Elegant Bohemian: Vol 870 YUL-CDG by Monsillage (2014)

Sometimes I forget what a good elegant scent can do, for me it has the power to make me feel put together, not ostentatious, but like your own skin is perfectly fine and everything is clicking together. The thing about an elegant scent to me is that it must like feel like a melange of notes, no note is above the others, and yet there is a defined story. I know that is a lot to require out of a scent for it to be considered elegant and I admit there is a lot of Chanel influence in that assertion but that is how I define elegant scents.

On the other hand it is even harder to find an elegant scent with quirk, quirk is rather hard to describe but for me it has to be that note that strikes out and brings something new to the conversation but at the same time is utterly smooth in its compelling addition. Well if you are looking for a sort of unique contrarian elegance then I think you probably should seek out Monsillage's Vol 870 YUL-CDG. Vol 870 YUL-CDG is a bit of a wonder because perfumer Isabelle Michaud created a classic elegant scent that I would feel comfortable wearing at an elegant soiree or a bohemian retreat.

The beginning of Vol 870 YUL-CDG is all about the the osmanthus absolute for me. I adore osmanthus so I am always excited when I see a perfumer take the note and go in a different direction with it. Frequently osmanthus is paired with tea or used as a supporting player, but in Vol 870 YUL-CDG Michaud chooses to let osmanthus star. This is an osmanthus full of dried apricots and hinting at the resinous note that you smell in osmanthus absolute it is lovely and warm so different from other floral notes that once again I am reminded that I find shocking that it is not used more often in perfumery. There is a tannic quality to osmanthus that keeps the sweeter wine like qualities of it in check, it is the sort of scent that balances out the cold sweet of ylang ylang with tannins of black tea and the delicious tartness of dried apricots, it is one of the most naturally layered and complex notes you will ever run across.

What enters next is a rather genius pairing for osmanthus, the notes of balsams. I grew up on a ranch that was high enough in elevation that we had a variety of fir and pine trees and one of my favorite things to go do as a child was to play with the sticky fragrant sap of those trees much to the annoyance of family. Vol 870 YUL-CDG pairs osmanthus with pines and firs, the resinous and balsamic notes play beautifully with the osmanthus creating an elegant but frankly adventurous scent. The mingling of forest and ripe fruit is sensuous yet clever. The woven pairing of osmanthus and balsams play for hours on the skin, the fruit receding with time, and the drydown containing hints of musk, amber, and vetiver. It is a smooth blending that creates warm woods quality on the wearer.

Try if you like Ormonde Jayne Woman, Sonoma Scent Studio's Jour Ensolielle, or Le Temps d'Une Fete by Nicolai.


first image from fragrantica.com
second image Moki Mioke

SOTD: Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus

Quote of the Day: I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not. -- Fran Lebowitz

I am a morning person which seems to be a rarity in my generation; I have inherited this tendency from my grandparents who passed it onto my father who has passed it on to me, where as my brother can sleep in until three and stay up until 5 in the morning. I love the quiet of the mornings, but I honestly wish I had friends I could meet in the morning at cafes. This segways into Sunday in that I firmly believe Sundays should be spent in lazy relaxation, in my case getting up early enough to enjoy the cool breeze of morning but getting a nice nap later on. This once again will be not happening because I am working. The temperture is supposed to go up today and I plan to wear Ormonde Jayne's Osmanthus, which so far I have only really gotten grapefruit from, but supposedly blooms in heat. In the evening I plan on enjoying the sultriness of Dolce & Gabbana's Sicily which is gorgeous in the summer.

Fragrant observations:
-La Maison de La Vanille's Divine Vanille des Tropiques is really made for hot weather, just surrounds you in gorgeousness.
-Azuree Soleil has a gorgeous musky drydown; I often forget the many beautiful stages this fragrance goes through.

The ultimate music of summer is Jack Johnson and here is If I Had Eyes by Jack Johnson:

image provided by artnet.com

image: The Lemon Song by TJ Ahearn 2007

video uploaded by Oniracom

SOTD: Osmanthus Interdite

Another hot day today, but luckly not as hot as yesterday. Osmanthus is one of those scents that just blooms in the heat which is especially true of Osmanthus Interdite, what can I say I must continue the osmanthus loving. I have also switched out my spring scents for my summer scents.

Song: Bachelorette by Bjork

Quote of the Day: It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. -- William G. McAdoo

image provided by artnet.com

image: Flourish Wind by Jiha Moon 2007

SOTD: Osmanthe Yunnan

So I finally got my order decants from Fishbone (by the way she is awesome). I ordered a decant of Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan unsniffed she reduced the price heavily and I could not pass it up (this is also my first Hermes from the special collection). So this is an interesting take on osmanthus, starts off with the smoky tea note that definately has an anamalic musk note going through it. Enter the freesia and orange which when intertwined give this fragrance a hint of pine, and finally the lovely osmanthus in all its leather apricot glory. This is a bit of a smoke and mirrors fragrance with its opening. Interesting I have some Peet's Osmanthus Yunnan tea and well I am going to have to get that out.

Music: Never The Same by Supreme Beings of Leisure (oh how I love pandora)

Quote of the Day: I'm too shy to express my sexual needs except over the phone to people I don't know. -- Garry Shandling

image provided by artnet.com

image: Jeune Fille au Turban Orange by Tamara de Lempicka

SOTD: Pure Grace with GAP Silken Yuzu

Another long day almost done with paper and have one more project due for this class, but I can do it, on my second cup of tea. Will be highly caffinated today. So going with peaceful and energizing scent combo of Philosophy's Pure Grace and GAP Silken Yuzu oil. I will survive and can't wait to be done. Went with cranes today because they symbolize longevity, will later on put on an osmanthus scent also a symbol of longevity.

Song: Open Book by Cake (great lyrics)

Quote of the Day: He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed. -- Saki

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image: Auspicious Crane by Li Dazhi 2005

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
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The Sakura Bride by Kimiko Yoshida

Scent of the Day: Osmanthus Interdite

Will I ever get over the scent of osmanthus? Nope, I hope not. I truly believe it one of those scents that will forever be on my favorites list. As any fragrance lover knows there are notes you are just drawn to, that seem to fit your aesthetic down to the bone. You want to surround yourself it's beauty, you day dream about what your favorite noses or houses could do with it, you come up with fantasy fragrances that always include a note of it. You go looking for all things that include that include the note.
Quote of the Day: The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.-- H. L. Mencken
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Rose Gentleman by Peng Si 2006

Osmanthus, the love continutes: Kyoto by Tocca and tea experiment

My love of osmanthus continues, it is officially a part of my top 5 favorite scents. So I continue to try and find new ways to scent my life with osmanthus; it is a flower worthy of more adoration than it gets.
A little while ago I made a list of products featuring osmanthus, one of those was Tocca's Kyoto candle, well for while I had been carrying around gift cards for Sephora and I decided to see if they carried Tocca's Kyoto, I immediately bought up the candelina (which is bit on the expensive side) with the gift cards. Well I am here to say the raves for Tocca are correct, yes they are expensive, but the little candelina has amazing throw and lasts quite a while, but I admit I going through it fast because the scent is absolutely gorgeous.
Tocca on it's blurb says Kyoto is inspired by osmanthus during autumn* at Japanese temples when they bloom. The scent is lovely and soothing, I would love to catch the scent of it on a breeze. Tocca's interpretation is heavy on the apricot note, supported by cream and aquatic background, in general I hate aquatic qualities, but this works perfectly. Imagine fragrant flowers plunged in icy cold water, the effect is soothing and refreshing, and never goes into fake sea breezes or calone zone. This is a perfect gift for an osmanthus lover and I highly recommend it.

In my love of osmanthus a while I ago I bought a packet of dried osmanthus flowers for culinary use, today I finally did what I had always intended to do with little dried fragrant orange flowers, I mixed it with my Peet's Ti Kwan Yin Oolong tea, the combo is lovely bringing out the floral, fruit, and leather notes featured in both the tea and flowers. Now if only someone would make me a fragrance of it. Seriously at this point if I get rich my dream is perfect bespoke fragrance of Osmanthus. I think I will be dreaming for a long time.

*I love the fact that this flower blooms in Autumn, because I an Autumn baby, and it ridiculously makes me feel a little more symbolically connected to this opalescent fragranced flower.
image provided by http://www.photorae.it/natura2007/pages/Osmanthus_Heterophyllus_2.htm

My obsession with Osmanthus continues

Googling osmanthus was a bad idea because here is what I found and now most definately want to smell:

-Kyoto candle by Tocca http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P42934&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=1722

- Osmanthus soap and roll-on fragrance from mi-spa: http://www.mi-spa.com/Osmanthus-pr-62.html and http://www.mi-spa.com/Dry-Perfume-Roll-on-pr-26.html

-Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus: http://theperfumedcourt.com/Products/Ormonde-Jayne-Osmanthus__ORMONDEJAYNEOSMANTHUS.aspx

-Red Flower Japan: Kinmoxei Wild Lime Silk Oil http://www.beautyhabit.com/product2970.html

-Hove Tea Olive (what osmanthus is called in the Southern US): http://www.hoveparfumeur.com/ProductsfortheWoman.htm

-Hermes Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan http://theperfumedcourt.com/Products/Hermessence-Osmanthe-Yunnan__HRMOYPG.aspx

-Ayala Moriel's Kinmokusei http://ayalamoriel.com/index.cfm?PageName=Scents&View=Details&PerfumeID=23

image provided by search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20031002li.html (provides a very nice article on osmanthus or in japan as it is know kinmokusei

SOTD: Narciso Rodriguez

To quite simple put it Valentine's day is also my boyfriend's birthday and so in honor of him I am wearing one of his favorites. Which also coincidently features a prominent note of osmanthus. The scent of osmanthus this time sweetly luminous hinting at the scent of the skin of apricots; which is perfect considering over all Narciso Rodriguez for her edt evokes the quality of warm skin. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

image provided by art.com

The Kiss by Auguste Rodin

SOTD: Parfum d'Empire's Osmanthus Interdite, a leathery osmanthus

Continuing the Osmanthus theme is Parfum d'Empire's Osmanthus Interdite aka Forbidden Osmanthus, if Keiko Mecheri's Fleurs d'Osmanthus is the tropical gentle variation of osmanthus, then Osmanthus Interdite is the more forward and strangely tom boyish cousin. Osmanthus Interdite works with the pronounced tang and leather of osmanthus, it juxtaposes a citrusy zingy apricot note with a strangely lactic leather note. There is a masculine edge to it, but at the same time it evokes the perfect presence of a summer dress with the note of citrus and apricot, it is a leather and fruit scent that does not go into chypre territory, but rather straddles the fruity and leather families. I would almost say this is a naughty scent, but because it is so forward there is nothing naughty about it, for it is obvious. It is a the perfect peachy cream colored summer dress belted with with black leather and paired with black stilettos. For those looking for an animalic fruity leather scent that does not go into hiney territory this is for you, strangely kinky and charming.

image provided by http://www.gallery-ef.com/e07.htm

Eternal Spring by Adam Booth 2006

SOTD: KM Fleurs d'Osmanthus and Osmanthus Green Tea

There are three florals that I am truly attracted too: rose, orange blossom, and osmanthus. Otherwise as many know my fragrance love is more in the category of incense, gourmands, and spices with the occasional fruit. Osmanthus is a floral chameleon in the sense that it is not really a floral scent but a melange of other scents resulting in a scent that is heady, fruity, creamy, tart, and shockingly leatherly. It has been described as the combination of apricot, orange blossom, and leather. It truly holds my attention though at the apricot note. There is one fruit scent I truly love and sadly apricot is a scent few perfumes ever get right (in fact I have yet to find one, the best rendition of apricot being Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil). My first meeting with osmanthus came in the form of Keiko Mecheri's Fleurs d'Osmanthus, this scent is a tropical take on osmanthus, upping the creamy part of osmanthus with the addition of tuberose, still as the fragrance dries down the zing of green apricot cream comes forward, it enchants you. It still holds a place in my heart and remains one of the most easy going florals out there. Although, it does bear some resemblance to Serge Luten's Datura Noir, I would say that two migrate in different directions with the dry down, Datura Noir becoming sweeter with a rasp and Fleurs d'Osmanthus taking on a tang and gentleness. Fleurs d'Osmanthus is a lovely gentle enticing scent, that is striking but never overbearing.

Another way to enjoy the the scent of osmanthus and far more traditional way is through tea. This may be the best way of smelling the true scent of osmanthus without having to find an osmanthus bush. Today I am drinking a blend of osmanthus and green tea. The fruity apricot leather note coming out perfectly. I suggest for those of us who are not lovers of jasmine green tea but want to enjoy a scented floral that you seek out an osmanthus scented tea.

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Spring by Irma Kusiani

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.