Sel Marin is going to wear out completely within the next hour or so, which would be pretty bad longevity. That being said, I did only put on half a .7mL sample (dabbed), so it may do better sprayed from a proper bottle.
11:40 a.m.- It's dying down more so now, but I am getting something that reminds me of seabreeze...which is really hard to explain. I'll just leave it at that.
1:38 p.m.- I'm calling it. Sel Marin is dead as of 1:40ish p.m. Even in the last hour or two was very faded, but I have a feeling that if I applied more, I would have had better longevity. As of now, that's about 5 hours of longevity.
The price for this is not exactly cheap, $180 for 100 mL, but even at $1.80 per mL, I think it's worth it for the beauty that this fragrance exudes. Just after one wearing I can tell that this is an aquatic done right, and that's coming from someone that honestly hates aquatics. So far it's a thumbs up!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
First Impressions (quick look): L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme Summer 2013 by Issey Miyake
Since I care so much about that, the first thing I want to say is that I sprayed two sprays of this on my wrist at a Macy's today, and I spent probably two or three hours smelling it and gathering my thoughts, soon after washing it off in favor of a fragrance in my collection to wear for the night.
In that time, I've learned a few things. The first thing I've learned is that "Summer 2013" is very synthetic, something I am averse to in fragrances. And yes, I know, I know, most things in all fragrances, be they niche or designer, $20 or $200, are synthetic. And yes, while those are indeed facts, I can tell the difference between good and bad quality notes, and in the case of Miyake's concoction, it's not favorable.
Still, it is very fruity, with a fairly noticeable kiwi note (which is good considering it's kind of the main selling point). There is also pineapple listed in the notes, but I didn't get too much other than kiwi as a distinguished fruit note.
Summer 2013 has a sort of typical fruity smell that many light fragrances in the men's and women's sections tend to have these days, and it's not exactly a good thing to my nose. While it doesn't smell bad or anything, it is just...bland.
And that's kind of the story of Summer 2013: Synthetic blandness. It would be great for someone who wants something light and fresh for summer, but for the $70 price tag, I can think of better ways of spending my money on summer scents (like the $57 I spent on 30mL of Jardin d'Amalfi by Creed, or the $30 I spent on 30mL of Neroli Portofino).
I may seem like a niche snob, and maybe I am to a certain extent, but this is not something I desire to wear on my skin more than the one time.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Seconds on the clock: Geranium Pour Monsieur by Frederic Malle
So, this is an idea I just had. What I'm going to do is put on a sample I received (dab sample) of a fragrance, and I will offer a time log of what it smells like and how it is performing until it dies down. This is probably going to span most of the day.
This time, for my first attempt I am choosing GPM by Frederick Malle, a fragrance I've heard a lot about and figured I should try.
Let's go:
10:25 a.m.- Half of a .7mL fragrance vial applied to neck and one dab to my tee-shirt. The opening I get is very minty, almost like a cross between natural mint ala 1861 and Menthe Fraiche and a more synthetic mint like toothpaste. I make that comparison (which many avoid in this fragrance and say it does not smell like toothpaste) more because it smells sweetened and not like cutting a fresh mint leaf with a sharp knife. I'll also be the first to admit that I don't know what "geranium" smells like, generally speaking, so I may say it smells floral, and that means like geranium. So far no florals. Oh, and it also smells ever-so medicinal.
10:36 a.m.- Starting to see some green peaking in. Though, it's not as sweet as the mint opening, so I'm wondering what is laying beneath the top notes.
10:52 a.m.- The sweetness is nearly gone, which is a good thing. I don't mind a sweet opening, but I can't say I expected it. The mint is still here for sure, but those green notes are coming up more and more, and they seem almost bitter...the complete opposite of sweet.
11:28 a.m.- Much of the same is happening. The mint is drying down and as a result, is starting to give way to those green notes. Still not really getting any florals. Odd though, my skin actually feels cooler where I put this on. Must be the mint in action.
2:20 p.m.- It seems to be much of the same as before, though growing faint. The mint is nearly gone, and I am left with a slight, sharp floral note that is wrapped around those greens. The greens seem more bright now, perhaps because the brightness of the mint is no longer as prominent. Still, I like this a good deal. The price is very steep though.
4:04 p.m.- Fading a lot now, and I am getting more of that floral note. Mint is very faint, and the green notes are still there. Really hard to distinguish notes now though.
4:46 p.m.- I'm going to call it. This is pretty much the end for me. Unless I smell my shirt intentionally, I won't smell any fragrance.
So, six hours isn't bad, but at $250 for 100mL I'd expect more in the 8-10 hour range. Still, it's a nice fragrance and one that I would be happy to be given or have more samples of, but ultimately, after this first wearing at least, not something I'm going to shell out big bucks for.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
First Impressions: Jeke Extrait (March 2013 batch) by Slumberhouse
Enter Josh Lobb, a man who's whole life now revolves around scent, and yet for the longest time he had no interest whatsoever. I emailed him six months ago or so asking about the sample suite he offers on his site, wondering if I could get a few extra samples of fragrances not included and pay the difference. He responded within the hour, saying he'd include what I asked for with no extra charge, and thanked me wholeheartedly for my purchase and support.
I knew from then that he would become my friend, and in a way redefine what I consider friendship. Many months later now, we've corresponded in the neighborhood of 25 or 30 times, and during that time I've learned a lot about his fragrances, and most importantly, the man behind the fragrances. Josh is a strong person, and if I could end up like him when I turn 30, I'd be very happy.
The reason I bring all this up is to set the stage for a first impressions post. He sent my mother a sample of Pear and Olive so she could figure out if it was something she wanted for her birthday (it was), and along with it, unknown to me, he sent along a sample of his newest version of Jeke, a fragrance I'd experienced a few times in the past during my month long Slumberhouse binge back during winter break, and one I've now worn the newest version of just once.
Jeke is an interesting creature, and really, like most Slumberhouse fragrances, is more of an experience than simply a fragrance. I know it sounds lame, but stay with me here. See, the thing with Slumberhouse, and in particular Jeke, is that if you give up after the first hour or so, you're not getting the whole story.
Just like all his other creations in their last few iterations, there are no dedicated top notes in Jeke, which is interesting, because it comes off as very dark, rooty, and dirty off the top, something I'm familiar enough with. Still, after a bit of breathing, the bracing harshness of the fragrance starts to die and you are left with the heart of a very modern masculine that somehow harkens back to the lost days of perfumery where every creation was new and exciting. This is something uncommon today, and is something that Josh seems to capture like a still photograph that sticks in his mind while creating fragrances.
Once everything settles in, Jeke changes considerably, into a softer, yet still robust combination of benzoin, woods, and some tobacco to round it off (it certainly seems he loves tobacco). Oh, and a note on the tobacco in his fragrances. It is usually dry, very dry, but also very unique. I can't quite place another fragrance that smells of the same styling of tobacco, but if you bear with me, it's like the smell of a dried out humidor after it's been aired out and all the water has been sucked out of the reservoir. It's not exact by any means, though.
At first, I wasn't such a big fan of Jeke, but now with this new version, it has this strange allure to it that makes me want to wear it more and more. Once I get a truly proper review in my mind, I'll post an addendum to this with the same opening as what you found here in that review.
Overall, I'd suggest every curious nose catch a whiff of Jeke, as it is truly an original composition.
If you want to know anything about Josh, I offer you a quote from his last email to me regarding Pear and Olive: "I'm very proud with the final result -- hopefully it treats your mother to many great wearings and memories." Indeed it will, and perhaps, in time, Jeke will for me as well.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Introducing "First Takes"
As a brand new blog, and me fairly new to the scene as a whole, I've been wanting to include some articles that highlight certain things I'm interested in around the fragrance world. The first thing that came to mind was doing a first take series like you would see on Youtube or elsewhere.
These will not be full reviews like the one I did on L'Air du Desert Marocain, but will highlight my initial thoughts on the fragrance, offer some insight, and send you on your way to anticipate a full review once I've spend a sufficient amount of time with a fragrance.
Also I feel I should be honest when I review a fragrance, so while I'm on the topic, I'll mention that each time I do a review, first take, or anything else review based on this blog, I'll be sure to mention just how long I've spent with each fragrance.
Cheers, and I look forward to offering a first take on several fragrances in the near future.
--Andrew
These will not be full reviews like the one I did on L'Air du Desert Marocain, but will highlight my initial thoughts on the fragrance, offer some insight, and send you on your way to anticipate a full review once I've spend a sufficient amount of time with a fragrance.
Also I feel I should be honest when I review a fragrance, so while I'm on the topic, I'll mention that each time I do a review, first take, or anything else review based on this blog, I'll be sure to mention just how long I've spent with each fragrance.
Cheers, and I look forward to offering a first take on several fragrances in the near future.
--Andrew
Monday, March 18, 2013
L'Air du Desert Marocain by Andy Tauer
It's funny to me when I listen to people talk about childhood memories, because there is always one little thing that reminds them of some grandiose story that weaves in and out of believability. I humor them of course, as I expect others do for me.
When I came across L'Air du Desert Marocain (LDDM) by Andy Tauer, it was completely by accident. I was asked to tell someone what sample I would like to try with an order, and I said Oud Wood. However, I was given the Tauer, and after being upset for a moment, I sprayed it on and we were introduced. This was not a formal introduction, and in fact, it would have to wait for today, my second proper wearing, to really come and explain itself completely.
I was actually waffling quite about about LDDM, since while I have an affinity for incense in life in general, and more specifically in perfumery, I didn't think it did one particular thing perfectly, but rather several different things good enough by modern standards.
Just a few minutes ago, though, I was transported not to Morocco, but rather the basement of my grandparents old house on a small pond. I'm not sure why, but between the amber, incense, and coriander feel I get from it, I am reminded of that basement with every breath I'm drawing in.
Needless to say, when you can attach a memory to a scent, it ends up holding a special meaning for you. And thus, L'Air du Desert Marocain has etched itself in my memory so perfectly that I can't help but love it.
When it is first sprayed, I get a heavy dose of incense, and while it is not listed in the notes directly, I definitely get that distinct burning incense feel that so many fragrances claim as one of a kind (here's looking at you, Avignon). Still, this isn't as linear as most incense heavy fragrances, as it has a backbone of amber that adds a little sweetness, and when combined with the coriander creates a slightly sticky pile of seeds held together by a very faint smoke, again, like burning incense.
After it settles on the skin, the incense does the same and it reminds me of walking into my grandparents basement as a young child, hoping there is ice cream in the standalone freezer. Maple Walnut, my favorite. And, somewhat like that unique flavor, LDDM has a hint of sweetness that blossoms into an enveloping wrap that helps the incense stay calm. It's during this time that cedar and vetiver start to peak their head in, checking on the amber/incense combo to see if it's asleep.
Once things die down, nearly ten hours later, the woods start to become more apparent. Don't get me wrong, the combo is still there, but I embrace the change just like we all had to when the house was sold a few years back. But, unlike my family, I can relive my memories of that house in an instant with one spray.
I hesitate to say it becomes completely woody, as that would be a misguided judgement. Rather, it morphs into a peppery, woody base thanks to the vetiver that provides its signature rooty, earthiness that I've become fond of these last few months.
Performance and longevity are very good, though I'm not sure it forms a hand and tickles the nostrils of those six feet from me like some love to claim. Instead, I'd say it's arms-legth projection at most. Still, that's all I really want from a fragrance, and seeing as it lasts between ten and twelve hours on my skin, I can't say that I am disappointed.
To be honest, it's hard for me to judge it solely as a scent alone now, as it has woven itself into my memories. It sounds corny as all hell, and maybe it is, but in my mind scent memories are one of the most important benefits of fragrance collecting. After all, don't we all long for that one scent to take us back to a good time in our lives?
L'Air du Desert Marocain does just that, and as a result, has found its way into my collection. Sleep tight, Mr.Tauer. I'll call upon you when I want to reminisce.
--Andrew
An Introduction
Hello everyone, first of all thank you for visiting my fragrance blog. Now, I want to start off by saying that this blog is not being run by a very experienced nose, nor is it being run by a snobby, overly critical perfume expert, so don't expect the topics and fragrances discussed from here on out to be like a typical fragrance review. Instead, I hope to paint a picture with words, and be able to give you a reason to either pick up a sample or completely avoid a given fragrance. Most of these reviews will not be of brand new fragrances, and in many cases, they will be for fragrances most of the community already knows about and have perhaps already smelled. This is fine. My goal here is not to introduce readers to uncharted territories in perfumery, but rather to offer my own style of reviews, largely to express myself and my views more openly.
I hope you enjoy the blog, and please be sure to leave a message if you want to offer your opinion or some feedback. I'm a writer by trade, so I am used to criticism.
--Andrew
I hope you enjoy the blog, and please be sure to leave a message if you want to offer your opinion or some feedback. I'm a writer by trade, so I am used to criticism.
--Andrew
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