Habanita Molinard

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

Refined. Warm. Inviting.

Habanita is more my cup of leather/vanilla than the whisper-soft suede/vanilla that is Cuir Beluga from Guerlain's exclusive L 'Art et la Matière line. As much as I am a loyal fan of Guerlain and as much as I appreciate the quality and class of Cuir Beluga...it's a shade too sheer for my enjoyment, resembling the easygoing soft suede Cuir Ottoman, a scent I like but not love. 

Habanita is definitely not a light fragrance but neither is it as dark and dangerous as its bottle suggests and I can't recommend this as a "strictly" leather scent. Put it simply, both Cuir Beluga and Cuir Ottoman are blonde suedes and Habanita is a dark suede. When asked to recommend leather scents, what comes to mind are the likes of Cuir de Russie, Anubis and Cuir Mauresque to name a few. Habanita wears more like an Oriental vanilla scent, infused with a leather note that is more prominent at the beginning then fading away by the drydown. Never harsh but a smooth and thoroughly enjoyable polished leather smell that captures the luxuriousness of Habanita as it smoulders its way into an amber base- sweet vanilla with a generous amount of smoky resins thrown emanating a heart-warming glow for hours.

A wonderful creation with an average projection and very good longevity. I recently adopted a bottle of this beauty who keeps her softer and more feminine sibling Habanita L'Esprit company. By the way I know there is endless debate on whether Habanita L'Esprit deserves to be named as such and having spent time with both, I do agree that they share DNA. 

Rose Nacrée du Désert Guerlain (Les Déserts d'Orient)

Desirability: Decant

Source: whatmenshouldsmelllike.com

A oud/rose/patch combo that went through finishing school.

Most perfume lovers are well acquainted with rose/oud/patchouli combinations from the coarse to the refined- well at least perfume lovers who have little or no aversion to oud. Guerlain's offering Rose Nacrée du Désert rests on a throne along with the upper crust. I'm biased where Guerlain is concerned, if Guerlain made it, it's well-made be it the revered classics or the newer offerings. I don't  necessarily like all that the house produces, for example the biggest strike out would be Chypre Fatal, however the quality is evident in all of them.

Rose Nacrée du Désert like a generous bosom barely restrained by its corset, spills over with luscious rose blooms, flooding the senses with their heady sweet smell. Dry sweet saffron, a non too pungent oud, earthy patchouli and a warm resinous base complete this well-rounded and sophisticated fragrance. It hints of rugged beginnings that were polished over centuries like the lineage of a self-made family that became "respectable" with time and money.

Rose Nacrée du Désert is undeniably luxurious and alluring. If I didn't already have a few too many rose/patchouli/oud combinations or if I had unlimited perfume funds, I would consider adding this to my perfume wardrobe. Still there's always birthdays and holidays!

Tolu Ormonde Jayne

Desirability: Full Bottle

Source: pinterest.com

Full-bodied. Smooth. Comforting. Regal.

A gorgeous medley of citrus and light florals on a warm and sweet vanilla-amber base,that casts a rich glowing caramel colour and shares DNA with Queen Shalimar. 

Smoothly blended with no rough edges to jar the senses but brimming with ingredients to the point it feels dense and inviting as compared to, let's say Amber Mystique by Estée Lauder which was a super expensive mistake on my part ( I got carried away by the deep red of the bottle only to be disappointed by the pastel contents, kudos to those who found it matched their expectations).

It's not unique nor is it particularly interesting and therefore in view of my limited perfume-designated funds I won't be hankering after a bottle (of course if gifted a bottle I certainly won't turn it down). However with its richness and superb quality, I still think it's full bottle worthy. Sillage is good and longevity is excellent, I went to bed with Tolu and woke up to this resinous beauty wafting smokily from my clothes. 

La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Mitzah Christian Dior

Desirability: Sample

Source: parfumglamour.com

Luxurious. 

Mitzah is a perfect ensemble of well-loved notes including patchouli, incense, labdanum and spices both sweet and well, spicy. 

A seamless blend of spices and deep amber colours reminiscent of the oriental perfumes from Serge Lutens but toned down a few notches in terms of spiciness, the sweet resinous labdanum of Habanita L'Esprit, the dark and soulful patchouli of Mazzolari's Lei. Smooth and dreamy, more on the feminine side, Mitzah is like the rich glowing colours of precious stones set in lavish Byzantine jewelry. 

Source: socialsciencesalpajes.wordpress.com

The only problem with Mitzah is it shares similarities with a few perfumes I have, so at this point I can't justify getting a full bottle, discontinued or not. Which is a good thing, my bank account reminds me in consolation. 

Cristina Hilde Soliani

Source: Luckyscent

I fell in love with a sample of Cristina that was thoughtfully included in a perfume parcel from a fragrant friend who knows what a "patch head" I am. She was right, I loved Cristina from the first wearing and despite the patchouli department of my wardrobe being well-stocked, I had to have it. I mean, after reaching a certain number of bottles, does another one really matter any more? :)

  Patchouli has so many different faces ranging from hippie to haughty and Cristina seems to embody most of them although the most apt description would be that of a oriental gourmand, the vanilla flavoured buttery white chocolate that eluded me in Chanel's Les Exclusifs Coromandel standing out clearly in Cristina. Also present in Cristina is the woody and dark soil aspect of patchouli like in Jovoy's Psychedelique or Histoires de Parfums Noir Patchouli and a creamy nuttiness like in Montale's Patchouli Leaves, all these mixed with a heady caramelized resinous syrup.

Despite its potent richness, Cristina like other Hilde Soliani fragrances I have tried, does not come across as heavy but instead is like a soft cloud that drifts lazily about you. 

Habanita L'Esprit Molinard

Habanita L'Esprit starts off heavy but winds up soft after about an hour so I tend to carry my bottle around with me. I've never tried the original Habanita or the 2012 eau de parfum version so I regretfully can't compare them at this time. 

I have been weaning myself off the risky habit of blind buys but this one was a successful gamble as Habanita L'Esprit has all the notes I enjoy, being a well-orchestrated combination of an unclean musk, leather, resins and powder. I say unclean as it's more smutty than a clean musk like The Body Shop's White Musk but not enough to join the legion of dark musks like Kiehl's Original Musk. The leathery labdanum and musk stand out during the first hour but slink away thereafter so that in the drydown you get sweet warm resins and citrus-tinged vanilla powder. This part reminds me a little of Guerlain's Shalimar but with less vanilla than in Shalimar. Overall a nice and cosy scent that's worth its price. 

Oppoponax Les Néréides

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Les Néréides fragrances are the archetypical "the bang for your buck" scents and Oppoponax is no different. In return for the very affordable prices listed on various online stores and Ebay, you get well-made fragrances of acceptable quality, with decent performances in the sillage and longevity departments. Totally blind buy worthy I thought and I did. No regrets.

Oppoponax stays true to its name and is a fine introduction to balmy scents.  A soft oriental that is revolves around warm and sweet resins, uncomplicated and largely linear on my skin.  The scent is both cozy and light, the ingredients a sheer version of themselves as compared to their roles in more heavy-hitting resin-based scents like Calvin Klein's Obsession, Guerlain's Shalimar or Yves Saint Laurent's Opium just to name a few. 

So if you are after a sultry, intoxicating scent, Oppoponax is not it. If you would like a lighter Oriental like a subtle golden shimmer accompanying you for the better part of a day, I would recommend to try this.  

Sådanne Slumberhouse

Source: Luckyscent

My boss just told me I smell like a Yankee candle and that he won't mind smelling like one too. It does smell like an upmarket candle, one that has forest fruits in its name and comes either purple or red usually. Considering I applied a little from a Luckyscent dab sample to my right forearm, I would say the projection is pretty damn good. 

I have mentally placed Sådanne in the same broad catergory as Tauer's 10 Une Rose Vermeille and Parfumerie Generale's PG13 Brulure de Rose. Fruity roses that smell like real roses and real fruit. As opposed to car air-fresheners posing as perfumes. 

Like the Tauer and PG, Sådanne is more than just a fruity rose. Syrupy sweet fruit-bushels of ripe blackberries, strawberries, raspberries some more berries, possibly a fuzzy peach or two and of course bunches of roses. The general effect is similar to drinking a thick dessert wine like Inniskillin or another ice wine. In stark contrast to the nectar, there is a heavy leather that combats the dessert for attention. As if watching the swordplay in saber fencing, the leather and sweet notes perform a repertoire of lunges and parrys so fluid it is more a dance than merely tactical maneuvering. Weaving everything together are warm resins and dark woody notes and there you have Sådanne. 

Sådanne could also have been named Rose Rebelle or Whips and Roses or Good Girl Gone Bad, yes I know these names have already been taken but just to give a clearer picture of what Sådanne is like. 

PG 25 Indochine Parfumerie Generale

Source: Saccani.com

Another scent from Parfumerie Generale that I could fall in lust with. Honeyed spices (cardamom predominant) on a resinous woody base. It starts off with a blast of cardamom (if you don't know what cardamom smells like, smell this and you won't forget it!) which blends beautifully with the honey, both sweet and spicy. The smoke and woods come next, bringing me back to holidays spent in the relative quiet and isolation among the paddy fields of Ubud, Bali, reclining on a veranda and watching the sun languorously descend, its last rays serenely giving way to the impending darkness, a wistful glow caressing every surface goodbye. 

The honey is reigned in by the wood and spices and although sweet, Indochine is more of dry, spiced woods than gourmand on my skin. It has a good sillage on me and average longevity. Lovers of Lutens' Ambre Sultan, Chergui, Five O'Clock Au Gingembre and the like, would enjoy this. I definitely do, Indochine being as idyllic an experience as my remote getaways. 

Fate for Women Amouage

Source: pinterest.com

Fate and Beloved are two oddly comforting perfumes for me. I say odd only because I tend to view Amouge perfumes as luxurious jewels and instruments of seduction not burrito blankets( I learnt a new slang today, thank you Bella).

Beloved I group together with another beloved Shalimar under "classy classics", I find Fate to be more extroverted and gregarious compared to them. Perfume is for anytime and any place of course, but I reach more often for Fate to chill out with in a hole-y tee and Beloved to look presentable for, even though both turn me into a contented, purring cat.

Fate starts a bit sharp and peppery but the sharpness doesn't last for more than it takes the spray to evaporate on my skin, before it turns into a smoky, spicy and woody balm for the soul, that envelops one in a blissful bubble, like sitting and watching firewood burning merrily on a cold weekend afternoon, a mug of something sinful in hand while one shuffles around at home still in pajamas at 4 pm. I get powdery florals as it further dries which gives Fate some vintage charm like Besame cosmetics. The floral powder, smoke, woods, resins and spices all blend smoothly into a complex and sublime scent that shares traits with other Amouage scents (Dia for floral powder, Epic and Beloved for warm spicy florals, Interlude and Memoir for smoky resins) before it but remains unique.

Source: community.sephora.com

I prefer wearing Fate when its cold i.e when the air-conditioning is on as the scent blooms beautifully whereas much of its performance is dampened in heat and curiously enough the sillage/longevity seems to be affected by temperature too. I get amped up sillage in heat but with poor longevity and in colder temperatures, the sillage is still good but the longevity is way better.

* Just to avoid confusion, I refer to the female versions of the scents mentioned above.

Collection Rouge No. 2 M. Micallef

Source: boutique.osswaldnyc.com

A Micallef that I really enjoy, Rouge No. 2 was a bit of a surprise find. I was on the hunt for labdanum based scents and this opulent red bottle caught my eye. To put it simply Rouge No. 2 is a fancy mix of an oriental and fruity-floral, that's sweet enough in its initial stages to be ranked as a gourmand oriental but not tooth-achingly so. 

It starts with bushels of luscious ripe berries that are turned into a mouth-watering fruit and caramel dessert, the sweetness held in check by a tangy cassis. The scent leaves the gourmand territory as it dries and goes down a darker resinous path, ending as a powdery warm amber with a tinge of dark musk, that is suggestive without reeking of sex. 

Rouge No. 2 has a very potent opening which wanes to become a skin scent by around the fifth hour wearing it. After having sampled it a few times (and finally succumbing to a full bottle), I feel its aptly named, from the succulent berry opening, the intensely dark creme de cassis and its ending with a hint of carnal pleasures awaiting.  

Alahine Teo Cabanel

An Oriental sprite, Alahine opens with a quick burst of citrus notes which is their only part in the story. I smell the florals but am unable to tell them apart, together they are a full-bodied and intoxicating bouquet. As delightful as Alahine has proven to be so far, my real pleasure lies in the later hours, where the scent throws off its cloak of flowers and revels in its voluptuous beauty, all spiced smoke and amber glow, sweet honeyed resins and woody musk.

 As a lover of Oriental perfumes and biased in favor of Serge Lutens, what makes Alahine different from Lutens' stable of winners is that Alahine feels like a classic French perfume using oriental notes, just like Rosine's A-Z of roses, all with a French style no matter the ingredients. Lutens' don't fly a flag, they stay true to their ingredients, name and story and are a wild and headstrong bunch, whereas Alahine comports herself in a more graceful manner with a twinkle in her eye. She isn't old but she has matured in the ways of the world and I can't see this being worn by adolescents somehow.

After an initial potency, Alahine slowly slips into a skin scent by about the sixth hour. Not groundbreaking but an elegant, well-made perfume that Oriental fans should sample. 

Anubis Papillon Artisan Perfumes

A solidly potent leather scent. 

This is no sweaty roll in the stables with flowers in your hair Cuir de Russe of Les Exclusifs de Chanel, it's more leathery than Cuir Mauresque and does not have the thick fruity sweetness of the Lutens.

Anubis is a leather loaded with a ton of tannin, I smell birch tar redolent of tar for paving roads (I happen to find tar sweet when it's freshly laid) and leathery smell. The gum resins frankincense and myrrh (I won't pretend to know where one ends and the other begins) lend a smoky and nutty sweetness after the initial pungent animal relaxes its stronghold.

Jasmine and pink lotus are listed but on me the flowers are sadly buried under the stack of tanned hides, a pity as I do love jasmine. I do smell the immortelle, here it showcases it's caramelized curry and dusty aspects and reminds me of Annick Goutal's Sables.

Anubis stays like this for the rest of its duration, a smoky leather and caramelized balmy resins. I find this rich, sensual, dark and cozy. I won't wear it to the office, the scent is much too sexually charged for fluorescent lighting and should be reserved for when one is on the prowl.

The scent trail is impressive, I applied a smidgen of this from a dab sample and it's positively radiating from its spot. Longevity could be better but I might have to judge it again in a spray form rather than a dab sample to know for sure.

A little trivia: Anubis is the Greek name of the jackal headed Egyptian god who was a funerary god. The ancient Egyptians believed that embalming the dead with the use of sweet-smelling herbs and plants helped the deceased because Anubis would sniff the mummy and only allow the pure to move on to Paradise. The ancient Egyptians used precious perfumery ingredients in the embalming process. The essential oils used in the embalming process are  also effective antibacterial agents and are partly responsible for the preservation of the corpses.

Anubis statue found in the tomb of Tutankhhamun

La Liturgie des Heures Jovoy

I'm a big fan of Jovoy's Gardez-Moi (big fat white gardenia) and Psychedelique (my most reached for dark and sultry patchouli) and had my sights set on sampling the rest of the line. 

Incense. Latin: Incendere. "To Burn".

The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of Christians daily and in all denominations, the principle remains the same: to pray throughout the day, to spend the entire day and night in praise of God. Wearing La Liturgie des Heures Jovoy, one does feel and smell like having spent the whole day in church, issuing forth frankincense, myrrh, styrax and copal with every step. 

The use of incense in Christian worship is seen as a symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to heaven. Psalm 141, verse 2: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice." In the Catholic Church, whenever a thurible, used to contain incense as it is burned on hot charcoal, is swung to incense people or objects, it is repeated in patterns of three swings, to represent the Holy Trinity.  

La Liturgie des Heures takes us back to its ancient use as aromatherapy, of healing both the physical and emotional through stimulation of the olfactory nerve.This sweet resinous smoke is linear but beautifully crafted and would be welcomed by those who enjoy this genre of scent, employing a calming and relaxing effect on the limbic system. Read more on incense symbology here.

Aromatherapy benefits

It is a potent incense so be careful how much you spray, besides scenting, it could be used instead of pepper spray if applied with vigor, if that fails to disarm your assailant, throwing the heavy glass flacon with good aim would guarantee a knockout. 

Trivia:

Frankincense and Myrrh come from the sap of trees, frankincense from the genus Boswellia and myrrh from the species Commiphora, where the sap is collected as dried beads from tapping the reservoirs in the trees and allowing the ooze to dry on the trunk. 

The resin of both plants has been used for spiritual practices for over 5,000 years and were considered a valuable and practical gift in ancient times- recall that the Three Magi gifted baby Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh.The resins also have medical benefits that were applied in past civilizations dating back to 1500 BC, including antiseptic, antidepressant, immune booster, astringent and sedative among many other health uses. 

* Frankincense drying on a bark. Cedric Pollet.

Eau des Missions, Les Couvent des Minimes

If you are looking for a boozy warm vanilla that's niche, good and affordable (seriously it does exist), look no further than Les Couvent des Minimes' Cologne of the Missions or Eau des Missions. 

It's been hailed as THE dupe for Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille, but I would have to prick that bubble and disagree. It's a good dupe but it would be like comparing a Porsche (SDV) with a Mini (Cologne of the Missions), both are solid cars in their own right but you can't compare them. SDV smells richer and darker than Cologne of the Missions but with a price difference of more than a 100 dollars I give my money to Les Couvent des Minimes, at 38 USD for a 3.4 oz bottle, I didn't even hesitate at the blind buy.

The sillage for Eau des Missions is massive (if you hate vanilla this will cause a headache of nuclear proportions), straight up you smell balmy vanilla and it stays smoky and sweet for half a day at least. It's a linear scent on me but is such a cozy and resinous fragrance, it doesn't quite matter, actually nothing much matters when you are wearing this. Eau des Missions is a feel good scent that keeps you warm and glowing while you wear it, as if you are cocooned on the sofa in your comfy pyjamas with a good book or movie for company.

So if you are a vanilla fanatic, gourmand lover, adore balmy resins...you won't regret trying this. 

El Born, Carner Barcelona

My dad loves rum and raisin ice-cream and when I first tried El Born, I wish he wore scents, I would have gotten a bottle of this for him. 

It's very boozy with dried fruit and sweet vanilla, conjuring up images of a mound of dark glossy raisins over creamy vanilla ice-cream, add rum as you please. El Born is without a doubt, gourmand without being a gourmand. Like how Frederic Malle's Dries Van Noten smells like spiced egg nog, when there's nothing gourmand in its listed notes to suggest so. 

In El Born, the rich resins and balsams give it it's boozy warmth and contribute to the sweetness created by the honey, vanilla and dried fruit notes. The sandalwood adds a creamy and rich texture, hence the ice-cream analogy. 

The scent dries to a boozy and powdery vanilla. Delicious from start till finish which is over eight hours at least. 

Rum raisin ice-cream 

Labdanum 18 Le Labo

This was my last birthday gift to myself and came shipped from Luckyscent via an amazing perfume-friend. I adore the skank Rose 31, the super leathery Patchouli 24, the hyper-realistic Lys 41, the gorgeous woody Belle du Soir, Santal 33 my favorite happy sandalwood and I was ready to be impressed by Labdanum 18.

I'm not wowed off my feet, but I'll say it's a good SKIN SCENT. It's so soft, it's practically made of fairies' wings. Not something I expected with labdanum and civet amongst its notes. 

I sprayed a copious amount on my sleeve and finally met Labdanum 18. It's a smoky, Oriental musk, with a hint of animals hiding behind the trees. Not as smoky like Le Labo's broody Vetyver 46, it's more resinous than a wood fire. 

So it didn't win the sweepstakes in projection but it's rather long-lasting, I could still detect its balmy sweetness eight hours on if I stick my nose to my arm. Good for days you want to remain discreet in office meetings before you have a rendezvous with your lover after, it's guaranteed he/she will respond amorously to this musky "like skin" but "skin rolled in animal funk and incense" scent. 

I've heard it compared to Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle. I would say there are similarities but they are not identical twins, maybe fraternal. First I can actually smell Musc Ravageur after one spray (sorry for the repeated gripe), secondly Musc Ravageur has this potent, obvious spiciness about it that is not present in Labdanum 18. Musc Ravageur is provocative, in your face wantonness whereas Labdanum 18 is quietly alluring. Ok, Musc Ravageur would be Angelina Jolie (how could you miss all that sex appeal starting from the lips right?) versus the gamine Audrey Tautou as Labdanum 18 (watch Amelie then go watch Hors de prix). At the end of the day, it depends on who or what you want to channel. 

Vanitas Profumum Roma

Vanitas is a vanilla-centric scent, another in the line-up of olfactory antidepressants from Profumum Roma that are decadent without one piling on the pounds.

The opening is bordering on medicinal, the myrrh being responsible for that and it's a little cold and bitter initially. The myrrh here reminds me of Annick Goutal's Myrrh Ardente, which started out similarly with a cold resinous vibe but warmed to a smooth and subtle dark sweetness on me. In Vanitas, I smell the orange blossom and woody notes but they blend so seamlessly with the vanilla and myrrh. As it starts to warm on skin the bitterness and medicine melt away and it develops into a sweet resinous vanilla. It's not complex or profound but it is obviously of good quality ingredients and has an air of sophistication, which makes it different from your usual vanilla line up found in department stores and worn by teeny boppers.

The Profumum Roma line is expensive no doubt, but they are sold in travel sprays of 20 ml for about 60 Euro versus the 190 Euro for 100 ml. Unless you choose to have just this one perfume, I don't think a 100 ml is necessary as it is a very tenacious scent although with a soft trail and a little bit goes a very very VERY long way.

This is a scent for cuddling and lazing in bed on the weekends, it's so comforting, light-hearted and filled with positive vibes. I don't find it a "sexy" vanilla like for instance Dior's Addict which is a vampy vanilla, instead I liken Vanitas to the sweet and charming Snow White of 1937. On a different note, it also makes me crave for Sabayon. 

Vanitas Vanitatum, Omnia Vanitas “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

I did some research on the word "Vanitas"and it's as bittersweet as the myrrh and vanilla in the perfume. In Latin, it literally translates to "vanity" and is used to mean "emptiness" or "futility". Ecclesiastes 1:2;12:8 from the Old Testament, is often associated with this term and in the book he proclaims all the actions of man to be  inherently futile as the lives of both wise and foolish men end the same, in death. So as humans, we are powerless over the transience of life, but while we have life, we should enjoy every day of it, but our actions being kept in checked by following the 10 Commandments. Or simply put, do whatever you want so long as you hurt nobody or yourself in the process.

After that slightly grim note, I shall leave you with something more positive. Carpe diem!