We Interrupt the Perfume..

Let me just say.. OMG. The emotion of Melissa's rendition of this old Petty thrasher both in her singing and face blows me away. Melissa Etheridge's raw voice and lyrics have always been cathartic therapy for me. What a cover, if I was Petty I would just bow down and grovel in the face of this divine interpretation of my anthem.

Currently wearing BPAL's War from the Good Omens series.

BPAL Project: Dia de Los Muertos 07

Wow. This scent is an intense hit of burning garbage and food. Yes it's not much of a stretch to smell the churros. Fried stuff.. sugar.. dough.. overly ripe fruit. And like a pall over these confections a smoky burnt smell, "should they be burning that?"

Dia de Los Muertos is the olfactory equivalent of Found Art. The burning garbage smell pervades parts of Mexico and for the long time returnee it's part of the rush that says you are back. It's awful, it's refuse, it's true to a time and place and to experience it in a perfume oil celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead is a wonderful thing.





Traditional foods used for Dia de los Muertos.

"..dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus."

BPAL Project: Taurus 2007

As the Zodiac oil of Taurus drew close I suspect Taurean BPAL fans were in a lather of anticipation over what earthy, hoof pawing, testosterone soaked leather their oil would be. How could it not be along the lines of BPAL's other macho Bull scent, Minotaur? Well it's not. And I would imagine this was something of a surprise to a few fans.

Taurus is a bull; Ferdinand the bull. This lovely children's book by Munro Leaf was published during the time of the Spanish Civil War. Banned in some countries for promoting pacifism "The Story of Ferdinand" is a simple tale of a bull who refuses to fight but instead sits down and smells the flowers. Taurus is a wonderful oil to wear in the cool spring air with the joy of all the sun's promises. The herbal notes peek through making this more of a meadow scent than a bouquet and as the florals fade you are left with warmed earth and grasses. Beautifully blended this is one of the loveliest BPAL's I've worn.

Ferdinand the Bull tattoos have been popularized by famous folk and they do look quite lovely. Here's a non-famous person's tribute to a boy cow and his love of flowers.




Fixed Earth: the essence of possession.
Rose, daisy, apple blossom, violet, poppy, columbine, thyme, and mint.

BPAL Project: Hecate

In my long journey of perfume sniffing, huffing, inadvertently tasting and, with BPAL, slathering all over myself my dislikes are now overly familiar to me. Cumin? Check. Certain uses of Vetiver? Check. Lily? Sadly, check. Very few surprises with even the most insipid offering having some wearibility provided varying checks aren't there.

Sniffing Hecate from the vial I thought it a less complex version of Bastet with far too foody an almond for my tastes. In the mood for something sweet I almost poured half the vial on but instead just smeared a bit on the back of my hand. This restraint was surely an unsought gift on the part of the divine. For a very tiny span of time Hecate did something quite nice. It was almondy goodness with a smoky curl through it and it was lovely. So short was this phase that had I even been checking my email rather than sniffing my hand I would have missed it. What followed was beyond belief.

Hecate, possessed with murderous cyanide intent was a bitter horror that made me want to vomit. For a panicky moment I actually thought I had poisoned myself. I could see this oil being used to induce spontaneous abortion, violent stomach purging, the expelling of every life force. It is POISON. Hours later my mouth is still full of saliva and nausea. The most visceral reaction I've ever had to a BPAL. Immediately I remembered this painting.




Painting is Judas by Australian artist Albert Tucker, an artist whose works have made me literally step back and avert my eyes.

Transcript of an interview with Albert Tucker in which he discusses the theme of Judas.

Magnificent three-faced Goddess of Magic, the Dark Moon and the Crossroads. She is the Mother of Witches, and the midnight baying of hounds is her paean. Her compassion is evidenced in her role as Psychopomp for Persephone, and her wrath manifests as Medea's revenge. Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.

BPAL Project: Bathsheba

"Your faith was strong, but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you.."

Bathsheba has a prettified sensuality that men are wont to paint in broad brushstrokes when attracted to beautiful women, the kind of women that seem a cliché to their own gender but not to the men who pursue them. Bathsheba's eyes are doe-like with mascara smudged vulnerability. She carries her extra poundage like a downy comforter waiting to enfold her admirers. Her mouth.. does she ever close it or is it always open in that half-ready, half-pout expression? She perfumes her hair with highly scented oil and the moonlight is bright in the sheen on her breasts.

Below, in the servants quarters, the maidservants speak her name with derision.

On the roof, a man watches in the shadows.

In the moonlight, she bathes.




Beauty is not always a simple thing.

Photograph "Bathsheba, 2001" by Christopher Braddock

The Seventh Daughter, Daughter of the Oath. She was King David's lover, and the mother of King Solomon. Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk.

BPAL Project: Malediction

Malediction: Evil incarnate. Revel in your dark side with this romantically cruel scent. Contains red patchouli and vetivert.

Evil incarnate, Ooooo I'm so scared.. other people's hyperbole is never as interesting as one's own. Malediction is a very masculine and meditative blend of patchouli and vetiver with the vetiver being the dominant note. I'd almost call this combination a poor man's oudh as the effect is the same: powderry darkness. If you are looking for a strongly masculine BPAL this is the one. Lovers of vetiver should beat the lab door down to try this. Wear Malediction when you want to feel silent and powerful.

photo: "Malediction" by Ann Hamilton

BPAL Project: Love Me

I figured with this sweet little name, so different from BPAL's usual..{GOLGOMOTH'S URN}.. that this would be a sugary confection. Maybe a touch of heliotrope quickly drowned out with too much vanilla and finishing off with some standard bakery spice in the drydown. No No No! This is not the case. A very smoky scent with a warmer cream many hours later. Love Me could be all campfirey but there is an intensity to it which negates any cheery associations.

To wear Love Me is to baste yourself in the oil mixed ashes of your dead lover. A secret rite of those who know that love lasts long after fire. A rather intoxicating BPAL.

Love Me: A commanding, dominant oil that increases sexual magnetism, creates an intense and irresistible air of attraction, and amplifies potency.

"The time to hesitate is through. There's no time to wallow in the mire. Try now we can only lose. And our love become a funeral pyre." Jim Morrison

For an interesting perspective on Morrison's death and the rumours surrounding it you can read the blog of his lover, Mrs. Morrison's Hotel. The July 12 2007 entry addresses the latest information to come to light.

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

The Depressing Quality of Mediocrity, a perfume confession

Today I ordered French Onion soup at a cafe I've previously enjoyed. First time I've seen it on the menu, I realized it's been many years since I had it. It's freezing out. I could not wait to enjoy it. What I received was not the mouthwatering robust broth of delight I remembered with its cheesy crust but rather a bowl of tepid brown liquid just rising above the surface of a huge clog of slimy onions. It looked like Klingon food and it tasted like Vegemite broth. It depressed me all out of proportion for what it was, a bad meal. My memories had failed, my anticipation had been jilted, I had to go back out into the filthy cold weather none the warmer and still hungry. I would have sent it back and not paid for it but I have a relative working in that cafe so I silently paid the bill, my soup left untouched.

Missing the train by one minute I wandered into the Chemist. A huge range of perfumes greeted me, not knock offs exactly but cheap scents in nice bottles each one smelling distinctly of a more well known fragrance. Angel, Chance, Beyond Paradise, Baby Doll.. they were all recognizable on first sniff. Most of them came from Paris Bleu, "this is REAL French perfume" the chemist girl assured me. I enjoyed playing with them and teasing myself as to how much of a snob I was, would my opinion be higher if they were a recognizable brand. I almost convinced myself this would be the case but by the time I was on the train the scents assaulting my nose from my light testing on my arms told me otherwise. In cheap perfumes the drydown is either non-existent as the fragrance vanishes or in the case of more dominant scents it turns unpleasantly harsh.

Arriving home I pulled out this month's issue of Madison to find the fragrance panel of SJP's Covet, not yet available here. I must confess that is the only reason I bought this magazine though I tried to convince myself there were many fascinating articles about affairs and fashion and societal trends that I would benefit from. Ripping away the strip I inhaled deeply.. (such a pretty bottle).. my conclusion is that SJP has wasted a lot of money on this advertisement because all it smells of is faint glue, magazine paper and a whiff of cleaning product. Is this what Covet will smell like? I hope not and given that it is described as being more potent than that vague thing called Lovely I can't see how this could be.

I think I am much more emotionally invested in smelling things than I realized. So disappointed! Now being disappointed over food is, perhaps, a little more normal but I need to walk away from a bad perfume experience untouched. It's not like a film where you can beat yourself up over wasting two hours of your life.

Perfume. It's not this serious:

A is for Architect

Allure Sensuelle is a fragrance that synesthetically matches the bitter burgundy of its box. This is the exact colour of Allure Sensuelle, a perfume that gives structure to the idea that Chanel perfumes are "abstract". Allure Sensuelle is all angular design and vision, the perfect fragrance for an Ayn Rand heroine. John Galt, come sniff my neck!

I realize A.S. is supposed to be warm, cozy, erotic, sensual according to many people's response and the perfumer's own description but I get none of that myself. A.S. is a sober fragrance with an understated classical charm. A.S. is serious dark furniture in wood paneled rooms with tall windows showing grey skies. A.S. is a winter fragrance for days you must gird yourself in preparation for. In the lab of an alchemist A.S. would have the words "apply for strength" neatly printed on the label.




Top note : Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Pink Pepper

Middle note : Jasmine, Rose, Iris,Candied Fruit, Vetiver

Base note : French Vanilla, Amber Patchouli, Frankincense, Sensual Note

"One of the models for our fragrance Allure is an actress called Anna Mouglalis. By accident, I happened to hear her voice one day, and it surprised me. It was a deep voice, strong and almost masculine. I was very surprised by it, by the contrasts. I liked the idea of creating a fragrance after a voice because I think that one's voice is very important, it reveals an inner dimension. I think that perfume also has to do with an inner dimension, you see, so I thought it was a nice poetic idea. That was the starting point." Jacques Polge, Perfumer, on the creation of Allure Sensuelle.


Jacques Polge

Escada edp

Escada edp is the eponymous scent of a house of many bottles. Released in 2005 you would be forgiven for being surprised at how many Escadas (with actual names) preceded it. I am reminded of The Cure's 13nth album (depending on how you count them), "The Cure" though thankfully the quality of this odd fragrance does not cause grieving and renting of clothes as listening to that album does.

In the face of this not uncommon in fragrance-land names confusion Escada edp is often called Escada Crystal and Escada Signature. Neither of these names appear on the box, the bottle or any of the advertising. Where these names came from as used by varying stores and fragrance lists is a mystery.

This Escada, in a sparkling and very attractive green box has a vivid and simple appeal. It smells of American department store, the scent of cucumbers as presented by jillions of body products, and a round orange blossom note who's chalky center reminds me of Dior's Pure Poison. The American department store notes are not shrill or cheap but immediately familiar. I am almost ready to leave off browsing The Gap and make my way to the food court for an enormous pretzel. There is nothing bland about it and from this expats perspective the whole thing is kind of neat. It's a nifty place capsule that is well done and enjoyable in it's own right. It should be that Escada edp smells like many other fragrances but it is strangely non-generic. Perhaps it is more an interpretation of a place and time scentwise, a place and time with brightly lit shelves displaying bottle after bottle of American perfumes.

The advertising for this Escada captures it perfectly.

Escada edp was designed by Pierre Bourdon, of Malle's Iris Poudre fame.

Top note : Bergamot, Black Currant, Green Leaves, Cucumber, Lemon
Middle note : Magnolia, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Orange Blossom, Rose, Peony
Base note : Amber, Musk, Tangerine, Vanilla, Iris, Patchouli,Sandalwood

Lancome Tropiques: Postcards from the Gift Shop

Yesterday in the 34C heat I was happily making mango ginger marmalade. It came out perfectly. I filled a pretty, smaller jar to give away but now I'm keeping it because it's the best jam I've made in a while. About 8 small mangoes, 2 oranges, crystallized ginger and some lemon juice. And sugar of course.

Lancome Tropiques is a part of their travel series, limited editions released only to duty free outlets at airports. Asia and Africa will be coming out this year and the next. Throw in some ginger to Tropiques, and a touch of saffron and it could have been the Asian edition but Tropiques is definitely more of a hula number, though a somewhat stately one. Middle aged hula with little likelihood of anything falling off mid hipsway in the sand. For those that fear tropical means the pubescent punch offered up by Escada this is good news. Creamy mango with a faint touch of wood in the drydown the brightest moments are the fleeting top notes. I wish they lasted longer because they are quite delicious and I turn into a topnote huffer with this one, reapplying for my fix.

The dignified mango Tropiques settles into is quite unique. Often a perfume seeking to distance itself from youth but still include fruit will use the fruit as a minor chord but that is not the case here. It's mango. It's tropical. It's espadrilles and "maybe I'll go in the water tomorrow". Meanwhile, let's hit the gift shop!

It is extremely hot

It is 37+ Celsius or nearly 100 Fahrenheit. The sky is WHITE, no not with snow clouds (though those are grey as I recall) but with smoke. Bushfires in the north east of the state have been burning furiously for over a week and the air is thick with their brimstonian waftings. Okay that sounds both hifalutin and inaccurate as brimstone is sulpher which isn't quite the same as thousands of hectares of burnt gum tree fumes but the whole experience is so oppressive that I'm falling into hyperbole. Venturing outside I can feel the smoke in my lungs and my eyes watering. There is no visibility from behind the house across the street, just whiteness.


Today I have lavishly applied ElizabethW's Sweet Tea. This is often described as being "just like ice tea, with sugar". Ice Tea is the sole remaining food item I miss from the mother country. Sure I can make it myself but I miss being able to buy it when out and drinking vast quantities of it over a sandwich. If I lived in the land of Ice Tea I would say goodbye to Diet Coke forever. Of course even though I knew it was going to be oppressive today I have not made any Ice Tea as that would require finding ice cube trays, waiting for tea to cool from boiling point and on and on. I don't do instant as I like it unsweetened and regardless instant tea does not exist in this country. Anyway, onto the perfume..

ElizabethW is an inexpensive line of perfumes from San Francisco. Sweet Tea is delicate with a lemony squeeze that avoids all the bad things I could say about lemon and fragrance. There is no citrus element. It does smell like tea in a simple and refreshing way and the sweetness distinguishes it from other tea fragrances. It is not a plant scent so much as a gourmand scent. In this weather I do not want complicated. I do not want to have to think. I just want to sit and sip and wait for the cool change to come blowing through. Sweet Tea accomplishes this very well.

"Gracious, spirited, elegant. Enticing oriental black teas, juicy fresh Amalfi lemons, and the sweetness of almond honey."

Robert Piguet's Fracas

One of the strangest things I've experienced with the perfume journey is the disturbing idea that I know myself far less than I think. Had I been assigned in school to make a list of the 10 perfumes that most describe "me" it would have included many fragrances which I find truly unwearable. Certainly that brooding introspective artiste, Black Cashmere, would have topped the list but though I've tried to wear it numerous times I find I simply do not like it. Appreciate it, yes; I cannot fault it and consider it near perfect. But wearing it makes me depressed. That's really all there is to say about it.

Of course being surprised by what I don't like isn't much fun. Far more exciting to be surprised by totally unexpected loves, yet these are equally disturbing because again I question how well I know my own tastes.

"It's VERY strong.."

"An intense tuberose"

"sexy, bombshell blonde"

So obviously not me, the Introvert. And yet I am absolutely in love with Fracas. Every morning I want her, I look forward to applying her, I can't bear to think about all the samples and decants I am supposed to be testing because every moment spent with them is a moment away from her.

She is creamy and dramatic. Her drydown is beautiful, not just the basenotes but a confection of all she has to offer and the time spent getting there. Sometimes she is as sweet as frosting and other times there is a guarded quality to her as though it is not yet her time to bloom. In the heat--oh my. How a perfume manages to capture the soft and waxy feel of thick white petals I don't know but that is what Fracas does.

Of course I understand perfectly why many hate her. I am that person myself, one the anti-Fracas crowd who finds her vulgar and appallingly loud.. or so I thought. Such a wonderful surprise to be wrong.

Robert Piguet's Fracas was created in 1948.

Top notes: bergamot, orange blossom, leafy green essence, peach blossom, pink geranium

Heart notes: tuberose, jasmine, lily of the valley, white iris, carnation

Base notes: sandalwood, musk oakmoss, vetiver, cedar

With Love.. Hilary Duff

With Love is a mellow sweet fragrance with a star anise note that raises its drinking age by at least 5 years. Young teens will buy this because it's NEW and Hilary Duff but they will not want to lick it off their arms like they do Fantasy. The delicate use of star anise saves this fragrance from being another gourmand, rather it is *gasp* a baby oriental. It warms my heart to think of pre-teens getting their feet wet in a grown up category. This would be a cozy scent to wear in the winter when looking for something lighter.

The real star of this fragrance launch is the packaging. A most beautiful creamy blue with a gold filagree border decorating even the square tester cards. This sweet girl-blue reminds me of bath and body products from the 60's with their opaque monochrome lending a solemn face to products of fancy. Didn't we used to have bicycles in that colour, heavy and perfect on Christmas? Where has this colour been for the last few decades? Mixed with pinks no doubt. How strangely retro to see it on it's own.

The photo fails to reveal the true wonderment of the Duff. So often that is the case.

Notes:
Mangosteen Fruit, Exotic Spice Blend, Chai Latte,
Mangosteen Blossoms, Cocobolo Wood, Amber Milk, A
Amber Musk, Balsam, Incense.

Brit Red and the Minions of Plaid

After successfully ignoring the Burberry line for many years I have finally succumbed. Ever a wide-eyed child of advertising spin and my own imagination I have fallen for many a fragrance fantasy..

You will be scary and maybe kinky and definitely sexy and also Mr. LeCarre will want to write about you.

You are lying on your stomach under the magnolia tree, crushing the waxy petals into your palms as you read Empire of the Sun. Overhead, the drone of an airplane.

You were born to wear white and be at least 6 inches taller. Your hair, cut in a blunt bob at chin level, could slice cheese. You talk through your teeth; people not only listen, they defer.

How funny to become enthralled with the idea of a fragrance you "can wear every day". Oh yes, this is apparently high praise in MUA review land. "For every day wear!" "You can wear it at work and at home!" "This is a fragrance you can wear daily!" Wow, how exciting. Yet somehow after reading every Burberry review for every Burberry variety I wanted just that. A fragrance to wear every day because, you know, I am a normal person who wears pleasant, easy to wear fragrances. I am a nice girl, I wear a nice perfume that I was given for Christmas and since I wear it every day it will make the perfect Christmas present next year as well! I am not a person who's perfumes come with matching nipple balm.

And so Brit Red and I spent the evening together. Brit Red's bottle is an extremely delicious colour. Maybe my newfound desire for every dayness will progress to actual Burberry Brit who's bottle and juice are far more generic than that loudmouth Brit Red but hey, you have to start somewhere. Brit Red is everything everyone says about it; rhubarb, gingerbread, vanilla, amberry florals. It is nice. It is plaid. All the Burberrys are plaid and as I marinated in rubarb gingerbread goodness while watching a DVD plaid infested my thoughts.

The film "The Upside of Anger" is a lumpy, blandly acted and forgettable film with a very weird ending. It contains six incidents of plaid.

Curtains in Terry Ann Wolfmyer's house, blue plaid.

Upholstered dining chairs in Terry Ann Wolfmyer's house, blue plaid matching the curtains. The chairs and curtains clash bizarrely with the blue and white floral wallpaper, but perhaps this is a design gesture that has passed me by.

Plaid dress on daughter. I can't remember which one, they were all so muted. Very nice dress.

Two plaid shirts worn by Kevin Costner to help cement his character of a sports person, middle-age-spreading has been. Both shirts exceedingly dull and ugly.

Plaid living room pillow in Kevin Costner's house. Blue.

I am glad I have my MUA inspired fantasy to associate with Brit Red because otherwise I would be stuck with a wildly different fragrance association, that of chavs. Thank goodness I can live in almost ignorance of how the UK views the house of Burberry because Brit Red really is very easy to wear. I might wear it again tomorrow!

Photo is "Ground Burberry" courtesy of Stebbi's Photos.

pretty bottles with bad, bad contents

Let me begin by saying that I am very proud of myself that I have never bought one of these beauties. I have been tempted. Just the other day I saw Live at a give-away price, the big wonderful bottle, and I didn't even stop for another spray to try and convince myself. After all it's not like I don't have perfectly lovely bottles I could display who's contents I also enjoy. And it's also not like I actually display any of them. No, they live in boxes in a closet. In the dark. Unseen other than for a few moments. All of which would make succumbing to the pretty bottle temptation particularly stupid.


Calvin Klein's Euphoria Blossom

EB is a delicate frosted rendition of the original, very charming. A trend for summer versions, Stella has produced two in this vein. Plummy pink frosted glass is incredibly attractive in the heat; someone should try making a drink bottle in this, it would sell. The contrast with the silver solidity of Euphoria adds to its charm. The fragrance itself is almost non-existant, stagnant water with petals floating on the bottom. Very light, it evaporates almost immediately. There is really nothing else to say about it, though if you are after a non-offensive gift at least it looks nice.



Alexander McQueen's Kingdom

Ohh.. Kingdom. Who designed this beautiful bottle, a ruby red geode? The summer editions are are also geodes, pink crystal wonders. The first time I saw Kingdom I was gaga over the design, I had to have it! My dad's rockhound phase had imprinted big on my young mind and anything cool and geological attracts me. One of the most fun things we ever did was pick out our own geode at a dusty shack somewhere in the midwest, pay for it by weight and eagerly watch it being sawn open--anything could be in there! Ours was dark with tiny dusky crystals. We were the first people ever to see it. It was beautiful. And so is the artistic representation of treasure within an egg of stone that is Kingdom. This ad for Kingdom makes me wonder if McQueen had something other than geodes in mind with the bottle design--Judy Chicago anybody?

When I first skin tested Kingdom it was so awful, so truly repulsive that I wondered if I had brushed up against some fetid curry while at the food court and this was mixing powerfully with the perfume alcohol. I expressed shock at what I was smelling. The sales assistant lowered her voice, "It's not very nice, is it." No. It's not.


Guerlain's Insolence

The Insolence bottle is one of the loveliest I've seen. It's a glass spinning top, roundly satisfying to hold, intrigueing to spray. You see it and you want to scoop it up and enjoy it. Had this fragrance been only bland and not horrid to me I think I would have been unable to stop myself from acquireing this bottle. Sadly the scent itself is not something I can ever see wearing other than for five minutes before a shower to remind myself what it smelled like.

J.Lo's Live

A lyrical vase with a touch of carnival glass the Live bottle has me sighing "ah.. perfume". Unmistakably a celebration of fragrance just writing about it makes me want it. Only the largest size has this appeal. While the 100ml could be a blown glass creation the 30ml looks like a stunted globule of a craft project gone wrong. Some things are cuter in miniature and.. some are not.

If Live was your basic floral fruity, I would like it enough to take the bottle home. The drydown which appears some three minutes after the topnotes kills it for me. Touted as "caramel" the same flat note is dressed up as "praline" "cupcake" and other terms of gourmandology in fragrances aimed at the young. When accompanied by whipped tonka, a patchouli filling and dusted with vanilla sandlewood the note does a good job if you like that kind of thing. In a fruity floral it is stale, stale, stale. What is it even doing there? If you want to sweeten the fruity floral mix in some pineapple juice, it works for Live Luxe. Unfortunately for Live Luxe the bottle colours are horribley garish, though the design is the same. If only there could be a mixup at the factory..

Guerlain Insolence

Insolence or "the new Guerlain" as it is trepidaciously referred to opens with a sharp blast of surprisingly strong synthetic violets. There is a clear chord of iris but I could detect none of the "red fruits" listed in the notes. It's vivid, it's modern in composition and it's strangely choppy. I kept sniffing for aldehydes to transform it into something classical and befitting of the floral accord. As the intial blast wore off (very slowly) I was waiting for vanillas to gourmandize what was smelling, in fits and starts, like a fresh piece of Hubbabubba just popped into a passing teenager's mouth.

Insolence seems strangely lost, floundering for its identity. It's too purple to be sexy, takes itself too seriously to be youthfully fun and often too blunt to be pretty. There are some passably lovely moments in the drydown but that takes four hours to get to. An ugly woody phase reminded me of another unpleasant modern purple.. at one point Insolence was Aimez Moi with a shot of Hypnose.

Those on a perpetual search for the violet candies of their childhood may find Insolence makes a passing swipe at it. However Insolence has none of the delicacy lovingly remembered and is almost medicinal in strength. It's a good thing violet flavoured syrup was never a medicine option, but if it had been Insolence would be an unwelcome reminder.

Notes: Iris (Orris), Orange Blossom, Rose, Violet, Sandalwood, White Musk, Tonka Bean, Raspberry.

Why do the caged violet bears sing? Here is another photo and a spot of info.

Annick Goutal's Eau de Ciel

Eau de Ciel is honeyed lucerne and clover flowers warmed in the sun. Avoiding the literalness some niche scents strive for Eau de Ciel is more of an evocotive painting that transports you to a memory of summer you cherish. Sweeter in the cool weather, greener in the heat, Eau de Ciel is full of shades and moments. Just when I think it has little staying power and has vanished it wafts like a gentle breeze that makes you look around for the simple beauties it speaks of.

Eau de Ciel, "Water of Heaven", Annick Goutal describes it as "aerial, fresh, soft, tender, natural". Not a description that would normally make my mouth water--why didn't they just include the word "vapid". How wonderful that I found Eau de Ciel and was not turned away by this wan blurb.

The first day I wore Eau de Ciel I wanted to paint it all over my body and forget every other bottle of fragrance I owned. This is a rare and wonderful response that took me completely by surprise!

Eau de Ciel is so perfect, so beautiful it makes me want to name a child after her.

Notes are Brazilian rosewood, violet, Florentin iris and lime blossom.

Painting is "View of Buffalo Pass" by Richard Galusha.

For 5722 images of hay as well as an exhaustive study of hay in literature I suggest you visit Hay in Art. You will not regret it. If you are an obsessive lover of reference material like myself you will be filled with awe!

OOoo°°Purple Haze°°ooOO

A day of fragrance dallying. While glancing at a forum over breakfast, still unscented, I saw the word ~~rose~~. Never a favorite suddenly I had to be rosy and blushing with petals. Such an impulse and thankfully I do have one rose scent, Stella. Other people seem to smell this better than I do, the wateriness washes it all away. A beautiful draught of amberry rose that refreshes even as it vanishes. Thoroughly modern with not a single moment of powder--and of course it escapes any soap associations which is probably why it is in my collection.

Some hours later, over lunch with another forum scan, a mention of Paco Rabanne's Ultraviolet. I have a sample of this rolling around the bottom of the rather packed sample box, and after a lot of ferretting I found it. Powdery and candy-esque, reminscent of that flavour in childrens lollies immediately recognizable as "purple". Not sweet enough to put me off, and I was enjoying the powdery play when it unexpectantly went sour on me. Reflected on sour candy for a bit.. warheads, sour straps and other tartly purple goodness. Perhaps if it was dry and hot this would have been refreshing, but I eventually decided I was pushing the association buttons to no happy avail.

And so, come evening, on to Alien. Odd woody jasmine, woody the way an old vine would be, still spitting out some unenthused blossoms. Strange synthetic note that brings to mind the wonders of plastics in an almost reverent way.. Oh where would we be without them? Let us pay homage to how they have revolutionized our lives! The drydown has been likened to grape gum in the same way some experience Poison, but it seems to speak more of the old gum wrappers left in a wooden drawer, only faintly retaining their original scent. Now for some reason I find this whole experience worth repeating, judgeing by how much I have used of the bottle. I used to go back to the Guggenheim time and time again as a teenager as well, never sure if I liked a lot of what I was looking at. Perhaps not being able figure out my own response is what makes it so interesting.

Purple haze all in my eyes, uhh
Dont know if its day or night
You got me blowin, blowin my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?

Laudering With Intent

I recently spent some quality fragrance time at the Estee Lauder counter, and what a lovely time it was. I've always enjoyed Lauder, if not to wear at least to sniff. Old school big scents, I can happily sample knowing I will spared some of the tedious current obsessions in modern fragrances. No billowing fumes of tonka bean, breathing their fetid marshmallow warmth all over me, what a relief! Last outing I sampled 4 new fragrance offerings as proffered by the perfumeconnection gals, each one heaving "tonka tonka tonka" in my face. A bad experience, I was happy to return to the refined 70's notions of Lauder.

Some of the Lauder line is like a really groovy retro wallpaper, you adore it though it is too loud to consider plastering on your living room walls. But.. you appreciate it. You are glad it is there. You want to keep it around and you know it would be a design tragedy were it to disappear under a sea of mushroom and pastels. My recent samplings were of Pleasures and the newly released Pure White Linen.

Pleasures was probably the only Lauder I hadn't tried (other than Aliage which does not exist in this country). The name itself stayed my hand, though Pleasures Exotic had been card sprayed for me by a promo person when it first came out. When an enthusiast on a forum recently described it as "crisp" I was mortified; a little nomenclature snobbery had kept me from "crisp"! How very awful! Within moments of trying it I fell in love with the top notes. They were something I had been always looking for. A crisp green cut floral, evocotive of aldehydes but not heavy with them. Beautiful, a truly perfect moment. Unfortunately the drydown was more than disappointing, the crispness melting into a fussy hotel soap. This did not soften with time but retained a nostril burning harshness which was very sad. I could see I would be hitting the bottle for that top note high with alarming regularity. I did sample Pleasures Intense hoping for a greener experience but found it was an intense version of the drydown right from the start.

Pure White Linen was another matter entirely. Pure White Linen is beautitful through every stage, and will have it's own blog entry in the near future. Meanwhile I would like to thank Estee for yet another pleasant and refined sniffing experience. Her fragrances always give me a lot to think about.

Picture is one sample of Australian designer Florence Broadhurst's beautiful wallpaper.