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. 

Tubéreuse 3 Animale Histoires de Parfums

Source: Luckyscent

If by "animale" they mean dangerous, I think not. The closest animal this would resemble would be a purring lap cat and this is as comforting as a cuddle with said cat after a long day's toil. Unless you have asthma of course. In that case maybe cuddle a hairless cat instead but I digress.

So there's no danger lurking here but lots of fruits, syrupy and boozy plums mostly and of course tuberose, the dense creamy floral lacking its narcotic/animalic facet here and mingling well with the tobacco ( who knew?). Fresh tobacco as if you stuck your nose in a humidor and are inhaling the sweet crisp smell of unlit cigars. Those who are adverse to too cloying tuberose in dramatic white floral perfumes or overload of tobacco can rest easy as neither the tuberose nor the tobacco dominate and overall the scent smells well-blended and full-bodied if a little on the sweeter side of life thanks to the syrupy effect of immortelle in addition to the rich boozy plums minus vanilla that seems to pervade many if not most gourmand fragrances. 

Attractive in an edible way, I am left thinking of plum pancakes smothered with maple syrup the whole day while wearing this incredibly tenacious scent that packs a lot of oomph in the projection department. In the drydown there's a dusty and dry hay/woody effect and together with the maple syrup character of the immortelle, casts a golden shade over the fruity tuberose and tobacco. Unique and bold without being overpowering. Simply a must try! 

Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue Bond No. 9

Source: nitrolicious.com

Spiced crème brûlée. 

It starts off like a spicy gourmand, a spiced crème brûlée literally making me want to eat my arm. It's as if someone stole the chai latte notes from Five O'Clock Au Gingembre to jazz up the custard. Fresh figs and plums decorate the dessert which smells like a well-proportioned combination of fruit, vanilla and spices, none dominating the others.The sweet and milky sandalwood here reminds me of Le Labo's Santal 33, which is all the sandalwood I need and never fails to garner compliments. As it dries, the scent becomes even warmer and bundles you up in a downy blanket of contentment. All in all Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is perfectly balanced between woody, spicy and sweet, smooth and rich but not too much, beginning with dessert and ending up with you satiated and comfortable on a cushy sofa all ready for a snooze. 

One common trait amongst the Bond No. 9 range whether I like the perfume or not, is that all the ones I've tried have mega projection and longevity. For example the little spot where I've dabbed Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is outperforming my SOTD Annick Goutal's Ambre Fetiche. 

On a side note a lovely friend sent me this and I thought I would share it with you in case you ever need a spot of sunshine.

Source: inniepoo.wordpress.com

Umé Keiko Mecheri

Source: www.supermama.lt

 Keiko Mercheri Umé is incredibly yummy and realistic especially if you enjoy the taste of small Japanese pickled plums known as umeboshi. Being Asian and exposed to all sorts of pickled fruit and vegetables from an early age, umeboshi posed no problem for the palate no matter how salty (the level of sweet/saltiness can vary quite a bit) and although I don't like eating it on its own, it adds a lovely salty and sweet tartness to whatever you choose to eat it with, be it plain rice or in a salad. 

Even without knowing what Umé or umeboshi is, it is easy to recognise the plums in Keiko Mercheri's Umé immediately that are sweet with a piquant edge to their taste. As the scent settles down, there appears a very light boozy note reminiscent of Umeshu or Japanese plum liqueur but the scent remains quite sheer despite the booze. In the dry down it becomes more balmy with earthy and woody notes but the tartly sweet and salted plum remains front and center of the scent.  

Source: shizuokagourmet.com

Having met Umé I much prefer its delicate freshness over Tom Ford's syrupy and boozy Plum Japonais. If you wish to try your hand at making Umeboshi at home, I found what is possibly the most detailed and helpful recipe at Just Hungry.

Rien Etat Libre d`Orange

Source: etatlibredorange.com

Ink. Leather. Aldehydes.

This is not feminine. Well not feminine as in girly-girl it's not but I could see women "who wear the pants" carrying off Rien or maybe...Catwoman? I am sure it is suitable for the office or some formal event but I can't quite imagine using Rien for casual wear. For me it is olfactory art, I admire it very much and I would love to be able to pull it off but I cannot wear Rien without feeling like a misfit.

Source: www.reddit.com

It opens with dazzling aldehydes both powdery and green, enjoyable and nothing about it hints at what comes after. Viscous ink and leather. Huge amounts, do not over-spray. It truly does smell like ink, taking me back to the Chinese calligraphy classes of my childhood, where I would be gritting my teeth while painstakingly trying to form characters instead of squiggles with my brush and trying not to splatter the paper with ink in the process. I doubt I'll ever quite forget the smell of ink. Then there is leather. Stark, uncompromising, no frills decorating it, making me think of roads being newly paved and the rising heat and smoke of the tar with its strange pungent sweetness.

The scent mercifully relaxes its grip on my nerves and on skin versus clothes it smells different. On my skin the leather is the predominant note but smoother and more suede bag than leather seat. On paper it's a smoky incense and leather mix, very dark and bitter, with a light dusting of sweet ...plum powder? That's what I smell anyway.

Both potent and tenacious, Rien as it has been said before, is NOT nothing. I remain in awe of Rien.

Plum Japonais Tom Ford

Source: Luckyscent

Plum Japonais bears some relation to how CHOYA Umeshu tastes, the delicious Japanese liquor with its unique flavour, a thick almost syrupy plum booze that's assuredly potent despite its sweetness. The scent is a recipe calling for succulent plums that are so ripe they have a lightly fermented booziness and a scoop of dried plum preserves with its rich jammy character. Then a light dash of mixed spices in a sauce made up of sweet woods and warm resins, with immortelle adding a dribble of maple syrup and then letting it simmer in its juices and thicken.

This baby of mixed parentage (Oriental and Fruity minus floral) doesn't evolve much on me but has a nuclear strength projection and longevity.  Both luxurious and luscious, Plum Japonais smells like its price tag, expensive plum booze.