Spending Valentine's Day 2017 with a new love... Le Beau Parfum Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica.com

Valentine's Day 2017, which lucky scent is sharing today with you? I recently caved in and ordered Baccarat Rouge 540 off the Francis Kurkdjian website, together with a bottle of Lumiere Noire Pour Femme body lotion as a gift to myself. I received as samples, the new Aqua Celestia in a travel size (which I haven't tried yet), Le Beau Parfum and Lumiere Noire Pour Homme (tinkling with the idea of gifting this in the future).

Back to Le Beau Parfum. Must, MUST love big fat white florals to enjoy this. It's not a diva like Fracas but it's definitely not a shrinking violet (although I love my violets and I don't think it's quite fair to the flower, but origins of the quote here). As Savage Garden cheesily crooned " I knew I loved you before I met you", I guessed correctly that I would love Le Beau Parfum once I read the notes and I mean it is a Kurkdjian creation...digressing a little here but there is a fellow perfumehead who wrote in a forum that she wants to have his babies...I totally understand that sentiment. 

With tuberose, orange blossom, ylang ylang and jasmine arranged according to the intensity that I perceive of each note, Le Beau Parfum is a classy floral that is seamless and uncomplicated. Candid as well as rather candied (not toothachingly sweet but it is sweet), it stays constant from start to finish, starting strong and remaining clearly noticeable even after the end of a work day and a vigorous gym session on top of that. Terms that come to mind when describing Le Beau Parfum would include: decidedly feminine, elegant, sweetly innocent, lush, exotic...oh just think Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday and you'll get my drift! 

Le Beau Parfum is the answer to my recent craving for new undiscovered white florals. I tried Creed's Love In White which is a lovely mix of zesty and creamy, less sweet than Le Beau Parfum but similarly innocent and unaffected. I also tried Les Exclusifs de Chanel Beige...I had hoped to enjoy this but it's so....prosaic? Like a person whom one can have neither good nor bad things to describe. Kudos to those who love Beige and can relate to its beauty but it's just not for me. Taste and colours as they say...Anyway I know exactly what I'm ordering next from the MFK website. What about you? What lovely florals have you been craving recently?

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! I leave you with a perennial favourite poem...

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep. 

Pablo Neruda

Opus IX Amouage

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

"But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet

I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free

Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me"

 Charlene - I've Never Been To Me (lyrics stolen from MetroLyrics )

Opus IX in a song. 

I've long been in love with Greta Garbo and the dashingly handsome Robert Taylor in the film Camille, based on Alexandre Dumas' La Dame aux Camélias, which  Giuseppe Verdi turned into the opera La Traviata. 

Unlike Hester Prynne forced to don the scarlet letter, Opus IX wears her flaming red cloak with pride and much beauty. I am a big fan of Amouage (more correctly a fan of their dramatic and tempestuous creations that fly in the face of polite crowd-pleasers), a lover of jasmine and "stinky" scents as well as a complete sucker for romance ( I grew up on a diet of Judith McNaught). The animal is much alive in Opus IX but instead of grappling for world domination, it blends beautifully with a honeyed jasmine which provides just the right amount of floral sweetness and does magic up images of the snowy white camellias that Camille was never without, whether splurging on a massive bouquet or a stem tucked into a sash. A light layer of fine pepper breaks the lull created by the blissful union between the flowers and animals but Opus IX comes nowhere near as spicily aromatic as Nuit Noire nor as lusty. Opus IX focuses more on the highs and lows of the romance as compared to the never ending bondage session of Nuit Noire. From the first moment the scent caresses the skin so does the story unfold with bright flashes of vivacity and joy interspersed with shadows of melancholy that weigh heavily on the soul. 

I didn't delve into the story behind the creation of Opus IX before trying it on or writing this but now that I know that the inspiration came from La Traviata, it makes perfect sense . A scent of passionate love and hideous heartache that only too often go hand in hand. Artfully captured in the alluring yet tragic Opus IX. Massive projection and good longevity. This goes on the birthday wish list. 

Source: pinterest

Miroir des Envies Thierry Mugler (Mirror Mirror Collection)

Desirability: Full bottle and a back up

Source: Fragrantica

Phoarrrrr! Christine Nagel is a sorceress and Miroir des Envies is her magic potion/drug.

A real shape-shifter it is too! One moment I smell divine white flowers and the next I smell buttered caramel popcorn or warm buttered toast or...oh never mind I just smell like gourmand heaven! I kid you not. I was having the shittiest upon shittiest day imaginable and this gem came in a parcel as part of a swap with a super duper generous fragrance friend. On the way to bed I decided to try this and it put an instant smile on my face (the first of the day too so you can imagine what extraordinary powers this has)! 

Source: lovethispic.com

Source: pinterest

I can't quite make up my mind if it's caramel buttery popcorn or buttered toast with syrup/honey that I smell as both keep popping up like a short movie on repeat in my head. 

Miror des Envies has been said to resemble Thierry Mugler's Alien and its flanker Taste of Fragrance Alien, but I have to strongly disagree (personal experience and opinion only of course, kudos to those who had fabulous experiences) as Taste of Fragrance Alien (ditto The One Desire by Dolce & Gabbana) had the most nauseous, synthetic-smelling caramel note that I couldn't scrub off fast enough. Needless to say that bottle got swapped away very quickly. Whereas the caramel in Miroir des Envies smells like real caramel and thankfully has no synthetic vibe to put me off. The buttered toast bit reminds me of Jeux de Peau but the Lutens does not have the alluring white flowers that float dreamily in waves, taking turns with the gourmand facet of Miroir des Envies to lull you into an olfactory bliss.  

Jasmine is obviously present but I also detect a delicate, slightly citrusy orange blossom in the floral bouquet. It might sound like a dubious combination-white flowers and buttered/caramel popcorn/toast but 1) neither the gourmand nor the white flowers dominate the scent but are seamlessly layered upon themselves creating an utterly addictive essence and 2) this has to be one of the most unique fragrances I've smelt in a while. Like I said...Phoarrrrrr! It knocks your socks off. Sillage is moderate and longevity is good. I will be guarding my bottle closely. 

P.S: This is possibly the first time I've smelt popcorn in a perfume. The note was lost on me in the pre-reformulated Miss Dior Cherie but I'm happy to report that I'm in the camp of perfumeheads who smell popcorn in Miroir des Envies! 

Amoureuse Parfums DelRae

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest.com

The perfume community keeps raving about Amoureuse and siblings over the years that I've been part of it. Unfortunately due to several reasons including that samples are not easy to find and full bottles even harder to blind buy, Amoureuse and I never got together until I received a decant from a fellow fragrance lover in a recent swap.

It reminds me of Mona di Orio's Nuit Noire, both share animalic, white floral and spicy accords but Amoureuse is much more tame than Nuit Noire. Where Nuit Noire is a sweat-encrusted, well-loved  and worn leather jacket, intoxicating tuberose and sumptuous orange blossom, Amoureuse is lush, honeyed lilies and narcotic jasmine enhanced by the beauty of the tuberose. Cardomom is present in both, imparting its sweet and special spiciness, made even more fiery by fresh ginger in Nuit Noire. Amoureuse stays sweeter throughout its lifetime whereas in Nuit Noire, the sweetness waxes and wanes throughout the story, yet never quite reaching the honeyed tones of Amoureuse. Both scents mellow over time, Amoureuse turning into a soft and powdery affair of sandalwood and flowers whereas Nuit Noire is the glowing coals of a warm amber base. Classic and traditional, both Amoureuese and Nuit Noire are full bottle worthy in my opinion. Sillage and longevity are both very good in the case of Amoureuse, my SOTD clinging on into the night.

Coincidentally while wearing Amoureuse today and surfing the net for potential buys, I came across a very affordable deal for a bottle of Nuit Noire instead. Plus the website had the travel sizes for Profumum Roma so I got one of Battito d'Ali. The icing on the cake was free international shipping. Guess who's an even happier chick than usual today? :) 

Divine EDP Divine

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I seriously believed I was over my white floral craze having smelt some of the not so great and some of the very best (too smug was I). That is until I met Divine which thoroughly deserves its name and even more. This house was a totally hidden gem for me but no longer. Not after having sampled this gorgeous one and  the siren L`etre Aime Femme (*fans herself), both scents having pushed the competition out of the way to reach the top two spots on my want list. 

Nose-tingling aldehydes make a sweeping entrance. Heady tuberose (the way it should be), milky sweet gardenia and citrus-tinged orange blossom run riot in Divine EDP. Not one flower outshines the others but together create a most glorious symphony. Rose and jasmine are noticeable but my attention was focussed on the white flowers I love best. However the indolic jasmine becomes far more obvious as the scent settles down and develops into a warm, spiced and musky floriental that's sophisticated and sunny. I literally have nothing but praise for Divine EDP. Even from a dab sample, the sillage is huge and longevity is very, very good. 

Bold, bright and beautiful. If you love white flowers, you must try this. MUST. 

La Religieuse Serge Lutens

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Sweet, soft and hazy. 

A musky floral- jasmine is there but much toned down as compared to A La Nuit which remains my favourite jasmine scent from Serge Lutens, other flowers I smell are mimosa both sweet and green and narcissus comes to mind too. If La Religious had a colour I won't pick the dark purple it comes in but rather rays of golden yellow and vivid green covered by a gauzy veil of musk that has the slightest bit of naughty, definitely a far cry from the reveling-in-my-sexuality Musc Koublai Khan.

Fragrances from this house have always inspired profound thoughts and triggered waves of nostalgia but La Religieuse failed to convert me into a believer. If I were not an avid Serge Lutens fan living on a tropical island where perfume releases take months to arrive, I would not have blind bought a full bottle but I am and I did. However no regrets and names/labels aside, La Religieuse is a nicely done floral musk that has a bit of a dreamy personality so I would recommend at least sampling it.

L'Instant de Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.osmoz.com

Milky sweet floral.

Despite the advertisement above, I don't find L'Instant to be seductive or wearing a little black dress. Instead L'Instant soothes me, it feels as relaxing as drinking a floral tea laced with milk and honey and smells like it too. Well if tea could be made out of a combination of the flowers ylang ylang, magnolia and jasmine. 

L'Instant is a strong scent but not suffocating, it's easy to wear even on the most humid days here thanks to its lightness. If it were a colour it would be the palest of pale honey and honey is definitely a major feature of L'Instant, proportional to the lush milky floral notes but despite all the flowers and honey the scent is not heavy on sugar, everything about L'Instant says delicate and feminine. In the drydown there is a wisp of clean musk that adds to the pillowy effect and L'Instant maintains its warm celestial glow until the very end many hours later.  

Tagete Profumum Roma

Desirability: Decant

Source: Luckyscent.com

A sunny white floral that never succumbs to decay.

There's nothing astounding or unique about Tagete but yet I feel a little like Olaf singing "In Summer". This is such a good-natured and lovely scent that one cannot fail to feel upbeat when wearing Tagete. It smells of sunny days with thick white puffs of clouds floating in a bright blue sky, fresh vivid flowers and long blades of grass bobbing their heads in the gentle breeze.

I have no idea what tagetes smell like, a visit to the nearest plant nursery did not answer my question either, the potted marigolds were available in riotous colours but I smelt pretty much zilch. What I do smell are the white flowers jasmine and tuberose with the latter calling the shots. Tuberose lush and lusty, reminiscent of the diva Tuberosa but here the creamy coconut-like sweetness instead of an animalic edge, has tints of something green and tangy like the rind of citrus fruit that lightens up the narcotic headiness of the white floral notes. Cosy in the drydown, it becomes earthier and ? inky as time passes as if the day is darkening into twilight but the basic storyline does not change. It is a happy and perfectly natural scent from beginning to end which I might add is a super duper long time away. Just like the other scents from this house, a little goes a long way. 

Paradise Lost Keiko Mecheri

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Luckyscent.com

Yes I've thought some of the Keiko Mercheri fragrances that I've tried so far are worth buying full bottles of, but I've never really been compelled to go after a full bottle of any until now. Strangely enough, judging by the reactions of fragrant friends, I'm in the minority when it comes to liking Paradise Lost. 

I've heard negative comments ranging from too candy like to too floral like and both bewilder me as I don't smell sweets and yes obviously there are floral notes but Paradise Lost is far from just a floral perfume, on me at least. It starts off very sunny and bright with citruses loaded with greens and life, white floral blooms and sweet sandalwood conveying an image of the first part of its name "Paradise". However the rest is a slightly different tale and makes me think of the consequences after Adam and Eve were too greedy with the apple and got banished from Paradise. Paradise Lost develops into an pungent aroma with a strong smell of musky nether regions or the smell of decay or both mixed together. The white floral notes are still identifiable but the petals have lost their vigour and have begun to wilt quickly. The drydown is like a sweaty animalic musk and the residual perfume left by the faded flowers. Very interesting ride and not something I had anticipated when I first did a quick survey of the listed notes before ordering a sample to try. Perhaps the "Lost" part of the name is represented by the earthiness of the latter part of this fragrance's evolution, after the abrupt departure from its celestial beginnings. That's how I imagine it anyway.  

The projection and longevity are nothing to write home about but I've made peace with that by spraying heavily and frequently i.e. bring bottle around with you all day. I'm actually quite happy that I'm in the minority championing Paradise Lost, means more for me and less chance of smelling it on someone else! 

Black Jade Lubin

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.perfumeriaquality.pl

I'm sure many fragrance lovers have heard or read the story revolving around Black Jade, that it was the last fragrance (purportedly) worn by Marie Antoinette before her ending. For me it doesn't matter if the tale is real or reel but if you would like more history on the brand and the fragrance, Vanity Fair had an article here. 

So forgetting about all that, the scent is quite fantastic really. It starts off coolly green yet spicy (almost like chewing mint gum) and a tart citrus hangs around for quite a while instead of its usual fanfare and about-turn as an opening note. I can't smell jasmine for all I try ( I sampled Black Jade at least on four occasions) as a fresh rose still tinged with green has taken hold of my nose. Young rose in the merry company of lofty galbanum (who thankfully doesn't monopolize the opening) and spices, the opening is bright and young before things start to heat up and Black Jade morphs into a highly suggestive (no coquettishness here) dirty rose. Animalic. Thick incense still carrying a trace of spices and citrus, the rose reclining on a luxurious bed of earthy moss and soil with a sheet of smooth sweet vanilla covering her bits and pieces as a stab at modesty. Here I am confused as I've gone through every review I could get my hands on and nobody spoke of leather but that is what I smell and the sweet leathery note adds to the come-hitherness of Black Jade. Sexual but not raunchy like Nuit Noire. 

It has an OK projection but the longevity isn't as good as I would like, still it is a pleasing first foray into the house of Lubin and Gin Fizz is next on my list to sample, firstly because I enjoy a cool G&T and secondly(supposedly) Grace Kelly was wearing it when she was proposed to by the Prince of Monaco- I am not big on royalty but I am a fan of fairytales.

Full Al-Rehab

Desirability: Full bottle

Whereas Serge Lutens' A La Nuit is creamy, heavy indole-laden jasmine, Al-Rehab's Full is on the other end of the spectrum, being all about freshly picked jasmine buds, nothing dirty, just pure jasmine, jasmine and some more jasmine. If you are looking for something more exciting than a jasmine soliflore, this isn't it. However if you have been searching for a green, mildly sweet and realistic jasmine, Full is definitely worth a try, especially with its super affordable price-tag all over the internet.

It has moderate projection and good longevity on my skin ( I bought the perfume oil in a rollerball). I love jasmine, having grown up with the blooms poking their heads through the window grille of my bedroom to say hello and scenting the whole house with their beauty. Serge Lutens' A La Nuit has been the stand alone jasmine in my wardrobe for many years but it's now joined by a more youthful and innocent sibling. Both jasmine and equally beautiful, but different. 

Sarrasins Serge Lutens

Source: www.scentsate.com

I dabbed a little of this exotic purple coloured scent on my arm and it looks like a faded bruise when it dries off so be careful!

Sweet indolic jasmine on a base of powdery musk. I wish it stopped there but I smell something that makes me think of hyacinths and aldehydes or what I associate with them. There's a cold and metallic element in Sarrasins devoid of emotions and that keeps you at a distance, never really warming up even after hours on skin. Austere, aloof. Two words I won't want to associate with jasmine, a much loved flower from my childhood, bringing to mind balmy tropical evenings not the slate grey skies of Sarrasins where the warmth of jasmine is held captive by the coldness of its accompanying notes. 

I find it to have a good projection and longevity on me but then I've not really had a problem with either department when it comes to Serge Lutens. Personally I prefer A La Nuit which to me is a true jasmine lover's dream, honeyed, luminous, fragrant jasmine petals, happier and less haughty than Sarrasins. 

Honour Woman Amouage

Source: www.gopixpic.com

Honour Woman isn't my most loved BFWF ( big fat white floral) nor is it my most loved Amouage but if you are into luscious white floral perfumes, you should add this to your sampling list. 

A gardenia/tuberose/jasmine delight that opens with a strong lily of the valley presence and some peppery green notes before the focus shifts to the main players, the white flowers. The flowers are lusher than in Estée Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia which is an elegant white floral bouquet but too polite and thin for my taste. However the meatiest mixed white floral for me is the super buttery Isabey's Fleur Nocturne even though my darling tuberose is replaced with a creamy magnolia and juicy fruit notes. Honour Woman sits between Fleur Nocturne and Tuberose Gardenia in terms of boldness and the "fatness" of the floral notes (medically speaking the BMI of Fleur Nocturne would be over 30, Honour Woman would be about 25 and Tuberose Gardenia would be 20). In the drydown of Honour Woman there is a light sprinkling of the peppery notes from earlier on and a lovely warm smoky incense under the white floral notes. A beautiful rich white floral perfume with a mellower ending compared to its first hour that any tuberose/gardenia lover especially should try. 

Thanks to chronic rhinitis that has addled my snifter, I tend to gravitate towards powerhouse perfumes and I particularly love how Amouage perfumes announce one's presence before one is physically even in the room and how everyone knows you have been in that room for an hour after you have left. This isn't the case with Honour Woman which is moderate in both the scent trail and longevity departments as compared to Memoir Woman or Interlude Woman for example. 

Tuberosa Profumum Roma

Source: Luckyscent

Fracas: "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the loudest tuberose of all?"

Magic Mirror: " Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lusty maid I see. Alas, she is more bold than thee."

Source: obsessivesweets.com

Can there be a a white floral louder than Fracas? I thought not till I met Tuberosa. 

It starts with the smell of powdery lemon that reminds me of the face-numbing sour outer layer of Nobel Super Lemon hard candies and just like how the sourness of the candy gradually wears off and you can relax the rictus snarl, so do the citrus notes wander away leaving the headiest of heady tuberose-dominant white floral notes. Tuberosa sits between Fracas and Carnal Flower, the former being a buttery lush white floral and the latter being more green and fresh. 

Source: projectwedding.com

Like Fracas, Tuberosa is all about a gigantic bouquet of white flowers( Fragrantica lists both jasmine and gardenia as accomplices but I detect only the jasmine) with the tuberose staying front and center at all times. The opening is bright and fresh thanks to the citrus zest that clings on for a good amount of time keeping the potent narcotic floral notes from being nauseating, but the scent eventually shifts to a creamier and darker ending like flowers that have almost exhausted their bloom and are on the edge of wilting. Some perfume friends have described the drydown of Tuberosa as animalic and for me I interpret that as the faint smell of decay, as if the tips of the flowers were tinted brown.

I might be tempted to get a bottle of Tuberosa if I'm done with the 10 ml decant I'm using. I doubt I'll be through with the 10 ml any time soon though as is with most of the Profumum Roma scents that I've tried, a little goes a very very long way. The first time I over did it and my head was assaulted all day by blasts of it with every movement which made it quite a horrible experience despite being an avid tuberose fan. Since then I've been much more careful and I find that two sprays is more than enough to take me from morning to the following night. 

Gardez Moi Jovoy

Source: www.nobaharshop.com

Gardez Moi. Keep me.

The name was the first thing that appealed to my romantic sensibilities and since it was touted to be a big fat white floral (BFWF) of which I am a huge fan, I went for a blind buy. No regrets. 

Gardez Moi is indeed a BFWF, not as grandiose as Fracas and obviously without tuberose, not creamy and fruity sweet like my other BFWF love, the intoxicating Isabey's Fleur Nocturne and although a classy white floral of tuberose/jasmine/gardenia, Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia was too light and straightforward for me and got swapped away. 

Gardez Moi is an enormous bouquet of freshly cut white florals, as if they have been brought in from a dew-laden garden that's just waking up. The opening is all about outdoorsy, words like "crisp", "green", "watery" come to mind. The aldehydes that enter after the white floral notes enhance the brightness with their powdery green citrus smell, giving Gardez Moi a vintage air. 

The base is a delicately powdered balmy musk, smelling faintly as if just a memory of the young and boisterous white florals.   

Jour d`Hermes Absolu Hermes

Source: www.style.com

Jean-Claude Ellena said “I wanted to express the essence of femininity with flowers and nothing but flowers.”

Well if femininity is delicately classy florals from start to finish, JC Ellena got it down pat. I can't recall the previous versions well enough to comment on similarities or otherwise, but Absolu is like a glass of sparkling wine in the palest shade of gold. Wine of a good standard but nothing to gush over. From beginning to end about four hours later, it stays as a golden subtle glow about oneself, perfect when one wishes to remain unobtrusive.  Light, bright, sweet and dry white florals that would wear well for both the office and casual days, as well as being a safe choice for gifting, the luxurious flacon adding to its charm (as long as she enjoys the lighter scale of things and flowers). While I won't need a full bottle of this anytime soon, I am very pleased with my 15 ml, part of a set of four scents, my departing buy from JFK, along with Caleche, 24 Faubourg and L'Ambre des Merveilles. All in identical minimalist glass bottles, with their own cloth bags...Hermes really knows how to package their goods!

A Tale of Two Rubj

Desirability: Full bottle

Recently I stumbled upon my latest fixation perfume-wise, the house of Vero Profumo, established by Vero Kern (who I've added to the list of interesting people I hope to have tea with before I die) in 2007, with the scents Kiki, Onda and Rubj in Extrait de Parfum being the first releases, followed by the trio being released in the Eau de Parfum form in 2012. Mito followed by Rozy were introduced in the following years. The perfumes also come in a Voile d'Extrait version with the first four mentioned scents released in 2013. 

What's in a name? I'm definitely not an expert on this and what follows from here is garnered from my research. 

Extrait de Parfum is also parfum and pure perfume. It's the highest concentration of scent, roughly 20-40% but most are around the 20% mark. The hallmark of extrait de parfum is its longevity, it is meant to be the longest-lasting concentration of the scent. However, extrait de parfum does not necessarily have a big projection to match its longevity. An Eau de Parfum is meant to represent a concentration of between 10-20% and Eau de Toilette between 5-15% concentration. The Voile d'Extrait reigns between the Extrait and the EDP. 

I literally exhausted Google search to find out the difference between Rubj EDP and Rubj Vd'E. I came away still relatively clueless and decided to do my own investigation. If you suffer perfume OCD like me, you might want to know. Just in case. 

Rubj EDP is a cumin BOMB. CUMIN BOMB. If Bush/Blair are still looking for the weapons of mass destruction, they could be found hiding behind Rubj EDP. I like stinky things including cumin (think BO, sweat and curry). However in Rubj, the cumin doesn't play nice with the other notes and does a world domination. So on me it smells like Dictator Cumin trampling on the white flower masses. The rampage calms down and the cumin although becoming more mellow with time, remains as the major player.

Rubj Vd'E on the other hand celebrates the white florals. I distinctly smell jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom. The cumin and musk notes keep this from being just another bombastic white floral hot mess and instead Rubj Vd'E smells like a white floral come-hither siren, sexy and kinky(thanks Cumin).

Micheline Pitt. Source: hausofdeath.com

Verdict? I find Rubj Vd'E to be more wearable overall. It's more polished and smooth on me whereas the EDP is raw and aggressive. Think Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) vs. Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story). Both attractive but in different ways and therefore I advise to try all versions before deciding. 

Nejma 4, Nejma

Nejma 4 introduces herself with a bright and zingy bergamot, geraniums adding a dash of spicy pepper to the otherwise piquant citrus top notes.

Settling down after the round of introductions which lasted about half an hour or so, she reveals a sweet-herbaceous, slightly powdery aspect of her character accompanied by florals that I am unable to differentiate as they are seamlessly blended together, however Nejma 4 is listed by Fragrantica to contain jasmine, rose, narcissus and ylang ylang.

The herbaceous aspect dissipates, the powder gradually becomes more obvious and the scent remains as a very floral powder till the end. An enjoyable powdery floral bouquet with a classic vibe, reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent Paris EDP although Paris is more of a pink bouquet and Nejma 4 smells like a pale yellow arrangement.

Nejma 4 has a modest sillage and good longevity on me. 

A La Nuit Serge Lutens

This is the be all and end all of jasmine scents for me. I bought my first bottle in 2007 and have not craved for another jasmine since. 

It reminds me of being a young child of less than a metre tall, curious about my father's garden with hundreds of different exotic plants calling it home. At the back of the garden is a huge jasmine bush, well back then it was huge in contrast to the little me. It is a type of Jasminum Sambac, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the blooms resembles white roses and they open at night, releasing a super potent jasmine scent, much stronger than the single layer ones. Till this day, it is my favourite plant in the garden and it shares its blooms with me to scent my living space with its unique fragrance. 

Jasminum Sambac, Grand Duke of Tuscany, courtesy of flnurserymart.com

A La Nuit is all about jasmine, from the start, you are greeted with an intense jasmine scent, sweet and clear as if smelling from a just plucked bloom. As you enjoy the fragrance you notice behind the floral sweetness, an animalic note that I usually associate with jasmine and tuberose, although it smells different in each. It is as if the flower has just gone past its prime and is one step towards decay. The scent feels warmer and more pungent at this point compared to its dewy freshness in the opening and stays like this for many hours. Like the Grand Duke of Tuscany, A La Nuit has a huge sillage and I can still smell it lingering the next day.

A La Nuit is both womanly and child-like at the same time, uplifting and yet causes a wistful yearning for past happiness, refreshing yet indolic. There is nothing quite like her.

Eau Eternelle S Poncet

I received a sample of this from a fragrant friend recently, thank you! S Poncet is owned by Sabine Poncet Hernandez, a perfumer from France who after having spent a decade working for other perfume houses, decided to showcase her own work.

Eau Eternelle is described as follows on S Poncet's Etsy store: 

The garden of Claude Monet in a stunning crystal bottle.

To transcribe Monet's Japanese garden, I picked the most exquisite pink lotus absolute, and grapefruit oil.

To share his Clos Normand, I choose lavender, rosemary, clove, jasmin, carnation, mandarin, and lemon oils.

The fragrance is completed with an exquisite wood base of guaiacwood, sandalwood, patchouli, and moss.

Eau Eternelle feels and smells like a lady of good breeding, young or old, who behaves with the proper decorum in every situation. She's like Scarlett O'Hara's mother after her marriage. There is nothing loud or brash here, nothing that calls for attention. 

The scent opens as a burst of bright citrus notes, I can clearly pick out the grapefruit here. To be honest I wasn't too keen on the opening, there was something about it that made me think of dryer sheets.

Eau Eternelle smells like a perfectly manicured garden, of aromatic shrubbery and subtly sweet flowers. There's a warm spiciness from the cloves and carnations, my introduction to carnation was a vintage sample of Caron's Bellodgia and I enjoy its spicy floral accent which lends a certain gravitas. I smell a white tea similar to jasmine tea and just the barest hint of a powdery musk underneath. The sillage is as pleasantly inoffensive as the dry down and the scent lasts a long time. 

There's no doubt that it's a nice scent for a lady of any age but I am otherwise unmoved by it. It's pleasant but unremarkable and I much rather be Scarlett.