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. 

Io Carthusia

Desirability: Full Bottle

Source: Fragrantica

Philosykos EDT was the first fig perfume I owned and while I still enjoy it, I've since discovered other figs to love. There is Dambrosia which morphs from fresh fig fruit to delicious fig desserts as the hours pass to Ichnusa from the same brand Profumum Roma, an intricate green fig so very different from the gourmand Dambrosia. Another love has to be Ninfeo Mio that manages to be fresh, sweet and green at the same time, exuding a natural air that Annick Goutal excels at. 

Having had a very good first experience with Ligea La Sirena from the house of Carthusia, I was eager to try more from the line which has led me to Io. I'm not the biggest fan of aromatic scents or colognes but the thought of fig, mint and tea together sounded too good to pass up. Io is marvellous, like a bottled Spring that revives the spirits instantly or a holiday in the Mediterranean (which would definitely revive my spirits). Dry, green, fresh, sweet, woody, aromatic...Io is all of that at once and lies on the same side of the scale as Ichnusa and Ninfeo Mio.

Fresh mint, sweet fig and tart green notes are the major players in Io. I don't detect a tea note but it does smell like herbs were thrown into the concoction and in any case Io is as good a healer of the soul as a cuppa tea. It's a fig scent without being fig-centered, clearly there is more to it than just fruit and leaves. Io is not just a scent but an experience, it takes you under the cool shade of fig trees over which is a blistering sun of a hot summer's day, sipping mojitos on a hammock and watching distant waves lazily kissing the shore, not near enough to hear them but the wind sweeps in the cool salty air which rustles through the leaves above you, the music of Nature putting finishing touches on this idyllic moment.

Projection is ok and longevity about average but it's such a joy to reapply this! 

Secrets de Rose Les Parfums de Rosine

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

A soft musky rose that conjures up images of a boudoir, littered with ultra feminine articles like huge powder puffs, silk stockings, lots of pastel satin and feathers.

Source: pinterest

It opens as a deep purple colour imparted by fleshy and ripe dark plums and innumerable rose petals tumbling everywhere. 

This is also as potent as the scent gets, it starts to melt into the skin and remains as a whisper for the rest of its lifetime. The plums get eaten really quickly and the smell of fresh sweet fruit disappears after about half hour tops. 

Source: pinterest

I'm not disappointed as a balmy sweet amber arises that is both woody and musky. I keep thinking it smells like warm skin that had a languorous soak in a hot bath scented with rose oil. Even though I tend to stay away from scents with little projection (my chronic allergic rhinitis turns little projection into no projection, what's the point of scent if I can't even smell myself?), I appreciate that the soft sillage befits the mood Secrets de Rose creates, mellow and introspective and tints the world a dusky pink. 

Graceful, intimate and a much different character from the other Rosine I have, the plush and sociable Une Folie de Rose. I will reserve Secrets de Rose for private time.

Rose Etoile de Hollande Mona di Orio

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

I've been lucking out with peaches recently. Or rather peach/patchouli combinations. I love Lancome Tresor and of course Guerlain Mitsouko has long been a favourite but Gucci Rush smells horrible on me and I met the first Guerlain I've actively disliked during this past weekend- Chypre Fatal. 

I was given a bottle of Rose Etoile de Hollande during a tumultuous period in my life and didn't have the time or attention to lavish on her as deserved. So it was not until recently when I've been craving roses that I dug out this dazzling rose. 

Peaches are first to greet me and I'm very glad we get along here. Fleshy peaches are followed by lush blooms of red roses that have been gently dusted with powder and spices. The nectar in Rose Etoile de Hollande comes from both the rose and the peach but there are also fragrant spices and just the teeniest bit of tartness present. The rosy powder and brilliant aldehydes give it a classical air but I can't see anyone calling this a "grandma" scent as the spices and fresh piquancy keep it lively and modern. The drydown is a warm woody-amber base with a strong note of aromatic cloves and of course the fruity roses prevail to the very end. 

A truly luxuriant scent to indulge in any time you want to spoil yourself, actually it reminds me of Yves Saint Laurent Champagne/Yvresse with a healthy dose of roses and like Champagne, it's sparkling nature is suitable for all occasions and moods. Sillage is average and longevity is very good. 

Source: pinterest

Trance J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Trance has a boozy opening, thick and sweet like maple syrup laced with a fruity liquor. Fruity booze and maple syrup- a seriously powerful introduction! At the same time there is something that is strong and pungent as if herbs and leather were burnt together. All these potent and different smells create a dark (really dark) and deep fragrance, sweet yet medicinal, woody and fruity, heavy yet dry and definitely complicated. 

A faint rose appears midway but the most persistent and resonant is the unusual herbal leather note. As the scent evolves it feels dry and dusty like sawdust, the vegetal, leather and syrup notes enduring till the end. The drydown is dark and earthy similar to how patchouli can give that "earthiness" vibe. The rose is less timid now as if having bloomed over time but although it is easier to detect, I don't feel it ever becomes a dominant player in this scent. 

Trance was a weird experience with some nice bits along the way, the drydown being the most enjoyable part when things settled down a bit instead of out-shouting the other notes. Unfortunately the death knell for me was the herbal leather combination that was a bit too harsh for my stomach to handle ( I literally got waves of nausea smelling this each time). Good projection and longevity though and I am positive that on the right person this would be a commanding fragrance. 

Rose Oud Monotheme Fine Fragrances Venezia

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.granducati.com

I enjoy the smell of oud and have never been too bothered about whether the oud in my perfume was real or synthetic as long as it smelled good. Monotheme's Rose Oud smells good.

The scent of sweet blushing roses and the unique spicy-citrus smell of elemi resin greet you upon applying Rose Oud. Slightly powdery, bright and beautiful with a just the right amount of something green and sour. It grows more earthy and woody (like what you would imagine a forest floor with its mat of dried leaves and mud would smell like) over time but never goes over to the dark side despite the patchouli and oud. There's a ?mineral smell amongst all the dirt, plants and flowers, like how a gravel courtyard smells under a burning sun. ? Stony haha. The drydown is a more subtle expression of all the notes that have already been introduced, nicely balanced and smooth. 

I took a break from my oud rampage for a while so I can't say for sure how Rose Oud compares with other similar combinations but based on memory, I would say fragrance-wise it's up there with Thirty-three which is a big love of mine. Projection and longevity are average.

Not the easiest to purchase online but I have found a store called Granducati that ships internationally and the prices for the perfumes are reasonable. I haven't bought from them yet but going by my first and very pleasant experience with Monotheme's fragrances, I am interested in sampling others.

New Haarlem Bond No 9

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

I swapped for a half used bottle of New Haarlem, eagerly anticipating being drenched in coffee and maple syrup as others have experienced. In reality, this is what I got.

A burst of citrus greets you, its green and fresh self followed quickly by lavender and a dark woody smell, the combination of these three notes made me think immediately of male cologne. The citrus calms down and when it does I can smell the coffee and the maple syrup that many perfumistas have been gushing over. The coffee is a black bitter coffee but diluted or maybe overpowered by the thick maple syrup which conjured up images of a stack of golden brown pancakes drenched with the amber coloured syrup. So in proportions, I smell of: woody lavender>maple syrup>black coffee. On hindsight or smell I think I prefer this proportion rather than if it were an outright gourmand consisting only of maple syrup and coffee which might be a bit OTT. The cool, broody effect of the wood and aromatic lavender are a nice relief from the heavy gourmand side of New Haarlem. 

So instead of a hearty breakfast, I got an invigorating walk in the woods bordering lavender fields while dreaming of said breakfast and suffering olfactory hallucinations. 

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

Rausch J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Sweet, heady stuff that is not for the faint of heart but possibly faint-making when worn by the right individual. Projection is phenomenal and longevity is very good, be careful when applying as it's hard to scrub off.

Lightly spiced and smoky wood notes, a dense moody amber as thick as syrup and the smell of sweet leather make up this potent if none too complex scent that conjures up images of the stereotypical bad boy that all good girls want to look after despite their survival instincts telling them to run for the hills.

There's a burnt rubber note that lingers in Rausch and I can't decide if I like it or not but overall this is a dark and bold unisex fragrance ( I say unisex but the guy who wears this must be able to take sugar with his scents) that isn't particularly original but is undoubtedly good. 

Terralba Masque

Desirability: Sample

Source: twistedlily.com

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." Khalil Gibran

Refreshing. Citrus. Woody. Aromatic. Herbal. Salty? Breathing in Terralba feels as stress-relieving and invigorating as practising ujjayi breathing. A cool salt-encrusted breeze carried in from the sea, tinged with sour citrus fruit, filtered through endless forests green and brown before reaching you sitting perched on a rocky ledge with an eagle's eye view of miles of unspoiled nature. I'll put a gin and tonic in the picture as juniper is egging me on to give it airtime. 

I would like this as a room fragrance or to smell it on another person but not something to wear personally. I need my intense brooding Orientals and this as pleasant as it is, is too vegetal! Still, I recommend at least sampling this. Uniquely weird yet nice. 

Rosae Mundi is my Valentine!

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest.com

A living rose.

A decant of Rosae Mundi and some others from the Profumum Roma line came just in time for me to celebrate Valentine's day my way- perfumed, with a good book and Serge purring at my feet. 

Rosae Mundi. Rose of the world. For a detailed and interesting write-up on the history of this phrase, read here. 

I don't know if Rosae Mundi is the Rose of the world but it definitely smells like the Rose of the earth or rather Rose and the Earth for that is what I smell in equal parts. Roses and earth-dirt, plants, animals, basically all that lives and breathes. The roses are the first to be noticed, huge blooms of perfumed roses that are a little powdery, a little tartly green and a little sweet. Don't write off the perfume as just another rose soliflore, that's just the beginning. 

Rosae Mundi moves out from behind the white picket fences into the real world and gets gritty. Dry, dusty and the smell of the earth after the rain has passed and under the tropical sun, steam practically rises from the cooled ground. That smell. Not just one smell but a smell that is complex and made up of the scent of many others, the watered soil, the plants-their roots, leaves and flowers, the soaring trees above, maybe even the worms and caterpillars. The roses are still blooming but the earth and its living things take the centre stage in this later part of Rosae Mundi. The scent stays this way for the rest of its long lifetime, it is there until you scrub it off with a good amount of soap and arm power. 

Source: pinterest.com

THE ROSE OF THE WORLD

by: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

Who dreamed that beauty passes like a dream?

For these red lips, with all their mournful pride,

Mournful that no new wonder may betide,

Troy passed away in one high funeral gleam,

And Usna's children died.

 

We and the labouring world are passing by:

Amid men's souls, that waver and give place

Like the pale waters in their wintry race,

Under the passing stars, foam of the sky,

Lives on this lonely face.

 

Bow down, archangels, in your dim abode:

Before you were, or any hearts to beat,

Weary and kind one lingered by His seat;

He made the world to be a grassy road

Before her wandering feet.

Source: mrt.com.mk

Opium Eau D'ete Summer Fragrance 2003 Yves Saint Laurent

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Opium on a diet for super hot and humid days when you don't want to asphyxiate those around you with the original. Most days I don't give a stuff whether people around me mind what I'm wearing but there are occasions where one must be toe the line or suffer horrid non TGIF consequences hence why I'm wearing this today. 

Sweet woody myrrh, refined and oriental-esque, lightened by the presence of sunny yellow-green citrus notes and luminous white flowers. Carnation makes known its presence with its distinct spicy-sweet floral powdered self and a minute amount of rich vanilla in the warm woody base. 

The DNA of Opium is still alive in this 2003 summer edition, a glamorous, well balanced ode to the art of perfumery with excellent longevity and OK projection. Those who found the original too much of a good thing may want to try this version, there are still bottles tinkering around on Ebay so grab while you can. Personally I prefer the original. 

CiocoSpesizissimo Hilde Soliani

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

The opening of CiocoSpesizissimo smells quite similar to CiocoRosissimo except that the rose note is replaced with green aromatic spices. I scrounged around my mother's kitchen searching for basil to do a side by side comparison since basil is listed as a note in CiocoSpesizissimo (seriously where do these names come from?) but I can't honestly say I smell basil but I do smell green herbs( in general) and mixed spices sort of like an all spice blend. Same level of sweetness as in CiocoRosissimo, which is not too sweet at all, the chocolate here being of the bitter dark chocolate variety but whilst in CiocoRosissimo the chocolate does a disappearing act before the drydown, here it stays put throughout, keeping the green spices company. 

CiocoSpesizissimo has a light projection but good longevity and overall is quite natural smelling if unusual (mint chocolate I have tried but aromatic herbal chocolate?). Its piquancy mellows over time and the scent gradually grows cosier and woody, bringing to mind the smell of freshly shaved wood planks. The development from the initial verdant-ness to the woodiness in the drydown makes me think of seasons changing from summer's vivid greens and blues to autumnal reds and golds. 

Ylang 49 Le Labo

Desirability: Decant

Source: Luckyscent

An acquired taste for intellectual days.

This isn't your regular ylang ylang perfume as in it's not about white/yellow floral notes, there's no candied vanilla and it has nothing to do with the beach or suntan lotion.

Chypre it is, there's tons of bitter green mossy woods on first applying. I feel like I'm hiking in a tropical jungle, the green foliage so dense and the humidity so thick you can almost cut it with a knife. I smell the ylang ylang which far from its potential to be cloying, here is ensnared by the heavy moss and earthy patchouli. The floral sweetness gives Ylang 49 some lightness in a complex and intense, almost broody character. 

It's not happy go lucky, it's definitely not stereotypically sexy (unless you dig the strait-laced librarian, not the adult entertainment librarian) but it has class and it commands attention like a lecturer inspiring you to put on your thinking cap instead of spoon-feeding you the answer. If Escada fruity florals are ditzes (I mean no offence, on occasion I smell ditzy too), then Ylang 49 is well not quite a valedictorian but at least an honours student. Comforting? Maybe. I would use this as a galvanization on pyjama-only days at home when I give up my chick literature for real books.  

Angélique Noire Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle and back up

Source: www.lesflaconsdeparfum.com

Complete and peaceful. 

Like a recovering addict, I've done my best to steer away from the sole Guerlain counter that carries the exclusive range and even went to great lengths to avoid the shopping mall in which its housed. However I recently bought in on a split of Angélique Noire which I briefly smelt and loved a few years ago. From the line L’Art et la Matière, Angélique Noire and Tonka Imperiale stood out the most for me. Actually I'm pretty crazy about my tiny decant of  Angélique Noire to the point that words and reason failed me when I tried to explain why (the crazy part that is). I'll say it's Guerlain at its best...just call me a groupie.

A pleasantly strange fragrance, vanilla is obviously part of the composition but there's a faint peppery greenness about the vanilla that makes it different from any other vanilla I've come across. Vanilla usually adds some weight but Angélique Noire remains quite...Twiggy-esque for a lack of a better word. Spicy without being fiery, sweet without crossing into gourmand or sickly and aromatic without being too green. Delicate and rarefied but not limp. Musk and faint incense appear in the drydown which feels like a warm golden shawl around your shoulders, conjuring up images of perfect perfectness like the duck scene in The Notebook. Moderate projection and very good longevity.

Source: pinterest.com

Trivia: Angelica or angelica archangelica as an essential oil is purported to be an excellent restorative to help ease anxiety, lift depression and alleviate tension. 

Ore Slumberhouse

Desirability: Sample

Source: pinterest.com

I've been searching for The One. I mean in terms of chocolate scent. I've tried The Body Shop's Chocomania ( a lovely malt chocolate), Guerlain's Elixir Charnel Gourmand Coquin ( it's more of a delicious boozy vanilla than chocolate on me and the jury is still out on whether I should splurge on a bottle), Montale's Chocolate Greedy and Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Amour De Cacao were both equally sweet milk chocolate on me, a little like wearing Terry's Chocolate Orange actually. Parfumerie Generale's PG04 Musc Maori was a dud on me, I smelt like sour milk and chocolate powder sadly. Histoires de Parfums 1969 Parfum de Revolte and Arquiste's Anima Dulcis are two spiced chocolates that I adore and En Voyage Perfumes' Café Cacao is a heavenly salted chocolate like the Lindt sea salt dark chocolate bars, but as delightful as they are, I'm still looking for the swoon-worthy one. 

Source: morningcigarette.com

Ore smells very strongly of wood, it feels like I've walked into a woodshop where all kinds of wood are piled up and the floor is covered with a layer of sawdust. There's a sweet tarry smell alongside the wood that makes me think of a polish or a layer of glaze over the woodwork, it's a little too harsh and pungent for my liking and I think this is the whisky note others are picking up. The chocolate is present but it smells thin or diluted and peppery, not quite the thick creamy chocolate I'm in the mood for i.e Ore is not a gourmand by my definition at least. Ore is interesting and unique without a doubt and I thoroughly enjoyed testing my sample. I won't recommend it as a gourmand but if you are looking for a powerhouse caramelized woody/boozy scent that's evocative of old Camel or Marlboro advertisements featuring cowboys or other macho sorts. 

Rose Poivree The Different Company

Desirability: Decant

Source: kremchik.com.ua

I recoiled the first time I tried Rose Poivree, smelling nothing but spices radiating en masse from the paper I held and blocking out any other notes. It's been three years since that unfortunate introduction and I've learnt to sample on skin and to wait out the opening. 

Opening: a bombardment of eye-watering pepper with coriander chiming in, it's unique multiple personality of zesty yet nutty yet spicy traits adding to the onslaught. It mellows down a little maybe after the first half hour but pepper is a major player all the way to the end. After the spicy blitz there comes a dry, earthy woodiness and rose. The rose is quite exquisite, it truly smells like a real rose blooming out of your skin or clothes. Minimalistic, light and very life-like. 

If you can get past the initial challenging stage, the drydown is a rose musk with an animalic edge albeit on the subtle side. Sophisticated with the slightest hint of naughty. Lightweight in terms of projection after the potency of the opening notes and  has an average longevity.  

Bouquet Ideale Xerjoff

Source: www.coccio.de

Having more perfume than I could finish in several lifetimes, I try to purchase new scents in the smallest size bottles possible. Which is why I'm very pleased that Xerjoff has both the Oud Stars collection as well as the "female" Casamorati scents in discovery boxes at reasonable prices. 

I smell no flowers in Bouquet Ideale. No matter. It's very yummy from beginning to end, if you like all-fattening, no calories spared vanilla that is. The opening is dry, spicy and sweet but the aridness of the festive spices disappears quickly to be replaced by a thick, creamy almond and vanilla combination that cannot fail to conjure up images of sinful desserts. As if one is indulging more than the vice of gluttony, there is a rich and aromatic pipe tobacco scent in the background which adds to the decadence of the scent. There are soft woody notes and warm musky undertones in its drydown and overall it feels quite linear, a tobacco vanilla lightly laced with spices, woods and musk. Beautiful and alluring.

Average projection and good longevity, unless you are a man who adores his sweets and can wear them with aplomb, I find this more suited to women, there's something playful even flirty about Bouquet Ideale, irresistible feminine wiles for every woman's arsenal.

Lulu, Pandora's Box. Source: wn.com

Ambra Lorenzo Villoresi

Source: Fragrantica

I've said it way too many times probably that Ambre Sultan is THE amber in my humble opinion and I've never wanted another amber since meeting that Lutens. Some ambers have been too powdery and many more have been too sweet and not resinous enough for my taste. And then there is Lorenzo Villoresi's Ambra from the Vintage Collection. 

You say amber, I think warm, inviting, smouldering, oriental, resinous etc. The opening of Ambra has none of that. "A misnomer", I thought, wrinkling my nose up at the sharp citrus and heavily peppered opening. Elemi is very evident with its fresh, spicy and citrus-like smell. Exotic spices join the line up like cardamom with its green aromatic sweetness, cloves with their unique minty spiciness and a heavy dusting of black pepper. Potent and commanding it most certainly is, the notes teetering on the edge of dissonance. 

It becomes more "amber like" in the later stages, the rough edges of its earlier self smoothed away. The "marine" salty muskiness I've come to associate with ambergris, accompanied by soft powdery woods and sweet smoky resins all lightly spiced, warm and comforting, as if Ambra has matured from a coltish young one to a graceful and loving swan with a mild temperament. Powerful opening that lightens into moderate projection thereafter and overall good longevity. 

PG14 Iris Taizo Parfumerie Generale

Source: Fragrantica

Iris Taizo is another almost but not quite gourmand fragrance from Parfumerie Generale. You need to like cardamom to get through the opening as it starts with a blast of spicy green...incense? That's what I smell anyway. With time the potency of the scent decreases and so does the intensity of it, leaving room for a sweet powdery and woody base to be noticed under the spiciness. On paper the powdery aspect of the iris is played up and I much prefer it on my skin where it's more waxy than powdery, an enveloping warmth of spiced honeyed wood.

My only guff is that despite its promising bellow at the start, the scent wanes quite fast and all that's left is a skin scent that sticks around for the better part of  three hours tops. Solution: buy the 100 ml and lug it around for frequent touch-ups.