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

Thundra Profumum Roma

Desirability: Sample

Source: www.profumum.com 

Thundra smells minty, fresh, green and waxy at the same time, like how aloe vera leaves look like outside and the refreshing, succulent inside. Exuding a meditative calm, Thundra feels more like an ambience than a perfume, like how I imagine sitting in the cool green woodlands in the Twilight movies (minus scary vampires and wolves) would fee like. Wood and the smell of earth enter the scent in the later stages, continuing with the Nature theme but warming up the scent a little as if the ice were melting in the tundra and allowing some life to break through the permafrost. 

Thundra is very soft on me, possibly the softest of all Profumum Roma scents that I've tried so far but the longevity is decent. Not my favourite from this house but I can see this being popular with those who enjoy quiet scents, nature and solitude. 

Black Jade Lubin

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.perfumeriaquality.pl

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

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

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

Tubereuse Criminelle Serge Lutens

Source: www.supermama.lt

This makes me smile. 

It's Vicks vapour rub with tuberose and I love it. It smells much much better on skin than on paper so don't judge it on paper alone. 

The opening might be a tad challenging for those who are not forewarned but it's not as malodorous as some reviews have made it out to be, like I said it smells similar to Vicks, a mentholated topical cream(cloves, nutmeg and mint with some sweetness) that I associate with my childhood, my mom used to rub under my nostrils when I had a cold. Other people smell camphor(mothballs) instead but I find them to be similar, cool and penetrating. On a side note, methol and camphor are terpenoids and both menthol and camphor are combined in many complementary and alternative medicines to alleviate many conditions from coughs to aches and pains. 

Once your nose gets used to the medicinal notes, the tuberose becomes more obvious and all the notes get along very well together! Combined, they create at once something both startling yet seductive that in a room of nondescript "safe" scents, Tubereuse Criminelle would stand out unique and memorable. Tuberose scents have a positive effect on moods and help to relieve stress, anger, depression etc. I have long adored the flower for its multi-faceted personality, showcased in Tubereuse Criminelle are its calm and cool greenness as well as its lush animalic carnality and hats off to Serge Lutens once again for another dramatic, imaginative twist on what appear to be incompatible notes.

Brilliant and potent, its projection is about an arm's length on me and the longevity is excellent. If you are looking for a tuberose with uniqueness, I recommend this interesting minx. Nothing remotely criminal about this. 

L'Ombre Dans L'Eau Diptyque

I said, meet me in the garden.
You know the one--
it is called Smiling Spring.
There are nightingales chirping away,
wine and candle lights,
and companions as soft as
pomegranate blossoms.
You think this all would sound so perfect!
But without you by my side,
what use is the Smiling Spring?
And when you are with me,
what use are pomegranate blossoms?
Meet Me in the Garden, Rumi.(taken from Shahram Shiva's Hush Don't Say Anything To God)

L'Ombre Dans L'Eau, translated "The Shadow in the Water" , the EDT version which I am wearing today, is described as following on the Diptyque website:

Poetically named L’Ombre dans l’Eau, “The Shadow in the Water,” it is a fragrance that recalls a lush garden at water’s edge and a brief glimpse of life, captured in the memory of a friend of the three founders. One day, this dear one was gathering roses and blackcurrant; stretching her hand out to Desmond Knox-Leet, she suggested that he work on this accord, one of potent originality.

Desmond Knox-Leet being one of the three friends who created Diptyque, the other two being Christiane Gautrot and Yves Coueslant.

The Rose Path Giverny, Claude Monet 1922.

L'Ombre Dans L'Eau is a deliciously crisp and sparkling Kir Royale on my skin with the freshest roses possible. The roses here I imagine to be pink petaled and lush, the leaves still green and robust. I imagine a good quality Creme de Cassis, darkly coloured and intensely flavoured black currants, tangy and sweet, a cross between blackberries and pomegranates. 

I am not a fan of alcohol or rather it's wasted on me, I am a cheap drunk with a regretful headache and rhinitis in the morning and unless someone is opening another bottle of Gaja, certain Rosés or a Syrah from the Rhone , I can pass on it without regret. From what I understand, it is practically criminal to waste a good champagne for a Kir Royale and likewise if the champagne is crap, the cassis will not help much. However a Kir Royale with it's lusty red colour has always been a celebratory drink in my mind and I will continue to ignore the daggers from the wine snobs. 

Water Lily Pond and Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1919

L'Ombre Dans L'Eau channels positive energy, a dappled shade under a brilliant blue sky, lounging on a picnic blanket, watching even lazier ducks and swans paddle in the lake just out of your reach. The smell of earth, grass and flowers instilling peace and serenity into your frazzled mind, an escape after a demanding work week. Santé!

Recette du Kir Royal

Nuit Etoilee Annick Goutal

Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee

" There is no wifi in the forest but I promise you will find a better connection."- author unknown. 

I'm more into heavy Orientals but I reach for Annick Goutal when I want something lighter and fresher, a perk-me-up, Nuit Etoilee and La Violette being my favourites from the house. Likewise when I'm feeling jaded with the world I enjoy delving into Gibran or Rumi or zen-type quotes such as the above "to lift my spirits and regain my strength" a la Cher in Clueless.

Nuit Etoilee is a breath of fresh air for me in this polluted island city where forests full of pine trees are at least 12 hours by plane away. A breath of sweet, cool air, filled with mint and pine trees reminiscent of autumns in France spent walking in leaf-laden forest grounds and a pleasant cool mist all around. It is described as a woody aromatic on Fragrantica but I find that description to be misleading. Woody aromatic brings to mind men's aftershave. Nuit Etoilee is unisex leaning to the fairer side of the scale thanks to the sweetness of the mint and the citrus fruit.

"Fresh" scents are usually boring to me ( I am thinking of Light Blue and the like that I tried over and over but could not get along with, such dull characters despite the "fresh and friendly" notes) but Nuit Etoilee is far from boring. It's airy and transparent but the sillage and longevity are above average when sprayed on my clothes. I am referring to the EDT version in this review. Next on my Annick Goutal want list: Un Matin d'Orage and Ninfeo Mio. 

Starry Night by Alex Ruiz. A homage to Van Gogh's Starry Night where the massively talented Ruiz brings to us the beauty of the night sky that Van Gogh painted. Alex Ruiz offers digital painting tutorials on his blog and has prints/cards for sale at Fine Art America. 

I leave you here with my favorite version of Starry Starry Night (Vincent) by Vonda Shepard.