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. 

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

Fidelis Histoires de Parfums

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica.

Not a scent for the fainthearted.

Fidelis is a heavy hitter from the very first spray. I tend to overspray with hefty pumps thanks to my slight anosmia secondary to chronic allergic rhinitis, but with Fidelis I am cautious not to go above two gentle sprays or else I run the risk of engulfing everyone else around me with its monster projection.

Many if not all houses from niche to mainstream seem to have done a rose/oud/patchouli combination by now and we perfume lovers have one if not several favorites from the glut of choice available. Some of us may even be fatigued by it! Enter Fidelis and a break with tradition. 

Unabashedly loud, almost brash, Fidelis is nothing like the smooth, romantic rose/oud combinations I lean towards. THIS is oud. Upon application, this giant of a scent is almost unbearably bitter with a medicinal oud so thick you could imagine cutting the air in front of you with a knife. Saffron, cardamom and cumin are looted from the spice cupboard and applied with a liberal hand. Their spicy harmony provides a dry, crisp respite (a breath of spicily fresh air literally) from the majestic oud. Patchouli enfolds you in its warm familiar vegetal sweetness, somewhat akin to rolling around on damp forest ground. Rose neither delicate nor syrupy blends a floral theme into the bold and earthy mixture and I suspect allows for my more feminine tastes to better enjoy Fidelis. 

An Original in a sea of rose-ouds which takes you on an endless and passionate journey. Fidelis is not a scent I frequently reach for, as truthfully I find it a tad too demanding for my sensibilities for a regular fixture but on the days I want complexity as well as a major case of intensity with my roses, this is a good one. 

Harem Soirée Arte Profumi

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I purchased samples of Harem Soirée and Velvet Rouge from First in Fragrance a few months ago and have worn both several times now (although First in Fragrance does use generous sized spray samples, you should still have a good idea as to how far a little spray of either scent goes. Need I add that the staying power is amazing). The scents are complex creatures and take a while to fully appreciate and understand, hence why it's taken me a while to write about either.

Harem Soirée feels like a relative of Amouage's Memoir Woman. That is not to say that they smell the same, but both have a dense, opulent and animalic character. Whereas Memoir boasts the typical lengthy list of notes that characterizes most if not all from the house of Amouage, Harem Soirée has three listed notes on Fragrantica of myrrh, ambergris and rose (First in Fragrance lists only ambergris and rose). Harem Soirée definitely smells more complicated than three let alone two notes. Then again the complexity could be attributed to the main player ambergris, which to my nose is responsible for the headily sweet yet unmistakably animalic (salty and a tad of manure) odour. I'm guessing that for those who shy away from heady/raunchy scents, Harem Soirée would risk being too pungent for their taste. Rose is almost hidden behind the smoke and mirrors effect created by the multi-faceted ambergris. Almost but not quite. I imagine her to be a dark and deep red rose, fleshy and voluptuous, the way I usually enjoy my roses (and wines for that matter). Far from being prettily sweet and more of a burlesque dancer, rose sinuously winds and entwines herself in the smoky swirls of the scent, as it enraptures and captures your attention, then your heart and finally your money. 

A little late but I decide to get a bottle with my soon expiring birthday voucher from First in Fragrance ( the shortlist was between Harem Soirée, Rubj EDP, Ambra Aurea and Bacarrat Rouge 540...it wasn't an easy choice I can tell you but Harem Soirée with its siren call of roses and ambergris won out). I will enjoy wearing it in the unseasonably colder weather we have been experiencing in Singapore of late. I started re reading Bram Stoker's Dracula and can quite imagine a deadly and devastatingly beautiful Un Dead using this beguiling scent to entrance its victim.

L'Heure de Nuit Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I've been chasing after the perfect heliotrope and the perfect iris. Although L'Heure de Nuit doesn't fulfill all cravings, it does have plenty of iris, heliotrope and orange blossom to keep this girl happy. Plus that bottle, that pale blue juice...even if I'm not a bottle collector, I do agree that Guerlain has the market cornered for pretty bottles. 

Despite the name, I don't find similarities between this pretty little thing and L'Heure Bleue, the undisputed queen of the night and melancholy. I love L'Heure Bleue, even if I've only briefly smelt the vintage and own the reformulation (yes even to this green nose they do smell worlds apart), it is a fragrance rich in history and L'Heure de Nuit by contrast is youthful and has not sunk her teeth in life as yet. The sunlit orange blossom brings gaiety and lifts up the moody iris and heliotrope, the result is an invitingly cool blue floral without glacial tones, like dipping into the pool on a hot day with the water temperature being just right. As the day evolves into night, L'Heure de Nuit unfolds its vanilla tinged muskiness as the hours progress, with lingering traces of the cool iris, powdery sweet heliotrope and sunny white flowers. 

Sillage is moderate and longevity good. A hug-worthy scent. Do not come with expectations of drama and sorcery. 

Nin-Shar Jul et Mad Paris

Desirability: Full bottle and a back up

Source: pinterest

I have heard/read of instances in which people observe a moment's silence when opening a rare fine wine or brandy, out of respect or perhaps silent awe. "Dear God!" was my first thought when sniffing the opened bottle of Nin-Shar (in the cute Love Dose 5ml size as was a semi-blind buy, I say semi-blind because I had a very pleasant encounter with Néa and therefore was confident that I would love its sibling too. With rose, oud and incense listed in its notes, it's a safe bet for me). After a deliriously happy albeit silent moment during which my olfactory nerves imbibed greedily on this glorious juice, my second thought was "I need a bigger bottle! STAT!" 

It seems like almost every house whether niche or mainstream has a rose/oud combination and the huge selection is quite fatiguing after the initial excitement wore off. Nin-Shar stands out from the competition because of its luscious rose jam note that is dripping with berries in syrup and packed with dark red roses in full bloom. This dessert rose shares some similarities with other jammy roses like Parfumerie Generale's PG13 Brulure de Rose or Sådanne . However the patchouli, incense and oud pull the fragrance away from the gourmand territory and the result is a sophisticated broody rose indulging in a glass of burgundy, surrounded by opulent trappings. Everything about Nin-Shar is rich and rooted in quality ingredients, projection is *moderate and longevity is very good on me. 

*my fellow colleagues beg to differ and insist that projection is enormous as apparently they can smell me down the hall which is no small feat. They have further claimed that anyone spending more than five minutes in my room comes out smelling of boozy roses. I leave you to be your own judge! :)

White Musk Collection White Suede Tom Ford

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Hot on the heels of two successful blind buys from Tom Ford- Champaca Absolute and Black Violet, White Suede was my third blind buy which is definitely shaped from a different mould. 

Almost a non perfume, White Suede smells of freshly laundered sheets gently swaying in the breeze on the clothing line. If you go up close to the sheets you might still get a faint whiff of an elegant and discreet floral scent, one with lots of hyacinth, galbanum and lily of the valley. It smells more like a wild meadow than a cultivated garden. Then there is musk, a clean musk reminiscent of how one would smell after a shower with Nivea/Dove soap. 

White Suede does smell like how my Isabel Marant Dicker boots smelt when they first arrived. Add a garland of wild flowers. It's a variant of Noa that I can wear (there's something about Noa that made me uncomfortable) but I don't reach for my bottle of White Suede very often as it doesn't move me. On the other hand it did make me think of a scene in one of my favourite movies "I Capture the Castle" and since the character favoured Penhaligon's Bluebells which could pass for the scent clinging on to the sheets. 

Scene from I Capture the Castle. Source: pinterest

Moderate projection and very good longevity.

White Suede is like abstract art to me, I'm sure there is more going on but I'm not getting it.

De Profundis Serge Lutens

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.beauty.at

One must love mums. Chrysanthemums that is. 

I digress but don't you love it when Serge Lutens decides to magic one of the deeply coveted bell jar perfumes into an export edition? I know I practically go giddy. So when I heard a rumour that there was going to be a limited release of De Proundis, in the sleek and glossy black flacon of the Le vaporisateur tout noir range that also houses other much-loved scents such as the delicious Rahat Loukoum, the wonderful if weird Silver Iris Mist that is more an experience than a perfume I can wear, my holy grail of all ambers- Ambre Sultan and Féminité du Bois-a warm, sweet and spiced woody scent that's all around perfect.

Chrysanthemum is the dominant note in De Profundis for me. The green yet floral scent that is characteristic of chrysanthemums is clear and vibrant throughout the moderate longevity of the fragrance on my skin. Light powdery floral notes form the background for De Profundis and I detect a clean almost austere note of incense in the heart.

Despite the associations of death and decay with De Profundis, I find it to evoke peace and tranquility, happy memories even. Chrysanthemum tea is a popular favourite which goes well with the lengthy and often boisterous Sunday dim sum brunches, where family and/or friends gather to eat, drink and be very noisy. Red, orange and gold/yellow chrysanthemums are also a staple decoration for the Lunar New Year, the colours being auspicious ones for the celebration.

I have longed to try De Profundis for so many years and it's such a pleasure to finally hold and smell it. For me, full bottle worthy but I am an avid Lutens fan, albeit more of the earlier work than the recent releases.

Al Ward Al Taifi Abdul Samad Al Qurashi

Desirability: sample

Source: www.arabianperfume.ru

Very life-like but too soft for my liking, wearing Al Taifi is like having rose petals caress your skin leaving a faint trace of their scent behind. Emphasis on the word faint. Delicate, green and rosy, it's a youthful scent miles away from the so called "grandma" types of rose perfumes. Youthful but not juvenile, it has the same lighthearted charm as A La Rose but without the powdery floral aspect of the Kurkdjian. 

Both Al Taifi and Ambergris Taifi have the costly Taif rose as an ingredient, the version of Al Taifi I wore is an EDP whereas Ambergris Taifi is a perfume oil. Where Al Taifi remains linear and true to the scent of a rose throughout its average lifetime, Ambergris Taifi has its rose petals mixed with a creamy amber and an animalic edge from the ambergris. The latter also lasts pretty much forever from just a small smidge of the perfume oil. 

Rima XI Carner Barcelona

Desirability: Decant

Source: pinterest

Rice pudding was my first thought on sniffing Rima XI applied to the crook of my elbow. Jeux de Peau was my second thought. It does have that salty sweetness that I love about the gourmand Lutens but where Jeux de Peau conjures up a reel of memories taken from a warm bakery on a cold day, Rima XI brings to mind the Asian dessert of silky rice pudding flavoured with vanilla and gently powdered with spices. 

It starts off rather dry, with the spices (cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg) dominating the scent at first but mellowing as time progresses, underneath is the creamy rice pudding that is a good balance of sweet and savoury. I like eating rice pudding but smelling like it for hours would not be as enjoyable, thankfully the spices break the mundaneness here in Rima XI. The scent gradually morphs from a gourmand into a soft woody amber base with a little musk. A comfort scent from start to finish. 

By the way this scent doesn't bloom as well on paper as it does on skin, so don't test it on paper. It also performs better in the heat, the scent projects much more than it does in my "colder" office where it creeps back to the skin. Overall I find it a rather light scent with average longevity of about 6 hours. 

Nice but not super interesting which is why I'm happy with my decant.  

Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille Annick Goutal

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

For patchouli lovers. 

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

Source: pinterest

A plum and patchouli combination that is miles apart from another plum/patch that I have, the sweet and rather gourmand-esque Isvaraya. Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille is Nature bottled if Nature to you means the smell of earth...leaves and dirt literally. Appealing? For me on certain days yes. On this day of Equinox, I am feeling rather nostalgic for autumnal colours and smells. Instead of veering down the path of fall gourmands with cinnamon and spices, I have decided to regain balance with Mon Parfum Chéri while cooped up indoors. 

A powdery opening sweetened with tart plums and restrained vanilla. Patchouli is the heavyweight here, an almost gloomy, earthy and bitter patchouli that makes me feel like I'm digging in the dirt, bare hands and all. It does not ever lighten up and in this case the bottle truly matches the scent for Mon Parfum Chéri is both bold and dark throughout its lifetime. I can only pick out iris, plum and patchouli of course, but this scent feels way more complex than it reads. Lasts forever and with good projection,  Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille is a full-bodied olfactory masterpiece that is very different from the ethereal beauties I'm used to from this house. This is not a scent for parties and socializing but a private scent for spells of solitary introspection.

I believe that Mon Parfum Cheri is full bottle worthy but it is definitely a try before you buy scent. 

Lady Vengeance Juliette Has A Gun

Desirability: Sample

Source: pinterest

For rose patchouli lovers just dipping their toes in niche-land. 

Lady Vengeance isn't quite as menacing as her name or her appearance makes her out to be. On the contrary she is actually quite charming. A modern and refined blend of tender roses, patchouli so affable that even patchouli haters might be won over, gourmand vanilla and dries down to a balmy base of amber and musk tinged with the lingering scent of roses and earth. Beautifully combined in a smooth manner that only Francis Kurkdjian can. Lady Vengeance is a scent that you can wear anywhere, it is not too sweet and not too sexy, it is not too much of anything really. Projection is decent and longevity average. 

Looking back I might have enjoyed this much more if  we had met earlier on my perfume travels. Having been spoilt with so much choice in the rose/patchouli department, I have to say this is pleasant but there is a whole world out there to discover instead of stopping here. Which brings to mind a favourite poem by Robert Frost...

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though; 
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

For me I have vials to go before I am done sniffing!

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. 

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. 

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! 

Misia Chanel

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

Violet scents were what led me into the world of fragrances. I was obsessed with smelling everything with violet flowers and leaves from dewy life-like violets to dark, moody violets. As a result I don't just have a violet corner in my wardrobe but a full section with violets to suit my every need. Even then, I still keep adding new discoveries but at a much less feverish pace.

If like me, you adore the smell of Guerlain lipsticks with their waxy floral scent, you have to try Misia. Violets, roses, powdery iris and lots of buttery orris abound in Misia which shares some vintage make-up elements with Lipstick Rose but on me, Misia is more powdery and green (at the beginning) whereas Lipstick Rose is rather sensual and musky all the way. I don't find them similar at all actually.

It starts off with aldehydes and fresh flowers, the powder quickly presenting itself and at this stage Misia is very feminine and delicate. It gradually deepens and feels more tangible with the entrance of orris, resins and vanilla. The drydown is a heavenly affair between the flowers, powder and balmy base notes with most of the green-ness gone by now. Lipstick Rose feels more solidly reassuring whereas Misia seems more flighty- I mean I know Lipstick Rose is there all the way whereas the illusion of diaphaneity lets Misia play hide and seek with my olfactory nerve.

I'm very much in the camp of "wear what you like" but I find it hard to categorize Misia as anything but female. Or should I say feminine. Where Lipstick Rose reminded me of knockout cheesecake models, Misia brings images of Art Deco fashion to mind- simple outlines using gorgeous top quality materials. The scent has soft to average projection but stays on me for quite a number of hours.

Spending time with both Misia and Lipstick Rose put me in the mood for classics and I shall share this precious song that came to mind.

Jo Stafford. You Belong To Me

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!

Mademoiselle Guerlain, Guerlain

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

Source: wethepeoplestyle.com

Whoever takes a cursory look at the notes for Mademoiselle Guerlain and dismisses it as a giddy adolescent's scent, I would advise to ignore the notes as well as the naysayers and give this a chance. Mademoiselle is a grown woman of independent means, who may be wearing a blushing pink dress for tea with her parents but she's since kicked off her demure Repettos in favour of spiked Louboutins, a matching leather jacket and a penchant for life that would make Jicky and Chamade proud. 

The last scent I owned that had marshmallow as a note was Don`t Get Me Wrong Baby ( I don't swallow) by Etat Libre d`Orange which despite its racy name was in reality a charming lily of the valley scent. I wasn't particularly entranced so that bottle got swapped away and every marshmallow scent thereafter just did not hit the spot. Well until I met Mademoiselle Guerlain.

I won't call Mademoiselle Guerlain a marshmallow-centred fragrance, in fact it doesn't smell particularly gourmand-ish to me. Sweet yes but not effusive, there is an interplay between the citrus-tinged nectar of the orange blossom, the confectionery sugar of the marshmallow against the cool green bitterness of the galbanum and violet leaves which creates the leathery aspect of the scent for me. The scent dries into a delicately sweet cloud of powdery musk laced with citrus and warm vanilla. 

Projection is good and longevity very good, Mademoiselle Guerlain danced the night away and walked home light-hearted but with sore bare feet having lost her leather heels and jacket somewhere in the party before passing out in her room that is artfully decorated with souvenirs from the Orient, the morning sun kept out by her violet curtains. 

Source: pinterest

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.

Mimosa & Cardamom Jo Malone

Desirability:Full bottle and a back up

Source: pinterest

Never say never. 

I haven't been particularly inspired by Jo Malone before. Something about the sleek minimalist bottles and transparent juice did not speak to my soul which tends to seek out the deep, dark and darker. 

Until recently that is. I have loved mimosa since Une Fleur de Cassie and having quenched my recent thirst for all things roses, my attention was caught by these delicately sweet little yellow flowers in the form of Too Much, which I chanced upon in a blind swap. Since Too Much is out of production and the bottles on Ebay have exorbitant shipping costs tacked to the otherwise reasonable prices, I was determind to find another mimosa to love. Something as sunny and ethereal as Too Much. Mimosa & Cardamom was released at perfect timing in my case and I snagged a bottle during a weekend in Hong Kong, on a five minute break between eating and more eating. Heavenly. I mean Mimosa & Cardamom but yes food in Hong Kong is sublime too. 

There's nothing dark about Mimosa & Cardamom. It's almost like the scene in Stardust where Claire Danes bursts into light and floods the entire place with brilliant illumination which somehow kills Michelle Pfeiffer. But instead of pure white light, Mimosa & Cardamom is radiant with a golden glow that warms you up and turns you into a fuzzy marshmallow inside. The cardamom does not detract from the main focus but instead lends its aromatic spiciness to the subtle sweetness of the flowers. It feels like being surrounded by mimosa trees! Projection and longevity are both pretty good. 

Comparing Mimosa & Cardamom with Too Much and Une Fleur de Cassie, I would say that Too Much is more sparkling and a lighter yellow like champagne, whereas Une Fleur de Cassie is more of a darker honeyed gold and Mimosa & Cardamom being somewhere in between. All are fantastic mimosa scents!