Friday, June 22
Afternoon: My Aedes order arrived, so I immediately tore it open and decided to transfer Amouage Memoir Woman (Chypre: cardamom, mandarin, pink pepper, wormwood, clove, incense, pepper, woods, jasmine, rose, white flowers, musk, labdanum, oak moss, styrax, leather), a leather animalic chypre, since it was rainy and overcast. Dabbed the vial on my arm, as usual. Deliciously spicy, complex, and a bit overwhelming. Intense absinthe top note backed by deep forest green and frankincense that wears down to a woody floral with some fruit, but really, far beyond my skills as a sniffer to describe (though I will say, I don't get the pickles that I usually smell in leather scents). I recommend you to reviews by The Muse in Wooden Shoes and Olfactoria (who loved it) and Angela of Now Smell This (who didn't).
Evening: Transferred Frédéric Malle Noir Epices (Oriental Spicy: orange, rose, geranium, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, sandalwood, patchouli, cedar), which was one of the scents that the FM people had recommended to me when I filled out their online form (the others were Musc Ravageur and Carnal Flower, both of which I already have). I'm not really sure what about my answers suggested this would be the scent for me, but it's way too dry for my taste. Reminds me a lot of Timbuktu in that respect, so I'll definitely hold on to it for times when I want something arid, but let's just say I shan't be needing a larger sample.
Night: Transferred Amouage Jubilation 25 (Oriental Floral: ylang-ylang, rose, tarragon, lemon, labdanum, amber, patchouli, musk, vetiver, incense, myrrh), which is a fruity chypre, supposedly. All I can smell is the tarragon, aka curry. I feel like I'm in an Indian restaurant. This is not a bad thing, per se; I love curry. I just don't know if I want to smell like it.
Saturday, June 23
Afternoon: I didn't wake up until 1 (well, ok, I woke up at 10 and decided there was no point in getting up, so I went back to sleep) and it was sunny, but I knew it was supposed to rain, so I opted for Jubilation 25 again, spraying it down my shirt. 2 hours in, I still only smell tarragon, but my mother thought it smelled amazing. I WANT THE AMAZINGNESS.
Evening: Sprayed Memoir Woman over the remnants of Jubilation 25 (which still smelled like curry to me, even after ~5 hours). Super delish, and extremely opulent.
Sunday, June 24
Afternoon: Woke up even later than prior day, as I'd gone out to the bars the night before and hadn't gotten back until late late late. Was supposed to rain, but instead was sunny and pretty nice, but since I was expecting dreariness to hit in, I opted for Guerlain Samsara (Oriental Woody: bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach, green notes, jasmine, iris, narcissus, violet, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, musk). It smells a lot like Bois des Iles, as they're both heavy on the sandalwood, but where BdI is gourmand and woody, Samsara is floral and woody. Really a lovely scent, though I'm still dying to try the vintage version that actually had real sandalwood in it. Transfered By Kilian Incense Oud (Oriental: geranium, cardamom, pink pepper, rose, patchouli, virginia cedar, papyrus, methyl pamplemousse, musk, labdanum, sandalwood, oakmoss, incense; why is oud not listed, y'all?) and dabbed the vial on my arm. Smells like incense and oud, I guess, though I'm not sure which notes are which––I need to compare it to Memoir Woman, as that has a prominent incense note as well and should help me figure out what I'm smelling. Hopefully. If only I'd attended church as a child! Alas. But anyways, Incense Oud is very strong but has a relatively mild sillage, and it smells great. It's also obscenely expensive, as most of the Aedes-supplied perfumes are, so I will just have to continue buying little sample vials.
Monday, June 25
Morning: Cold and rainy, so I sprayed Incense Oud down my shirt and called it a day. Very warm and cozy in the same way that Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur are, though the core notes differ (as indicated by the names!).
Evening: Took a shower post-nap which got rid of most of the remnants of Incense Oud. Went out to meet the boy and his friends so I just sprayed on Shalimar (Oriental Floral: lemon, bergamot, cedar, mandarin orange, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, iris, civet, musk, opoponax, leather, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense, vanilla), which never fails to caress and seduce with its blast of vanilla and animalic underpinnings. I also love the sillage––one spray is enough to have me smell it at low levels all evening.
Tuesday, June 26
Afternoon: Rainy again, but I decided I was going to transfer Serge Lutens A La Nuit (Oriental Floral: grenadine, benzoin, musk, jasmine, honey, cloves, green notes) anyway, uncooperative weather be damned. It's a really lovely jasmine soliflore, and though I haven't much familiarity with jasmine, my mother knew what it was right away. Wore By Kilian Beyond Love (Floral: tuberose, jasmine, musk, amber, green notes, coconut) down my shirt, since it seemed like they would pair well, both being "white florals", and indeed they did. A La Nuit is slightly more mentholated and obviously "floral" and Beyond Love is warmer and more buttery, but they have a very similar feel. I clearly need to check out more jasmine-centric perfumes. Unfortunately, those often also have orange blossom (another so-called white floral), which disagrees with my skin something fierce, turning strong and soapy and overwhelming everything else. But anyways. It was a good perfume day.
Wednesday, June 27
Morning: Semi-warm and -sunny for a change! Wore A La Nuit down my shirt, which was a good accompaniment to the faculty meeting I attended––pretty and interesting, but not a drama queen like Fracas or Carnal Flower. After the meeting I went on a cleaning spree, which resulted in me being sweaty and dirty (but the bathroom looks a lot better!).
Afternoon: Took a shower post-cleaning, and felt like a light mild floral so opted for Diorissimo (Floral: green notes, lime, lily of the valley, boronia, jasmine, lilac, lily, rosemary, ylang-ylang, amaryllis, civet, sandalwood). It's pretty and all, but man, the longevity sucks––it was pretty much nonexistent after 3 hours. Guess I need to do more than one spray at a time. This is one that I'd really like to try the vintage of, since apparently the modern version is but a shadow of its former self.
Night: Tried Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl (Floral Fruity: black currant, camelia, mandarin orange, apple blossom, honeysuckle, lily, violet, mint, grapefruit, lemon, rose, magnolia, leather, sandalwood, jasmine, cedar), because Luca Turin just raved about it in The Guide, but y'all, I just don't get it. Supposed to smell like tea, and maybe there's some tea in there somewhere, but it's overshadowed by synthetics and blehness. Not a scrubber, but also not one I'll be reaching for anytime soon.
Thursday, June 28
Morning: Transferred a vial of Prada L'Eau Ambree (Oriental Floral: citrus, lemon, rose, patchouli, vanilla, amber, opoponax) that I found when I was cleaning the bathroom and dabbed on my forearm; unpleasant, mundane opening, but after an hour or so the amber comes out more. It's a light, friendly amber, though, so if you're not usually one for oriental-type sweets, this may strike a happy medium. Longevity is for shit, though; completely gone after 4 hours. Wore Diorella down the shirt; it's by the same nose as Eau Sauvage and was intended as the female counterpart to that perfume, and you can definitely smell the family resemblance. Diorella is marginally more chypre-ish, and has less citrus, but to my untrained nose, they're basically kissing cousins. I prefer Eau Sauvage, because it's friendlier than Diorella, which has a bit of a "Vietnamese beef salad" vibe, as Tania Sanchez put it in The Guide.
Afternoon: Got my hair cut and went to the Sephora in JCP briefly afterwards, since it was right across the street. Attempted to match myself to MUFE, though I'm still unsure whether I'm 110 or 115 in HD foundation, or 1 or 4 in Full Cover Concealer. I clearly need samples. Quickly sprayed Prada Infusion d'Iris (Floral Woody Musk: mandarin, galbanum, orange, orange blossom, iris, cedar, vetiver, incense, benzoin) before I left; nice iris oriental, though I smell a lot of aldehydes (though they're not listed anywhere in the notes, so it may just be a quirk of my nose). It's not one I feel the need to get a sample or decant of, and my mother deemed it only okay. However, it gets a ton of excellent reviews from perfume bloggers, and it is certainly one of the worthier perfumes available at Sephora––it smells well-made and lacks the synthetic screech that many scents have.
Friday, June 29
Morning: Had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a faculty breakfast. Overcast but not particularly cool; I opted for Memoir Woman again. Smells great (by which I mean extremely expensive, opulent, and decadent, all of which are things I appreciate in a perfume), but it's got a dirty thread that runs through it. It's simultaneously delightful and a bit repugnant. I really like it!
Later morning: Went to the bookstore to pick up some new soap for Z's visit, and hurray, they had Persian Rose! While there, I sprayed on Mexican Cocoa and Waikiki Pikake. MC is way too almondy for me for the first 15 minutes, but that wears away (it may take longer, but I scrubbed at my arm because I disliked it so much) and leaves a nice, spicy, hint-of-chocolate oriental. Not particularly complex, but it smells good! WP is a sandalwood jasmine that smells nicely floral and jasmine-y (though I don't like it as much as California Star Jasmine), but I really can't smell any sandalwood, which is unsurprising, since sandalwood (Mysore, aka the real good shit) is endangered and not readily available. My guess is that Pacifica uses Australian or New Caledonian sandalwood, possibly with synthetics, which apparently does not smell the same as whatever Guerlain and Chanel use in their concoctions (Samsara and Bois des Iles, respectively). Smells nice, though! Neither are very long-lasting, but at $22 for an ounce, that's to be expected.
Afternoon: Vacuumed and did more cleaning upstairs, which made me unbelievably sweaty, so after I got done I took a shower and doused myself with Dior Eau Sauvage (Citrus Aromatic: lemon, basil, bergamot, cumin, lavender, fruit, jasmine, rose, carnation, iris root, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver, musk, amber), which is currently wafting up pleasantly as I write this. If you haven't tried it, you simply must––it is the quintessential summery citrus, and an all-around excellent perfume.
What have you been wearing this week? Have you tried any of these?
Afternoon: My Aedes order arrived, so I immediately tore it open and decided to transfer Amouage Memoir Woman (Chypre: cardamom, mandarin, pink pepper, wormwood, clove, incense, pepper, woods, jasmine, rose, white flowers, musk, labdanum, oak moss, styrax, leather), a leather animalic chypre, since it was rainy and overcast. Dabbed the vial on my arm, as usual. Deliciously spicy, complex, and a bit overwhelming. Intense absinthe top note backed by deep forest green and frankincense that wears down to a woody floral with some fruit, but really, far beyond my skills as a sniffer to describe (though I will say, I don't get the pickles that I usually smell in leather scents). I recommend you to reviews by The Muse in Wooden Shoes and Olfactoria (who loved it) and Angela of Now Smell This (who didn't).
Evening: Transferred Frédéric Malle Noir Epices (Oriental Spicy: orange, rose, geranium, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, sandalwood, patchouli, cedar), which was one of the scents that the FM people had recommended to me when I filled out their online form (the others were Musc Ravageur and Carnal Flower, both of which I already have). I'm not really sure what about my answers suggested this would be the scent for me, but it's way too dry for my taste. Reminds me a lot of Timbuktu in that respect, so I'll definitely hold on to it for times when I want something arid, but let's just say I shan't be needing a larger sample.
Night: Transferred Amouage Jubilation 25 (Oriental Floral: ylang-ylang, rose, tarragon, lemon, labdanum, amber, patchouli, musk, vetiver, incense, myrrh), which is a fruity chypre, supposedly. All I can smell is the tarragon, aka curry. I feel like I'm in an Indian restaurant. This is not a bad thing, per se; I love curry. I just don't know if I want to smell like it.
Saturday, June 23
Afternoon: I didn't wake up until 1 (well, ok, I woke up at 10 and decided there was no point in getting up, so I went back to sleep) and it was sunny, but I knew it was supposed to rain, so I opted for Jubilation 25 again, spraying it down my shirt. 2 hours in, I still only smell tarragon, but my mother thought it smelled amazing. I WANT THE AMAZINGNESS.
Evening: Sprayed Memoir Woman over the remnants of Jubilation 25 (which still smelled like curry to me, even after ~5 hours). Super delish, and extremely opulent.
Sunday, June 24
Afternoon: Woke up even later than prior day, as I'd gone out to the bars the night before and hadn't gotten back until late late late. Was supposed to rain, but instead was sunny and pretty nice, but since I was expecting dreariness to hit in, I opted for Guerlain Samsara (Oriental Woody: bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach, green notes, jasmine, iris, narcissus, violet, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber, musk). It smells a lot like Bois des Iles, as they're both heavy on the sandalwood, but where BdI is gourmand and woody, Samsara is floral and woody. Really a lovely scent, though I'm still dying to try the vintage version that actually had real sandalwood in it. Transfered By Kilian Incense Oud (Oriental: geranium, cardamom, pink pepper, rose, patchouli, virginia cedar, papyrus, methyl pamplemousse, musk, labdanum, sandalwood, oakmoss, incense; why is oud not listed, y'all?) and dabbed the vial on my arm. Smells like incense and oud, I guess, though I'm not sure which notes are which––I need to compare it to Memoir Woman, as that has a prominent incense note as well and should help me figure out what I'm smelling. Hopefully. If only I'd attended church as a child! Alas. But anyways, Incense Oud is very strong but has a relatively mild sillage, and it smells great. It's also obscenely expensive, as most of the Aedes-supplied perfumes are, so I will just have to continue buying little sample vials.
Monday, June 25
Morning: Cold and rainy, so I sprayed Incense Oud down my shirt and called it a day. Very warm and cozy in the same way that Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur are, though the core notes differ (as indicated by the names!).
Evening: Took a shower post-nap which got rid of most of the remnants of Incense Oud. Went out to meet the boy and his friends so I just sprayed on Shalimar (Oriental Floral: lemon, bergamot, cedar, mandarin orange, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, iris, civet, musk, opoponax, leather, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense, vanilla), which never fails to caress and seduce with its blast of vanilla and animalic underpinnings. I also love the sillage––one spray is enough to have me smell it at low levels all evening.
Tuesday, June 26
Afternoon: Rainy again, but I decided I was going to transfer Serge Lutens A La Nuit (Oriental Floral: grenadine, benzoin, musk, jasmine, honey, cloves, green notes) anyway, uncooperative weather be damned. It's a really lovely jasmine soliflore, and though I haven't much familiarity with jasmine, my mother knew what it was right away. Wore By Kilian Beyond Love (Floral: tuberose, jasmine, musk, amber, green notes, coconut) down my shirt, since it seemed like they would pair well, both being "white florals", and indeed they did. A La Nuit is slightly more mentholated and obviously "floral" and Beyond Love is warmer and more buttery, but they have a very similar feel. I clearly need to check out more jasmine-centric perfumes. Unfortunately, those often also have orange blossom (another so-called white floral), which disagrees with my skin something fierce, turning strong and soapy and overwhelming everything else. But anyways. It was a good perfume day.
Wednesday, June 27
Morning: Semi-warm and -sunny for a change! Wore A La Nuit down my shirt, which was a good accompaniment to the faculty meeting I attended––pretty and interesting, but not a drama queen like Fracas or Carnal Flower. After the meeting I went on a cleaning spree, which resulted in me being sweaty and dirty (but the bathroom looks a lot better!).
Afternoon: Took a shower post-cleaning, and felt like a light mild floral so opted for Diorissimo (Floral: green notes, lime, lily of the valley, boronia, jasmine, lilac, lily, rosemary, ylang-ylang, amaryllis, civet, sandalwood). It's pretty and all, but man, the longevity sucks––it was pretty much nonexistent after 3 hours. Guess I need to do more than one spray at a time. This is one that I'd really like to try the vintage of, since apparently the modern version is but a shadow of its former self.
Night: Tried Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl (Floral Fruity: black currant, camelia, mandarin orange, apple blossom, honeysuckle, lily, violet, mint, grapefruit, lemon, rose, magnolia, leather, sandalwood, jasmine, cedar), because Luca Turin just raved about it in The Guide, but y'all, I just don't get it. Supposed to smell like tea, and maybe there's some tea in there somewhere, but it's overshadowed by synthetics and blehness. Not a scrubber, but also not one I'll be reaching for anytime soon.
Thursday, June 28
Morning: Transferred a vial of Prada L'Eau Ambree (Oriental Floral: citrus, lemon, rose, patchouli, vanilla, amber, opoponax) that I found when I was cleaning the bathroom and dabbed on my forearm; unpleasant, mundane opening, but after an hour or so the amber comes out more. It's a light, friendly amber, though, so if you're not usually one for oriental-type sweets, this may strike a happy medium. Longevity is for shit, though; completely gone after 4 hours. Wore Diorella down the shirt; it's by the same nose as Eau Sauvage and was intended as the female counterpart to that perfume, and you can definitely smell the family resemblance. Diorella is marginally more chypre-ish, and has less citrus, but to my untrained nose, they're basically kissing cousins. I prefer Eau Sauvage, because it's friendlier than Diorella, which has a bit of a "Vietnamese beef salad" vibe, as Tania Sanchez put it in The Guide.
Afternoon: Got my hair cut and went to the Sephora in JCP briefly afterwards, since it was right across the street. Attempted to match myself to MUFE, though I'm still unsure whether I'm 110 or 115 in HD foundation, or 1 or 4 in Full Cover Concealer. I clearly need samples. Quickly sprayed Prada Infusion d'Iris (Floral Woody Musk: mandarin, galbanum, orange, orange blossom, iris, cedar, vetiver, incense, benzoin) before I left; nice iris oriental, though I smell a lot of aldehydes (though they're not listed anywhere in the notes, so it may just be a quirk of my nose). It's not one I feel the need to get a sample or decant of, and my mother deemed it only okay. However, it gets a ton of excellent reviews from perfume bloggers, and it is certainly one of the worthier perfumes available at Sephora––it smells well-made and lacks the synthetic screech that many scents have.
Friday, June 29
Morning: Had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a faculty breakfast. Overcast but not particularly cool; I opted for Memoir Woman again. Smells great (by which I mean extremely expensive, opulent, and decadent, all of which are things I appreciate in a perfume), but it's got a dirty thread that runs through it. It's simultaneously delightful and a bit repugnant. I really like it!
Later morning: Went to the bookstore to pick up some new soap for Z's visit, and hurray, they had Persian Rose! While there, I sprayed on Mexican Cocoa and Waikiki Pikake. MC is way too almondy for me for the first 15 minutes, but that wears away (it may take longer, but I scrubbed at my arm because I disliked it so much) and leaves a nice, spicy, hint-of-chocolate oriental. Not particularly complex, but it smells good! WP is a sandalwood jasmine that smells nicely floral and jasmine-y (though I don't like it as much as California Star Jasmine), but I really can't smell any sandalwood, which is unsurprising, since sandalwood (Mysore, aka the real good shit) is endangered and not readily available. My guess is that Pacifica uses Australian or New Caledonian sandalwood, possibly with synthetics, which apparently does not smell the same as whatever Guerlain and Chanel use in their concoctions (Samsara and Bois des Iles, respectively). Smells nice, though! Neither are very long-lasting, but at $22 for an ounce, that's to be expected.
Afternoon: Vacuumed and did more cleaning upstairs, which made me unbelievably sweaty, so after I got done I took a shower and doused myself with Dior Eau Sauvage (Citrus Aromatic: lemon, basil, bergamot, cumin, lavender, fruit, jasmine, rose, carnation, iris root, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver, musk, amber), which is currently wafting up pleasantly as I write this. If you haven't tried it, you simply must––it is the quintessential summery citrus, and an all-around excellent perfume.
What have you been wearing this week? Have you tried any of these?
