Back into the swing......

last winter I had to un-blog for while while I went through a series of treatments for allergies that were making scents seem either invisible or too strong, so when i was done with the treatments I gave my nose a break, getting it back to sniffing slowly.  The best part of it was that it set my scent-sitivity back to zero.  Everything smelled really, really strong after awhile, and I rather enjoyed the waves of scent that would fill my environment.  All scents were interesting, from the scent of mold to the steamy tendrils of black tea, from the scent of my son's sweaty 7 year old head after sports to the slight scent of himalayan salt in the scrubs I made for myself.  After awhile I reacquainted myself with my perfume closet, and I'm finding some real gems that I haven't accessed in awhile.  The spicy tea of Couer de Vetiver Sacre,  the light sueded vanilla feel of Vanille Exquise, the tart bite of rhubarb in Guerlain London 04.  I'm not really good at wearing fragrances that I actually own.....I continually purchase new sample packs and typically find myself sampling more than wearing.  This bothered me.....why spend the money if I'm not going to get around to wearing it?  My goal is to start letting go of bottles that I'm ignoring.  I'm happy to say that I have a good balance of inexpensive, mainstream, pricey, and niche so this ought to be a fun adventure.......what gems have you rediscovered recently?

Richard Luscher Britos 44 N 03 E Chausse Mejean Review - 44N03E

The scent 44 N 03 E by Richard Luscher Britos was created to evoke the 'Mystic Violet Hills' of southern France.  The lavender plants of the area have a unique pungent, rich, sweet scent.....the result of necessity and adapting to grow in the unique terrain of the area.  The notes chosen were to reflect the plants present in the region as well as the wildflower honey and the local ice
cream....interesting, as I've never imagined those scents together, so moving on......

Upon initial spray, the lavender, vanilla, and a lemony note are recognizable.  The lemon, not listed in the notes (though that doesn't really mean anything) may be an early interpretation of pine, but it seems more like citrus to me.  I get the flat, sticky, slightly mentholated feel of labdanum as well,  evoking a Mediterranean space.  It doesn't interpret as amber here, but more like the scent from a bottle of the sticky resin..... sappy and smells more of sweet, pungent plant.  The labdanum is present in a short, brief blast, quickly stepping back to allow the top notes to linger while still threading through the green.

Suddenly, new pine needles are erupting in tufts from the ends of boughs on a tree.  It's fresh and breezy, like early spring, when the new needles add a soft pale green to the edges of the pine tree.  The citric lavender element enhances the bright tone and keeps the pine from becoming Christmas-like.  It's  definitely evocative of a rocky sub-alpine plateau.  Here in the high desert the spring air is thick with the scent of warm pine and juniper.  I'm enjoying the same feel in this scent.  It feels quite 'clean' without being overly light or soapy.

I'm finding the juniper here to be very interesting.  My home is surrounded by acres of juniper,  and in the fall we are assaulted with its unique signature aroma.  I find the scent of the tree itself to be reminiscent of cat urine when experienced in large quantities, especially when rain hits the trees after a drought period.  I never really got the "fruity juniper" analogy.  Juniper, in both nature and the essential oil, is very sharp.  I believe the fruity referral is the result of people relating it to gin and the effervescence of the drink.   Since it's usually served with a bit of lime or lemon I think citrus has now been corraled into the idea of juniper.  Therefore,  I'm getting the gin quality here more that the actual plant.  Amidst the juniper/citrus,  you are treated to the impression of wildflowers and a touch of honey.

The lavender and honey are a wonderful addition, making the scent transition from herbal to resinous seamlessly.   As you reach the top of the plateau, the plants eventually give way to mostly rocky terrain and a clarity of air and sunlight.  The scent warms, and vanilla is here in the labdanum, at first feeling like the specks you see in vanilla bean ice cream but then melding together to create the familiar amber accord that I've smelled so many times.  The pine is still there, a reminder of the lower altitude, but your focus is on the notes supporting the structure.  Eventually, the labdanum and lavender make for a sturdy masculine-leaning base.  The end stages of the scent last forever.

This scent started out relatively light but as the airy top notes dissipated, it became more and more resinous and balsamic.   The inage it portrays is one of the rim of sunlight that glows around a single dark cloud.  This scent starts out a lot lighter than the listed notes would have you believe, but in the end you get the feels of a warm enclosure.  There's no smoke, no tar, no wood, which makes it feel like a truly unisex alpine scent even though in brief stages it might appear more feminine or masculine.  It has the feel of a fougere, but with pine replacing the oakmoss.

This is a nice scent....I feel like it's a bit redundant as I've smelled quite a few like it, but the opening notes of this fragrance give it a bit of a different edge.  This is great for people who love Filles En Aiguilles, as it's similar but doesn't contain the incense.  I wouldn't need to own this one as I am a big fan of the Lutens, but those who don't love smoke in their fragrances might find this to be a good alternative. 

Richard Luscher Britos 38 N 16 E - Calabria or 38N16E Review

Richard Luscher Britos is a house that focuses of terroir perfumes, which are scents that paint an olfactory landscape of a geographical location (hence the coordinates in the names of the creations).  Each scent uses a single plant native to the area.  Through emphasizing the selected ingredient, they attempt to capture the society, feel, and environment of that location.  I find this very appealing.   In my wanderings I've always tied a scent to a region, and though many are represented over and over again some are forgotten.   I'm looking forward to this line expanding to include future locations and how these areas can be sculpted from regional notes.

I purchased the sample set from Luckyscent and it is adorable!  There are 5 folded squares with the title of each scent, and as you unfold each square you are treated to further description and collage-style art illustrating the notes and feel of the scent.  The backside of the square is like a collage bandana once it's completely unfolded.  I am a sucker for nice packaging and it's very original.

38 N 16 E (and I'm sorry, I was too lazy to dig around on my keyboard combinations to find how to type in degree markings) is the location of Calabria, Italy.  This region is known for bergamot production.  Bergamot has always been a favorite of mine.  I started drinking Earl Grey tea from a young age and the citrus steam cloud that used to waft out of the cup with cause me to inhale deeply over and over again until the tea was lukewarm.  There was a brief period in the 90s when The Body Shop had a bergamot shower gel.  It was amazing, smelling exactly like my cups of childhood tea.  Granted, in perfumery bergamot is usually used as a top note to the same effect, keeping you interested until it allows the heart notes to come through, but I was very excited to try a bergamot centered scent.

On first spray, I get a citrus blast similar to Acqua Di Parma Colonia.  There's a sweet citrus powder effect that I attribute to that scent, and it's lovely and summery.  The bergamot, however, sets this apart from the ADP.  It's a bit more pronounced and smells almost candied, not it a cloying manner but in a hazy heat way.  At first it distracts a bit from the bergamot, making you wonder if it's really bergamot that you're smelling or some other fruits that are combined to give the mere impression.  However, the scent has other plans for you......the bergamot's green exterior rounds out and becomes ripe and heavy on the branch.  A bit of juice and peel establish a permanent hold in the experience and it does remind me of a grove of citrus trees in dry morning sunlight.  The scent and effect of bright puckered fruit intensifies rather than recedes, and becomes slightly powdery again.  A light touch of pure white orange blossom is here,  and this sweetness with the pungency of rind is pleasant and welcoming.  The sugar in the opening has mellowed to honey, capturing the warmth of the region in a single golden drop.  Its addition is very appropriate.  This scent is not necessarily reminiscent of
a cup of tea, but just as in a cup of tea, the honey manages to enhance the flavor of the main note.  Suddenly, the juxtaposition of sweet vs sour allows the citrus tang to be more evident.   

Impressively, the citrus lingers for quite awhile.  My past experiences with bergamot in fragrances is that it can be relatively fleeting, but here, it continues to stand tall in the composition.  The pungency does tone down a bit but it's still very recognizable and makes the orange blossom seem more orange than blossom.  It's a great balance, allowing neither element to dominate in the mid stages.

The presence of sandalwood adds the barest hint of twig and formality and a very light spiced (but not spicey) incense arrives just when your mind starts becoming overly accustomed to the scent and captures your attention yet again.  The sandalwood feels a bit buttoned-up, the citizens are not heading out in shorts and tee shirts....they take the time to find a pressed shirt, which is put on after a cooling shower.  We are now headed to the center of town and through the whirl of activity, the breeze still carries the scent of citrus trees, never letting you forget where you really are.  The steady presence of bergamot remains and the mild zip of sandalwood keeps you energized without crossing the into distraction.  After the heat slowly fades with the sun,  the cooling evening air descends and scent of an airy incense retains the memory of warmth from the day.    

This fragrance took me a bit by surprise.  When I initially read that it was centered around bergamot I figured it would be like any number of short lived summer colognes,  but it's a bit more concentrated than that.   It has a longer life than the majority of these types of scents, and though it has all the right traditional element it also holds a twist of modern life existing in a long-held standard.  It's unisex and I can't think of anyone who couldn't wear it beautifully.

I love that this scent did indeed transport me mentally to an infinitely more pleasant climate in the middle of winter.  It's an elegant casual fragrance that had me yearning for wine on a patio overlooking a warm and dry landscape, and that always appeals. 

Zoologist Perfumes - Panda review.

Panda is part of a trio of scents from niche house Zoologist Perfumes.  The creative mind behind the house is Victor Wong, a scent enthusiast who decided to take his love of animals and create a line of scents that captured the animals' interesting and sometimes playful behavior.  Panda along with the other scents from the collection Rhinoceros and Beaver,  have all made quite a stir on the perfume scene, and I am really happy to say that they've all made quite an impression on me as well.  It's not very often that a scent feels 'new' to me, but maybe that's the beauty of having a scent created by a working 'mortal'.  There are no hard rules to follow or previous lessons in scent cluttering the creative process, and sometimes that results in the most intriguing and pleasant works of olfactive art.

Panda opens up in a gorgeous blast of a very cold green tea note and the light sweet green of bamboo. There's a plate of a sliced, very cold, fresh from the garden cucumber which may be the zisu leaves.  I usually hate cucumber, so I'm suspecting that this surprisingly beautiful impression is being created by zisu......and I love that it's part of the opening.  Zisu, also knows as perilla, is an herb typically used as a culinary spice or medicinal herb in China, Korea, and Japan.   Here,  it adds a cool, herbal , almost water-like mint tone.  I definitely get the sensation of a dense bamboo thicket by a cool stream, with a light spring breeze blowing through the upper leaves.  Nothing else is visible for awhile through the thick greenery and you sit, calmly waiting while being surrounded by serenity.

In a short while, a citrus notes glows through the stalks.  It's quiet and peaceful and slightly warms the fragrance so that it feels like a delicate aura.  I get the sichuan pepper,  adding its bite to the cool notes.  The feeling is akin to the sharp sensation of biting into a raw green pepper....you're momentarily taken aback until your senses get used to it, then you find it pleasant and return to experience that same small initial rush, until it becomes enough a part of the composition to be a faint reminder of spice.  The florals in this scent start blooming early on,  but are slow to build as they slowly unfurl through the layers of other notes.  They take their time so that when they're fully apparent it takes you a minute to realize they were there all along, seducing you slowly with their fragrant white petals.  A hint of mimosa is apparent and orange blossom adds an ethereally sweet thread.  The osmanthus lends a lovely, bitter black tea feel and the impression of fuzzy apricot skins.  There's no smoke or spices in this teapot, it's an almost perfect rendition of how loose, unadulterated, dry black tea smells, and i'm enjoying the dry cold aspect that it lends to the composition.  It feel cool and put together, yet refreshing and approachable.  It's a beautiful foil to the green and balances the sweeter floral element perfectly. 

Now the tea element increases in intensity while the dirt fades.  The leafy enclosure opens up a bit and invites a mild touch of wood and grassy vetiver to join the notes.  I feel like it adds a buoying effect to the relatively strong top notes which are still very present.  It's a great reflection of the entire bamboo plant itself, and how the root systems of bamboo are so thick that it gives the effect of walking on a system of wooden springs.  There's a slight 'leather' element, I attribute this to the osmanthus.  I"m grateful that the cedar is this scent is relatively subdued.  Cedar can really overtake a scent but here is is a quiet whisper threading through the base.  The extension of this fragrance over the next few hours is a gorgeous swirl of osmanthus, greenery and a soil-like musk that lasts and lasts.

Panda is a great name for this scent.....I feel like it represents the panda perfectly.  And what I love is how I become the panda in this scent rather than someone standing by as an observer.  I want to be in the bamboo grove, chewing on leaves and taking advantage of the shaded haven and the forest lives on outside of my hiding spot. 

I have been looking for a scent like this for awhile.  I love the scent of tea, but most 'tea scents' and spiced and sweetened and made into something I would get as part of a dessert.  Much of the world enjoys their tea at all meals and without spices and sugar.  This scent is exactly that.....a palate-cleanser that cuts through all of the excess perfume noise in my closet.  It's a 'reset' scent, one that is detectable but restrained and takes me back to a beautifully composed center.  It's highly original and absolutely one that I want to purchase.  Thank you, Victor Wong, for created such a beautiful, tangible scent space.

Reviewed from my own sample which I purchased myself.

The Bargain Bin Monday Series: Eau De Cartier Zeste De Soleil Review

When I started on my perfume journeys, I was haunted by the overspraying and pervasiveness of 'commercial' scents, so when I got 'serious' about perfume (whatever that may mean), I was very insistent on only wearing niche and hard-to-come-by fragrances.  However, there were scents that always lingered on the periphery that I recalled being rather nice, but somehow I felt that to wear them was to fold to commercial pressure.

Wrong.

Over the years I have hit a nice balance of niche, luxury, indie, and department-store scents.  I love that there are scents available for low prices online at many perfume discounters, and in some cases you can get some really good deals on niche lines as well.  So, with the knowledge that many aspiring and exisiting perfumistas are on a limited budget,  I'm embarking on a new little project.  Today I'm going to start a series that will repeat every Monday, covering fragrances that are readily available at prices more suited to a limited budget.  I've purchased these fragrances from either online discounters or brick-and-mortar discount stores like TJ Maxx.  I realized that it's important to wear what you like.  I like fragrances from all types of sources.....I can appreciate the odd or purely artistic, but sometimes I just want to wear something that smells nice, no matter where it came from.  So, onward we go!

A recent acquisition of mine is Eau de Cartier Zeste De Soleil.  I tend to like Cartier fragrances, and when I saw that this scent features a passion fruit note, I decided to blind buy a tester bottle (28.00!  How could I go wrong?).  Additional notes listed are yuzu and mint, which sounded alright to me.....I had a little bit of trepidation with the yuzu.  A few years ago, around 2006, everyone went yuzu crazy and an extremely sharp yuzu fragrance oil was showing up in a myriad of handcrafted bath products.  It used to grate on my nerves and was so strong it made my toes curl.  But, this being Cartier, I had faith that it would be done with a light hand.

The opening of Zeste de Soleil prominently features a very tangy passionfruit, unsweeted, and a dash of yuzu.  Having traveled to the tropics multiple times I've had many experiences with passion fruit, both when ripe and unripe.  This passion fruit is the fruit just before it sweetens.  The white rind is still firm and the pulp is a little hard to remove from the pith, and when you taste it your senses are overwhelmed with a slightly sweaty and sour sensation that is oddly appealing and just this side of sweet.  I'm surprised at the lack of sweetness in the opening.  With all the fruity florals running around the world right now I expected a slap of fruit punch, but instead I got fresh-off-the-tree tropical breakfast.  It feels very much like standing in a sunbeam, slowly warming to your skin and allowing your body to add its own twist to the fragrance.

There is an herbal element that now becomes apparent.  Is it mint?  Not in the traditional sense.  This is the mint leaf that you pick off the plant and chew.  It's a bit more green than cold, and it feels restrained and (should I say this?) spa-like.  The top notes blend with this green creating a wholly unisex scent.  It's a bit like a tropical Cristalle EDT,  dry and balanced.  I can see someone getting off a private jet in the Caribbean and spraying this on to refresh themselves as soon as they were enveloped by the heat and humidity of the tropics. 

The yuzu fades a bit but the passion fruit and mint continue their journey.  No other notes are listed for the scent on any site, but I get the impression of white sand and perhaps a hint of breeze through a palm tree.   There may be a touch of wood at the base but it's faint.  I like the linear quality of this scent for summer, I don't have to worry about the fragrance morphing unexpectedly in the heat.  What I spray on is very close to what will remain a couple of hours later.  This is a quirky, tangy little scent.  I'm really glad that it doesn't incorporate anything floral, sometimes I want my juice freshly squeezed, containing bits of pulp and the slight bitterness of seeds and stem.   Zeste de Soleil achieves this experience.  It's not incredibly long lasting but is does have a bit of staying power, 4 hours or so.  For an Eau, that's not unusual on my skin.  Is it a masterpiece?  Nope.  But it's really a nice fragrance and for the price you really can't lose. 

*****If I don't post for the next few days, I'll be back.  We are currently dealing with the vicious flu in my house and with the way I feel today, looks like I'm next.  If I can't get Tamiflu I'll be out for the count for a few days.  I'll try to put together something from my backlogged notes file, but if not I'll be back in a week or so.  Thanks for reading!

Volnay Fragrances Perlerette

Part 3 of Volnay reviews....you can read part 1 here  and here.  
In my reviews of Volnay scents I saved this one for last because it required a few different wearings to figure it out.  Of the 5, this is the one that gave me the most mental churn.  Did I like it?  At first I didn't know.  When I first applied it, I got a very doughy, almost bitter iris, and ambrette, which I am typically not a fan of.  I like iris but there are some iris fragrances that I have never been able to tolerate.  This immediate note recalled that same unsettling feeling for me.

Powering through, I waited a few minutes and there was my reward.  The dough in the iris faded and allowed a lovely pale purple bloom to come through.  This effect was further enhanced by an airy lilac note that wasn't too sweet, rather recalling the bud instead of the bloom.  Pink pepper and orange blossom further flavored the bouquet and spring suddenly was surrounding my arm.  The dough was a little wisp of memory floating around it but it worked quite well and the ambrette, to me, recalled the sword shaped leaves of the iris.  Very feminine and balanced, this reminded me of a tailored,  lavender colored linen dress. 

As the fragrance progresses we get a hint of a woody violet, and a lovely fluffy vanilla musk comes out.  Not dessert-like in the least, but like a halo of light powder, enhanced by the 4092 base.  It's  a bit like the drydown of Nirmal by Laboratorio Olfattivo.....veil like and long-wearing.  It gives me the impression of walking on a cloud, surrounded by beauty.  I wore this on a day where the weather was turning towards the warm and was aware of little hints of purple-colored spring flowers and vanilla powder all day. A surprising little fragrances, because the opening stage was my least favorite, however, I found it to be a gem.

All in all, I really do love all the Volnay fragrances.  My favorites would be Yapana and Perlerette, simply because I gravitate to a well-done hyper-feminine scent.  However, every single one is beautifully composed.  The lasting power is amazing, some were obvious over 10 hours after application, and was evident still after 10 hours and a shower.  This house is most definitely worth checking out.

Volnay Fragrances: Brume D'Hiver & Yapana Review

Today is part 2 of my Volnay reviews.  You can view part 1 here:

Brume D'Hiver has an absoutely divine, cool opening of tea-like bergamot and a touch of juniper.  The clarity of the top notes in this allows notes of jasmine and rose to come through.  This is an ethereal rose, very light......like the impression of a white rose as opposed to a red.  Fitting, for a perfume meant to give the impression of a winter breeze.   The herbs play with the flower, elevating the sense of freshness and perhaps the first hints of springtime, apparent in the use of violet.  Every winter here we are treated to baskets of violets in early springtime, one of the first blooming spots of color, and the late February air is always redolent of juniper bark and the sharp purple green of early flowers.  This scent captures that impression of lengthening daylight and a clearing of the mind, yet retaining the cool detachment of wind and snow.   The use of heliotrope also serves to temper the violet and for an brief period of time I am mildly reminded of Apres L'Ondee.  However, this is a winter fragrance and the spring-like feel quickly dissipates, as if reminding you that it's still winter.   Oud and incense make their introduction at this point, toning down the bright elements and adding a smooth internal sense of warmth.  Once again, these notes are not obviously recognizable.  It's as if the feeling is one of familiarity but,  if pressed for explanation, the note would be on the tip of your tongue,...however, the recollection of what it was would be just out of reach.  For the duration of the development, we are left with a bed of rich, dry and bright green wood effect.  The powder and spice Volnay base is made definitively unisex here due to the use of a lovely dry green vetiver and touch of labdanum, which adds further depth and definition.   Very enjoyable and would smell great on a man, but a woman could definitely wear it as well.

The next fragrance is Yapana, which takes us to the completely opposite landscape...... described as "an odyssey of mysterious and captivating notes, a magical and sensual embrace'.  I can immediately tell on the opening that this is one I love.  The impression I get upon spraying is white chocolate and a note mildly reminiscent of licorice, followed immediately by underpinnings of sweet ylang and lashings of vanilla orchids and amber.  It feels vaguely tropical,  and a bit gourmand without being overly sugary or obvious.  I like the use of the base here....it's used as a heart note and mellows the sweetness somewhat but it has a whole different feel and character from the other Volnay scents.   This one is a pleasant diversion from the theme, a bit like a very high-quality Angel (don't yell at me!) without the patchouli punch...there is patchouli here, but it stays in the far back corners of the scent simply providing some strength to the vanilla while simultaneously keeping it from overwhelming.  The powder is turned down, and the whole composition is given a twist with helional, adding a pale white/green freshness, but in no way does it feel aquatic.  It just adds a touch of humidity to the atmosphere,  allowing the florals to exude their scent to maximum effect.  The clove in the base is apparent here, enhanced by the amber, and gives the impression of sweet rum without being boozy.  It's the sugar that is left after the alcohol evaporates from the spirit, leaving you with pleasant associations of evening. 
This is the Islands at their best, beautiful and sweet and holding more than a bit of mystery. 

Tomorrow I will review the last of the Volnay scents,  Perlerette.   So far we're 4 for 4 as far as beauty goes.......looking forward to my last sample!

All samples purchased by me, so to ensure honest reviewing.