Winners of the Birthday draw

Congratulations to the winners! It isn´t easy to read the text above, but it´s clickable, anyway the winners are:

1) Maria

2) flannelman

3) Julia

Please send your name-and adress to my e-mail: canyffakhan@hotmail.com

If you´re not interested in some of the samples please tell me, as well as wich of the bonus samples you´re interested in (look at the birthday page if you can´t remember).

Anyway I´m waiting for my sample vials to arrive from US, it may take a while. I can´t really tell exactly when I will send the winnings, so count with a coupple of weeks before they arrive.

Afraid of... the Classics.

Now I´ve blogged about perfumes for a little over a year. I have blogged about anything from the nichiest niche perfumes to the most odd, strange perfume oils there is. I have blogged about perfumes you can find in almost every small town as well as perfumes available at the online discount stores for a little more than free and also about perfumes with price tags starting around 150-200 euros. I do hope I´ve manage to blog about the most common fragrantc families such as florals, orientals, spicy, woody, fruity, berry, leathery, vanilly, smoky and... well, no... not them!

An observant reader must have noticed that I haven´t hardly mentioned all the classic perfumes, perfumes still available 40, 50 or even 100 years after being introduced. Perfumes that have an ability to make other perfumebloggers -and lovers lyric and stary eyed.

Yes, I wrote about Guerlain´s Shalimar, one of the great classics that I really love. But there is so many others like, L'Heure Blue, Mitsouku, Chanel No 5, Fracas, Bandit, Tabac Blonde, Jicky and... I guess I as well admit it, I am deeply ignorant when it comes to the classics. Every time I am about to order samples I think that I should order some of the classic perfumes, but all the time a lot of modern, interesting perfumes comes in the way.

I guess I am afraid of being a camel trying to get trough a needle eye. That I am going to be to shallow and ignorant to appreciate the greatness of the classics. That I am going to smell them and think that they smell of old lady. I happily blogg about perfumes, but in fact, my perfume interest and knowledge lacks deep and ground. Isn´t the history supposed to learn us about the present time? If I haven´t tried almost any of the perfumes made before 1975/80 how could I understand how perfumery have changed, evolved and refined? Help, I am a fake!

You realise I have to do something about it! And I guess I have to ask you to help me. Wich classic perfumes do I really have to try? Wich of them can I wait a little while for and wich could I avoid totally? Usually I don´t like the note of oak moss so much, it tend to came out very harsh, murky and strange on me. So please, as little oak moss as possible. Thank you in advance.

Pic: Woman screaming

Borneo 1834 review at Fragrantica.

I wrote a small review of one of my favourite-Serge Lutens perfumes at Fragrantica.

http://www.fragrantica.com/news/Serge-Lutens-Borneo-1834-1035.html

It´s remarkable ample, I still only got a small sample vial of it, and that little vial lasts and last and lasts... I WILL by a decant of Borneo 1834 sometime soon, but a medium siced decant would probably last for about ten years, right?

Florascent - Tango

I don´t know if you have any kind of relationship to tango? My relationship with tango might be kind of romantic, I have never tried to dance tango in my entire life, still I imagine that I would be a great tangodancer if I just took a trip to Buenos Aires. Even tough my niece lives there I still haven´t been able to visit Buenos Aires.

Before the music group Gotan Project entered my life, tango wasn´t as interesting. Gotan Project re-created tango, and a new kind of music was born, known as nuevo tango or electro tango. http://www.gotanproject.com/home.php

I have several cd's with Gotan Project, but my favourite tune with them are and has always been Triptico. If perfume can be hard to describe with words, music isn´t much easier. Triptico has a traction, a tempo, a sensualism, a story and a feeling that is incredible. This is modern, tango inspired music at it´s best. Triptico is long, partly even slow but with an energy towards a final and fierce cresendo. Just be sure there isn´t a lot of music that´s better than Gotan Project when having a spa-night with your lover.

Anyway, I´ve tried the scent Tango, the new autumn scent from Florascent http://www.florascent.de/ And it makes me think about Gotan Project and Triptico. The scent Tango is said to be erotic, but I find it rather sensual, indolent, caressing and soft. For some reason I think about red roses as flowers suitable for tango, but Florascent has gardenia and orchid for Tango, choises that I find modern and interesting. Red rose would have been so expected.

Something the perfumes I´ve tried this far from Florascent has in common, is a fleating, quite light feeling. Since they´re using only natural essential oils it isn´t so strange that the result comes out as delicat and etheric. But I don´t think that they are short lived on my skin, but don´t expect any monster sillage.

The top notes in Tango gives me a sher and fleating feeling of something clean and white, rather than red and fiery. Tango is anything but erotic and explosive at the beginning. It´s mild, but vibrant and in a way rare and peculiar. Comfortable, slow and sensual is word that´s come in my mind when thinking about Tango.

Just like the music Triptico there is also a serene almost meditative, suggestive feeling in Tango. I have played Triptico for people shouting in only a coupple of minutes "Heeeey, does this never ends???" I guess Tango could raise the same feeling with some wanting a fast delivery with their perfumes. Not because it´s boring in the start, but it sure is slow, delicate and hard to nail. But all the time it´s smelling really, really good.

In the heart and base of the perfume things starting to happen, no there´s still no fast rotation, but the white, almost clean feeling warms up becoming more golden, glowing, caressing, but still in my opinion more sensual than erotic. Opoponax and patchouli brings a deepth and a warmth, but never in a loud and dominat way. Tango blooms slowly but steadily out on my skin. Passion? Yes, but that kind of passion you might find in a longtime realtionship where you know each other well and makes love with deepth, indulgance and warmth rather than the first kick in a new, burning love affair.

Tango would be the perfect perfume for a long evening with massage, wramed up olive oil, lighted candles, a glass of red wine and of course... Gotan Project.

Tango is a warm fragrance, but with some cool parts, so for some reason I think of it more as a winter/spring perfume than for autumn, but that is of course a matter of personal taste. Even tough I find Tango to be an enjoyable and seductive perfume, I still like Florascents Umami the best among the perfumes i´ve tried from Florascent. I tried Umami agian some time ago, and realised I find it even more unique now than earlier. Umami is that kind of scent leaving me filled with questions while Tango fill me with comfort.

What do you prefer? Comfort or questions? Do you have any favourite from Florascent by the way? And what do you think of Gotan Project?

Pic: Secretariat of tourism, Buenos Aires

First birthday of the blog.

It´s a lot of birthdays this time of year for me. My own birthday, my oldest son, my brother and my sister in law, my oldest daughter in only a coupple of weeks and also the dog will have her first birthday in only a week. Well, this is about the blogs first birthday.


Who shall be celebrated when a blog have been going for a year? The blog itself couldn´t care less. Shall I celebrate myself, faithfully writing trough thick and thin? Well maybe, even tough I mostly have enjoyed it. No, really, I think the one´s to celebrate is the readers of my blog. What about a blog with no readers?


I remember how happy, but at the same time a little shy I was when the first comments started to occur. And now I have, as it seems a small, but faithful circle of readers and it´s so much fun. OK, it´s not at all the most read blog in Sweden, but at least read and I hope also, appreciated by other perfume lovers.


The swedish version gets quite a lot comments, or at least 4-5-6 comments on one post is much to me! Nothing, of course, compared to the hundreds of comments they recived at Now Smell This, but four comments are much worth for me. Appearantly the readers of the english blog is much shyer than the swedish, I don´t understand why, cause (thanks to live-feed) I can see I´ve got visitors! So you english readers, please leave a comment once in a while, it´s really, really appreciated by me.


It´s difficult to write a blog without being personal, I suspect the readers of a blog want´s to have a certain feeling for the person behind the blog, at least to some point. No, I would never dream about start writing about family argues or money troubble, drunken teenagers or evil relatives, even tough, of course I have problems now and then as everybody else. It´s a perfume blog, not a personal diary on the net. For me it´s about showing some glimses of my love, without being to sleazy or private.


Bu now, most of you have realised that I live in q quite lively household, with husband, kids and a dog, and quite a share of over night guests from here and there. Yesterday was one of those happy and lively days, the oldest son stopped by and telling me that I am going to become a grandmother!!! Oooooh, so much fun! I am really looking forward to have little one a little closer, since my other little sweetheart is all away in Örebro. Anyway, grandchild number two isn´t to arrive until late april or even may, so I have some time to waiting and longing.


We have started to re-decorate our living room, when the middle daugher decided to get back home agian, after a short stop in Sundsvall. The room her boyfriend rents doesn´t allove two people living in it. So she´s of course kind of sad, but I´m sure she´ll fix it someway.


Kind of a mess, huh? Maybe, we´re kind of a messy family, but usually a very happy, messy one!


Right now I´m surrounded bu a cloud of Aomassai, one of my big autumn favourites, maybe it´s about time to get a big bottle of it? But still, I´ve got a decant of it, while other favourites from Parfumerie Generale are soon gone.


Oh well, how shall I celebrate my blog readers? I guess I arrange a little drawing. Now I have run out of 1 ml short sample vials, so I have to order new one´s. I will do that as soon as possible, but the shipping might take some weeks. Before I´ve got the vials I can´t send the price.


It will be three winners and the first will win:
Deacanted 1 ml samples of:
Hermesence Ambre Narguile
M. Micallef Gaiac
Korres Pepper Jasmine Gaiac Wood Passion Fruit
Comme des Garcon Orginal och 3
José Eisenberg J'Ose EdP, J'Ose EdT (Herr), Back To Paris, Rouge & Noir och I am.
I can also decant from the following if you´re interested: Opium Crepe de Chine, Burberry Brit Red, L de Lolita Lempicka, Ivoire de Balmain, Red Moscow, Diors Hypnotic Poison, My own perfume from My Parfuem.com, Ava Luxe Nude Musk and Scent Intense av Costume National,
If you´re not interested in some of the one´s above, just let me know.

The winner will also receive:

Original samples from (all of them slightly tested):
Etat Libre D'Orange: Je suis un Homme, Encens & Bubbelgum, Secretion Magnifique, Eloge du Traitre and Antihero. Calé Fragranze D'Autore: Assolo and Dolce Riso. Egofacto: Prends Garde A Toi.


Second and third will get:
M. Micallef Gaiac, Korres Pepper Jasmine Gaiac Wood Passion Fruit, Comme des Garcons Orginal and 3, José Eisenberg J'Ose EdP, J'Ose EdT, Back To Paris and Rouge & Noir. Also, just let me know if you´re interested in some of the other decanted by me, above.


How to be included in the draw? Just leave a comment. I will draw randomly three of the names, the one that I draw first will get the first price and so on. The drawing is for both the swedish and english blog, so you´re chanses to win would not get better if you leave comments on both the blogs. One chanse per person. I hope this is clear enough. I will send international. I will announse the winner next wednesday here at the blog. Then the winners will have to leave name and adress to my mail.


Good Luck to you and thank you so much for this year!

Pic: Gift boxes USA

Korres - Pepper Jasmine Gaiac Wood Passion Fruit

Korres is originally a greek company, starting off as a homeopatic apotechary in Athens, Greece. From homeopatic medicins the company developed to the skincare market offering natural skincare products with plant extracts. And earler this year, Korres entered the perfume buisness by offering three different scents; Rose wood, Blackcurrant, Cyclamen for a female audience, Saffron Amber, Agarwood, Cardamom marjeted towards men and finally the one I´ve tried Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit wich is an unisex scent.


You can learn more about Korres here: http://www.korres.com/CountrySelect.aspx (Just chose your country in the list)


To try Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit now in september is as perfect as it can be. Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is namely a totally wonderful scent for this time of year. I am sure it will wears perfect in winter to, but september is for me the number one month for perfumes with a golden aura.


And Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is as golden as it´s possible for a scent to be. Thanks to M. Micallef´s Gaiac I have realised what a wonderful note gaiac wood is and of course you find it in Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit. Gaiac wood seem to give a scent of warm, glowing, golden and very aromatic wood. In Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit the gaiac note is used quite light, giving the scent a aromatic, warm background rather than a prominent woody scent.


When I´m wearing Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit I think it smells so good I could go around smelling like this forever. You´re like surrounded by an easy, golden, glowing and fruity cloud of beautiful fragrance. I am convinced that the jasmine used in Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit isn´t any ordinary white jasmine but a rare, golden one the perfumer found in some distans place (the perfumer is by the way unknown, but please let me know who´s done this pretty masterpiece).


Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is so much more than a jasmine scent, but among jasmine scents, one of the best I´ve tried. But there is pepper in at as well, and I think the pepper gives the scent a spritzy, interesting edge giving the scent a mysterious and interesting feeling. I guess the passion fruit joins with fruity sweetness and some apply note lingering in the background? Anyway, pepper and passion fruit manage to give the scent a bubbly character. Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is a steadily glowing comfort scent, but thanks to the composition there is all the time things going on in it, taking me on a pleasant olfactory adventure.


There´s a lot going on in Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit. Anise bring a dry feeling to it. Warm, beautiful wood. Uplifting fruitnotes. Gorgeus jasmine. Interesting pepper. Top that with base notes with white chocolate and some greenery, and well, a fair part of fragrant families are covered for. Yes, it´s oriental spicy, aromatic woody, enchantingly floral, fresh fruity and a base note with the most lushious, creamy gourmand character.


Readers of the blog know that I usually like perfumes where there is a lot of things going on. I don´t bother that Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit want´s to be a little of everything (it´s just like me!). Add to that the fact that it´s an unisex scent, you can realise it´s extremly multi facetted. I suspect it can smell completly different on different skin chemistries. When I´m trying a new scent I am very fokused, discovering notes in the background and slighly changes in nuances. When wearing it on a daily base you can just settle with the fact that it smells good, extremly good!


Apart from many other companies that starts with perfumes, Korres is wise enough to start with offering only three different scents, each of them with it´s own character. There are so many new perfume lines offering ten or up to twenty or more different perfumes from start, and such a selection make at least me at little stressed out. Of course I´m curious about the other two perfumes that Korres offer, even the one for a male audience, with those notes (safron, agar wood, cardemom) I´m sure it´s wearable for females as well. And the feminine scent? Oh, rose wood and black currant sounds fantastic. Even tough I´m convinced non of them can smell as good as Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit or?


Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is a mature scent with lots of body, soul and heart. Easy to love ant at the same time complex, unique and very personal. Exciting, mystic and still familiar and very comfortable. You can wear it during a walk in the forrest or on that big party,
Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood, Passion Fruit is like a perfume chameleon and manage to smell fantastic at the most different occations.


What Korres offers in fragrance feel genuin and well tought-out. I have to say something about the outer box as well, usually they don´t manage to catch my attention that much, but this one does. It´s covered with floral and herbal prints and you fold it out like a book. The box isn´t bigger than the bottle, it closes around the bottle fitting perfectly. This gives the box 5 stars in my opinion.


Excellent sillage, as said you are surrounded with a cloud of golden scent. The lasting power surprised me. At first test I was a little dissapointed with it, but well... something dissapointing it could be in it. But, strangely enough, the longvity gets better for each time I use it. Maybe I was onlu unfamiliar with the basenotes the first time I tried it? So I have to admit, the staying power is really good for an eau de toilette. Don´t miss this excuisit scent!


Talking about dissapointments. Guess what Parfumerie Generale want´s to ship a 30 ml bnottle from France to sweden? 40 euros! Well, they can forget about that. I have earlier discovered that the shipping from France can be ridicoulus expensive for some strange reason.


And by the way, in only a few days my blog will have it´s first birthday. It will be presents of course, so don´t miss it.

Pic: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

Les Nereides - Imperial Opoponax

Well, I promised a review and here it is. Les Nereides perfume Imperial Opoponax is a perfume that I have got troubble to get to know. Not that I don´t like it, but I am having problems describing it.

The first time I tried it I was quite confused, the top notes are something really different. They make me both repelled and delighted. I couldn´t decide if I thought it smelled bad or good. Honestly, I still haven´t decided if I like the top notes or not.

The top notes smells like chlorined swiming pool to me. Maybe swiming pool doesn´t really smell bad, but it has some kind of pungent, hightuned scent. And something like that it was Imperial Opoponax smells on me. Anyway, Imperial Opoponax smells so much more than swiming pool, there are notes of orange, wood, spices and well... swiming pool...

Imagine a big swiming pool filled with some kind of liquid wood and top it with some spritzy, sweet orange. A scent both warm and cold at the same time, and really, Imperial Opoponax is hard to nail down. I can´t say I think of it as complex tough, I find it to be quite simple even if the base notes differs a lot from the top notes. From top to base it evolve from something wet, pungent and crispy to something warm, soft and powdery.

Imperial Opoponax is strange. On me it never becomes so sweet, but on some it becomes almost gourmand. On me, it´s more like a golden, fragrant wooden powder. Imperial Opoponaxz also make me think of tigers, the typical chinese one´s that is. Maybe in some way, it remind me of tiger balm?

Imperial Opoponax is perfect this time of year in my opinion, it isn´t really one of my biggest favourites, even tough I wouldn´t like to be without it. Sillage and staying power is excellent. For some reason I belive that the other perfumes from Les Nereides isn´t that interesting, but maybe I´m wrong? Please suggest any of their other perfumes if you think I shouldn´t miss it.

Pic: Oriental outpost

What happened to the patchouli plants?

I know I kind of promised a review, but my husband didn´t work day today, he work the evening, so the review will come a little later.

But, I planted some patchouli seeds early this summer, and what happened to them? Well, it didn´t become any plants, it become one single plant (pic above).

I don´t know why it only become one plant? But june was really cold, rainy and grey here, so I tried to heat threat my seeds in the washingroom when the dryer was on, maybe it´s thanks to that that one seed growed.

I have watched over my little plant constantly. June, july and half of august went by without it becoming much more than the tiniest babyplant. But then suddenly in the middle of august it start growing. So I guess if it survive the winter I will have a quite nice patchouli plant next summer.

And it smells! It smells of darkness, soil, brisk and animalic. Honestly there are notes of cat pee, but I´ve heard that patchouli become sweeter, softer, more aromatic and complex with time. Well, no matter how it smells, it´s still an exciting adventure to grow it.

Please keep your fingers crossed for my little patchouli to survive the winter.

Otherwise I can scream finally! Finally Parfumerie Generale offers their scents in 30 mls bottles. S o now I know what to wish for in Christmas present. Or well, I´m not sure wich of the perfumes I want the most, but something from PG will do. 59 euro and slightly more for some of them is the price tag, yes it´s quite much money for 30 ml, still less than many of the niche perfumes available in that size.

I hope more perfume houses will follow, 30 mls bottles is high up on the wish list for a "poor" perfumista.

Etro - Messe de Minuit

There´s no doubt about that the autumn is here. The trees are shifting colours and the days are clear and sunny, but the nights are really cold. It´s about time to find the kids mittens so their fingers doesn´t get ice cold when they´re biking to school.


The autumn fill me with energy to change and re-arrange things. I am all about starting new porjects, work with my hands and change a lot of different things. It was this close I made a radical haircut in front of the bathroom mirror the other day, but regret it in the last minuit. But I do need a new haircut, but I´m not sure of what kind? Maybe it´s time for me to visit a hairdresser for the first time since I moved to Nyköping?


Well, if I can´t change myself, I can change other things. The living room is what I start with. The middle daughter have sleeped there during summer and the whole house has been like a kind of motel, but now things seem to be calm for a while. We have sawed to book shelfs off in the middle, I will colour some textiles and sewing new pillow cases, change curtains and a lot of other little things.


Wich perfumes fits during this period? Well, I want woody, smoky, ambery but still soft perfumes right now. Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan fits well as usual. But otherwise I have quite new one that fits perfect right now, namely Etro´s Messe de Minuit. It´s a renowned and well-liked incense scent, and I can understand why.


A lot of perfumes with incense become either a little to spicy and strong or a little to grey and dusty. Messe de Minuit doesn´t. Apart from lingreing notes of incense it´s kind of sweet. Actually there is something in it reminding me of cocacola. For me that´s a good thing, it´s more like a glass of cold cocacola filled with ice cubes than a sticky poddle of coke on the floor.


Well, I´ve tested a lot of more complex, strong, spicy and maybe interesting incense perfumes, but Messe de Minuit succed to be both calming and uplifting at the same time. I even think it´s help me to focus a little better, and that´s a thing I need help with for sure.


Apart from incense and coke, there´s a note of wood reminding of fresh sawdust and notes of warm spices I think I can smell a little nutmeg and cinnamon. Shortly speaking, Messe de Minuit sould fit even people normally not so found of incense scents. Messe de Minuit is something so unusual as a happy, cherful incense scent that doesn´t take itself to serious.


It´s an eau de toilette, so it isn´t that longlasting, only a coupple of hours. But the sillage is impressing, considering I only dabbed on some tiny drops since my sample was half empty from the beginning. Yes, usually I am quite optimistic, but it wasn´t really much left in this sample. And now I think it´s only enough to wear it one more time. Uhum, I need more of it I think.


Tomorrow I will hopefully have time to write about another perfect autumn-and renovating scent, but until then I really have to go and put the books in the shelfs.


Anyway, wich is your incense favourit perfume?

Pic: Photoaxe.com

Profumi di Pantelleria - Approdo

Long time no see, but I haven´t forgot my blog or my readers. It has been full house here since the beginning of september and a lot to do. Birtdays, departures, the middle daughter moving away and some illness. Oh well, from intense family life to peace and quite today.


I have a weak spot for islands, maybe I´ve mentioned it before? And the one´s I am most found of is that kind of barren, windswept, foggy, cliffy and very lonely islands. Not to cold and snowy, but not at all tropical islands either. Islands like the Shetlands, Fareos, Azores, St Helena and the island of my dreams, Tristan Da Cunha.


Tristan Da Cunha is a very isolated island in the southern atlantic sea, the worlds most isolated place where humans live permanently. The island has several volcanos and in the 60'ies the population was evacuated to Great Britain, but when the danger was gone, they returned home. As far as I know, there´s about 300 inhabitans on Tristan Da Cunha and one of them was my penpal for some time. Yes, I am a nerd, I have always been a nerd, and hopefully I will always stay a nerd as well. My Tristan pen pal was Louisa Green, a coupple of years younger than me and the letters from her arrived sparsely. The postal delivery to Tristan wasn´t that great during the 80'ies, and I doubt it is much better now? Anyway, when Louisa get to know that I was pregnant with my first child, she send a wool sweater that she had knitted. It was white whit a black pattern of the Tristan Da Cunha silouette and the name Tristan above. I guess there isn´t that many people having a sweater from Tristan?


I think it´s almost impossible to imagine how it is to live in such an isolated place? I guess a lot of the population that is born after the evacuation in the 60'ies never has leave the island. Still in this day, I would love to visit Tristan. But, after all there is other islands easier to visit.


The italian perfume house Profumi di Pantelleria has a new perfume, Approdo, meaning landfall. Approdo is a perfume to establish in. It take me on a journey to all the lonely islands in my dreams. The top notes are fresh and smells of citrus and herbs. A feeling of high, clear and salty sea air. Notes of minerals make me feel surrounded by giant cliffs. Approdo is good, really good and very interesting.


Sometime aquatic scents fails to impresse me, but Approdo soon leave that stage and take an other route. Still that high and clear feeling remains, but more a note of air than of sea I think. The mineral note lingers for a long time in the scent, but otherwise new actors emerge. A scent of warm slightly wet wool sweater occur, there is a buttery feeling in wool, that Approdo manage to copy. Approdo is like a uplifting hike at foggy, windswept moors close to the sea. A hike in comfortable shoes and warm, comfy clothes. Maybe I´ve borrowed a big soft wool sweater from my husband? Approdo wrap you up in soft, caressing wooly warmth, but still there is cool, fresh and sea breeze notes as well.


Far away there is little houses in the fog, your hike is coming to an end, and you know there is a crackling fire awaiting you in the cottage. Soon it will be dark, and the wind is growing, but you know you will be warm, comfy and safe.


Approdo is a gorgeus perfume, I have never experienced such a true note of wool. The mineral note is also interesting and both of them combined makes Approdo unique and noticeable. Approdo is an all together pleasant olfactory experience, personal and different, but at the same time soft and easy to wear. Most perfumes with mineral notes are somewaht cold, but Approdo isn´t. If Approdo was a wool sweater, it would be that soft kind of wool, in natural colours, like creamy beigewhite. Approdo succed to be both comfy and exciting at the same time, wich isn´t that common in perfumes.


Sillage and longvity is great, I suspect that Approdo could smell dangerously good on my husband! Approdo is a perfume for island lovers, but don´t hesitate to try it if you can, cause I am convinced most people could be impressed with this cozy and great perfume.


More about Approdo you can find here: www.cale.it


PS. Louisa, if you or someone that knows you reads this, please contact me trough my e-mail.

Pic: Nick DeWolf, flickr

Amouage - Reflection Women

Earlier I wrote about Missoni by Missoni. During the summer it has been one of my big favourites, and I was really tempted to buy a bottle of it. I didn´t, but maybe I will buy a bottle of it next summer, or maybe I´ll have other favourites next summer. Last summers favourites hasn´t been as much used this summer.

According to me, Missoni is that kind of perfumes that goes well with colourful clothes, sun tan and colourful cocktails. I wrote, that I during summer isn´t the white dressed kind that drink rosé wine but more of active, funloving and sweaty kind.

Amouage´s Refelction Women is the sort of perfume that make me wish that I was the white dressed and romantic type. No, Reflection hasn´t been a big favourite this summer, and I doubt it will be next summer. It took me time to even decide to try it again. It wasn´t until mid-august I started to like it. And no, I wont write about how that slowly changed, so that I now love it, because I don´t, but I have reach the point where I at least like it, quite much.

Reflection has some similarites to Missoni, they share an aquatic but still warm scent. If you took away all fruits, oranges and chocolat from Missoni I think you would have something very much like Reflection. Since they´re both created by Maurice Roucel it isn´t after all that strange? Well, I don´t want to suggest that Reflection is Missoni down stripped, but at first Refelction is like Missoni, but with something missing.

Yes, I have had troubble with other perrfumes from Amouage before, Reflection is also quite different from what I usually like, still there is something in it that I like. It might been the fact that I feel like someone totally different than me when I wear Reflection. Reflection put a spell on me, but in a very quiet and modest way.

Imagine that you´re in front of a big table filled with the most incredible beverages, the finest wines, amazing beer, stunning cocktails, creamy hot chocolate, delicious tea, smothies made from super berries, exotic fruit juices and in a corner of the table a glass of water. Admit that the glass of water wouldn´t be the first thing that got your attention? But, in it´s simple and obvious way, the only thing that we could drink over and over again without getting tired of it. A glass of water is the obvious choise if we´re really thirsty. Water is the thing.

This is how I slowly started to feel about Reflection, it´s like a glass of fresh, cold and very good water.

There isn´t much fuss going on in Reflection, soft floral notes solemnly floating around in water. Magnolia, freesia and jasmin. In the beginning Reflection is transparent and kind of cooling, but after a while it warms up and I can smell some notes of fruit. More like a flower with a soft fruity scent, than some actual fruit. From the flowers I mostly smell the freesia, but that might depend on that I don´t really recognise the smell of magnolia?

To me, Reflection is a mature, motherly kind of perfume that doesn´t make much noise. It is like a cool hand on a small one´s hot forehead. Reflection is a soft winner in the long run. My favourite this far from Amouage, even tough it isn´t at all me.

It´s last really long, wich is quite surprising considering the scent to be so transparent and discrete. The sillage is also quite good. As other perfumes from Amouage, Reflection also smells expensive. But, to me, not worth the price. I am happy to have a small sample, and because of it´s quality, I guess it will last a while, but I won´t buy a bottle of it.

Reflection isn´t really an autumn scent, I think it´s best for summer, but I am also looking forward to try it during winter.

Do you have any favourite from Amouage? Or some you´re curious about? And by the way, what is your limit for how much to pay for abottle of perfume?

Otherwise I am quite excited about that Parfumerie Generale seem to be offering 30 ml bottles soon. Guess what I will be wishing for Christmas? :) Even tough I have no idea wich of them I want the most, I´ve got several favourites from Parfumerie Generale.

Pic: Anna Wiberger, Cult Design

The four seasons.

Now it´s autumn. Finally! Yes, I like the autumn. If someone had asked me ten years ago, I would have chosed autumn as my favourite season. I still like autumn, but now I have learns to like spring and summer as well. What about winter? Well, honestly I am not much of a winter person, the winter is easier to put up with in the middle parts of Sweden where I live now than in norther Sweden, but still I don´t like it. To stay inside, make it cozy, lighting candles and looking forward to Christmas is ok, but that cold, wet and dark outside... noooo.

If I consider my perfume interest when thinking about the seasons, autumn is among the best. In the end of august or beginning of september I can start consider those dark, heavy and spicy kind of perfumes again. I put on a soft sweater before I walk the dog, lighting tealights, start buying bathbombs and massage oil again and also wrap my self up in cozy, soft and warm autumn scents.

Serge Lutens offers a lot of autumn favourites, Borneo 1834, Douce Amere, Fumerie Turque, Arabie, Musc Koublai Khan and of course Ambre Sultan.

The bottle of Gaiac I´ve got is perfect during autumn as well as Feminite Du Bois. Le Labo Labdanum 18 oooh yes! And 1000 Kisses Deep from Be Never Too Busy To Be Beutiful.

Different kinds of warm, spicy perfume oils works well during autumn.

Amber, plum, cinnamon, patchouli, wood and vanilla. But I notice I´m not really into gourmand perfumes yet.

Right now I am wearing a quite unknown perfume, O Alquimista from Parfums d'Imperfection. It isn´t at all bad, strong, spicy and warm. Notes of plum, amber, tobacco and rose. Of course it´s inspired by Paulo Coelhos book The Alchemist. At first it remind a little of Serge Lutens Arabie, but after a while it become both lighter and heavier at the same time. The tobacco in it is really, really powerfull and I think it works well on both men and women. Really longlasting and a huge sillage. I think I will use my little sample a lot now.

Tauer´s L'Air du Desert Marocain is also perfect during autumn.

Warm, spicy and radiant scents with rose is also great now.

Do you have any autumn-favourites? And some you would like to recommend? By the way, what are your favourite-season?

My birthday was quite soft, we had a palt-dinner (north swedish special dish) and I´ve got a small icon from my daughter and a big Salvador Dali reproduction from my brother. :)

Birthday in advance.

My birthday is coming up, this friday I will be 43 years old. It´s hard to understand, but me and the dog found a worm hole yesterday, so maybe I´m a little younger then I think?


Well, yesterday an early birthday present arrived. A bottle of M. Micallef´s Gaiac (husband ordered from Aus Liebe Zum Duft last week). Ooooh, it smell so good! And yes, it´s a discrete kind of scent, but the sillage is more noticable when sprayed. I haven´t tried anything else from Micallef yet, but I don´t understand why their perfumes aren´t more talked about. But, it´s kind of nice to almost alone with a perfume, so please try perfumes from M. Micallef, but leave Gaiac alone! *only kidding*


My youngest daughter bought a pop-magazine yesterady, and got a sample of something called So...? Eternal. She hated it, she think it smells like everything else and very boring. She´s only 12 years old, but prefer perfumes from Annick Goutal, Comptoir Sud Pacific (Vanille Mocca from Jackie D is awesom according to the daughter), she love perfume oils with anything vanilly in and also Tocade (all my daughters love Tocade). She recognize the perfumes I use the most, -Ooooh, mum you smell so good in Ambre Sultan/ Carnal Flower/ Aomassai/ Nude Musk etc. She learns easily and seem to have a good olfactory sense, she may be a perfumista at 18. Funny in one way, but also a bit sad, since she will never like to borrow some spray of the latest Britney Spears perfume from her best friend before the school disco.


Well, on friday it´s my birthday for real, if me and the dog doesn´t stumble upon any other worm hole...