Pop Culture Fun: The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

So I just finished the delightful confection of a series, The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, and after reading the series for the last few years knew I had to do a post for perfuming the characters. It helps that Carriger assigns certain scents to her characters in the book that I immediately had an idea of what would go with them. So without further ado, here is my fragrance assignations to the characters of The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.

Alexia Tarabotti, later Lady Maccon.
This was far too easy considering Carriger describes through Conall Maccon that Alexia smells of "vanilla and cinnamon." The first scent that came to mind was L de Lolita Lempicka, that absurdly delicious combo of vanilla, cinnamon, orange, and musk. Yet, in the last book Timeless when they were in Egypt, Conall then describes her smelling much like a delicious Egyptian pastry. I then thought of the delicious scent of Hermes Ambre Narguile which also uses vanilla and cinnamon, highlighted by powder, tobacco, apples, and dates. So for me Alexia has two scents: L de Lolita Lempicka or Ambre Narguile.

Madame Genevieve Lefoux
This also was a fairly easy first identification, Genevieve is frequently described of smelling of "motor oil and vanilla" and dressing as a man in the series. I immediately thought of Bvlgari Black, a scent of vanilla, lapsang souchang, leather, and funky urbanism. It is one of the most interesting vanillic scents you can try and immediately fit Genevieve. Yet, as I thought about it more I could not help but think that L'Artisan's Dzing! would be an excellent fit also with the use of vanilla and combination of saffron and leather notes giving it a rather motor-y quality.

Ivy Hisselpenny
So for Ivy I knew that her scent was going to have to be big, over the top, and agreeable. As much her style is discordant her character while trying to be actress-y as possible is also jolly and rather agreeable. I immediately knew she was Victor&Rolf's Flowerbomb, the scent of fruits, caramel, and really well behaved patchouli and vanilla yet it is extremely effusive. You know when you are in the trail of Flowerbomb and for the most part you don't mind even if it is rather ridiculous at times.

Lord Akeldama
To some extent scenting Lord Akeldama was almost like scenting Ivy, they both shared the need for scents that are big and over the top. My first thought was to Jean Paul Gaultier's Fleur de Male if there was ever a scent to hit the sweet spot of very sweet, fluffy, feminine, but kept some masculine qualities this is the one. The bounce of intensely fluffy powdery white orange blossoms with Gaultier musk just makes me think of Akeldama, but I would also add I can easily Akeldama wearing Classique, that spiced boudoir powdery floral of Gaultier's.

Biffy 
Biffy is the epitome of the perfect dandy and that is why I can easily see him in that perfect dandy of a scent, Guerlain's Jicky. That lavender confection of musk and vanilla fitting perfectly with his immaculate style and sensibilities, but by the end of the series Biffy's status in life has changed quite a bit, and I see him while still wearing Jicky on his days of relaxation, but his new scent is Dior Homme. That powdery iris chocolate scent that belie's a bit more power and confidence in his new role in life.

Professor Lyle
Lyle's scent was going to have to be simple, discreet, and very calm. I easily saw him in the easy calm creamy sandalwood scent of Diptyque's Tam Dao. It is unobtrusive but unique easily going with the character of Lyle.

Conall Maccon
This was a bit of a stumper for me, because well the reality is Conall is easily a character I can see not wearing anything at all, but I can also easily imagine at some point Biffy, Alexia, and Akeldama basically in their own ways making him wear a fragrance for events. So I see them choosing Burberry's London for men, a scent of peaty scotch and earth, an easy reference to the Highlands he comes from. He will grumble about it but I imagine every once awhile when no one is noticing he will sniff the bottle with a tiny very masculine sigh of pleasure.

Let me fall into orange blossom cream dream: Neroli Blanc Eau de Parfum Intense by Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger

I remember earlier this year reading about about Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger's Neroli Blanc eau de parfum intense on Now Smell This and very much wanting to try it. It is rare when something new and delightful happens in orange blossom scent land and rarely does it come with non-lunatic price tag. Yet, time passed and then I got a wonderful email from Virginie Roux of Au Pays de La Fleur d'Oranger asking if I would like to try their scents and  I replied of course I would like to try their scents. So yes the sample was provided by the company but this is my own honest opinion of this scent.

Neroli Blanc eau de parfum intense is quite frankly the best gourmand orange blossom I have smelled in the many orange blossom scents I have smelled. It is utterly soft and inviting but has this perfect chewy dried apricot note that keeps it from being overly sweet, balancing the orange blossom is a sweet delicate musky rose note that rounds out the orange blossom keeping it from going into cologne territory or vamp territory. Finally it rests on what I want to call creme brulee vanilla, well actually take away the burnt top of creme brulee and just leave the delicious custard part, and that is what you have. Through out the fragrance in all stages it retains that gorgeous orange blossom scent.

It is fact for me the perfect combo of two things I wanted to like more but did not. I recently got a sample of Elie Saab Le Parfum eau de parfum intense and loved the beginning of it where it had this delicious chew honey fruit note combined with the Francis Kurkdjian orange blossom accord unfortunately as time passed it became my rather well loved regular old Elie Saab Le Parfum. Then there is By Killian's Love aka what he himself describes as an orange blossom marshmallow, which I found to be too sweet, the orange blossom becoming cloying as time passed. Well Neroli Blanc eau de parfum intense trumps those two, it is able to combine what that chewy fruit note that I love and keep the sweetened gourmand aspects in check.

Overall the longevity is excellent as is the strength, you will get lovely wafts through out the day but it is not overpowering. The effect is soft and alluring, this most definitely romantic but it is not a bombastic romance the appeal somewhere along the lines of cozy kindness and the perfect summer dress.

Try if you like: Elie Saab le parfum, By Killian Love, Lorenzo Villoresi Dilmun, LUSH Orange Blossom.

image provided by http://www.uncarnetsanspages.fr/2012/03/concours-les-lumieres-de-la-pluie/

I swear I do this too often..a return?

Oh perfume blog land suddenly I want to return. Go figure, or maybe I should say this is all the roses fault, the fault being of LUSH's Rose Jam scent that has suddenly made me go down the rabbit hole of rose grails specifically jammy rose searches. The best find so far being Jo Malone's Velvet Rose & Oud, which was a shocker for me. Jo Malone and I have never really met in the chemistry department (the orange blossom one becoming jasmine indolic on me, the pomegranate noir spiced patchouli, and the red rose one very green and stemmy) until a random spritz of VR&O and it was heavenly rose liquor. So lovely and exotic but very amiable in the just smells gorgeous department but then because perfume lovers are absurd you suddenly have that quest of wanting to smell all of those edible roses. Am I back? Probably for a time.

So You Like Ormonde Jayne Woman Then Try Ava Luxe Moksha

    To this day Ormonde Jayne Woman is sort of a wonderful fluke in women's fragrances because it is so utterly its own thing in scent and offering. It is clearly a grownup scent yet it has none of the qualities that make it seem fussy or big and booming that are often associated with grownup scents it is serenely elegantly and smooth but does not rely on the usual notes to get there. It is based around sap and green shoots with just hints of amber but overall it is a fragrance of subtle mystery that will never overpower but rather is worn like a second skin. The colors are dark green, umber, dark gold, rich velvet grey, and inky black much like the color palate above. So what on earth do you do when you love Ormonde Jayne's Woman and would like something different but in the same vein then I suggest you check out Ava Luxe's Moksha.

Ava Luxe's Moksha is a little more vibrantly woodsy relying on a citrus opening but like Ormande Jayne's Woman becomes a rather warm musky wood scent that enchants the wearer and brings about an instant serenity. They both share a wood sap like quality that I adore that rather reminds me of as a child going to my family's ranch and constantly touching the pine sap much to the chagrin of my family because I thought it smelled so good.

Andrew Bird's Yawny At The Apocalypse conveys how these fragrances feel to me.

Notes for Ormonde Jayne Woman: Cardamom, coriander and grass oil, Black hemlock, violet and jasmine absolute Vetiver, cedar wood, amber and sandalwood. 
Notes for Moksha: Indian Sandalwood, Himalayan Cedar, Agarwood, Silver Pine, Gaiac wood, Cypress, Cashmere Musk, Mandarin tangelo. 

image by Yasunari Ikenagi

Heir to Guerlain's Vetiver: L'Artisan's Timbuktu

The first vetiver I ever enjoyed was Guerlain's Vetiver, I know, not really shocking, it's a classic masterpiece for vetiver fragrances for a reason. Fast forward a decade now and vetiver noted fragrances are everywhere, yet few catch me very much, and why would they when I have Guerlain Vetiver.

Well now enters L'Artisan's Timbuktu, honestly I bought this lovely little fragrance with a coupon and gift card from Sephora having never sniffed it, but it is really hard to pass up the 30 ml size bottle*. So I got it and I am happy that I did. It is an airy vetiver patchouli laden incense that makes me feel cool, collected, and natural. It's the feel of Timbuktu that makes me call it the heir to Guerlain's Vetiver, it is a classy serenity that I rarely encounter in fragrances, it is my scent for frantic work days. The use of vetiver in Timbuktu is prominent but it is also supported by a patchouli incense not and has a tang from green mangoes going through it, it attains the airy quality from the karo karounde note. Guerlain's Vetiver for me is vetiver supported by bergamot and tobacco, creating a rather earth floor quality I love.

Try if you like: Guerlain Vetiver, Montale White Aoud, Montale Musk to Musk, Atelier Cologne Trefle Pur.

*Seriously L'Artisan why can you not offer this size for everyone of your fragrances? Love it.
Image by Laetitia Devernay: The Conductor (Chronicle Books, 2011)

Pop Culture Perfume Series: Zoe Barnes of House of Cards

Zoe Barnes is interesting in that she is young and ambitious but not stupid, naivety is not her thing. She has an arsenal of tools to get what she wants and what she wants is her stories in doing so though she ends up crossing the line multiple times but it seems by the end of season 1 she is finding her ethics after getting stuck in the spider web that is Frank Underwood. One of her greatest tools is knowing how to manipulate those that assume a great deal about her looks and youth so finding the right fragrance for her was difficult. The reality when Zoe is working on her articles and not trying to manipulate with her allure I quite frankly doubt she wears a fragrance so when I considered choosing a fragrance for her I considered the fact she would consider this a tool and maybe a hint of status in it not necessarily something that is about her own sensual enjoyment. So her fragrance had to be a work horse for seduction something that would automatically get her the attention she wants, like the infamous form fitting white dress she uses to catch Frank Underwood's eye.

If there is one scent I know of that can be counted on to elicit notice from the opposite sex it is Narciso Rodriguez for Her. What makes it such a work horse of scent for attraction is that it is so perfectly silky and alluring no note is over the top, it is all about allure. I can easily see Zoe using this scent as a part of arsenal of tools it is noticeable yet tasteful and not too young, it projects a maturity that she wants both in work and in her life. Strangely I think the edition of the scent she would use is the Eau de Parfum with it's more enhanced rose note and use of peach I feel it goes even better with all of her white seduction dresses.

image from Feature Fix

Pop Culture Perfume Series: Claire Underwood of House of Cards

Earlier this year my boyfriend and I were very very addicted to Netflix's House of Cards and I still think it was one of the best things I watched this year (I have actually watched a lot of phenomenal tv this year now that I think of it). The character that fascinated me the most was Claire Underwood played by Robin Wright. Claire Underwood is perhaps one of the most interesting female characters on television this year she is ruthless, powerful, fierce, intelligent, and above all wants power and prestige from her work. She is a rare sight in television and while I could be abhorred by her actions I found her the most fascinating because Wright could every once in awhile show a glimmer of vulnerability underneath that rather onyx like facade maybe just maybe a little regret over a few of her choices. My fascination with her quickly came to what perfume would this woman wear. I then came to the conclusion that I would have to make three choices for her dictated by what facade she was showing that day Claire Underwood the politician's wife, Claire Underwood during business, and Claire Underwood who randomly every once in awhile likes to think she is bohemian.

First up Claire Underwood playing at bohemian, this side of Claire is rare, and comes out when she is having her affair, the truth is this not really who she is but rather a character she every once in awhile she likes to think she is. You will not find her putting on random perfume oils but rather I suspect she would reach for Serge Luten's Chergui. It's a cold interesting soft mellow scent of musk, tobacco, honey, and incense that undeniably makes other's lean in to smell but at the same time it does not scream seduction rather whispers of sensuality.

So coming up with Claire Underwood's everyday scent was harder let's face it this woman does not wear florals. No, I had to go to the variety of woodsy and chypre. I then remembered Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne, this is a soft chypre but a chypre none the less with an amazing hemlock note. This scent is easily workable but it is powerful in that it does not play on traditional notes considered feminine.

Finally there is Claire Underwood the politician's wife, this is the glamorous side that Claire uses to help her husband to navigate and win in Washington. I like to think she puts on Estee Lauder's Private Collection Jasmin White Moss when she wants to comes off as serene, a chypre that radiates coolness and clarity yet is very strong.


Claire Underwood image provided by www.btchflcks.com

Comfort and Joy: Ombre Rose L'Original by Jean-Charles Brosseau

This is the idea of what a pink rose should smell like. Now if you are a rose lover you know that roses have many differing scents some smell edible, others are lemony, some are very spicy, the scent of roses vary a great deal.

What makes Ombre Rose by Jean-Charles Brosseau so interesting is for myself it is what a pink rose should smell like, it plays with the idea of color and it's coordination with scent.  Ombre Rose is not an intensily rosy scent, there is rose there, but it is not the dominant character, but there is no real dominant character to this scent rather it is a cast of notes that works wonderfully well with others to create in my mind what a pink rose smells like just based on color.

The opening is a ylang-ylang rosewood tinged powder that reminds me of the wonderful original scent of Nivea lotion, this is then followed by a powdery heart that has tinges of the delicious powder used in Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum but much cleaner and less over the top. Finally it drys down to a warm musky powder with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, honey, and rose. Overall this scent is excellent for powder fans and floral lovers.

Image provided by J'adore Photography

The 80s called and they want their perfume back or Miss Dior Le Parfum and believe it or not that first part is not a put down.

I think we shall begin this review with what this perfume reminds me of and I just want to add I do love this film, Working Girl, trailer below.

Miss Dior Le Parfum is such a throwback to the big perfumes of the eighties it takes you a few moments to fully comprehend what is going on because your nose is in a bit of a shock. Let's just say that the relationship with the current Miss Dior fragrances is that it hints at strawberry in its fruit notes and that is about it. Now on to what Miss Dior is actually related to: Mauboussin's Mauboussin and the original Fendi fragrance. 

Miss Dior Le Parfum starts big with amber spiced fruits, there is a hint of strawberry but I would say it is mainly plum, think fruit compote made with dried fruits and cinnamon. This is where the relationship to Mauboussin can be smelled, that heady rich amber fruit opening is definitely a call back to that iconic scent. Then Miss Dior Le Parfum gets dry, powdery dry, while the spicy amber fruit remains it is suddenly  in the background, what comes forward is dry woods with a heavy lean towards cedar with the addition of rose that smooths out the rough edges. This is the stage that reminds me of the original Fendi, that big bombastic cedar incense of a scent that demanded reverence and tribute when you wore it. It is not nearly as bombastic as Fendi but the dry cedar is prominent with spices that says this is no shrinking violet of a scent. Eventually Miss Dior Le Parfum comes to a dry down that reminds me of amber and exquisite makeup powder with hints of rose and vanilla that has been sitting in a cedar chest. 

I know Sigourney's character wear's Shalimar in Working Girl but I think she would have worn Miss Dior Le Parfum had it been available at the time. Her character is an awful awful person, but dammit I love Sigourney, and she played the role so perfectly. 

So thank you Miss Dior Le Parfum for going down the road of big hair and big scent of the 80s and for not really cleaning it up on the way there. You are a rather unexpected delight. 

image provided by Fanpop

The un-shy violet: Balenciaga Paris

Balenciaga Paris is what I imagine a Vogue photoshoot would be centered around the idea of Parisian business woman. She is urbane, chic, but still remembers her bohemian roots. She is not about exuding sexiness but rather she wants others to know she is unique.

It starts off with raspberry leaf and then quickly transforms into violet that is supported by a tangy green note that just hints at anise,  this is my favorite stage, but sadly the shortest on me. The middle stage is all about cool mossy powdered skin it lasts for awhile before it segways into a nutty mossy woods with hints of powder that is pretty prevalent these days.  I think I would love Balenciaga Paris if it did not end on those rather prevalent base notes. It is definitely one of the most interesting mainstream fragrances to be released in years in that offers a scent that has nothing to do with seduction not that it could not be seductive but rather it is all about personality with confidence and ease.

image "The Casserole" by Victor Ngai 

An old love found in an unexpected place: Fresh's Fleurs de Chocolat Lucia and Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil

When I was in college one of my first forays into the world of gourmand fragrances was Fresh's Fleurs de Chocolat Lucia, a now long discontinued scent. The scent of it was coco powder, milk chocolate, orange, and almond milk. Strangely no patchouli.

 I had not thought about the scent in years until yesterday when I put on my Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil and suddenly I realized what I was smelling, Fleurs de Chocolat Lucia. And like that the scent of the facial oil sent me down my olfactory memory to my trip to Italy where I had sprayed Lucia happily on myself, how appropriate I had felt at the time taking Lucia with me to Italy, and still think that it was an excellent choice. The culinary joy of Italy fitting well with the scent of Lucia.

 In some ways Lucia was my foray into niche, at the time Fresh was consider an indie company, and gourmands had not become quite so ubiquitous. Lucia will always be associated with that moment in my early twenties of first love, Italy, and my burgeoning interest of seeing perfume as an art and something to be collected and admired. I am glad I now have a way of visiting that discontinued scent and my Italy trip.

image Alphonse Mucha

Cool tea for a hot day: Oolong Infini by Atelier Cologne

This starts with tea although I would not call it an oolong scent, years ago I worked in tea and coffee, and my favorite teas were oolong at the time (still a favorite of mine but my tastes expanded) and I can't remember smelling a tea quite like this. No, this is closer to a darjeeling, with lots of citrus while the listed notes say bergamot, I think is smells more lime like. The next part of it is a light musk with hints of neroli, vetiver, and melon (not calone style melon) think the green rind part of melon that is a bit grassy. It is cooling and refreshing and that is about it which in a heat wave is about as much as I can ask of a fragrance without wanting to knock myself over the head with frying pan for choosing something too heavy.

It also reminds me of Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir another tea scent (which is easily unisex in my opinion).

Will this scent knock your socks off no, but it is light, office friendly, and in a heat wave prone area is the perfect refreshing cup of cool tea when I can't have tea and can't cool down.

photograph by Jason Schmidt

Over the top radiance: Elie Saab Le Parfum eau de parfum

Orange blossom is the note that always catches my interest, it is the giant white floral I love, but then again I think I love it because it is a giant white floral that can be done so delicately. And if I were to be really honest it is also the white floral blossom that marries well to my favorite vanilla notes. Another attraction for me is the edible gourmand quality to it reminding me of exotic flower scented desserts.

So how does Ellie Saab's first fragrance fit into my love of the orange blossom, it is big and radiant, sure there is a honey note, but at no point am I thinking to myself, I would like to take a bite of this. No, this fragrance of modern renaissance princess. She is utterly aglow and has a crown of flowers in her hair. There is a sweetness to the scent but it is not just sweetness underneath is a horned section trumpeting the flowers and the earth with cool patchouli and cedar. The musk and honey creating a buzzing to it that makes the scent radiate, its a garden in late spring in area where summer comes early. It is quite frankly a sort of center of attention scent which sometimes is exactly what you want.

Give it a try if you love the orange blossom note in Narcisco Rodigruez eau de toilette and wish there was more of it.

Image courtesy of Aisle Perfect and is from the Hamda Al Fahim Spring 2013 collection

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.

The sample box: Florabotanica by Balenciaga

Doesn't this adcopy look good? Seriously, it is a little trippy, bright, and features the weirdly silhouetted Balenciaga dress. The descriptions of the scent mentions mint. What do I get: something very non-descript and strangely sweaty eventually the sweaty note goes away and otherwise it then becomes rather simple dryer sheet peony. No mint to speak of and really it isn't going to offend anyone but seriously Balenciaga we know you can do better than this.

image provided by http://www.theentertainmentlifestyle.com/2012/07/kristen-stewart-endorses-balenciagas.html

Paperback Romance or Vanille Insensee by Atelier Cologne

You know when you smell something so unlike what you expected that it really throws you, that is Vanille Insensee by Atelier Cologne for me. I had heard comparisons to Eau Duelle by Diptyque, but this is so unlike Eau Duelle I'm not even sure where to begin, the only likeness I can think they share is the use of a unique opening for a vanilla fragrance, but where as Eau Duelle ends up smelling like the little sister of Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille on me, Vanille Insensee is something completely different.

What first catches me is the incredibly dryness of it, no one is going to say way too sweet, then the lightest dusting of dry lime peel, and then the heavy but strangely light dose of cedar, and then a dry wispy jasmine kicks in, sure there are hints of vanilla, or more like vanilla dust swirled in there but the jasmine and cedar really take hold with a dry effusive musk. What it reminds me of in the end is the scent of paperbacks and fairly old ones, with the discoloring at the edges. What makes it all the more unique is that this is still recognizably a vanilla scent but so utterly strange.

This is not a scent I would choose to wear for one it uses a dry jasmine note that I have found constantly disagreeable on my skin (the jasmine note used in the original Nanette Lepore) on the other hand this is perfect for a weird olfactory experience. This could easily be worn by either sex.

A dry erudite vanilla, so bravo Atelier Cologne for creating something I did not think possible, seriously if you are vanilla lover and need to smell a unique take on vanilla try this.

Try if you like: Diptyque Eau Duelle, Prada Infusion d'Iris, The Scent of Departure Istanbul.

image by Alexander Korzer-Robinson

Smell-a-likes in the Cheap Perfume Oil section

Sometimes I am amazed by what gets really marked-up and was essentially copied from the cheap perfume oils section of the Health Food Store/Hippie section of your local drugstore, on the other hand I get it, because sometimes there are really good smelling things there.

So I finally got my hands on One N' Only Argan Oil Treatment, and as I put it on I realized it smelled really good, and that I recognized the scent, but it took a few days for me to finally realize what I was smelling. It smells like Night Queen oil. An oil that I frequently wonder why the scent is more popular considering how popular other scents of the perfume oil variety have become, it is one of those clean florals in the Kai/Child category, although more rose based and tad muskier, with spices but most definitely a clean floral. Auric Blends Night Queen a good place to go for this fragrance.

Then the dupe known has the Jennifer Aniston fragrance and yes I fell for it, I admit at the time I was in a bit of fragrance funk at the time and wandering the local Sephora it was a distinct scent out of all the fruity florals at the time. It was clean and easy, which sometimes I really need, but a year later wandering around the local Sunflowers Market I see a Kuumba Made display and decided to try Pikake Lei, and immediately I knew I was smelling the Jennifer Aniston fragrance except more depth and longevity.

Another very duped fragrance by Kuumba Made is Vanilla Musk which smells essentially like the much pricier Pearl by Sage Machado.

image provided by museumsyndicate.com, image: An Offering to Venus by John William Godward

In which I sample the good stuff: Diptyque's Creme Riche Body Butter

This is going to be a post about one of those things you hoard because you know quite frankly you are never going to buy it unless over night you become incredibly rich but every once in awhile you will think "...maybe I will..." Diptyque's Creme Rich Body Butter is definitely the fantasy body creme for me richly scented with rose that plays on loukhoum that thankfully never hits full dessert mode. The rose is full and true, sweet but never cloying, and there is a slight earthy dusky edge to it that is very seductive (I'm assuming it is the myrrh note). The texture is wonderful moisturizing rich but never oily or dense. Fragrance lasts for a good while and lends itself well to layering. It definitely has a sort of hammam quality to it that definitely makes you feel luxurious, well pampered, and clean.

Image: "In Anticipation of Summer" by Ekatarina Gocharova

The Mall Report: Chanel, Prada, Jo Malone, and Marchesa or what I really remember

So every once in awhile I have an extra long lunch break so I like to traipse over to the local mall and check out the latest fragrance offerings in the area.

First up Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay which was not particularily very blackberry or bay, more citrussy than anything, which was disappointing because I love both of those things.

Then the big bad fruitchouli or as they are calling it over at Chanel, Coco Noir, sigh what an utter disappointment, the bottle is gorgeous, the name alone demands something good, but sadly this is a giant fruitchouli with some serious tenacity. Just no thank you.

Marchesa's Parfum D'Extase, big giant white floral, with possible headache inducing qualities, although touted as "fresh" and "different" I only smelled this on a card, and immediately knew it was not for I.

Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue, this is pretty, very nice, not sure I need it with by bottle of Prada Candy still on the fuller side, as most have said imagine Infusion d'Iris mixed with Candy and you would have something like this but with a richer animalic dry down.

Tomorrow No6 by Naoko Stoop

Perfume Review: Trussardi Jeans for Women

If you were to tell me one of my favorite fragrances was going to be called Jeans I would have laughed. I'm short and larger hipped, jeans and I for the most part do not get along, it is usually a once a year excursion into body dysmorphia of "Why won't these jeans f*&!ing jeans fit properly!?" At my plumpest and my thinnest jeans have not fit properly. On the other hand Trussardi Jeans is my go to anytime perfect fitting fragrance.

First off this fragrance is not necessarily original, in fact is smells like a very high end bit of a cult status fragrance, L'Artisan Jour de Fete, in fact nearly identical, except that Trussardi Jeans is in my estimation a better fragrance. Nor is my comparison original I learned of this fragrance and comparison through Aromascope.

Now what it means to me: rain water, violets, lovely clean diaphonous heliotrope, sweet milk, blanched almonds, and hints of peppery white musk (luckily not laundry detergent), and incredible calm. This is such a perfect calm space scent that caters to the comforting side but does not veer off into bakery land. It has excellent lasting power but is never overwhelming. When I don't know what to wear I reach for this. It is never offending but also never dull, for me it is my Guerlain Apres L'Ondee except it works on me.

Try if you like: Caron Farnesiana, L'Artisan Jour de Fete, Guerlain Apres L'Ondee, Black Phoenix Alchemy Dana O'Shee.

image by Tatiana Plakhova