Basenotes Community - Blogs http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php Discussion about perfumes and fragrances en Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:47:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://community.basenotes.net/images/misc/rss.jpg Basenotes Community - Blogs http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php <![CDATA[New still unnamed Vetiver fragrance from Tauer's perfumes]]> http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=202 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:21:23 GMT Today I’ve got a still unnamed new Vetiver fragrance from Andy Tauer. It was a gift to all his blog readers because of his third year blogging... Today I’ve got a still unnamed new Vetiver fragrance from Andy Tauer. It was a gift to all his blog readers because of his third year blogging anniversary. I’ve smelled it before this year during my visit to Andy. But a short sniff was not enough to explore the beauty of this fragrance. I was very glad with the opportunity to do it again.

The perfume opens with a bitter sweet citrus freshness of grapefruit supported by a spiciness of clary sage. And than from the depth of the fragrance comes vetiver. It spills like a pot of black ink filling everything with dark, slightly smokey, earthy and herbaceous aroma. The bitter sweetness of coumarin from Tonka beans supports and emphasizes the aromatic medicinal part of vetiver from one side and from another side it re-echoes with a bitter sweetness of a grapefruit note. White floral and slightly spicy accord of clary sage and lily of the valley jingles above dark vetiver-coumarine ravine. Although the vetiver note is very prominent and present at the background I am not sure if it’s a vetiver fragrance – a very beautiful clary sage accord of this perfume takes a lead on my skin at some moments making the vetiver just to follow and support at the background. At another moments it surrenders to vetiver becoming just a soft part of it. The play between the Clary sage-Lily of the Valley accord and Vetiver is like a dance.

This fragrance is a primeval song combining low booming vibrations of Vetiver and alto female duet of clary sage and lily of the valley. The colours are black (vetiver), all tints of green (from dark green of vetiver till bluish and greyish green of clary sage) and white (Lily of the valley). Grapefruit and coumarin give some bruin accents. Those are the colours of the Mother Earth. It reminds me of a quiet primeval forest after the rain when the air is saturated with water damps and the earth is fertile. The fragrance is heavy and slow – it’s like a mist that crawls on the ground inevitably feeling all open spaces and embracing everything.

At the end when everything is said and done, the dry down is coming revealing the signature of Andy – the warm woody ambery base reminding me of L’air du desert marocain.

The perfume will be available in October this year. To be ordered at Tauer Perfumes

The notes (as announced on the fyer):
Grapefruit, black pepper, green clary sage leaves, brilliant lily of the valley, dark vetiver of Java, crisp cedar wood and soft ambergris with a hint of cistus and Tonka beans. ]]> AromaX http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=202 This is why I love perfume http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=201 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:41:28 GMT Because, every so often, you try something that absolutely blows you away. Something absurdly gorgeous. Something that smells "so immediately, overwhelmingly, irresistibly great that the only sane response is love at first sniff."

Yes, that was a Luca Turin quote, and yes, I'm talking about Bond No. 9's Chinatown.

It combines everything that I love about Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille (minus the vanilla) with everything I love about Hermès Ambre Narguilé (minus the Christmasy cinnamon) to make a stunningly beautiful gourmand scent. From the moment that I put it on my wrist, I knew that I loved it - an experience which, I'm sure many of you will agree, happens less and less often the more perfumes you try.

It's almost like an addiction, really. You get into perfume because of that first scent that grabs you more than anything else you've ever smelled, so you start exploring, looking for more scents that give you that thrill. Maybe you find a few more at the beginning, and then you're hooked. You experience dozens of passable scents after that, getting frustrated, but then you find something else fantastic and you're on a high again, and then back to the hunt. Eventually you start going to greater and greater lengths to get your fix - people smuggling the stuff back to you overseas, ordering it from distant suppliers and then sweating when you go to make the pickup (at the Post Office). Maybe you realize that what you're doing is crazy, or maybe you just keep on going, and end up freebasing JAR cut with some non-export Lutens on Sunday afternoon.

...So, in conclusion, Chinatown is awesome. :D ]]> kopah http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=201 Am I the hunter or the hunted? (Thinking about EDCs of some of my favorites.) http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=200 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:53:01 GMT Summer can be an odd time for me fragrance-wise. Sure, there are some fragrances in my wardrobe that only show their best in the heat of summer. ... Summer can be an odd time for me fragrance-wise. Sure, there are some fragrances in my wardrobe that only show their best in the heat of summer. While they are certainly nice and enjoyable - Creed Original Vetiver, Monsieur Balmain, and Paco Rabanne XS come to mind - there's something I miss from the stronger "cold weather" fragrances. I want something animalic at times. I want something musky on some days. I want something spicy for some occasions.

I think if I wore any Bal a Versailles parfum in the heat of summer, I might be justifiably accused of manslaughter as passers-by drop like flies around me. But I still want that animalic kick in my summer fragrances! I think if I dabbed Shalimar extrait on me or unwisely go with a third spritz of the EDP, I'd visibly paint the walls at work with the heady richness of it all. But I still want some of that Shalimar spiciness! I think if I applied Habit Rouge EDT and the air conditioning at work goes on the fritz again, I might cause my colleagues to rush out of our infamously-stuffy boardroom faster than thoroughbred horses out of the starting gate. But I still want some of that Guerlain goodness!

While I exaggerate slightly, the bottom line is that the heat of summer makes some of my favorite fragrances somewhat difficult to use. I have thus begun hunting for vintage EDC versions of Bal a Versailles, Shalimar and Habit Rouge.

What draws me to the BaV EDC are statements from some BaV fans that the vintage EDC gives a nice animalic hit without being strong enough to kill. It also helps that many people find it has decent longevity. I like BaV in its parfum form enough that I've gone ahead and blind-bought the EDC version. It was quite economical, and is the vintage formulation, so I figure that's a pretty safe gamble. I eagerly await its arrival!

Perhaps not surprisingly, what draws me to Shalimar EDC are similar comments that it retains the ability to give a rich, spicy experience with respectable longevity. I have not taken a blind leap yet with this one, though. I read conflicting reports about the EDC, even in its vintage form. Some have reported that it is as enjoyable as its EDP and even extrait cousins, but then others say the EDC gives a sharp experience like the usually-recommended-against EDT version. Perhaps someone here can shed some light on this from their own experience?

With the Habit Rouge EDC, Scentemental's near-canonical review of the different versions of this fragrance and others' comments in the archives pique my interest. Yet, at the same time, I wonder if I really want Habit Rouge with less of an animalic approach to it. I remain undecided with HR, but perhaps in a few days my curiosity will get the better of me and lead me to start hunting down some vintage EDC.

If only I could be happy with the light, fresh fare that one finds so very easily at regular fragrance retailers, then... well, I'd be a happy camper. Alas, that is not the way I am, and I still crave an animalic kick and some real richness to my summer fragrances.

Bal is already on its way to me, so I have fallen prey to it already. Shalimar prowls dangerously in my mind - I may yet find myself giving in. Habit Rouge flits into my mind now and then, but the hunter in red seems not to have found my trail yet... ]]> echerub http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=200 The Novice Nose: Samples Month Part II http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=199 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:16:52 GMT For the month of June I decided to wear nothing but samples. As there were a couple of days off for SSD’s I decided to extend it until July 5th so... For the month of June I decided to wear nothing but samples. As there were a couple of days off for SSD’s I decided to extend it until July 5th so there would be 29 scents sampled in all. In Part I the first 13 scents were discussed and now in Part II the remaining 16.
Guerlain Jicky---Made for a man but loved by women especially the women of Basenotes. I’ve been dying to try this since noticing that this is the ladies’ equivalent to Terre D’Hermes as far as how many of them wear it. ScentMother ComDiva hooked me up with a sample and away I went. This was the EDT version and it shows up as mostly lavender but the most complex lavender I’ve come across. The lavender gives way to citrus and an incredibly deft use of rosewood in the heart before adding vanilla and an animalic note, which according to the pyramid is civet, which compliment the lavender which stays throughout. There is a reason this one is beloved.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Givenchy Gentleman—Thanks to Taolady I had this sample to try. I had been very much wanting to try a cinnamon top fragrance and here was my chance. The cinnamon does pop off my skin right from the get-go. It then gives way to a pretty standard Patchouli heart, Leather base progression. I liked it just fine but it was the cinnamon at the top that was what made this unique and I would’ve liked a little more of that.
Verdict: The decant I have is enough.
Truefitt and Hill 1805----One thing I was hoping to do in this month was to identify a couple of aquatics I really liked and had some longevity. I’d had this sample since April but it never felt hot enough to try it out. Today was the day and I was rewarded, this is what I was looking for. The scent starts off with a bergamot citrus duet before giving way to cypress and nutmeg. The base is a light sandalwood and musk. This will be a solid warm-weather scent for me for years to come.
Verdict: Already bought the full bottle.
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire—This is the best vetiver scent I’ve tried. From the herbal beginning through to a hint of incense in the heart all the way to the woody base this is one hell of a ride. Dominique Ropion has crafted a brilliant version of vetiver that sets the bar very high for any future vetiver I wear.
Verdict: Already bought the full bottle
Domenico Caracini 1813-----This is another beloved scent by the men of Basenotes, and as with Jicky, I now see why. This is a tricky scent to pin down because the balance of the notes is exquisitely executed. Rose is here and most describe it as a rose scent. Also present are incense, tobacco, spice and honey. Throughout the development all of these seem to come out and take a turn on the olfactory stage and have their moment in the spotlight. I might not be able to describe it as well as I like but I darn well know I want to wear it a lot more.
Verdict: The next full bottle I will buy
Jean-Paul Gaultier Le Male----I think after the previous three days anything I put on was going to feel somehow lesser. Le Male got the sorry job. This is a spicy vanilla scent that should appeal to me but the beginning failed to impress with a weak bergamot and cardamom that gave way to cumin before the sandalwood and vanilla anchored everything. I will give this another try because I think I should like it more and it suffered in comparison.
Verdict: Hung Jury but will get another day in court.
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir-----This one skirted the edge of pleasantly tangy and feeling like a packet of Kool-Aid exploded on me. By the end of the day I felt more like Kool-Aid then pleasant and it made me wish I’d had the longevity problems that some have with Jo Malone so the scent would be gone. This was an overbearing sweet tart of a scent.
Verdict: No way, not ever.
Bond No. 9 Coney Island-----I was looking forward to this one unfortunately this time I was disappointed. This just came off as an unfocused mess of notes with no cohesion to them, From the mango margarita sweet beginning it shifts gears to a sickeningly sweet gourmand to shift back to a woods scent. Up and down and all over town and nothing good to see or smell. Another no go for me.
Verdict: Not going for another ride on this rollercoaster.
Helmut Lang Cuiron----ComDiva again graciously supplied me with a sizeable decant of this. This is the antithesis of Coney Island as this one seamlessly moves through a progression of leather scents from light to heavy. Along the way there are hints of fruit and musk. This is a classic leather and I’ve only recently begun my exploration of leather scents but this will be one of the better ones I try.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme-----This is the “girl next door” scent. You see it everywhere and you just figure it can’t be all that interesting. Well that thinking turned out to be wrong. This has much more complexity than I expected. The citrus at the top was not surprising but the spiciness in the heart was definitely surprising and an awesome transition to the woody musk base. This is a top notch designer fragrance.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Aramis Tuscany pour Uomo-------This is one of those pleasant scents that just did not do anything for me. It is a simple progression from bergamot to floral to patchouli and it just laid there being all nice and pleasant.
Verdict: Guilty of being average but not to be seen in my wardrobe.
Lolita Lempicka au Masculine—From the first moment I sprayed this on I thought it was going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship as the licorice notes were great to smell. Then a funny thing happened the licorice never gave way and it became annoying. I don’t know if I can explain it, it just stopped being pleasant on me and turned troublesome.
Verdict: No second chance.
Amouage Jubilation XXV-------A return to incense with this one. From the moment this one was applied I felt like I had returned to my spiritual home. This starts out with a sweet light incense that mixes with floral and spicy notes to end in leather and musk. This is another complex mix which sits somewhere between the sweet incense of CDG Kyoto and the smoky incense of L’Artisan Timbuktu. A standout incense scent.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Ormonde Jayne Man------I fell in love with this one from the gin flavored beginning of juniper berry and coriander right into a dark heart of aoud to end in a vetiver sandalwood base. This is another complex meshing of notes to create a unique whole. Just awesome.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Bvlgari Aqua pour Homme-----This is a great clean aquatic and really impressive. It starts off with a clean briny top which gives way to a woody heart before some amber creeps in at the end. What is really nice about this is it keeps everything light and crisp while having a great longevity to it. This might be the best of the designer aquatics.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Balenciaga Rumba-------Taolady sent me a sample of this after Ellena SSD and I was looking forward to wearing it. I was simply gobsmacked by this one. First I can’t believe the minimalist Ellena I love so much was responsible for this dark, rich beast. It starts off floral and fruity but then deepens into an enchanting incense heart which further deepens to a leather and patchouli base. This has all the passion of its namesake Latin dance and I loved every minute of it on me. That you can buy this for $25, what a steal.
Verdict: Oh heck yeah I might get two full bottles.
Box score for part II: 16 scents tried, 10 were full bottle worthy.
Overall the month was a success for me as I discovered three aquatics in Truefitt and Hill 1805, i Profumi di Firenze Brezza di Mare, and Bvlgari Aqua pour Homme. I discovered that one of my base kind of scents is incense as Amouage Jubilation XXV brought home to me. I also found that the leather scents of Serge Lutens Daim Blond and Helmut Land Cuiron have me interested in exploring more of that category. Finally I found some new loves in odd places in Balenciaga Rumba, Ormonde Jayne Man, Domenico Caraceni, and Caron L’anarchiste.
Back to my regular mix of bottles and samples next week.
Until then, I remain The Novice Nose.
Have a well-fragranced week. ]]> Somerville Metro Man http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=199 Mini review: Comme des Garçons 2 Man http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=198 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:50:29 GMT Have you ever used sealing wax? The kind that comes in a stick with a wick on it, and you light the wick, hold the stick sideways over the page, and... Have you ever used sealing wax? The kind that comes in a stick with a wick on it, and you light the wick, hold the stick sideways over the page, and let it drip onto the paper? And then you blow out the wick and it smokes like a birthday candle? That's CDG 2 Man. That exact smell, of sealing wax and smoke. Crucially, it's not snuffed-candle smoke - it's snuffed sealing-wax smoke. Bizarre, no? Mind-blowing artistically, but not terrifically wearable. I must try Avignon next. ]]> kopah http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=198 Advice to newbie perfumistas http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=197 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:52:46 GMT This was posted by VanillaGirl on a thread at NowSmellThis (http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/29/3664988.html), and I found it... This was posted by VanillaGirl on a thread at NowSmellThis, and I found it so succinct and insightful that I wanted to record it here.

Quote:
I wish I hadn't splurged on so many 'likes' or 'It's a-cult-favourite-and-I'm-sure-I'll-grow-into-it' bottles back at the start. I feel embarrassed to see so many pristine boxes on my dresser, where I take the bottles out every few weeks and sniff and think 'very nice' and put it back in the box because I don't want to waste a day's sillage on something that doesn't wow me. It took me a long time to realise that the juices I'll actually wear are the ones that have me scrambling desparately to work the budget to get hold of them!

I'm often struck by how quickly I get through a whole bottle of something I really like - even 100ml. By the time it's 3/4 of the way down, I start to feel reluctant to wear it, not because I've gone off it, but because I don't want to 'waste' my cash on a second bottle! This is nuts - much better to buy a second bottle of a much-loved fume than a new bottle of a never-wear, isn't it?

My advice to newbies would be to go for vials, then larger spray decants, and only then to make up your mind whether to go for a full bottle. Sometimes the decant exposes the lack of sillage or lasting power, or an unfortunate nuance deep in the drydown that puts you off completely.
Good lessons, even for the more experienced among us! ]]> kopah http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=197 Of Fragrance, Personal History, and The Burgeoning Amateur Critic http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=196 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:19:05 GMT How scent and fragrance affects us, how a scent can transport us back in time, and the critiquing of fragrance all seem to share some commonality. I... How scent and fragrance affects us, how a scent can transport us back in time, and the critiquing of fragrance all seem to share some commonality. I feel it explains in some part our possessive, protective, and personal approach to fragrance.

For nearly 15 years I did not buy or use perfume/cologne and, in fact, had very little experience with it other than the stuff that other people wore. Or, occasionally, whiffs of some horrible chemical concoction pasted between the pages of some magazine.

But in the past few months, I’ve made up for lost time: bottles and samples with descriptions that sound appealing. And, for the most part, they are. Some blind buys, some sampled, some on recommendations and reviews.

But a whiff from a good many of them immediately transport me to sometime in the 70s or 80s, to some vague memory and location where I smelled the frag before. In other words, in 15 years of perfume/cologne development, there’s not lot that's really new under the sun. There have been a number of times, when sampling a scent that's new to me, that I think something along the lines of, “Wow, that smells just like some frag that I recall smelling on someone at Cinderella Center in Denver in the early 80s. But what was it?” The name of the original scent always escapes me but it’s undoubtedly something like Halston, Giorgio, Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Jordache, Carrington, or some other pop favorite of that time.

Time travel with frags isn’t all general “reminds me of Perfume X”. Sometimes it’s a more visceral experience, rooted in real life. The geranium note in Terre d’Hermes immediately, forcefully brought my Aunt Pauline’s face to my eyes. A woman I have not seen in over 20 years and a woman I knew but wasn’t particularly close to. I could see her face, hair, blouse, and seated on the white sofa in the apartment in which she lived for a short time in the 70s. Fou d’Absinthe immediately takes me to my grandmother’s basement on wash day.

How, you might be asking, does any of this tie into my criticism or critiquing of fragrances?

Well, often, scent is very personal for people and we all have different life experiences. It’s also fairly common that people want to be accepted and to be validated. The events that make up a person’s life, plus a need (however small) to be validated are both very strong and unique to each of us.

When someone criticizes a scent we love or besmirches it’s good name, it’s natural to feel somewhat personally criticized. Not that the critic was being at all personal, but that feeling and response happens.

For example, reading a criticism of Fou d’Absinthe, I can immediately feel (even if irrational) something that kind of translates as: “How dare you criticize my grandmother! She was a saint. She helped make me the man I am today!” Or “My grandmother deserves five or ten or a hundred stars!” But it’s not me, my taste, nor my grandmother that’s being criticized. The critic is simply setting forth her or his reaction to the scent.

The critic is approaching scent very similarly: partially shaped by life, experience, and individual body chemistry that affects both how a scent develops and how it's perceived. Even after years of professional training and experience, it’s not possible to completely filter out these variables. As both a new fragronista and a burgeoning critic, they play a larger role now than they will later. Hopefully!

All of which is to say that whatever I, you, or anyone else likes is absolutely fine. We don’t all have to like the same thing, we won’t all perceive a scent the same way, and a criticism is, at heart, just another opinion. ]]> Hoos http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=196 Fougère: the perfumer’s fairy tale http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=195 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:56:48 GMT The name fougère comes from French “fougère” that means “fern”. It’s obviously that there are no doubts about the content of the main compound any... The name fougère comes from French “fougère” that means “fern”. It’s obviously that there are no doubts about the content of the main compound any fougère – it’s the mythic and rare fern flower responsible for the unique scent of the fougère perfume. Unfortunately it’s not so easy to obtain that flower that is known to blossom just once a year on John the Baptist day on June 24. The flower is opening just for several minutes at the midnight to make seeds. Understanding that it’s very clear that nature took the greatiest care to protect the flower from all threats including the perfumers hunting for it.

First of all the flower is very poisons. Its slightly sweet and silky herbal scent besots anyone who comes an arm length close to the fern. It’s not very seldom that someone has found a dead person lying with his face down in the fern. If you dare to look into the face you’d see bliss in his eyes. The only safe fern is grown under the oaks among the oak moss as the power of the noble oak can neutralise the dead stupefying charm of the fern flower.

The fern flower is also magically protected. The one who can resist the intoxicating power of fern is exposed to the strong temptation of the light coming from the fern flower. The light is so powerful that it makes all the treasure to glow – doesn’t matter how far or how deep it’s hidden in the ground. There are many perfumers who have chosen to become wealthy and abandoned their dream to make a fougère perfume forever. The light of the fern flower kindles the greediness in someone’s heart. Only the most devoted to the perfumer’s art have gained their goal. They new that a pinch of lavender blossoms thrown to the fern tames the light of its flower.

The one who could come to the flower closely has to deal with another threat. The culled flower shorn of its possibility to make seeds begins to bleed with fury that can burn any material. And save the one who wants to cull the flower with his bare hands. Only Tonka beans can deceive the fern flower as they has the similar entities. Fern accepts the Tonka bean as its own seed and let the flower to be taken.

Think three times everyone who dares to get the fern flower. First find the fern under the oak surrounded with the oak moss. Don’t forget to take some lavender and Tonka beans. Because in case you can’t get the fern flower you still can make a fougère from those three ingredients. ]]> AromaX http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=195 Testing Update 7-1-08 http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=194 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:56:03 GMT I've decided to split up the samples into three categories after each one is tested. There is the "I love it" bag..... the "I would wear it again" bag....and the "absolutely never again" bag.


Caron
Fleurs De Rocaille
Narcisse Noir
Bellodgia
Alpona
En Avion (I tried this one for about three days consecutively I like it. It comes on a bit strong at first and then settles into a nice soft powdery, jasmine, carnation? spiceness that I simply love. There might be a hint of vanilla in the dry down as well, though I'm not certain on that note. Husband says it's nice, but he actually prefers the Creed Vanisia. Daughter says it smells like baby powder. Son just wrinkled up his nose and walked away. At any rate, this one is going into the "I would wear it again" bag.)

Creed
Jasmine Imperatrice Eugenie
Vanisia (Two days into this fragrance. It's nice. I like it. Not overbearing. Seems to be staying with me as I applied it at 7am and it's now 11am. Husband says "I like it". Children say "It smells like an old lady". Boss says "Very nice, not overbearing, have to get within about 8 inches to take in the scent". I think I can detect vanilla, perhaps some Jasmine. Powdery dry-maybe. This one is definitely going into the "I love it" bag.)
Love in White
Fantasia de Fleurs
Aubepine Acacia

Nina Ricci
Capricci
Farouche
Fille D'Eve
Coeur Joie

A Beginner's Introduction to White Floral Scents
Diptyque Jardin Clos
Filles des Isles Exotic Floral
Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle
i Profumi di Firenze Muschio Bello
Keiko Mecheri White Petals (Not much I can say about this one. Tried it for one day. That's all it took. It went on so light that I could barely obtain a scent from it. About five minutes into the fragrance, it did smell quite nice, a bit like carnations with some spices to it also. About five minutes after that....nothing. You couldn't even tell I had applied any fragrance that day whatsoever. Definately the "Absolutely never again" bag.)
L’Artisan La Haie Fleurie du Hameau ]]> CJMorrow http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=194 I Smell. . . Differently http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=193 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:54:34 GMT I had the opportunity to meet a fellow Basenotes member last week. It was really fun to meet someone who enjoys sampling scents as much as I do. ... I had the opportunity to meet a fellow Basenotes member last week. It was really fun to meet someone who enjoys sampling scents as much as I do. The meeting left me with a feeling of awe for the kind of people who take the time to log into the Basenotes community and share their knowledge and information about the scents they have tried.

It's gone now from the board homepage, but I believe there was a quip at the top for a while that said something about "slowly connecting fragrance lovers around the world." Well, it really does!

As a result of sharing fragrance information and scents, I have tried some things I probably wouldn't have tried, and some of them I actually liked! Those which I didn't like, . . well, at least now I know exactly what I don't like about them.

It's truly addictive to share information. I can't remember who turned me on to the idea of carrying a sample in my purse to share. However, I've started doing that, and it's really fun to find people who know what I am wearing and for those who don't and are intrigued, I can give them a bit to try for themselves.

Knowledge is truly power, and I really appreciate people who try to disseminate such. Websites like Basenotes.com demonstrate that the Internet is not just for p o r n. ]]> Aiona http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=193 The Novice Nose: Samples Month Part I http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=192 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:29:38 GMT Once again the confounded servers and the specter of work keep me from posting to the blog in a regular manner. I’ve been spending the month of June... Once again the confounded servers and the specter of work keep me from posting to the blog in a regular manner. I’ve been spending the month of June going through a bunch of samples to see if there was anything I wanted to try more of. In this post I’m going to go through the scents I tried in the first half of the month and next week I’ll return with the scents from the second half.
Jo Malone Mandarin, Basil and Lime---After loving Black Vetyver Café and not having longevity issues with that one I was really looking forward to trying the scent that put Jo Malone on the map. On me this came off as nice but not so nice that I would wear it over other citrus scents like Bigarade Concentree or others I like more. I also, again, had no longevity issues with a Jo Malone scent.
Verdict: Not Full Bottle Worthy
Juicy Couture Dirty English---- One of those scents that I just expected to be too cool for my school. I was wrong so very wrong. This is a powerful strong scent that has a peppery start before a woody bergamot leads into a lovely, musky leather. This is an above average department store scent.
Verdict: Will pick up a full bottle
Gucci pour Homme 2-----I had sniffed this on a card a number of times and it did nothing for me. In fact I would have been hard pressed to tell you what I noticed if asked. I finally decided to try some on my skin. From there it was much different with a “blink and you’ll miss it” lavender beginning, down to a very subtle leather musk. This was much better on my skin than a card.
Verdict: Not Full bottle Worthy
Annick Goutal Eau D’Hadrien----This is a wonderful citrus scent with a bright lemon beginning underpinned with grapefruit. Beneath it all is a lovely sun-baked cypress note that ties this up in a beautiful package. Competently and elegantly done.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Hanae Mori pour Homme-----This is a more subtle attempt at the gourmand market currently held by A*Men. This is close enough in feel to A*Men that if someone called it A*Men Legere they wouldn’t miss the mark by too much. The main distinction is a citrus top note before all of the vanilla and chocolate come out to play.
Verdict: Not Full Bottle Worthy
L’Artisan Mechant Loup-----Based on the sniffs I had had on cards I was very much looking forward to this one. I sprayed it on and it just went PFFFT like a balloon losing air slowly. All of the honeyed notes that soared on cardboard just fizzled out on my skin and left me wondering where all the wonder went.
Verdict: Not Full Bottle worthy
Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa-------This one makes me want to try the other two Colonias as if they are half as good as this one they will be marvelous. Intensa starts with a lemon spice beginning before rounding into an elegantly composed base of wood and leather. This lasted on me through a blistering hot day and just kept me smelling great all day.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Burberry Summer--- This one is nice, pleasant, and nothing to write home about. It is full of the classic summer citrus and maybe more than some other summer scents. For me it just didn’t give me any reason to want to wear it again.
Verdict: Not Full Bottle Worthy
Viktor & Rolf Antidote------Talk about throwing the kitchen sink in. The pyramid on this one has 24 different notes. Only thing missing were the partridge and pear tree notes. Despite all of that the predominant note I get is lavender which dries down to a mostly woody base with some patchouli present. Just like Burberry Summer this is a nice one but not one I’m likely to wear again.
Verdict: Not Full Bottle Worthy
Neil Morris Clear------Here is what happens when a nose wants to be complex, look for notes that compliment and strengthen each other. Unlike Antidote where I think Massenet and Wargnye just kept pulling things off the shelf; Neil Morris uses six notes to build a lush clean scent. It starts with a grapefruit blossom top which intensified to the minty balsam middle before settling into the cedary musk base. Just shows that sometime less is better.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Caron L’Anarchiste-----My Father’s Day gift from my poodles via ComDiva. This was my first Caron and this just felt amazing on me. For a scent in a copper bottle the metal note present which is bracketed by orange and wood is crazy good. This is a stand out scent that smells like nothing else in my wardrobe and I love it.
Verdict: Already have the Full Bottle
i Profumi di Firenze Brezza di Mare-----This is an outstanding aquatic and was one of the things I was looking for as I undertook samples month. Brezza di Mare starts out with a bergamot beginning laced with a brine note before transforming into a lemon-lime finish. This is a stunner of an aquatic.
Verdict: Full Bottle Worthy
Serge Lutens Daim Blond------Apricots and Leather go together like?? Yeah that’s what I thought too then I wore this amazingly well crafted scent. From the moment this settled on my skin the apricot note at the top stepped up but then a metamorphosis into the most lovely suede leather note occurred. This is what perfume making can be when left to the hands of masters, a masterpiece.
Verdict: Full bottle Worthy
Box Score 13 scents worn 7 worth picking up in bottle form. Not too bad a batting average.
See you next week with the second half of the month.
Until then, I remain The Novice Nose.
Have a well-fragranced week. ]]> Somerville Metro Man http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=192 Fragrance limits at the new workplace http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=191 Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:18:08 GMT The past month has been an interesting experience in terms of fragrances because I've changed to a new day-job with a completely different environment, feel, and in some sense, culture. For the past month, in addition to learning what I need to learn in order to do well with work-related matters, I've also had to try to figure out what the unstated limits are with regards to my choice of fragrances at work.

Things began on a worrisome note. On my first day, I saw on the pixelboard in the elevator lobby: "Are you for or against a fragrance-free workplace? Vote now." Sure enough, there was a survey on the intranet for people to have their say on this matter. It didn't help much that the place feels much more conservative and restrained than my last two offices. Part of this is probably the fact that I've gone from metropolitan downtown offices to an office in a much smaller city. It's a bigger office with more people, but the feel is very, very different.

I had been working in offices where I wore almost anything in my wardrobe - from a calm Guerlain Vetiver to a much louder Black Aoud, from a restrained Bulgari PH to a bolder Bandit EDT. In fact, on one of my last days in my previous position, my boss and I went to a meeting with people from outside our organization and on that day I wore Shalimar just a bit stronger than intended. It wasn't an issue at all. But with that announcement greeting me on the ground floor of the new office, I knew I had stepped into a very different environment.

A week later, the results on the survey showed that 51% of people voted Yes to a fragrance-free environment, and 49% voted No to such a restriction. Thankfully it wasn't a majority of folks saying "ban all fragrances!" Still, I didn't have a good read on the environment, the culture, and the boundaries yet. I've tended to go light and conservative this past month. Sometimes I do that anyways, but on days when I feel bolder and louder, I want to wear something bolder and louder. I felt hemmed in, confining myself to just the quiet section of my wardrobe.

Then just last week, at a senior-level meeting on a Thursday afternoon, there was definitely something in the air. Was it me? Did I overapply my fragrance that day? I had done that the week before with Caron's 3me Homme, but no, this time it wasn't me. This was something rich and a little spicy reminding me of Shalimar, and on this particular day I wasn't wearing anything like that. Or so I thought - the heat in the office has led to some of my fragrances pumping out stronger notes than I had been accustomed to. I just wasn't sure if it was me or not.

Now this week, at the same weekly meeting, I caught the same fragrance in the air. This time, I knew it wasn't me because I was wearing Monsieur Balmain. I don't care what kind of temperatures you find yourself in, Monsieur Balmain will not turn into the warm, rich and spicy scent that was very noticeable in that boardroom. What I didn't know was who was wearing that fragrance. Then the next day, I found out. One of the senior managers walked into my office to discuss something, and sure enough, there was the fragrance that I had smelled the day before. Mystery solved! Sort of. I don't know her well enough to ask her what the exact fragrance is, but curiosity will eventually lead me to ask.

More important than simply finding out who was noticeably wearing a fragrance at the office, it let me get a better sense of where the bounds of acceptability are drawn in the proverbial sand!

So what am I going to start wearing to work now? Maybe some of my fragrances are still a bit much for this workplace, but now I know I can step a bit further and be more me each morning when I make my choice.

I still don`t know what the limits are for fragrance at this new workplace, but I sure am glad it`s a little more expansive than it seemed during this first month! ]]> echerub http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=191 Began 6-26-2008 http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=190 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:20:46 GMT The following samples arrived in the mail yesterday and I have had so much fun with them already. My plan is this: I'll try them on one at a time for about 3-5 successive days and keep track of what I like/dislike about each one as well as comments from others concerning that particular scent.

My notes are going to be quite vague, I'm afraid, because I simply do not have enough knowledge nor experience with recognizing the different notes, etc., that I've seen others be able to distinguish in their observations and recommendations of various scents. But that will come with time, so I'm not so particulary worried about that for my own information, just that to those of you with experience, you may find my observations quite vague and infantile in nature due to my lack of experience. But...and this the main part....they may be vague in nature but they will not be lacking in enthusiasm !!

Before anyone cries out "sexual harassment" or raises an eyebrow at the boss' comments, please be advised that she is an attorney and a very good friend as well. We have a blast at the office. We work hard and we play harder. My children are daughter 18 and son 15 and they are both very, very opinionated teenagers (that's a bit redundant, isn't it?). My husband is the most loving, caring, kind, compasionate, male beast, opinionated, strong, dominant, loyal man I have ever known. Hmmm, those must be the reasons I married him. He makes me smile every day.

Caron
Fleurs De Rocaille
Narcisse Noir
Bellodgia
Alpona
En Avion

Creed
Jasmine Imperatrice Eugenie
Vanisia (Two days into this fragrance. It's nice. I like it. Not overbearing. Seems to be staying with me as I applied it at 7am and it's now 11am. Husband says "I like it". Children say "It smells like an old lady". Boss says "Very nice, not overbearing, have to get within about 8 inches to take in the scent". I think I can detect vanilla, perhaps some Jasmine. Powdery dry-maybe)
Love in White
Fantasia de Fleurs
Aubepine Acacia

Nina Ricci
Capricci
Farouche
Fille D'Eve
Coeur Joie

A Beginner's Introduction to White Floral Scents
Diptyque Jardin Clos
Filles des Isles Exotic Floral
Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle
i Profumi di Firenze Muschio Bello
Keiko Mecheri White Petals
L’Artisan La Haie Fleurie du Hameau ]]> CJMorrow http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=190 Some Words in a Debate about Hate Speech http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=188 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:39:19 GMT You know, another name for "hate speech" is "fighting words." That's because when people use hate speech, one of the possible outcomes is a physical altercation.

Even when there is no physical altercation, the use of fighting words delivers a message to any hearers who may be standing by. The message is this: "This group that I have just demeaned by calling them a dirty name is a legitimate target of violence. They do not deserve the respect or protection of society; therefore, you may logically conclude that I, whether consciously or not, am advocating violence against them."

Sociologists call this type of behavior "deviance labeling." The intention is to label certain persons (actually certain groups) as deviant, meaning outside the protection of society. The words are only used of people who have somehow stepped outside of their socially approved roles: women who have become "uppity;" poor people who act like they have rights; black people who don't act subservient to whites; men who have chosen other men as sexual partners.

Every time someone calls a woman a "bitch" the message is that this person is less than human (literally a dog) and can therefore be freely treated as less than human.

Every time someone calls a black person a "nigger" the real, perhaps unconscious, message is that this person is less than their equal, that the old prejudices against them are justified, and that it was right for these people to have been slaves and to have had no civil rights.

Every time a person calls a man a "faggot" or a "cocksucker" the implied message is that it is legitimate to beat this person up or worse. The person is, after all, beneath contempt, or such a name would never be used for him.

Does it shock you to see these words in print in a serious debate about hate speech? I hope it does, though it seems that some people don't mind hearing these words applied to other people in speech — not to themselves or their women, black, or gay friends, of course. They are justly offended to be spoken of in such a way — but when it's strangers being spoken of, their sympathy and fellow-feeling is somehow inadequate to reach that far.

I grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950's and 60's, and believe me, I heard plenty of these words; and as a teenager, I even learned to use them. I heard every ethnic, racial, and sexual slur in the book, and some you guys have probably never even imagined. For most of my buddies, every fifth or sixth word they uttered was exactly four letters long. We used these words to fight without fighting, not because we wanted to avoid violence — oh, no the feeling of violence was definitely there and thrilling, though only vicariously. We used these words because we were afraid, because other people might and did use other such words about us. We used these words because we were afraid and we didn't want violence done to us, although we wouldn't have minded violence against the people we were insulting. Essentially, we used these words because we were punks, teenage cowards. When I hear these words from the lips of an adult, that's who I see: a scared, threatened, cowardly teenager hiding inside the grown-up shell.

In my eyes, society doesn't profit from defending the right to that kind of speech. What society would profit by is the unmasking of hate speech as a way of perpetuating violent attitudes against people who others see as different. It certainly doesn't deserve my respect or protection, though I have done my share of it; to the extent that I ever did it, I am ashamed of myself for having done it.

Do I think hate speech should be illegal? No, I don' think you can make speech illegal. There's no way of putting teeth in a law like that anyway. Yet I think it is futile and violent behavior, and I heartily disapprove of it. It is unworthy of a gentleman, and the use of it unmasks one as being no kind of gentleman. Just as surely as physical violence, it results in ruined lives. It perpetuates violence, especially by diminishing the self-respect of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.

I most assuredly do not think it is a noble cause to defend such behavior. ]]> JaimeB http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=188 Oh! The cologne! http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=187 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:15:08 GMT There are two questions one has to ask in evaluating a traditional cologne: 1) How good is the citrus? 2) What comes after the citrus? A cologne... There are two questions one has to ask in evaluating a traditional cologne:

1) How good is the citrus?
2) What comes after the citrus?

A cologne can only be great if there are good answers to both of these questions. Longevity is naturally a problem for all colognes, because of the volatility of the traditional citrus top notes, combined with the low concentration. Take the Chanel cologne, for example. Its citrus top notes are probably the best I've ever smelled. Unfortunately, someone forgot to put a base under them - the scent is completely gone in under an hour. While it lasts, it is perhaps the Platonic ideal of cologne; but it doesn't last for long. The trick is to give the cologne base notes that complement, but don't overpower, the citrus, nor the lighter structure of the fragrance generally.

I used Perfumes: the Guide as my jumping-off point for colognes to test. I haven't had good luck so far with Institut Très Bien, whose scents are fairly well-reviewed. Again, base note problems (too faint), combined with frustrating evanescence. The two are pretty much linked, I'd have to say: without a strong base, there's going to be poor longevity.

One scent that I think has it all together is Guerlain Eau de Cologne Impériale. Great citrus up top, great stuff down below (though I'm not sure exactly what - haven't tested it thoroughly enough to tell). I think it would really benefit from a higher EDT concentration. Maybe you veterans out there can tell me if there has ever been a "Concentrée" or "Extrême" version?

Eau de Guerlain didn't impress me... it was nice, but despite the claims of gender-neutrality, came off smelling fairly feminine to me. And not particularly in a way that a guy could necessarily pull off.

Another EDC that I tried recently, albeit not quite in the archetype, is Baldessarini. I've heard this criticized around Basenotes as unstructured and messy, but to me, it just seems very well-blended. I would strain to pick out any particular note over any other note in it (similar to my experience with Bois des Îles). Very nice, and decent lasting power for an EDC too.

I really ought to try the old 4711, since my cologne experience will not be complete without it, as well as Acqua di Parma Colonia. Any other suggestions? ]]> kopah http://community.basenotes.net/blog.php?b=187