Lipstick and Loukhoum: Traversee du Bosphore by L'Artisan

Traversee du Bosphore by L'Artisan is an odd one. I like it but as many have pointed out the qualities it aspires to create, a marketplace in Istanbul, is not what the user actually gets.

So what are you actually getting with Traversee du Bosphore? Imagine an expensive suede handbag with an owner who frequently carelessly tosses expensive lipstick, tobacco, makeup powder, and fruity loukhoum into it. The purse is a mess inside but the mess smells good. The rosy chewy scent of expensive lipstick is supported by a powdery fruit note from loukhoum, and in the background with the lightest touch is suede and tobacco. It is a scent that hints at the gourmand but is not actually a gourmand scent, it is a fairly easy going scent, that uses divisive notes. Overall it is a balanced scent nothing is overpowering the other. It is a bit Chanel like in that the blending is the point; no one note is blaring above the others. It feels like a weird take on the lipstick rose genre scent. Instead of violets, loukhoum takes their place and instead of pure makeup powder to support the lipstick, it has been mixed with powdery tobacco and suede. It is basically the scent of lipstick at a bar.

Try if like Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose, Etat Libre d'Orange's Putain des Palaces, or Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania.

image Slava Fokk

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)

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

SOTD: Mure et Musc by L'Artisan

L'Artisan's Mure et Musc is an originator scent, if you love Trish McEvoy's No. 9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk or Philosophy's Falling In Love you better give this fragrance some thanks, well at least the original version. I few years ago I received a decant of Mure et Musc and truthfully I am not all that impressed and from what I understand there is good reason: L'Artisan at some point reformulated it. What I smell now is a somewhat dirty citrus musk, clean and not clean at the same time, the barest hint of blackberry, and overall it has a masculine edge. Another musk to take into consideration from the berry musk category is Montale's Fruits of The Musk, pumped full of berries and roses this musk is absolutely luscious. While I love that L'Artisan helped to create the category of blackberry musks I'm just not in love with this originator.

image provided by artnet.com

image: Nido d'Aprile by Piero Gilardi

SOTD: Jour de Fete

So I decided to follow my almond craving and had heard some good things about L'Artisan's Jour de Fete and some not so good things, in general the house of L'Artisan and I have had a no go relationship, except for making me love a floral, Le Chasse Aux Papillons. The notes for Jour de Fete are the stuff for making lovely scents: almond, pink laurel, wheat, orris, bourbon vanilla, cedarwood. In truth this is almond water, you can barely smell it, this smells like the memory of a babies head from 10 years ago. I smell this and I wish they had pumped up everything just a bit more.

Image provided by http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/vincent-van-gogh-final-paintings.htm/printable

Almond Blossom by Vincent Van Gogh

SOTD: Le Chasse Aux Papillions

I adore Sundays, I adore them for neither sleeping in nor going out early to Church, but rather I love them because when I get up early for a Sunday, the quiet of the morning keeps on going into the afternoon. There is a relaxed quality to chores, I drink my cup of tea relaxed with no worry of the rest of the day's chores needing to be done soon. I can putter around thinking of what delicious meal I want to make myself.

Today I am probably wearing the girliest floral I have ever liked: L'Artisan's Le Chasse Aux Papillions, I admit I feel dorky liking this one considering for many it is the easiest to like floral out there, but then again being not the greatest floral lover in the world, this is probably perfect for me.

Yesterday, was one of those days that make you grateful to live in the Bay Area, Francisco and I went to Lake Temescal in Oakland, the temperture was perfect a cool breeze coming off the lake, and lots of sunshine to make all the greenery sparkle. Below are few images I found, behind the Beach House is a gorgeous fountain area and garden. The second area shows where we picniced which was at the other end of the lake.

image provided by artnet.com

image: Sunday Still Life by Boyd Gavin 2007

image provided by http://www.theoakbook.com/MoreDetail.aspx?Aid=1688&CatId=15

image provided by http://flickr.com/photos/lalalalinda/149124411/

Lost Blogging

It's that time again where I blog about the show that holds me enthralled and while I am enthralled I am sampling Frederic Malle's L'eau d'Hiver (reminds me of something from my childhood, a pure clean sweet comforting scent) and L'Artisan Vanilia (utterly unimpressed, not the smoky vanilla I was looking for, has become a rather doughy heliotrope on me, and has a weird harsh starting).

Let the Losting Begin:

I will admit I really like Charlotte's hair
Well this has to be Juliet of the old with that bizarre weave.
An island therapist? Heh.
Ben with flowers? And checking out Juliet's ass?!
And the shoe drops and Juliette doesn't realize it.
Juliet's hair is looking really good also
And now for our favorite weird whispery jungle and Harper the therapist.
And why is the first time we have seen her amongst the others?
So the whispers are a magical transportation device?
Yick! And this how her affair with Goodwin starts, electric fence burn.
And Harper's his wife and I have to say I'm going to go with Juliet's gut instinct about Harper
Chemical burn!
Why is Juliet following Ben's orders?! She knows he is an evil douche
What is the island with people with insanely gorgeous sweaty hair?
Oh Kate you know that they totally escaped?
And Charlotte is biotch with gorgeous hair. This actually could be the summery for almost every character on the island.
Ben is trying to make the moves, but Godwin already has.
Harper looks like Priscilla Presley and now she reveals Ben's stupid crush on Juliet
Mr. Clean is gutting a rabbit
Claire are you finally getting a clue? And possibly showing your sly side? Claire now seeming kind've awesome
What the heck has Ben been doing to the rabbits other scaring them to death?
Good grief is Ben the King of Manipulation and for once Locke isn't falling for it.
And the only bottle of wine on the island is being used for Goodwin and Juliet's tryst
Don't you question why Ben has you working with chemicals Goodwin?
Priscilla Presley is not happy.
I wonder how long it is going to take for skinny jeans to hit the island?
And now Juliet has run off.
Oh Locke why are you being a dumbass?
And now for movie time; which Locke usually makes very amusing
There's Widmore and it's like Locke's not so spiritually insane twin.
Of course it's like Jurassic Park, Widmore wants to make the island the disney of healing retreats, which goes horribly wrong when he realizes he can't control smoke monster.
Well we now Kate got off the Island knowing that her criminal past was well documented with the boaties.
Ben in dork mode. Is that ham? And that is a lot of dinner rolls.
Hmm, answers about the tailie children.
Ben doing his old manipulation spell.
Faraday have been taking the stupid gas?
I want that puppy
Wow ABC is full of it with this commercial
Please Faraday do your thing and Juliet kick Charlotte's ass.
I love this strange little whispy man
And what is Ben up to? Oh good grief he is going to show dead Goodwin and moldy
He is heartless and Juliet is finally realizing it.
Because Ben is psycho so very very psycho.
And finally someone else on the Island is kissing, Jack and Juliet really should be together.
Love me some Hurley and Sawyer interaction and and psycho has been let of the basement.

SOTD: L'Artisan Fleur d'Oranger

Today I am sick, I was yesterday too, but now it seems to taken a turn for the worse. The irony of when I am sick is that I don't want to smell any of my usual sweet favorites. Instead I end up preferring scents with little to no sweetness. So today I am giving my time to L'Artisan's Fleur d'Oranger, a very generous sample I received, this is a lovely orange blossom that really plays on the a neroli aspect, and then becomes a dry orange blossom. Still this orange blossom is not for me and I continue my quest for an orange blossom scent; I am also thankful this not for me because this one has a nice hefty price tag to go with it. Also a little side bit the scent of orange blossoms is the scent of summer for me. The heady sweet bitter tart scent roams through the Bay Area neighborhoods in the summer morning buzzing with sound nectar seeking insects.

image provided by artnet.com
Portrait of Desiree Manfredi (The Summer Girl) by Jacques Emile Blanche