2010 Toplist

I´ve had an incredible nice and cozy Christmas holiday and I sure hope you had that too. It isn´t that original to write a toplist today (all the perfume blogs seem to have it today!), but great minds think alike or something like that.

I also realised that my last post was a bit wrong, of coure it was a wishlist for 2011 and nothing else. I´m always a bit confused when the new year is coming and write the old year for a month at least. But this toplist is of course for perfume that I´ve tested during 2010.

I´ve tried a lot of fragarnces, but probably not really as many as during 2009. It seem my perfume interest has entered a new phase. I still gets a lot of samples, but I´ve been moving on to decants, split bottles and full bottles even more. I´ve also noticed that the more I´ve tried the more it takes to impresse me.

Fragrances that I´ve tried during 2010 and that really manage to capture my interest and that I want more of (or allready have more of):

January 2010: Histoires de Parfums - Tubereuse Animale. Wonderful, warm, full bodied, animalic, leathery, spicy with some tuberose elements. A demanding scent, but also so unique that it doesn´t remind of anything else. This I have a decant of, but wouldn´t mind more.

February: Parfums D'Orsay - Tilleul. I fell in love with this green, soft, sweet, complex linden blossom fragarnces and could hardly think about anything else for a month. To me this is a spot on late winter/early spring kind of scent so I didn´t wanted it as bad later during the year, but I suspect I´ll have cravings for it soon.

Agonist - The Infidels. Warm complex, animalic, strong, retro and all together wonderful fragrance from the Swedish brand Agonist that co-operate with glass artist Åsa Jungnelius frpm Costa Boda. Amazing multi dimensional scent that is hard to forget about, hopefully I´ll have more of it soon. :)))

March: Farmacia Annunziata - Ambra Nera. The most wonderful amber scent I´ve ever tried. I would easily go for a full bottle of this if I didn´t happened to stumble upon those Egyptian perfume oils. A MUST TRY for amber lovers.

April: Simone Cosac - Trama. Could be the best rose scent ever. The opening of this svent is among the best openings ever (also!!!) and it´s gorgeous. 100% realistic scent of how it´s smell when you unwrap a rose bouquet. I liked Perle di Biance, but Trama is even better on my skin. I´ve got some remainings in a tiny sample, but probably will need more of it. Also a absolute must try for anyone that wopuld like to be impressed by a rose scent.

Hors La Monde - Shiloh. Tart citrus, creamy flowers and oakmoss. Wonderful, and classic, strong, longlasting and modd lifting. This years birthday fragrance. This I recommend to everyone looking for modern scents with classical elements.

May: Was dominated by the super exclusive Xerjoff line. And even though I melted as snow in sunshine for several of the scents, I seem to be not really as impressed any longer. Partly thanks to the price tag as I realise I´ll probably never could afford a bottle of any of them. Despite that, I do think every perfume lover should give at least some of the scents a try. They are really worth trying.

July: La Collina Toscana - Girasole del Poggio. Sunshine in bottle, full bodied, nutty, creamy and very different flowery scent. Still got my sample, but when that is gone I´ll probably get more of it since it don´t remind of anything else. Very quirky.

September: Andrea Maack - Craft and Sharp. Interesting, personal, cold and Nordic scents fromicelandic artist Andrea Maack. I´ve got a bottle of Craft and wouldn´t mind splitting a bottle of Sharp. Really good pricepoint also.

Serge Lutens - Bas de Soie. Aquatic, strange floral with slimy elements. I haven´t yet figured out why I like it, but I do! Have some remainings in a bottle, probably will get more. It´s like a likeable version of Secretions Magnifique.

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Nuit de Tuberesue. First I liked it, then I didn´t. Now I´m back to lking it again. I´ve used my little spray sample much more the I belived I would do. It´s a winner in the long run and I wouldn´t mind splitting a bottle of it eventually. Different and cool version of tuberose. Works well on men too.

October: Amouage - Memoir Woman. Gothic, sad and a little melancholic. My big fave from Amouage. The question is if I ever could afford it?

My bargain of Egyptian perfume oils was a big and wonderful surprise also during october. Four out of five oils smells fantastic.

And not to be forgotten about: Etat Libre d'Orange´s Like This. It was SO close to be this years Christmas perfume (present), but the I found a bottle of Cuir Beluga for a really good price. I don´t regret buying Cuir Beluga, but I do wonders a lot about how to get me a big bottle of Like This as soon as possible. This is a MUST TRY!

Also two scents that I´ve used a lot:

Guerlains Cuir Beluga. I don´t think I have use one scent as much and as often as Cuir Beluga since the time when I use to have one signature scent at the time. According to me Cuir Beluga fits on all occations. Totally fabulous.

And Costume National´s 21, discovered at NK in may and re-discovered during autumn. Such a comfy scent with great personality. Have a decant of it and will buy more when it ends.

One thing that strikes me when I´m looking on my top list scents is that they are really different from each other. From soft, aquatic florals to bold animalic leathers and sweet gourmands and spicy orientals. I have a varied taste in perfumes and during 2010 I´ve learn to like oakmoss as well and also some vintage scents.

Of course I haven´t enjoyed all that ve tried. For instant the line of Boadicea the Victorious failed to impresse me, to many and to un-interesting.

Honore des Pres made a nice thing and gave away samples of Vamp a NY and I got one of them. Unfortunatly the scent wasn´t my style at all even though a lot of people seem to like it.

I also tried all scents from Czech & Speake and only one, Dark Rose was worth mentioning. Nice, but boring.

Annick Goutal´s Ninfeo Mio with an opening so beautiful and and dry down so hideous. Big dissapointment.

What has captured your interest during 2010? Some dissapointments? Some big fave or several? Have you tried some fragarnce that you haven´t reed about here but that you suggest me to try? What are you looking forward to try in the beginning of 2011?

I´m very curious about the new Serge Lutens that is said to smell like toast. And L'Artisan´s Traversee du Bosphore which sound interesting as well. And I have just found out about a very special scent that I really must try.

Happy New Year to all my lovely readers!

Pic: tacomadowntown

Some autumn favorites 2010

While the wind is amusing itself by blowing all the leaves from the trees and the rain is amusing itself by turning the same leaves to a brownish gunk I amuse myself by thinking about what fragarnces I´ve used most during this autumn (september-october that is).

Autumn is a perfect season for perfumes, maybe the only time of year when I don´t think about or longing for the perfumes I will wear next season. Then I don´t care about seasons and scents at all some days, it´s a question about mood.

It feels like a lot of things have happened since last autumn. I have "discovered" oakmoss and suddenly that note is in a lot of my favorite scents. Even scents with quite prominent oakmoss character! Safron, milky notes and a lot more perfumes with floral notes then last autumn is also among them.

Most of them all I think I´ve used Costume Nationals 21, I´ve got a big spray sample but it´s almost empty now and are waiting for a decant, which I hope arrive any day now! Anyway, I´ll need a big bottle of this eventually.

Super expensive and super wonderful Cuir Beluga has also been of much use, my little decant have not much left. Tonka Imperiale that I bought at the same time haven´t been used at all as much. I msut have more of Cuir Beluga, it´s worth every cent!

All different Poison-varietys have been used a lot (most maybe Pure Poison, but not so much Hypnotic Poison) My stash of Pure Poison was enhanced this week also!

And my vintage Zibeline, what a hit! This is pure comfort and also both elegant and classic, pure bliss.

I´ve also used La Sirena from Carthusia almost of the same reason as Zibeline, warm, comfy and very rich smelling.

My birtday present Shiloh has been of much use as well, not so much a comfort scent as a pick me up scent, perfect to use in the morning when it´s dark and gloomy outside. The basenote in this is to die for. I wonder if oakmoss is addictive?

24 Faubourg from Hermes is something I discovered just recently even though I have had it for a long while, now it has clicked.

Serge Lutens Un bois vanille and Muscs Koublai Khan I have used a lot also and as usual Frederic Malles Carnal Flower.

I´ve jts got a wished for sample of Paul & Joe´s Blanc and it seem promising. I also can´t stop using Andrea Maacks Sharp and now they are available at COW in Stockholm, I have to go there and watch them the next time I´m in Stockholm (which will be next weekend hopefully!).

I haven´t used L'Artisan´s Nuit de Tubereuse SO much, but I´ve thought about it a lot. Some L'Artisan scents seem to behave this way, I don´t think that I like them SO much, but still I can´t stop thinking about them. I know Nuit de Tubereuse becoming a little masculine on me, but hey, I don´t think I give a damn about it any more!

perfumes I used a lot last autumn, but not this: Borneo 1834, Le Labo Labdanum 18 and By Kilian´s Back to Black.

What have you been wearing this autumn? New faves? Old darlings? If you would recommend only one perfect autumn scent, which would it be?

Pic: Winter trees without leaves, layoutsparks.com

I forgot!

I don´t what it depends on, but I usually forget about one or two scents when I´m thinking through which perfumes I´ve been using most frequently during a period. Maybe it´s because I´m getting older?


Anyway, the perfume I forgot about is D'Orsay´s Tilleul and it more then deserve a place on my spring top list since I´ve used my little spray sample very much. I wonder how I´ll do when it´s nothing left? I kind of plan to ask someone living in France to buy a bottle for me...

Spring favorites

It´s almost mid-april and there is still snow left here. A spring toplist feels a little more far away than usual this spring. And where I live the spring doesnt look anything like the pic above, yet... But I guess it´ll be a nice spring this year too, eventually.


On monday my parents arrive here, my fathers 75'th birthdays is around the corner and I wish the weather to become a little bit better when they arrive, usually when they´re here in april the spring is beautiful with flowers and butterflies.


I test a lot of perfumes, but now and then I also manage to wear the scents I like the most. And now i then I also discover which scents i truly like the most, sometimes a perfume I loved when trying it for the first time become left in my drawers when I shall chose a favorite scent for the day. That is so strange.


Fisrt place this period is anything with amber(gris), I´ve lamost drown myself in ambery svents during march, Farmacia SS Annunziata´s Ambra Nera, Montale´s Blue Amber, Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan (this manage to sneak in to every toplist, no matter time of year!) and Laboratorio Olfattivo´s Alambar and Cozumel.


Second place is all kinds of perfume oils, I´ve got a new period of perfume oil obsession in the end of march. So I´ve wear anything I have found in my drawers such as Opus Oil´s Tramp and Jitterbugg, BPAL´s Alice, Wanda and Harvest Moon, Scent by the Sea´s Sweet Hashish and an incredible jummy body oil from Perle di Bianca that I´ve used on my hands every day. I´ve even ordered "imps" (samples) from BPAL together with my oldest daughter, I guess they´ll arrive sometime during summer!


Third place is to anything with smell of "old" makeup, dust and kind of theater behind the scene feeling like Hilde Soliani´s Vecchi Rosetti, Histoire des Parfums Moulin Rouge 1889, and I´m sure Lorenzo Villoresi´s Musk would have make it, but it´s a little new, to me, yet.


Fourth place is to my beloved Guerlain-decants, Cuir Beluga and Tonka Imperiale, I still think Cuir Beluga smells best, but then Tonka Imperiale is the more interesting of the two.


Fifth place is warm, oriental florals like Estee Lauder´s Amber Ylang Ylang, Guerlain´s Insolence, Rochas Tocade and Cristobal Balenciaga.


Sixth place goes to Bond No 9's Coney Island. I love it, it deserve a much better place though!


Seventh place is for Givenchy´s Ange ou Demon, love this one too.


Not even close to be on the list is anything with strong patchouli note. I know I kind of like Angel Liquer de Parfum a lot, but still, I can´t stand anything with patchouli in it for now. I do hope I´ll start liking patchouli again, usually it´s one of my favorite notes in perfume.


Now I want the spring to arrive for real, my list feels more like a late winter list than a spring list I think.


Which are your favorites during this late winter/ early spring? Have you get any new favorite and maybe abandoned an old? Or are there any single note capturing you the most?




Pic: Kathlen Luis

Winter favorites.

I´ve got a perfume that I should write about, but I hesitate. It´s really interesting, but hard to catch, both with my olfactory sense, but even worse, with words.


And it is really wintery here, yesterday morning it was -25 C cold and there is a lot of snow. I would have put in a pic from a parkway close by with the trees all covered with snow, but our computer has been through a mayor cleaning so I´ve got no idea where the picture files are.


Anyway, i saw that several other perfume bloggers have listed their winter favorites, so I decided to do that also.


Which scents has been my most used during late december and january?


ByKilians Back To Black! Yes, I don´t seem to get enough of this warm, golden, sweet honey tobacco and all I´ve got is a small decant, so I have to use it sparesly.


Hilde Solianis Bell Antonio and DoolciiisssiMO are also among my winter favs, but I still haven´t really decided which of them I like most.


Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse Animale is also a top pick. Rather demanding, but so incredible well made and different.


Bois Farine that I´ve got as a wedding present has been heavily used, both by me and the middle daughter.


And as usual, Aomassai and Lounges Profanes from Parfumerie Generale, now with so little left that I have to get more of them.


And... well... hmm... another sample with almost nothing left... Havana Vanille from L'Artisan... Yes, I know I kind of called it a dissapointment only a month ago... but really, I still would love it to smell a little MORE, but what it smells is so enchanting... And I´ve got several others from L'Artisan that I though was very weak at first, but that have grown on me. Like Bois Farine, now I can´t really understand how I could think it was weak at first.


Do you have any winter favorites? And do you want more snow or less?


I promise to get back with some more about that mystery perfume later...

Confessions of a perfume snob.

Maybe I should change name on my blog? To "Confessions of a perfume snob" instead? I have thought a little about this lately. I chose to call myself a perfume nerd, because I think of myself as a quite nerdy person over all, not only when it comes to perfumes.


To be a nerd can even sound a little cute, someone that is so much into something and very entusiastic about it. Like me with perfumes...


Perfumista sounds a little more edgy and sharp, and like someone going hand in hand with the fashionista, and that is as far away from me as it is possible to get. And as little as I care about current trends, as little do I care and know about current best sellers in perfumes. Or up till know, I just checked up the most best selling perfumes (in Sweden) and except of the Carolina Gynning perfumes, I think the top list could be very similar almost all over the (western)world.


Kicks top lis:
1) D&G 3 L'Impératrice Edt
2) DKNY Fresh Blossom Edp
3) Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy
4) Carolina Gynning Go Girl Edt
5) Britney Spears Fantasy Edp



Åhlens top list:
1) Carolina Gynning Go Girl Edt
2) DKNY Fresh Blossom
3) Lancome Hypnose Senses
4) DKNY Be Delicious
5) Britney Spears Fantasy


And, you know what, I have only tried one of those perfumes (Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy)! I have totally no idea about what perfumes "ordinary" women wears. Imagine when they are looking for a swedish perfume blog, and find me and all they want to know is a little
more about Britney Spears latest scent, and they find all the strange and odd perfume that I write about that no one never heard of and never want to hear of either!


This isn´t something that I am alone about among perfume bloggers. I belive that most perfume bloggers also wrote about strange nicheperfumes about 70-80% of the time. As far as I know there isn´t any perfume blogger dedicated to mainstream-and best selling perfumes. The kind of perfumes easy to get in almost every small town all over the globe. And well, that makes me feel a little snobbish. Sorry!



I probably should pay a visit to Åhlens some day soon and try those perfumes on the list. I can as well try every Britney Spears scent while I´m at it. There isn´t any Kicks in our little town, so that have to wait until I visit Norrköping.


And at the same time, I sit here and wait for something so absoluty out there when it comes to perfumes, that I should be embarresed to even mention it... *innocent smile*




Pic: Carolina Gynning, a Swedish celebrity, now with her own perfume. She is similiar in style (Style? Really, or appearance) to Victoria Silvstedt, Heidi (from The Hills) or Jordan (English model).