Today, I decided that I need to lean on the lighter side of things, so very deliberately pulled from "my" pile of fragrances I've been wanting to try. I discarded a couple of florals (I am NOT feeling floral today, no way, no how) so it really wasn't exactly a blind grab, but after the last tuberose went by, I said, "Okay, whatever hits next is it." I admit that I was pretty relieved when I saw this in my hand.
According to Luckyscent, the notes for this one are: key lime, ginger, cola accord, neroli petals, coriander seeds, thyme, macaron accord, amber, and musk.
I had some...trepidation about that coriander. Sometimes coriander goes directly to sweaty underarm funk. Sometimes, it's more polite and holds the base and "dirties" up whatever I'm wearing juuuuust enough to make it a tad flirty. Sometimes, it acts like it will behave and then goes to skunk. So.
At first application, this is ooooh yum. Lickable, tasty vanilla, with a touch of that cola, and macaron (without any hint of coconut, and I'm glad for that). It immediately passed the sniff appreciation test for both me and my husband. (He said, "Oooh! I like this one!")
As it dries down, some of the key lime lifts up from somewhere underneath and gives the cola a bit of fizz. The thyme stays low, waaaay low, but it keeps the sugar from going too overboard. And the coriander? Well, now, I think that has decided to play nice after all. It's coming across as a bit of a woody note (probably with help from the thyme), and dances on a slightly herbal edge while fluttering some eyelashes and promising long slow walks on the beach.
On my husband, the wood lifts up even more than on my skin, and the vanilla takes on a slightly masculine purr. On me, the ginger seems to weave in and out, but never comes across as ginger, but more so something that helps out that cola note to keep from going flat. I don't really get the neroli petals, unless it's helping along the slightly creamy vibe I'm getting.
As it dries further, the coriander does go a tad more dirty, but it continues to behave just enough to help hold the sweetness of this one in check. I do feel somewhat like a confection, and it's tempting me to go find a sun dress, a big hat, and pretend I have nothing better to do than sit around being delectable. Since that would only last for about two minutes before I get bored, I've decided that this is a perfectly fun, bright fragrance with a lot of interest and notes, and that relies on the vanilla/macaron to keep it from being anywhere close to staid. It's bright, sweet, and pretty, and seems like it would wear well any time of the year. (And it's rather delicious on both men and women.)
Showing posts with label vanilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vanilla. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2020
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Voix Humaine 8 EDP, by Filippo Sorcinelli - SAUF
Summer has hit here, and the humidity levels are of the sort that bring sinus headaches and thoughts of running away to Alaska in winter. Which means it can be difficult to get back into trying samples. However, despite the humidity, curiosity said, "Why aren't we playing with those lovely lovely vials," and so I blind-grabbed another.
The Luckyscent notes for this one are: bergamot, cardamom, elemi, ambrette, jasmine, orange blossom, amber, leather, olibanum, milk mousse, musk, and vanilla.
At first application, my husband said, "Wow, the vanilla is pretty dominant. It smells like opening vanilla," and he waved vaguely at the kitchen. We both agreed that it was definitely not a sweeter more sugary vanilla, but that deep woody and warm vanilla that comes from vanilla pods.
Within minutes, we both are finding it fascinating that sometimes what seems to disappear on his skin (or drop down really quickly) will hold on me, and what disappears on me seems to hold better on him. This is one that immediately went all snuggly skin scent on him, whereas on me, the vanilla leaned over to the cardamom and leather and said, "Let's play."
Along with the frolicking leather/vanilla, a faint under note of something that sometimes comes across as fresh pine, or a deep resin (which I suspect is the olibanum, since olibanum is basically frankincense, and frankincense can range from church incense to pine to other resins) helps to round out and flirt with the vanilla beautifully (while the bergamot flirts from the other side).
We both liked how it seems to shift around a bit initially. This did not in any way get the "Oh gross, urinal puck," face from him (as a couple of the ones that had orange blossom in them did). For me, it's leaning slightly toward the "wood pudding" fragrances that I simply cannot get enough of, but this has a lighter touch, and the musk has a slightly messy hair, sultry vibe to round out the edges and make this a little less snuggly and a little more leather corset.
I suspect the jasmine and the leather are partly giving that sliiiiightly animalic growl, but mmmm they play so well with the rest of the other notes, and the ambrette is adding a "clean skin" lift so it doesn't come across as heavy as some of the notes indicate it could.
This is...delicious. I actually think I could wear this out in the humidity and heat without it feeling stifling, but it will also be delightful on chilly days, and in the long dark days of winter. This fragrance feels like...light and home or like looking across at someone you love while an autumn sky fades from silvery lavender to navy, and a freshly baked vanilla something or other wafts itself around you, and waaaay off in the distance you get the scent of hewn logs. This is love and home, and...sigh...I may actually have to get a bottle.
The Luckyscent notes for this one are: bergamot, cardamom, elemi, ambrette, jasmine, orange blossom, amber, leather, olibanum, milk mousse, musk, and vanilla.
At first application, my husband said, "Wow, the vanilla is pretty dominant. It smells like opening vanilla," and he waved vaguely at the kitchen. We both agreed that it was definitely not a sweeter more sugary vanilla, but that deep woody and warm vanilla that comes from vanilla pods.
Within minutes, we both are finding it fascinating that sometimes what seems to disappear on his skin (or drop down really quickly) will hold on me, and what disappears on me seems to hold better on him. This is one that immediately went all snuggly skin scent on him, whereas on me, the vanilla leaned over to the cardamom and leather and said, "Let's play."
Along with the frolicking leather/vanilla, a faint under note of something that sometimes comes across as fresh pine, or a deep resin (which I suspect is the olibanum, since olibanum is basically frankincense, and frankincense can range from church incense to pine to other resins) helps to round out and flirt with the vanilla beautifully (while the bergamot flirts from the other side).
We both liked how it seems to shift around a bit initially. This did not in any way get the "Oh gross, urinal puck," face from him (as a couple of the ones that had orange blossom in them did). For me, it's leaning slightly toward the "wood pudding" fragrances that I simply cannot get enough of, but this has a lighter touch, and the musk has a slightly messy hair, sultry vibe to round out the edges and make this a little less snuggly and a little more leather corset.
I suspect the jasmine and the leather are partly giving that sliiiiightly animalic growl, but mmmm they play so well with the rest of the other notes, and the ambrette is adding a "clean skin" lift so it doesn't come across as heavy as some of the notes indicate it could.
This is...delicious. I actually think I could wear this out in the humidity and heat without it feeling stifling, but it will also be delightful on chilly days, and in the long dark days of winter. This fragrance feels like...light and home or like looking across at someone you love while an autumn sky fades from silvery lavender to navy, and a freshly baked vanilla something or other wafts itself around you, and waaaay off in the distance you get the scent of hewn logs. This is love and home, and...sigh...I may actually have to get a bottle.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Eau Duelle by Diptyque
I blind grabbed this morning, and have to admit that I was pretty happy when Eau Duelle was the pick. This is one I've loved for years, but I wanted to get another sample because I was (finally) feeling almost ready to buy a bottle, and I wanted to be sure (after having used up several other samples a while ago lol).
This time, though, the husband is on the journey with me, and I am very curious about his take.
According to Luckyscent, these are the notes (for the EDP version): pink peppercorn, juniper berry, cardamom, cypress, frankincense, calamus, Black ceylan tea, cistus, Bourbon vanilla, vanilla pod, vetyver, cypriol, ambroxin.
At first application, he sniffed, smiled, and said, "Oh! I like that!" Immediate pop of wood shavings, a touch of bite, and vanilla. He sniffed a little longer and said, "This reminds me a little of one of those lotions you used to wear when we were dating." Ah, yes, Victoria's Secret vanilla lotion. Every time I walked into a room after putting it on, I'd hear, "I smell chocolate chip cookies!" This does have that vanilla, baked goods undercurrent (especially on me).
As it dries, on him it seems to hold the wood shavings better then it does on me, although he keeps saying it smells like the lotion, and is picking up a lot of vanilla. On me, it goes all snuggly wood-puddingesque, and whispers sweet nothings in my ear while we take long walks on the beach. This really was my first "wood pudding" vibe love, and although it does remind me of Lune Feline (or vice versa) this one has a softer touch with the musk, a little more on the wood, and will always make my heart sigh and melt.
To me, this is the perfect autumn day fragrance. Dark low skies, cold temps, leaves falling from trees, and this on a scarf or wafting around you? Perfection.
On this gray, rainy, tropical storm incoming kind of day, I'm glad that this is what I picked out. It's a perfect reminder to find the joy, the light and bright and sparkly things that make our hearts happy, in life.
This time, though, the husband is on the journey with me, and I am very curious about his take.
According to Luckyscent, these are the notes (for the EDP version): pink peppercorn, juniper berry, cardamom, cypress, frankincense, calamus, Black ceylan tea, cistus, Bourbon vanilla, vanilla pod, vetyver, cypriol, ambroxin.
At first application, he sniffed, smiled, and said, "Oh! I like that!" Immediate pop of wood shavings, a touch of bite, and vanilla. He sniffed a little longer and said, "This reminds me a little of one of those lotions you used to wear when we were dating." Ah, yes, Victoria's Secret vanilla lotion. Every time I walked into a room after putting it on, I'd hear, "I smell chocolate chip cookies!" This does have that vanilla, baked goods undercurrent (especially on me).
As it dries, on him it seems to hold the wood shavings better then it does on me, although he keeps saying it smells like the lotion, and is picking up a lot of vanilla. On me, it goes all snuggly wood-puddingesque, and whispers sweet nothings in my ear while we take long walks on the beach. This really was my first "wood pudding" vibe love, and although it does remind me of Lune Feline (or vice versa) this one has a softer touch with the musk, a little more on the wood, and will always make my heart sigh and melt.
To me, this is the perfect autumn day fragrance. Dark low skies, cold temps, leaves falling from trees, and this on a scarf or wafting around you? Perfection.
On this gray, rainy, tropical storm incoming kind of day, I'm glad that this is what I picked out. It's a perfect reminder to find the joy, the light and bright and sparkly things that make our hearts happy, in life.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Lune Feline by Atelier des Ors
What better way to spend some time in a pandemic than to convince the husband that he absolutely needs to try some fragrances with me. This is the man who, for most of our marriage, never even drank coffee, but last year decided to do so and discovered that he liked it. I figured I had some decent odds here, so happily went to Luckyscent, wandered through different scent profiles, and came up with a bag of fragrances to try. After impatiently waiting for the goodies to arrive, I set aside time for some sniffs and sorted the fragrances into "our" pile, "his" pile, and "my" pile. He won't know day by day if what he's trying is unisex, masculine, or feminine. And I think we both are looking forward to this journey. (Well, at least I am lol.)
Immediately, Lune Feline by Atelier des Ors made it near the top of the sniff test pile. Today, at the start of this experiment, I decided it would be a good starting point since it's listed as Unisex.
The notes for Lune Feline are: cinnamon, cardamom, pink pepper, green notes, cedar, ambergris, woods, styrax, vanilla, peru balsam, and musk.
I have been looking for a while for the perfect "wood pudding-esque" vibe. Something warm, woody, cozy. That makes me feel all snuggly. This delivers, perfectly, on a moody and cold and rainy day. (I suspect that this would be a bit too heavy for southern summer days, but will be an utter delight in autumn.)
At first application, I could smell the cinnamon, but it faded down pretty quickly. On him, the balsam and some of the cedar stays a bit more forward. On me, the ambergris and vanilla cuddle up together and get sexy. In his words: "This isn't masculine, but I REALLY like it." In my words, "Mmmm."
As it dries down, it holds very well. It reminds me a bit of Diptyque's Eau Duelle, but this has a more caramel edge, and frankly the woods seem to hold up a bit more on his skin as well as mine, although my skin still seems to enjoy hanging on to the vanilla a bit more, also.
Four hours in, and it has faded a lot on him, with faint notes of cedar, a touch of vanilla-y caramel, and the balsam whisping about. My skin seems to be following his trajectory, but may be feeling a bit more defiant in letting it go.
Overall, this is a win for both of us. Perhaps a bit too gourmand for some men, and he did admit that it wouldn't be his first choice, but also agreed that he really liked the smell of it and had no objection to smelling like a caramel wood pudding. For me, as someone who loves gourmands, and how vanilla can play around and soften stronger notes like cedar or woods, this is a perfect treat. I can't wait (already) for autumn to get here. I suspect I will be reaching for it again.
Immediately, Lune Feline by Atelier des Ors made it near the top of the sniff test pile. Today, at the start of this experiment, I decided it would be a good starting point since it's listed as Unisex.
The notes for Lune Feline are: cinnamon, cardamom, pink pepper, green notes, cedar, ambergris, woods, styrax, vanilla, peru balsam, and musk.
I have been looking for a while for the perfect "wood pudding-esque" vibe. Something warm, woody, cozy. That makes me feel all snuggly. This delivers, perfectly, on a moody and cold and rainy day. (I suspect that this would be a bit too heavy for southern summer days, but will be an utter delight in autumn.)
At first application, I could smell the cinnamon, but it faded down pretty quickly. On him, the balsam and some of the cedar stays a bit more forward. On me, the ambergris and vanilla cuddle up together and get sexy. In his words: "This isn't masculine, but I REALLY like it." In my words, "Mmmm."
As it dries down, it holds very well. It reminds me a bit of Diptyque's Eau Duelle, but this has a more caramel edge, and frankly the woods seem to hold up a bit more on his skin as well as mine, although my skin still seems to enjoy hanging on to the vanilla a bit more, also.
Four hours in, and it has faded a lot on him, with faint notes of cedar, a touch of vanilla-y caramel, and the balsam whisping about. My skin seems to be following his trajectory, but may be feeling a bit more defiant in letting it go.
Overall, this is a win for both of us. Perhaps a bit too gourmand for some men, and he did admit that it wouldn't be his first choice, but also agreed that he really liked the smell of it and had no objection to smelling like a caramel wood pudding. For me, as someone who loves gourmands, and how vanilla can play around and soften stronger notes like cedar or woods, this is a perfect treat. I can't wait (already) for autumn to get here. I suspect I will be reaching for it again.
Monday, September 12, 2016
DSH Perfumes: Chinchilla, Kaleidoscope, Mahjoun, Firefly, Vanille Botanique, Nourouz
Every now and then, a bucket list wish gets to be crossed off. This week, I had the honorable pleasure of being able to visit DSH (Dawn Spencer Hurwitz) Perfumes' shop, the Essense Studio, in Boulder, Colorado. (Link to the website: http://www.dshperfumes.com/ )
She greeted me when I entered, and when I explained that a friend had gotten me into niche/indie perfumes several years ago and I was there to find something for her, Dawn (I hope she doesn't mind me calling her that) seemed immediately interested in helping me find The Fragrance.
Here's something to note about this amazing perfumer: She is nice, like SUPER nice. She not only took a lot of time out of her day, but we chatted and it quickly felt like I was in the company of not just a friend but someone who actually likes and cares about people (not just being nice for a sale).
She took time listening to me, and as I described what my friend liked, we also talked a little about what I liked, and pretty soon we had a pile of sniff cards on the table. Not too long after that, I realized that a bottle wouldn't do--I needed to take samples, and lots of them.
Quick note: There is something a little scary about ordering samples online. Samples can take the stress away from buying a bottle untested, but sometimes it can still feel like throwing darts at a mirror in the dark. Being in the shop and able to sniff anything I wanted was a beautiful experience. Comparing notes on the website to what I found in person was fascinating for me. Things I probably never would have grabbed online were ones that I HAD to have samples of in person, and things I probably would have felt I needed to grab online were ones I passed up in person. Having the experience of BEING there was wonderful, and I do highly recommend an experience like what I had. However, if you can't do something like that, this reinforced to me that if you can get as many samples of someone's perfume you should. You will probably fall in love with something your brain told you wouldn't like.
It was also wonderful to listen to Dawn talk about her process and what made her interested in making certain lines or certain perfumes. It felt like Christmas.
But then it got better.
My friend likes animalic perfumes. Get it rough and dirty, and she is all over having them on her. To be fair, they also smell amazing on her (too often animalics go straight to serious stank on me). As Dawn and I talked about my friend and that I would like to, but often can't, wear animalic fragrances, Dawn said she had something in back she wanted me to try. It is a new perfume about to be released, called Chinchilla, that was based off of the scent of warm and clean furry critters. Was I interested? Absolutely. Even more so after she mentioned that it also has a honey note. (Honey is a Must Try for me, every time, even though it often can go into urine on me.) (Note: I did not ask DSH's permission if I could review the perfume. So, this may be a really big secret I'm letting out of the bag--if so you didn't hear it from me.)
So, she put some of the extrait on my skin, and then we sniffed, then waited, then sniffed some more.
Oh. My. Word. Y'all, Chinchilla is amaaaaazing. If you can't wear animalic fragrances but want to try one this is the one for you. If you love animalic fragrances but want to expand, this is the one for you. If you like honey, if you like soft, if you like comfort and home and happiness, this is going to be for you.
My official review of Chinchilla: (reminder this is the extrait, so the EDP may be a little different. Your mileage may vary.) Also note: this isn't out yet, so there are no notes to list from the website. So, if there are notes of death in here, I don't know it. And frankly I don't care. It's that good.
In the vial: it all comes at me at once--a lemony honey, a rounded old worldness (like old perfume from the old world), a soft cuddly nuzzle of freshly washed small animal fur. Something lightly greenly acidic. It smells good, a mix, compelling, intriguing my brain, making me want to know what this is.
On my skin: the honey pops. This is liquid delicious golden sunshine honey. Rounded. Rich, Perfect on a morning to drop into tea, and just watch the sun catch the gold of it as it slides from the spoon to the teacup. Immediately behind that comes that old world, classic perfume fragrance. It's a little cuddly, a little vampy, intriguing. Then the furry/fuzzy comes in. I really don't know how perfumers do this (probably a mix of this and that), but I truly admire and adore when a perfume has a texture. This one does. It's fuzzy. Soft. Cuddly. It reminds me of when my birds take a bath and have just finished drying off and preening and I stick my nose right in their feathers at their belly. I just want to nuzzle them, soak up that fresh softness. This reminds me of that. I completely get the small furry clean animal feel here, and I love it.
As it continues to dry, this shifts a lot, but wraps around itself and on my skin in a luxurious way--evocative of a critter lazing in the sun, then stretching--arching the back, the legs, the body in a decadent display of utter contentment.
There is a bit of that sharpness that comes through from the old world perfume vibe (not sure what that is--seems a bit chypre-esque, and very glamorous). And you know what? This perfume is sexy. It's all rawwwwrrrr pet me so I can snuggle with you, but I may be tempted to bite you because I smell so good. This also has a sheets freshly ironed feel to me. It's soft and crisp. It's full of contrasts, that should feel sharp, but instead are soothing.
What I love about this one is that when my friend tried it, it was also amazing on her. She, the one who can wear any animalic and make it smell amazing, and I, the one who can't wear animalics because they go to rank-skank on me, have finally found one we both can wear. Full bottle worthy? Oh yes. I can easily see this being a comfort fragrance on gray and nasty days, but there's so much to this one that is also equally perfect and would be utterly fitting for a night at the opera. It's just that good. And that honey? Probably one of the better honey notes I have smelled in a long time. Mmmm!
As I continued around the shop, sniffing, trying to pin down what I like, what I'd like to try, what my friend would like, Dawn kept coming up with ideas and offering sniffs. One of those is one I immediately fell in love with. It is from the summer of 2016 collection, and has grapefruit notes in it (I love grapefruit perfumes, they are so fresh and zingy, so it's no surprise that I liked this one). The name is Kaleidoscope, and this is the review:
In the bottle: fresh, sparkly, with the grapefruit coming out to play. This is like a mix of the pith and the juice, so it has zest but also softness. The notes she included for this perfume are: lettuce, grapefruit, jasmine, mandarin, sandalwood, lemon, orange flower, pink peppercorn, and a few others.
On my skin: This opens very bright, very sparkling. It has a very fresh feel, slightly green (the lettuce maybe, it's refreshing the way cucumber is in a perfume). But the flowers follow that very quickly, and I do love the way the grapefruit and the jasmine dance together.
As this dries: this is somewhat evocative of the late 80's/early 90's softer fruity florals. This comes across on my skin as having a papayish vibe, and that in turn goes a tiny bit animalic--which is kind of fun in perfume that is supposed to be light and fresh. Dawn calls this a vegetable gourmand, and I can see where that is coming from. This is bright, fresh, light. Perfect for a stroll down at the beach, or wandering through small-town coastal shops on a summer day. It feels young. Young and hopeful and happy.
I have to add here, that when Dawn was looking for a sample vial of Kaleidoscope, she couldn't find one, so gave me a small bottle instead without charging me for it. THAT. That right there. She didn't have to do that, and I didn't expect her to. I was completely humbled and charmed by her, and I will be even more interested in her perfumes just because she's good people, and I like knowing my money is supporting good people. She has had enough publicity and reviews that she legitimately could be snobby and rude, but she isn't. I am thankful for good people.
Next, based on my love of the honey note, she recommended that I try Mahjoun. This is a perfume based on a Moroccan delicacy that includes spices, flower buds, and honey.
In the vial: Ooooooh, yeah, yummm. Spices, honey, dry dry woods all weave around together, and it combines with a pastry smell. This is decadent and delicious.
On my skin: The spices are soft baking spices that are both warming and soothing. The dry wood flirts and dances with the spices to give this a dry feel, while still also coming across as rich. The honey seems to be stronger than in Chinchilla, but it floats underneath in a lighter dance, that makes this feel lush and lighter than I expected. This feels like being in the dessert, but surrounded by every luxury.
As it continues to dry, I keep getting whiffs and flashes of a variety of things: dried oranges, a smidge of pomegranate. The pastry drops off, and the other notes keep fluidly moving and merging then dancing around each other.
One of my favorites is Tea for Two by L'Artisan. This reminds me a little of that, but the spices are softer, this is more lush, more decadent, and so totally something I want and would wear. The wafts from this are warm, calming, comforting, but when I stick my nose right into my skin, the spices are definitely holding strong (and didn't burn my sensitive skin, so yay for that!). This is a perfume that would wear well in polite company, but if someone chose to get close they would probably feel compelled to nibble. Just a little bit. Or a lot.
This is sexy, in a gourmand way. Sexy, warm, rich. Lickable. Without being sweet or sugary. Mmmmm, yes. Also full bottle worthy for me.
The next perfume is one that is labeled as masculine on the website, but I found it to be completely wearable for me (and I can be a girly girl sometimes). When I first tried this, Dawn told me that she created this based on a specific time of year for her. It builds off certain fragrances with leaves changing, and the way the air would smell where she lived, and all of the smells she remembered also wrapped around the time of year when the fireflies were at their peak. She called this a transitional perfume, and I could see why. Here is Firefly.
In the vial: I get a faint whiff of apple skin, something very dry, and not much else. (I get a lot of what comes across as the alcohol.)
On my skin: this opens with damp autumnal earth, a faint whiff of men's cologne, dry leaves, and dry smoke. Lurking underneath is a sense of caramelized apples, a sweetness that wants to come out to play.
As it dries, I get a masculine edge, but it's one that makes me think of deep skies with sleek cars riding down a dark highway. The faint caramel edge keeps holding steady, making this a bit softer and a little more sweet than I expected. I get the sense of bobbing for apples as well. This would be very spectacular on the right man, but I can also see myself wearing this on any kind of autumn day, where I am completely and utterly celebrating the season (whether cold and rainy or sunny and golden with blue blue skies). My skin devours this one though, fading it down pretty quickly within an hour. Booo!
I can't do a complete review without adding something vanilla to the mix. I do like vanilla notes, but I really like when they are deep and rich. I was wandering around the shop doing some sniffs, then stopped at one and said, "Oooh I need a sample of that!" So here is Vanille Botanique.
In the vial: Spiced vanilla with a bourbon vanilla edge. Pretty, and very promising. (Not cheap lotion vanilla.)
On my skin: This pops, and I means pop with spices (more like pepper, less like cinnamon) and comes across as dry dry dry, with a faint luscious thread weaving through. This comes across as what I can only describe as a dark cola. Syrupy, but not too sweet, warm, and definitely not a linear vanilla.
As it dries: the dark cola aspect builds around the deep dark vanilla. It threads through in a way that hints of seduction with rounded edges that fade down to snuggling under the covers after the seduction is complete. Dancing through that is a more sweet vanilla that keeps showing a bit of leg, and that loves to laugh--which adds brightness and moisture to this.
This one is very intriguing. It wears very well on my skin, but on a man this could be completely captivating, especially if paired with a tobacco or wood to keep the edges more dry.
I like vanilla that isn't all batter (although I also do have a guilty fondness for the confectionery type fragrances), and this one definitely has some hard edges and sere notes that keep this firmly away from cake batter. Having said that, it also has a nice lilting sway, a lift, a sparkling side that is really charming.
This is a vanilla for vanilla haters, but also one for vanilla lovers. It's a good balance against the sugary gourmands, but also plays very well with its sweeter side (just dialed waaay down). It has depth, but feels airy. It's warm, but isn't too in your face. It's pretty. Plain and simply a comfort pretty fragrance that doesn't scream sugar or teenybopper. It's delightful, very delightful and I'm so glad I got a chance to try this. I have a feeling I'll be getting a bottle of this one at some point, too.
The final review (for now--I have a lot more to get through in the next few days!) is Nourouz. This was a Holiday Edition perfume, and she created a Black Pomegranate note for this one that was really compelling in the shop. I hope it plays out on my skin the same way.
In the vial: this is deep, dark, fun, rich. It smells like someone created a potpourri to celebrate the holidays with, and added some extra pepper and dark spices that become almost jam like and decadent.
On my skin: Oooooh! Smoke, warm baking spices, winter fruit. This feels deep and velvety purple. This, to my nose, is playing out of the image of everything I've ever wanted the Holidays to be: baked goods, deep rich smells, decadence, and yet filled with coziness and light to ward off the darkness.
As it dries: I'm getting a candle essence from this now. It's still deep and spicy, but instead of evoking home and hearth, this now gives me the feeling of being in a beautiful church with no ceiling so you see the night sky, with lit candles, and the last note of Silent Night is hanging in the air. Serene. Deep. Beautiful.
As it continues to dry, it merges both images together to create dark velvet, comfort, serenity, and something hopeful. This is really lovely and makes me feel like I'm somehow fancier and prettier than I thought I was before I put it on. It does keep softening as it wears down, and I get more of the wax feel as it does so, but this is so pretty I would be happy to keep applying if my skin proves to want to gobble it all up.
All in all, my time at the DSH land of dreams (as I will now think of it) was very delightful. The perfumes were wonderful to wander through, the company was fantastic, and the day was just perfect. I am so glad I had a chance to really play around with her fragrances in the shop because I feel like I have a much better understanding of what she is doing, what her vision is, and what I will be able to wear from her collection (it's a lot more than I once thought). I can't wait to see what she keeps coming out with.
My next list of reviews will contain some of her Cannabis Collection. I can't wait to get to it!
She greeted me when I entered, and when I explained that a friend had gotten me into niche/indie perfumes several years ago and I was there to find something for her, Dawn (I hope she doesn't mind me calling her that) seemed immediately interested in helping me find The Fragrance.
Here's something to note about this amazing perfumer: She is nice, like SUPER nice. She not only took a lot of time out of her day, but we chatted and it quickly felt like I was in the company of not just a friend but someone who actually likes and cares about people (not just being nice for a sale).
She took time listening to me, and as I described what my friend liked, we also talked a little about what I liked, and pretty soon we had a pile of sniff cards on the table. Not too long after that, I realized that a bottle wouldn't do--I needed to take samples, and lots of them.
Quick note: There is something a little scary about ordering samples online. Samples can take the stress away from buying a bottle untested, but sometimes it can still feel like throwing darts at a mirror in the dark. Being in the shop and able to sniff anything I wanted was a beautiful experience. Comparing notes on the website to what I found in person was fascinating for me. Things I probably never would have grabbed online were ones that I HAD to have samples of in person, and things I probably would have felt I needed to grab online were ones I passed up in person. Having the experience of BEING there was wonderful, and I do highly recommend an experience like what I had. However, if you can't do something like that, this reinforced to me that if you can get as many samples of someone's perfume you should. You will probably fall in love with something your brain told you wouldn't like.
It was also wonderful to listen to Dawn talk about her process and what made her interested in making certain lines or certain perfumes. It felt like Christmas.
But then it got better.
My friend likes animalic perfumes. Get it rough and dirty, and she is all over having them on her. To be fair, they also smell amazing on her (too often animalics go straight to serious stank on me). As Dawn and I talked about my friend and that I would like to, but often can't, wear animalic fragrances, Dawn said she had something in back she wanted me to try. It is a new perfume about to be released, called Chinchilla, that was based off of the scent of warm and clean furry critters. Was I interested? Absolutely. Even more so after she mentioned that it also has a honey note. (Honey is a Must Try for me, every time, even though it often can go into urine on me.) (Note: I did not ask DSH's permission if I could review the perfume. So, this may be a really big secret I'm letting out of the bag--if so you didn't hear it from me.)
So, she put some of the extrait on my skin, and then we sniffed, then waited, then sniffed some more.
Oh. My. Word. Y'all, Chinchilla is amaaaaazing. If you can't wear animalic fragrances but want to try one this is the one for you. If you love animalic fragrances but want to expand, this is the one for you. If you like honey, if you like soft, if you like comfort and home and happiness, this is going to be for you.
My official review of Chinchilla: (reminder this is the extrait, so the EDP may be a little different. Your mileage may vary.) Also note: this isn't out yet, so there are no notes to list from the website. So, if there are notes of death in here, I don't know it. And frankly I don't care. It's that good.
In the vial: it all comes at me at once--a lemony honey, a rounded old worldness (like old perfume from the old world), a soft cuddly nuzzle of freshly washed small animal fur. Something lightly greenly acidic. It smells good, a mix, compelling, intriguing my brain, making me want to know what this is.
On my skin: the honey pops. This is liquid delicious golden sunshine honey. Rounded. Rich, Perfect on a morning to drop into tea, and just watch the sun catch the gold of it as it slides from the spoon to the teacup. Immediately behind that comes that old world, classic perfume fragrance. It's a little cuddly, a little vampy, intriguing. Then the furry/fuzzy comes in. I really don't know how perfumers do this (probably a mix of this and that), but I truly admire and adore when a perfume has a texture. This one does. It's fuzzy. Soft. Cuddly. It reminds me of when my birds take a bath and have just finished drying off and preening and I stick my nose right in their feathers at their belly. I just want to nuzzle them, soak up that fresh softness. This reminds me of that. I completely get the small furry clean animal feel here, and I love it.
As it continues to dry, this shifts a lot, but wraps around itself and on my skin in a luxurious way--evocative of a critter lazing in the sun, then stretching--arching the back, the legs, the body in a decadent display of utter contentment.
There is a bit of that sharpness that comes through from the old world perfume vibe (not sure what that is--seems a bit chypre-esque, and very glamorous). And you know what? This perfume is sexy. It's all rawwwwrrrr pet me so I can snuggle with you, but I may be tempted to bite you because I smell so good. This also has a sheets freshly ironed feel to me. It's soft and crisp. It's full of contrasts, that should feel sharp, but instead are soothing.
What I love about this one is that when my friend tried it, it was also amazing on her. She, the one who can wear any animalic and make it smell amazing, and I, the one who can't wear animalics because they go to rank-skank on me, have finally found one we both can wear. Full bottle worthy? Oh yes. I can easily see this being a comfort fragrance on gray and nasty days, but there's so much to this one that is also equally perfect and would be utterly fitting for a night at the opera. It's just that good. And that honey? Probably one of the better honey notes I have smelled in a long time. Mmmm!
As I continued around the shop, sniffing, trying to pin down what I like, what I'd like to try, what my friend would like, Dawn kept coming up with ideas and offering sniffs. One of those is one I immediately fell in love with. It is from the summer of 2016 collection, and has grapefruit notes in it (I love grapefruit perfumes, they are so fresh and zingy, so it's no surprise that I liked this one). The name is Kaleidoscope, and this is the review:
In the bottle: fresh, sparkly, with the grapefruit coming out to play. This is like a mix of the pith and the juice, so it has zest but also softness. The notes she included for this perfume are: lettuce, grapefruit, jasmine, mandarin, sandalwood, lemon, orange flower, pink peppercorn, and a few others.
On my skin: This opens very bright, very sparkling. It has a very fresh feel, slightly green (the lettuce maybe, it's refreshing the way cucumber is in a perfume). But the flowers follow that very quickly, and I do love the way the grapefruit and the jasmine dance together.
As this dries: this is somewhat evocative of the late 80's/early 90's softer fruity florals. This comes across on my skin as having a papayish vibe, and that in turn goes a tiny bit animalic--which is kind of fun in perfume that is supposed to be light and fresh. Dawn calls this a vegetable gourmand, and I can see where that is coming from. This is bright, fresh, light. Perfect for a stroll down at the beach, or wandering through small-town coastal shops on a summer day. It feels young. Young and hopeful and happy.
I have to add here, that when Dawn was looking for a sample vial of Kaleidoscope, she couldn't find one, so gave me a small bottle instead without charging me for it. THAT. That right there. She didn't have to do that, and I didn't expect her to. I was completely humbled and charmed by her, and I will be even more interested in her perfumes just because she's good people, and I like knowing my money is supporting good people. She has had enough publicity and reviews that she legitimately could be snobby and rude, but she isn't. I am thankful for good people.
Next, based on my love of the honey note, she recommended that I try Mahjoun. This is a perfume based on a Moroccan delicacy that includes spices, flower buds, and honey.
In the vial: Ooooooh, yeah, yummm. Spices, honey, dry dry woods all weave around together, and it combines with a pastry smell. This is decadent and delicious.
On my skin: The spices are soft baking spices that are both warming and soothing. The dry wood flirts and dances with the spices to give this a dry feel, while still also coming across as rich. The honey seems to be stronger than in Chinchilla, but it floats underneath in a lighter dance, that makes this feel lush and lighter than I expected. This feels like being in the dessert, but surrounded by every luxury.
As it continues to dry, I keep getting whiffs and flashes of a variety of things: dried oranges, a smidge of pomegranate. The pastry drops off, and the other notes keep fluidly moving and merging then dancing around each other.
One of my favorites is Tea for Two by L'Artisan. This reminds me a little of that, but the spices are softer, this is more lush, more decadent, and so totally something I want and would wear. The wafts from this are warm, calming, comforting, but when I stick my nose right into my skin, the spices are definitely holding strong (and didn't burn my sensitive skin, so yay for that!). This is a perfume that would wear well in polite company, but if someone chose to get close they would probably feel compelled to nibble. Just a little bit. Or a lot.
This is sexy, in a gourmand way. Sexy, warm, rich. Lickable. Without being sweet or sugary. Mmmmm, yes. Also full bottle worthy for me.
The next perfume is one that is labeled as masculine on the website, but I found it to be completely wearable for me (and I can be a girly girl sometimes). When I first tried this, Dawn told me that she created this based on a specific time of year for her. It builds off certain fragrances with leaves changing, and the way the air would smell where she lived, and all of the smells she remembered also wrapped around the time of year when the fireflies were at their peak. She called this a transitional perfume, and I could see why. Here is Firefly.
In the vial: I get a faint whiff of apple skin, something very dry, and not much else. (I get a lot of what comes across as the alcohol.)
On my skin: this opens with damp autumnal earth, a faint whiff of men's cologne, dry leaves, and dry smoke. Lurking underneath is a sense of caramelized apples, a sweetness that wants to come out to play.
As it dries, I get a masculine edge, but it's one that makes me think of deep skies with sleek cars riding down a dark highway. The faint caramel edge keeps holding steady, making this a bit softer and a little more sweet than I expected. I get the sense of bobbing for apples as well. This would be very spectacular on the right man, but I can also see myself wearing this on any kind of autumn day, where I am completely and utterly celebrating the season (whether cold and rainy or sunny and golden with blue blue skies). My skin devours this one though, fading it down pretty quickly within an hour. Booo!
I can't do a complete review without adding something vanilla to the mix. I do like vanilla notes, but I really like when they are deep and rich. I was wandering around the shop doing some sniffs, then stopped at one and said, "Oooh I need a sample of that!" So here is Vanille Botanique.
In the vial: Spiced vanilla with a bourbon vanilla edge. Pretty, and very promising. (Not cheap lotion vanilla.)
On my skin: This pops, and I means pop with spices (more like pepper, less like cinnamon) and comes across as dry dry dry, with a faint luscious thread weaving through. This comes across as what I can only describe as a dark cola. Syrupy, but not too sweet, warm, and definitely not a linear vanilla.
As it dries: the dark cola aspect builds around the deep dark vanilla. It threads through in a way that hints of seduction with rounded edges that fade down to snuggling under the covers after the seduction is complete. Dancing through that is a more sweet vanilla that keeps showing a bit of leg, and that loves to laugh--which adds brightness and moisture to this.
This one is very intriguing. It wears very well on my skin, but on a man this could be completely captivating, especially if paired with a tobacco or wood to keep the edges more dry.
I like vanilla that isn't all batter (although I also do have a guilty fondness for the confectionery type fragrances), and this one definitely has some hard edges and sere notes that keep this firmly away from cake batter. Having said that, it also has a nice lilting sway, a lift, a sparkling side that is really charming.
This is a vanilla for vanilla haters, but also one for vanilla lovers. It's a good balance against the sugary gourmands, but also plays very well with its sweeter side (just dialed waaay down). It has depth, but feels airy. It's warm, but isn't too in your face. It's pretty. Plain and simply a comfort pretty fragrance that doesn't scream sugar or teenybopper. It's delightful, very delightful and I'm so glad I got a chance to try this. I have a feeling I'll be getting a bottle of this one at some point, too.
The final review (for now--I have a lot more to get through in the next few days!) is Nourouz. This was a Holiday Edition perfume, and she created a Black Pomegranate note for this one that was really compelling in the shop. I hope it plays out on my skin the same way.
In the vial: this is deep, dark, fun, rich. It smells like someone created a potpourri to celebrate the holidays with, and added some extra pepper and dark spices that become almost jam like and decadent.
On my skin: Oooooh! Smoke, warm baking spices, winter fruit. This feels deep and velvety purple. This, to my nose, is playing out of the image of everything I've ever wanted the Holidays to be: baked goods, deep rich smells, decadence, and yet filled with coziness and light to ward off the darkness.
As it dries: I'm getting a candle essence from this now. It's still deep and spicy, but instead of evoking home and hearth, this now gives me the feeling of being in a beautiful church with no ceiling so you see the night sky, with lit candles, and the last note of Silent Night is hanging in the air. Serene. Deep. Beautiful.
As it continues to dry, it merges both images together to create dark velvet, comfort, serenity, and something hopeful. This is really lovely and makes me feel like I'm somehow fancier and prettier than I thought I was before I put it on. It does keep softening as it wears down, and I get more of the wax feel as it does so, but this is so pretty I would be happy to keep applying if my skin proves to want to gobble it all up.
All in all, my time at the DSH land of dreams (as I will now think of it) was very delightful. The perfumes were wonderful to wander through, the company was fantastic, and the day was just perfect. I am so glad I had a chance to really play around with her fragrances in the shop because I feel like I have a much better understanding of what she is doing, what her vision is, and what I will be able to wear from her collection (it's a lot more than I once thought). I can't wait to see what she keeps coming out with.
My next list of reviews will contain some of her Cannabis Collection. I can't wait to get to it!
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Possets Yule 2015
I have slowly been adding my reviews for this release on the Possets forum, but since the Yules will be coming down soon and some folks may want to grab some of the perfumes before they go away, I decided to compile the reviews I've already done and post them here.
Winter (Mucha)--"I was playing around with chypre again and thought that a delightful variation on it would be a winter blend with a light call to the spring which will reward us in March. Just as the world is heading into the cold times, ice, and storms it's nice to know that there is another spring waiting for us at the end of the season. Oakmoss from France, and French lavender, a very smooth amber which is thick and very golden lays the bed for a brilliant and true violet to float on top."
First, I have to say that if I could I would buy every single chypre that Fabienne makes. This from someone who detested chypre before finding Possets. I have become a fan, but I admit to degrees within that. I'd still buy them though, because who just wants one Monet? True to the description, this opens very much as a Fabienne chypre. For a moment, I get a very rich pop of oakmoss which immediately shifts down to Silver Chypre on me. I started to think, "Hmm, I love Silver Chypre, but don't want two of them," and then this began to shift into smokey chypre, then slightly citrus chypre, then the violet slowly drifted to the top to smooth it all over.
Do I even need to say I love this? If you aren't sure how I feel: I love this. It's Silver Chypre meets smoked violets laced in...wait...there it is Apep. It reminds me of a chypred Apep wreathed in smoke and violets. On my skin it's almost a touch plastic and woodsy from the oakmoss, but the air around me is the MOST stunning.
*eyes rolled to the back of the head gone
Osmium--"What a grand tangle of beautiful scents: strong vanilla, refined leather, and a hint of pepper, and a bit of lime. Foody where it should be, leather where it's right, and the rest fit in beautifully. This one is great for seduction, flirtation, contemplation, exasperation, the works. Enjoy it with just about everything."
In the bottle, I get a very smoky vibe and when I first put it on my skin it came across as smoky and sweet. I completely forgot this had leather in it until it shifted later on and then I remembered this was supposed to be leather. At first though, this is more smoke than leather. However, in the bottle, the leather is definitely there, but it's a soft and warm note not a glossy and hard leather. The lime is also evident, but doesn't scream lime. It's a soft lime and provides the bite this needs, without being too assertive and abrasive. Under it all is a nice rounded sweetness that is probably the vanilla.
Once this is on the skin, it opens and opens wide without shrieking. The smoky vibe dominates for about five minutes as the other notes shift around. Quite frankly, as soon as this was on my skin I went straight into wanting to nibble my arm. The notes in this are so nicely balanced and blended, and the whole of it just rounds out beautifully. This is both a warm and cool perfume, and yet the whole of it is both commanding and comforting.
This is beautiful in so many ways. I could see it being really fantastic on a guy, but I wouldn't call this masculine, per se. It has strength and backbone, and lasts for about 6-8 hours, but it's not overpowering (unless you put too much on--which would be tempting to do because it does smell fantastic). I like that the leather in this never really softened down to a suede note, but stayed gleaming and leather the whole time while still somehow conveying soft leather with a backbone. This is perfumey and rich without being cloying. It has depth, but still comes across as very pretty and very wearable. It has sweetness and tang. Rich but not fussy. Deep and gleaming, while somehow also conveying lightness and lift. It's lovely, and I think this is going to be worn heavily during this cold and wintry time of year.
Emine--"Named after the only French consort to the Ottoman Sultan, this is a perfume worthy of one of the most splendid eras in perfumery. All the beauty of the East is spread before you in shimmering profusion. The most beautiful of frankincense, the most subtle and luxurious of white oudes, the most sweet of myrrh (a very special type of golden myrrh), a light golden patchouli, and a drop of styrax. This is a very Eastern, thick, and resinous blend, a comforting and sweetly languidly seductive thing."
Soft and beautiful, rich and warm, this is Emine. However, I'm discovering that there is a note (and now I'm going to have to find some other perfumes, because I am learning toward the frankincense or myrrh) that opens on my skin and goes straight to sandalwood on me and skews what I think I'm smelling. This is beautiful though (despite the note that makes my nose believe I'm wearing nothing but sandalwood), and very comforting and warm in these cold days we're having. But I can also see this being utterly gorgeous and sparkling on any soft night when the stars are out and something lovely just needs to be worn.
Nell Gwyn--"Pink cedar, cream, Thanksgiving pudding all together. It sounded very strange to me and somehow all the ingredients dance along merrily. The "seriousness" and almost bitter wood is sweetened up to a positively jolly state thanks to such rich creamy and sweet asides."
In the bottle, this is so delicious. I get a rich nutty pudding and a rounded cedar note down on the bottom that merges BEAUTIFULLY with the pudding.
On my skin: Mmmmm, yes. The cedar is a beautiful beautiful backbone to this. As this dries, the cedar remains soft but solid in the background, and merges with what smells like a pecan note with warm custardy pudding. It comes across as a mix of woodsy and foody. I like that this is softly sweet--no cavities in this one--and the sweetness helps to create a nice contrast to the cedar and nuts.
Have you ever walked by a cart that is selling toasted nuts with cinnamon and sugar on a very cold and wintery day? This smells similar to that to me, without being quite as sweet. It's warm and toasted (without coming across as burnt toasted), and adds an element of something triumphant and celebratory against the cold. The cedar is brilliant with this, utterly brilliant. It adds a cinnamonish vibe (and there may actually be cinnamon in here, but thankfully my skin isn't freaking out--although I did just dab a small dot so it may change if I expand to cover more of me), boosts the wood but in a soft and creamy kind of way, and rounds out the whole in such a way that makes this a delightful perfume. While this is foody, there is definitely a lot more going on here that leans this a bit away from the foody category and more into woods and spices and plain old fashioned happiness categories.
More will be added soon (before the collection goes down).
Winter (Mucha)--"I was playing around with chypre again and thought that a delightful variation on it would be a winter blend with a light call to the spring which will reward us in March. Just as the world is heading into the cold times, ice, and storms it's nice to know that there is another spring waiting for us at the end of the season. Oakmoss from France, and French lavender, a very smooth amber which is thick and very golden lays the bed for a brilliant and true violet to float on top."
First, I have to say that if I could I would buy every single chypre that Fabienne makes. This from someone who detested chypre before finding Possets. I have become a fan, but I admit to degrees within that. I'd still buy them though, because who just wants one Monet? True to the description, this opens very much as a Fabienne chypre. For a moment, I get a very rich pop of oakmoss which immediately shifts down to Silver Chypre on me. I started to think, "Hmm, I love Silver Chypre, but don't want two of them," and then this began to shift into smokey chypre, then slightly citrus chypre, then the violet slowly drifted to the top to smooth it all over.
Do I even need to say I love this? If you aren't sure how I feel: I love this. It's Silver Chypre meets smoked violets laced in...wait...there it is Apep. It reminds me of a chypred Apep wreathed in smoke and violets. On my skin it's almost a touch plastic and woodsy from the oakmoss, but the air around me is the MOST stunning.
*eyes rolled to the back of the head gone
Osmium--"What a grand tangle of beautiful scents: strong vanilla, refined leather, and a hint of pepper, and a bit of lime. Foody where it should be, leather where it's right, and the rest fit in beautifully. This one is great for seduction, flirtation, contemplation, exasperation, the works. Enjoy it with just about everything."
In the bottle, I get a very smoky vibe and when I first put it on my skin it came across as smoky and sweet. I completely forgot this had leather in it until it shifted later on and then I remembered this was supposed to be leather. At first though, this is more smoke than leather. However, in the bottle, the leather is definitely there, but it's a soft and warm note not a glossy and hard leather. The lime is also evident, but doesn't scream lime. It's a soft lime and provides the bite this needs, without being too assertive and abrasive. Under it all is a nice rounded sweetness that is probably the vanilla.
Once this is on the skin, it opens and opens wide without shrieking. The smoky vibe dominates for about five minutes as the other notes shift around. Quite frankly, as soon as this was on my skin I went straight into wanting to nibble my arm. The notes in this are so nicely balanced and blended, and the whole of it just rounds out beautifully. This is both a warm and cool perfume, and yet the whole of it is both commanding and comforting.
This is beautiful in so many ways. I could see it being really fantastic on a guy, but I wouldn't call this masculine, per se. It has strength and backbone, and lasts for about 6-8 hours, but it's not overpowering (unless you put too much on--which would be tempting to do because it does smell fantastic). I like that the leather in this never really softened down to a suede note, but stayed gleaming and leather the whole time while still somehow conveying soft leather with a backbone. This is perfumey and rich without being cloying. It has depth, but still comes across as very pretty and very wearable. It has sweetness and tang. Rich but not fussy. Deep and gleaming, while somehow also conveying lightness and lift. It's lovely, and I think this is going to be worn heavily during this cold and wintry time of year.
Emine--"Named after the only French consort to the Ottoman Sultan, this is a perfume worthy of one of the most splendid eras in perfumery. All the beauty of the East is spread before you in shimmering profusion. The most beautiful of frankincense, the most subtle and luxurious of white oudes, the most sweet of myrrh (a very special type of golden myrrh), a light golden patchouli, and a drop of styrax. This is a very Eastern, thick, and resinous blend, a comforting and sweetly languidly seductive thing."
Soft and beautiful, rich and warm, this is Emine. However, I'm discovering that there is a note (and now I'm going to have to find some other perfumes, because I am learning toward the frankincense or myrrh) that opens on my skin and goes straight to sandalwood on me and skews what I think I'm smelling. This is beautiful though (despite the note that makes my nose believe I'm wearing nothing but sandalwood), and very comforting and warm in these cold days we're having. But I can also see this being utterly gorgeous and sparkling on any soft night when the stars are out and something lovely just needs to be worn.
Nell Gwyn--"Pink cedar, cream, Thanksgiving pudding all together. It sounded very strange to me and somehow all the ingredients dance along merrily. The "seriousness" and almost bitter wood is sweetened up to a positively jolly state thanks to such rich creamy and sweet asides."
In the bottle, this is so delicious. I get a rich nutty pudding and a rounded cedar note down on the bottom that merges BEAUTIFULLY with the pudding.
On my skin: Mmmmm, yes. The cedar is a beautiful beautiful backbone to this. As this dries, the cedar remains soft but solid in the background, and merges with what smells like a pecan note with warm custardy pudding. It comes across as a mix of woodsy and foody. I like that this is softly sweet--no cavities in this one--and the sweetness helps to create a nice contrast to the cedar and nuts.
Have you ever walked by a cart that is selling toasted nuts with cinnamon and sugar on a very cold and wintery day? This smells similar to that to me, without being quite as sweet. It's warm and toasted (without coming across as burnt toasted), and adds an element of something triumphant and celebratory against the cold. The cedar is brilliant with this, utterly brilliant. It adds a cinnamonish vibe (and there may actually be cinnamon in here, but thankfully my skin isn't freaking out--although I did just dab a small dot so it may change if I expand to cover more of me), boosts the wood but in a soft and creamy kind of way, and rounds out the whole in such a way that makes this a delightful perfume. While this is foody, there is definitely a lot more going on here that leans this a bit away from the foody category and more into woods and spices and plain old fashioned happiness categories.
More will be added soon (before the collection goes down).
Monday, August 26, 2013
ZOMG Smells: Lola
A few months ago, I was able to buy a bunch of samples from several of the stores that had been on my wish-list for a while. I wanted to review them here as I tried them, but the summer got away from me and I didn't have a chance to do so.
However, one of the samples I tried has stuck in my head and I decided that today was the perfect day to bring it out again, dab some on, and give it some love here. It's so delicious, and it deserves to be talked about.
This perfume comes from ZOMG Smells. One reason ZOMG has been on my list for a while is because I love their slogan: "fine nerdy scents for fine nerdy people." Nerd love! YAY! After going through their website and writing down all of the scents that I wanted, I realized I needed to trim my list down considerably, so I started with a sample pack of 10 (a squee party). I picked scents that had mechanic vibes, gear oil, flowers, fruit, spices, and musks because I wanted a nice rounded idea of what they offer. I was particularly looking forward to trying Lola (although, I have to admit that it's not my favorite name--even though I have friends with a dog whose name is Lola and she is pretty darn cute) because Lola has spices and I love spices.
Here is the official description from ZOMG: "Lo-lo-lo-lo lo-laaaaaaaaaaaaa.... Surprisingly unisex, appropriately enough. ;) Vanilla and spices doused in sticky-sweet frankincense and propped up on sky-high platform heels." Link to the product: Lola
Even though I was looking forward to the spices, I did have some reservations about the frankincense, because sometimes that goes straight to dryer sheets and corn cakes on me. However, I tried it on and was pleasantly surprised.
So, with that, to the review!
In the sample vial: Mmmmmm, sweet baking spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. It also has a nice deep woody note, and a faint thread of sweet vanilla. So far, this is reminding me of what I love about Thanksgiving cooking: the spices.
On my skin: It smells like a very dark wood floor was coated in a spice wax and left to warm in the sun. It's layered and very warmly beautiful.
As it begins to dry: it begins to soften some and the spices begin to merge together to create a warm base. The wood floor aspect drops down a few degrees, but it helps to round out the scent and give this a slightly roughened edge that keeps this from being too foody or too sweet.
As it dries further: the frankincense begins to peep out. This is not a very incensy frankincense, rather it's sweet (as the description says), and comes across as soft and very smooth. It's a beautiful mix with the spices, and this is where I begin to Zen out with this perfume. It's cuddly and cozy, calming but uplifting at the same time. It's warm, with a sexy edge.
As it continues to dry down: I want to eat my arm. I smell so delicious. I love spicy perfumes, but I can be rather picky about them. I don't want musty spices. I either want them very fresh or baked so that I can get the pep and lift of the bright fresh spices or the deep nuances of the baked ones. This seems to have both the bright fresh pep and the deep undernote (although the fresh is much more dominant--and I think some of that deep baked undernote is coming from the frankincense). I do tend to shy away from some spice perfumes because they have been known to make my skin turn several interesting shades of red, so I was a little worried about trying Lola. However, every time I've worn it, I've not had an allergy issue--for which I am so thankful, because I want this one on my skin. On. My. Skin! It needs to be so close, nothing can come between us. :D
After the first thirty minutes or so of shifting and settling on my skin, this rides out in a beautiful mix of dark wood floor, sweet frankincense, a warm and cozy vanilla, and spices. If I was forced at gun point to list my top twenty perfumes (top ten is completely impossible), this would definitely be on it. It's warm. It's comforting. It's bright and uplifting. And there is something about it that is so very sweetly sexy. Perhaps on someone else this would be totally vavoom, but I happen to like that it's not sky-jacker heels and little red dress on me. I like that it's warm and soothing, and utterly snuggle worthy. It reminds me of days when I drove up to the mountains to see the changing leaves with my love, and how we hung around to watch the sun set, how the sky seemed so brilliantly blue, the sun so soft, and the leaves so bright. Although there is always something to be said about the red-hot lick of vavoomy-ness, there is also something so amazing about sexy that comes around in the quiet moments of holding hands, driving on a winding road, with nothing more than the next tree ahead to see. This is that perfume to me. Perhaps that's why I love it so: when all of the craziness of life is shoved to the side and we get down to what really matters, I find that I want the comfort of love more than the hot flash of it. I want to slow down, kiss, enjoy, and remember that even though life goes too quickly, we can still have those bright brief moments that remind us how beautiful it is to be alive.
My one complaint about this one is that it does seem rather fleeting. The throw is decent, but my skin eats this one up rather quickly (or was that me just licking it off of my skin? I'll never tell).
Oh, if you need to ask: this one is definitely full bottle worthy (fbw) for me. It may even be ten full bottles worthy, but I need to pace myself. I still have more samples to try, perfumes to buy, and smells to sniff (and fall in love with).
However, one of the samples I tried has stuck in my head and I decided that today was the perfect day to bring it out again, dab some on, and give it some love here. It's so delicious, and it deserves to be talked about.
This perfume comes from ZOMG Smells. One reason ZOMG has been on my list for a while is because I love their slogan: "fine nerdy scents for fine nerdy people." Nerd love! YAY! After going through their website and writing down all of the scents that I wanted, I realized I needed to trim my list down considerably, so I started with a sample pack of 10 (a squee party). I picked scents that had mechanic vibes, gear oil, flowers, fruit, spices, and musks because I wanted a nice rounded idea of what they offer. I was particularly looking forward to trying Lola (although, I have to admit that it's not my favorite name--even though I have friends with a dog whose name is Lola and she is pretty darn cute) because Lola has spices and I love spices.
Here is the official description from ZOMG: "Lo-lo-lo-lo lo-laaaaaaaaaaaaa.... Surprisingly unisex, appropriately enough. ;) Vanilla and spices doused in sticky-sweet frankincense and propped up on sky-high platform heels." Link to the product: Lola
Even though I was looking forward to the spices, I did have some reservations about the frankincense, because sometimes that goes straight to dryer sheets and corn cakes on me. However, I tried it on and was pleasantly surprised.
So, with that, to the review!
In the sample vial: Mmmmmm, sweet baking spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. It also has a nice deep woody note, and a faint thread of sweet vanilla. So far, this is reminding me of what I love about Thanksgiving cooking: the spices.
On my skin: It smells like a very dark wood floor was coated in a spice wax and left to warm in the sun. It's layered and very warmly beautiful.
As it begins to dry: it begins to soften some and the spices begin to merge together to create a warm base. The wood floor aspect drops down a few degrees, but it helps to round out the scent and give this a slightly roughened edge that keeps this from being too foody or too sweet.
As it dries further: the frankincense begins to peep out. This is not a very incensy frankincense, rather it's sweet (as the description says), and comes across as soft and very smooth. It's a beautiful mix with the spices, and this is where I begin to Zen out with this perfume. It's cuddly and cozy, calming but uplifting at the same time. It's warm, with a sexy edge.
As it continues to dry down: I want to eat my arm. I smell so delicious. I love spicy perfumes, but I can be rather picky about them. I don't want musty spices. I either want them very fresh or baked so that I can get the pep and lift of the bright fresh spices or the deep nuances of the baked ones. This seems to have both the bright fresh pep and the deep undernote (although the fresh is much more dominant--and I think some of that deep baked undernote is coming from the frankincense). I do tend to shy away from some spice perfumes because they have been known to make my skin turn several interesting shades of red, so I was a little worried about trying Lola. However, every time I've worn it, I've not had an allergy issue--for which I am so thankful, because I want this one on my skin. On. My. Skin! It needs to be so close, nothing can come between us. :D
After the first thirty minutes or so of shifting and settling on my skin, this rides out in a beautiful mix of dark wood floor, sweet frankincense, a warm and cozy vanilla, and spices. If I was forced at gun point to list my top twenty perfumes (top ten is completely impossible), this would definitely be on it. It's warm. It's comforting. It's bright and uplifting. And there is something about it that is so very sweetly sexy. Perhaps on someone else this would be totally vavoom, but I happen to like that it's not sky-jacker heels and little red dress on me. I like that it's warm and soothing, and utterly snuggle worthy. It reminds me of days when I drove up to the mountains to see the changing leaves with my love, and how we hung around to watch the sun set, how the sky seemed so brilliantly blue, the sun so soft, and the leaves so bright. Although there is always something to be said about the red-hot lick of vavoomy-ness, there is also something so amazing about sexy that comes around in the quiet moments of holding hands, driving on a winding road, with nothing more than the next tree ahead to see. This is that perfume to me. Perhaps that's why I love it so: when all of the craziness of life is shoved to the side and we get down to what really matters, I find that I want the comfort of love more than the hot flash of it. I want to slow down, kiss, enjoy, and remember that even though life goes too quickly, we can still have those bright brief moments that remind us how beautiful it is to be alive.
My one complaint about this one is that it does seem rather fleeting. The throw is decent, but my skin eats this one up rather quickly (or was that me just licking it off of my skin? I'll never tell).
Oh, if you need to ask: this one is definitely full bottle worthy (fbw) for me. It may even be ten full bottles worthy, but I need to pace myself. I still have more samples to try, perfumes to buy, and smells to sniff (and fall in love with).
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