Profumi delle Cinque Terre

Imagine that you can buy localy produced and/or inspired perfumes in any country? In most countries that isn´t possible, but in Italy you in fact can do that.


Italy seem to be a country where local and regional specialites are taken cared of in a very special way. There are several little towns or regions with their own local perfume brand. Profumi delle Cinque Terre is one among many. The perfumes from Profumi delle Cinque Terre helps me to escape the Swedish winter for a while and makes me dream of Italy...


A picture can say more than a thousand words and isn´t the region of Cinque Terre extremly beautiful? It was one of the places we planned to visit during our trip to Italy, but our car broke down before we ever got there. Cinque Terre means five grounds and the five grounds of Cinque Terre is Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.


Thanks to the perfumes from Profumi delle Cinque Terre is can imagine that I am there for a short while. You can read more about the perfumes here: http://profumidellecinqueterre.com/index2.htm


Profumi delle Cinque Terre offers four different scents: Fiordalisa di Porto Venere, Tentazione di Fico, Agave and Respiro di Risacca.


When trying the scents I got a feeling that the different scents represent the different seasons. It is like the scents invite me to take part in the seasons changing in Cinque Terre.


Fiordaliso di Porto Venere is inspired by a special kind of corn flower only growing in a small local at Cinque Terre. Some of the notes are violet leafs, rose, karo karounde and pink pepper. This manage to create a fresh, crispy and light scent with soft floral feeling. Fiordaliso di Porto Venere is somewhat cooling and for me it´s the scent of spring. The landscape is green, little creeks are purling and sheer flowers are blossoming among the cliffs.


Tentazione di Fico is warm, aromatic and woody. Fig tree has the main role, but are accompanied by herbs, jasmine and black currant. This gives a saturated, milky and concrete scent. Tentazione di Fico is the scent of summer. Warm sea, the air is filled by scents of lavender and herbs and the cikada´s playing...


Agave become my favorite among the four scents. With notes of rhum, rhubarb, safron and labdanum it makes a warm, golden impression. A little similar to other more well knowned safron scents, but still unique. It is both brisk and full, warm and soft, exiting but also very comforting. Agave tells me about the autumn. The air is still warm but clear, dried grass and herbs spread an aromatic scent and everything is going a little slower.


Respiro di Risacca is an aquatic sea scent. And it´s a wild, cold and stormy sea that´s got captured in this scent. I think the top notes got some really cool mint which makes me think of a windswept winter sea. Of course, this is the scent of winter. The beautiful landscape is partly hidden in milky fogg and in every breath you can feel the cold from the close by sea.


This four scents are really pretty and lovely. Above all I like what they stands for, taking care of local and regional knowledge, beauty and the little things that differs. I belive it´s really hard to find this kind of lacal perfumery any where else than in Italy, at least not in this extent.


At least now I know what I will buy when I finally get to Cinque Terre in the future, my very own bottle of Agave.





Pics: Cinque Terre, tourism

Thierry Mugler - Angel

Most people use to say that Thierry Muglers Angel is a love or hate kind of scent. Personally I´ve always liked Alien better, but I don´t have anything against Angel... or... It´s actually hard to pinpoint what I don´t really like with Angel. In many ways it´s that kind of scent that I would love, strong, sweet, noisy, different and changing. Still, Angel fail to win me over.


As mention in my post about Alien I belive the two scents could swap names with each other. Angel is so big and heavy that it feels a little like get my skin invaded by aliens. A strange foreign and hostile power is taking over my body. A big black hole eating anything in it´s way, including me. Maybe, thats it, Angel steal so much space there isn´t any room left for me?


I guess it´s a little dated to write about Angel now? But honestly, I haven´t tried it for years, but now I got me a small Angel-and Alien collection on Ebay. So prepare to read about Angel, Alien and all their babies (flankers). I´ve also got A*Men Pure Coffee and A*Men Pure Malt.


Is there anyone out there that hasn´t tried Angel? It has a strange medley of notes with patchouli as a dominant note, but this is a different patchouli. Sweet, fruity, berry and funny. Vanilla, cotton candy and toffee. Some days much to much. Angel can be a mix of deserts from hell stired together. Maybe the creators (Oliver Crespi and Yves de Chirin) had some kind of mega-bulimic episode during this period? They seem to have been more fokused on things with lots of calories than anything else anyway.
BR>
That I still kind of like Angel is much thanks to Eau de Star. By using this washy version of Angel I learn to like Angel more, but from some distant. And until now I have thought that Eau de Star is the only Angel-inspired scent I need.


Which is your Thierry Mugler fav? Or maybe you don´t have any? Anyway, I´ve got me a new favorite...

Pic: Allt om vetenskap

Parfums D'Orsay - Etiquette Bleue

As you all know I fell a little in love with Parfums D'Orsay´s Tilleul. Even though I had some other perfumes from them to test I thought that non of the others could be as good.


Oh well... One of the others sure is. Unfortunatly, because for me a lot of really good perfumes at the same time are a little more than I can handle and well, if I had to have them all, it will also become expensive. And sometimes I can feel an urge to write something else than praises. I know I´m no good with those bad reviews but if there isn´t anything to write negative about?


There isn´t much negative to say about D'Orsay´s Etiquette Bleue. It could be that it´s so subtle it almost hard to notice it, but in this case this is a part of the scents beauty. Etiquette Bleue was originally created 1830 by Count D'Orsay himself as a love declaration to -the already married-Marguerite de Blessington. The current version has been reformulated 2008 by Florent Leblanc.


Etiquette Bleue starts off with citrus and a note remindning me of tosthpaste and bubbelgum, it could be spearmint, but I suspect it´s actually the rosmary. The toothpaste isn´t lod, only suggested and that makes it interesting for me. After a while the citrus is blenden up with other ariomatic and herby notes and some gentle strokes of rosewood. Everything is airy and light, like if wood coould be fluffy clods and the way it should smell if you can imagine that?


Earlier a reader of the blog wrote that Profumum Roma´s Alba is the perfumes equivalent to a really good nude lipstick, well Parfums D'Orsay is another in that genre. Even though it remind me more of Parfumerie Generale´s Cadjmere, but so much lighter, softer and almost naked. If you can imagine a blend between Alba and Cadjmere with a dash of lemon water and a lot of fluffy cotton, then you start closing in to Etiquette Bleue.


The problem with those really sheer, nude and subdued scents is that I tend to forget about them when I´m not wearing them. Usually I go for more powerful and noisy scents. I use this kind of scents when it´s time for me to go to sleep. And really, I think Etiquette Bleue deserve much better.


Despite it´s delicate approach Etiquette Bleue is really longlasting and the base note is more prominent than the rest of the scent with it´s warm, creamy notes of wood (and moss, even though I hardly can smell it).


Etiquette Bleu is a little like this very shy, quiet and reserved person at a party. The person that sits there quiet and observes rather than enjoy the discussions and taking part in the glam and jokes. But if you just take the time to let this person say something you´ll discover that it´s often very interesting and smart. A person that you really like to listen too if you only discover it. Do that sound interesting I really think that you should try Etiquette Bleue. Also a must try if you like Profumum Roma´s Alba or Parfumerie Generale´s Cadjmere.


Etiquette Bleue is an unisex even though I think it´s leaning toward feminin, but anyway would work well on men. I think Etiquette Bleue could be a perfect summer scent, especiallt if you´re looking for something not so fresh and aquatic.


Have you tried anything else from D'Orsay? Is there another scent from D'Orsay that I shouldn´t miss? I do suspect that they might have other interesting and really nice scents to offer. Parfums D'Orsay is a small perfume brand that´s really deserve more attention than I´ve notice that they got.




Pic: Flickr

To find the right perfume.

I belive that most people that read my blog are as interested in perfumes as I am. I belive that most people that read my blog also orders samples from abroad without hesitation and knows where to find cheap, but well knowned perfumes on the net. I also belive that most people that reads my blog have bought one or two perfumes at Ebay. But I belive that people that read my blog quite seldom buy their perfumes at the shops in their home town.


This isn´t for you. No, this is for those of yopu that ends up on my blog by accident and that really think it´s difficult to chose the right scent. And, that want´s only one or maybe two different perfumes. at least for now. And, that makes it even more important to chose the right one!


At first, you might belive that I think that everything you can buy in the perfume shop in your small home town is bad and boring. But that isn´t really true. I´ve got a lot of perfumes that are available in most little towns. But, I have the same problems as everyone else, to know which of them that are really good. Usually I have got tips from some perfume interested friend.


These tips are most aimed to find a perfume in an average perfume shop in a ordinary small town.


Step one: Maybe you got some favorite perfume. The easiest would be to buy another one, but you want something a little different. Then, ask the clerk to show you some perfumes that resembles the one you like. If the clerk can´t do this, go to another shop.


Step two: Maybe you want something totally different from your old fav. And you know what you like, roses, vanilla, warm woods, hot spices or lilly of the valley, mint or cinnamon? Chose one or two notes that you would like your perfume to have and ask the clerk to show you some scents with for instant roses and vanilla.


Step three: Now it´s time to spray the scents on the teststrips. Mark them with the names and sniff. At first you will smell some alcohol, but if it´s still there at second sniff together with something familiar to hairspray, you can leave those test strips. Now you got five left.


Step four: Now you sniff your five strips in order. After about half and hour to an hour the scent is different. Maybe, one or two isn´t so pleasant any more. When you arrive at home, you got three strips left.


Step five: The one´s that left smells actually quite good, but maybe one isn´t as good as the other two?


Step six: With only two strips left, it´s time to get back to the shop. Now you can test the two remaining on your skin. While walking around the town, which of the scents are you sniffing the most? Maybe that´s the one you should chose? Or maybe you find that you like them as much. Take both, after all it´s years since you last bought a perfume!


Step seven: Maybe it´s now you discover that perfimes are quite expensive. If you dare I recommend you to try to find your perfume on the net. Ebay is a good starting point or one of many places that sells discounted perfumes.


Do you still feel a bit lost and confused? Maybe you can ask for advice on one of the perfume forums? www.fragrantica.com for instant, you will get a lot of advice since perfume lovers like to get aksed about perfumes. But, they can also be a bit confusing since ten perfume nerds will recommend you 87 different perfumes. :P


You´re welcome to ask me if you want, I´ll help if I can.

Pic: flickr

Parfums D'Orsay - Tilleul

I found me a little jewel. Is it green? Oh yes. Is it floral? Oh yes. Is it aquatic? Oh yes? Is it warm? Oh yes. Is it simple? Oh yes. Is it a soliflor? Oh yes. Is it complex? Oh yes. Is it aromatic? Oh yes. Is it sensual? Oh yes. Is it fantastic? Oh yes.


The perfume I ramble about is Parfums D'Orsay´s Tilleul. Tilleul is linden blossom (lime blossom) in french. And linden blossom tea and madeleine cookies are quite reputable. Writen about by Marcel Proust and I don´t have anything to add. I can´t hardly remember that I have drink linden blossom tea or eat madeleine cookies. Even though I feel a sudden urge to do so very soon for some reason. :)


Parfums D'Orsay maybe needs a little closer presentation? At least it is a perfume house that have escape my radar until now. But, sometimes it is so much fun to have something left to discover. Parfums D'Orsay is named after the Chevalier D'Orsay a very famous french dandy that lived and loved during the first half of 1900 th century. One of his main interests was to create perfumes...


But, the beautful Tilleul isn´t one of his creation, but a creation of -in our time quite famous nose- Olivia Giacobetti. The house of D'Orsay was brought to life 1995, after a long period of vegetation. The today produced Tilleul is the third in order, and even if perfume lovers usually is skeptic when it comes to re-formulations, non of the before Tilleuls can have been more beautiful than this one! I would go as far as to say that this very well can be the most stunning scent created by Olivia Giacobetti. And I can´t understand why it isn´t mentioned more frequently?


Tilleul starts of with ripe citrus and watermelon, and this isn´t that kind of sweet almost overly ripe kind of melon you find in some scents. No, this is kind of green citruses and green water melon mixed with something else green and crispy... yes, cucumber is also a part of the top notes in Tilleul. Wha? Melon and cucumber, I know some of you frown now. But this is actually really lovely, and soon the smell of melon and cucumber get accompanied by the smell of linden blossom tea -or at least I belive so- and also some other fresh florals.


Despite that I´m not being that familiar with linden blossom, I at once recognise the smell that I interpret as linden blossom. But, even though Tilleul is much of a soliflor it is also stunningly complex and build around several notes since the genuin scent of linden blossom is hard to capture from linden blossom alone. there is also some violet notes in it and some herby notes that I think could be anise and then crowned by the aromatic scent of hay! Well. Tilleul only gets better and better.


It´s everything I wrote above and a little more. It´s timeless and could fit women (it´s rather feminine but of course a man can try it also!) in all ages. I can hardly imagine a more beautful casual scent, and at the same time so soft and peaceful it can hardly irritate anyone.


Generally, some soliflors can be a little to simple and almost boring, but Tilleul isn´t anything like that. Tilleul manage to be both light, comfy, simple but also very complex and interesting if you give it a closer sniff. And it can take to be studied, it smells even better with the nose attached to the wrist! Despite the complexity of Tilleul, it still manage to make me think of it as a genuin interprention of linden blossom.


Tilleul has good sillage and more than good longvity. The dry down becomes warm, aromatic and remind me of dry tea in the pot. Tilleul is also a kind of laid back sensual scent, which I belive isn´t that common in this kind of fragrances. Now, when i wear it in the end of february, it promise me that it will be a spring this year also, no matter a very snowy winter. But, I do belive Tilleul can be nice to wear no matter what season. Shortly speaking, this is a must try! A master piece. Maybe you have allready tried D'Orsay´s Tilleul? Or do you have any other favorite linden blossom scent?


Otherwise I was visiting Stockholm yesterday and held Agonist The Infidels-bottle in my hand. Oh, it was sooo heavy. And really nice and interesting also, much better than the pics. It´s the size of a large perfume bottle and when the girl in the shop open the monter I smelled the scent of The Infidels. If you stop by NK in Stockholm or Gothenbeurg, please go and take a look.


I also stopped by PomPom Parlour, the shop that retails Paul&Joe cosmetics, but unfortunatly they didn´t have the perfumes. But, howvere, they will get them (both Blanc and Bleu) during spring, so I guess I have to visit the shop again.


Yesterday was such a nice day, and when I got back from Stockholm my sample vials (and some other wished-for things) finally has make it to me. So soon I will go decanting The Infidels and post it to the winners of the drawing.



Pic: French Gardening

Robert Piguet - Bandit

Imagine that you fell asleep while sunbathing in the garden. When you wake up you´re all covered up with moss, wine and other green scrubs. The likelyhood that such a thing would happen is probably minimal, if you´re not in the south eastern parts of the US. Here, big areas of the landscape has been invaded by kudzu an extremly fast growing and aggressive plant originally from Japan.


Kudzu was brought to US in early 20th century to stop soil erosion. And the circumstances for kudzu was great and since the 50ies it has been looked at as a hard to extinguish weed. Kudzu dresses trees, plants, roads and abandoned buildings and cars with green garlands.


When I´m wearing two drops of Robert Piguets classic scent Bandit (1944) I´ve got the feeling to be dressed in a green armour. This is so dark green that it´s border to blackish, it embrasive, strong, bitter and huge. It´s like the smell of grass, nettle, moss and other herbs have been blown up many times. Bandit is greenery in macro. On me it becomes to much, to bitter, almost suffcating, two drops are almost to much of it.


Except moss and lots of green nettles, Bandit also smells of rough leather and aromatic herbs. Bandit has good sillage and great lasting power. I could take a bath and still be able to smell Bandit afterwords. Bandit is that dominating and powerful that it is as hard to disregard as a hole in a toath or a stone in the shoe. I promse I don´t look as contempt as the lady at the pic when I am surrounded by Bandit...


On the husband, Bandit smells totally OK, it´s not one of his favorites but he tolerates it. As usual it´s likes his skin swallows the worst of bitterness and screaming greenery. No, Bandit sure not become a soft or cozy scent on him, but at least interesting and exciting instead of sharp, suffocating and brisk.


I´ve heard of people that in the middle of bandit being able to find clear and light pureness, but I´m not one of them even though I´ve tried. The basenote is softer then the rest, but still not soft enough for my taste. Still, I think Bandit is worth to try, maybe you´re one of few lucky one´s that are able to find the "eye of the storm" in it.


Otherwise I have to admit that my thoughts have been wondering away from the classics a little. Yesterday I was interviewed by a journalist from the local newspaper. She had found my blog while searching for nerd+Nyköping and I was the NO 1 hit. It was really funny though, we had a good conversation about perfumes and a little this and that (I´m not good to stick to the subject). Maybe I will wake up some sleeping perfumistas thanks to the article!? :)


And, I have been totally captured by a small and soft soliflor! More about that soon. And it will be some Hollywood-glamour on the blog also soon. Really exciting. And those of you that won the drawing of The Infidels-samples, I´ve not forgot you, I´m waiting for my sample vials to arrive!


Tomorrow I´ll go to Stockholm and meet an old friend of mine (that I found through Facebook) and probably I´ll do some perfume-hunting as well...


Pic: Gardenlife

Rip-off?

The last days I´ve, besides of trying some classic perfumes, thought about rip-offs. Rip-offs, copys and fakes and of course, particullary in the perfume buisness.


Of course I know that Ebay (and Swedish Tradera) are overflown by cheap budget versions of well knowned perfumes. And this is a obvious attempt to mimic the original, names and the colors of the bottles are very close to the original scent. The biggest different is the quality. A budget copy maybe (?) smells good for the first ten minutes, but that´s about it. Usually this kind of scents also lack staying power and complexity. But in this case, it must be obvious to most people that you got what you´re paying for. Even though the quality is poor, maybe the scent still is good enough for a teenager with not that much money.


But moving up a little in quality and performance. The celebrity scent trend seem to be here to stay and it seems to be hundreds of celebrities trying to do almost the same thing as their succesfull predecessors. After all, perfumes that have borrow the name from a famous pop-icon sells stunningly well. Everyone want´s to smell like a celebrity and they all smell like some kind of synthetic floralfruity syrup sweet or as it´s best, some kind of floralwoodymusk. The look of the celebrity scents are also quite similar, pink with bling-bling and prints of stars, lace or hearts all over are very popular. The few among celebrities that refuses to put their name on such a mix and support a little more different scent also have to put up with not selling as good...


And all the usual suspects, no of course I mean all the usual mainstream scents. If floral fruity is the thing everyone do floral fruity. Very small varieties as it´s a winning concept. The few times I´ve actually tried several such scents at the same thing, I can´t remeber any of them only a few thing later. They´re all similar to some super sweet overly fruity hairspray kind of scent. No personality or memorable feauture what so ever. When Thierry Muglers Angel arrived, of course every one had to have some kind of fruity gourmand patchouli. Despite that, I think the Angel wannabee´s not really become copies, but still quite similar, of course.


Personally I think that for instant People of the Labyrinths Luctor et Emergo and Kenzo Amour are very much like each other. Kenzo Amour Le Parfum on the other hand smells exactly like Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan during the dry down. And Ambre Sultan are so similar to Andy Tauers L'Air du Desert Marocain, but the Tauer scent isn´t as sweet. And all those fragrances I try and discover that they remind of some other perfume and then trying to figure out which scent it is.


But no, I don´t think that dedicated perfumers are so likely to comit conscious plagiarizing. But, imagine how not so fun it would be to work with a scent for long time and then it´s time to present it for co-workers and testers and all of them say -Hmmmm, it do smell really good, but it smells exactly like *some other fragrance all ready existing. What to do? No single human can keep up with all the released scents!?


Since I´m only try the perfumes, and not so familiar with how to actually create perfumes, I have no idea how easy or difficult it is to make an allready existing scent all over again. Maybe less than some milliliters of some ingredience are all that take to make two similar scents very un-similar?


Do you have some perfumes that are very much alike other perfumes that you´ve tried? Maybe you even discover some perfumes that are so similar that you can´t really tell them apart? Do you know if there is any rules that state how like two perfumes can be, legally? Or maybe you just want to say that those cheap scents for 5 euro at Ebay are really much better than one can think.



Pic: uhr.forum.de

Guerlain - Jicky

Have you heard about Jicky? It´s said that she was an older English relative of the oriental beauty Shalimar. First Jicky was a charming girl surrounded by the smell of lavender, roses and citrus fruits. And maybe she would have stayed that way if she didn´t meet that Guerlain fellow...


Well, some people even called it a scandal. Jicky become different, wild and ill-behaved. Her poor parents didn´t really know what to do. And the smell that surrounding Jicky now... oh lord...


But her parents was hearty people and thought that problems where there to be solved. So they decided to send Jicky of to the colonies. To an aunt in Bomaby as a matter of fact. That would solve the problem they thought.


But no, not really. Jicky rumbled around in Bombay as a whirl vind, visiting the wrong places and hanging out with the wrong people. It could have ended really bad.


But then, a beautful day, Jicky meet this Indian maharadja guy. A really handsome, darkeyed and oh so beautiful maharadja. And they fell in love. The maharadja was swept away by Jickys spontaneous charm and independence. And Jicky was knocked off her feets by the maharadjas beauty and kindness. The settle down at the maharadjas palace at the Indian country side and decided to grow vanilla, surrounded by the jungle and it´s warm, aromatic scents. I´ve herad they´ve got a lot of kids also, at least 7-8 wild little one´s.


Maybe I´m not supposed to joke about Jicky? Here we got a perfume that in all kinds are of historical importance. One of the first ever to use chemical components in perfume and one of the oldest (Jicky was born 1889) perfumes that are still in production. But theres is little left to say about an iconical scent that have survived for over 100 years.


Jicky isn´t a big favorite of mine. I do understand that it is an amazing scent in it context, but it don´t suit me that well. The top notes are fresh and aromtic, but then that civet note comes and honestly, it smells like shit on me. From some distant I don´t experience it that way, but I´m that kind of person that really like to smell my perfumes up close.


After a while (hours that is) the civet note softens up and the basenote is warm, oriental and comfy and with some similarities to Shalimar. But, while Shalimar is a favorite, Jicky isn´t. Jicky is kind of a pale and washed out forerunner in my opinion.


Jicky sure is longlasting and as Tabac Blond it works on both men and women and it isn´t age specifik either. Jicky has that timeless character and I think it works in many different surrondings, but not on that big party perhaps.


Jicky is a must try for each and everyone that is interested in perfume history. As a scent it´s a key to understand how the modern perfumes has developed. For you that allready have tried Jicky, favorite or blablabla?





Pic: Small pictures

Caron - Tabac Blond (extrait)

Finally I´ve dare to test Caron´s classic Tabac Blond. Among the classic perfumes still in production, Tabac Blond could be the most loved, at least among perfume lovers. When it first released in 1917, it was the first scent for ladies with leather note.


Now I´ve tried Tabac Blond for a little less then a week. the first time I used it I still has that cold and was not sure that I get the scent right. It wasn´t really as I expected... or it was to much what I´ve expected. No, no I wasn´t at all sure.


I´ve been both frightened and agog to try Tabac Blond. What if I don´t get it? Or if it as good as every one else thinks.


Well?


Yayaya! It´s really, really good! But it is almost too good... but not in the way I was expecting!


Tabac Blond could be the perfume of all the perfumes. To me, Tabac Blond smells archetypic. In some magical way it manage to blend together every piece that makes a scent good and mix, masterly, it in only one scent. Timeless, classic, elegant and still so friendly that most people would feel greeted by it.


On me, Tabac Blond, starts with lots of carnations, and despite that carnation is a quite frequent used note in perfumes, I´ve never cared so much about them... but now... wow... that carnations can smell that good. So beautiful, warm, floral, but still interesting. On me, the note of leather is in the background all the time. It is there, but discrete, like oily well-used old leather, more like a worn out favorite saddle than a rough leather jacket. All notes in Tabac Blond are really well mixed together and no one seem to dominate, all supprot each toher to a smoth, warm, sensual soft wholeness. But not at all to soft or wimpish, there is more than enough of edge and charisma in Tabac Blond to seduce even to most dainty parfumistas and epicures.


Tabac Blond on men? Yes please. This is, as I said, a perfume that would suit most people, not beacuse of it´s neautral charm, but beacause of it´s magnificent radiance. I am not that young any more, but I don´t find Tabac Blond to be an old lady scent. I dare anyone to call it that! No, a few drops of Tabac blond could make anyone more beautiful, more daring, more interesting and more elegant. Yes, elegant above all, maybe that´s part of why yesterday celebrities like Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, Humprey Bogart, Chaterine Hepburn, Grace Kelley, Audrey Hepburn and Errol Flynn was so outmost elegant, while todays celebrities like Beyonce, Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, 50 Cent, P. Diddy and whatever they call them selves are a lot of thing, but not so much elegant, all of them wear perfumes smellling like stale fruity soda pop!


I think of Tabac Blond as a scent that can contribute something to everyone. If Tabac Blond isn´t on your "must try-list" yet, make room for it! And for all of you that have tried Tabac Blond long ago, what in this wonderful scent has catch you? And is it any blog reader out there that have tried it and not being convinced???


Tabac Blond is longlasting, and the basenote is like a golden, warm balm that stays on your skin and warm it up for a long time. I will never been without it this anymore! The dream would be to get my very own bottle directly from one of those gorgeus Caron urns (see the pic).


I will focus on some of the classics on the blog now, so look out if you want to hear about Mitsouko, Bandit and Jicky...






Pic: Taken by a blog reader

Four winners!

OK, I have draw four winners of a small sample each of Agonist The Infidels. And the winners are: Emmanuel, Indigo, Teolinda and Laura. Congrats!


Send your adress to my e-mail and I will send the samples to you. To the rest of you I have to wish better luck next time.


My cold is about to end, and I´m so happy about that. Because I´ve got so many interesting scents to try, among others Carons Tabac Blond (Yes, it´s true I haven´t tried it before)

Another draw!

Yes, it happens to be time for another draw again. I have a quite big sample of The Infidels and would love to share with some of my readers. It is such a rare scent so I decided to draw 4 winners for four mini samples with about 0,5 ml each. I think it would be nice if this scent could be tested/tried by some real perfume lovers. And since it is a really powerful scent, 0.5 ml would be enough to get familiar with The Infidels.


But, this time I want something from you as well. I want the winners to share their opinions about The Infidels with me (either as a comment here at the blof or if you prefer, you can write me a mail). I think it would be so much fun to hear other perfume lovers opinion about this scent.


Well, a draw for four little 0,5 ml samples of The Infidels. I will draw the winners on monday morning 8 february. Good Luck!


And I´ve got this bad cold, my olfactory sense isn´t what it used to be. I can still smell, but nothing smells the same as usual. Some well known perfumes smells totally different, some notes are totally gone while other notes I haven´t hardly noticed before suddenly seem to be dominating. It´s really strange and interesting, this really makes me understand how different people can experience the same scent in so many different ways.

Agonist - The Infidels

The scent The Infidles is created in co-opeartion with the parfumer Eric Morlado in Grasse, France. Top notes: Black currant, green cumin and bergamot. Heart notes: Magnolia, tonka and lavender. Base notes: Patchouli, amber and labdanum.


The first time I tested The Infidels I was greated by a top note with smokey, rubbery oudh, but I could also smell the bergamott and cumin. But the oudh note took me by surprise, very prominent and more reminding of the oudh in Le Labo than the oudh usually found in Montale. After that The Infidels transported me to a dark, medical and animalic place. I sensed a lot of different animalic notes, harsh musk, rough leather and cat. Everything in The Infidels smells very dense and saturated. More like a very concentrated perfume oil, then a spritzy eau de parfum (which The Infidels are).


I do not feel any magnolia or lavender at all. The heart notes, on my skin, are all about different dirty, skanky and erotic notes. And very strong that is, maybe this is what musk could smell like if it was from wild tigers or Tyranosaurus Rex? I´m glad that the base note offers some rest from the overwhelmingly animalic notes. Still, The Infidels are a very strong scent, but now softened up a little by amber and labdanum.


Time to try it on my husband. Oh? Hmm, well!? He makes it like a condensed version of Guerlain´s Shalimar. It could be a flanker for the original Shalimar or a predecessor, I can also smell some similarities to Jicky. But, The Infidels are much more sticky, raw and, on my husband also, much more animalic. But, on my husband I can snese the notes of magnolia and lavender. But that is a magnolia that hardly keep floating on a surface of dark, deep currents.


Have to try it on myslef again. And now, I can smell the similarity to Shalimar on my skin as well, even though not as prominent as on my husband. But, instead of being killing animalic, it´s now more of killing woody. Now it´s all about sticky resin, warm and dry woods and in such a concentrated form it is fantastic that The Infidels still are running. This time I can also smell soft, aromatic spices, especially cinnamon that is really nice. The base notes isn´t as strong, but also not as soft as last time. This is a strange scent.


My middle daughter and her boyfriend escapes the room when I try to make them smell The Infidels and the poor dog roars a little and hide under the bed. I´m surprised that I can wear this perfume without getting my skin stained or even burned...


The Infidels is a scent that etas you alive. A few drops are all that´s needed to make you enter the secret world of The Infidels for quite a good while, cause this is a scent with incredible lasting power. I think that The Infidels smells partly really good, but it´s really demanding to wear it and I think of it as an interesting scent more than a scent to wear casual. I´ve tried The infidels sevreal times, and it is a fragrances in constant change. It smells partly different each time I wear it. And once again I´ve encountered a perfume that smells much softer and more comfortable on my husbands skin than on mine. He could wear The infidels without problem, but for me it´s the other way around, The Infidels wears me.


The Infidels make me think of: Shalimar, Jicky, Musc Koublai Khan, Musc Ravegeur, Neil Morris Gotham, Dzing!, L'air du desert Marocain and other strong potent scents.


I think a lot about if the people that will buy The Infidels will like the scent? Swedish design is big in Japan, but it´s hard to imagining that The Infidels as a scent will make it in Japan. Also in the US a scent with such strong, dirty animalic notes would be hard to sell I think. Maybe the bottles just ends up as decor in some rather wealthy peoples living room shelfs?


What is your opinion on this kind of art/perfume projects? Would you consider to buy a piece of The Infidels? Why? Or why not?






Pic: artfromancientlands.com

Agonist

What is Agonist? I first come across Agonist last summer on another perfume blog when I called for some scents with Nordic inspiration and starting-point. Someone mentioned Agonist, but the name was misunderstod and I looked for it with no succes (honestly I belived the name was Agnostic). Since I didn´t find any information I kind of forgot about it until one of my blog readers mentioned Agonist.


And with the right name it become much easier to find information. Agonist is a Nordic perfume brand, inspired by melancholy and beauty in film, art and poetry from Bergman, Boye and Garbo and other iconized characters from Swedish culture.


Agonist creates fragrances that project the Nordic climat, clear and pure, but still with weight and beautiful low tones. Agonist co-operates with skilled parfumers in Grasse, France to incarnate their fragrant visions. And, with much importance, Agonist perfumes are then embraced by beautiful glass created by glass-artist Åsa Jungnelius at Kosta Boda, one of swedens oldest and most prestigious glassworks.


I haven´t yet experienced the beautiful bottles "for real" but I hope that I will, when I go to Stockholm in a coupple of weeks.


In the pictures above: The Infidels, glass art in two copies, one sculpture at NK Stockholm and the other at NK Gothenburg.


The more basic bottle of The Infidels that can be bought at NK or at Agonist homepage.


A pic of Kallocain, Agonist first fragrance. Manufactured in 20 copies and sold out.


If you want to know more about Agonist perfumes and other reflections about Agonist you can visit their home page: www.agonistparfums.com


I am a perfume lover, not an art critic, and that makes it a little hard for me to relate to perfumes in bottles consist of only two copies and sold for about 3000 euro. Who are the targeted group? Art collectors or perfume collectors? Or both? As a perfume lover I become a little afraid that the perfume experience will be shadowed bu the glass art. At the same time I find the concept innovative and far from the Swedish "just enough-mentality". I think it´s brave, and I do not doubt that Agonist will find buyers. Even though I as a perfume lover rather strive to more perfume in more affordable bottles, I do recognise the beauty and creativity to let a scent take such a big spot in a piece of art. I want more of that, in many different ways.


I am sorry that I didn´t find Agonist before their first scent, Kallocain was sold out. The name is after a novel by a great Swedish writer, Karin Boye, and the novel that is a dystopic, kallocain is a thruth drug. Oh, so cool to try a perfume inspired by Karin Boye and Kallocain.


If I´m having a hard time relate to the glass art, the names of Agonist perfumes are much easier to relate to for me. Both Kallocain, but also The Infidels wakes curiosity, imagination and interest. I am really curious about what Agonist will come up with here after?


But, as you all know, the most important to me isn´t the names or the bottles, but the perfume it self. And how do The Infidels smell? Well, I´ve thought about it for a week now, so I hope I can share it with you tomorrow or any day soon. Don´t miss it!