Easy on the Senses: Perfumes For When You Just Want White Noise

I think my relationship with perfumes in the winter is a bit like my relationship with holiday foods. By the time January rolls around I am wanting hot, bitter, sour, and brothy foods that scream this is vitality. I find these comforting but at the same time they are utterly the opposite of the rich dense foods that start in November and end December. While I wouldn't describe them as white noise they do offer the wake-up call that my tongue very much needs after all the butter and cream.

When January rolls around I suddenly crave white noise scents. I am needing a break from the dense spices, ambers, and uber-amped scents that go great with a a holiday mood but when work and soothing come into the picture are just too much. I like to call these scents white noise scents, many would categorize them as comforting, but for me they provide the perfect veil of scent without being intrusive like white noise they keep the discordant out but allow you to focus.

Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black oil, the perfect soothing blend of sandalwood and vanilla with a dash of violet. I am frequently reminded of Tam Dao when I where this but the vanilla and violet add just a hint more creaminess. This scent is so easy and blends easily with your day.

Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess, one of the best Egyptian musks out there, and provides you with an easy clean lovely musk.

Trussardi Jeans: rainwater, violets, irises, heliotrope, and almonds all on a layer of creamy grains. A cool and warm and effect that is instantly soothing.

Ted Lapidus Silk Way, a musky light heliotrope incense with hints of cedar.

image: Liminal Moment by Bobbette Rose via alyzenmoonshadow.com

SOTD: Egyptian Goddess and Musc by Reminiscence

Its that time of year when I look at my fragrance choices for the season and I sigh. August is that month where I can smell the change of seasons in the air but the heat of summer remains, I want to wear opulent orientals but know it will have disastrous results in being over powering. So its around this time I start reaching for musks. Musks have that beauty of not being too heavy but providing a soothing sensuality that melds with your skin.

To be truly honest with myself musks are also a scent I consistently get compliments on, I also get compliments on rose based scents, and vetiver scents; this makes me wonder if compliments are based also on how people view the person who is wearing the scent and whether they think that scent goes with their character.

Yesterday I put Narciso Rodriguez eau de toilette, sometimes I forget how beautiful the bottom is to the fragrance with the combination of vetiver, egyptian musk, and patchouli. Its honeyed earthiness just makes you want to delight in your own skin.

Today the craving continued at first I spritzed on a sample of Reminiscence's Musc, a powdery mild musk with almond and with a drydown that hints at animalic naughtiness. If you like Madini's White Musk, Musk Pierre, Sage Machado's Pearl, or Lea St. Barth you will enjoy this. I am curious as to why almond is so often paired with musk.

But then I realized I wanted more musk so I dabbed on Auric Blend's Egyptian Goddess, which maybe one the worlds greatest cheap buys ever as far as fragrance is concerned. With the application of heat on the skin this one blooms, and hilariously enough is probably the fragrance that has given me the most compliments in my collection. If you like Narciso Rodriguez eau de toilette try this.

Forever how long it takes the next couple of days will be dedicated to the explorations of musk in my collection.

image provided by artnet.com

image: Idyll by Patrick Cierpka

Scent of The Day: Egyptian Goddess with a few spritzs of Stella

Blue Lotus of Lumbini by Betsy Sterling Benjamin
image from http://www.fwbo-news.org/uploaded_images/Blue_Lotuses_Betsy_Aryaloka_small-763065.jpg
Betsy Sterling Benjamin's online gallery http://www.betsysterlingbenjamin.com/index.htm

So today is the final day of packing, which will probably involve me being up until 2 o'clock in the morning and the next few days being a whirl of unpacking and caffeine, but that really is the reality of moving in a nut shell. It is such an ambigous occasion being stuck between different areas and having to re-learn how to settle in. So I am going with a scent that overall is like my skin and does have a certain sense of serenity to it. I am hoping to stay calm like the image above, but knowing me I will have at least one freak out.