A Trick of Light: Jour d'Hermes by Hermes

How do you make a floral that does not scream floral? Well I would go talk to Jean Claude Ellena because he has just done that and that is where this fragrance makes the most sense as in why I really like it. To explain it better, I should mention that I am not the woman who gravitates towards fragrances called floral, there are floral notes I love, but scents marketed in the floral category are usually not my ouvre.

Jour d'Hermes is such a wonderful trick though, starting off with a stemmy green milky mango rhubarb green peach skin grapefruit note that catches you with its zippy tartness yet strangely creamy quality. The scent moves on to opal like floral middle where facets of flowers move in and out of focus much like an opal in sunlight as you tilt it to see all the colors. I get rose then jasmine followed by sweet pea. Then a warm musk comes out just lifting the flowers up enough that the scent blends to the skin, at this point the fragrance is somewhat hide and seek, at moments I get rose then a shift to ylang-ylang or tuberose, and then a shift to gardenia all the while it maintains a gauze of musk. Some days it is very earthy on me with vetiver quite obvious other days it becomes a rather balmy tropical gardenia scent with the tart musk to never let it stray to much.

This scent is a changer and never in the same direction in a row. It is fantasy floral and in my mind it is the scent of the lovely flower rununculus that has no scent but has incredibly layered petals.

The amazing image above is from No Wordz Photography.

SOTD: Osmanthus Interdite

Working on a sunday is never fun, but I have too, and next sunday. So rather going with my usual relaxing scents (really sundays should be spent relaxing around the kitchen table), I have instead opted for the more up-beat Osmanthus Interdite. I imagine this leathery tart floral would go wonderfully with Japanese Kitsune aka the fox woman; a mythological figure I have always been fascinated by.

Quote of the Day: The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.-- George F. Will


And now for a magical video, A&E by Goldfrapp:


Image provided by http://www.treadwaygallery.com/ONLINECATALOGS/March2004/0051-0100.html

Image: The Fox Woman by Bertha Lum

video uploaded by MuteChannel

SOTD: Fleurs d'Osmanthus by Keiko Mecheri

When did I become such a floral lover? I have not wanted to touch my orientals or florientals in a long time. I suppose the reality being inside so much while working on schoolwork has left me wanting fresh, light, and springy scents. Still this trend worries me :-P. Damn you osmanthus! (this is screamed Colbert Report style).
Quote of the Day: I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.-- Garrison Keillor
image provided by artnet.com

The Sakura Bride by Kimiko Yoshida

SOTD: Coco Madamoiselle

Working on the weekend is never fun, but my case it is what you have to do. Wearing Coco Madamoiselle which is in my opinion a perfect office scent, has light florals that no one can call offensive, but an aggresive enough bottom notes that no one can call you a push over (aren't office politics wonderful?!). After that I have my boyfriend's nephew's birthday party to attend, which with his family should be interesting. Long day I must say.

Quote of the Day: It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge. -- Enrico Fermi

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Child with Flowered Hat by Gu Zhinong

SOTD: Sublime by Jean Patou

So today I am sampling Sublime by Jean Patou, which is one of those scents that evokes so many things, it opens on a sunny silvery floral opening and then eventually morphs into what I think is the scent of a rich confident woman.

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Lili Marlene by Grace Hartigan 2006

Datura Noir part. 1

I'm going to admit it now, I rarely wear tropical scents, what can I say I rarely think I can pull off the sunny lushness that tropical scents often have going for them, and yet Datura Noir by Serge Lutens is one of the few tropical scents that I can. I suppose if I were to sum this scent up it for its character it would be "a gothic tropical scent, a moodscape of the icy arctic meeting falling petals of creamy luscious tropical flowers." This is the scent of a jungle at night with the coldest white full moon in the sky illuminating everything in its brilliant silver light. And yet this scent is softly narcotic there is no screeching gardenias or tuberoses, the tuberose in this is mellow and edged with a buzzing green note, the osmanthus is the more promenent floral giving off its gentle greeness with its hints of apricots soaked in cream, the coconut is subdued never reminding of sunscreen but rather the scent of freshly cracked coconut, and the hint of bitter almond through out giving it that hint of high pitched sweetness that is cold and wonderfuly sweet. Datura Noir is a soft scent yet has a sharp edge with its unheady narcotic quality.