A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain.

Serge Lutens Clair de Musc

My weird insomnia attacks continue. I tried everything last night. I took a pill. I took a shower. I made myself a comforting snack (my go to of late is buttered toast). I put in my first season of Gilmore Girls, which I love more than anything and always find soothing. It was five before I fell asleep.

Now I'm up because I had to take Papaya to the vet to have her spayed this morning. The vet just called to tell me she has a heart murmur. They're doing an x-ray to see if they can continue with the spaying or if it is more serious. Keep your fingers crossed for me. The sweetest cat in the world seems to be plagued with health problems. I'm hopeful, though. I don't think fate brought her to me just to snatch her away.

I have no idea why I'm telling you this. I guess I'm feeling especially chatty this manana.

I'm interrupting Rose Week here at Feminine Things to do a review of the now discontinued Serge Lutens Clair de Musc. According to Perfume Shrine, Serge Lutens has recently discontinued four scents: Chypre Rouge, Miel de Bois, Clair de Musc and Douce Amère. Naturally, this sent me directly to my sample box to rummage through it to see what I might die over missing. The only one I had was Clair de Musc, so I sprayed it on with vigor in anticipation of the overwhelming sadness I would feel at having it ripped away so suddenly, because I am, like most sniffas, a masochist.

Serge Lutens offers this about Clair de Musc: "A crystal...Freshness and Finesse.A luminous musk expressing its transparency through delicate orange blossom. Tinged with powdery white iris from Tuscany...Inimitable." I have no idea what to do with this description, so I turned to Luckyscent for more info.

According to Luckyscent, Clair de Musc is

There are musks that are sultry and carnal, the dirty, animalic musks full of heavy-lidded sensuality. Clair de Musc is something entirely different, a musk that is luminous and transparent, with the delicate, pure, radiant beauty that is nothing short of angelic. The fragrance begins with a soft citrus accord of bergamot and neroli. The tender floral notes, the light jasmine and the gentle iris, grace the heart of the scent; the base is warmed by a subtle note of sandalwood. The citruses, flowers and woods are understated, beautifully muted, allowing the silvery-white, lunar musk to shine in all its ethereal, seraphic glory. A sublimely wearable, wonderfully versatile fragrance that is bound to delight the musk connoisseurs and to convert the musk-wary into ardent followers.

Notes: Musk, bergamot, neroli petals, Tuscan iris powder

I'm relatively new to musk scents. I admit that, even two years in, there are huge holes in my perfume knowledge, and musk is definitely one of those holes. So that said, I'll tell you a little new nose secret. When I'm feeling like a perfume newb, I go to the Fragrance Families page at The Perfumed Court, to remind myself what the hell it is I'm trying to smell. This page, combined with the ability to search the site for certain notes, allows me to get a sense of what other perfumes might share a similar center note or theme, which I can then sample side by side in order to get a better sense of what it means to say "woody musk" or "floral musk."

So now that you know how I cheat, pretending to know more than I actually do...

Onto MUSK! I definitely get some of the iris. And I love iris, so of course I thought this was delightful. I do get some bergamont as well. As for "musk," I'm still not quite sure what that means, honestly. I don't have a lot of musk-y samples, as it turns out (whole new world of scent to explore -- woohoo!), but the scent has a warmth to it, something that seems to keep close to the skin. It seems like a kind of animalistic smell, like the kind of scent one gets cozying up to a special someone who has just finished a brisk walk. You know, that natural smells a person has and when you love them, you think it smells just...good. I don't know how to describe it other than that. I know all babies have it naturally -- you know, everyone comments on the "good baby smell." And when you are in love, the person you love smells like that. So musk has a warm smell that I suspect you will either like or loath varying from scent to scent, and in this case -- love. I do. I love this. It is definitely a comforting scent, a scent to cozy up to. Thus it is, of course, a wicked ripping shame that it is being discontinued, especially right now whilst I am unemployed and cannot justify begging my husband to buy me a bottle simply because "it's being discontinued!"

Sigh.

Ah well. Also, every SINGLE review I could find was a rave. Buy it while you can where you can, my dears. I will have to nurse my sadness with what's left of my tiny sprayer.

Oh look! It's the Bangles episode... (returns to Gilmore Girls-athon)

"I believe it's meant to be, darling.
I watch you when you are sleeping.
You belong with me.
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming
or is this burning an eternal flame?"
- "Eternal Flame," The Bangles (you can hear this song here)

UPDATE: Clair de Musc has NOT been discontinued. You can still buy it as of March 2010. Yay!

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from The Non-Blonde
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Splendicity

Images from Serge Lutens and also a band photo of the Bangles because, frankly, there were just no good pictures for musk. Trust me. And don't go googling for it. It's a dangerous place out there. The Bangles are better.

She's clingier than Ivy, and she's zingier than black-eyed Susan...

DSH Perfumes American Beauty (Rose No. 1)

There was a time in my young life when I really wanted to be a landscape architect. When I thought "landscape architect" I meant, you know, like Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park, the grounds of the Biltmore estate, the grounds of far flung univerities like Michigan State, WashU in St. Louis, and Stanford in California, and many other beautiful outdoor locales. My (bio) mother, being the sort of person who doesn't tend to encourage people to dream, told me that "landscape architect" meant driving the truck for day laborers who worked in yards.

Did I mention my whole family was also really, really racist? Yeah. There are reasons I live three thousands miles away now.

Anyway, my dream of landscape architecture crushed, I never lost my love for natural and structured landscapes or the beautiful flowers that frequently adorn them. Consequently, I have a weird amount of familiarity with flowers and plants, particularly roses because I have been in love with them since my uncle planted one in my grandmother's yard as part of his marriage proposal. I've always found them very romantic. Thus, I now feel the need to impart a little floral history knowledge to you, dear reader.

The "American Beauty" rose was actually bred in France in 1875 and is of the hybrid perpetual variety. The cup-shaped flowers are actually deep pink and strongly scented, are frequently confused with "Rosa," aka "Red American Beauty" which is actually a hybrid tea. Your hybrid tea (the photo set left here, which is actually the "Caesar Chavez") is the more familiar and popular image of a rose, so what many of us think of as the "American Beauty" rose, a rose frequently thought of as the red lush roses from the film American Beauty, is actually a deep pink rose with ruffly petals (pictured here, set to the right). The American Beauty is the official flower of the District of Columbia, so if you've visited DC in Spring or Summer, you've probably seen these in full bloom.

But enough about flowers. Let's get to the floral perfume!

According to the perfumer, American Beauty is "Caressing. Enveloping. Passionate." The notes are

Top notes: Bergamot, Cassis Bud, Palma Rosa, Rosewood (bois de rose)
Middle notes: Bulgarian Rose Absolute, Bulgarian Rose Otto, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Egyptian Rose Geranium, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Orris
Base notes: Ciste Absolute, East Indian Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood, Peru Balsam

American Beauty is greener and woodier than other roses I've tried. It is definitely more "rose" than anything else, probably a testament to the all the different rose essences in the mix here. It is a more classic rose scent, and that it is so well done is a testament to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's skill as a perfumer. Making a classic rose that doesn't smell synthetic, that actually smells appealing? That's quite a get. In that sense, American Beauty is reflective of the actual history of the American Beauty, even if it is not what popular culture has necessarily brought us to picture when we here American Beauty. Because the truth is, the real American Beauty actually has a nicer smell than it's hybrid tea impostor. It is the rose that appears so frequently on vintage postcards. It used to be the American popular image of a rose, but has in recent times been replaced by a flower that might be more photogenic, but is not quite as nice an experience. And that, well, that could be a metaphor for beauty standards all over right now, couldn't it? It would be nice if we could capture that image of true quality again.

You can buy American Beauty direct from the perfumer in 1oz EdP for $90, as well as the parfum in various sizes and presentations, including antique bottles and limited edition charms. American Beauty is also available in shea butter based body creme, body lotion, or foaming body wash. This one is also available through The Posh Peasant.

"I'm daffy as a daffodil.
It's laughable the way I thrill
when roses are in bloom.
Pansy is pretty; willow is tall.
Violet's kisses, tulip's recall...
how can I choose one?
I love them all.
Still I finally chose an American beauty rose."
- "American Beauty Rose," Frank Sinatra (you can listen to the song here)

Want more reviews? Try...
~ a review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ a review from Essence of Perfume
~ a review from Sniffapalooza Magazine

Sometimes I can hold my tongue. Sometimes not.

DSH Perfumes Beach Roses (Rose No. 3)

Every time I think I am over the flu, I sleep twelve hours and get up and five hours later, I fall asleep for another four hours. So bear with me, dear readers, as I try to get back to some sense of normalcy. Additionally, my princess kitteh, Papaya, is going into the vet for to be spayed in the morning. I hate having to be apart from her even for a day, but I know in the long run she will be a happier house cat after the procedure.

Also, here's how shallow I am. I am very sad that American Historian Howard Zinn, who taught me more about American History than twelve years of mandatory education ever did, died of a heart attack today. Yet, I am thrilled to my toes that one of my favorite story tellers, Amy Sherman-Palladino, will be back on the CW in Fall 2010 in a one-hour drama format. Because, let's face it, people, I am obsessed with The Gilmore Girls like it holds the secret to a happy life.

The perfumer provides the briefest description of Beach Roses as "Timeless. Wild. Free." The notes are listed as

Top notes: Lemon, Neroli, Ocean, Palma Rosa, Violet, Waterlily;
Middle notes: Carnation Absolute, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Chinese Geranium, Demine Rose Otto, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Rugosa Rose;
Base notes: East Indian Patchouli, East Indian Sandalwood, Musk

Wow. I know I keep saying, "this rose smells like honey" but hey! This rose smells like honey! So how is different from my other honied roses? Well for your benefit, dear readers, I dug out my samples and tried them against each other to discern the subtle differences. The difference between L'Artisan Voleur de Roses and Beach Roses is that...okay kids. Here's the truth. I tried all three of them next to each other. I can see the difference between Téo Cabanel Oha and Beach Roses and Oha and Voleur de Roses, but the difference between Voleur de Roses and Beach Roses? I burned my nose out trying to spot the difference. Up top, Oha is incensier and muskier than Beach Roses. Voleur de Roses is more tea-like than Beach Roses. Beach Roses is more like an adult beverage. Beach Roses smells more like the way I'd imagine mead made from roses would taste, and let me tell you, I've drank enough enough mead to even have a favorite mead maker. It's liek trying to hold a mouthful of honey in your mouth a long time. Voleur de Roses, on the drydown, becomes a little soapier than Beach Roses. Like Oha, Beach Roses stays raw. The differences are subtle, but nice. If you're interested in trying owning one of these, I really recommend trying the three next to one another. They are all well made and which one you prefer is probably mostly a matter of subtle preference.

Having tried all three, I'm not sad to have bought Oha. I like it the best. My second fav of them is probably Beach Roses, which is more strongly rose than Voleur de Roses and seems to walk a nice like between the two. In fact, of the two I reviewed from L'Artisan this week, Voleur de Roses or Drôle de Rose simply because it smells more different than Voleur de Roses to other things I have, and I like variety, even if it's subtle variety. Which is a funny thing for me to say, because crazy rose lover that I am, I also have a bottle of my patchouli rose fav, which is Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance. But hey? A true sniffa can never have enough scents, and I think this one is a fine scent to own. I just choose to own Oha instead. That said, other people might be able to smell more of a difference. Me? I gave myself quite a vicious headache trying. But hey? For you, dear readers? Worth it.

You can buy Beach Roses direct from the perfumer in 1oz EdP for $65, as well as the parfum in various sizes and presentations. Beach Roses is also available in shea butter based body creme, body lotion, or foaming body wash.

"And I think I could leave your world
if she was the better girl.
So when we died,
I tried to bribe the undertaker
'cause I'm not sure what you're doing
or the reasons.
You're just to used to my honey, now."
- "Honey," Tori Amos (You can listen to the song here)

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Essence of Perfume

And it starts sometime around midnight...

L'Artisan Voleur de Roses

I have been sick for over a week now. David has been sick for several weeks. And before you ask, yes, he's been to the doctor, and yes, I am going myself, so no, you don't need to worry. A side effect of the illness is that, in order all my body to heal, I've been sleeping a lot and allowing my body to sleep when it wants to. This results in some strange hours of conciousness. Right now it's somet time around midnight and the fog is rolling across campus. In the distance, a car alarm keeps going off. In about an hour I'll hear the train down by the river going by. The witching hour. This campus is beautiful all the time, but especially at night. Whether it is in cool and foggy winter or warmer summer with the scent of flowers hanging in the air, it always seems romantic and young. It's got good energy.

I don't know why I'm telling you this.

Anyway, luckily I can still smell fine, illness be damned, so the march of the roses continue.

According to L'Artisan, Voleur de Roses is

An eau de toilette that evokes the smell of earth after rainfall mixed with the fragrance of fresh roses. A perfume that is both sweet and warm. Voleur de Rose is an undoubtedly original masculine fragrance!

Notes: bergamot, rose, plum, patchouli

Voleur is from the verb meaning "to steal" or "to rob" in French, and L'Artisan's "stolen rose" is intended to be as masculine scent. But for a masculine, it is a big fat juicy rose. I'm a big fan of the "patchouli rose" trend going on in roses out there -- Agent Provocateur EDP and Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance being the two of the popular 'dark' roses on the market. I tend to term these the "trashy roses," because they remind me of the perfume equivalent of those ads with heroin thin models in tattered slips with smeared lipstick sitting, bad head in hand, on the edge of a bed on the morning after. She left surveying some guy's loft before reaching for her jeans and trying to remember why all this seemed like a good idea the night before. I love these roses -- all of them. Winning the loterry tomorrow, I'd have a giant bottle of practically every high quality rose on the market so I could spray them on and roll around in bed, enjoying the subtle differences.

But this one seems less like the morning after and more like the night before. It has less of the patchouli and more of the fresh earth smell. It feels more like hope and less like regret. More of newly painted and puckered lips, buzzed spinning and spinning to your new favorite song on the dance floor. More of running through a park in the middle of the night just for the rush of being pursued. It's berries and honey and tea roses, with a woody edge that has the smell of aging whiskey barrels. It smells like promise. And when I inhale it, I don't see anything masculine about it. To me it's all about the joy of starting out for the night, and the untold stories just beyond the horizon.

Looking over reviews, Voleur de Roses doesn't seem too popular, which surprised me because I really enjoyed it. The rose I think it smells the most like is Téo Cabanel Oha, but I haven't actually tried Frederic Malle Une Rose, so if anyone wants to slide me a sample of Une Rose for comparison, I wouldn't say no. On me Voleur de Roses feels like a rounder, jammier version of Oha, and the two definitely are distinguishable after the dry down because Oha gets a lot less fruit and honey, while Voleur de Roses hangs onto that aspect. Has anyone else tried this one? If so, did you like it? What other "dark" roses do you like?

You can buy Voleur de Roses EDT in 50ml for $95 or 100ml for $135 direct from the perfumer as well as various online retailers like Luckyscent and Beauty Encounter. You can also get samples from a variety of sources -- the perfumer, Luckyscent, and The Perfumed Court.

"But you know, that she's watching.
She's laughing; she's turning.
She's holding her tonic like a crux.
The room's suddenly spinning.
She walks up and asks how you are,
so you can smell her perfume,
you can see her lying naked in your arms."
- "Sometime Around Midnight," Airborne Toxic Event

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from Bois de Jasmin
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin' Things
~ A review from Pere de Pierre

Image from L'Artisan and this great photographer I found on Flickr, Krispy Rabbit.

The dark trees that blow, baby, in the dark trees that blow...

L'Artisan Drôle de Rose

Roses are lovely. Real roses, that is. Many, *many* industries have tried to approximate their natural beauty, and failed utterly. Whether it is really tacky rose patterned wallpaper or thousands of failed art student efforts at still lifes or just some really unappealing fragrances, the rose is a fickle mistress few can tame. This week I'll be looking over a few of them.

For my 27th birthday, I had what remains the best party of my life. I trapped about fifteen of my friends in my apartment over spring break, borrowed a projector and dvd player from campus I.T., put together games including BINGO! and -- okay, yes -- a drinking game, made tons of food, bought myself a very fancy professional bakery made cake, and forced everyone to watch the entire first season of Twin Peaks as well as the prequel film. (Season 2 wasn't released on DVD yet.) David had, as a gift, purchased me an honest to God surprise barbecued brisket from my favorite BBQ place in Texas and had it shipped to Portland, Oregon, and we all just ate, and drank, and weirded ourselves out to David Lynch's PNW opus until 3am. It was wonderful. One of my favorite scenes is the scene with Lil, the girl in the red dress with the blue rose. I even hand wired fake blue roses to pins for everyone to take home as souvenirs.

Drôle de Rose, created by Olivia Giacobetti in 1996, is described by L'Artisan as

Embodying the perfumer's memory of her mother kissing her goodnight before going out for the evening, this is the smell of expensive face powders and lipsticks. Endlessly, unashamedly feminine, the fragrance is centered on a luscious rose note. The presence of violet and iris enhances the gracefully powdery aspect of the note while aniseed, almond and honey bring out the delicious, almost edible quality of the petals. A touch of leather in the drydown is sensual and a little bit dangerous. Chic and charming, this is a rose like no others.

Notes: rose buds, aniseed, orange blossom, rose petals, white iris, violet, almond, honey, rose powder, leather.

On me, Drôle de Rose is a rose with bite, with a scent closer to climbers or miniature roses than your traditional rose scent, which is associated mostly with the popular hybrid teas. It's got a bitter edge to it that I really dig. It has a dry powdery aspect that might get it associated with the dreaded "old lady" perfumes, I think it is a lovely rose with a bluish hue. It's not in line with the modern movement in roses -- all patchouli and earth notes to get to a sultry rose. Instead it's a classic that still holds mystery. In fact, in my mind, I associate it mostly with the that scene with Lil, the woman in the red dress with the blue rose attached in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Maybe, for some women, a rose made of blue silk and attached to a plastic stem might read as cheap or tacky, to me it's full of wonder and mystery. In fact, for those who don't know what I mean, I offer this clip:



In case you couldn't get the clip, or simply didn't want to watch it -- here's the critical piece.

Agent Desmond: Did you notice what was pinned to [the dress]?
Agent Stanley: A blue rose.
Agent Desmond: Very good, but I can't tell you about that.
Agent Stanley: Can't?
Agent Desmond: No. I can't.

That's it right there. "No, I can't." The mystery the blue rose holds is too weird, too wild, too fantastical and possibly dangerous for your understanding. And that's what's hiding in the dry leather, the anise seed, the bitter edge of orange blossom. The weird. The wild. The fantastical. So don't put it on, think "powdery rose," and blow it off. You'll miss it.

And I *still* have my blue rose pin.

Drôle de Rose is available in 50ml for $95 and 100ml for $135. You can get samples from Luckyscent and direct from the perfumer. It is also available in a lovely scented candle.

"And I'll see you.
And you'll see me.
And I'll see you in the branches that blow
in the breeze.
I'll see you in the trees,
under the sycamore trees."
- "Sycamore Trees," Jimmy Scott (written by David Lynch & Angelo Badalamenti)

Want more? Try...
~ a review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ a review from Sweet Diva