My Marigold Scented Deepavali Perfumes: Profumum Roma Tagete and En Voyage Perfumes Tagetes Femme

This weekend it is Deepavali (or Diwali) and here in Singapore the Indian population is celebrating the most significant holiday on the Hindu calendar. In Singapore it is mandated that the very multicultural population here will have their holidays equally honored and acknowledged. This is great news for residents as not only do we have the mile long avenue of Christmas lights on Orchard Blvd., but we see Little India lit up for Deepavali, lights for the Muslim festival of Hari Raya, and festive street decorations for Chinese New Year. Having lived in India for almost four years I think the colorful lights for Deepavali, always in fluorescent colors of pink, orange, turquoise, gold, and green, are my favorite of the lot for their sheer exuberance and panache.

Deepavali is an Indian celebration with ancient roots as a harvest festival, but also based on legends of various Hindu deities triumphing over their enemy in battle. The name Deepavali comes from the clay lamps (deepa) arranged in rows (avali)  placed outside the home to signify the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. More literally, the illuminated diyas represent the power of light over night and good over evil.  Deepavali is known as the celebration of lights due to the tradition of lighting these small terracotta dishes called diyas. The lights are the most significant component of the festive traditions, but there are also colorful rangoni (designs made of colorful powders or sand placed outside the door of the home), the sharing of sweets with friends, the exchange of gifts among family, and offering colorful garlands of flowers in acts of pooja at the Indian temple.

There are many directions I could go when picking a perfume to represent the Deepavali season. One could highlight perfumes that represent the spices at the market, chai tea based fragrances, or heady florals. On our weekly jaunt to Little India here in Singapore for a favored meal of tandori chicken, dal, and roti, the one shopping stop I always make is at one of the little flower carts where they sell the strings of flowers that Hindu devotees buy to take to the nearby temple. Jasmine is the most prevalently used flower and I love to buy a string of the buds and let it scent my house for the two days or so the blooms survive. But for my Deepavali perfume picks I chose two perfumes that highlight the marigold. There are always strings of saffron colored marigold garlands, sometimes combined with the more fragrant jasmine buds, because this humble little flower is significant in Indian culture as an auspicious offering, or pooja, to be draped around the statues of the Hindu gods.

Marigold is a hard scent to pin down, slightly herbal, possibly musty, sometimes sharply astringent. It also has notes of bitter green earthiness. It straggles the line between slightly unpleasant and provokingly interesting, depending on one's taste. It is a compelling choice when used with opulent white flowers as it tends to calm their gaiety and abandon. Just as the makers of marigold garlands often add jasmine or rose to the strings to make the overall scent more beautiful, marigold can play a similar role in perfume. Tagete is the genus name for marigold and it is the name used in the perfumes I've chosen to highlight for Deepavali.

Profumum Roma Tagete is a good example of the tagete note being used to tame the white flower beast. I have never met a tuberose scent I didn't like, and the only jasmine scents I've not cared for were because they were too insipid so no surprise that I enjoy the mostly jasmine opening with a little tuberose added to the mix. But very quickly there is something hiding in this bouquet of white flowers. A bitter edge, like a grass snake rearing its head out of a white flower bouquet, begins to infiltrate all the white flower wonderfulness. The bitter green note shape shifts in and out of the marigold "I smell interesting" mode to the marigold "I smell a little scary" note.  You have this juxtaposition of the typical big tuberose and jasmine floral touchdown, with a field goal of pungent marigold astringency thrown in for good measure. Before I decided to write about Profumum Roma Tagete as a Deepavali perfume I was going to do a post entitled A White Flower Perfume for Autumn Wear.  The tagete note makes this perfume transitional to me and different from the numerous summery white flower perfumes. The note of the marigold can be quite pungent and for some that might be a deal breaker but to me it just makes it a more intriguing exploration of the white flower theme. Notes of vetiver and moss give this an herbal aromatic vibe, but for most of the wear it is a fairly linear jasmine/tuberose/marigold scent. The perfume lasts for around six hours on my skin.

En Voyage Perfume Tagete Femme is a 2012 creation of the very talented Shelley Waddington, captain of En Voyage perfumery. On my skin the perfume opens with a touch of bergamot and an herbal marigold.  Blackcurrant bud gives a juiciness to the scent and notes of orange flower and rose give a slight jammy feel. On one wearing the rose really came forward but the other times not so much, a curiosity I've experienced before when wearing naturals. Notes of vanilla, fruity musk, and tonka appear as middle notes, but this is a very blended vanilla and not a standout note.  Base notes of sandalwood, resin, and patchouli are listed but on my skin they are very lightly present. The scent lasts on my skin around three hours, then fades to a soft skin scent mostly comprised of vanilla and sandalwood.  The marigold note is not a strong component in this perfume, at least on my skin, and I get the sense that it is a buffer between the sweetness of the floral and vanilla notes, giving this oriental perfume a quiet presence. I would say only those close to you would capture the scent. This is a  pretty perfume with a melange of well blended notes that bathes the skin with its golden glow.

Happy Deepavali or Diwali 2016 to those who celebrate the holiday. Does anyone have a favorite Deepavali scent?

Top photo of Singapore Deepavali lights from www.news.asiaone.com. Second photo from www.kids.nationalgeographic.com. Third photo of flower stall Little India mine. Fourth photo of Indian temple with marigold garlands from www.writeincolor.com. Fifth photo from www.humanflowerproject.com of a flower seller in India.. Sixth photo google image. Last photo Little India in the rain 2016, mine. Perfume samples my own.

The Different Company Adjatay Cuir Narcotique

The Different Company's newest fragrance Adjatay was mentioned in glowing terms by several bloggers following its debut at Esxence 2016 in Milan this spring. Anytime I hear tuberose mentioned as a main player in perfume, I'm interested. Leather on the other hand can be hit or miss for me. If it works, it's beautiful and adds richness and depth. My skin doesn't always adapt well to leather notes though, and when the note is wrong it can ruin a perfume for me.

The copy on The Different Company website cites this story as the inspiration for Adjatay. Luc Gabriel, who heads the company, said he had a forgotten tuberose flower from a trip to Grasse in his black leather bag. When he later discovered the flower hidden in the depths of the bag, the narcotic qualities of the tuberose had melded with the leather to bring out the best in both materials. He had perfumer Alexandra Monet bring this beautiful partnering to life as a new perfume for the line.

I had been wanting to try Adjatay so when Takashimaya here in Singapore got it I raced over to give it a spray. The first few minutes were not love. Top notes are mandarin and ylang ylang. I have sprayed it several times now and have never caught the mandarin note but I smell the ylang ylang. Ylang ylang can be all over the place when you read people's different descriptions. I pass a ylang ylang tree when I walk the Botanic Garden here in Singapore and its scent really releases at dusk. To me it smell floral, something like jasmine without the strength or indolic characteristic, and with a more musky, sometimes slightly powdery aspect. Occasionally  I get slight hints of banana creaminess from ylang ylang. I smell a combination of these facets of ylang ylang in the opening of Adjatay and I enjoy that moment. The leather enters rather quickly, and it is at this stage that I'm not sure I will like the perfume. When the leather first manifests on my skin it has a bit of a funky smell to me, maybe slightly plastic. This is not an uncommon  happening when I try leather scents.

But in a mere ten minutes the scent begins to change. Suddenly the leather begins to smell like the finest of Italian leathers, that soft supple bag you've carried forever and just keeps getting more beautiful with age. It is a satiny sensuous leather. This stage lasts for at least an hour on my skin before the tuberose enters the picture. I am surprised at this restraint of the tuberose note as it is known for being a powerhouse. The first hint of the tuberose is a fleeting smell, almost as if it is buried at the bottom of the leather bag, just as Adjatay's creation story illustrates. Slowly the tuberose presence grows and for the next few hours it is a merry dance between the two notes with neither one dominating. I found this a unique marriage of notes, as at least in my experience I've not tried a scent with the leather and tuberose combination before. The leather tempers the exuberance of the tuberose, giving it a more serious air. Conversely the tuberose gives the leather a softer and sweeter appeal. This joining of the two notes insure that Adjatay is a unisex perfume.

Notes like heliotrope, tonka bean, musk, and sandalwood give the perfume a creamy softness as it dries down in the next few hours. I got a full eight hours or more wear out of this perfume. I found that the longer it was on my skin the more beautiful it became, becoming richer, smoother, and more opulent with time. The full name of the perfume is Adjatay Cuir Narcotique and the addition of tuberose to the leather certainly does turn the scent into a softly sensual experience. I really enjoyed wearing this perfume and it is one of my favorite introductions of 2016 as the year draws close to an end.

Photo from Dreaming In Blue. Samples sprayed at Takashimaya Singapore, thanks very much!

DSH Perfumes Chinchilla

A new fragrance release from DSH Perfumes is always something to anticipate and DSH Perfumes Chinchilla does not disappoint. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz created this animalic perfume as a reference to an era when women donned furs for elegant nights out.  DSH Perfumes has a strong selection of retro styled perfumes, and in my opinion Dawn has a real gift for evoking a bygone era of glamour and luxury.

Dawn always writes good descriptions of her perfumes which give a visual as well as scented image. Here is how she describes Chinchilla: "At the Grand Hotel, where the elite and gorgeously tailored meet for soirees, dancing parties, and other hedonistic meetings, the elegant always wear their chinchilla. Dreamily soft, sensuously cozy, and yet so chic; only the finest would do."

Dawn is expert at combining a long list of diverse notes and this perfume is no exception.  There are animalic and skin scent notes such as africa stone tincture, ambrette, oakmoss, castoreum, and civet; along with sweeter notes of french beeswax, honey, gardenia, carnation, and rose, but you will not pick out the individual notes for the most part. After the perfume has settled on my skin it smells of a slightly animalic musk with faint wisps of crushed flower petals and thick golden honey.

This vintage-inspired scent references a time when it was de rigueur for the fashionable to wear a fur to stay warm in a frigid New York winter. Trends and proprieties have changed; today the fur is probably a very realistic fake or has given way altogether to a warm cashmere coat. But the elegance of that once-upon-a-time era is remembered in this scent with notes conjuring warm skin, fur, and cozy  musk. Dawn describes Chinchilla as a floriental/musk/animalic fragrance, both sexy and comforting. I would agree with that characterization, but to me it's the understated "without trying" kind of sexy; a woman in her husband's white button down shirt or in a tee shirt and socks, looking innocently alluring.

On some skins the animalic notes might amplify but when I wear Chinchilla it remains more of a cozy, soft, yet sexy skin scent. It feels like it would be the perfect scent for a lazy crisp autumn day; wearing a warm fuzzy sweater,  tucking my feet under a cozy fur blanket, settling in for a good long read with a new book or watching an old classic movie. The scent manages to be both cozy and sexy, comforting and beguiling, without ever falling into either camp. I would like my skin to smell like this naturally: warm, musky, sweet and just a touch naughty. Chinchilla could be worn any time. It is elegant enough for a night out, understated enough for daily wear, or the perfect skin scent when you want to smell like yourself, but better!

Top photo www.eslamoda.com. Second photo, Dorian Leigh in chinchilla stole  from Maurice Kotler, photo by Guy Arsac, 1956. Third photo google image. Sample sent to me by DSH Perfumes.

Aroma M Geisha Vanilla Hinoki

Aroma M Geisha Vanilla Hinoki is the latest addition to the Geisha line. Introduced earlier this year in both an eau de parfum spray and an oil version, Aroma M's founder Maria McElroy created this scent as an olfactory reference to the ritual of the the Japanese bath. In Maria's own words, "When living in Japan, I took a tour over those seven years from one end of the island to the other, experiencing all the wonderful ways of Japanese bathing. The hinoki tubs left a lasting impression on me. This new perfume, Geisha Vanilla Hinoki, is inspired by the hinoki baths of Japan."

Japanese hinoki baths are the marriage of wood and water and provide a complete holistic experience. The tubs are not for cleaning, but for soaking, to provide energy, rejuvenation, and relaxation. Hinoki wood is particularly revered for its strength, beauty, and antibacterial properties. In addition the hinoki wood has a beautiful calming scent that has been described as having elements of lemon or ginger. Hinoki oil is gentle and has been used to calm skin irritations, as a decongestant to help with respiratory problems, and as a tonic for stress.

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki opens with a brightness, but it is toned down by a meditative, almost camphorous wood smell.  It is like being in a forest when the clouds above part and a ray of sunshine pierces the tree canopy. Then the clouds again cover the sun, muting its brightness. After a few minutes this brightness fades and the wood smell becomes dominant. It takes about thirty minutes before the vanilla makes an appearance on my skin. The vanilla is soft, maybe a little green, and more like smelling the pods than sweet vanilla desserts. The wood and vanilla seem to merge as one note so that neither one takes precedence; it's a perfect partnering. If you normally shy away from vanilla scents, this could be the one for you. At no point does this ever scream "vanilla perfume" to me. Once the vanilla enters the mix, Vanilla Hinoki becomes more of a skin scent. Words I would use to describe it are contemplative, meditative, relaxing, or mellow.

Vanilla Hinoki's key ingredient is a vanilla that has woody, smokey elements. "I found this luscious Moroccan vanilla on my trip to Tangier a few years ago," Maria said. "When I first smelled the hinoki oil I knew right away that this gorgeous gourmand vanilla would be the perfect partner." Other notes in the perfume include bergamot, clove, cardomom, nutmeg, cedarleaf, lavender, leather, patchouli, amyris, cedar, and hinoki.

Most of the perfumes in the Geisha line are oils but a few also come in sprays. Both versions are offered in Vanilla Hinoki. I find the opening of the eau de parfum more vibrant and the individual notes more apparent. The oil is softer, and on my skin it emphasizes the lemony facet of hinoki more than the vanilla. Both become very quiet and soft after an hour, in short more of a personal scent. The longer they are on the skin the more similar they become. To me this is a scent I would choose for its "feel good" factor, like wearing a beautiful almost transparent coat of armor to face the everyday stresses. (Perhaps I should put this on before watching the news or getting on facebook until the election season is over!) Other bloggers have suggested this could be the perfect bedtime scent to fall into a deep peaceful dream state.

When I began my scent journey over ten years ago, Maria McElroy's Aroma M was one of the first niche perfumers I found. I was trying to remember exactly how I discovered the company. Blogs, niche perfume stores, and online perfume chat groups were either nonexistent or small in numbers. But when I looked at the timeline on Aroma M's website, I remembered.  In 2006 Aroma M launched an 11 year anniversary coffret of perfume samples, individually wrapped in colorful Yuzen papers like little bon bons and packaged in an exquisite little homemade paper box. Lucky magazine featured the set, and back in those days I used to devour that magazine. When the samples came I was enchanted with the sheer beauty of this little box of perfumed treats, and that was even before I tried the scents! I was so entranced that I ordered several to give as gifts.

When I tried the perfumes I was even more impressed. Maria spent seven years in Japan where she trained in Kodo, the ancient art of fragrance, Ikebana, Koto (Japanese harp), and Zen Buddhism. She came from a background of both art and aromatherapy, which eventually gelled with the geisha-like arts she studied in Japan to inspired the creation of her own company, Aroma M. Maria's line has a very Asian aesthetic running through the perfumes. It is not that they have a similar smell or common note, rather that the aura they create when you wear the scents has a recognizable theme. There is such attention to detail and beauty, a craftsmanship that is hard to find today in our world of mass produced items. The bottles wrapped in stylized Yuzen paper are a wonder. I find that the oils and perfumes in this line wear close to the skin for the most part, although there are some (Geisha Rouge and Geisha Amber Rouge come to mind) that have a deeper and darker presence. They never walk into the room before you but glow quietly, a pretty haze of scent. Vanilla Hinoki follows this tradition.

I asked Maria what customers could expect in the future. "I am currently working on a new scent to release next spring", she said. "It is based on Japanese shiso. I have been looking for a natural shiso oil for awhile, and with the help of my chef husband I have finally found one. This new perfume will also include lilacs and incense. I am having a lot of fun with its creation!" These notes sound very interesting and I'll look forward to its release!

Top photo google image. Other photos from Aroma M website. Perfume samples were provided by the perfumer, and also purchased by me from Luckyscent.

Weekend In Paris: With MFK Petit Matin & Grand Soir, Cafe Noir & Eau de Madeleine

The imminent arrival of October is making me long for a quick getaway. A weekend in Paris would be lovely. A quaint ivy draped hotel in one of Paris's charming arrondissements, fine dining in the French manner, and strolling through the park as the leaves turn golden. But alas, for me it's not to be so my trip will have to be a virtual one via photos and dreams, as I imagine how I would spend each precious moment and what perfumes I'd be wearing while I experienced the City of Light.

My flight's arrival would get me in too late to have a big evening so I would wander the streets until finding the perfect small cafe, perhaps having a light bite to eat and sit and watch Paris pass by. I love people watching when visiting cities. It's a great way to get a feel for the place. I would finish my meal with a dark rich brew, designed to give me a jolt of energy to make my way to the most hole-in-the-wall jazz club I could find. Besides my coffee, I'd wear a special perfume to get me in the mood.

I have no desire to smell like a mug of Starbucks brew but DSH Perfumes Cafe Noir doesn't disappoint. It is a much more sophisticated and multifaceted perfume than one might expect from a coffee-centered perfume. On the DSH website the perfume is described as an oriental that harmonizes notes of spices, wood, resins, and florals with the beloved black coffee note. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's perfumes always have a long list of notes and this one is no exception. This perfume feels rich, sophisticated and embracing. Notes of bergamot add brightness to the labdanum, benzoin, and balsam. Cinnamon adds spicy heat and a touch of vanilla smooths and sweetens. I occasionally smell a sliver of green, more a thread than a note. This is a delicious brew which uses the idea of coffee as a jumping off point, then expands on this by adding lots of luscious notes. It is the perfect romantic and complex French-style perfume to start our adventure.

We've arranged for a small apartment with a killer view of the Eiffel Tower on www.parisperfect.com. After an hour of good jazz we wind our way through the streets to our waiting pad. I luxuriate in a warm bath with a glass of bubbly and enjoy the lights of the tower before drifting off to sleep in our comfy bed.

www.parisperfect.com

I am normally not a morning person, but when I'm jet lagged I tend to wake up before dawn with an instant alertness and the feeling of wanting to start the day as soon as possible. I love what feels like stolen moments, being awake as dawn lights begin to turn the black sky to fuzzy gray then pale yellow light. The first birds begin singing as the world awakens. Maison Francis Kurkdjian has introduced two new perfumes to celebrate the lights of Paris, Petit Matin to commemorate sunrise in Paris and Grand Soir to mark the excitement of the eveninghours. Petit Matin was Kurkdjian's answer to a Paris morning before dawn. His own copy says, "Rise at dawn and escape into the delightful freshness of an early morning in Paris."

Flicker Romane Villa

The scent is composed of litsea cubeba (also known as may chang), lemon from Calabria, hawthorn, lanvadin, orange blossom, musk, and ambroxin. The perfume opens with a soft luminescent pale lemon note, reminiscent of the first traces of light in the morning sky. The litsea cubeda in particular provides a creamy soft sweet citrus note. The hawthorn and orange blossom add very pure floral notes for a sweetness and a blossoming effect to the perfume. After a few hours it softly fades and the musk notes leave a lingering finish. To me this doesn't feel like a citrus cologne, which the notes might indicate. There is something very pure and illuminating about this perfume.

I can't be in Paris without visiting at least one magnificent cathedral. Coming from a part of America where no building is more than one hundred years old, these fabulously constructed edifices with fantastically soaring roofs and colorful diamond dappled stained glass windows make me swoon. My husband and I once wandered into a Polish-language Catholic service in Paris, and the somber chants,darkened lights and swinging incense burners made me feel we had stepped back in time several centuries. Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger Eau De Madeleine (quite the mouthful!)  captures the experience of visiting a stunning cathedral, inhaling the incense permeated stone walls from three hundred years of worship, then stepping through heavy wooden doors into the startling sunlight and air filled with the pervasive smell from the nearby creperie cart. There is a citrus burst on application, but it not a fresh bright note, it is the brightness of light through stained glass, beautifully present but darker and subdued. The incense note is the strongest but it is softened by the slight citrus and a musky vanilla which wraps around the incense. There is a balsamic sweetness which feels like resins, but I see none listed so maybe it's the combination of the vanilla and incense. This is an interesting combination of incense and sweetness but it's not really a gourmand. If you want a scent that is less church notes and more sugary crepes try Prada Candy. By the way, the name Eau de Madeleine is meant more as a reference to Proust than an attempt to smell like bakery goods, although that aspect is slightly present.

Fortified with crepes, we're now ready for our dose of culture, but not a huge venue like the Louvre. A smaller exhibit, something like this show at the Musee Du Luxembourg, followed afterwards by a stroll around the Luxembourg Garden.

Before we know it the day has passed and it's time to prepare for an evening out and for this moment, I've chosen to wear Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir. This is the partner to Petit Matin and really couldn't be more different. Where as Petit Matin sprinkles you with light and clarity, Grand Soir is deep, dark and mysterious. It is composed of labdanum from Spain, benzoin from Siam, tonka bean from Brazil, and vanilla and amber accords. These are some of my favorite notes in perfumery that always work on my skin, so if you have similar tastes or like Orientals definitely give this a try. The resins are warm and sinuous and after spraying the perfume I feel bathed in a luxurious balm of scent. The notes blend together well; the vanilla adds sweetness but it doesn't feature too strongly in the scent. The amber, labdanum, and benzoin meld into a comforting yet elegant mix. It smell so warm on my skin that I almost sense a cinnamon note, but it's not listed. This is a thoroughly grown up perfume which would be equally beautiful on a man or woman and on my skin, it makes a statement without being overbearing. It definitely makes me feel that I am in for a special evening, and is the perfect perfume to wear to the opera.

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We follow this gorgeous venue with a late night dinner at Le Meurice. (My perfume is still going strong, no need to respray!)

The next morning I have no no need to reapply perfume. The Grand Soir is muted but still very discernible, now just warm and fuzzy rather than the sexy creature from the night before. It wafts up pleasantly to remind me to the glorious evening just past.

We'll find a cute small cafe to order our coffee and croissants, then either wander the streets, bicycle along the Seine, or if we're still feeling arty, go to this exhibit which is free to the public all day Sunday, October 2.

And of course, there is always perfume shopping! I hope you've enjoyed our virtual getaway and exploring these great perfumes that remind me of Paris! What perfumes would you wear on your trip to Paris?

All samples my own. All photos www.google.com unless otherwise indicated.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose and Nirvana Bourbon

Out of all the celebrities the Olsen twins would not have been my first pick for who would come out with a thoughtfully curated and generally respected perfume line. But perhaps they should have been. They started acting at the tender age of nine months old, sharing the role of Michelle on the television series Full House, a role that would continue for the next eight years. This was followed by a series of television shows and movies playing to part, adorable pig-tailed twins. Their acting came to a stop at around seventeen. Very shortly after, Mary Kate and Ashley began building their fashion empire and have never looked back.

What I find intriguing about this duo is that they were able to resist the allure of celebrity and pursue other passions.  Maybe having all that fame at such a young age made them weary of it; maybe they genuinely decided it was not where their real talents lay; maybe their passion for fashion superseded the desire to devote any time to acting. But I find it admirable that in this celebrity obsessed, selfie-driven society we live in, they seemingly walked away from all that and have kept a pretty low profile. They launched The Row, a couture fashion label, and the more contemporary Elizabeth and James, both to great success. So it should come as no surprise that their perfume line would be just as well thought out as their other businesses, and at the same time a little edgy and out there, just like the two of them. When they introduced Nirvana White I liked it well enough and was very fond of Nirvana Black. The two newest additions to the brand, Nirvana Rose and Nirvana Bourbon,  are very worth trying and should find some love among the perfume community.

There is a moment when I first spray Nirvana Rose that it smells like ironing starch, crisp and clean. I think this is geranium's moment. But after one hot second the vetiver rolls in and it is not a background player.  It is rooty and earthy and dark. The first time I wore Nirvana Rose I was thinking, so where is the rose? It took a long time to appear. In subsequent wearings since,  the rose is much more apparent. It is a darkly fragrant, but not sweet. The longer the perfume is on my skin, the more the vetiver recedes and the rose blossoms.  I never, ever get the impression that I am wearing a rose soliflore perfume, as the name might lead you to believe. Rose is an ingredient, but at least on my skin, vetiver plays an equal role. Because of these dark notes I think this would wear beautifully in cooler weather.

I had read a couple of reviews that spoke of Nirvana Rose giving the effect of walking through a garden of roses. This is not at all what I smell or imagine, so I would say that skin chemistry plays a big part in this one as to what notes are accentuated. My skin has always liked wood notes so maybe it is amplifying the woodiness of the vetiver. There is something about Nirvana Rose that slightly reminds me of Atelier Rose Anonyme, but that one is all about the patchouli. I think it is the dark aspects of both perfumes which are reminiscent. Though not groundbreaking, this is a different sort of rose for the celebrity scent market and I will be curious to see how it is received. I enjoy it more, every time I wear it.

I didn't look up the notes before trying Nirvana Bourbon so I was imagining bourbon, the liquor. Actually the name refers to bourbon vanilla, which is one of the featured notes along with oak wood and tuberose. When I first spray the perfume there is just briefly an odd rubbery smell. Tuberose can present mentholated aspects before blooming into the heady scent is it famous for, so I give this note credit for the moment of petrol and rubber. Others have described this as a smokey smell but I don't get that. However I've now spent more time discussing the note than the amount of time I actually smell it before it moves on. After this smell disappears the bourbon vanilla and oak notes slowly grow in intensity, and their intermingled smell gives me the sense of a vat of fragrant buttery vanilla-tinged bourbon fermenting in an oak barrel, with warm and grainy cereal note aspects. It is mildly gourmand but never sugary sweet like some vanillas. This scent starts out slowly on me, taking it's time to heat up and have any projection, but after a couple of hours it had brewed into a very comforting toasty and oaky vanilla. I never smell any floral aspects of tuberose at all so it must have been used very lightly. Just as the Rose perfume doesn't scream rose, this one does not hit you over the head with vanilla and that makes it much more wearable to my taste. This would be a great perfume to wear to greet the first cool days of autumn.

Both of these perfumes are just different enough to match the non-mainstream personalities and persona that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen project. They are not so different, though, that they will scare away the less exposed perfume shopper looking to expand their tastes. I think these two additions to the line fit the brand and will find their fans.

Top photo from www.elizabethandjames.com. The samples were my own from Sephora.

Berdoues Collection Cologne Grand Cru, Part Five - Oud Al Sahraa

Berdoues Oud Al Sahraa -  This Beredoues Grand Cru cologne tranforms two traditionally heavy ingredients, myrrh and oud, into a sheer but opulent veil of scent. The cologne is classified as an Oriental woody fragrance consisting of these three notes: oud, myrrh, and mandarin.

Oud Al Sahraa translates to Oud of the Desert, and wearing this scent definitely put me in the mindset of tents under a midnight blue star-studded night sky, camel trains moving slowly across the wind swept sand dunes, and midnight at the oasis. Enjoy this blast from the past which sprang to my mind the minute I smelled this cologne!



I was so pleased to find this fragrance. I love orientals, but I spend more than half the year living in Singapore due to my husband's work arrangements. The reason that lightly scented perfumes are popular in Asia is not just a cultural preference. It is perpetual summer here, balancing atop the equator, and we never get the cold weather that helps muffle the power of a true oriental powerhouse perfume. I remember years ago being at a party here and I was determined to wear my old favorite, Aromatics Elixir. As my body heat started rising in the outdoor setting I radiated an atomic level of scent, and a (rude!) man in my vicinity kept repeating loudly, "Someone's wearing WAY to much perfume." If you've ever tried to wash Aromatics Elixir off your wrists, you know it's not happening. So now when I head east my orientals and chypres remain in the cupboard at home, patiently awaiting my return. While I love wearing florals and lighter scents here, I do sometimes long for the comfort that ancient resins  and balsams provide.

"Oud wood resin has become perfumers' holy grail." says Oud Al Sahraa perfumer Christian Vermorel. "It is an extremely rare material and we are privileged to be able to exalt it." Oud in its heaviest, darkest form is a note I struggle to appreciate on my skin, but as I noted in my recent review of Josh Lee Oud here, Malaysian oud is a lighter, brighter oud altogether, and it is Malaysian oud which is used in this cologne. Malaysian oud can have woody, leather, and animal aspects, and it is characterized by a thread of sweetness. The oud mixes with the resinous and balsamic notes of Namibian myrrh to give a sensual mood to the scent.

This sensuous aura has historical references.  The Old Testament of the Bible mentions myrrh several times, including this verse in Song of Solomen 1:13, "My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts." Myrrh was used by the Egyptians as an ingredient in the embalming process.  The burning of myrrh and frankincense tears in religious ceremonies has occurred for thousands of years, and the fragrance is supposed to help the mind go to a contemplative transcendent state. Smelling this cologne I do breathe in a calming essence and I'm curious if it could help ease anxiety issues.

I never get a distinct scent from the mandarin; it doesn't have a strong citrus presence. Mandarin has a sweetly fragrant flesh and low acidity so it mixes with the other notes but doesn't stand out. The combination of this note with the myrrh gives a luminous glow to the scent. Imagine that you have a small oriental carpet with a beautiful pattern. Now imagine someone copies it, but instead of heavy wool the colorful images are on whisper thin silk. That is what this cologne feels like to me. It is an oriental with all the depth and richness that entails, but at the same time is is floaty and radiant. I am happy that I have found an oriental perfume that I can comfortably wear in Asia.

Despite the lightness this is tenacious and I still have a trace of it on my skin ten hours later at the end of the day. I would classify this as more of an eau de toilet, even though it is a cologne.

If it is not obvious by now, this is my favorite from the Berdoues Collection Grand Cru Colognes. For reviews of the other colognes in the line see Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.

Top photo is from www.Berdoues.fr website. Next photo from www.youtube.com.