Shades of gold displayed naturally.

Balmain Ambre Gris

Hello, dear readers. Long time, no talk. I’d have posted this earlier today, but...

...I took a nap.

Yep, sorry. Totally passed out. Had to get up early to take my friends Becca and Steven to the airport so they could go to Becca’s sister’s bat mitzvah, and by this afternoon, I was tired.

Then there was a knock at the door. Since I live on campus, and David is the first line of defense in any problem any student could be having, really, they knock all the time. In this particular case, it was two guys who were locked out of the campus co-op, which we live above, and were looking for David to let them in. When I opened the door, my Papaya made a run for it as she often does, and the two young men standing there grabbed her for me. When they handed her back to me, I was immediately slapped in the face with….stale cigarette smell.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Having not been around a smoker of extremely cheap cigarettes since I got into perfume two years ago, let me tell you – THAT IS NOT A PLEASANT SMELL. Wow. I never enjoyed the smell of stale cigarette smoke, but now? Yick. I may love many tobacco scents, but the actual smell of cigarettes? Ruined by all the chemicals added to make them more addictive I’d wager. Once upon a time, as someone who very rarely was a social smoker (like I went through a pack every 3-4 months because I only smoked at shows where I would have been second-hand smoking anyway), I at least had the good sense to smoke Nat Sherman MCDs, which back then cost $5.50 a pack ($11.65 now) and I had to drive across town to purchase. So let me tell you that when I say here that I think a particular scent smells like the sweet smell of wet tobacco or the plume of smoke rising from a long cigarette holder, know that I do NOT mean the wet dog and ash smell I associated with these boys tonight.

Moving on.

I got a package full of lovely samples today from the always lovely Ines, so I thought I’d share one of the scents I got today.

Here is what Luckyscent has to say about Balmain Ambre Gris:

We have been longing to have a bottle of this ever since we saw a magazine article featuring the uber-glam disco ball topper. Happily, we love the juice just as much. The opening is unexpectedly fruity and sweet, with a hint of salty ocean breeze, and just when we start wondering if we might be headed for a pina colada, velvety woods and exotic spices insinuate their way into the mix, and the fragrance becomes rich and luxurious and warm. There is an ever so discreet purr of animalic muskiness, and the immortelle adds an autumnal sweetness to the cedary woods– but there is also a surprising airiness from the tuberose that makes this a definite year rounder of a scent. The elements are so smoothly blended that it’s difficult to pick out notes – but the overall feeling is elegant, sophisticated and delightfully easy to wear. This isn’t a fragrance that is going to jump out at you and say “wear me to a gala!” This is an everyday sort of scent: soft-spoken enough for the office, lovely enough for a date night, distinctive enough to stand out from the masses without making a big fuss about it. Like that perfect cashmere cardigan – it goes anywhere and everywhere and you can’t imagine how you ever got along without it. Effortlessly beautiful.

Notes: Pink pepper, cinnamon, tuberose, immortelle, myrrh, smoky gaïac wood, benzoin, white musks, ambergris

The immediate impression I get is sweetly spicy. I strongly get cinnamon and myrrh but underneath that I definitely get the animalistic notes straining through. It’s very strongly ambery, reminding my of my middle school best friend Shannon’s penchant for burning amber incense all the time, so her room always vaguely smelled of it. It stays pretty consistent throughout and has decently large sillage, so it’s fairly strong.

I want to say more about this, but I’m fairly new to animalistic scents as an area of perfumery, so I don’t know what else to tell you. This reminds me a little of Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut, but this is less salty and more sweet. It has a little bit of tobacco and menthol in my nose, but I could be imagining that since I don’t see where it is coming from based on the notes listed. It doesn’t wow me, but it isn’t and, either.

You can buy 100ml of Ambre Gris for $135 from Luckyscent, though I spotted the same size bottle around the internet in various places for less than $25. And for $25, this is a nice buy that, trust me, if you decanted half the bottle and gave it away, it would still last you forever. Also, that bottle is adorable. I really love the disco ball top!

"This phenomenon, I had to put it in a song
And it goes like...
Whoa, amber is the color of your energy..."
- "Amber," 311 (You can listen to the song here)

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from I Smell, Therefore I am
~ A review from The Non-Blonde
~ A review from Perfume-Smellin’ Things
~ A review from One Thousand Scents
~ A review from The Scented Salmander

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line...

Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut EDT

According to Lorenzo Villoresi, Alamut is

A warm and sensual fragrance, a journey to the Orient, a fragrant arabesque. The rich, opulent and velvety flowers of a Thousand and One Nights, dreams of secret gardens in the moonlight of the fresh Oriental nights. The enveloping scent of rare and precious woods, the seducing embrace of Tonkin Musk, the profound and mysterious aroma of Amber.

Top Notes: Osmanthus, Rose, Jasmin, Rosewood and exotic flowers.
Middle Notes: Narcissus, Tuberose, Ylang ylang, Orange blossoms, Labdanum and ambery notes.
Base Notes: Amber, Musk, Amyris, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Benzoin, leather and powdery notes.

Incense and amber scents are scents that are frequently criticized by those not in the perfume know as being overly "perfumey." There was a time in my life, seduced by the familiarity of light florals and the easy acceptance that comes with wearing gourmands (a time I think of as 1hell, a black time for so many reasons), that I might have had a similar reaction. Truthfully, I think it takes a more experienced nose to enjoy stronger scents.

When Angela first found me wandering out there in the perfume wilderness, she gave me samples of five fragrances -- S-Perfume 100% Love, Annick Goutal Songes, L'Artisan Dzing!, Worth Courtesan, and Alamut. That's all it took. Five samples. I was totally hooked. Of those five scents, the ones I liked most immediately were Songes and Dzing! 100% Love was so light I couldn't really make out the distinct notes, Courtesan was too powdery, and Alamut was just too much for me. Too big. Too Loud. Too much.

Now I love long lasting incense scents with huge sillage. Even if I don't wear them more than a couple of days out of any given month, I find them so complex and powerful and comforting. An Alamut is one of my favorites. Yes, it's mostly amber, sandalwood, and powdery notes on me. Yes, the osmanthus and jasmin burn off almost immediately, with only the rose faintly lingering with labdanum and musk. Is it huge? Yes. Does it last forever? I can still smell it on my clothes two weeks later when I take them to the dry cleaners. Do I love it? Absolutely.

So if you think you don't like big incense scents, keep an open mind. I love all of the scents Angela gave me now, and I have a 30ml decant of Alamut, a bottle of 100% Love, *two* bottles of Songes, and a bottle of Dzing! (Still haven't managed to get a bottle of Courtesan because it's hard to get here in the States.) And without continuing to give these scents a chance, rather than rejecting them because Alamut was too much for me when I first started getting into perfume, I would never have found the all the beauty that incense and amber scents can possess.

Alamut is available in Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, Perfume, Perfume in oil, Body Oil, Body Cream, Body Lotion, Bath & Shower Gel.

"Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie.
If you put me to the test, if you let me try...
Take a chance on me."
- "Take A Chance on Me," Abba

Want more? Try...
~ a review from Angela at Now Smell This!
~ a review from Victoria's Own
~ a review from Fragrantica
~ a review from Perfume-Smellin' Things

I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter: Best of Winter 2009 & Drawing!

Inspired by I Smell Therefore I Am's list of Favorite Christmas Smells, I thought it was time I made my list of my top winter scents for 2009.

Winter is bearing down on us here in PDX. Saturday night we got our first ice over of the season, resulting -- campus events wise -- in David sliding five feet on his back, cars sliding off the road on the hill, a broken arm, and my friend Becca not being able to get back to her campus apartment from a late night in the lab because she kept sliding down the hill when she tried to walk up it! Being on a college campus at the top of a steep hill is always eventful when there's weather. Though, since I am no longer employed by a college or university, my role here is strictly spectator, even if David does have the duty phone from time to time.

So from the warmth of my apartment, with kittens all sleeping soundly, I bring you my list of winter/ holiday season favorites for 2009. My winter lists tend to be dominated by spice, sweet, and incense, which is reminiscent of my kind of winter holiday -- snow covered days spent next to fire places, spicy sweet roasted nuts, and trips to church for holy days. With that in mind, away we go!

1. Bond no. 9 New Haarlem
When it's cold, I like hot coffee with milk and sugar, and I like no coffee scent better than New Haarlem, and this one has vanilla and patchouli to boot! Every time I wear it I get tons of compliments. It's foodie but not too foodie, herbal but not too herbal, sweet but not too sweet. If you like coffee, I bet you'll love this.

For my review, which I wrote write at the beginning of this blog and really does not do this brilliant scent justice, go here.

2. CB I Hate Perfume Fire From Heaven
As I said in my review, this is such a potent smoke scent, one that to me speaks of sacred rituals and holy fires. A great scent, and one that is different enough from the generally lovely smoking smell of cold winter night spent in the warmth of wood burning fireplaces that it makes you stop and take notice.

For my full review, go here.

3. CB I Hate Perfume the Fir Tree
You might think that no one would want to smell like a fir tree, but let me tell you, you're gonna want to smell like this tree.

For my full review, go here.

4. Frapin Passion Boisee
When you think of all those spirits that help one get into the holiday spirit, and you are looking for a great holiday party or late night cocktails scent, this is the one.

For my full review, go here.

5. L'Artisan Dzing!
Possibly my favorite scent of all time. Summer, Spring, or Fall, I'll wear this one. But winter, ah, winter. I think practically every sweater I own has the faint smell of Dzing! If you are new to perfume and try this and think you don't like it, try again in six months. Trust me -- it's genius.

For my full review, go here.

6. Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon
Geranium Bourbon is another wonderful dry, boozy scent that would be great for the holidays.

For my full review, go here.

7. Tauer Perfumes L'Air du desert marocain
Hilariously, when I wrote the review I was thinking, "summer scent" but here I am in winter and I still want L'Air du desert marocain. It's possible that Andy Tauer just makes transcendent scents that go beyond time of day, event, season, or even gender. I feel this way about really all of the Tauer scents, but I love L'Air du desert marocain the best.

For my full review, go here.

8. INeKE Evening Edged in Gold
Again, here I am with the leathers and smoke, but there are plums here and gold tinsel and so many beautiful and fine things. All six of INeKE's scents are great -- definitely worth the $25 for a sample box. It's the perfect size for a stocking stuffer. Don't think, just order.

For my full review, go here.

9. Guerlain L’Heure Bleue
When I first reviewed this, one of the things I noted in the mixture was the smell of wet wool, like snow flakes melting on your coat or sweater after you come into a warm house after a winter walk.

For my full review, go here.

10. Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut
I have actually never reviewed Alamut, and I own a bottle! Ha! I'll have to get on that. I know that a lot of people were disappointed with Alamut, but I love it. It's big and warm and incense-y, and I deeply enjoy it, particularly in winter.

11. Bond no. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
Possibly the best of all Bond scents, it's textured and multi-layered and beautiful. Woody, sweet, incense-y, awesomeness, with a great weirdness in the opening. Love it!

For my full review, go here.

12. DKNY Black Cashmere
One of the only bottles I've ever bought entirely unsniffed during the period when everyone thought it was being discontinued, Black Cashmere is a great spicy scent that has a weird rubbery leathered edge to it and yet somehow manages to simultaneously be a light fragrance. Donna Karan has since brought back Black Cashmere and Fuel and several other scents through the exclusive DK collection at Neiman Marcus, along with my beloved Fuel for Men, but I don't regret buying the bottle at all. This is yet another scent I need to review completely.

That's it for me. What about you? What scents do you associate with winter? In the spirit of the holidays, those who comment by 12:01am PST on Monday, December 21 will be entered in a random drawing for 1ml samples of Bond no. 9 New Haarlem, Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut, DKNY Black Cashmere, and L'Artisan Dzing!. Depending on my availability, prize package may also include a mix CD made by yours truly. Thanks in advanced for the commentary! The results will post on December 23, 2009.

"I run off where the drifts get deeper.
Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown.
I hear a voice.
'Your must learn to stand up for yourself
'cause I can't always be around.'
He says, "When you gonna make up your mind?
When you gonna love you as much as I do?"
"Winter," Tori Amos

You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation...

Avon's Chic in White, Sensuality by liiv botanicals, & Vitality by liiv botanicals

In response to my failed attempts to do a drugstore series in honor of Sookie Stackhouse, a very helpful reader gave me a little pile of Avon samples, which I can equally see Sookie wearing if one of the waitresses at Merlotte’s was selling it. So this week, I’ll doing a series of posts reviewing some of your Avon-related options.

First off, trying two liiv botanicals scents, Sensuality and Vitality. The liiv botanicals are touted as ”pure natural fragrance oils. Avon describes each as follows:

Vitality by liiv botanicals: Delight in the natural essence of this invigorating blend of succulent citrus and cucumber with a warm floral heart and breath of fresh woods.

Sensuality by liiv botanicals: Arouse the senses! Tantalizing notes of water lily, the exotic florals of jasmine, and the soothing calm of vanilla.

Both remind me of fruit in the same way that pixie sticks taste like fruit. That’s not a knock; I like pixie sticks, always have. But it may not be an experience I particularly enjoy in a fragrance. Vitality has little hints of green and a tiny citrus edge on application, but pretty quickly descends primary into light, sweet, soft, and powdery. The most interesting part about it was the dryness of the opening, which I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Sensuality also opens up a bit dry, with a salty tang and hint of vanilla. Again this burns out pretty quick as it descends into the same light, sweet, soft, and powdery experience.

The real difference between the two is that while Vitality is a very mildly aquatic powdery scent, Sensuality tends toward a very mildly gourmand powdery scent. All in all, not unpleasant, but not particularly impressive either, especially given the weak lasting powder (disappeared in less than two hours). Perhaps a nice first fragrance for a little girl, though. I kept picturing girls in communion dresses, white gloves, and shiny white patent leather shoes as I sniffed it.

Speaking of white, let’s also talk about Chic in White for a second. Chic in White is, according to Avon, supposed to be “fresh citrus [that] flirts with floral bouquets and sensuous white woods.” I have no idea where the description comes from. On me, Chic in White is a less sweet, less rich, less spunky incense oriental than Lorenzo Villoresi’s Alamut. It’s a definite pass for me, but for someone who doesn’t like the bold strength of Alamut, you might like Chic in White.

...You got a brand new soul and a cross of gold,
but Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information.
You didn't count on me
when you were counting on your rosary...
- "Only the Good Die Young," Billy Joel

Chic in White, Sensuality by liiv botanicals, and Vitality by liiv botanicals are all available for purchase direct from Avon.

Hiatus endeth!

Sorry for the break, dear readers. I am now finished with my 2L finals and will resume my fragrance love documentation.

Generally, I tend to love heavy, dark, rich, strong fragrances, but now that things are getting warm (like 96 degrees with no air conditioning warm), sporting these fragrances seems so...stuffy. So I am now engaging in a search for lovely light summer scents. Whilst I and my credit cards embark on that create experiment, I offer up my "So Far 2008" list, the list of fragrances I've acquired thus far this year:

First Quarter

1. Annick Goutal Songes (x2 - great deal!)
2. CK Euphoria (Yick! What a mistake that was!)
3. Gap So Pink! (I have no excuses for my fondness)
4. L'Artisan Dzing!
5. Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut
6. Origins Ginger With a Twist

Second Quarter

1. CB I Hate Perfume Smokey Tabacco Accord
2. Chanel No. 5 EDT
3. DK Black Cashmere
4. Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance
5. Origins Ginger with a Twist (2nd bottle b/c now discontinued)
6. Red Flower organic Guaiac

This is not counting decants, samples, etc. Just full bottled purchases... Wow. More engaged than certainly I would have ever expected given that I accidented my way into this via wanting to buy myself a gift of perfume for my 30th birthday (just this past Spring). And, of course, I still have a long list of more scents I love/want!