Autumn Has Arrived!

Can I say just how happy I am that summer is done, well at least it is on the calendar. I have been excitedly looking at my collection and considering the perfumes I can't wait to wear in the cooler weather. I'll be the first to admit this collection is leaning on the sweet side but I have to say when I have to spend 80% of the year in citruses, florals, and other variations on clean it may mean I go crazy on the olfactory overload of rich Autumn scents.

1. Santal Majuscule by Serge Lutens
I have become firmly enthralled by this rosy sandalwood syrup. Sweet and musky with a delicious dollop of sandalwood this scent will be scenting many of my days, I find it melds beautifully, and I love getting wafts of from my clothes. Obvious scarf scent.

2. Wood Violet by Sonoma Scent Studio
This lovely plummy rich violet scent has been calling me recently. I love the combination of roasted plums with violet.

3. Vanille Botanique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Oh the moment I get to wear this sumptuous vanilla outside on a cool day with brisk Autumn wind it is going to be the best.

4. Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka
Yes, I still have the original bottle from when I was 15 and it still smells amazing. It continues to be the perfect mix of vanilla and anise of me with violets and touches of delicious toasty nutty tonka bean. I especially adore wearing this in October around Halloween.

5. Ambre Nue by Atelier Cologne
I really like this juicy chewy amber. The opening of tart delicious mandarins always catches me followed earthier peppier middle with marigold and orchid. I consider this the grown-up version of BBW's Sensual Amber. It is of that school of fruity smooth ambers that are so popular but thankfully it uses more interesting notes and pepper keeps it from being saccharine.

6. Tudor Rose and Amber by Jo Malone
I love this wine-y rose and amber combo. The opening of spices and rose evokes mulled wine the edition of amber and patchouli make it a bit thorn edged.

7. Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau de Parfum Intense by Elie Saab
The original Elie Saab is a favorite spring scent for me with its bright almost neon orange blossom notes. The Intense version is deliciously honeyed and with hints of dried apricots and a base of amber.

8. Nirvana Black by Elizabeth and James
A simple and easy mix of violet, sandalwood, and vanilla a perfect work day scent for me. Its soothing and makes me feel warm without being stiffled.

9. Narciso Rodriguez For Her L'Absolu by Narcisco Rodriguez
I don't usually care for the variations on the original Narciso Rodriguez scent and stick to the original edt. The scents that came after have never really worked on me, but L'Absolu is a different story. It is a powdered richer scent, the woods have been amped up creating incense-like quality in the scent. An ample plum has been added and the osmanthus and orange blossom have been replaced with a rich tuberose, this is without a doubt for me the Autumn/Winter variation on NR edt. At times I am a little bit reminded of Nicolai Parfumeur Createur's Sacrebleu, another Autumn fruit tuberose scent on a bed of woods which has at times reminded others of the ultimate name in intense fruity tuberoses, Poison by Dior. Yet, L'Absolu is not baroque like the previous mentioned scents, it is clearly modern but does have familial to those scents. On the other hand most definitely do not wear this in hot weather.

10. Fifi Chachnil edt and edp by Fifi Chachnil
I am lucky to have in my hands two decently large decants of this perfect femme tobacco scent. This for me is one of the great losses of the perfume world in its discontinuation. From the awesome use of coriander in the opening to the entwining of pink rose, tonka, and delicious tobacco it was a pretty genius blend that got the tobacco note trend before anyone else did.

"Amelia" by Erica Rose Levine

Autumn Bounty

Today is the first day of Autumn, which for me is always a cause for a little celebration, it is my favorite season, and here in California probably the most elusive. It arrives so much later than in other regions that I think once it arrives I really make the point of reveling in it. So here are the scents I am looking forward to wearing once a chill arrives in the air and corresponding Autumn-like images I like to think they evoke :-).

Nebras by Al-Rehab. I have been looking so forward to this warm powdery floral in fall.

Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood. A spicy powdery rose scent with hints of leather, yet soft enough for everyday wear.

Arquiste No.31 for J. Crew. Delicious plum rose cider scent.

Traversee du Bosphore by L'Artisan. A strange wonderful combination of rosewater loukhoum, tart apples, light suede, light tobacco, and powder yet wonderfully wearable.

Geisha Noire by Aroma M. Spicy seductive dark amber and sandalwood.

Just a few of the fragrances I plan to wear. What do you plan to take out for Autumn?

Nebras image from: Sh3noonte
Anglomania image from: Anna Berezovskaya
Arquiste image Daniel Merriam
Traversee image Maria Zhelibskaya
Geisha Noire image Courtney Johnson

Mooncakes and Autumn Celebration

This last Sunday was the Chinese Moon festival, on this day mooncakes are traditionally served. I have heard of the Moon festival but have never participated in it and well I didn't really this time either, but I did get to try to the traditional mooncake (my co-worker Sing even forgot about the festival, and the day after bought her mooncakes and gave me one). Eating the mooncake for me was in a way getting to know my ancestry better.
My great-grandmother was Chinese, but she was orphaned in France as a child, so within my family the genetic heritage of grandmother showed through in her children, grandchildren, and some of her great-grandchildren, but the cultural heritage has never really existed. This lack of knowledge of my great-grandmother's birth culture has always created identity issues within my family and still extends to this day even to myself. This last January I visited France to visit my mother's family who I have never been very close to due to my mother passing away when I was very young and a language barrier, the visit it allowed me to further understand my bi-racial heritage. Out of my cousins I have inherited predominately European looks, my mother was also predominately European looking, but I learned while I was there that even she faced racism. It is ironic that my mother would be ostracized for her height, she was the shortest of her siblings at 4'11", but out of all the children born to her sisters and brothers, her children would be the tallest, I'm only 5'3" and my brother is of average height. I think it is even more ironic that my mother would be alienated for her height in a country that is not exactly on the tall side.
While eating the mooncake I wondered what my mother would think? I ate it wondering if my western palate was too biased agains't the mooncake; it turns out I wasn't a big fan, but then I remembered my co-worker hadn't seemed all that enthused over the mooncake either and Sing happens to be one of biggest food lovers I know of. I also know I have an adventurous palate. Still I enjoyed that I got to participate in event that celebrates the harvest moon and the bounty of the season, but next time the Moon festival comes around, I think I'll sidestep the mooncake. I will add though that it is visually stunning.

image provided by http://www.snpfood.com/export/export_mooncake.php

SOTD: Light Blue

As the sunday tradition continues I go with an easy casual scent and Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue is the epitome of just that. The scent is bright and refreshing, but as it dries down on me becomes a rather delicious lemon cream scent. Perfect for summer and spring and early autumn.

image provided by artnet.com

Cosmos vs. Light Blue Sky by Tony Mendoza 2004