Christian Dior - Hypnotic Poison

When i wrote about Organza Indecence I realised that I haven´t wrote about Dior´s Hypnotic Poison, even tough it´s a perfume I like, or at least like when I am in the mood for it.


The red bottle remind of a red apple, and from that there isn´t such a big step to start thinking of Snowwhite and the poisonous apple from her evil stepmother. Stepmothers, evil or not, is a difficult subject. Do you know of any stepmother that call herself a stepmother without any difficulties? In Sweden, we have come up with several words to use instead of stepmother, such as bonus-mum and plastic-mum. Bonus-mum is ok I guess, but is really plastic-mum so much better than step-mum?


Since I´ve been mother to my husbands -now- grown up daughter for 23 years I think I´ve deserve to be just her mum, and of course she is my daughter and her little, pretty son is my grand son.


Well, this haven´t got so much to do with the smell of Hypnotic Poison. If I´ve been an american I guess I would say that it smells like root beer. But I haven´t drink so much root beer, so i don´t really get those associations. To me, Hypnotic Poison smells almond, vanilla, bitter almond and a little cherry. Yes, it could very well be the smell of an under cover and fast killing poison. That kind of poison hard to not taste, because it smells so good.


Hypnotic Poison is a really strong perfume, the kind of perfume you spray out in a cloud and walk trough... really fast. Just like Organza Indecence I think of Hypnotic Poison as a party perfume. Preferable with ruby red lipstick and an ivory full length dress. Anyway, it´s not often I get the opportunity to go to that kind of parties. So I can wear Hypnotic Poison when I am at home cleaning or out in the forest with the dog. A small spray of Hypnotic Posion in the evening will last until next morning. But then all that is left is a lingering, soft scent of vanilla. Otherwise Hypnotic Poison is a quite linear scent.


I haven´t forget about my blog, but this week I have mainly amuse myself with autumn break together with husband, kids and dog. We visited Norrköping, where I manage to spend almost all my money on Lush. How come the sales persons on every Lush store is such great sellers? I always end up leaving Lush with things I didn´t at all know I needed.


Apart from that I have cher myself, and my family, up with bleaching my almost blackish brown hair. First it got orange yellor, then I belached it agian and it become more of yellow. Then I dyed it with a dark honey blond nuance. So now my hair is the colour of autumn leaves. It looks quite interesting. I guess it will brighten up the winter really good.


Wich of the Poison varieties do you like the best?



Pic: Schoolclipart

What am I waiting for?

When I was about 16-17 years old and all about black clothes and emo (I am still quite black dressed, but not so emo anymore) I read Samuel Becket. I read Waiting for Godot and some other works, I don´t recall how I perceived Waiting for Godot back then. Maybe I should go an watch it on Stockholms Stadsteater? Anyway, it´s about two bums waiting for Godot, that never shows up... they think that if he comes around, everything would be allright.


Really that existencialistic or absurd it isn´t to wait for perfumes and perfume samples, I find it exciting and usually not as pointless as waiting for Godot.


Still waiting for Havane Vanille tough. Maybe everything really going to be allright when I finally got a chanse to sniff it?


Besides that I am also really, really curious about Cartiers Les Heures Du Parfums. They seem really interesting and different. Denyse have write really well about them at http://graindemusc.blogspot.com/


And Comme Des Garcons have a new scent, really, theres more news from them, but one I am particulary interested in, namely, Standard. It´s inspired by the finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto. And with notes from the finnish flora. Yeah! Finally a perfume with some northern notes. Unfortunatly I´m afraid it wont suit me as good, but still great news I think.


Also looking forward to samples from two quite unknown perfume houses/lines. It will be so much fun to try them!


What are you waiting for?


It is autumn break here now, so if my blog isn´t as updates as usual it depends on that I am hanging my kids and husband that have a short autumn break as well.






Pic: Stockholms stadsteater

Givenchy - Organza Indecence

Some perfumes are light, others are discrete and wears close to the skin, while some are transparente and airy and of course there´s also a lot of perfumes that are very noticeable. One of those are Organza Indecence.


This is one of those perfumes that enters a room before you do. You will get noticed if you chose to wear Organza Indecence. Probably, that´s the reason you chose it! When sitting here a grey october day in a cloud of Organza Indecence I feel kind of shattered. Sure, I think it smells good, but not so right for this occation.


Where is the catwalk? Or the red carpet? Or that supermega gorgeus party? Where are my party clothes in wich I will make entré like a shining peacock? Where are the men that will offer to light my cigarettes (even if I don´t smoke)? My satin gloves? My Hollywood-hair cut and dark red lipstick? Well, you get it. All that kind of stuff is really far away from where I am in front of the computer!


Organza Indecence is so loud, demanding and attention seeking that I am afraid that a very shy, timid and beige kind of person could very well be scared to death if spraying on some Organza Indecence by mistake. So... be warned!


Well, I happen to like it anyway. Even tough the top notes are kind of plastic on me. Besides that Organza Indecence is a really funny mix between Dior´s Hypnotic Poison and Shiseido´s Feminite Du Bois. Hypnotic Poison is a little more childish and maybe happier, and feminite Du Bois is way more elegant and classy, but still there are similarities. I wonder if I use Feminite Du Bois and Hypnotic Poision at once, if I wouldn´t end up with something quite like Organza Indecence?


Organza Indecence is something to wear when you want to have really fun at a party! A true mood lifter, but also a little slutty.


Stays on for a very long time and a huge sillage. A magnificent but at the same time a little clumpsy perfume experience, and I think that very young people can find a bit dated.




Pic: Red bubbles.com

Etat Libre d'Orange - Fat Electrician

Are zebras black with white stripes or the other way around? I think they´re white with black stripes, but I don´t think that it really matters.


Anyway, the black-and white stripes of zebras are a kind of camouflage, in the heath on the African savannah their stripes looks like grass from a distant. Predators becomes confused and the stripes are a kind of illusion. Illusions can be fascinating, you know that kind of (usually) black and white pictures that make dots jumping out of the paper and lines that seem to be much longer than they actually are.


Fat Electrician is Etat Libre d'Orange´s latest perfume and it make me think of zebras, illusions, black-and white and a play with light and shadow, contrast and things that isn´t really what it look like.


If you´re a fan of vetiver, don´t miss Fat Electrician! The opening of Fat Electrician could be the fattest vetiver opening there is. Oh, exactly... the fattest. Your greated by smokey, earthy and even rusty vetiver with roots and soil. And by the way, vetiver has really long roots. But, there is also a note of something buttery, soft, round and also quite strange. The name is oddly spot on, at least the fat part.


The vetiver note isn´t at all polite or toned down. This is edgy, harsh and kind of raw vetiver. But as soon as I start to think that I wont manage this scent, the buttery notes are there, softening things up and almost like braided together with smoth vanilla. Fat Electrician changes between dark and light, edgy and smoth, sweet and bitter all the time. Close up the bitter notes are clearer, but from a distant the sweetness stands out.


Yes, it´s like braid a hair consisting of raven black and white blonde hair. Hide and seek, contrasts and a struggle for power is prominent in the scent. Just when I think that I´ve undertand it, it plays new tricks on me. The vetiver become greener, grassier and also a little softer when the scent develops. I find the vetiver in Fat Electrician to be masculin, but the vanilla is more feminin and lend the scent a gourmand character.


When reaching the basenotes, the scent become softer, but also a little boring on my skin. I like Fat Electrician, but it is a challenge to wear it casual, since it constantly changes. Wich of course is on purpose, Etat Libre d'Orange´s perfumes are usually anything but static.


Fat Electrician is well worth the price, longlasting and with medium sillage.





Pic: Alison Ingram

Sinfonia di Note - Coeur de Noisette

There are some perfumes not reminding of anything else I´ve tried in perfumes. When I´m in the mood to wear some of those scents there isn´t anything else I could wear that remind me of those. L'Artisan´s Bois Farine is one, Frederic Malle´s Lipstick Rose is another, as well as Lann-Ael from Lostmarch and Approdo from Profumi di Pantelleria. I´m sure there even more, but I can´t remember them right now. But for now, I think about Sinfonia di Note´s Coeur de Noisette.


This far, I´ve only tried two perfumes from Sinfonia di Note, one of them Amande Suree do smell really good, but remind me of a soft and more sofisticated version of Hypnotic Poison. I am also very curious about their Saveur d'Artichaut, but haven´t come around to try it yet. It´s inspired by artichokes and I think it sounds very interesting.


I think it´s usually very pleasant with nutty notes in perfume. But often I think it´s not pure nutiness, but nutiness drowned in some sort of booze. Probably there is something in boozy notes that strenghten and make the nutty notes lasting longer? But, honestly I don´t want to go around smelling Amaretto every time I am wanting nutty.


Well, you pretty much avoid that with Coeur de Noisette. This is about the purest, smothest and most creamy hazelnut spread you can think of. Imagine milled goldy roasted hazelnuts, a hint of delicate vanilla, butter and a little sprinkle of powder sugar. That´s how Coeur de Noisette smells like. Not the most complex scent around, but I´ve never encountered anything like it.


Yes, this is straight up gourmand, but never to sweet, heavy or sticky. No you are vrapped up in a cloud of heavenly hazelnuts. And yes, this is an extremly longlasting scent with a great sillage.


If you like the smell of nuts, I sincerly recommend you to try Coeur de Noisette.



Pic: Hazelnuts, wikimedia

Autumn favourites, this far...

Am I the only one that thinks the autumn have just begin? Or that summer really shouldn´t have end allready? It´s strange that the autumn take me with surprise every year, at this point I should be used to it.


Anyway, the autumn, at least until mid october is a cozy time of year, clear and sunny days and dark, cozy evenings. The forest is glowing of colours and the air is crispy and clean. Just in a coupple of weeks it will become the grey autumn season, and it will go on pretty much until next spring, since there isn´t any real winter (like in WINTER) here in Sörmland (middle of Sweden)


I´ve got some favourites during september and first half of october. When the autumn turn colder, greyer and more wet I usually change my taste in perfumes a little. But here is ten favourites this far, in no certain order.


By Kilian, Back to Black, I use to write that I can drink some perfumes, By Kilian´s Back To Black I could drown in an still be contempt. The problem is that it´s quite challenging to drown in a coupple of ml of perfume.


Profumi Pantelleria, Approdo, Not to drown in, but to wrap yourself up in when the days a grey.


M. Micallef, Gaiac, Cozy, warm, golden and totally gorgeus.


Korres, Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac, Passion Fruit, warm, sweet, happy and very enjoyable.


AbdesSalam, Hindu Kush, I want to travel to the distant valleys of Hindu Kush and getting re-married with my husband and maybe stay there forever adopted by the kalash-people.


Serge Lutens, Ambre Suktan and Borneo 1834, some perfumes I can´t get enough of.


Parfumerie Generale, Aomassai, the perfect autumn trip in a bottle.


Shiseido, Feminite Du Bois, Plum and amber, beautiful dreams and sensual evenings.


Montale, Red Aoud, Mustic, beautiful, warm and veiled.



Pic: River of Molten Colours, flickr

Profumum Roma - Thundra

Since I am born and raised less than 150 km from the northern arctic circle elks, reindeers, cloud berries, vast forest- and marshlands and winding dirtroads was totally common during my childhood. As well as the snow was covering the landscape from late october until beginning of may and that the lakes was ice covered until the second half of may. I have at several occations pointed out the lack of perfumes inspired by that landscape, a type of nature covering major parts of the north hemisphere and also parts of the southern.


No way I want to move back to northern Sweden, but I would enjoy a perfume with a vaguely Nordic scent, at least the days I am homesick and got cloud berry cravings.


Profumum Roma´s Thundra offers, if not northern cloud berry marshes, at least a scent featuring northern barren land, coldness and still very aromatic. Thundra has something in common with Serge Luten´s Borneo 1834. Both of them are strong, powerful and patchouli dominated perfumes. But if Borneo 1§834 is the scent of distant East Asian islands, Thundra is the scent of patchouli, as it would smell if it was growing in Siberia, Alaska and the North calotte. If you can imaging the smell of Arctic patchouli, you can almost guess how Thundra smells like.


The cool in Thundra comes from mint, a mint note that never actually smells minty, but gives a chilly, cool and refreshing base to the patchouli. Thundra has an obvious patchouli scent, but at the same time a very strange and different patchouli scent. Of course there isn´t any cloud berries or alpine birches in Thundra, but still it smell very northern to me.


Usually I prefer warm perfumes before cold, but once in a while it is very pleasant to to wear something that smells both familiar and strange at the same time. Profumum Roma´s Thundra manage to do that. It could be a perfect patchouli scent for those of you that find patchouli to be to cloying, strong, heavy and overly orientalic. This is hightuned, clear and chilly patchouli, and pretty much a different take on patchouli.


Thundra is an unisex scent, and I think it´s very, very pleasant on both me and my husband. Lasting power is excellent as with most perfumes from Profumum Roma. The sillage is noticeable and the base is a reliable continuation of the top-and heart notes, wich isn´t always the case with Profumum Roma´s fragrances. Actually, the price is the only thing I can complain about.






Pic: Tundra, upperschoolpeeler

AbdesSalam Attar - Tasneem

In Jet Li´s movie Hero there are scenes so beautiful that I become breathless. The last time I watched it, together wiith my family, I guess it was a coupple of years ago. Some where in the middle of the movie I realised that there wasn´t anybody eating snacks or fighting over the candies or have to leave the room, no the entire family (including two teenagers) was orderly watching the movie in total silence. It was like all of us just sat there and savor the beauty, the magnificent, the fragile and the adventure that the movie succeed to convey.


And this wasn´t even the first time we saw it, well the smallest haven´t seen it before, but...


Alright, there is showmanship and even a bit silly when they´re flying around fighting, but I can disregard from that, because parts of the movie is so beautiful it is on the border to magic. In my opinion a movie with that beautiful scenes woudn´t need a story, I would be content anyway!


When I try AbdesSalam Attar´s perfume Tasneem (wich mean warrior poet) I think about the movie Hero. At least I know wich perfume to wear next time I see it.


If I think Hindu Kush is a totally gorgeous perfume, Tasneem could be even better! Tasneem manage to live up to it´s name. This is contrarous notes in a swirling dance. Flowers (jasmine and ylang ylang) kind of lined with vibrant notes of cinnamon, but just the smallest glimpse of it. Inside of the floral, spicy and creamy I smell strokes of animalic, almost dirty leathery notes giving the perfume an edge and a deepth.


I don´t know if it´s an armour of leather covering the soft, vulnerable and white that´s hiding inside? Or if it´s the other way around, a soft, white, innocent and feminine surface with a hard, strong inner core? I guess it´s up to the wearer to decide.


Yes, it is like Tasneem is a very complex perfume that can be interpreted in many different ways. There´s no doubt about that Tasneem is perfume as art. And apart from a lot of other art perfumes Tasneem manage to be beautiful, easy to wear and cozy all the time trough. There isn´t any phase where I sit and wonder if I really like this perfume, as is the case with so many other artful perfumes. Tasneem is beauty, soul, strenght and poetry from the beginning to the end.


Among the one´s I´ve tried from AbdesSalam Attar, Hindu Kush and Tasneem are magnificent and stunning perfumes, but the others; Mona Lisa, Night Blossom, Persona and Alaacho are also really good, even tough in the shadow of Hindu Kush and Tasneem in my opinion. I am sure some would like them as much as Hindu Kush and Tasneem.


Generallt speaking, I would say that AbdesSalam Attar is anything but modern, trendy perfumery it´s traditional, eastern and unique perfume making. The creator behind AbdesSalam Attar´s perfumes are Dominique Dubrana, and in my nose he is a really talented perfumer, on the border to magician.


Don´t miss the perfumes from AbdesSalam Attar!




Pic: From Jet Li´s movie Hero

Tom Ford - Black Violet

I am a coward. I am sitting here and sniffing perfume from a paper strip. Aren´t the little lemon yellow pansies at the pic above cute? Pansies are cultivated flowers, kind of enlarged violets. Unfortunatly the scent of violet haven´t follow.


If the pansies above had a scent I would imagine they smell like the opening in Tom Ford´s Black Violet. Anyway, Black Violet haven´t a trace of anything black or dark in the top notes. No this is violet scent blended with fresh, light and but still spritzy lemon. And that is a very pleasant and interesting combo. Violet perfumes tends to be powdery, candied, or kind of violet green (due to violet leafs more than violet flower), but Black Violet isn´t any of it. It is radiant, lemon yellow like a sunbeam searching it´s way trough the trees a cold spring day.


Yes, I got really enchanted by the opening in Tom Ford´s Black Violet. It could be one of the best opening in a violet perfume I know of. If it wasn´t for what to come... uuuuuuhu... I really can´t understand the tought behind what´s come next. In the middle of the heartnotes and for the rest of the perfumes there comes something that has no connection what so ever with the rest of the perfume.


Imagine this, I have found a rare example of a yellow lemon little violet plant, it´s spring, the birds are singing and the sun is shining. The little violet plant smell so gorgeus and beautiful. Everything is just fine. But, suddenly the sun is covered by clouds, the birds doesn´t sing any more and the wood is at once dusky. Right out of nowhere a suffocating smell comes crawling, dry and damp at the same time, dusty and on the border to mouldy. Coloured in murky greygreenbrown... Moss is suffocating the little pretty violet plant, erases it and everything that was so beautiful with Black Violet.


Thank you, but no thanks. Why are they doing this? Why is it suddenly dark and gloomy? Or something... hideous? I can imagine a hundred different base notes that would suit better, than the one showing up.


Again, I can have some troubble with chypres, but this isn´t really a chypre, this is a swamp thing suffocating everything that stands in it´s way!


Actually, Tom Ford´s Black Violet has become a scrubber! It isn´t that often I have to scrub a perfume off, but I can´t stand this base note for longer than necessary. If the start of this perfume at least could have been dark and musky so I would have been warned.


Black Violet has a opening that make me smile, feeling comfy and happy, and so this!


I wonder if there is any other violet perfume with citrus notes? A perfume that become fresh, violy, citrusy, radiant and nice without the chypre base? Please let me know if you know of something like that.


When I am speaking about Tom Ford, Black Orchid doesn´t work on me either. I like it about half, but there are some notes in it disturbing me. Otherwise I haven´t tried anything from Mr Ford, what shouldn´t I miss?





Pic: Yellow pansies, ragerlaw

Parfum D'empire - Wazamba

Take a look at the pic above, at first I thought it was nice, but after a short while I was unsecure about it. What is it? Well, I guess there´s plenty of room for different explanations and angles. It looks the nicest from a little distant. When I´m looking up close it makes me think about intestines, brown maggots and other not entirely pleasant things.


When I tried Parfum D'empire´s Wazamba for the first time, I was at once impressed by and in love with the top note. It was a totally different experience, so hightuned, crispy, saturated, aromatic and there was a lot of impressions hard to describe as well. Oh, I´m going to love this one! Well, at least I thought so for about a minute.


The high tuned and crispy was gone with the wind and instead there was some pleasant woody notes, and some citruses, still pretty nice, but not amazingly nice. And not at all, when I started to sniff it closer. I discovered that sour-brisk note I am having so much trouble with in perfumes! If I could only figuring out what note it is!


I´ve encountered it in different perfumes. First off was Nasomatto´s China White, then it was in another perfume from Parfums D'empire, Eau de Gloire, as well as in Profumum Roma´s Santalo and Calé Fragranze D'Autore´s Assolo. Probably in a lot of other perfumes I can´t remember also.


Is it about a note going sour on me? Or is it a unlucky combo of notes in some perfumes? Guess if I want´s to know. Maybe it´s just my skin chemistry bringing in front the worst in other perfectly nice perfumes?


Wazamba become so sour, brisk and sticky on me it was close I had to wash it off. It was so close to making me headachy and ill. And still, I could sense a amazingly nice and even more, an very interesting scent under the sour surface.


Now I am wearing Wazamba once again, and unfortunatly I don´t find the opening as interesting as the first time, but on the other hand the sour and brisk notes aren´t as prominent either. From a distant Wazamba is precisely as strange, aromatic, warm and adventourus as I would hope. It wake my imagination and makes me think about strange surreal treetrunks, human footprints in desert sand, African rituals and masques. Wazamba is said to be an African music instrument even tough I can´t find it anywhere, Wazamba do fit to strange, ryhtmic African music.


As long as I am on distance from it! As soon as I´m closing in, Wazamba becomes as dubious as the pic above. So even if I can partly agree with it, it become to much to wear in the long run. After all, I prefer perfumes that makes me sit with my nose attached to my wrist, not the other way around!


Have you tried Wazamba and experienced it in a totally different way? Please tell me about it. And if someone have a clue about wich notes that is turning so hopelessly sour-brisk on me, please help me find out. Do you have some horror notes, that you typically avoid?




Pic: Flower duet, Lakme

Le Jardin Retrouvé

As usual I am not that good in french, but I think Le Jardin Retrouvé means The Recovered Garden. The name is strangely appropriate and even a little far-sighted. First I read about Le Jardin Retrouvé at Divina´s blog: http://fragrancebouquet.blogspot.com/ and shortly speaking, Le Jardin Retrouvé was created during the 70'ies by Yuri Gutsatz and now, his son Deniz wants to bring back his fathers work and and the knowledge about him. You can read more about the background at Divina´s blog or stop by at Le Jardin Retrouvé and read about a lot of interesting happenings besides perfume. http://www.lejardinretrouve.com/
http://www.lejardinretrouve.com/forums/index.php?act=idx



As you know I love to discover and perfumes and perfume lines that not everybody else already have tried, so you can imagine how happy I was to get a mail from Deniz shortly after I´ve read about Le Jardin Retrouvé at Fragrance Bouquet. And now I´m even happier since I´ve got the possibilty to try the perfumes from Le Jardin Retrouvé myself.


Now I have only see pictures of the original bottles, but everything that surrounds Le Jardin Retrouvé have the feeling of a lost time, there is bright, happy colours and a 70'ies spirit. To try the perfumes is like doing a time travel, even tough some of the perfumes seem to have later origin, in the 80'ies.


I´ve recently talked about classic perfumes here, but Le Jardin Retrouvé is to unknown to be classics. They have more of a retro feel, but a genuin retro feeling that is.


Actually a lot of the perfumes from Le Jardin Retrouvé are filled with memories. And I didn´t know that when I´ve started to test them. Yes, I was a kid then, I was 3 years old when the 70'ies started and I was barely a teenager when the 70'ies ended. And I couldn´t dream of that I´ve had so many almost lost fragrance memories from that time.


When putting on some drops of perfume from Le Jardin Retrouvé I start to think about early James Bond-movies, tv-series from the time, my young aunts in long skirts, jump rope, sticky pantyhose (even boys had them) and a lot of other typically 70'ies things. I realise that people around me must have used more perfume than I thought. I guess I have olfactory memories from the perfume counters even if I hardly can remember paying any attention to them at the time.


Many of Le Jardin Retrouvé´s perfumes is the smell of the happy, bright and colourful 70'ies. I am so grateful to have tried them, I wonder if my mother or some of my aunts would think they remind of perfumes they used during that time.


Generally Le Jardin Retrouvé´s perfumes are light, floral, bright and happy. They are also rather green florals, in differ from todays florals that often are more of fruity (sweet) florals, and I really prefer the green variety. Many of the perfumes have names after a flower, like Lys (lily), Jasmin, Chevrefuille (Honeysuckle), Tubereuse, but they aren´t only soliflors. They are more of interpretions, quite natural but also romantic.


My favourites are, Lys, Jasmin, Rose Opéra and Citron Poivré.


Lys is a warm, spicy, green and elegant version of lily. The spicy and green in it are very soft, the floral notes has the biggest part. Lys is also one of the perfumes in the line that feel most modern, or rather timeless. Thanks to the warmth in it, I think it is nice for autumn and winter. Most perfumes from Le Jardin Retrouvé are more of summer perfumes in my opinion. The lily in Lys is a bright coral lily.


Jasmin surprises me with notes of leather. This make the scent to avoid being to cloying sweet, like some jasmine scents can be. Despite of the leather, Jasmin develops to a very natural, genuin scent of jasmine. I can smell some similarites to Parfumerie Generale´s Drama Nuui, this is kind of woody, dark but still light jasmine. The leather tones down and the jasmine is warm and easy. Really beautiful.


Rose Opéra is a pretty, sweet and enjoyable rose scent. Just enough red and sweet, one of the sweetest in the line. Also in Rose Opéra there is a prominent warmth. I guess it´s the warmth in this three making me like them so much this time of year.


The top note in Citron Poivré is so perfect, it´s almost like biting in a lemon and feel the fresh, aromatic taste in my moutn. Soon, spicy and intersting notes of pepper and clove joins. Citron Poivré warms up to a mild, spicy and very comfy perfume. It would be perfect on both men and women. This is gorgeus.


You can order samples of 3 of the perfumes at Le Jardin Retrouvé for only 2 euros. A really good offer I think. http://www.lejardinretrouve.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33


As a perfume lover I think it has been very fun and interesting to try Le Jardin Retrouvés perfumes. They make me remember things I didn´t know that I remember. They take me back in time in a very enjoyable and fun way. Most of the perfumes are, after so many years, still interesting and well worth trying and I would really want more of Citron Poivré. I think that what Le Jardin Retrouvé offers is really hard to find somewhere else, because it´s like Yuri Gutsatz perfumes have being kept in a little time pocket. But, that is also the fact making it hard for me to belive that they will reach a bigger audience. They aren´t, and shouldn´t be, modern perfumes.

Pic: Beverly A Mitchell, glow of pink

Comme des Garcons - Daphne

I almost tought that I would like Comme des Garcons new scent Daphne as much as By Kilian´s Back to Black, but no.


I think it smells horrible. At least the first hours. And it smell so strange I would almost suspect that it was something wrong with my sample, but I doubt that.


Happy and curious I am about to try Daphne for the first time, dab on a few drops and... Waits... sniffs... and... uuuueeeh? Well, ok there is a quite likeable citrus scent there but it is pretty much covered by a smell of slightly rancid deep frying oil. Right, Comme des Garcons Daphne smells of rancid deep frying oil! I think it´s really strange and suspect there must be something wrong with my sense of smell. Ask the husband and he smell my wrist and goes... Uuuuh, sorry but I think it smells like rancid butter, he says, is it some kind of cheap perfume oil? I wish, but no, it is a expensive perfume actually.


Everyone I ask think it smells rancid on me. After about half an hour I can almost sense a beautiful scent of orange covered tuberose, sorry enough also totally covered with rancid oil that also turned into something like melting plastic. This is really, really bad. I could have washed it off, but still to curious about what to come and after all, it doesn´t smell any worse than working in the kitchen at a fast food restaurant (without getting paid tough).


Daphne is shortly speaking a very frustrating olfactory experience. After about 3-4 hours the orange-tuberose starting to overpowering the oil and plastic, even tough I can smell the oil thing trough out the perfume. Daphne is extremly long-lasting and after about 12 hours it smells really good on me. The basenote is very warm, rich, pretty, sensual and exciting. But not worth waiting for tough.


I guess that Daphne don´t mixes well with my skinchemistry. Probably it smells really good on most people. But really, try before you buy! I am a little envious with the people that Daphne smells good on.


Well, that wasn´t a positive review was it? And I´ve got more to come, another dissapointing experience was Parfums d'Empire´s Wazamba. But more about that another day.

Pic: Palace chinese

By Kilian - Back To Black

Back To Black is the first perfume from By Kilian that I´ve tried. Honestly, I can´t afford to fell in love with perfumes that costs that much. But, I was so curious about Back To Balck so I had to order a sample from TPC anyway!

And what is it to say? Ooooooh, it is truly amazing! Much TO amazing! Because this perfume is irresistible, what ever the price is, I do need more of it.

The scent itself rests on a bed of aromatic tobacco and the darkest possible honey. It´s saturated, full-bodied, sweet, rich, some briskness but never suffocating, to sweet or sticky. Only the tobacco and honey make it to a perfect fragrance now when darkness, cold and grey weather is around the corner.

It´s like the tobacco and honey is a surface that reflects the other notes. Now and then some of the other notes shines trough, little glimpses of incense, cardamom, rapberry(!), tonka bean, patchouli, vanilla and noble wood. When my olfactory sense recognise the scent of velvety soft dark insence lingering around it is at once followed by a burst of bright red raspberry sweetness and there after a brush of golden, glowing wood and some almost medical notes and a little softspoken chamomille...

Back To Black is like a black base with a constantly changing stream of patterns floating by on the surface, like oil spill on water. It´s utterly fascinating, but never restless or chaotic, the little changes are subtle and anytime I like I can just sit back and enjoy the soft, calming base of tobacco and honey.

I dare to suggest that everyone would feel a little more beautiful, mysterious and exciting with By Kilian´s Back To Black. While my days have been filled with Hindu Kush, I´ve put on Back To Black after dinner. It is a evening perfume, and even if I think it smells incredible good, it doesn´t evoke any olfactory trips with me. Not until I sleep...

And yes, Back To Black is extremly longlasting, a few drops early evening last good enough until I wake up next morning. And it is a little to sensual to be calming, but at the same time so comfy that I can sleep with it, but it give me so strange dreams...

Now and then I dream about perfume, but there is very rare that a scent follows me to my dreams. Of the very few perfumes manage to do that, Back To Black is now one of them. I fell to sleep and Back To Black lingers trough my dreams making them chaotic, shattered but still kind of nice, not at all nightmares. Anyway, I don´t at all feel like re-apply Back To Black when I wake up.

I noticed Back To Black are sold out at TPC, and belive me I really understand why!

I´ve thought about writing about more perfumes that I don´t really like. I write so rich and imaginative about perfumes that I like, they don´t have to be absolutly the top best, but something in them that differs them from the rest at least. But there are also perfumes differs from the rest at the other side of the scale. Yesterday I´ve tried an interesting scent from CdG namely Daphne... and no way it was love at first sniff!

At the same time I feel kind of evil writing bad thing about a perfume that a skilled perfumer have worked with for a long time, a perfume other people really like. perfumes are after all one of my biggest interest and I like to approach them with respect, aren´t people evil enough allready in the bloggosphere?

What do you think? Shall I continue to be nice, positive and not mention all the perfumes I´ve tried that I not like or almost hate? Belive me, an olfactory disaster can be as interesting to write about as an olfactory masterpiece.

Pic: 2004, Woody Thrower

AbdesSalam Attar - Hindu Kush

During this weekend two perfumes have struggled for and shared my attention. They have some similarities, both of them are dark and heady, but except of that they haven´t got much in common. One of them has followed me when I have been awake and the other one has followed me in my sleep. One of them is modern, refined and extremly elegant while the other is wild, primeval and well, kind of living...

The modern scent I think about is By Kilians Back To Black and I will write about it some other day. The wild, genuine scent is AbdesSalam Attar´s Hindu Kush, and that´s the one I´m going to write about today.

Alright, I was testing AbdesSalam´s Hindu Kush this weekend and was blowned away. The first time I stumbled uppon it I knew I had to try it, something in the name was spell binding on me. Hindu Kush is a mountain area in central-Asia, between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Honestly I had know idea why the name was so alluring to me. I knew that Alexander the Great had passed trough the Hindu Kush mountains on his way to India, and I think his wife was from that area. But I doubt that was the reason for me to be drawned to the name...

Starting to look for pics to the blog and I was originally looking for something with huge mountains and maybe some pittoresque village, but from start I only found pics of marijhuana. Eventually the pics of the people of Hindu Kush started to show up...

Actually it was now the real magic started. Deep among the Hindu Kush mountains one of very few non-muslim people in central-Asia still live, the kalash people. The kalash' religion, culture, clothing but also outer appearance differs a lot from other people in the region. I promise, I could sit here and write about the kalsh people for hours.

Anyway, the perfume Hindu Kush is a perfect background when reading more and more about the kalash people on the internet. The perfume Hindu Kush is wild, untamed, genuin, ancient and not at all made to please. It´s a scent to approach on the scents own terms. Aloof, harsh, smokey and somewhat dirty. At the same time, the scent Hindu Kush are filled with high and clear mountain air, forrest laiden sloaps and unknown herbs. It is the scents of, a totally unknown nature mixed with the scent of a likewise unknown culture. The smell of primitive incense from little shrines in forgotten mountain villages. The smell of people and animals living close together. The perfume Hindu Kush makes all the other perfume of oriental type to smell fake, made to please, as western pop-orientalism. Hindu Kush is the real thing.

To me, Hindu Kush is so great in appearance it gives me a spiritual experience. And, not all together positive. Hindu Kush make me humble, questionable and almost fragile. I can´t really understand how it is possible, at the same time I am drawned to it but also I have to pay tribute when I wear it. I know I could put on a few drops of Hindu Kush and walk out in to the woods and sit down on a rock for hours being totally content...

Hindu Kush has an ability to create a precense, a meditative feeling, a skinlessness almost overwhealming. But then again, I´m quite sensitive...

AbdesSalam Attar´s perfumes are all 100% natural, and I belive it couldn´t be any other way, such emotions couldn´t be done with synthetic materials I think. Usually I´m not some hardcore-enthusiast for only natural perfumery, I think of course that also synthetic scents have it´s place and I am happy that these different kinds of perfumery can excist at the same time.

Hindu Kush has good sillage, and the longvity is nice for a natural perfume, even tough i think the most interesting parts of the perfume fades away quite fast. Maybe that´s as good, since I approach Hindu Kush very serious and that make it kind of demanding to wear.

Pic 1: Ali Seena

Pic 2: Klash fairy girl

Ormonde Jayne - Ormonde Woman

When I tried Ormonde Jayne´s Ormonde Woman for the first time my perfume interest was newly awaked. I had just recently realised how many perfumes it was out there and I was super enthusiastic and didn´t have a clue where to start or pretty much anything else.


I happen to get my hands on samples of Ormonde Woman, Ormonde Man and Tolu. All of the samples was allready used and there wasn´t so much left in them. Among them, I liked Tolu the best, then, and Ormonde Man I happened to spill all over my husband so even tough he smelled good, I never get a chanse to analyse or get to know the scent. Ormonde Woman was the one I didn´t liked so much.


Since I didn´t really liked any of them so much then, I haven´t yet tried anything else from ormonde Jayne. But there has been some kind of attraction going on anyway, much thanks to the very estetic style of Ormonde Jayne perfumes and the internet site http://www.ormondejayne.com/


Anyway, now I am sitting here with a new sample of Ormonde Woman, and oh yes, something has happened since I´ve first tried it. Well, the scent itself hasn´t change, so it´s me that has changed. I have tried so many perfumes since the first time I tried Ormonde Woman and finally I´ve got the key to "get it". Now I happen to belive that you of course can appreciate Ormonde Woman even if it would be the first niche perfume you try. But, for me there was some sniffing around before I´ve learn to enjoy it.


Still, I can´t really say that Ormonde Woman is so much "me", actually it´s still quite different from what I usually love when it comes to perfume. Ormonde Women is a modern chypre, a scent family I usually can have some troubbles with, even to I´ve learned to like modern chypres more and more.


And as far as I can tell, there isn´t any oakmoss in here, or at least non that I can smell, if it is I guess it´s lightly used and only contribute to the scents full-bodied and interesting atmosphere.


One thing that´s hard to say about Ormonde Woman is that it isn´t either hot or cold. It´s just perfect, everything feels just enough in it. In my opinion this is what make Ormonde Woman as a very interesting alternative during autumn. The top notes are kind of lively green, but even tough nice, it´s when the scent starts to warm up on my skin the interesting part starts.


This morning when I woke up it was biting cold and frosty outside, but the sun warm everything up and about lunch time it´´s usually lovely autumn weather with clear, high and sunny sky. It´s that kind of forrest I walk trough when wearing Ormonde Woman. Yes, there is flowers in it, but they more of underscore the woodsy, fur tree atmosphere (black hemlock!) than make it a floral scent. The moss under my feets is still a bit frosen, but the sun beams find their ways trough the trees and slowly warm the forrest up.


This is absolutly not a forrest walk with picknick and bonfire, now this is the forrest when the forrest itself is just enough. I find Parfumerie Generale´s Drama Nuui to be a jasmine scent worthy a beautiful elvish (or is it elfish?) woman and Omonde Jayne´s Ormonde Woman falls in the same cathegory I think. If Drama Nuui is a beautiful, sheer yet woody jasmine perfume for a elf princess Ormonde Woman is more of a perfume for an elf queen. If Drama Nuui is Arwen, then Ormonde Woman is more of Galadriel. Both of them manage to capture a spell binding, enchanting and fairytale-like feeling. A spirit of long past times.


I am so happy to finally enjoy Ormonde Woman, there´s few perfumes with such a dreamy and serene spirit. Ormonde Woman also has the air of exclusive ingredients and exquisite work, Linda Pilkington have made an excellent work. Ormonde Woman also got a good sillage and lasts for a long time. Now when i´ve re-discovered Ormonde Woman I am much more curious about the other offerings from Ormonde Jayne.


Do you have any favourites from Ormonde Jayne?

Pic: Skoonberg, Etsy

Etat Libre d'Orange - Putain des Palaces

As you know by now I usually enjoy powdery, soft and feeling pink kind of perfumes. Etat Libre d'Orange´s Putain des Palaces isn´t any exception. As a matter of fact, it´s one of my favourites.


A lot of perfumes in this cathegory has without doubt a pink feel, but what kind of pink can differ a lot. It can be salmon pink and skittering soft as vintage underwear, warm pink and fluffy as a feather boa or maybe baby pink and caressing like an angora sweater.


Putain des Palaces is without doubt, for me, skin coloured pink. Warm, soft and almost downy... and there are few perfumes that I´ve tried that has been as filled with body as Putain des Palaces. And, honestly, it isn´t a very clean, nude body either. Maybe not overly dirty, more of warm, even sweaty and yes, I don´t really know how to put this, but it´s a body still warm from bed after a night filled with intense, sweaty, violent, consuming and satisfying sex. Oh well! For me, Putain des Palaces is erotics changed into perfume.


I could have wrote porno, but it feel to genuin, to sweaty, to full-bodied and close to be porno.


Etat Libre d'Orange won´t hesitate to provoke and according to their description Putain des Palaces is about buying a prostitute at a hotell for a night of anonymous sex, prostitutes working at a hotell aka Putain des Palaces. For me that only evoke a cold and lonely feeling, and I think Putain des Palaces is a much to warm, tender and gentle scent for that cold description.


Now there is so much more about Putain des Palaces than body odour, there are soft, almost dusty flowres like rose, lily-of-the-walley and violet. A note of almond chime in, and makes the heartnotes powdery, feminine and almost innocent. The body note doesn´t show up until later, and overall it´s a pretty, pleasant experience until then. I can guess some will think of it as too perfumery and even old-fashioned and/or dated. It is soft, but at the same time strong and powerfull in a way making me suspect headache if overdosed. So apply with care!


Anyway the body odour shows up in the base and what a lift! From unmodern it goes to avant-garde, erotics and lots and lots of leather! And body! Never forget that Etienne de Swardt, the man behind Etat Libre D'Orange is a funny guy that likes to have fun. The perfumes can be provocative, strange and rebellious, but most of all, they are funny! Yes, Putain des Palaces is also funny, you don´t have to take it to serious. There´s a lot of charm and joy going on.


I do like Etat Libre d'Orange even tough I don´t get all of their perfumes or even understand how it´s possible to sell even a single bottle of some of them!? They stir around a little, and once in a while maybe that´s required. Despite wath you might think about the company marketing, a lot of their perfumes are well worth trying. All I´ve tried from them are strong, longlasting and with great sillage. You get a lot of perfume for the money.


You can read more about them here: http://www.etatlibredorange.com/english/index.html







Pic: By lamplight, ayoubart.com