La Religieuse Serge Lutens

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Sweet, soft and hazy. 

A musky floral- jasmine is there but much toned down as compared to A La Nuit which remains my favourite jasmine scent from Serge Lutens, other flowers I smell are mimosa both sweet and green and narcissus comes to mind too. If La Religious had a colour I won't pick the dark purple it comes in but rather rays of golden yellow and vivid green covered by a gauzy veil of musk that has the slightest bit of naughty, definitely a far cry from the reveling-in-my-sexuality Musc Koublai Khan.

Fragrances from this house have always inspired profound thoughts and triggered waves of nostalgia but La Religieuse failed to convert me into a believer. If I were not an avid Serge Lutens fan living on a tropical island where perfume releases take months to arrive, I would not have blind bought a full bottle but I am and I did. However no regrets and names/labels aside, La Religieuse is a nicely done floral musk that has a bit of a dreamy personality so I would recommend at least sampling it.

Ambre Fétiche Annick Goutal

Ambre Fétiche is a soft and feminine amber that smells like a cross between Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan and an incense from the Series 3 Incense of Comme des Garcons, I'm thinking in particular of Jaisalmer.

It may lack the acrid dryness of the Lutens which makes Ambre Sultan the desert wind Chergui wants to be and may be considered a wimp by the likes of the robust, one-drink-too-many Amber Russe but although Ambre Fétiche is mild in nature it still has more character and more "amber" than I get from copious spraying of L'Artisan's Ambre Extreme which is too minimalistic for me. 

Ambre Fétiche is sweet, woody and earthy...as any good amber should be :) The warm reddish-brown deep glow of the fossilized tree resin represented by sweet and creamy vanilla with a smoky, smooth blend of resins. A linear, balmy Oriental that creates an atmosphere all snugly warm and comfortable. Compared to other ambers, it's more delicate and fuzzy and would be a nice introduction to Orientals or amber scents. Not too strong and the longevity could be much improved but overall a nice and cozy scent. 

Cuir Ottoman Parfum d'Empire

I like, I do not love. 

Cuir Ottoman. The name evokes images of sweat, musk, animals, leather, darkness...

The opening is promising, bitter harsh leather, but it didn't last for more than a few minutes before becoming a very civilized, polite suede. It's like the evolution of a cave man to a modern man not over hundreds of thousands of year but over mere minutes. 

Isabel Marant Dicker boot, courtesy of lagarconne.com

Cuir Iris might be a more suitable name, as the powdery and earthy iris is more dominant apart from the explosive tarry opening. The leather as I mentioned becomes a smooth, polished suede and instead of a pair of Frye cowboy boots, I'm thinking of Isabel Marant's suede Dicker boots, sand colored ones.The scent is made even more amiable with the addition of sweet creamy vanilla, warm resins and a much toned down incense that provides a spiced relief from all the congeniality. 

A well-crafted and elegant iris/suede perfume with no rough edges, that would appeal to both sexes and would wear well for all occasions, having a moderate sillage and good longevity. As much as I find its pleasing countenance attractive, I will throw my lot in with moodier leathers such as Serge Lutens' Cuir Mauresque, Les Exclusifs de Chanel's Cuir de Russie, Papillon Artisan Perfumes' Anubis, Mona di Orio's Cuir and...you get my drift.  

L'Ambre des Merveilles Hermès

Amber and vanilla must make caramel because that was my first impression on wearing L'Ambre des Merveilles. I love Eau des Merveilles with its invigorating salty sweetness and find Elixir des Merveilles the perfect evening companion to the original, with it's balmy richness but L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to have ventured out of Nature and into the dessert section . 

With a delightful opening of tart citruses, burnt sugar and a creamy vanilla, it starts off smelling like a lovely orange custard with a crisp sheet of caramel on top. 

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

After polishing off the custard, feeling satiated and ready for a siesta, the gourmand notes evolve into a thick warm hazy blanket of soft, sweet wood and a smooth, light amber.  With the vanilla, citrus and amber, it reminds me a little of Guerlain's Shalimar but  L'Ambre des Merveilles is much more tame, less seductive, less passionate. Whereas I would always keep a bottle of Shalimar, I could pass on repurchasing L'Ambre des Merveilles and prefer Eau des Merveilles or Elixir des Merveilles which I find to have more character.  

L'Ambre des Merveilles seems to be the most feminine of the three because of the caramel note but I can imagine this would smell delicious on either sex. All three of the Merveilles series that I've tried have an average sillage but I wish they lasted longer than the four hours I get out of them. 

APOM Pour Femme Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian introduced the orange blossom note to me. I was looking for another work of olfactory art to treat myself with, having fallen in love and lust with Lumiere Noire Pour Femme and Absolue Pour Le Soir. This was suggested to me and the name caught my attention. APOM. A Part Of Me. How romantic. How could I pass?

It opens with a tingle in your nostrils from the citrusy sweet and slightly soapy orange blossom, the scent trail from start to finish always remaining on the lighter scale of things but I prefer to enjoy APOM Pour Femme in its subtlety, it's easier to pick up the slight nuances as it changes over time rather than if the notes were all barraging towards you and clamouring for attention. 

The scent takes on a musky tone and the ylang ylang with its seductive creamy golden glamour slinks in, fully dressed by still oozing sex appeal. Ylang ylang can be overbearing sometimes but here it shows its character albeit with some restraint and does not drown out the orange blossom. The flowers prevail and join the cedar and amber in the dry down, both the wood and amber serving to enhance the floral scent by warming its golden yellow into a darker gold as time passes. 

This sweet musky floral lasts and lasts for hours on me, setting forth gentle wafts of its well-blended smooth self every now and then. It's feminine and refined, deceptively simple with its brief note pyramid but the notes engage in such sinuous play it suggests otherwise and owns a suggestive but not overtly sexual mien. Perfect for ladies who revel in their femininity and it accessorises as well as elegantly simple gold lariats for both the office and the evening after. For the days you wish to wear perfume without the perfume wearing you.

Nectarine Blossom and Honey Jo Malone

Annick Goutal does fresh scents with a French flair and Jo Malone does fresh scents like how I view English food. Plain and simple. Which is good for times when you don't want something complicated or when you want to smell nice without smelling perfume-y. 

Nectarine Blossom and Honey is literally that. A fresh green fruity floral featuring stone fruit like nectarines and peaches, some green notes and sheer florals. There's no musk or wood or amber to disrupt this ethereal being. It's not complex and it stays linear, but it's a pleasant and pretty fruity floral that delivers what it says, i.e you really do smell the peachy fuzz of the real fruit.

The scent is a skin scent on me but that's the whole point of wearing this, I want to smell it on me without the person at the other end of the room smelling it too. The only downside is it doesn't stay long, I get two maybe three hours tops but it's such a pleasure to respray and experience it all over again. So if you are looking for something that announces your presence and stays until you wash it off, this isn't it. 

Suitable for all ages and temperaments, I'm sure even Type A personalities crave time-outs occasionally. 

Vanitas Profumum Roma

Vanitas is a vanilla-centric scent, another in the line-up of olfactory antidepressants from Profumum Roma that are decadent without one piling on the pounds.

The opening is bordering on medicinal, the myrrh being responsible for that and it's a little cold and bitter initially. The myrrh here reminds me of Annick Goutal's Myrrh Ardente, which started out similarly with a cold resinous vibe but warmed to a smooth and subtle dark sweetness on me. In Vanitas, I smell the orange blossom and woody notes but they blend so seamlessly with the vanilla and myrrh. As it starts to warm on skin the bitterness and medicine melt away and it develops into a sweet resinous vanilla. It's not complex or profound but it is obviously of good quality ingredients and has an air of sophistication, which makes it different from your usual vanilla line up found in department stores and worn by teeny boppers.

The Profumum Roma line is expensive no doubt, but they are sold in travel sprays of 20 ml for about 60 Euro versus the 190 Euro for 100 ml. Unless you choose to have just this one perfume, I don't think a 100 ml is necessary as it is a very tenacious scent although with a soft trail and a little bit goes a very very VERY long way.

This is a scent for cuddling and lazing in bed on the weekends, it's so comforting, light-hearted and filled with positive vibes. I don't find it a "sexy" vanilla like for instance Dior's Addict which is a vampy vanilla, instead I liken Vanitas to the sweet and charming Snow White of 1937. On a different note, it also makes me crave for Sabayon. 

Vanitas Vanitatum, Omnia Vanitas “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

I did some research on the word "Vanitas"and it's as bittersweet as the myrrh and vanilla in the perfume. In Latin, it literally translates to "vanity" and is used to mean "emptiness" or "futility". Ecclesiastes 1:2;12:8 from the Old Testament, is often associated with this term and in the book he proclaims all the actions of man to be  inherently futile as the lives of both wise and foolish men end the same, in death. So as humans, we are powerless over the transience of life, but while we have life, we should enjoy every day of it, but our actions being kept in checked by following the 10 Commandments. Or simply put, do whatever you want so long as you hurt nobody or yourself in the process.

After that slightly grim note, I shall leave you with something more positive. Carpe diem!