Food for Thought: Flowers, Chocolates, and Super Sweet Scents for Valentine's Day

Dear reader:

I should be in bed right now. I am so tired. My new job is good, but kind of exhausting. So why am I writing you? A lot of reasons I guess. Despite being bone tired, I'm feeling restless. I don't know what it is, exactly. Something under my skin. A weird kind of itching.

So while the wickedness within refuses to give me peace, let's talk about that cheesy commercial holiday bearing down on us. The men I work with are surprisingly on top of their game, Valentine's Day speaking. They have reservations. They have gifts. These guys got game.

It's probably why they're all happily married.

I'm surprised by how happy they are about participating in V-day. I never dated anyone who embraced Valentine's Day. I was sort of under the impression most people tolerated Valentine's Day. I'm not used to it being whole-heartedly embraced.

So you know what, reader? Let us try to get a little into the hearts and sparkles spirit, shall we? After all, Beautiful Creatures comes out next week, and we all know that I have fangirlish feelings for Ethan and Lena and their trials and tribulations. Plus, I do get go see two of my closest friends next weekend. So let's embrace the love a little, shall we? After all, the Greeks had as many words for loves as there are kinds of love to be had. So let's talk love, romance, music, and—of course—perfume.

First up on my list of V-Day scent selections for 2013? By Kilian Good Girl Gone Bad. Released as part of the In the Garden of Good and Evil collection, Good Girl Gone Bad is described as follows on Luckyscent:

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD typifies a special sort of woman. A perfume that represents a kind of voluptuousness beloved by Kilian : sensual and unrestrained. A woman who is game for anything in the world of love, of desire, of naughtiness.

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD is a composition of fruits and flowers, a perfume as bewitching as bursts of laughter, a barrier moved beyond, a forgotten prohibition.

The perfume opens on the fresh innocence of the petals of Jasmin Sambac and the apricot sweetness of Chinese Osmanthus. But that feminine ideal does not continue to fool anyone for long. Letting go of their demure appearances, the flowers toss off their inhibitions and reveal the other, decadent side of themselves. The Rose of May gives off its honeyed heat. The Indian Tuberose nakedly exhibits its milky roundness, while the narcotic sensuality of Egyptian Narcissus surges forth, uncontrollable and deliciously haunting. Notes of Virginia Cedar and Amber open up and try to assert their dominant character In order to contain that outpouring of opulence, but they never succeed in taming it completely. The tension is palpable; the addiction exacerbated; the pleasure consummated.

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD, when the woman become a temptress, a sinner - when she dares and when she proves her audacity.

Notes: Jasmin Sambac, osmanthus, rose, tuberose, narcissus, violet accord, plum accord, cedar wood, amber, patchouli, vetiver, musk.

Okay -- overbearing ad copy aside, this is a pretty, well-made scent that would make a nice Valentine's Day choice.

Good Girl Gone Bad is feminine but with an edge. This scent starts out floral but quickly becomes a little dirtier thanks to the base notes.  For me, though, Good Girl Gone Bad is less about dirty florals than it is about the sticky sweet floral. I don't get nearly as much patchouli as I get hefty sweetness.  Good Girl Gone Bad is heavy on the amber note for me, as well as the sugar heavy edge of the florals ( the sweetest part of rose, narcissus, violet) mixed with the jammyest of plums.  On the whole, I like it.  It make my sweet tooth ache in the best way.

Any list of sweet scents that could be romantical would also have to include A Lab on Fire What We Do In Paris is Secret, particularly for the perfume lover with a wicked sweet tooth. Another super sweet favorite? By Kilian Love.

Not into super sweet? How about chocolate! First of all, Aftelier Perfumes Chocolate and Saffron Body Oil & Hair Elixir is described thusly:

This romantic and sensual body oil leaves your skin of smelling of chocolate and flowers. Featured on the blog, Brainy Beauty for Product Junkies: "I put this on my arm & now I want to eat my arm... it is such a delicious smell."

Chocolate and Saffron is sweet without being aggressively so. It leans toward the foodie side of chocolate, but the saffron balances it nicely so it isn't overly edible. Instead the chocolate is counterbalanced against the slightly floral spice of saffron so it just feels simultaneously fresh and light. Pretty, polite, and subtle, Chocolate and Saffron is sexy without being provocative, and at 105 ml for $50, the price point is perfect for a lovely holiday gift that will last a long time.

Other chocolaty scents I recommend? Try the spicy chocolate of Il Profumo Chocolat EDP or one of my absolutely favorites, the light and airy chocolate rose of S-Perfumes 100% Love.

You know who else makes a great chocolate and rose scent? Ayala Moriel Natural Perfumes! Roses et Chocolat, originally created as a Valentine's scent, is now available year round, which is lucky for all of us. That means any time of year you can have...

...three pleasures in one elegant flacon: a bouquet of red roses, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles, and, of course - a perfume! The most sensual and sumptuous way to declaration of love. Kisses not included. Notes: Allspice (Pimento Berry), Amber, Benzoin Siamese Cocoa Absolute, Mace, Nutmeg Pink Pepper Absolute, Rose de Mai, Rose Maroc Rose Otto (Turkey)

If 100% Love is the barest brush of a feather, then is is chocolate and roses as a full-bodied seduction. Strong chocolate notes balance against a rose with a tangy bite like the taste of rose petals. It is a dark rose with a bit of...is that pepper? Talk about your spunky Valentine! Long lasting and elegant, like a heavy china plate with a 14 carat gold rim. You can have it as an EdP or a parfum extrait, or even as a real chocolate bar! How awesome is that? And if I had the money, I'd buy the whole Ayala Moriel Natural Perfumes Broken Hearts - Valentine Coffret 2013! A truly luxurious gift for the scent addict in your life.

And if you are going to talk about sweets and chocolates, we might as well talk about flowers, reader. Since I couldn't have the Broken Hearts Coffret, I will have to console myself with DSH Perfumes Les Rouges Collection Box.

PASSION, POWER, LUST, RAGE, ECSTASY… such are our associations with RED; our wildest emotions and greatest HEAT are bound to this primal color. Inspired by the radiance and intensity of RED, my Les Rouges Collection Box contains a miniature (5ml) bottle of all four of the exquisite members of this collection.

The Les Rouges Collection includes Fleurs d’Oranger (Orange Blossom); Oeillets Rouges (Red Carnations); Poivre; Piment et Chocolat – four lovely scents that cover a range of florals and a chocolate to boot! I feel pretty confident that I, for one, will be pleased by own Valentineal thoughtfulness.

So that's it for me this year. Some more traditional Valentine's recommendations this year. While I'm here, I'll also direct your attention to my Valentine's post from last year, where apparently I also talked about BC, and then wrote about a lot of really great perfumes that I still whole-heartedly endorse, including a list of less conventional recommendations.

Favorite coupledoms in Movies/TV/Books

Dear reader,

Do you know what a 'shipper is? It's someone who gets super into relationships in pop culture and feels very strongly about the fates and futures of said relationships. I, dear reader, am a shipper. I'm not hardcore, per se. I don't write fanfiction to create alternate universes where my couples get together. I don't wear 'TEAM' t-shirts. But I do strongly identify with a fictional relationship occasionally and root for that relationship.

So in honor of it being Valentine's week, and because I am feeling especially sappy this year, here is a list of a few of my favorite 'ships from movies, books, and television, along with a (sometimes unconventional) song for them and a scent or two.

~~~

1. Debi Newberry & Martin Blank, Grosse Pointe Blank

You know the story. "Spring of '96. Two young lovers with frightening natural chemistry. A girl sits in a seven hundred dollar prom dress on the front steps of her house, waiting for the most romantic moment of her young life. Boy never shows up. Not until now." Debi and Martin are wonderful because they lead us to believe those that loved us once, and loved us best, might still love us again. Even in an ugly callous cynical and sarcastic world like the one of Grosse Pointe Blank, love conquers all -- in fully-automatic style.

Martin: "I'm sorry if I fucked up your life."
Debi: "It's not over yet."

Song: Peter Gabriel, "Let My Love Open the Door (To Your Heart);" Neko Case, "This Tornado Loves You"
Perfume: I always think of Debi (half) ironically wearing CK Obsession to the reunion. Is that weird? Martin does have obsessive recurring dreams about her... Martin doesn't wear anything. Someone might smell him coming.

~~~

2. Jane Eyre & Edward Fairfax Rochester, Jane Eyre

Now and forever, Jane and Edward will stand out in my mind as two sad and broken people who find each other and, despite great obstacles of circumstance and social convention, rebel against everything in defense of their love for one another. Is their relationship problematic? Sure. Could I forgive Edward if I were Jane? I don't know. I only know that when she hears his name on the wind, she goes to him, and I am glad she does.

Songs: Depeche Mode, "Somebody," The Decemberists, "Hazards of Love"
Perfume: For Jane, Guerlain Mitsouko; For Rochester, Guerlain Habit Rouge.

~~~

3. Nora Grey & Patch Cipriano, Hush, Hush series

I wasn't sure how I felt about Patch initially. He ran hot/cold and was often mean, way meaner than Daniel was to Luce in Fallen. It's hard to resist roguish, though. Is it wrong when I mentally picture Patch, he's basically Jess Mariano? But, you know, more of a '50s tough, and angelic. I like that Nora doesn't always trust him and isn't always willing to listen. I like that she makes her own decisions. Over the course of the series, Nora grows into one of the bravest female protagonists I've found in YA today. I'm excited to see how the series resolves.

Songs: Lou Reed, "This Magic Moment;" The Smiths "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
Perfume: Patch is supposed to smell like "mint and earth," so I'm tossing CB I Hate Perfume Black March onto the list, but I admit I also associate Il Profumo Patchouli Noir with Patch and Nora.

~~~

4. Ethan Wate & Lena Duchannes, Beautiful Creatures

Ethan & Lena - you want to talk about two kids who will break your heart? Here they are. The most wonderful thing about this series is that the stories are told from Ethan's perspective, and he's the devoted and wounded one most of the time. Lena is confused, wild, willful, and non-conformist. And even when they're apart, their love is strong enough it could reconfigure time and space, even tear the world in two.

Songs: The Band Perry, "Walk Me Down the Middle;" Alison Brown, "Every Day I Write the Book;" The White Stripes, "Sugar Never Tasted So Good"
Perfume: Lena's scent, rosemary and lemons, which always makes me think of Miller Harris Fleurs de Bois, because it's meant to be a warm weather scent and it is always hot in Gatlin.

~~~

5. Bella Swan & Jacob Black, Twilight

Yeah, yeah, Edward is forever, he and Bella are both eternal sparkly diamond parents. Call me a heretic, but to me the more interesting relationship isn't the first person you love who screws you over, abandons you, and breaks your heart. It's the person who comes after them. The person that says "Yes, I see how broken and messed up you are. That's okay. I'll love you, anyway." That's the person who restores my faith in humanity, my hope for a better love tomorrow. You know that Garth Brook's song, "Unanswered Prayers"? I love that song. Because Charlie is right - sometimes you have to love what's good for you. Or at least, here in the non-sparkly world, you should.

Songs: Soltero, "The Moment You Said Yes;" Linda Ronstadt, "When Will I Be Loved;" Natasha Bedingfield, "Pocket Full of Sunshine"
Perfume: I always think Bella must smell like food since people want to eat her, but if we focus on the non-blood drinkable parts of Bella (Are there any?), then I want to give her and Jacob a warm, sunny scent reflective of their warmth and Bella's desert origins, like Tauer Perfumes L'Air du Desert Marocain or  Olympic Orchids Arizona. (Too on the nose?)

~~~

6. The Doctor & Rose Tyler, Doctor Who

They traveled through time and space, exploring both together and saving the world.  They literally bent (and sometimes broke) the laws of the universe to find one another even when it seemed. Their isn't just a love for the ages, it is a love for all ages, all times, all dimensions. He's her mad man in a blue box; she's his Bad Wolf. Enough said.

Songs: Lykke Li, "Unrequited Love;" David Bowie, "Modern Love;" Beatles, "Here, There, and Everywhere"
Perfume: I want to put Rose in something excellent like By Kilian Back to Black, but she's probably wearing Burberry Brit with those overalls. And I can't scent the Doctor, but I  know Esscentual Alchemy Natural Perfumes has taken a delightful stab with Time Lord, found here.

~~~

7. Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore, The CW's The Vampire Diaries

I know, I know. Believe me. Damon and Elena means more Damon, and who couldn't use more of that?  Damon is so hot sometimes I think my eyeballs will literally melt out of my head. But when it comes to Elena, I'm going to have to say that she was a healthier, happier person with Stefan, and Stefan was a less Ripper/slightly more broody version of himself. They love each other and they're better for and with each other. We're all going to have to deal with that.

(Which leaves Damon conveniently available....right?)

Songs: Fiona Apple, "Slow Like Honey;"  Feist, "1-2-3-4;" Iron & Wine, "Such Great Heights"
Perfume: Elena is so innocent, but I can't help but imagine her running around Mystic Falls in Agent Provocateur. Okay, maybe she only wears that only when she starts running around in one of those ridiculous Founder's event ballgowns.  The rest of the time she probably rocks something like Prada Infusion d'Iris. Stefan probably wears something youthful and full of denial, like Davidoff Cool Water or Thierry Mugler Angel AMen. (And I like to imagine Damon wearing Bvlgari Black, and his songs for Elena have to be Chris Issak's "Wicked Game" and Ok Go's "A Million Ways to be Cruel".)

~~~

8. Logan Echolls & Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars

Oh, Veronica and Logan. How I love to want to kill both of you for being stupid.  If ever two people were a disaster of epic love proportions, it is you two. You hurt each other over and over, and yet there is not a moment after the kiss on the balcony that I cannot see you together. It just seems cataclysmically meant to be.

Logan: "I thought our story was epic, you know? You and me."
Veronica: "Epic how?"
Logan: "Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined and blood shed. Epic!"
Veronica: "Come on. Ruined lives? Bloodshed? You really think a relationship should be that hard?"
Logan: "No one writes songs about the ones that come easy."

Songs: Mike Doughty, "I Hear the Bells;" Blair, "Hearts;" The Be Good Tanyas, "In Spite of All the Damage I've Done"
Perfume: Veronica wears Jovan White Musk (Okay, this is a cheat KBell wears it herself, and I can't not think that when I mentally sniff her.) For Logan, something warm and sexy and not necessarily traditional - Costume National 21 or CB/Alan Cumming's 2nd Cumming.

~~~

9. Buffy Summers & Angel, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

One girl in all the world... and one vampire redeemed find love against all odds. It's written in the stars by the Powers that Be.  Some day, hopefully in the not so distant future, she will stop carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. And when she does, the monster she made a man will be waiting. (I mentally retcon the Angel/Cordelia fiasco. When it comes to Angel and Buffy, there can be only one.)

Angel: "You still my girl?"
Buffy: "Always."

Songs: Urge Overkill, "Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon;" Bat for Lashes "Siren Song;" Tom Petty, "Angel Dream (No. 2)"
Perfume: Serge Luten Bois de Violette, which I cannot justify. I don't even know where Buffy would come by such a thing. I just feel like she would. Or maybe Atelier Grand Neroli? Sweet and not necessarily innocent or fragile, but hopeful nonetheless, particularly in those early seasons.

~~~

10. Sydney Bristow & Michael Vaughan, Alias

In the first three seasons of this show, their love was so amazing and palpable and yet played with such restraint and subtly that I could not get enough of it. There is this scene from the first season that completely sold me on this relationship. Sydney is having an awful time.  She calls Vaughan and they meet on a pier pretending not to be together.  Overcome, Sydney starts sobbing, and you can just tell it is killing Vaughan he can't hurt her or help her or make it better.  Then Sydney reaches out and takes his hand, even though she's not supposed to and its dangerous and stupid and could blow her cover and get them both killed, because she cannot help herself. Even though  she can't even look back at him, and it doesn't matter because...he's her anchor.  He's the thing that keeps her in that moment from giving up.  From that moment on you just know somewhere deep inside, no matter what happens, they'll find their way back to one another.

Songs: Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman, "All I Need Is You"; Beatles, "I've Just Seen a Face;" Robin Thicke, "When I Get You Alone"
Perfume: Sydney might where a lot of different scents with her costumes, but she strikes me as a classic sort of girl -- Chanel No. 5 or Worth Je Reviens, maybe? Something that screams classic and elegant and refined, but not too noticeable - a great cover for the dangerous, adventure-loving spy in us all.

I have a tough time scenting Michael Vartan because I feel like, having spent a huge portion of his formative years in France, he'd have some strong personal preferences.  Vaughan, on the other hand, probably wears something very work-a-day government handler, like Old Spice. Boring, conventional, reliable, but also...attractive.

~~~

That's my list.  What couples for you 'ship, dear reader? I see Titanic is being re-released in 3D soon.  Who wants to tell me what they think Jack or Rose would wear?  Wish I'd done Tara & Willow from Buffy instead? Any Luke Danes/Lorelai Gilmore fans out there? What about Wash & Zoe from Firefly? Or Brian Kinney & Justin Taylor from Queer as Folk? (I will never forget that dance scene.) 

Inquiring 'shippy minds want to know.

Honey, you're so fine...

Challenge Week 28: Monday, 7/25/11, to Friday, 7/29/11
Scent Spotlight on DSH Perfumes Lush Honey

Life. Sometimes it gets in the way.

No, seriously. Often times I'd rather be here. I'd rather be sniffing new perfumes and talking to you about all the ways scent can pop me out of a dark day and reset my mood because it reminds me to appreciate the magic and beauty of the world I live in.

I was supposed to do a week of reviews, but instead I'm just going to review one scent I have worn in excess of five days easily since I got it.

But before I do, let me give you a little unsolicited, friendly advice. I rarely ever talk about my job, because honestly? I love this. I love writing. In my head, I’m not a lawyer. I’m a writer. Even at work, I write, all day long. Because writing is what I love and do best and feel proud of. Being a lawyer? Not high on that list.

That said, let’s just say that I work in law and in the insurance industry. Being in insurance, I am always thinking about the worst possible scenario. In my world, one of the things that means is the idea of something happening to my home, like an earthquake or a fire. I worry about how I would evacuate my cats, should I keep a go bag with copies of critical records and cherished items, do I have enough renter insurance.

It’s this last one that bothers me most. I have ordered a copy of my renter’s policy, but I feel pretty sure it won’t cover perishables like my perfume collection. I did a little loose math last week. If I had to replace my collection, without any consideration for time and effort, it would take a lot. It wasn’t until I was moving it all for the second time this summer, carefully wrapping it and boxing it and unwrapping it, devising new storage, etc. that it dawned on me. In four years, I’ve amassed a large collection that is monetarily worth as much or more than my car. I don’t even know how or when it happened, but my perfume collection has taken on a large place in my life, larger than I had realized. How the hell can I protect it?

I’ve reached out to some specialty collectors and insurers, companies and individuals who are collectors or ensure collections of things like antique dolls and stamps. I’m looking to find out if my perishable but beloved collection is insurable, if an appraising methodology exists and what it might be, and how much it might cost. If I find out, I’ll let you know. But I thought I’d tell you about my dilemma and my progress, because some of you are just as protective of your collections as I am.

And speaking of perfume…

On to DSH Perfumes Lush Honey. I have been wearing Lush Honey at least part of a day a couple of times a week since I bought it back in April. Sometimes I put it on in the morning when I’m having a bad day. Sometimes I dab some on just before bed and drift off to sleep with it scenting my sweetest dreams. It’s been like a secret love affair, Lush Honey and I. I have no idea why I didn’t write this review earlier except to say that I can’t remember I was so crazy for a particular scent. Usually when I like something I wear it for a few months maybe twice a month. By comparison, this has been hot, heavy, passionate, obsessive. So let’s talk about my amor secreto.

Lush Honey is described as follows:

Luscious and seductive honey with a light, sweet, floral top note and a super sexy, musky-gourmand dry down. Va Va Voom! Notes: Bitter Almond, Muguet (Lily of the Valley), Violet, Hazelnut, Honey, Honey Beeswax, Ambergris, French Vanilla, Heliotrope, Musk, Tonka Bean.

This scent is by far the sweetest thing I own. Sweeter than Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon, sweeter than Guerlain Shalimar or Guerlain Spirituese Double Vanille, sweeter even than By Kilian Love. In other words, so sticky-heavy-sweet it could choke you if you wore enough, and since it is a perfume oil it packs quite a wallop.

Giant cinnamon roll!

I’d tell you it smelled, you know, like honey, but that seems completely inadequate. FN1. It is edibly sweet and spicy. Name every sweet bakery scent you can – maple syrup, cinnamon, honey, frosting, brown sugar, hazelnut coffee syrup, baking vanilla. You’re likely to use any of these to describe the scent if you try it yourself. Personally, I think it smells like the famous dinner plate-sized cinnamon rolls they serve out at Camp 18 on Highway 26 between here and the Oregon coast if they covered it in honey.

 It would be overwhelming if it weren’t so snuggly, cozy, fantastic. I mean, I want to lick my own arm; I assume in a close moment it couldn’t hurt the mood. Take note though: this is not a scent for the edible faint of heart. If you don’t like smelling like a bakery, run, don’t walk, in the other direction. For me? It’s heavenly.

Sadly, Lush Honey is discontinued. In fact, that's why I bought it in the first place. It was a unsniffed purchase, bought in a mad rush of DSH rollers I grabbed at the beginning of the spring and summer during her sale. I loved almost everything I bought, but this? A-mazing. It's a shame it is discontinued because it is the ultimate tribute to over-the-top gourmand decadence. I loved it so much I actually bought a second 10ml roller almost immediately. I hope it comes back. Everyone who loves sweet and gourmand scents should have the chance to try it.

"I wanna be with you all of the time.
I couldn't tell you just how much I loved you,
but now that you're mine I'll tell you all the time.
Honey, you're so sweet.
I wanna be with you every week..."
~ "Honey," Best Coast

_______________________________
FN1. Anyone who knows anything about honey knows the taste is significantly impacted by the kind of flowers the bees who make the honey are feeding from. Clover honey is the most common in the U.S. Alfalfa honey is also very popular. If you’re into gourmet foods like flavored salts and varies of flavored oils, though, you know honey comes in all kinds of varieties and blends. Personally I’m a big fan of sag honey and fireweed honey.

I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down; I want to come to.

Very Irresistible Givenchy For Men

As you may have noticed, I tend to do reviews of independent perfumers (CB I Hate Perfumes, INeKE, Bond no. 9) or high end classic lines (L'Artisan, Guerlain). I don't tend to do a lot of mainstream department store or drug store lines simply because I tend to lack access to them. I'm trying to amend that a bit.

Designed for the man who possesses natural charisma, a strong personality, and a seductive aura, Very Irresistible For Men is an elegant, woody, green, sensual fragrance spiked with notes of grapefruit, mint, sesame seed, and mocha, melded with soothing hazelnut wood and Virginia Cedar.

Notes: Grapefruit Peel, Mint Leaf, Sesame Seed, Mocha, Hazelnut Wood, Virginia Cedar

My initial thoughts were: Yay! Citrus-y coffee! Who knew grapefruit juice and coffee poured into a single cup could smell so good together!?! And mint leaves? Did someone muddle fresh mint in my grapefruit coffee juice? The heart is more mint hazelnut mocha coffee than the opening, which is mostly citrus and mint. On me the mint is really quite strong, though, tipping it more toward toothpaste and away from the mint coffee drinks I enjoy, but ultimately the mint and sweetness aren't overpowering, which saves the scent from being cloying. On the whole a nice experience, though it faded pretty fast on me (say after an hour).

This is similar to what's going on in Thierry Mugler's Angel A*Men. It's less strong than Angel A*Men, but in my opinion, that makes it better. I also find it much more appealing than il Profumo Cafe Vert because Cafe Vert tries to give you caramel coffee, citrus, and mint all at the same time, right up front. Very Irresistible Givenchy For Men manages to avoid the missteps those take, in my opinion, by doing the citrus mint at the top and then slowly backing into a less sugary, black coffee scent over time as the citrus and mint back off. For someone looking for this particular combination, I'd definitely recommend it, particularly if they found A*Men or Cafe Vert too sweet.

The fact that I really enjoyed this is proof positive that you can never say, "What it is? Oh, I've tried that and hate it," based purely on notes/description. Given my feelings toward Cafe Vert and A*Men, which range from indifferent to "NO, just, no," I'd have thought I'd hate this if you told me what was in it before I tried it. But nope, it's actually really nice. After making some notes for this review and looking them over I thought, "Wasn't I just railing against this exact combination not too long ago?" In earnest I actually dug out my samples of the other two for side by side comparison and I have to say, my feelings on the other two haven't changed. It just goes to show that one woman's citrus-mint-chocolate-coffee heaven is another's hell. And vice verse. So one should always keep an open mind and a willing nose.

You can get 100ml for $71 from Sephora, where you can also sample this one on site, but I also saw the same bottle on Amazon for half that price, so look around if you want to buy it. I got my sample from Rei Rien for a whopping 25 cents.

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you.
Yes, there's a chance that
I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine;
Now I'm shining, too.
I never knew just what it was
about this old coffee shop
I loved so much.
All of the while, I never knew
it was you.
- "CoffeeShop," Landon Pigg

Want more? Try...
~ A review from Bois de Jasmin
~ A review from Marlen at Now Smell This!

Images from Givenchy and Bee Creative.

You are the moonlit memory I can’t seem to lose…

L’Artisan Havana Vanille

Let talk about overhype.

You’ve all been there. You hear, first from a newspaper reviewer, or maybe a friend, “Hey, I loved this thing. I think you’ll love it, too.” Then one person becomes three, who become a half dozen, and suddenly every newspaper, website, television ad, and Facebook update seems to be telling you that ThingX is fabulous, wonderful, the best whateveritis ever!

You get excited. Try as you might to contain your enthusiasm, you get excited, too. The anticipation builds. And then you finally, finally get to try or see or do whatever the AWESOMEST thing is…

…and it doesn’t blow your mind. Ah, the disappointing let down of the overhype. Whether your mind just wasn’t blown by Garden State or Crash or Slumdog Millionaire, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video or that Miley Cyrus album everyone seems to love, or your first trip to Vegas or Disneyland was kind of a bust, everyone has something that has been hyped to them and then the real experience, while not bad, just wasn’t everything you’d hoped for.

Perfume is not immune to this phenomenon either. And for me, the overhype has really hit home L’Artisan Havana Vanille.

Everyone has a holy grail scents they are looking for, that perfect rose or iris or smoke or incense. Being a big lover of vanilla, I’m constantly on the hunt for those scents closest to vanilla perfection. For me, the best ever has been Guerlain Spirituese Double Vanille, which, because I love it best, it is of course a limited edition long since sold out.

According to L’Artisan, Havana Vanille is

From its vibrant Salsa rhythms, its famous cigars and Cuban rum, it is certain there is something magical about Havana. It is a place that contrasts all others.

This mysterious fragrance is reminiscent of travels around the world, the nostalgia of crossing the seven seas to discover far off treasures and the smell of a wooden boat mingling with the aroma of rum and spice. A sensually elegant fragrance, Havana Vanille expresses itself according to the occasion.

A luminous and mysterious harmony, Havana Vanille is indeed the fragrance of a magical place.

Notes: Mexican vanilla, rum, clove, crystallized dried fruit, narcissus, tonka bean, honey, narcotic, balms, smoked woods and musks.

Many, many reviews have compared Havana Vanille to my beloved Guerlain, so I was very hopeful. I think this is part of why I found Havana Vanille disappointing. On me, Havana Vanille and Spirituese Double Vanille are not alike. While Spirituese Double Vanille has a great incense-y undertone, Havana Vanille has a burning rubber thing going on. Spirituese Double Vanille comes off as rich, while Havana Vanille is, in its wake, hollow. It’s not as coconut-y as Memoire Liquide Creme de Vanille #204, and of all the vanillas I’ve smelled, the sweetness is most like the sweetness in Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon. The rest of it reminds me very much of L’Artisan Vanilia, which is green and plant like and not at all foodie.

Havana Vanille is interesting because it tries to walk the line between being a foodie vanilla and a green plant-like vanilla. What is nice about that is that it makes for a more masculine vanilla than you usually get. It’s not all that sweet, it doesn’t smell like a bakery or something made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Is it possible to create a mean vanilla? Probably not. But this is as close as I’ve experienced to such a thing. If you were to say, “Sweet little vanilla, what is it you are rebelling against?,” this vanilla would try its best to reply, in its surliest tone, “What’dya got?”

So in the world of vanillas, I think there is ample room for Vanille Havana, which can carry itself off as a masculine vanilla and that ain’t an easy get. Evaluated on its own merits, it is a nice, unique scent. If you don’t love the superfoodie, super saccharine vanillas that tend to dominate, you might just love this, though I’d still tell you to try L’Artisan Vanilia first. But I have to disagree with my peers who all felt Vanille Havana had a lot in common with Spirituese Double Vanille because I sit here sampling them next to each other, I think I finally start to see the resemblance two hours in, and I’d still say Vanille Havana is more like Vanille Bourbon at this point than Spirituese Double Vanille. But that’s just one humble, vanilla lover’s opinion. And thus, the search continues...

You can buy L’Artisan Havana Vanille in 50ml for $115 or 100ml for $155 from LuckyScent, BeautyHabit, Aedes de Venustas, and other online retailers. You can also get a sample of Vanille Havana, along with four other L'Artisan scents of your choice, for a mere $7 directly from L'Artisan. So really, you have no excuse to miss this one.

Deep in my veins the sensuous strains
of the soft guitar. Deep in my soul
the thunderous roll of a tropic sea
under the starts that was Havana.
You are the moonlit memory I can’t seem to lose…
- “Sand in My Shoes,” Bobby Short

Want more? Try...
~ a review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ a review from March at Perfume Posse
~ a review from Perfume Shrine
~ a review from The Non-Blonde
~ a review from Fragraqnce Bouquet
~ a review from Perfume-Smellin' Things

Images courtesy of L’Artisan, IMDB, and Offbeat Travel.

There's a stain on my notebook where your coffee cup was...

il Profumo Cafe Vert

Cafe Vert, part of Italian perfumer il Profumo's classic line, is described as follows:

Cafe Vert develops from the soaking of green coffee-bean into pink grapefruit and mandarin pulp. It has an evocative and energizing effect on the psyche too. Its aroma gives pleasure to the person who either wears it or to the one that perceives it. The enchanting scent released by jasmine, cyclamen and geranium notes makes Cafe Vert an unforgettable refiner perfume.

What is this trying to be? It starts out with a strong syrupy coffee candy mess, but it spirals into a strange spearmint thing. You'd think it might be nice, but instead it's kind of like brushing your teeth and then immediately drinking coffee with cream and lots of sugar. Or maybe trying to gargle with a Caramel de Leche coffee and mint mouthwash simultaneously.

It kind of reminds me of Thierry Mugler's Angel A*Men, but this one is less offensive than Angel Amen because at least it's just two conflicting scents fighting for prominence. (Side note: part of the reason I have studiously avoided reviewing any of the Mugler scents is because, quite frankly, and no matter how I try, I just hate them. Go ahead, take away my perfumista card. I don't care. I hate them. All of them. There. I said it. Moving on.) I think it would work well as a bodywash maybe, as it does in Wash With Joe, but not as a scent. Not for me.

But yes, I am sure there are many who think that coffee and mint go together in a way that is lovely. I usually do. I loves me some peppermint mocha. But here, neither is an accent for the other; instead, both keep trying to fight for prominence so it's a weird gross mishmash. If they were going for minty chocolate here, they missed. Big time. I think it's worth smelling if you have the chance, but I can't recommend buying it without trying it. This one is going to have a small but dedicated fan base.

You can buy 100ml of Cafe Vert for $135 from Luckyscent.

"From the lips without passion
to the lips with a kiss,
there's nothing of your love
that I'll ever miss.
- "Black Coffee in Bed," Squeeze

I couldn't find any reviews other than the user reviews at Luckyscent.

Images courtesy of il Profumo, Girlichef, and Listerine.

This could be the very minute I'm aware I'm alive

Il Profumo Chocolat EDP


I love chocolate. I do. I adore chocolate possibly more than any other consumable item on Earth. I'm not picky about the form it comes in, either. Cake, brownie, fudge, frosting, bar, chip, liquid, I love it all. I love it in all flavors -- white, dark, milk, medium dark, swirl. I love it mixed with everything, too. Fruit, nuts, spices, peanut butter, nougat, carmel, milk, graham crackers, peppermint sticks... Hell, I even love chocolate beer.

When it comes to lovely cold weather, though, I love hot chocolate. Delicious, lovely, cuddly hot chocolate. I especially love Mexican hot chocolate, which marries spices like chili powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and almonds with dark chocolate to create spicy liquid love right there in your mug. Good Mexican hot chocolate is difficult to make; I cannot even imagine how much harder it is to make a perfume that captures it's delightful scent. Luckily, Il Profumo is out there to do it for me.

According to Luckyscent, Il Profumo Chocolat EDP

is dark and sweetened with candied fruit and cocoa...think more Jailia more than Serendipitous. Spiced cocoa, opulent fruits and dark vanilla, its darkly sweet charms lie in the smooth, honey-like chocolate depths. Both dangerously seductive and eye-battingly coy, Chocolat will get you noticed, but only by those very close (in other words, those special people you want to notice).

Notes: mandarin, nutmeg, sandalwood, galbanum, cocoa, plum, jasmine, yellow rose, vanilla

Il Profumo Chocolat is a spicy, nutmeggy cocoa on application. It's got a dryness to it like cocoa powder rather than melted bar chocolate, with powdery hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and chili powder like Mexican hot chocolate. As it dries down it becomes less spicy and more balanced, improving the mixture further. This is a perfect scent for bundling up in wintry weather. It's like it was designed for the pretty kiddies in those fabulous wintry GAP ads I've always loved.



You can buy Il Profumo Chocolat EDP at Luckyscent.

"You're the only thing that I love.
It scares me more every day.
On my knees, I think clearer.
Goodness knows I saw it coming,
or at least I'll claim I did,
but in truth I'm lost for words..."
- "Chocolate," Snow Patrol

The only reviews I could find were the customer reviews at Luckyscent.

Images from Chocoholic.com featuring the wonderful chocolates from Portland, Oregon-based chocolatier Moonstruck, Azienda Infiera and Taza Chocolate.

I Want Candy!

It has come to my attention that I have been remiss in posting about my thoughts on scents for a lovely Fall day. It seems I’m perpetually behind on these things, but in this case I have a pretty good defense. It’s hard to think of fabulous fall scents when you are stuck in a place where Fall never comes. The leaves don’t turn. The temperature is in the mid-90s. Everyone is still wearing shorts. Witherist thou Fall scent post?, you ask. Whitherist my Fall weather?, I reply.

Don’t worry. In approximately five days I will be back in my beloved Pacific Northwest where the cold winds blow, the rain is ever present, and the leaves definitely undergo a fall time transformation. I’m sure the cool weather will inspire me. Until then, you’ll have to wait out my time in the endless summer purgatory with me.

Les Nereides Douceur de Vanille

I love vanillas, bit vanillas have a risk, at times, of having an initial scent that hits your nose with an all too familiar note. You lean in looking for heaven and come back up with a nose full of Play-doh. In my mind this play-doh is always that neon red-orange color I associate with fallout shelter warnings, but hey, chose your own color to suit. While reviews on Luckyscent warned of a “baby powder” possibility, which I can see a little off, I definitely got play-doh instead.

With Les Nereides Douceur de Vanille, it’s the play-doh note on application. According to LuckyScent, Douceur de Vanille’s notes are “bourbon vanilla, almond, cocoa, white rose, star aniseed” and it is described as

The softest, milkiest vanilla we've ever found. This evokes the pure, delicate sweetness of the icy crystals on top of homemade ice cream. Incomparable bourbon vanilla is caressed with almond and cocoa and freshened with white rose. Opening with a burst of innocence and powder, Douceur de Vanille mellows into a gentle, creamy skin scent that seems more like a delectable aura than a perfume – as if you just happen to have naturally delicious skin. The perfect warm weather vanilla. Heavenly.

I don’t know where the “softest and sweetest” is coming from on this one. It’s so play-doh-y on me that, even fifteen minutes in, it feels like it will melt my eyes. It is so cloying. A lot of the Luckyscent reviews also mentioned this being a “light” scent. I took two swipes out of a 1ml wand sample and OHHOLYMARYMOTHEROFGOD, light was NOT a word I’d associate here.

This is a borderline scrubber for me, something that I say very rarely. An hour in and I still feel it rising off skin like some ghost of vanilla past come back to life to haunt me for all those times I said that I couldn’t get enough vanilla. I think it’s the aniseed and rose coming through super strong so that it’s equal parts those two and vanilla, and it just one hot salty sugary mess. I love vanillas. Hell, I love big vanillas, cheap vanillas, one note vanillas, all kinds of vanillas. But this one is just way too much vanilla for me. And that, my friends, is saying something. It you’re looking for your vanilla and salt, stingy scent, trust me when I saw that going with Annick Goutal Vanille is probably a better bet.

Montale Vanille Absolu

On the other hand, literally, we have Montale Vanille Absolu. Luckyscent describes Vanille Absolu as

Smooth and sweet, silky and enveloping, Vanille Absolu is everything you could ever desire in an upscale vanilla: swirly folds of boozy vanilla are set off and enhanced by soft woods and a touch of cinnamon and clove. It’s more like the pure distilled essence of a true vanilla bean pod than the wafer cookie vanillas that have flooded the market in the last few years, but make no mistake: this beauty flaunts its sweet depths with wild abandon and really doesn’t care who’s looking. A refined vanilla without being snooty, we can think of several perfumes that trumpet “vanilla” in their name then try to bury the note under a pile of florals or other notes in an effort to be “classy.” Montale got it right – there’s a reason so many of us love the smell of vanilla, and Vanille Absolu is it. It’s one of the best pure, elegant vanillas on the market. Period.

The notes: vanilla, cinnamon, clove, woods.

There is nothing play-doh-y about this one. Instead it comes on hot and heavy and cotton candy heaven. If you like candyfloss scents, this is going to rock your socks. The clove comes through initially in a weird musky almost fake way, but after about an hour the whole mixture clams down into a really lovely candied vanilla and spice mix. It’s like smearing yourself in coating made of melted caramels, condensed sweetened milk, cinnamon and cloves. Of if someone who smoked lovely clove ciagarettes and wore really strongly vanilla flavored lip gloss gave you a kiss deep enough to knock you on your ass. Either way, a lovely experience, but a little goes a long way. Personally the longer I had it on the more I loved it, but don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Definitely not for the foodie/candy floss faint of heart, but if you are already into these scents, you might like this. It’s more candy than some of the other foodie vanillas I love, like Memoire Liquide Creme de Vanille #204 or Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon, but more complex and interesting than Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot, another candy floss that I love. Where as Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot is a sweet fruity youthful nights on the boardwalk kind of scent, Montale Vanille Absolu is like an adult cotton candy...perhaps one that goes with waking up in the sand, under the boardwalk the morning after.

Also, can I just take a moment to lament the packaging on both of these? Those angels on the label of the Les Nereides label make me feel vomitous. Was Les Nereides intending to market for six year old girls? And Montale -- why take all that lovely scent and put it into something that looks like an aluminun water bottle bike fanatics use? What's wrong with a nice clean looking glass bottle? Oh happy medium, where have you gone...

Les Nereides Douceur de Vanille, clearly loved by others far more than me, is currently on backorder at Luckyscent, is available in 100ml for $65. Montale Vanille Absolu is available in 50ml for $95 and 100ml for $135. The 100ml of Vanille Absolu is on backorder until November, though, so it might be worth looking around if you want to buy either sooner.

"Candy on the beach, there's nothing better!
But I like candy when it's wrapped in a sweater.
Some day soon I'll make you mine,
Then I'll have candy all the time..."
- "I Want Candy," Bow Wow Wow

I couldn’t find any reviews of Les Nereides Douceur de Vanille, though I feel the user reviews on Luckyscent cover a lot of ground. For reviews of Montale Vanille Absolu, try….
~ A review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ A review from 1000 Scents.

Images from Luckyscent, TravelMuse, and EmmaGem.

A Week of Vanillas: Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon

This is the second review in a five-part series looking at several different lovely vanilla options available to perfumistas.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a huge fan of the foodie vanilla. I love baking, and I even considered going to culinary school rather than law school, so gourmand scents are right in my wheelhouse. So as much as I was not expecting L'Artisan's take on vanilla, I was actively seeking a foodie vanilla. Thanks to Il Profumo's Vanille Bourbon, I got my wish.

Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon, available from Luckyscent, is described as follows:

Vanilla lovers, it’s time to rejoice! Two types of orchid are used to bring to mind an intense, sweet, rich vanilla fragrance, anchored with the delicious scents of heliotrope, exotic tiare and warm amber. This is an instant smile and an easy laugh…it’s soft vanilla joy in a bottle. Easygoing yet totally addictive (we mean it—we crawled over two tables one day to find exactly what gorgeous vanilla was enticing us so!), this is the finest bourbon vanilla we’ve ever laid our noses on. The Absolu version is strong—an amazing plus for any vanilla scent (and wonderful staying power, too!) Did we say addictive? Vanille Bourbon has left us with a loss for words, so we’ll just say, “WOW!”

Notes: cedar flowers, orchids (bourbon and yellow), heliotrope, tiare, rose wood

This is absolutely one of my favorite vanillas. Right from the beginning, this reads as one of the foodiest vanillas I've ever sniffed. Vanille Bourbon is sweet like baking, but with a lovely alcohol note and it is BIG. Frankly, I feel like I took a slightly sweetened vanilla extract and, in between dashes into the cake batter, dabbed it on my neck. While over time it doesn’t really develop beyond that initial sweet slap, that’s okay with me. The scent is consistent throughout on me – top, middle, bottom – hanging around me like a huge delicious cloud. Of all the vanillas I tried, this one garnered the most compliments, too. (My husband never fails to mention how much he likes it.) Clearly this one is not for everyone, but if you like the sweet and the gourmand, then Vanille Bourbon is definitely worth a try.

He likes bread and butter,
He likes toast and jam,
That's what his baby feeds him,
He's her loving man.
The Newbeats, "Bread and Butter"

Want more reviews?
~ Review from For the Love of Perfume here.
~ Also, a couple of brief reviews available from 1000fragrances and Sakecat’s Scent Project.

Cupcake image from Urban Nutritionist.