Ylang in Gold M. Micallef

Desirability: Decant

Source: perfume.org 

There's no denying that Micallef makes fine and pretty fragrances. You can't hate a Micallef, they are  quality fragrances and just too pleasant to inspire negativity but at the same time I find some too sweet and some others too...prosaic? Apart from the seductress Le Parfum Couture the other Micallef creations I have had the good fortune to sample are lovely if innocuous ladies.

Ylang in Gold would be welcomed into this society of ladies for like a Stepford wife she is perfectly groomed, decked out in luxury and...a conformist. Not a hair out of place nor a toe out of line, Ylang in Gold has no edges or surprises but is a seamlessly blended sweet and intoxicating (but of course) ylang ylang drenched in vanilla cream. Adding to the food theme is a smell of fruit, more like a fruit stall then a particular fruit but there are coconuts or rather coconut milk involved and overall has a tropical vibe but more an upper class resort in Tahiti than a beach hut somewhere less glamourous. 

Great projection and decent longevity, I would recommend Ylang in Gold to those who enjoy sweet fruity fragrances with an emphasis on the word sweet. Ylang ylang lovers might want to try this too for the ylang ylang note is gorgeous and realistic although engaged in a tug of war for domination with the sweet fruit. You will undoubtedly smell charming, obviously expensive and everyone will adore your scent but you won't make history. 

Sabbia Bianca Profumum Roma

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.travelviaitaly.com

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

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

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

Happy New Year- Hello 2015!

Source: iledebeaute.ru

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

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

"Allure of the sun in a bottle" 

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

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

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

Happy New Year everyone! 

Datura Noir Serge Lutens

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

Datura Inoxia

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

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

Datura Stramonium

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

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

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

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

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

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