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.

Sarrasins Serge Lutens

Source: www.scentsate.com

I dabbed a little of this exotic purple coloured scent on my arm and it looks like a faded bruise when it dries off so be careful!

Sweet indolic jasmine on a base of powdery musk. I wish it stopped there but I smell something that makes me think of hyacinths and aldehydes or what I associate with them. There's a cold and metallic element in Sarrasins devoid of emotions and that keeps you at a distance, never really warming up even after hours on skin. Austere, aloof. Two words I won't want to associate with jasmine, a much loved flower from my childhood, bringing to mind balmy tropical evenings not the slate grey skies of Sarrasins where the warmth of jasmine is held captive by the coldness of its accompanying notes. 

I find it to have a good projection and longevity on me but then I've not really had a problem with either department when it comes to Serge Lutens. Personally I prefer A La Nuit which to me is a true jasmine lover's dream, honeyed, luminous, fragrant jasmine petals, happier and less haughty than Sarrasins. 

Ce Soir Ou Jamais Annick Goutal

Ce Soir Ou Jamais. Tonight or Never.

By no means a heavyweight, Ce Soir Ou Jamais is still one of the more "intense" scents from Annick Goutal, whose range I've largely associated with the words "fresh" and "light". 

The opening is true to the Annick Goutal form I'm acquainted with, a dazzling brightness in the form of zesty citrus notes and their bitter green rind, powdery aldehydes and a tart rose that's easier on the taste buds than Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose. There's this crisp bitter green note that makes me think of hyacinths like in Annick Goutal's Grand Amour but it's subtle here as is the powder. 

The scent quickly drops a bigger proportion of its acerbic notes and the sour rose is replaced with a sweeter, fruity rose covered by a fine layer of dusty powder that tickles your nose as you inhale. The rose is prominent but I feel it is a bouquet of flowers that I am smelling and not just rose alone. Ce Soir Ou Jamais despite having a dismal longevity but a moderate sillage, is a lovely old-fashioned dusty floral featuring rose that leaves one feeling nostalgic when wearing it, not quite living the moment as its name suggests but more like re-living it in one's mind. 

24 Faubourg Hermès

Source: pinterest.com

I received my first perfume based insult when the one I was dating at that time told me I smelt like a stable while wearing 24 Faubourg. Of course that wasn't the kiss of death for our relationship but it might have had something to do with it. Love me, love my perfume. 

It starts off very fresh and brisk thanks to the icy steel-like hyacinths that make me think of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. After acclimatizing to the bracing green-ness, I smell florals but can't pick them out individually. The florals have a classic vibe, elegant like a crisp white shirt, glowing in its tailored luminosity. As it dries, it becomes a sweet and powdery woodsy smell with a tinge of citrus to tickle the nostrils. When first applied, it seems very potent and a little lofty thanks to the hyacinths but the scent becomes more mellow with time, although lasting quite a number of hours, I typically get about 6-8 hours worth each wear. 

It's just me but I tend to save 24 Faubourg for days when I'm feeling more practical and less romantic, i.e Mondays. There's something about her that makes me sit up straight and maintain perfect posture and decorum whilst carrying out my tasks in a brisk and efficient manner. Not a perfume I'll imagine to romp in the fields or chill out on the sofa with. 

Source: huffingtonpost.com

  

Falling for Mito, Vero Profumo

Desirability: Full bottle

What a dark horse Mito is. My attention had been focused on Rozy, Rubj and Kiki so when the sample of Mito Voile d'Extrait fell into my lucky hands. I had no expectations and perhaps that is how she ensnared me.

I like galbanum and hyacinth in small doses that I can handle without feeling like I've got an ice-pick shoved up my sinuses, yes Penhaligon's Bluebell I'm looking at you. Chanel No. 19 EDT you had something to do with it too. And Chamade...where do I begin, you are lovely but smelling you when I was a total newbie...let's just say I was not ready for a vintage Chamade. 

Mito Voile d'Extrait smells very much like my preferred combination for green juice: cucumber, spinach, celery, orange and apple. The scent is complex and hard to describe but here goes.

 It's the sensation of biting into a crunchy Granny Smith apple. The slightly metallic tang of crisp celery stalks. The bracing freshness with bitter nuances characteristic of galbanum and hyacinth. The watery essence of cucumbers. The taste of honeydew melons that are bordering on unripe/ripe, where the outer edge is still crunchy and raw. There is sweetness in Mito, like the sweetness of vegetables which is light and delicate on the palate, unlike the dessert kind. The magnolia is present, creamy and sweet and a tea note that I assume is the champaca flower.

On me, Mito is all about the colour green...a symbol of hope, healing, growth, a fresh start, pureness and simplicity, being at peace, being still. 

A Quiet Hour, John White Alexander