La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain 2012 edition

 Desirability: Full bottle 

For those who were brought here by google or another search engine in hopes of finding enlightenment regarding LPRN, please do scroll down a few paragraphs and ignore my warbling here. For...

This is my first post in many years. YEARS! Wow. To all the people who have reached out since the birth of this blog, to tell me you enjoy reading what I wrote, a big THANK YOU. You are a big part of why I am back today. 

I’ve been enjoying my fragrance library which I obsessively collected between 2012-2017, without the feeding frenzy to obtain more and more new scents. Of course a couple of new bottles joined the gang here and there but that’s a fragrance lover for you- there’s no such thing as too much perfume. 

I’ve gone so far in my journey as to be able to part with fragrances I no longer jive with, regardless of whether they are deemed collectors’ items or not (to the joy of other fragrance lovers who picked up the bottles sold) and have trimmed my library done to something manageable like a few lifetimes’ worth instead of never ending. 

Anyway back to LPRN, my bottle being the re-release of the initial limited edition (which I’ve never smelt) in 2012. 

Isn’t it amazing how our senses evolve/mature along with the rest of our physical bodies and mentality? Well for most of us anyway. I remember loving LPRN when I first laid nose on it. Even eyes- I mean check the signature Guerlain top shared with hallmark scents such as Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleue. Picture Mitzy and LHB looking on indulgently at the capricious youth that is their niece. 

Uncork the bottle and cue the blast of sexy patchouli nesting in a generous bosom of dark luscious cherries. Layer on the subtly spicy vanilla (shades of Hypnotic Poison anyone?) and a bloom of roses (more Ce Soir ou Jamais than La filled de Berlin) in a 40/60 percentage and you have yourself a yummy trifle that lasts for days when applied to clothes and leaves the two metre radius around you floating in a delicious cloud of bliss. 

It's easy to dismiss LPRN as just another youth outreach program by a great perfume house but unlike the masses crowding the perfume counters out there, LPRN has a thing about it, just as all Guerlain fragrances do (full disclosure: Guerlain fangirl here, they can do almost no wrong in my eyes. Almost.). LPRN is the treasured painting at home, not a sketch on a cocktail napkin. In a world constantly saturated with distracting new offerings, LPRN was edged slowly towards the back of the collection but I'm thankful that I didn't part with my bottle during the Great Separation of 2020. Coincidentally one of the first scents I discovered as an early fragrance lover is the scent that brought me to write my first post in many years. 

If you have a bottle of this beauty knocking around somewhere, I hope you have an opportunity to revisit its beauty again. Or perhaps another beautiful scent that has been neglected for a while. 

Iris de Nuit James Heeley

Desirability: Full bottle

In the description listed on Heeley's website, "♀ : Sensual, delicate, creative and individual." 

Springtime (The Reader) Monet. Source: pinterest

Iris de Nuit is a more wearable version of Iris Silver Mist- at least it is to me. I am a huge Lutens fan but as much as I admire the artistry of Iris Silver Mist, it's a bit hard going sometimes between the two of us. If the Lutens was steely silver and Tauer Pentachords White aptly named, then Iris de Nuit wears like a soft mossy green. A stroll alone through Nature, surrounded by living things and shrouded in sunlight. A time for introspection. 

It opens with a bit of sharp pepper, the starchy orris is front and centre throughout, delicate powdery violets and the vegetal sweetness of angelica that's just a teeny bit green, which I've grown to love thanks to the herbal nectar that is Angélique Noire. Although Angélique Noire feels quite fine, Iris de Nuit is even lighter and dry. A calming woody musk keeps the scent from being too ethereal. I read somewhere that cedar is used as a "grounding" note and I can see how it flexes its muscles in Iris de Nuit. Projection is good and longevity average, I got about 8 hours of wear each time. 

I find myself agreeing with the vignette from the official website (as above), Iris de Nuit is not a giddy girl or brash lout, instead he/she would be content in a library or art class, the kind who is comfortable not speaking to anyone for days without feeling lonely but on the other hand can be relied on being charming and sociable. The type that most people remember warmly without truly knowing intimately, being described as "different" without any negative connotations attached. 

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. 

Sabbia Bianca Profumum Roma

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.travelviaitaly.com

Sabbia Bianca or White Sand had a limited release of 500 bottles (rumour or rather Google claims) in 2011 and there's so little about it on the internet that I couldn't even find a photograph, hence the white sandy beach above. I was very lucky to have been gifted a sample of Sabbia Bianca by a kind fellow fragrance traveller who knows well my love of white florals. 

Sabbia Bianca is a Big Fat White Floral (BFWF) born on a tropical beach. If there was a checklist for the perfect tropical white floral, Sabbia Bianca would have ticked off all the qualities on that list. Creamy as coconut milk, lush narcotic florals- tuberose, gardenia, ylang ylang, tiare, a little sweet vanilla and just a touch of green leaves- somehow the green bit makes me think of waxy banana leaves. Not complicated, linear and it's been done before but a sunny and joyful scent that smells natural and has some serious lasting power. 

I am quite relieved to say that although I adore BFWFs and am a fan of Profumum despite their prices, I do not crave a full bottle of this rarity. It's undoubtedly beautiful and would appeal to those who adore white floral scents or tropical island beauties, but there are alternatives and cheaper ones at that, even if they may not match up to the phenomenal longevity of Sabbia Bianca. I'm thinking Guerlain's Terracotta Le Parfum though there isn't tuberose in it but the tropical white florals more than make up for that loss, or maybe Isles Lointaines by Keiko Mercheri. 

Attar de Roses Keiko Mecheri

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Luckyscent.com

I've liked a few that I've sampled from Keiko Mercheri, but Attar de Roses is the first to make me sit up and take notice. I feel like I've been sampling the wrong end of the spectrum from the house all this time. 

Leather and roses dominate in Attar de Roses on me at least. The leather is more apparent in the initial part, making the opening rather bitter, dark and animalic. Sweet velvety roses bloom out from the darkness throwing off the leathery shade, beautiful lush roses that create a warm and beguiling drydown with a creamy and woody amber base. The leather persists throughout although the initial bitterness is alleviated by the balmy resins in the drydown. There are quite a number of rose/leather combinations out there in varying proportions of the notes but I really like the balance in Attar de Roses between the romantic roses and the brusque leather. Very Beauty & The Beast. 

Attar de Roses is a little shy so you have to apply with a really liberal hand in order to "get" its true soul. Although Attar de Roses came out five years earlier, I think it is the olfactory interpretation of D&G's 2015 Spring/Summer line-up below. 

Dolce and Gabbana SS 15. Source: imgarcade.com

Lolita Lempicka Parfums Lolita Lempicka

Desirability: Full bottle

Sweet and gourmand without the gag or diabetic factor. 

Ok so there are way too many fruity floral gourmand combinations out there, most of them smelling too similar and generic. Ok so I get totally confused by how many flankers there are for the Lolita Lempicka fragrances, it's just as bad as the spinoffs of Thierry Mugler Angel, Alien, Womanity and almost more numerous than the progeny legitimate or not in some ruling families. Anyway I digress...

Lolita Lempicka (the original I speak of) like Mugler's Angel is one of few scents that I will always have in my wardrobe no matter how ridiculously large it gets or how many white hairs or lack of hair I have in the future. Lolita Lempicka and Mugler's Angel in my opinion are THE royalty of gourmand scents. 

A fanfare of syrupy black cherries on vanilla ice cream before the protagonists come in. The major players star anise and licorice add a nice twist to this sweet gourmand, a spicy sharpness contrasting the thick creamy praline, giving Lolita Lempicka a darker side like the wicked witches and sisters that are a staple in any good fairytale. I've mentioned a lot of sweet treats but Lolita Lempicka in reality isn't that sugary, it's nicely balanced between the spicy aromatic herbs, the sweet bits and carrot-iness of the iris/orris root. Feminine and fun! 

If you need any further persuasion look at that bottle (ok maybe not the best argument if I'm selling this to a guy), that polished apple that looks like it was made by fairies is whimsical and cute without being childish. And the price tag? I highly approve and wish many more perfumes could be priced as sensibly. Plus Parfums Lolita Lempicka could give a few niche houses lessons on projection and longevity. 

Doolciiisssimo Hilde Soliani

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I tried three Hilde Soliani scents today including Mmm and CiocoRosissimo and while all were interesting experiences, some more than others, Doolciiisssimo has the siren call that keeps drawing my nose to my wrist to inhale the scent over and over again.

I enjoy tobacco in lighter doses such as in Serge Lutens' Chergui and L'Artisan's Havana Vanille, cherry can be difficult and most times either smells quite artificial or fleeting, the most promising I've chanced upon recently was Hilde Soliani's Bambolina. Cherry and tobacco though? I had my doubts. Proved unfounded. This is no cigarette ashtray or the malodorous smoker's breath.  It's like sweet aromatic cherry flavoured pipe tobacco and smells nothing like cigarettes or cigars. On a side note I never realised that pipe tobacco is about as complex and interesting as wine, what with the different tobacco leaves, the different ways of curing the leaves, mixing and blending several types of tobacco and the addition of casings to give it flavours like whisky, maple syrup and cherry for example. The cherry note in Doolciiisssimo is so realistic that visions of the dark red succulent fruit come to mind with every sniff and I can practically taste the tart sweetness. Vanilla is there in the background, sweet and creamy but whilst there are suggestions of gourmand in Doolciiisssimo, it is not very sweet for those who are wary of smelling like dessert platters.

After finishing the rest of my sample, I've decided that I do want this cherry tobacco scent in my life and as luck would have it, Luckyscent currently has it on discount! 

Mmm Hilde Soliani

Source: www.scentbar.it

Luckyscent lists the ingredients for Mmm as: Basil, vanilla, incense, and burrata accord. Sounds dubious even awful but in reality it's not as challenging as it reads. 

Herbal green. Smoky incense. That's what I smell mostly. It's slightly sweet and spicy, similar to the sensation of chewing mint leaves. The green living things in Mmm are in equal proportions with the incense that smells sharp and bright, the overall effect feels like...burning incense out in the woods?  In the drydown it becomes smoother and smells like spiced vanilla cream with a sprig of mint for the rest of its extremely lengthy lifetime. But burrata? Methinks someone indeed moved my cheese. 

Pentachords White Tauer

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

In a nutshell, this smells like a rich vanilla cake with a thick frosting of buttercream and decorated with crystallized violets. The initial part truly does smell gourmand but after some time, a powdery sweet iris emerges from all this richness, in a delicate posy with fresh violets. In the drydown, the powder drifts away to be replaced by warm woody notes backing the suede-like iris and sweet violets.

This is comfort in a bottle, be it stuffing your face with decadent treats or nestling in a rocking chair before a warm fireplace with the smell of an approaching Spring in the cool air. Average projection with good longevity, I get at least eight hours wear. A much more approachable take on iris than Lutens' Iris Silver Mist which I enjoy smelling but not wearing. 

Happy New Year- Hello 2015!

Source: iledebeaute.ru

My friends and I headed to a beach club to ring in the new year last night. Of course that meant I had to pick a scent that would be suitable for a beach setting in tropical weather as well as being festive enough for New Year's Eve. Which isn't that easy as my picky mind has mentally separated "beach scents" as casual scents and "festive scents" as well festive, spices, rich resins and balms- totally unsuitable in this case. 

In the end I picked Terracotta Le Parfum, the limited release from Guerlain earlier in 2014 ( although if rumours are to be believed, a re-release that is possibly permanent too is due soon). 

"Allure of the sun in a bottle" 

It does smell like bottled warm glow. You get a burst of zingy citrus zest, a milky sweet coconut less creamy than in Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Vanille Coco but more creamy than Estee Lauder's Sensuous Nude then a jaw-dropping beautiful and lush bouquet of white florals, creamy and musky, heady frangipani and jasmine as well as ylang ylang with its mild spicy floral note. I notice too the orange blossom which is more subdued amongst the other flowers here. In the drydown the citrus laced vanilla and musk become stronger than the white floral notes but the coconut cream stays intact throughout. Not so much a beach scent that makes you think of the sea and sand but tropical island it surely is reminiscent of, of sun-kissed warm skin, frangipani trees releasing their fragrance in the gentle breeze that makes music of the leaves on the trees and long grass that tugs gently on your bohemian chic peasant dress as you hold hands with your lover, as picture perfect as a photo shoot for a glossy magazine.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a fan of tropical flowers done right and with Terracotta Le Parfum, Thierry Wasser has done it gorgeously. The true scent of the tropical flowers are captured in this rose gold liquid, heady and luscious but not cloying, in fact the sillage is rather discreet for a white floral perfume. 

After comparing it with Annick Goutal's Songes EDT and L'Erbolario's Tiare, I would say this wins over Tiare which has a artificial saccharine note that spoils it for me. I prefer this to Songes EDT which is a lovely concoction of white flowers but did not last at all on my skin. The longevity of Terracotta Le Parfum despite being an EDT is about 6-7 hours on me although faint by that time.  

Happy New Year everyone! 

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. 

Dambrosia Profumum Roma

Source: Fragrantica

I love eating figs fresh or dried and have recently started looking to expand the fig section of my scent wardrobe, Diptyque's green and woody Philosykos having been the stand alone fig for the past three years. 

Caramelised Figs with Hazelnuts. Source: teaforsix.com

Profumum Roma offers both options when it comes to fig, Ichnusa a herbal non sweet green fig that I recall was interesting and quite special but not something I would wear often therefore a 100 ml would be wasted on me and then there is Dambrosia on the opposite end of the spectrum of fig, that's more like a fig dessert and is perfect company for the other gourmands in the Profumum Roma range. 

On paper it's sparkling and green but the freshness is more transient on skin and it's a lusciously sweet fig and pear fruit salad that develops on skin with a dollop of cream to make it just a bit sinful. My cravings go haywire as the day progresses with Dambrosia evolving from fig as a healthy fruit to fig in a fruit salad to a caramelised fig served with vanilla ice-cream, one of my favourite desserts, it's heaven crunching through the thinly glazed outer shell and biting into the succulent ripe belly of the fig. Also in the dry down I smell a sweet woody note that reminds me of Le Labo's Santal 33, an airy sweet sandalwood that's perfect for tropical weather and matches perfectly well with my fig dessert. 

Fig+Pear Tart w/Honeyed Goat Cheese & Balsamic Caramelized Onions.
Source: meritandfork.com

Dambrosia in mythology is nectar for the gods and compared with the other gourmands that I've tried from Profumum Roma such as Vanitas, Confetto, Dulcis in Fundo, Sorriso etc, Dambrosia is not as sweet as Vanitas and is more on par with Battito d'Ali's level of sweetness which is mildly sweet (apart from the candied orange blossom opening) and not tooth-decayingly so. Dambrosia may not be as unique as Ichnusa (based on my quick sampling of Ichnusa anyway) but I'm more of a Dambrosia girl and would prefer to smell Ichnusa on someone else. Projection and longevity are superb for Dambrosia.     

Datura Noir Serge Lutens

I have loved moonflowers since I was a child, when I would wait excitedly for the night-blooming cereus in the garden to unfurl its flowers and release their sweet heady scent in the still of the dark night. Datura and the night-blooming cereus share the common name moonflower, along with a few other vespertine flowers. Datura is also known as angel's trumpet and is confused with plants of the genus Brugmansia, a major difference between the two being that Brugmansia plants have pendulous flowers rather than erect like Datura.

Datura Inoxia

Datura Noir is a very creamy white floral, so creamy it almost wanders into the gourmand section, specifically full cream milk. 

Citrus tinged, tuberose and almonds are predominant, vanilla and coconut milk contributing to its rich texture, a little bitter, a little resinous as it dries, but ever retaining its luscious, milky texture. It is sweet but a sweetness that is drawn from botany not candy.

Datura Stramonium

I find it a bit much on hot, humid days when I'm running about outdoors, it can get rather cloying. Datura Noir is better appreciated in cooler temperatures, where it shows its romantic side without becoming suffocating. 

The scent radiates around me without being obnoxious and intrusive, plus it lasts a long time, I got through a twelve hour day with its company. Those who love tuberose and enjoy creamy scents bordering on gourmand, would probably enjoy Datura Noir. 

Trivia: Datura plants contain potentially toxic tropane alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine (used in resuscitation for bradycardia and certain patterns of heart block) which are anticholinergic agents (read more here).

A common mnemonic for the main features of anticholinergic syndrome is the following:

• Blind as a bat (dilated pupils)
• Red as a beet (vasodilation)
• Hot as a hare (hyperthermia)
• Dry as a bone (dry skin)
• Mad as a hatter (hallucinations/agitation)
• Bloated as a Toad (ileus, urinary retention)
• And the heart runs alone (tachycardia)

The drug physostigmine (cholinergic agent) is used to reverse the anticholinergic effects. Benzodiazepines can be given to curb the patient's agitation, and supportive care is indicated until the symptoms resolve, usually from 24–36 hours after ingestion of the Datura.

Fracas versus Carnal Flower

There are endless debates on whether Robert Piguet's (Germaine Cellier) Fracas (I bought mine in 2011) and Frederic Malle's (Dominique Ropion) Carnal Flower smell similar and I thought they did but then I never tested them side by side till now. 

Fracas opens with a bigger blast than Carnal Flower but that's definitely not alluding that Carnal Flower is in any way weak, it's not. Fracas is a buttery and creamy big white floral featuring tuberose as the main actress, with supporting roles going to gardenia, orange blossom and jasmine. Carnal Flower is greener and fresher than Fracas by far but strangely I'm only noticing that now when I compare them next to each other. In Carnal Flower I smell the ylang ylang and a just ripe melon as the supporting notes and not so much the gardenia as I do in Fracas.

Although both Fracas and Carnal Flower are laden with tuberose, Profumum Roma's Tuberosa takes the award for the most fulsome tuberose perfume ever, it's tuberose and nothing else for hours on end and at only one volume, super loud. Next to Tuberosa, both Fracas and Carnal Flower are practically tame.

Fracas smells "older" than Carnal Flower due to the dewiness of the tuberose in Carnal Flower.  Both are sexy beasts but Fracas has this heavy on syrup factor that makes her seem like a perennially boozed up lush that has seen too much before her age, whereas Carnal Flower doesn't flaunt her sexuality while remaining alluring. Think of Elizabeth Taylor as Fracas and Greta Garbo as Carnal Flower. 

Both are monsters that project forever, so I won't worry about either under-performing. I think the only tuberose that doesn't stick on me is L'Artisan's La Chasse aux Papillons, most other tuberose-based perfumes that I've tried are tenacious creatures. 

So the verdict is, no they don't smell similar and yes if you adore tuberose, you would want both in your life. 

Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle

This smells like Christmas in a bottle. Well parts of Christmas anyway, like logs blazing in the fireplace (the pyromaniac in me enjoyed watching wood burning on the grate), eggnog generously laced repeatedly by forgetful grandmothers and naughty teenagers and spiced christmas pudding with its dark sugar-glazed surface. 

Spiced Eggnog Cupcake

Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle is a delicious not quite dessert but a woody gourmand if that is feasible. The musk is present but not prominent like it is in Musc Ravageur, it's slightly powdery but the main players are the sweet spicy vanilla and the creamy sandalwood with a sweet earthy patchouli presenting itself in the drydown, all the ingredients making this not an unusual scent per se, but an interesting vanilla scent with a definite woody-oriental character.  

Eggnog Latte

Although I don't take seasons/weather into account(how could I when most of the year I spend it on this tropical city island where the weather is hot and humid or hot, humid and wet) when I choose a fragrance to wear, I would suggest that Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle would be sublime in colder weather where the spices come out and play, rather than on a hot day where I fear the sweetness would be overdoing things and masking the scent's true character. It's perfect for cuddling on a sofa, it's as comforting as Linus' stinky blanket is to him, it's as soothing as the purring of my cat against my skin and totally disarming if wearing to work or play. 

It leaves a gossamer of a scent veil around me and( I don't usually get compliments on my scents not because I stink but well...I just don't. But I do not stink. This is however one of the scents that has garnered compliments) people ask what is that delightful/delectable/yummy smell? The sad part is that it does not last long, I don't get more than four hours each time I wear this and even then it's very much a skin scent. Still I couldn't resist this sumptuous fragrance and sprung for the 3x10ml travel sprays so that it's easier to lug around for touch ups.