Another week nearly done. Fridays are my hell days, but at least tomorrow is the weekend! Things I've worn this week and found particularly noteworthy, many of which are very rose-centric, because it turns out I like some (but definitely not all) rose perfumes:
L'Artisan Safran Troublant (Oriental Spicy: passion flower, sandalwood, rose, vanilla, saffron, sugar, ginger): Tried this because Ari of Scents of Self loves it, and I must say I agree. It's really a gorgeous scent, a soft oriental rose, all sweet and friendly and just beautiful. Not interesting enough to be HG for me, but definitely one I would deem FB worthy if I had the money. As it is, I'll continue ordering samples of it from Aedes, my perfume heroes.
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady (Oriental Floral: rose, raspberry, patchouli, incense, sandalwood, clove, black currant, cinnamon, benzoin, amber, musk): Got this to try and see if I like rose and patchouli together; based on a sample size of 1, I'll have to say no. The first couple hours are just PATCHOULI of the earthy sort (and being a native Eugenean, I am well familiar with patchouli, but I can't say I love it on its own), and over time the rose becomes more apparent, but it's the sharp kind of rose I don't love. Not a success for me, but maybe it would be better sprayed (I just dabbed it). We'll see.
Amouage Lyric Woman (Oriental Floral: ginger, cinnamon, saffron, bergamot, rose, angelica, jasmine, ylang-ylang, geranium, iris root, oakmoss, musk, woods, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense): Another oriental rose, though it doesn't smell much like Safran Troublant. I initially got a great blast of tea, but it sadly ended after merely 10 minutes, and after that it developed a weird pickles smell, which I've experienced with leather perfumes but never with Lyric Woman! No one else got that note, though Z (who is Iranian and well familiar with Middle Eastern styles of perfume) did say it had a bit of vinegar to it. I also realized that there's 2 more Amouages I need to smell––I'd forgotten about Dia, and Aedes now has Interlude in stock! So I'll be snagging those with my next order.
Guerlain Shalimar (Oriental Floral: lemon, bergamot, cedar, mandarin orange, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, iris, civet, musk, opoponax, leather, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense, vanilla): I wore this down my shirt because I wanted something vanillic and cozy and sexy. The boy said it smelled like Talcum powder, and my mother agreed. I had been getting vanilla and leather, but their comments really brought out the powdery aspects, so I had to scrub it off. We'll have to see if Shalimar is ruined for me now, sigh.
By Kilian Cruel Intentions (Oriental Woody: orange flower, bergamot, rose, violet, guaiac wood, oud, papyrus, vetiver, musk, sandalwood, styrax, vanilla, castoreum): Rose and fruit! Which is apparently something I shouldn't be smelling, but I definitely got some sweet fruitiness. Some vetiver, too, but all-around I didn't find it any too compelling, and rather too sweet. The boy thought it smelled nice, though.
Serge Lutens Cedre (Oriental Woody: cedar, tuberose, musk, amber, cloves, cinnamon): This scent, in spite of being named Cedar, supposedly smells like tuberose. Yet further proof that my nose is not normal is given by the fact that I smell absolutely no tuberose whatsoever, and not even a whole lot of cedar. To me, Cedre smells incredibly similar to Amouage Memoir, my so-far favorite Amouage scent, which is not a bad thing! Very complex, woody but not harsh, and amazing longevity. They're the same price per ounce, but the Serge Lutens is available in a 1.7 oz bottle while the Amouage is in a 3.4 oz bottle, so in terms of initial investment, Cedre's more palatable. Still way out of my price range, of course...
By Kilian Forbidden Games (Floral Fruity Gourmand: apple, peach, plum, cinnamon, rose, geranium, jasmine, vanilla, honey, opoponax): If you "like" By Kilian on Facebook and give them your address, they'll send you free samples of perfumes when they're released! Which is how I got sample sprays of all 3 new scents from the new Garden of Good and Evil collection. I had the boy choose which one he wanted to smell first based solely on the name, and Forbidden Games won, because what the heck does that even mean?! It smells like something from Bath & Body Works named "sweet fruits" or "vanilla hairspray", aimed at preteen girls. It does not smell like it costs $245 a bottle, and yet! It was not a scrubber, but it came close.
By Kilian In the city of Sin (Floral Fruity Gourmand: bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom, apricot, plum, rose, incense, cedar, patchouli): What's up with the stupid capitalization? City should be capitalized, too, guys. Ugh. This smells a lot like Forbidden Games, but with spices thrown in. It's very off-putting, but at least more interesting than Forbidden Games. Still, not one I would willingly rewear.
Sonoma Scents Tabac Aurea (Oriental Woody: cedar, sandalwood, tobacco, leather, vetiver, patchouli, clove, tonka bean, labdanum absolute, amber, vanilla, musk): Sweet smoke and woods. Very wintry and cozy, with amazing longevity and decent sillage. Not my absolute favorite (that's still Forest Walk, and vintage Mitsouko), but a very nice scent nonetheless. I don't think I need any other tobacco-themed perfumes, though!
Others I wore and enjoyed, but have previously discussed on the blog so didn't feel like rewriting about, include Solstice Scents Manor, Arquiste Anima Dulcis, and Jicky.
What perfumes have you enjoyed this week?
L'Artisan Safran Troublant (Oriental Spicy: passion flower, sandalwood, rose, vanilla, saffron, sugar, ginger): Tried this because Ari of Scents of Self loves it, and I must say I agree. It's really a gorgeous scent, a soft oriental rose, all sweet and friendly and just beautiful. Not interesting enough to be HG for me, but definitely one I would deem FB worthy if I had the money. As it is, I'll continue ordering samples of it from Aedes, my perfume heroes.
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady (Oriental Floral: rose, raspberry, patchouli, incense, sandalwood, clove, black currant, cinnamon, benzoin, amber, musk): Got this to try and see if I like rose and patchouli together; based on a sample size of 1, I'll have to say no. The first couple hours are just PATCHOULI of the earthy sort (and being a native Eugenean, I am well familiar with patchouli, but I can't say I love it on its own), and over time the rose becomes more apparent, but it's the sharp kind of rose I don't love. Not a success for me, but maybe it would be better sprayed (I just dabbed it). We'll see.
Amouage Lyric Woman (Oriental Floral: ginger, cinnamon, saffron, bergamot, rose, angelica, jasmine, ylang-ylang, geranium, iris root, oakmoss, musk, woods, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense): Another oriental rose, though it doesn't smell much like Safran Troublant. I initially got a great blast of tea, but it sadly ended after merely 10 minutes, and after that it developed a weird pickles smell, which I've experienced with leather perfumes but never with Lyric Woman! No one else got that note, though Z (who is Iranian and well familiar with Middle Eastern styles of perfume) did say it had a bit of vinegar to it. I also realized that there's 2 more Amouages I need to smell––I'd forgotten about Dia, and Aedes now has Interlude in stock! So I'll be snagging those with my next order.
Guerlain Shalimar (Oriental Floral: lemon, bergamot, cedar, mandarin orange, rose, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, iris, civet, musk, opoponax, leather, sandalwood, tonka bean, incense, vanilla): I wore this down my shirt because I wanted something vanillic and cozy and sexy. The boy said it smelled like Talcum powder, and my mother agreed. I had been getting vanilla and leather, but their comments really brought out the powdery aspects, so I had to scrub it off. We'll have to see if Shalimar is ruined for me now, sigh.
By Kilian Cruel Intentions (Oriental Woody: orange flower, bergamot, rose, violet, guaiac wood, oud, papyrus, vetiver, musk, sandalwood, styrax, vanilla, castoreum): Rose and fruit! Which is apparently something I shouldn't be smelling, but I definitely got some sweet fruitiness. Some vetiver, too, but all-around I didn't find it any too compelling, and rather too sweet. The boy thought it smelled nice, though.
Serge Lutens Cedre (Oriental Woody: cedar, tuberose, musk, amber, cloves, cinnamon): This scent, in spite of being named Cedar, supposedly smells like tuberose. Yet further proof that my nose is not normal is given by the fact that I smell absolutely no tuberose whatsoever, and not even a whole lot of cedar. To me, Cedre smells incredibly similar to Amouage Memoir, my so-far favorite Amouage scent, which is not a bad thing! Very complex, woody but not harsh, and amazing longevity. They're the same price per ounce, but the Serge Lutens is available in a 1.7 oz bottle while the Amouage is in a 3.4 oz bottle, so in terms of initial investment, Cedre's more palatable. Still way out of my price range, of course...
By Kilian Forbidden Games (Floral Fruity Gourmand: apple, peach, plum, cinnamon, rose, geranium, jasmine, vanilla, honey, opoponax): If you "like" By Kilian on Facebook and give them your address, they'll send you free samples of perfumes when they're released! Which is how I got sample sprays of all 3 new scents from the new Garden of Good and Evil collection. I had the boy choose which one he wanted to smell first based solely on the name, and Forbidden Games won, because what the heck does that even mean?! It smells like something from Bath & Body Works named "sweet fruits" or "vanilla hairspray", aimed at preteen girls. It does not smell like it costs $245 a bottle, and yet! It was not a scrubber, but it came close.
By Kilian In the city of Sin (Floral Fruity Gourmand: bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom, apricot, plum, rose, incense, cedar, patchouli): What's up with the stupid capitalization? City should be capitalized, too, guys. Ugh. This smells a lot like Forbidden Games, but with spices thrown in. It's very off-putting, but at least more interesting than Forbidden Games. Still, not one I would willingly rewear.
Sonoma Scents Tabac Aurea (Oriental Woody: cedar, sandalwood, tobacco, leather, vetiver, patchouli, clove, tonka bean, labdanum absolute, amber, vanilla, musk): Sweet smoke and woods. Very wintry and cozy, with amazing longevity and decent sillage. Not my absolute favorite (that's still Forest Walk, and vintage Mitsouko), but a very nice scent nonetheless. I don't think I need any other tobacco-themed perfumes, though!
Others I wore and enjoyed, but have previously discussed on the blog so didn't feel like rewriting about, include Solstice Scents Manor, Arquiste Anima Dulcis, and Jicky.
What perfumes have you enjoyed this week?
