Jicky EDT Guerlain

Desirability: A full bottle

Source: basenotes.net

Jicky EDT (bottle as above) was one of the first classical Guerlain perfumes I got my greedy mitts in the early days of my perfume craze. I didn't appreciate it much back then, my attention instead being focused on all sorts of gourmand and heavy oriental scents. Times and tastes have evolved since then. These days when life gets a bit more challenging, Jicky is one in a special "emergencies only" line-up I reach for to calm and recharge simultaneously. 

Slightly bitter, herbal green and citrusy, the first notes are loud and bracing (with a hangover one would practically think it's shrieking), not quite everyone's cup of tea I would imagine. Patience pays off quite quickly as the opening notes step aside and a gorgeous lavender conjoins with an even more gorgeous creamy vanilla and a touch of bittersweet almond/tonka...all members of the special guerlainade list of ingredients that weaves a linkage between various Guerlain perfumes. Jicky projects well with a couple of sprays but unfortunately doesn't last above the four hour mark on me. Even then, this elegant and timeless beauty is one that deserves leisurely sampling ( a quick spray and sniff won't do it justice really).

Hypnotic Poison Christian Dior

Desirability: Adoption by a more appreciative nose

Source: Fragrantica

Note: Mine is from the 2009 batch with the black cap + gold ring and "Dior" on it as opposed to the earliest version that had "Christian Dior" and the in between versions which had variations of the above. 

It starts off very strong, smelling of harsh bitter almonds that gradually loses its edges, becomes creamier and generally more pleasing but loses its volume far too fast for my liking, becoming a barely there scent by the 3rd hour of wearing. I've heard other disgruntled perfume lovers having the same problem with the later reformulations and I would have to say I share their sentiments. 

I like I don't love but it's not heartache for I've already established my favourite bitter almonds on their respective podiums. First place goes to Hilde Soliani Conaffetto and a close second to my heart is Serge Lutens' Louve. I have an almost full bottle with box if anyone is interested in Hypnotic Poison. 

Fourreau Noir Serge Lutens

Source: parfumka.pro

Source: eat-spin-run-repeat.com

The one and only lavender for me. That's probably because what I get from Fourreau Noir is a warm gourmand heaven made up of almond and lavender cookies/cupcakes/shortbread/ice-cream (insert desired sin here) and the awakened cravings sent me into a frenzy on Google searching for dessert recipes to try out this weekend which I have shared below. 

Lavender almonds.
Source: www.foodily.com

On one hand I associate lavender with apothecary potions and lotions meant to soothe the soul, on the other hand the scent of lavender takes me back to summer holidays in Provence and the Loire Valley, gorgeous old villages, sweeping countryside landscapes with fields of purple and yellow interspersed with vineyards . In Forreau Noir the lavender smells so realistic as if crushing the buds between your fingers that emit a relaxing scent both floral sweet and herbal with a hint of lemon, blending with bitter almonds, the same almond note that you find in both Louve and Rahat Loukoum but with varying amounts of bitterness. The almond in Forreau Noir is creamy as if ground to a smooth paste with salted butter ready to be made into almond shortbread. The overall picturesque image this conjures up is gamboling about in a Monet-esque field or garden under the sun with a picnic basket filled with all sorts of treats including of course almond-lavender baked goodies. 

Almond-Lemon-Lavender cupcakes.
Source: bostonsweetieblog.blogspot.com

Lavender almond tea-cakes.
Source: theliveinkitchen.com

I tried Serge Lutens' other lavender Gris Clair but similar to the cool medicinal opening of Louve it was too chilly and distant for me to love being more like a frosted morning in lavender fields. It's a personal choice but I much prefer their warmer counterparts Fourreau Noir and Rahat Loukoum respectively. 

Forreau Noir starts quite potent but its trail gets weaker over time, still remaining on skin for the better part of the day. 

Douceur de Vanille Les Néréides

Source: olivolga.com

If you've gotten tired of me going on about my obsession with bitter almonds of late, please accept my apologies and skip this as I'll be raving about yet another bitter almond. Douceur de Vanille is a very affordable and under the radar bitter almond/vanilla combination that deserves more attention.

I had forgotten my little bottle till today when being under attack by a circulating flu bug, I reached for it as it makes me feel like I just swapped my work clothes for an old and comfortable baggy tee sans restrictive brassiere. You know the feeling? Well that's Douceur de Vanille for me.

I will admit that on first application (mine is a dab bottle not spray) it was a bit of a shock. It's really harsh bitter almonds and star anise, quite medicinal and not douceur (sweetness) at all. Patience does pay and you are rewarded with the softest, subtly sweet nutty vanilla that upon sniffing makes me think of cute cherubs, kittens, babies and other cuddly things.

It is a soft scent on me throughout but it lasts a good few hours, I get about 6 hours of wear before I can't smell it anymore no matter how much hot air I puff on my skin. Highly recommend for bitter almond lovers, as despite the name, almond takes the lead. 

PHI Une Rose de Kandahar Tauer

Source: Luckyscent

I can now spray my Tauer PHI without worrying that I will run out anytime soon, when I noticed that it was back on the market and labelled a "limited release" I broke my no-buy rule and snapped one up, having been a miser with my 15 ml from an explorer set purchased in 2013. 

I love how my perspective of scents have changed from when I first got into my perfume obsession. I put it down to experience, having smelt more and learning to identify notes and their variations/combinations and still getting them wrong, re-discovering old loves and ending/starting relationships when I find a different side to them that I didn't notice/understand before. 

When I first wore PHI a year ago, I could only appreciate it as a salty musky rose, a beautiful one at that but I missed out on the rest of PHI until recently when we got re-acquainted. The opening is sour and sparkling citrus that does a quick pirouette and exits, making way for a fuzzy complex rose, made up of powdery notes, a soft and demure fruity non-screechy rose, salty musk and a light bitter almond which is similar to the almond in loukoum scents like Serge Lutens' Rahat Loukoum but it does not turn PHI into a gourmand. Fuzzy like a long-haired cat is the vibe I get from PHI. Further along the day, I smell incense and spices but at a muted volume, not like in previous Tauer creations. 

Andy Tauer wrote in his blog that the formula for PHI remains unchanged and I would agree that both my bottles smell the same. A rose like no other. 

Rahat Loukoum Serge Lutens

Source: jetsetfashionmagazine.com

Source: www.auparfum.com

I fell in love with Rahat Loukoum in Barney's New York but thankfully did not buy it (Well on hindsight, at that time I was kicking myself for not getting it but I was held back by the bell jar form, it's pretty but I'm no good with dabbing and would most likely end up pouring the entire bottle in a very costly accident). Back in Singapore and back on the daily web hunt, I found out to my eternal happiness that it's now available in the "Le Vaporisateur" form which is 2x30 ml with an included shiny jet black travel case AND it's cheaper than the bell jar would have cost me in Barney's. 

I had The People Of The Labyrinths' Luctor Et Emergo on my want list, which in short is Coca-cola's Dark Cherry Vanilla coke plus bitter almond with some smoke trails of incense in the background. Anyway, Rahat Loukoum has kicked Luctor Et Emergo off the want list and let me explain why.

Rahat Loukoum is a warmer relative of Louve, the bitter medicinal almond from Serge Lutens. It's much less sweeter than the jordan almonds in Keiko Mercheri's Loukhoum Eau Poudree (I have this out of the Loukhoum trio), doesn't have the powder of Mazzolari's Alessandro and makes me think of Luctor Et Emergo but that's not to say they are similar as they aren't really. To put it in simpler terms and in proportions,

Rahat Loukoum: amaretto + cherry + honey

Luctor Et Emergo: cherry + vanilla + almond

Comparing Rahat Loukoum with Louve, the latter gives the impression of being more aloof and bitter, whereas Rahat Loukoum would be a boozed up Louve, all flushed cheeks and warm feelings. Neither is superior to the other and both have a similar drydown that is nutty and slightly musky, bottled comfort made for snuggling. I find the projection of Rahat Loukoum to be stronger than Louve but the longevity for both are equally good.

I did a side by side testing with another of my almond loves, Hilde Soliani's Conaffetto and surprisingly after wearing Rahat Loukoum the whole day, Conaffetto seems less bitter and I can pick up the lovely orange blossom more strongly. Whereas Conaffetto smells fresh and bright, the Lutens is more boozy amaretto cherries. 

Those looking for an inexpensive substitute for Rahat Loukoum might want to sample Les Nereides' Douceur de Vanille, that is more about bitter almonds than its name suggests, with a drydown that has the equivalent effect of an anxiolytic.

All in all, it's been a fabulous day smelling of almonds.

Conaffetto Hilde Soliani

Desirability: Full bottle

Bye Bye Alessandro (Mazzolari). Hello Conaffetto. I will start by saying that Conaffetto needs to be sampled on skin not paper, I tried both and on paper the bitter almond is overemphasized and wipes out its companions whereas on skin...it's heavenly...

Bitter almonds galore on opening. The sweetness from both the orange flower and sugar notes starts as a suggestion but as the scent warms on your skin, they warm up as well and the bitterness fades until you have the perfect marriage of bitter and sugar with orange blossoms instead of confetti scattered about. Like I said...it's heavenly...

wedding send-off with confetti

Ok so throwing in some trivial knowledge. Raw almonds can taste mild and nutty and sometimes have a cherry smell to them(which disappears with roasting them). Why do raw almonds smell like cherries? Well they are related, both belonging to the family of "stone fruit", genus Prunus, including nectarines and apricots. The trees get hybridized to achieve different fragrant profiles and hence you get almonds that smell like cherries and vice versa.

There are sweet almonds and there are bitter almonds.Sweet almonds are the ones we see in nut mixes and cakes. Bitter almond is poisonous and only its oil or extract are safe to use.The term bitter almond is sometimes used interchangeably with apricot kernel which bears a similar appearance and shares the same poison as well as taste profile.

 Apricot kernels are used together with almonds in the making of Amaretto and Amaretti biscotti as well as apricot preserves and marzipan. These bitter almonds/apricot kernels are rich in vitamin B17 or amygdaline, used in alternative cancer therapy. Ingesting as little as ten of these bitter almonds can result in cyanide poisoning as amygdalin releases cyanide in the gut through enzymatic action. 

The almond in Conaffetto is decidedly bitter but not poisonous as I'm obviously still typing this as I wear it. What's really precious about Conaffetto for me is that it has the bitter almond note like Mazzolari's Alessandro and retains the warmth of Alessandro while passing on the powdery dry down of the Mazzolari which was a negative point for me. Then there is a fresh and lovely orange blossom note to brighten and sugar to sweeten the bitterness but both notes playing a smaller role compared to the almond. Conaffetto approaches but never quite becomes a gourmand for which I am thankful, enjoying it the way it is, blissful and with an air of nostalgia. It has an average projection but is tenacious and lasted more than a day on clothes. 

Kate Moss' wedding dress designed by John Galliano is still number one for me.

Alessandro, Mazzolari

I've had Serge Lutens' Louve as the solo bottle in the "bitter almond" category for a long time and we were initially happy with our arrangement. But of course, nothing lasts forever. She was feeling lonely. I occasionally felt that she was a little too cold for me when I needed a hug and comfort. 

In came Alessandro. Apparently the name Alessandro means "the defender of man", but I beg to differ on two points. Firstly, I would humbly rename it Alessandra as the juice is as feminine as can be without being being theatrical. Secondly, this is a not a defender of man but it is a defender of bitter almond. 

Alessandro shares the same bittersweet almond facet of Louve without the chilly air I feel in the Lutens. Actually it smells so much like my favorite chinese desserts made from almonds, namely hot almond cream and almond jelly. Anyone who has eaten these will know instantly the smell of Alessandro.

The notes listed on Fragrantica are roasted almonds, vanilla, heliotrope, powdery notes and honey. I get a whole load of the almonds and some vanilla essence. The powdery notes are present but not stealing the show and for that I am glad as I want an almost pure bittersweet almond scent with some warmth and coziness i.e a 180 degree turnaround from the ice queen Louve.

This would have been a match made in heaven had it not been for the softer-than-a-whisper scent trail this leaves on me despite heaping it on. The longevity is almost as abysmal, I didn't get more than two hours out of the few trials I gave this.

I can't quite get Alessandro out of my head but I have been given some hope that Hilde Soliani's Conaffetto (such a beautiful name isn't it!) or Profumum Roma's Confetto might be a better candidate for what I am seeking.

Despite the longevity issues, I would still recommend this as a refined and excellent almond scent.

Luctor Et Emergo The People Of The Labyrinths

I had to check this out since it's been collecting more accolades than Katharine Hepburn had Oscars (on that topic did you know Meryl Streep had more Oscar nominations but one less award than Hepburn?).

It arrived just in time to coincide with my bitter almond streak, when I was nursing the remnants in my sample of Mazzolari's Alessandro.

Luctor Et Emergo opens with slightly spicy incense and made me wonder if I got a wrongly decanted split. The splitter assured me her eyesight is still 6/6 bilaterally. So it starts with spiced smoke and it stays that way for a few minutes. Then I smell bitter almonds AND...Coca-Cola's Black Cherry Vanilla. Thankfully none of the plastic doll/play dough notes some other fragrant sniffers have gotten. I enjoyed cherry coke back in the day when I had a super metabolism and I relish it here without the calories going to my butt. The wood and smoky notes keep the cherry vanilla in check, I enjoy the contrasting bitterness of the almonds against the sweetness of the cherry vanilla and the interplay of the notes make this a very interesting as well as wearable scent for both sexes.



Luctor Et Emergo isn't a sillage bomb on me but it is perceptible by others around when they get past my personal bubble shield. Longevity is modest, I get about 4-6 hours wear before it becomes a skin scent. Please note that I am testing the EDP version and there is an EDT version available too. 

The cherry wood-smoke broke through the layer of Marks & Spencer's coconut hand cream that I accidentally slathered over my snifting spot...pretty impressive performance.

All this talk of cherries, vanilla and coconut made me think of this:



Raw Cherry Rose bars (with coconut rose cream and fresh cherries)