Deep Green: Bella Basura by Haught Perfumes

There is something deliciously modern and vintage about the perfumes created at Haught Perfumes by Jarekhye Covarrubias. They almost always start very fun and modern and yet frequently morph into the lovely tasteful classical. I don't usually encounter this combo in perfumes so it was nice to see someone playing with these ideas.

I am not the sort of person who usually wears green floral fragrances, I most definitely admire the ideas they convey, but frequently when I try to wear them I run into a few issues. Bella Basura joins the very small cadre of green florals I can wear (the others I can wear are Le Temps d'une Fete by Nicolai, Phenomene Verte II by Lalun Naturals, and Climat by Lancome).

Bella Basura starts with a big bitter blend of lime and bergamot beneath it I get hints of basil and spices enough that for a moment there is a hint of mossy freshness that reminds me of good clean soap scent.

Yet, before anything mundane can happen smoky creamy jasmine incense note enters. This is my favorite stage. I didn't realize I could like a green florals until I realized that they could have green creamy incense notes, Bella Basura is one of those few scents that does that, yet before you go running to the hills thinking that this scent is going to get vanillic it never does. No, Bella Basura reverberates a constant bitter green, it's like a good amaro in the summer.

Bella Basura reminds me of the things I have always wanted to appreciate but never quite could, Jarekhye has tempered the green notes that frequently cause me so many problems, and made a green scent that is wearable for me. I am in fact reminded a bit of the classic Vent Vert by Balmain but made more wearable. The dry down is a consistent bitter green with the citrus and jasmine weaving back and forth there is a smoky blend of olibanum and vetiver that reverberates through out it.

Try Bella Basura if you like Vent Vert by Balmain, A Scent by Issey Miyake, or Jasmine White Moss Private Collection by Estee Lauder. 


Disclaimer: I received the sample from Haught Perfumes.

First image from Haught Perfumes
Second image 'Tropic (Tortuguero)' by Ben Blatt 
Third image 'Dahlia" by Inside A Black Apple

Snippet Review: Part 2 Abdul Karim Al Faransi Maison de Parfum

Bakhoor Hindi
If you are fan of blackberry musks then Bakhoor Hindi is definitely worth your attention. For me Bakhoor Hindi is a bit like if Narciso Rodriguez had used a blackberry musk instead of an Egyptian musk for his original scent. Bakhoor Hindi is smooth and luminous, it takes away the vanilla note used so often in blackberry musks ex. Falling In Love by Philosophy or Bath and Body Work's
Black Raspberry Vanilla and instead creates a sleek stylish take on the blackberry musk genre. It's not citrus forward like L'Artisan's Mure et Musc, but rather keeps the berries smooth but supports them with a rather chic supple jasmine note, below all of that is a sweet luminous musk with a hint of woods. Try if you like berry musks or Narciso Rodriguez.

Dulcedinis Moschus
If you are a fan of Egyptian musks this probably the closest in the Al Faransi collection to that type of musk. This has a sweet tangy clean floral quality I associate with Egyptian musks going through it. I did find it had a bit of animalic note going through it that caught me off guard but eventually Dulcedinis Moschus softened into a very clean sweet soft scent on me. Try if you like Auric Blend's Egyptian Goddess.

Musk Massilia N.2
I would say that Musk Massilia N.2 is Al Faransi's other take on the blackberry musk genre. Instead of going sweet and smooth though, Al Faransi takes blackberry musk into a whole new direction, the fougere direction. The fougere quality is created with a high quality high altitude lavender, the smooth fluffy quality of the lavender tells me it is high altitude lavender. Complimenting the berries is a spicy woody note that makes me feel that Musk Massilia N.2 does best in cooler weather. Below this is a rather luminous salt tinged musk that amplifies the spiced berry quality of the scent. Try if you like Guerlain's Jicky, Montale's Fruits of the Musk, or Bois de Paradise by Parfums DelRae.

Sundus
I'm calling this the night cousin of Lancome's Mille and Une Roses. Now here is the thing Lancome's Mille and Une Roses has always struck me as a warm ambery rose musk. Sundus takes that same damask rose found in Mille and Une Roses and layers in animalic honey, jasmine, musk, and amber. Overall the effect is heady and intense, the rose is sweet and velvety. Sundus is probably the most animalic of Al Faransi's offerings I have tried. Try if you like Calligraphy Rose by Aramis, Velvet Rose & Oud by Jo Malone, or Magie by Lancome.

Image by Olaf Hajek

Snippet Reviews: Abdul Karim Al Faransi Maison de Parfum edition

Musk Warda N.3
If you are a fan of clean rose scents and clean musk scents then this scent is for you. Very much a dewy rose scent with leanings toward the tea rose category, but thankfully nothing overbearing. Definitely of the aldehydic musk variety. Try if you like Serge Luten's Clair de Musc or Sonoma Scent Studio's Velvet Rose.

Hind
Sample this immediately if you love Parfum d'Empire's Ambre Russe or Ava Luxe's now legendary long discontinued Madame X. This has the rich baroque spice and amber of Ambre Russe combined with the slinky animalic labdanum and leather of Madame X. The florals used remind me a bit of Caron's Narcisse Noir, a rather narcotic combination of grape-y orange blossom and jasmine with an herbal rose. Very animalic.

Musk Abiyad Optimum
Ever wanted to smell a white musk of high caliber ingredients, such as when a perfumer is using good quality ambrette? Then this scent is for you. I imagine this is originally what white musk smelled like before the note became overtaken by the laundry detergent note that has over the years taken over white musk. An intensely animalic anise opening that settles into a pure white musk note. If you consider yourself a true white musk aficionado then you need to try this.

Musk Al-Qurtabi
If you want a musk with an intense floral opening a la the grape florals as I like to call them, a combination of orange blossom and jasmine, then this musk is for you. Unfortunately this blend never really settled on me so I really couldn't tell you about the musk. My floral wonky skin didn't really allow me to enjoy this.

Habibati
If you love Jeffrey Dame's New Musk or Narciso by Narciso Rodriguez this scent is worth your time which tells you it is not for me. It has that unique musk on me that goes strangely screechy.

Image by Olaf Hajek

A Flutter of Loveliness: Blush by Marc Jacobs

As I sit here in the doldrums of summer experiencing a humidity rarely felt in California I am feeling the extreme desire for nothing heavy or sweet. When it gets to this point I reach for colognes or a cooling fresh floral. My answer for the cooling fresh floral is Marc Jacob's Blush. Marc Jacob's Blush is one of those forgotten scents of the early 2000s. Once again it was a bit too early for its time. If released now I suspect it would have stayed on the fragrance counters for a bit longer than it did.

Blush is in the family of L'Artisan's La Chasse aux Papillons, in fact they smell very similar in some aspects that I have wanted to call Blush an almost dupe. Yet, I actually think Blush is the edgier scent for the inclusion of one note in particular: star anise. Blush takes the clean musky florist florals of La Chasse and adds a hint of spicy licorice star anise and in addition it then adds a green peach skin note. The scent then takes on an almost animalic cleanness that is furthered by the clean sweet jasmine note that I find so similar to La Chasse. Blush is interesting combo of the cool florals of La Chasse and cool green spiced peach note, it feels like an almost spiced peach oolong tea scent. In hot weather it is absolutely refreshing. The spiciness of the star anise lending exquisite grounding effect to the scent. It also is the rare scent that emphasizes jasmine that I can handle.

Try Marc Jacob's Blush if you like La Chasse aux Papillons by L'Artisan, Jennifer Aniston's original scent, Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, or Hermes Jour d'Hermes.

Image: Sigrid Hjerten 'Still Life' 1917

Evening in Provence: Jasmin Reve by Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger

Imagine Annick Goutal Songes and Donna Karan Gold had a child but she was just a bit more soft spoken than them, what you would get is Au Pays de la Fleurs d'Oranger's Jasmin Reve. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I tried Jasmin Reve. I admit I was bit trepiditious, I have an uneasy relationship with jasmine sometimes it can be screechy on me and other times an indolic hell, but Jasmin Reve is a creamy jasmine. While Jasmine Reve does have a prominent jasmine note it is more than that.

What makes Jasmine Reve a seductive scent is the use of a subtle smoky incense with vanilla this quality in the scent reminds me of Songes the difference though is the location they evoke. Songes takes place in a tropical paradise. Jasmine Reve is a balmy night in Provence, you can smell the creamy jasmine blooming, there is the smoke of clove cigarettes in the background, jazz plays somewhere down the street, and you have just passed a patisserie with its doors wide open. A gentle breeze rolls through the night air and because it is the perfect temperature it feels like a caress. Jasmin Reve is very much an evening scent it has a shadowy lush quality that brings to mind perfect inky sky evenings. It is one of the most tactile and sensual scents I have smelled in awhile.

Once again I am impressed Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger and the qualities they are able to evoke in their scents. What I enjoy is that they seem to really enjoy exploring the idea of comfortable sensuality, their fragrances keep the sensuality but don't blare it. If you are looking for weird don't look here but if you just want something that makes you smile, is well blended, and classic but smells different then give this house your attention. I would say their greatest strength is their understanding of florals. I adore that their jasmine scent goes down the road of floriental with incense and vanilla but still retains the jasmine notes.

Try if you like Annick Goutal's Songes, Donna Karan's Gold, or LUSH's Vanillary

This is what I imagine playing from that jazz club :-).

image: Marion Cotillard

Esther P: Queen of Persia or that jasmine note.

I think Queen of Persia by Esther P is a fine fragrance on others but for me it has this jasmine note. This is the jasmine note found in Vanille Insensee, Nanette Lepore in the pink bottle, and Coco Mademoiselle it is the dry screechy jasmine that never calms down on me. It took me awhile to figure out the note causing the trouble on my skin but I finally realized it with Vanille Insensee where its prominence really shined on my skin.

As the scent calms down on my skin there emerges patchouli and iris with incense they take on a chocolatey quality but overall the jasmine keeps up its prominent role.

I wish I could say more about this scent but for me it is one that truly just does not work on my skin. It is funny I think the more I delve into perfume I am able to recognize the qualities of a perfume that does not work on me and now why. When you first begin smelling perfume it is easy to perceive what smells bad and what smells good but harder to really state what is not working. In this case I can now tell you three notes in perfume that cause major issues on my skin:

-The damp hay patchouli note found in Angel and Prada Amber.
-The acrid candyfloss note found in Angel and L'Artisan Vanilia.
-The dry screechy jasmine found in many of the modern Chanel's most especially Coco Mademoiselle (although I can wear this in pure parfum, I wonder if they use a different jasmine in that), Vanille Insensee, and the original Nanette Lepore in the pink bottle.

Try Esther P. Queen of Persia if you like Coco Mademoiselle, Vanille Insensee, or the original Nanette Lepore in the pink bottle, do not try if you have issues with all three of these.

image provided by fragrantica.com

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.

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

SOTD: Coco Madamoiselle pure parfum

When you smell the other variation of Coco Madamoiselle the flowers are never what you really smell, rather your attention is on the bergamot laced patchouli, but the pure parfum is another story. The bergamot does not last as long instead you are plunged into a creamy heart of jasmine only slowly does the patchouli vetiver drydown come along. It is beautiful and modern with its rather straight lines, it is a fine tailored suit with a few modern edges. It strangely always reminds me of the color orange.
image provided by artnet.com
image: Jasmine by Natasha Law 2008

SOTD: Nanette Lepore

Quote of the Day: When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.-- Gracie Allen
I wish our skies were blue like that right now, but with the many fires in California at the moment, our area has been covered with smoke the last few weeks. Trying to induce the sense of summer gaiety I am wearing Nanette Lepore which is a peachy jasmine concoction layered over Sephora Necterine Blossom.

image provided by artnet.com

image: Summer 66 by Takashi Murakami 2006

SOTD: Kimono Rose

So spring has truly begun and now I am bringing out the wonderfully effervescent Kimono Rose by The Thymes. This truly is a happy scent featuring berries, jasmine, and clementine; this is a balmy spring morning with dew on the greenery.

Quote of The Day: Too much of a good thing is wonderful.-- Mae West

SOTD: Nanette Lapore over Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil

It feels as though spring is here, there is a sudden need for light and feminine scents for me. So I went with the lovely peach jasmine combo of Nanette Lapore over the golden deliciousness of Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil.

SOTD: Coco Madamoiselle pure parfum

Today I am going with the highly stylish, modern, and very tasteful scent of Coco Madamoiselle. It is one of those rare fragrances that was designed for the younger set, but was not dumbed down with sugary sweets and fruit salad, but rather its youthfulness is in the transparency of the the fragrance and the overall energy of the notes. It starts of with one of my favorite citrus openings, goes into a heart of creamy jasmine, and eventually settles with the uniquely airy combination of patchouli and vetiver.

image provided by artnet.com http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424892959/3276078/sophie-prive-eveline-dans-son-atelier.html
Eveline dans son atelier by Sophie Prive

Hanae by Keiko Mecheri

Hanae by Keiko Mecheri is meant to evoke butterflies in a Japanese garden and after testing it without first reading the notes or publicity description I must say the fragrance actually does evoke this quality. The fragrance opens with the scent of fresh lychees and cream, shockingly the rendition of lychee in this scent is good which cannot be said of most of the new debuts this year that can't seem to leave the lychee note alone and also can't get it right either. This lovely opening lasts for a minute or two before morphing into a lovely airy fluffy melange of jasmine and citrus (official notes for this part being white petals and yuzu). There is a hint of greenness in the mixture and a supporting note of nectar like sweetness. The scent thankfully does not add vanilla (and I love vanilla) which added would have created a scent over the top in sweetness. Although, wild berries are mentioned in the official notes I can honestly say I don't get any berry notes in the scent, ironically lychee is not mentioned in the official notes. The scent is fairly linear with musk providing the perfect support. Overall I do not think this scent is me, but I wouldn't hate to smell this on people. It is airy and delicate with enough oomph to have presence for the wearer.

Official Notes: White Petals, Yuzu, Wild Berries, Crystilline Musk.