Beyond the Spritz: Sun Bum Sunscreen SPF 50

Here is to age letting me learn to love the beach again. In my twenties I hated going to the beach, overly self-conscious being the culprit but thankfully I entered my thirties and have come to the point of not giving too much thought anymore if I have the perfect "beach body". I don't, I'm pale and my figure is not lean, but fuck it I want to enjoy the beach and that is what I am going to do.

The thing is though with that severe paleness, a token of my Normandy French heritage I have to wear sunscreen, like intense high SPF stuff, and in addition I have sensitive skin so a good amount of my beauty routine is spent finding new sunscreens that don't irritate me. I should add everyone should where sunscreen, Baz Luhrman is correct about that. My everyday sunscreen is scentless yet last weekend I found myself on the way to my future sister-in-laws bachelorette weekend and knew I needed a good sport sunscreen. Enter Sun Bum, I've seen it everywhere, it is the "it" sunscreen at the moment.

Sun Bum will never be an everyday sunscreen for me for one simple reason: it is highly fragranced yet it makes for the perfect beach scent. I feel like Sun Bum must have hired a perfumer and said "Give me the most coconut-ty pina colada scent you can think of. We want people to think "This is BEACH in the Summer."" Sun Bum starts off intensely pina colada, it's caramalized pineapple and coconut cream. That scent remains the same for quite awhile yet as time goes by below all that is a vanilla soft serve scent with just a hint of woods but still very much laced by coconut.

As for the formula of the sunscreen itself. This stuff works. That day I was the only person who did not get a sunburn. Inherently I believe part of the problem was many people opted for spray sunscreens that in studies have been shown to not work nearly as effectively. Also I intensely re-applied. The nice thing about Sun Bum is the formula is not too sticky, it moisturizes well but does not leave me feeling greasy. Other things to consider before applying sunscreen, moisturize well before applying sunscreen it will help with even out distribution of your sunscreen.

As for my beach song today, doesn't seem quite right but I love it:

My other summer jam Mitski's "Your Best American Girl"

The book: American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis. Amazing bizarro story lines, surreal biting humor, and satire.

first image from Sun Bum
second image from Amazon.com

Musk Quest: Musk Tahara Al Faransi by Abdul Karim Al Faransi Maison de Parfum

I have often jokingly said that if heaven has a scent it would be the scent of the Italian hazelnut liquor Frangelico. It is one of the most delicious things you will ever smell and over the years I have often wondered why the hazelnut note found in Frangelico is not used more often in perfumery. Well the thing is when hazelnut is used as a note in perfumes most of the time it is in the form of nutella on steroids, overbearing, intensely sweet, and frequently paired with chocolate; not what I want to smell like.

So let us bask for a moment in the genius use of hazelnut, lemon verbena, and lemon used in Musk Tahara Al Faransi. This perfume uses hazelnut in all its perfect nuttiness to create a sublime cuddly musk.  Al Faransi has made an excellent argument in Musk Tahara Al Faransi that hazelnut is an underused note to use in musk based scents.  Hazelnut combined with a candied lemon verbena followed by delicious zingy creamy lemon makes Musk Tahara Al Faransi have one of the most unique openings I have smelled in a musk in very long time. Musk Tahara Al Faransi is a part of the white musk family, but I have to say this now the white musk used by Al Faransi is clearly above average in comparison to all of the white musks I have encountered. The white musk used by Al Faransi showcases the rose and sandalwood notes of white musk. Yes, this scent is clean but at no point have I been reminded of dryer sheets or anything industrial, what I am mainly reminded of is cashmere, cream, and rosewater.

Musk Tahara Al Faransi smells like luxury comfort with a very friendly opening, there is something very warm and welcoming about this scent. At the heart of this scent is a rosewater vanilla laced white musk which keeps the tiniest reminder of delicious hazelnuts going throughout. The beginning reminds me of an Italian style hazelnut cake with has generous portion of lemon zest in it but as time progresses I am reminded of rosewater scented cream all of this plushly supported by Al Faransi's sweet white musk. Musk Tahara Al Faransi glows perfectly on the skin, this is the sort of scent that should have a cult following because it is just so good smelling. Yes, I do intend to buy a bottle of this.

Try Musk Tahara Al Faransi if you like Pearl by Sage Machado, Perfect Veil by Sarah Horowitz Perfums, Musc by Reminiscence, Opal by Sonoma Scent Studio, Vanilla Musk by Kuumba Made, Loukhoum by Ava Luxe or Montale's Musk to Musk.

First image from alfaransi.com
Second Image Alon Alvissar
Last Image from Pinterest.com

When Immortelle was the "It" note: L de Lolita Lempicka pure parfum by Lolita Lempicka

It you stay perfume enthusiast long enough you will find two things 1) Over time things you bought randomly or cheaply or both will sometimes become perfume treasures and 2) you will go through a few "It" note trends. L de Lolita Lempicka pure parfum encompasses those two experiences easily.

Currently in my perfume stash I have two bottles of L de Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka one in the original eau de parfum strength and the other in the pure parfum strength. These are both the original version before the reformulation and then the eventual discontinuation. I'll be honest I am still in shock that L de Lolita Lempick is not in production, it is excellent gourmand, and yet Lolita Lempicka seems to have never figured out what to do with it. It had only one flanker and then it was gone. Currenlty L is selling for a lot of money on ebay if it is original the pre-reformulated version.

 L de Lolita Lempicka is the perfect example of the perfume cycle, originally released in 2006 as the first new perfume from Lolita Lempicka it was never quite marketed right. The visual is a mermaid and the bottle a fun blue ocean hued shaped pebble with an oceanic motif. I love it, but inherently it probably confused many because inside is the ultimate gourmand mixture of vanilla, cinnamon, and orange all on a bed of maple infused immortelle. This is not a typical tropical beach scent but rather a beach scent for craggy coastlines or coasts that know all too well cold winter storms, it is sunny in that it is the bright light with brisk winds. I reminded of French coastline in Normandy and Brittany and you are eating an delicious buttery pastry of some sort.

More confusing to the average perfume buyer is the immortelle note, now this is probably the most likable immortelle you will meet but L has that heaviness of immortelle that probably takes awhile to get used to. Immortelle right around the time L was released enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight, we in the perfume community were wanting salty maple laced notes and immortelle could provide that. L is the only mainstream release that I can think of and since then that featured immortelle but not much has happened since its release in mainstream perfumery with the note.

The scent was created by Maurice Roucel and is not completely original, it bares quite a bit of resemblance to his other creation Frederic Malle's Musc Ravegeur, the difference of scents was that L was more vanilla forward and used immortelle where as Musc Ravegeur was about musk and vanilla with spices and featured a more fougere quality. The thing is they are both examples of very modern perfumery, neither of them go through many changes on the skin but rather keep a constant reverberation of vanilla and spice going. Nothing wrong in that though because frankly they just smell really good.

L de Lolita Lempicka in the pure parfum version smells a great deal like the eau de parfum variation. the main difference being a tiniest hint of patchouli and hints of cocoa in the drydown. The citrus is more tampered down and thus the vanilla, cinnamon, and immortelle are the main stars. The lasting power is incredible and it is a scent truly meant for cold weather.

First Image from The Perfume Base Line
Second Image Ransom Mitchell

Five Indie Vanillas Worth Your Attention

I like vanilla oh hell lets me honest I love a good vanilla perfume, which these days feels like a bit of a contentious statement, but I think that is because there is so many bad vanillas on the market. What are my vanilla credentials: I have a lot of vanilla perfumes, I've worn vanilla perfumes for a long time, and I'm willing to smell the high and the low end of the vanilla perfume market. The above image is what I always feel like a good vanilla can do for the wearer.

1. Vanilla Botanique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Do you need a decadent baroque vanilla in your life? The kind of thing that says I am utterly worthy of adoration mortals. Then you need to get your hands on a sample of Vanille Botanique. Vanille Botanique is the closest I have ever come to a diva vanilla, it is just so rich and assured of itself. It is deeply balsamic and full, this is no candy vanilla. This recalls the rich oriental scents of bygone eras but with the modern love of vanilla the emphasis. Try if you like Shalimar by Guerlain or Cuir Beluga by Guarlain.

2. Black Flower Mexican Vanilla by Dame Perfumery
A genuinely sexy musk vanilla. Vanilla perfumes can sometimes be well utterly girlish and adolescent, this is not. Black Flower Mexican Vanilla is the lovely genesis of the theme of musk and vanilla found in Shalimar but applied with Dame's sensibilities. The scent just blends with the wearer beautifully, the vanilla is dark and woodsy and the musk is gently animalic and there is a splash of sweet cream and woods. It is the sort of scent that blends beautifully with the wearer but still projects. Try if you like Shalimar by Guerlain, Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain, or Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle.

3. Provanilla by Providence Perfume
A good genuine sweet vanilla that does not go into the banal and repetitive zone is very hard to find. Most scents that report to be "pure" vanilla scents usually have some sort of other sweet quality going on that is not in fact vanilla but is some sort of sweet that a user will think is vanilla unless they really analyze it. Provanilla is genuine sweet vanilla and I mean that as an utter compliment, this is a vanilla that is basically pure once the opening credits subside. Provanilla is about as close as that idea people always talk about finding in a vanilla perfume, the vanilla extract scent, but better because there is no alcohol note there is only perfect vanilla. I just have to say I love the opening of this scent, melon and then rose while it does quickly become pure vanilla on me, the opening could probably throw you for a loop. Try if you like Vanille Botanique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Midnight Orchid by Susanne Lang, or Un Bois Vanille by Serge Lutens.

4. Vanilla Autumn by CJ's Scents
The thing about many gourmand leaning vanillas is they can become very stifling after awhile (I'm looking at you Comptoir Sud Pacifique and your many variations on vanilla) so if you are me, you tend to avoid them. Yet, in the right perfumer's hand they know how to make the gourmand quality not stifling. Vanilla Autumn by CJ's Scents, is the perfect dulce de leche vanilla to me. This creamy caramel vanilla is so perfectly done, you get the gourmand, but the stifling effect is reigned in by CJ. Somehow CJ is able to add an airiness to this vanilla that keeps it from the suffocation zone yet at the same time the creamy goodness is still very there. Try if you like Candy by Prada, Vanille Abricot by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, or Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti by La Maison de la Vanille

5. Vanilla Flash by Tauerville
Do you want a big hunky spicy vanilla? Then please look no further than Vanilla Flash. Vanilla Flash is flashing because it is a hot flame like vanilla, there is an intense spicy cinnamon running through it and rich tobacco throughout the composition. The finale is the Tauerade of a whole lot of ambregris and musk with hints of rose but it is still very much vanilla. Try if you like Tobacco Vanilla by Tom Ford, Tonka by Reminiscence, or Eau Duelle by Diptyque.

So the thing about all these vanillas is all of the wonderful perfumers offer them at a reasonable price and smaller quantities. They all have excellent longevity and frankly knock out their extremely high end competition and low end competition in my opinion. If you are a vanilla lover these in my opinion are currently the best vanillas on the market to try.

Image by Reuban Negron

The Children of PHI Une Rose de Kandahar: Rose Flash and Vanilla Flash by Tauerville Perfumes aka Andy Tauer

It should be at this point stated that Andy Tauer loves roses. He has created multiple scents dedicated to roses. And one of his great opus roses is the rather elusive PHI Une Rose de Kandahar. A gorgeous gourmand fougere rose. It is a rose that tackles apricots, tobaccos, cinnamon almond pastries, and musky herbal goodness. It is a big opulent scent worthy of praise. It is also on the elusive side of acquiring, the rose used in it is hard to obtain, Andy has always been up front about the fact the scent cannot be constant in his offerings.

I am going to make the argument that PHI Une Rose de Kandahar has been very inspiring for Andy Tauer and that technically it has inspired two flankers: Rose Flash and Vanilla Flash. I know flankers if bit of divisive term because it usually means "crap" but sometimes someone actually uses it properly and creates fragrances that have a clear pedigree to another fragrance but are definitely fragrances of their own.

The first is Rose Flash, perhaps one of the most gourmand roses out on the market. I will also say the price is beyond generous in what you are getting. In this case if you have smelled PHI you will remember that it starts with a gorgeous sweet mix of apricot, cinnamon almond pastry, and rose. This opening is so delicious and makes an excellent argument for roses and stone fruits supported by cinnamon pastry. With Rose Flash, Tauer amps the fruit and rose idea, which he has also played with in Une Rose Vermeille (that scent a combo of rose and raspberry), here we are treated to roses, peaches, berries, and spicy vanilla all with that touch of ambregris effusiveness. The connection to PHI in Rose Flash is the marriage of rose and stone fruit, here the aspect is more peachy than apricot, but still it is the lush jam of roses and peaches echoing the apricot rose jam beginning of PHI. The further proof of heritage is the eventual dry down of Rose Flash that echoes the tobacco and vanilla found in PHI.

Rose Flash ends on a bed of tobacco, vanilla, and ambergris and from that bed does Vanilla Flash jump. Vanilla Flash amps up the spicy decadent cinnamon pastry note found in PHI. If you love that moment where PHI is cinnamon almond pastry with hints of rosewater then Vanilla Flash is for you. The beginning is vanilla and cinnamon, it is big, but then quickly enters that delightful rose note, a clear echo of the rose in Rose Flash. Vanilla Flash eventually ends in blend of vanilla, spices, tobacco, and the ever present ambergris note. The connection to PHI smelled in the tobacco and ambergris blend.

At this point I am hoping for Almond Flash and Apricot Flash.  What I find interesting when doing a comparison of all three of these perfumes, is that word "Flash" is excellent in describing the Flash series of scents because they are flashier than PHI. PHI is a smoother more subdued scent, where as the Flash series of scents is about quickly announcing themselves and getting to the point. They are delightful in their pointed assertiveness, they are obviously the more boisterous children of the more melodious PHI. There is no doubt that PHI is the more sophisticated scent of the three and the more sensual with the addition of a prominent musk note, but for sheer playful delight the Flash series wins.

First Image: Andy Tauer

A Dark Entrancing Vanilla: Vanille Botanique by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

It has been a long time since a vanilla caught my attention. Other than Jeffrey Dame's Black Flower I have not been interested in many vanilla fragrances recently and then of course something extravagantly gorgeous passes your way.

The first time I smelled Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Vanille Botanique was on paper and it didn't really click with me very much, I kept on smelling the paper, and thinking yes that smells good but it didn't really tell me just how good it could smell. Luckily the shop owner of the perfume store I was at sent me home with a sample.

Vanille Botanique may be one of the most seductive vanillas I have smelled in a long time. It belongs to the genre of vanillas that are drier and not dessert but it is different from other vanillas in this category in that it is not boozy. It is woodsy balsamic vanilla with clear classical qualities. It definitely shares a heritage with Guerlain's Shalimar but thankfully has none of the qualities that makes Shalimar a gross beast on me. Rather Vanille Botanique is all about vanilla and amber tinged balsams, the vanilla remains throughout the scent, as the scent progresses dark sexy balsams are revealed. There are tiny hints of leather in the scent that give the balsamic notes an anchoring.

 I cannot emphasize enough how gorgeous this vanilla is or how sensual it is. There is nothing cutesy or girlish about this scent, it is a pure luxury vanilla. You are going to find yourself entranced. Extra plus this is a pure botanical scent and has amazing longevity and strength.

Try if you like Aroma M's Geisha Noire, Guerlain's Shalimar, Guerlain's Spiriteause Double Vanille, Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles, and Givenchy Organza Indecence .

Madonna by Alessandra Maria from Spoke-Art

Indie Perfume House Spotlight: Dame Perfumery

In a bizarre way I have a long history with Jeffrey Dame of Dame Perfumery in that my first perfume haunt in the heady days of the early aughts was at the message board Perfume of Life that he created. It was a great place to learn about perfume and at the time one of the few places to meet like minded fumeheads. Things change Mr. Dame went on to new projects, Perfume of Life is closed now, and the world of perfume lovers is far larger. In the years since it appears Jeffrey Dame has worked in many perfume projects but I feel that in 2014 he made the big transition, to what I suspect is a lifetime passion project, Dame Perfumery.

What I find really refreshing about Dame Perfumery is the enthusiasm, heart, and joviality behind it. It is very much in line with wonderful Andy Tauer of Tauer Perfumes and Tauerville, there is a respect for the perfume lovers that support them, and the appearance of joy in sharing their creations. I find this refreshing because while there are the great noses of the world that work for the big houses, the reality is that those of us who are perfume lovers will never interact with them and frankly they don't particularly want to interact with us. Dame Perfumery is of the new school though, that if you have people loving your creations, interact with them.

So what can you expect from Dame Perfumery perfumes? Well I haven't tried them all but I have tried four and I can tell you there is a definite common aesthetic in them. They are clearly modern perfumes but and here is the part that takes Dame out of the mundane there is real craft in them, a real value in note transition and transformation. These scents are about smelling good and enjoying yourself, if you are looking oddness look somewhere else but lets not think that means his scents are boring, they're not. They are tailored and as far as I am concerned tailoring is one of the great crafts of the world. To tailor is to know your ingredients and how they play with others. A finally tailored perfume knows how to cut the harsh edges and awkward angles but knows how to emphasize the best facets and facets should be interesting.

The first perfume that I had real experience with in the Dame Perfume collection is Black Flower Mexican Vanilla and it I am going to be honest it is one of the best recent vanilla releases. What Dame did with this perfume is frankly pretty daring when it seems like most vanillas released these days are either gut bombs or insipid cupcakes, he instead chose a middle vanilla, it's dry but not boozy, it keeps the sweet but the sugar won't kill your teeth. The opening is love letter to the iconic Shalimar in that it begins with animalic lemon tinged vanilla but then it takes a turn to the drier side the lemon is gone the musk backs down and out steps spicy dry cocoa dusted vanilla. At this point I am reminded of the lesser loved Guerlain vanilla, Cuir Beluga, a vanilla that wasn't about booze like Spiritueuse Double Vanille, but rather about skin and vanilla. Black Flower Mexican Vanilla is able to emphasize the beauty of musk and vanilla together, it is a common combination, but one that recently has been ignored and has been due for a reinvention. Dame Perfumery does a fine job in giving vanilla its sex appeal back with an actual reference to the muskiness of skin.

The next perfume I fell in love with is Cassis, Rose, and Sandalwood. So what are you getting with this scent? Well, for me this is a lovely take on two types of fragrances the berry musk category best identified with L'Artisan's Mure et Musc, Philosophy's Falling In Love, or Bath and Body Works Black Raspberry & Vanilla and my other favorite combo berried rose jam scents such as Tauer's Une Rose Vermeille, Keiko Mecheri's Attar de Roses, or the scent of LUSH's Rose Jam. Dame combines the two to make a lovely easy uber pretty perfume. The start is tart cassis, grapefruit, and green notes followed by a heart of velvety soft pink peony that is softened with musk and vanilla. The dry down rose jam with hints of vanilla and woods. The dry down is my favorite stage and thankfully stays around a long time, the longevity and strength of this perfume is excellent.

Next up is the spicy opulent brand new release Desert Rose. If you are a rose fan you owe it to yourself to try this scent. The opening is an intense rush of spicy pink carnation followed by a satiny smooth pink rose scent that retains the spice but blooms on the skin with musk, a hint of peach, and vanilla. It is lovely and sonorous and belongs in the category of queenly roses such as Neela Vermeire's Mohur and Jo Malone's Velvet Rose & Oud.

Finally there is Herb Man, Dame Perfumery's first men's offering. I like to think of this as smoothed out herbal scent, on my skin I mainly get sage, lavender, and rosemary that are supported by sueded  iris and vetiver. This is a very polished scent that blends well with the individual wearer. I think a wearer of Infusion d'Homme would really enjoy this.

What I love about these scents is that they are complete scents, they do not feel unfinished. Finally I must say that the price point for these is excellent and because he is a perfume lover himself, Jeffrey Dame smartly sells the perfumes in smaller sizes.

Disclaimer: I received these scents in a giveaway done by Dame Perfumery.

All images from fragrantica.com

Tackling the Classics: Angelique Encens by Creed

Once long ago for a song I got a decant of Angelique Encens by Creed. It was almost on a whim that purchase and now looking back I really wish I had gotten more. Angelique Encens has now been discontinued by Creed, in the weird Creed fashion where it apparently goes into their "vault", and is then released once a decade as a limited edition. Whatever, Creed. I will stop my annoyance with Creed and go to the actual scent.

Angelique Encens is truly worthy of the adoration that those who have smelled it bestow on it. It is simply one of the most beautiful delicate dry interesting takes on incense out there. The beginning of Angelique Encens for me is the sweet entrance of angelica, a note with not enough love in perfume as far as I am concerned, easier on the nose than anise with a green sweet gentleness that perks up your mouth when you smell it. It is then followed by a soft marshmallow vanilla and a very soft dove grey amber, what then follows is the most interesting use of a cedar incense. The use of the cedar incense offering a unique spark to Angelique Encens, it keeps the scent balanced in a world of ethereal and cool.

While many associate this scent with Marlene Dietrich, the scent was made for her by Creed, I have always had other images in my head with this scent. The softness of it so wonderfully hazy that it makes for something more comforting than noir. It is a misty gray scent, all softness, but never overt.

Try if you like: L'Heure Bleau by Guerlain, Jicky by Guerlain, or Chergui by Serge Lutens.
first image provided by fragrantica.com 
second image: Fumee d'Ambre Gris by John Singer Sargent

A Tale of Two Ambers: Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens and Ambre by L'Occitane

There was a point in my early perfume lust quests where I was a serious amber aficionado it came directly from a childhood surrounded by the wonderfully crumbly headshop amber perfumes, many people in my family wore it. The truth is that stuff is still wonderful to smell and if you love it keep loving it, I think it is one of those genuine cheap thrills that worth keeping around.

 For years I had a tiny bottle of amber perfume oil bought at some random shop but I grew out of it, associated it with period of disruption in my life, and eventually gave it to young woman I worked with who at the time I think was trying to find something different for herself. As for me and amber we parted ways, it was weird, at one moment it was what I wanted to call my signature, and then well a falling out in the desire to grow up and put some distance between me and childhood loves happened and so amber was put aside. Yet, I was never quite able to trade those bottles out. Last night I was wanting something opposite of abhorrent summer weather and suddently out came my mini bottle of Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens and Ambre by L'Occitane. I think it might be time for me to return to my amber perfumes.

Ambre Sultan and Ambre could not be more opposite in their ideas but at the same time they are still both recognizably amber scents. Ambre Sultan is a dry weathered amber that recalls desert nights and old empires, it use the notes of oregano and bay in such a unique way that it creates one of the more original amber openings, it is arid and recalls mountaintops with windswept Joshua trees. It feels like wearing some sort of epic movie about sultans and power plays.

 L'Occitane's Ambre on the other hand is the story of cozy amber and cream. It is a warm kitchen on a crisp Autumn day where a apple clafouti bakes in the oven with plenty of vanilla and because the cook was feeling creative has thrown a few dry apricots into the batter. It is incredibly smooth and enveloping and strangely un-spiced but rich from the notes of tonka bean and vanilla. There is just a hint of tarry leather in it that always catches me off-guard but eventually leaves I see it as the old leather work glove that has been left in the kitchen.

Try Ambre Sultan if you like Femme by Rochas, Ambre Russe by Parfums d'Empire, Madame X by Ava Luxe, Organza Indecence by Givenchy or Black by Bvlgari.

Try Ambre if you like Ambre Narguile by Hermes, Voile d'Ambre by Yves Rocher, L de Lolita Lempicka, or Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang by Estee Lauder

image: Alonzo King LINES Ballet Dancers

A Day at the Beach: Vanille Divine des Tropiques

I don't go to the beach often. Getting from where I live to the beach involves two very congested pieces of road in the summer and those are basically the only two ways to get there. On the other hand after yesterday I am determined to do it more often. The burnt out dry brittle summer of Northern California is getting to me, more so this year because of the intense blistering drought. I was born and raised here and yet I am not a summer person, give me cool wet autumnal weather and I am happy. The beaches of Northern California are not the warm tropical wonders or bright summer paradises that people consider ideal beaches. The beaches here are dark crashing wonders for the most part, the water always cold, and the sand never perfectly white, it is also frequently overcast and foggy. Yesterday, was one of those rare days when the sun peeped out but the cool breeze remained. I celebrated my beach day by wearing La Maison de la Vanille's  Vanille Divine des Tropiques a tropical scent that is a little different.

Vanille Divine des Tropiques first surprise is that it begins with aldehydes, not extreme aldehydes but none the less they are there. The aldehydes dissipate quickly and then it enters the creamy white floral stage part, what I find interesting is I get the distinct mentholated cooling impression of ylang ylang in this section yet ylang ylang is not mentioned on the notes but as they say you can't always believe the listing of notes. As the scent progresses a distinct animalic musk note enters, nothing frightening like the Musc Kublai Khan arena but it definitely plays a supporting role keeping the scent in check never letting it become too cupcake like. Overall I enjoy this tropical scent because it uses frequently unused notes in its tropicalness the aldehydes replace the role of citrus/pineapple and coconut base is replace by an animalic musk. It really allows for the blend of white florals and vanilla to be seen and play out on the skin.

Try if  you like: Songes by Annick Goutal, Sicily by Dolce & Gabbana, Dilmun by Lorenzo Villoresi, Sira des Indes by Jean Patou, Do Son by Diptyque, Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne, Vanillary by LUSH, and Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder.

Image of Aria Giovanni.

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

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

My new tobacco addiction (don't worry I'm not smoking)

When I was a kid my Dad smoked cigarettes; to this day the scent of cigarette smoke makes me nauseous. So imagine my surprise when I found out I have a rather growing love for the scent of tobacco. The love for it began with Fifi Chachnil (this still has one of the more delightful unique uses for tobacco out there), I then went on to try and smell it in Chergui (for some reason this smells mainly of sweet honey on me), followed by Fumerie Turque which has a wonderful smokiness going on a hint of tobacco and eventual dry down creamy leather on me. Finally what I consider almost a soliflore for tobacco, Hilde Soliani's Bell'Antonia, tobacco and coffee deliciously blended into something utterly nuzzle worthy. I then received a decant of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, which starts out with a pungent wet tobacco note laden with cloves and drys down to a delicious honey vanilla cream on me. Yet, it turns out my love for the scent of tobacco really didn't just begin last year, I like to think it might actually be something I have been growing with for a very long time. The beginner scent being Lolita Lempicka, yes thats right there is a tobacco note in there, so lovely and delicate in its use you might pass it by but it is there, then there was the scent that made me cross the gender aisles of perfumery, Guerlain's Vetiver, the tobacco pronounced beautifully in the dry down. Finally about three years ago my love for Must de Cartier which I swear has a tobacco note.

Another realization, I like my tobacco notes combined with sweeter things. My birthday is coming up and I have decided to kill two birds with one stone this year for my birthday fragrance, I want to find a good tobacco scent with vanilla. So I have gathered a list for things I wish to sample:

Back To Black by Killian

Doolciiisssimo by Hilde Soliani

Field Notes From Paris by Ineke

Havana Vanille by L'Artisan

Tobacco by Odori

Tobacco and Tulle by Soivohle

Tobacco Caramel by Fresh

Vanillaville by Soivohle

Vintage Tobacco Vanille by Voluspa

Should you know any other great tobacco vanilla scents please do tell.

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image: Cow's Skull with Calico Roses by Georgia O'Keefe

SOTD: L de Lolita Lempicka

Today is the last day before the tempture begins rising again, I'm taking full advantage of a wonderfully cool morning, and a comfortable day: I'm wearing Lolita Lempicka's wonderfully honeyed smokey ambered citrus sprinkled vanilla scent, L de Lolita Lempicka. This took close to over two years before it made its way to the US market and I immediately snatched it up when it showed up on parfum1; there first fragrance, Lolita Lempicka, being one of my first loves. This one of those beautiful buy without sniffing scents that actually worked. It also turns out that it one of those fragrances I prefer in eau de parfum form rather than more ambered pure parfum form. In the edp variation you smell variation of notes far more easily and get to enjoy the smoky honeyed immortelle middle notes, where as I find that the pure parfum immediately moves to a more ambered bottom with just a hint of citrus.

Another way I am enjoying the cooler is by baking bread, I'm not quite sure why but when I bake bread I feel like I have baked an incredible feat, especially when you use this recipe:
http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/no_need_to_knea.html

Also, onto another cooking feat, I finally made good polenta, that did not require more than four stirs, how you ask? With my most amazing of appliances: the rice cooker. I am now becoming a big rice quicker proponent, you can do so much with them. Steam dumplings, vegetables, rice of course, soup, and polenta. These are a god send in hot weather country. If you get yourself one or already have one, I highly recommend you get this cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook-Porridges/dp/1558322035
I ate my polenta last night with my homemade marinara sauce and well it was divine.

More food talk, sometimes you forget that simple ingredients, that when used with proper technique can make the most wonderfully lip-smacking food. Last week I made Mark Bittman's Green Onion Noodles from The World's Best Recipes by Mark Bittman: the recipe required about 6 ingredients fresh chinese egg noodles, green onions, chives, peanut oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce; most of use have these ingredients sitting in our cupboards. What I got was crispy fried noodles with wonderfully sweet bright green onions that tasted caramelized but were not. This was due to technique and not based on having perfect ingredients (these are favorite types of recipe simple with the ingredients but use a technique that really make the food a treat).

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image: Golden Light by John Atkinson Grimshaw 1893

SOTD: Angelique Encens

I really did not think I would like Creed's Angelique Encens that much considering the first fragrance I ever tried of theirs was rather hellacious on me (Fleurs de Bulgare), but last night I received my swap sample of it and I was blown away. This is what I wanted Frederic Malle's L'eau d'Hiver to be, this is strangely beautiful comforting cool incense, it is white marble with blue veins come to life, in a way it reminds me of L'Heure Bleue, but this actually works on me. Really if I were to describe it, it is a combination of L'eau d'Hiver and L'Heure Bleue, but ironically timeline wise, L'Heure Bleue is the grandmother-Angelique Encens the mother-L'eau d'Hiver the grandchild, what is strange though is this scent seems to straddle luminously feminine and yet I can't help but want to say it is androgynous. What I adore is it keeps the beautiful delicate green note of angelica through out, surrounding it with wonderfullying dry incense and cashmere like heliotrope tinged vanilla. I suppose I expected the cold Commes des Garcon's Avignon, instead this is somehow this is unearthly and comforting. Thank you Marlene Dietrich.

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image: Illusion by Louis Icart

SOTD: Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti

Quote of the Day: If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.-- Ludwig Wittgenstein

Today I'm wearing something I haven't worn in ages La Maison de la Vanille's Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti. I suppose this one has been overshadowed in the years since the great vanilla awakening and well this scent has a great deal of memories attached to it; I wore this the first summer my boyfriend and I were together. It is a rich little vanilla with a boozy opening with a lovely ylang-ylang note woven through it and a rich sugery amber cream dry-down. It is a high calorie scent that I would suggest to those that love Annick Goutal's Songes, they don't smell alike but they are most definately in the same family of high calorie tropical vanilla orientals. By the way use this one lightly.

One of my favorite songs being covered by Arcade Fire, Naive Melodly by The Talking Heads:


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image: Tropical Paradiza by Vladimir Manic
video uploaded by jfar23

SOTD: Infusion d'Iris

So yesterday was not good, I came down with a fever and now have a mild case of the flu, no working on papers for me and now I am working on a deadline. Good goin Jen. The answer to this scent wise, Infusion d'Iris.
Sampled: Immortalle l'Amour by Ayala Moriel, starts off with a gorgeous vanilla extract note (apparently she used 3 vanillas in this) and dries down to the most mapley scent ever, you will want to lick your wrists. This has shockingly good lasting power. The tea made to go with this is also quite lovely.
Gaucho by Ayala Moriel, now this is herbacious! Has the most amazing smokey dry down, one I have never run across in any other fragrance, literally the scent of a match lit when run across stone. Sounds weird, but very addictive to smell. Sadly the lasting power of this scent isn't the greatest.

Quote of the Day: We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us. -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Maximes (1678)

Image: Birthday by Marc Chagall

SOTD: Caron's Pour Un Homme

A few years ago I had craving for the scent of lavender, which came as quite the schocker, considering in my years of fragrance adoration I had never desired lavender. So as any good perfume addict will do you immediately post the question to other fragrance addicts "What are you favorite lavender scents?" The resounding answer among many was Caron's Pour Un Homme. Well my perfume craving left me before I ever got to the point of sampling Pour Un Homme, but finally I have a sample of it (received with my purchase of the lovely Infusion d'Iris). The fragrance has so far begun with a blast of pungent lavender, then moved to a stage of doughy heliotrope and vanilla, and now has become a wonderful delicate fresh lavender lacing around slightly doughy heliotrope vanilla blend. This was also inspired by the news that Caron is releasing a new lavender scent for the summer. Excitement!

Quote of the Day: Fashion is something that goes in one year and out the other.-- Unknown

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Lavender Field by Nataly Kimmel

SOTD: Pink Suger

I had a long very bad day yesterday, I'm not going to go into details, but right now I need something so uncomplicated and comforting, that for many it is considered well the bimbo of scents: Aquolina Pink Sugar. I'm not going to say it is high-minded, but well I rather like it, I'm too embarrassed to by a bottle, but I do wear my samples. And I enjoy the mix of fluffy white musk, vanilla, and strawberries I get from it. I will also admit that when I was a child I was fan Strawberry Shortcake.

Quote of the Day: There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Sir Francis Bacon, "Of Beauty"

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Cat and Butterfly by Hokusai

SOTD: Sage Machado Pearl

Sadly I have to work the whole entire weekend so I am choosing to go with a comforting scent, Sage Machado's Pearl. What is wonderful about this scent is that it is one of the few non-gourmand vanilla's out there, the sandalwood and musk perfectly balance it, making it a perfectly fluffy white cloud of scent.

Quote of the Day: It's not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over. -- Edna St. Vincent Millay

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Twilight by Yoshimasa Tsuchiya 2005