Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?

Review of Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower

Wow, have I had a full weekend, my lovely readers! My best friend, Kate, was here for work this week, and we hung out this weekend when she wasn't trying to squeeze in visits to all the other people who love her like I, and it was great. Drinks and more drinks and fabulous company and food, oh my!

I also managed to make it out to the coast very briefly, which was so sunny and beautiful, and something I have been wanting to do for three weeks. It was a little crowded so I didn't stay long, but sometimes just long drives along winding tree-lined highways with lots of good music and room to think out loud can be deeply restorative.

The weather here has gone warm and the flowers are a'blooming. Oh, May flowers, your heady blooms are worthy of the stories told in your name. Speaking of flowers, you know what I recently discovered? Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to pick bluebonnets in Texas, though apparently lots of people, including some state troopers, will tell you otherwise. Take that, you unknown state trooper who once made me cry when you yelled at my parents because I had picked some at a rest stop. Take your made up laws and...stuff them in a decorative vase.

Which brings me to a question: anyone know where I can get a bluebonnet perfume? After reading this piece on the smell of bluebonnets, and seeing it described as “[f]resh air, rain, dirt, and the country[, …] like when you pull towels out of the dryer and stick your face in them,” I now really want to try one. I couldn't find anything but oils online. Anyone have any ideas?

While I wait for your bluebonnet suggestions, let's talk about a floral perfume I did give some wear this week, Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower. One of the most widely reviewed and much lauded of your tuberose options, Carnal Flower is described as follows by the Frédéric Malle's site:

With tuberose, nature offers her own take on dramatic olfactive clashes. These pretty flowers exude a mixture of flower shop freshness and carnal opulence. This natural contradiction has fascinated generations of perfumers including Dominique Ropion. He started to compose his interpretation of the mysterious flower from the latest high-tech analysis of its evaporation. To remain as close to nature as possible, he decided to use a mix of the best natural extractions and high-tech ingredients. Finally, to generate a link between this flower’s scent and the wearer's skin he exaggerated some aspects already existing in the scent of natural tuberose, such as coconut and salycilates, and added a trace of musk. 18 months were necessary to find the perfect balance.

The base encompasses: tuberose absolute, orange blossom absolute, coconut and musk.

There are a lot of reviews of Carnal Flower in part, I think, because it was released at the moment perfume blogging hit its first big wave back around 2005. Another piece of its frequent online inclusion on “must try" lists is attributable to it's unique approach to tuberose. Carnal Flower is a terrific scent, so the quality of the juice combined with the timing makes it a big hit with modern fumies. I suppose I'll add my opinion to the general pro-CF din. Is it good? Yes. But the more interesting question, I think is how does it stand up among the other tuberose scents available, particularly give Carnal Flower's hefty price tag.

The opening of Carnal Flower is greener and more evocative of stem sap than the bright heady florals of Robert Piguet Fracas. There is little of the medicinal note often associated with Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle, and the vaguely hairspray aspects of musk and dryness you find with By Kilian Beyond Love are entirely absent. Instead, Carnal Flower has a barely there coconut undertone that moves the overall effect slightly, and simultaneously, toward both warm tropical beach and tropical foodie for me. I get next to no musk or orange blossom out of the experience, to the point that I would not have thought to include them in the note list.

I agree with Robin at Now Smell This!, who described Carnal Flower as quiet as tuberose scents go. In a wrist by wrist comparison, it is quieter than both Fracas and Beyond Love. That shouldn't take anything away from Carnal Flower. In fact, making a quiet tuberose is something of a feat in itself. It's nice to wear a tuberose that isn't going to knock someone down fifty feet away from me. Carnal Flower may be the tuberose that many people who don't usually go for big white flowers will truly love.

I think for me one of the stumbling blocks is the name. Flower? Yes. Carnal? Well...not in my mind, but hey—who am I to say what might turn you on? To me it's too quiet and pretty to be sexy. I find Fracas and Beyond Love more overtly sexual. This carnal reads more to me like the shock of a Victorian woman confronted by an uncovered piano leg! The horror!

Then there's the price. A 50ml spray of Carnal Flower is a whooping $240, so make sure to try before you buy. If this is your tuberose holy grail, more power to you. I'll sit here with my pure parfum Fracas, which I bought for considerably less, and watch the world go by.

Want more? Try...
~ a review from The Non-Blonde
~ a review from Perfume Shrine
~ a review from Bois de Jasmin
~ a review from Robin at Now Smell This!
~ a review from Olfactoria's Travels
~ a review from Eiderdown Press
~ a review from Katie Puckrik Smells
~ a review from For the Love of Perfume
~ a review from Muse in Wooden Shoes
~ a review from Sweet Diva
~ a review from The Scented Salamander
~ a review from Scentsate
~ a review from SmellyThoughts
~ a review from PereDePierre
~ a review from Muse in Wooden Shoes

Will you still love me when I got nothing
but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will...
I know that you will.
~ “Young and Beautiful,” Lana Del Rey


Photo of bluebonnet - some rights reserved by longhorndave

2012 New Years Thoughts

Normally at the end of the year, I do a lot of navel-gazing internal self-reflection. This year, I'm going to take some advice from my favorite fictional deejay, Debi Newbury: "Hey, I know everybody's coming back to take stock of their lives. You know what I say? Leave your livestock alone."

So instead, I'm going to tell you about all the things I'm already looking forward to enjoying in the new year.

New Perfumes
Though I admit that my last perfume purchase of 2011 will be from the L'Artisan sale, this year I discovered a lot of new perfumers and I am looking forward to trying more offerings from them this next coming year. Crowding the front of my collection these days are scents from slumberhouse, DSH Perfumes, and Olympic Orchids, all of which I hope to explore more deeply as they create new glories in 2012. I'm also hoping to delve more deeply into offerings from Serge Lutens, The Difference Company, Le Labo, Mandy Aftel's Aftelier Perfumes, and JoAnne Bassett Perfumes. Plus, all the things I don't even know I'm missing!

New Music
You know what I'm going to be spinning into the new year? Top of the list is Florence + the Machine's new album Ceremonials. I am already in love with the first single, "Shake It Out." I predict the following will also continue in heavy rotation: Neko Case (all the albums!), The Watson Twins, Feist's album The Reminder, The Naked and the Famous' album Passive Me, Aggressive You, Mumford & Sons and The National. That will probably get me through, I don't know, January 15th? <grin> (If you think I'm obsessed with perfume, you should see my music collection.)

New Books
So many books coming out this year to look forward to! Cynthia Hand's sequel to Unearthly, Hallowed releases in January, along with Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love: A Fallen Novel in Stories. The last book of the Fallen series will also be out this year. Also, and this is the one I'm most excited for, Josephine Angelini's sequel to Starcrossed, Dreamless, which is slated for May 2012.

I recently read and loved Marni Bates newly released novel Awkward. The book is a terrific YA novel, particularly for those who are so over the supernatural/scifi/fantasy trend. (Not me, necessarily, but I know plenty of people who are.)

I just finished Leigh Fallon's terrific Carrier of the Mark and hoping for more in that series. (Update: I confirmed with the author herself via Twitter that a sequel will release in 2012!) I read Ally Condie's excellent best-seller Matched, so now I need to get my hands on a copy of the sequel, Crossed. I also want to read Beth Revis' Across the Universe (finally!) and Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Every Other Day, plus I need to finish Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and read Stacey Jay's Juliette Immortal, which is sitting on my shelf, calling to me.

New Television
Okay, yes, it's mostly the return of shows I watch, but these are the shows I'm missing most right now. Vampire Diaries comes back next week (not soon enough!); haters can hate all they want, but I love Hart of Dixie, and will be sad when it inevitably gets canceled in May; I can never get enough Braverman drama on Parenthood; Once Upon a Time and Grimm are filling a fairy tale television hole I didn't know existed in my schedule; Two Broke Girls is my fav new sitcom of the season; How I Met Your Mother needs to show me a mother, already!; Eureka will return for its criminally short and undeserved final episodes; and I am already anticipating summer returns from Haven and Psych.

Also, super psyched for the new mini-movies in the BBC's Sherlock series. Also, Christmas Dr. Who wasn't enough for me -- the Doctor cannot return soon enough.

New Adventures
I can already tell you 2012 is going to be a year of bittersweetness. In July, David and I will finally be leaving Lewis & Clark, his employer and the home of both my degrees. We've spent a collective 22 years working, living, and learning here. That means a new house for us both and a new school for David as he enters law school.

Where? We don't know yet. If could be a lot of places: here at Lewis & Clark (which still means moving, because he's leaving his job either way), other places in Oregon, or somewhere much further. The list of possibilities includes: Washington D.C.; Madison, Wisconsin; Seattle, Washington; Palo Alto, California; and Williamsburg, Virginia. If I were a betting woman, I'd put money down on remaining in Portland, with side bets on Palo Alto or Williamsburg, with Seattle as a long shot. That means moving, potentially, to the other side of the country!

It's strange to think of moving because we are happy in Portland, but I'm excited for a new adventure. Moving would also mean a new job for me, so that is a whole other thing to worry about when/if the time comes.

Speaking of developments in my work life, did I mention here that I am now a member of the Board of Bitch Media, publishers of the wonderful Bitch Magazine and the Bitch blog? It's an amazing publication that has been helping me clarify my feminist views and strengthen what I call my "third eye" (i.e. my analytical lens) for over a decade. I'm extremely proud to be a part of its endeavors. If you've never checked out the blog, you should do it now, and if you already love Bitch, now is a great time to consider a subscription, now available in digital format for easy reading on your various and sundry electronic devices.

In other news, my second draft of my first novel is out to my readers. After one more round of edits in January, I hope to kick my search for an agent into high gear in February. I am also approximately a third of the way through this novel's sequel and should finish a very rough first draft of a novel beginning a separate trilogy sometime in January as well. It's strange to think that when I began 2011, I'd never written an entire novel. Now I cannot imagine ever stopping.

So that's it for me, for us, for the collective Rosengardian "we" -- girlgeek, boygeek, and kittehs of various sizes, colors, and temperaments. I hope you are all looking forward to tomorrow as much as I am.

I got this great holiday card from my friend Sarah a couple of days ago that said: "For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice." It's a quote from one of my top five all time favorite poets, T.S. Eliot.

So let's all go find our new voice, shall we?

Happy New Year.

Love,
Diana

"Kick back and relax, and ponder this: Where are all the good men dead - in the heart or in the head? 


Now here's a cold cup of coffee from The Clash."

Your heart is dark as a hemlock grove where the sun never shines and nothing grows.

Perfume Challenge Week 29: Monday, 8/1/11, to Friday, 8/5/11
A week of DSH Pefumes

When I was in junior high and early high school, I had a wonderful best friend, Marti. Marti was smart and funny and sharp-tongued and beautiful, like so many teenage girls are, and we could talk on the phone for hours after school after spending almost every class together. We grew apart in high school, in same the way I was systematically isolated from everyone by the growing random horror of my home life and my inept and desperate attempts to deal with it (hello, cycle of violence), but I never forgot Marti. Years have passed now, and we've reconnected thanks to ye olde intertubes, and I'm happy for that. It's nice when technology occasionally brings people together rather than isolating them from one another.

Never turn your back
on Mother Earth.

Recently Marti reminded me of something it's possible completely escaped my attention at age thirteen: her mom is a huge perfumista. To quote Marti, "she has more perfume than is natural for a human to own." I'd say that described me, too, at this point. I always adored Marrti's mom for so many reasons -- she was smart, she was funny, she was an excellent nurse who specialized in difficult deliveries, and when she was angry at the world, she watched nature videos of tornadoes destroying things as a coping mechanism. The perfume thing is icing on a cake of amazingness I've long admired. When I'm in Houston next, I'm hoping to hook up with them both for some perfume shopping.

If you're reading this, Lillian, thanks for always being kind to me after my mom left. I never forgot it.

Monday: DSH Perfumes Spring Moss - A dewy moss with subtle cool melon and cucumber nuances. Notes: Cucumber, Melon, Moss.

This is a bright, fresh scent that on me is almost spearmint-y. I know the notes say melon and usually that would be the death knell for me, but in this case it is light and fresh scent with the melon no where to be found. It lacks the decaying earthiness I'd have expected from a moss, but maybe that's what is Spring-like about it. Spring Moss is very much a new growth scent and great for warmer weather, so I suspect it wears very well at the cusp of Spring's change to Summer. I'll be sure to try it around that time next year. A solid 3 of 5 nods for scent, 5 of 5 nods for longevity (like all DSH perfumes oils, a little goes a very long way - 6 to 8 hours), and 5 of 5 nod for pricing (1/3 oz pulse roller on sale for $18), which for me was a whooping $14 for what I suspect is a three to five year supply with frequent use of this Fond Farewell item.

Layering Experience: I tried layering Spring Moss with Jo Malone Red Roses, after thinking I'd like a fresh green rose and finding the combination of Red Roses and Jo Malone Fresh Mint Leaf left me wanting a stronger green aspect. I found the combination a huge success, the Spring Moss being strong enough that a few pulsepoint dabs balanced very evenly with a light spritz of Red Roses. The effect was is a youthful and fresh rose scent that makes for nice wearing in warmer weather.

Tuesday: DSH Perfumes African Violet - A powdery, almost candy-sweet, violet flower note. Notes: Violet, Orris, Violet, Violet Leaf Absolute, Orris Concrete, Orris Root.

Well, helllllllllo violet. Attention lovers of soapy, powdery violets. Do not be fooled by the description, because this is definitely not the sweetest or most candied violet I've tried. No this is the kind of violet that once made me opine that violets were hard for me to love. That was on September 30, 2009, almost two years ago. My, how things change. Had I tried African Violet back then, I would have hated its intense soapy powdery florality. Now I think it is really quite pretty, though, it is not in the vein of violets I tend toward (like CB I Hate Perfume Violet Empire or Serge Lutens Bois de Violette.) Despite my newfound affection for African Violet's soapy, powdery beauty, I still prefer those less traditional violet approaches; turns out my nose is, at times, pretty consistent. But if you want a voluptuous violet of the soapy, powdery bent, I insist you look no further. 3 of 5 nods for the scent (based on my preferences, not the quality) and again, amazing longevity and price point (1/3 oz pulse roller on sale for $19).

Wednesday: DSH Perfumes Sweet Gardenia - A thoroughly tropical interpretation of gardenia with island flowers and a hint of sensuality in its base notes. Notes: Coconut, Orange Blossom, Gardenia, Tuberosa, Ambergris, Musk.

The opening is, as promised, very tropical. I think the tropical aspect comes from a balanced overlay of coconut and tuberosa, though the tuberosa is supposed to be a base note. This is one unusual gardenia, and more what I expected from Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia than what I got. Also, and this is a bonus for me, I get the rubbery part of the tuberuse/gardenia combo, which I truly enjoy. If you want a pretty gardenia for a beachy date, this is a nice option. Also a Fond Farewell item; 1/3 oz pulse roller on sale for $14. 3 of 5 nods.

Filmed in Oregon!

Thursday: DSH Perfumes Hemlock - Based on Canadian Hemlock Spruce, this scent has a bright and shining lightness with subtle drydown notes that come straight from the dark forest floor. It's the perfect compliment to the winter chill. Notes: Green Mandarin, Green Peppercorn, Silver Fir, Tanacetum, Angelica, Balsam Fir, Spruce, Atlas Cedarwood, Patchouli, Peru Balsam, Rhum, Treemoss.

 Hemlock spruce, as it says right there on the label. To me, this reminds me of the many, many, many hours spent in Decembers of my youth wandering around car lots full of fresh Christmas trees, if someone had dressed all the trees with decorative balls made of various kinds of peppercorns. In other words, it has a great scent memory embedded, and really makes me miss those times. Though I find it very sexy for anyone, there is wonderful potential here to sell a perfume-adverse man on a scent that feels like it goes with the latest episode of Ax Men. Personally I love it and will be leaning on it heavily when we get closer to the holidays. 1/3 oz pulse roller on sale for $19. Again, a Fond Farewell item. 4 of 5 nods.

Friday: DSH Perfumes Almond Blossom - A delicate floral scent with hints of almond in the top note and warm lily/musky nuances in the dry down. Notes: Bitter Almond, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley (Muguet), Amber, Musk.

Dear Fates, if I'm meant to die of poisoning someday, can you make sure it comes in the form of cyanide baked into some sweet dessert items so it smells like this just before I die? At least I would die happy.

Almond Blossom is an attempt at the floral and not the food, and the result is sweet but not too sweet and very almond, in an almond extract way, not a roasted nut way. It lasts forever, and is as delicious as it is pretty, but not nearly as sticky sweet gourmand as DSH Perfumes Lush Honey. The floral notes ensure you get a sweet scent that runs less toward the almond food and more toward the flower, as promised. 1/3 oz pulse roller on sale for $18. Available for a limited time and quantity. 5 of 5 nods.

Layering Experience: I tried layering Almond Blossom with Jo Malone Orange Blossom, and it turned out to be another wonderful surprise. The dryness of the Orange Blossom kills almost all of the gourmand aspects, turning it into a decidedly lovely floral combination. This is a combo I will be revisiting with some frequency. If you have the two on hand, give it a whirl. Two to three generous dabs of perfume oil to one full spray works for me.

Winner of the Week: I'm not going to pick this time. Every one of them are truly lovely and available for less than $20 each. I am pleased to say I own a third ounce off them all, which I suspect will last me a blissfully long time.  Also, with that kind of variety, you can hit almost an mood, weather or seasonal inclination, and all for under $100. Definitely shop the DSH Perfumes specials and sales while you still can to find all of the above at more than reasonable prices.

"Love is crooked as the teeth in an old man's smile,
as the stones in the graveyard, as a country mile,
but I'll drive all night to get there if you let me stay awhile.
Your heart is empty as winter in a tourist town.
Your heart is dark as a hemlock grove."
~ "Hemlock Grove," Mark Erelli

I do this thing where I think I'm real sick but I won't go to the doctor to find out about it.

Perfume Challenge Week 26: Monday, 7/11/11, to Friday, 7/15/11

Where I'm heading...

26 weeks, people! TWENTY SIX WEEKS! I've made it halfway through my 2011 challenge. Wow. 118 scents reviewed this year so far. That's a lot of sniffing,
and a whole lot more to go.

Leaving in a few hours for Houston. It's going to be in the high 90s with over 70% humidity in Houston, so I've been desperately trying to figure out what I can take with me that will work with the hot weather and help me with my damaged calm. So far I'm thinking of taking Jo Malone Fresh Mint Leaf, CB I Hate Black March (a comfort scent for me because it smells like my PNW home), and Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle. What would you suggest, if you could pack my a perfume kit for me for my weekend trip?

Monday: CB I Hate Perfume Winter 1972 - A field of untouched new fallen snow, hand knit woolen mittens covered with frost, a hint of frozen forest & sleeping earth.

A colder, icier version of CB I Hate Perfume Black March. Dirt, leaves, fresh snow. All icey blues and deep piney greens. I wish there had been more wet wool in it; it would have been better if it had been a deeper scratchier scent. Instead its a little bit iris-y, which is nice, but I prefer both Black March and Wild Hunt to this one. 3 of 5 nods.

Tuesday: Borsari Violetta di Parma - Notes: Violet, Rose, Muguet, Orris, Jasmine, Heliotrope, Hyacinth, Vetiver, Musk, Vanilla.

Oh, I like this scent! The overly sweet edge burns off almost immediately and this is not a soapy violet. It's got a lovely tea-like quality, but with an undercurrent of sweet of the vanilla balanced against the musk and vetiver. A great violette if you want a gentle and balanced violet, especially if youre looking for something lovely *and* reasonably priced. 4 of 5 nods.

Wednesday: Parfums Delrae Emotionnelle - A sophisticated but sensual fruity floral. It begins with notes of melon, tangerine, bergamot and ylang-ylang which add transparency, freshness, and a certain mouthwatering quality. Eau Emotionelle has beautiful floral heart notes of violet, jasmine and roses and finishes on a base of cedarwood, vetiver, clove and amber.

Oh melon, you and I do not have a good relationship. You always smell to me like something biological development has warned me against eating by making it bitter and unpleasant to the taste. The bitterness is a sign you should not swallow; it may be poisonous. It disappears after about half an hour, but blech, I'm totally ruined by then. Melon notes -- you are my sniffa kyrptonite. I'm not even going to rate this, since I'm totally biased by my melon hatred.

Thursday: Laura Mercier Violette - A delicate and sophisticated fragrance that is inspired by the delicate violet flower. Notes: violet leaves, black currant, mimosa, peony, vetiver, musk and raspberry.

Hello, sweet and fruity violet. No tea here, this is a much more floral and fruity violet, an edible styling. The vetiver and musk are quite strong, and that's the source of the underneath warmth instead of the normal soapiness you get with violets. I remember trying this ove a year ago and not loving it, but now I really do. It seems more multifloral than solifloral, but not quite floral enough for multifloral, so it comes off as kind of muddy, thematically, and as a spray rather than a dabber, I suspect it could be strong enough to crank up the volume, but not necessarily blow the doors off. Sadly discontinued, but still findable online at a really reasonable price. 3.5 of 5 nods.

Friday: Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier - Serge Lutens celebrates spring with Fleurs de Citronnier. This perfume belongs to oriental olfactive group and it expands our knowledge about it by its freshness and gentleness. Lutens has used only rare materials of high quality, as always. Notes: Lemon blossom, petitgrain, neroli, white honey, iris, several sorts of musk and styrax resin.

My preferred weather...

If you might sniff this and your immediate reaction is "very light Aquanet?", I urge you to smell past that. This is an interestingly dry and light scent, and the harsh lemon edge burns off almost immediately, so that the citrus is much more gentle than you might expect. The middle is a lovely blend of lemon blossom, neroli, very light iris, and mild honey. The mixture results in a more complex neroli scent that is both more floral and more foodie than an orange blossom solifloral. After about an hour its a soft sweet resin and musk scent that I enjoy for the sheer niceness of it.

I agree with Robin that this is more a cool day neroli than a hot summer day scent. I think it's the coziness of the honey. Either way, it's lovely. I think I'll add it to my fall season buy list. 4 of 5 nods.


Winner of the Week: I think I'll give it to Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier, though it's a close call because I think Borsari Violetta di Parma makes a nicer warm weather scent, but Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier is a nier scent for cooler days, which we tend to have more of here. And let's face it, I just want it to be cooler all the time anyway.

"Oh, you're almost home. I've been waiting for you to come in.
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again.
I think I'll go out an embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street.
You say I choose sadness that it never once has chosen me.
Maybe you're right..."
~ "The Good That Won't Come Out," Rilo Kiley

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.

Dragged up from the underworld just like some precious pearl.

Le Labo Iris 39 EDP

According to Le Labo, Iris 39 is as follows:

Iris is one of the most precious essences in the world.

It’s the origin of the creamy and woodsy nobility of this exclusive fragrance. The best of the Patchoulis then waft in, bringing with them sensual depth. The perfume is reinforced by a musky base, our very own secret. The result is remarkable elegance.

Notes: notes as iris, lime, patchouli, rose, ylang ylang, musk, violet, ginger, cardamom, and civet.

Iris 39 is a unique take on a flower that is frequently presented in primarily a soliflore format. When I think of some of the popular irises out there - Prada Infusion d'Iris, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, or L'Artisan Iris Pallida -- they seem to be more oriented toward adding only enough other notes to bring out the many facets of the beautiful and alluring iris.

Now I love these scents because I love irises and it is possible that I could own 100 slightly different iris soliflores and still want more. What I find notable about Iris 39, though that this is not really a soliflore. On me, the iris is very well-balanced against the violet and rose notes. Almost immediately on application the violet and rose comes in. After about thirty minutes, I get plenty of ginger, cardamon, and patchouli as well. Again, these spice scents are all very well-balanced, so that none of them overpower the others. The floral scents back down as the hours wear on and the spices come up a bit, and on the whole the effect is very nice.

This is a really different kind of iris in my opinion. I think it's one of the few that I think would make an excellent masculine because, despite being floral, it's got a nice sophisticated spicy mixture that makes it one of the few I think translates well to the male wearer. If you've tried some of the aforementioned oft lauded irises before and not really enjoyed them, then you should give this one a try. If you love the more soliflore irises, you should try this one because it will make a alternative to what you normally expect when you think "what a lovely iris!"

You can buy Le Labo Iris 39 EDP in 50 ml bottle for $125. Iris 39 is also available in a balm, lotion, and oil.

"Can you see them?
See right through them?
They have no shield.
No secrets to reveal.
It doesn't matter what they say.
In the jealous games people play,
our lips are sealed."
- "Our Lips Are Sealed," The Go-Gos

Want more reviews? Try...
~ A review from the lovely Angela of Now Smell This!
~ A review from Bois de Jasmin
~ A review from Pere de Pierre
~ A review from the charming Divina at Fragrance Bouquet
~ A review from indieperfumes

Images courtesy of Le Labo and McAllister's Cyberspace Iris Garden.

I'm tired of looking round rooms wondering what I gotta do or who I'm supposed to be

Serge Lutens Bois de Violette

My posting my be a little erratic for the next few weeks. Given some unforeseen developments, I am moving back to Portland in two weeks. This means a lot of driving, packing, etc. I will try to keep up with posting, but I may miss a few days and I hope you will be patient with me.

Continuing with my exploration of violets, today it's Serge Lutens Bois de Violette. According to SL,

A perfume dominated by violet leaves and flowers, blending with cedar wood and its cool spices, peppery notes of Indonesian cloves, cardamom, honey, orange blossoms and musk… This astonishing, lively perfume, re-made with a hint of violet on a cedar base.

Luca Turin gives it five stars in The Guide and classifies it as a "woody oriental." To me, Bois de Violette a very sweet, heady, and assertive violet. It is a very strong scent with a whooping amount of sillage, so this is a violet that will get you noticed. The spicy oriental side of it is strong, and the wood and honey make it very sweet, but I still get a fair amount of violet out of this one. I find it simultaneous syrupy and chewy.

Again, not your traditional mainstream solifloral. Bois de Violette is clearly not am attempt to bottle violet itself. It's a bold scent and one that reads as fairly feminine to me. Very nice if you like orientals or woody scents more than florals, Bois de Violette might allow flower haters to dip their tow into the floral pool without smelling particularly flowery. If you're a violet lover, this is a violet that will not be ignored, so if you want a bold and sassy violet that makes people sit up and take notice, Bois de Violette is a good choice.

You can buy Bios de Violette in a 50 ml bottle for $200 from LuckyScent, Beautyhabit, and a number of department stores, or you can try a sample of it thanks to The Perfumed Court.

"I don't wanna be anything other than what I been trying to be lately...
I don't have to be anything other than a birth of two souls in one.
Part of where I'm going is knowing where I'm coming from."
- "I Don't Wanna Be," Gavin Degraw

Want more? Try...
~ A review from Bois de Jasmin
~ A review from Perfume & Tea Make Me Happy

Romantic piscean seeks angel in disguise...

Top Ten Scents of Summer 2009


I'm a little late to the party on top 10 summer scents of 2009, but I have an excuse -- a midsummer move! That's right, readers, I am now located in lovely Riverside, California, which is in the greater Los Angeles area. I can *drive* to the LuckyScent bar -- lord help me and my wallet!

Moving from a temperate rainforest to basically an arid desert climate caused me to retry all my scents to ensure that, new climate taken into account, I would still be rocking these all summer long. Particularly now that I live in the land of perpetual sunshine it seemed pertinent to ask -- will I still love you tomorrow? For the following ten scents, neither life in the rain shadow nor life newly sprung amidst the desert flowers could dissuade my affections. without further adieu, the list!

1. L’Artisan L’Eau de Jatamansi
Spicy and sultry, I smell in L’Eau de Jatamansi salt and pepper, licorice and lime (at least that's how the grapefruit and wood notes read on me). It's like someone dressed me for a summer grill. (I mean that in a good way.) I think its sexy and light, a wonderful hot weather fragrance.

2. CB I Hate Perfume I Am a Dandelion
This one deserves a full review, which I hope to do soon. Its sweet, green, its all about the best of things that the Earth gives us, just growing wildly around us, overlooked and underappreciated. A must have for me. More on this excellent fragrance very soon to come. Can Christopher Brosius do no wrong?

3. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
I bought this on a summer vacation to L.A. because nothing I had with me was standing up the long days and hot sun. Coco Mademoiselle is great for summer because it is light and spicy, perfect for summer. See my full review here.

4. Tauer Perfumes L’air du desert marocain
Ever wondered what a woman who wanted to attract a cowboy at the state fair would wear to overcome all the varied and wild smells of a livestock show and radio? This beautiful concoction would turn heads anywhere, but seems particularly at home for the kind of warm night outdoor fun befitting a rugged summer in Montana or Eastern Oregon. See my full review here.

5. CB I Hate Perfume At the Beach 1966
On of the best summer perfumes ever made. It’s what you imagine suddenly finding yourself as an extra in “Where the Boys Are” would smell like – fifties swim suits, sand, sun, and waves.

6. TDC Sublime Balkiss
Mixed berries & flowers, but not overly flowery sweet or powdery and becomes less so over time. The black currant is particularly strong on me. It reads on me the way edible flowers -- like sugared violets -- taste. The patchouli comes in around the ten minute mark on me, making this not a classically fruity combination because it has a little more dirty/musk to it, which creates nice warm undercurrents.

7. S-Perfume 100% Love
Chocolate and roses – a summer love affair I enjoy every year. One of my all time favs! See my full review here.

8. Serge Lutens Bois de Violette
I love this! Of all the violets I’ve tried this is the most beautiful. Not overly ‘soapy,’ but sweet and warm and woody. I love it all year round, but it especially sings in the warm weather. A snuggly kind of summer fragrance, like what one wears on a warm night out along the boardwalk. LT gives it five stars, so you don’t have to take my word for it – this is lovely.

9. Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot
Some people are going to hate this, which is strong, long lasting, and smells (deliciously IMO) like cotton candy. I think this is an amazing candy floss, and if you can get behind smelling so much like confection that people will want to lick you like an amusement park treat, then you may enjoy this, too!

10. Annick Goutal Songes
Wearing this one today. I never seem to grow tired of it. Sillage is strong, but its like being hit with a swarm sea spray on a hot evening -- who wouldn't enjoy it? Perfect for a warm night spent barefoot on a beach along the Gulf or other sultry locale. See my full review here.

So that's my list! Now it's your turn -- what are your favorite summer scents?

And it's you & me in the summertime.
We'll be hand down in the park,
with a squeeze and a sigh
and that twinkle in your eye.
All the sunshine banishes the dark.
And it's you I need in the summertime
as I turn my white skin red.
Two peas from the same pod, yes, we are!
Or have I read too much fiction?
Is this how it happens?
The Sundays, "Summertime"

Check other summer top 10 lists from Now Smell This!, Perfume Posse, Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc, and Perfume Smellin' Things.

Of White Flowers & Supple Fruit: The Joys of Spring

Serge Lutens Nuit de Cellophane

In many ways, I feel like the late comer to the perfume ball on this one. Serge Lutens newest addition, Nuit de Cellophane, has been reviewed all over the place. But let us begin at the beginning, with the words Serge Lutens offers by way of description for Nuit de Cellophane:

As the night unfolds, it reveals a cluster of heavenly bodies.
The velvet pirouette of moths fluttering around glowing lanterns.
Creatures of darkness, crickets and other dwellers of the shadows lying undercover, transmit their requests.
-Excuse me, miss? Could you wrap that please?
-Is it a gift, sir?
-Indeed it is, a gift for you.

What that is intended to tell you about a perfume named “a plastic wrapped night,” I do not know. Upon announcing the addition to the Serge Lutens stable, there was a great deal of who-ha over the name. Folks aplenty spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of scents this name was supposed to evoke in the mind’s eye. Some of the best name-gaming can be found over at Perfume Shrine. Despite the quirky name, however, reviews of Nuit de Cellophane have been mixed, with some reviewers lamenting its plain/obvious/inoffensiveness, wondering “where is the signature weird we have come to know, love, and expect from Serge Lutens?”

I, however, will not lament Serge Lutens choice to make something generally considered as more “marketable” or “mainstream.” I figure, times being what they are, who am I to judge a manufacturer for throwing in a little bit of normal along with a whole lot of strange? Plus, while I recognize that certain perfumers build a name for them for creating along specific lines (e.g. CB and his ultra realism), I hold with the tenant that any olfactory artist should be able to create any item of beauty, even if it smells kind of like every other beautiful thing around that year. There’s always room to do the standard just differently enough to create a new perfection or interpretation. Nuit de Cellophane is exactly that.

While the notes listed for Nuit de Cellophane include jasmine, osmanthus, carnation, lily, muscs, almond, wood, and honey, on me the initial application is all white flowers and old fashioned soap with a little bit of fruit-like sweetness, which others peg as apricot. The lily and jasmine are especially prominent upfront. It’s possible the fruit note I’m smelling is the “honey” note Luckyscent refers to in its description, but it doesn’t seem strong enough or distinct enough to me for honey. I like the sweet bit though, because it is sweeter than a lot of big white flower scents on me (I’m thinking Kai, specifically) but not so sweet as to be sickening, like dousing oneself in canned fruit salad syrup. It also doesn’t knock you down with its size, which is nice for a white flowers fragrance. It’s not big in that way that so many white flowers are, over powering and loud. This is more realistic. The experience is less like shoving your face full on into a blooming flowering tree, and more like gently sniffing at a well-made bouquet. On dry down, the carnation comes through a little stronger, further sweetening the mixture.

On the whole, Nuits de Cellophane is a very lovely white flower and fruit mixture. Will I be running right out to buy it? No. It’s pretty, but doesn’t grab me in a way that screams, “I must have it!” I do, however, know lots of people who would feel that way about such a well-made, pretty fragrance. And make no mistake, this is well made, like all Lutens fragrances. Rather than lob together a lot of white flower scents so one smells like a blaring, overcrowded, and undergroomed flower garden, bottle it up, and call it good, there was a great deal of intentionality in creating Nuits de Cellophane. I realize that, in the world of perfume reviews, saying “white flowers and fruit” isn’t as detailed a response as one might need to discern Nuits de Cellophane from the vast number of similar scents, but that apricot note really separates this one out from the pack. If you normally think, when smelling white flowers, “Gee I wish this was a little sweeter,” try this one. It might be for you. Certainly it is a lovely invocation of all that sweet Spring implies: the blooming of flowers, supple fruit, and new beginnings.

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Robert Frost, "A Prayer for Spring"

To read any of the whole laundry list of other lovely reviews for this Nuits de Cellophane by visiting...
~ Scented Salamander here.
~ Perfume Posse here.
~ 1000fragrances here.
~ I Smell, Therefore I Am here.
~Grain de Musc here.
~ Perfume Shrine review here.

A Summer of Irises: Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist

Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist is described simply as

Wooded and powdery iris, gracefully.

Now Smell This! has the notes for Iris Silver Mist as “iris pallida root, galbanum, cedar, sandalwood, clove, vetiver, musk, benzoin, incense, and white amber.”

Lots of reviewers have commented on the quirky way that Iris Silver Mist goes on. It isn’t plasticy sweet like a lip-balmed teen kiss like Infusion d’Iris and it sure isn’t the mournful one note, straight tone lament that I love about Iris Pallida. The word I have settled on, after trying it four or five times, is one that lots of other reviews have seized on: weird.

Iris Silver Mist is weird. It’s original. It’s unique, quirky, and really speaks to the ability of perfume to be a one of a kind, you really will never smell anything like it, a work of art. It’s so spicy on me; I pick up on the clove and incense right away. One of the weird things about it as how green it seems, how alive. This is Iris the Living Organism, not Iris the Flirt or Iris the Lonely Soul. It feels like a breathing creature that is traveling on and around you, not something you happen to wear. Iris Silver Mist is not something that enhances you, it’s something you experience. On me in the dry down, it floats just above my skin, lightening up quite a bit as the sandlewood bleeds in. But it lives on, along with you, and it lasts and lasts. I was surprised at how clingy it became on me after such a strong start, like a herky-jerky romance.

On the whole, nice, and certainly worth experiencing, which thanks to samples available over at The Perfumed Court, you can do. Which is good, because Iris Silver Mist is on the SL “exclusives” list and can only be found at Les Salons du Palais Royal in Paris, where 75ml goes for €100.00. SL will not ship exclusives outside of Europe, so unless you've got a nice friend in Europe, it will be tough to find otherwise.

A review from Bois de Jasmin, Robin’s review over at Now Smell This!, and yet another review over at Perfume Smellin’ Things.

Photo from Flickr.