Before I leave

I thought this day would never come. :) Finally, 3 weeks of sun and sea. And after the week I had, all I can say is, I deserve it. I worked real hard these past 10 days (including the weekend) and now I can leave without any worries. Including the one when is my sister going to give birth to my second nephew. :) I'm proud to say that yesterday I became an aunt for the second time, my little nephew is 3550 g and 52 cm. Can't wait to see him later today (and my sister as well, the birth didn't go all that well, but she's getting better).

I so wanted to talk about a perfume today but I just didn't manage the time to sniff anything (that's how busy I was). I'm happy to say that I got the Boadicea Lucky scent sample pack and I'm taking it with me to be perused sometime in the next 3 weeks. Along with some other samples lying about on my desk.

What I did manage to do is gather books I plan on taking and now it seems I should cut back a bit on those since there are some 25 of them (and that's more than the days I'll be on vacation) - I like to read but I'm not that fast and I don't really need so much choice. I think I'll leave with 20 - it's only me and my boyfriend, so there's enough space. :) I can already see him clutching his head in shock. :) Happens every time.

One of the samples I sprayed on today after reading all the reviews - EL Jasmine White moss, and what can I say? It's nice and wearable and if I had it, I'd definitely put it on, but my knees do not go weak like after smelling Amoureuse (that's definitely a discovery) and if you want to know more about JWM, there are some great reviews at Grain de musc and Perfume smelling things.

Btw, I always thought summer was a dead season, but there seem to be giveaways wherever you turn. I do hope I win some. :) Eternal optimist.

I wish you all a great summer (what's left of it) and I hope when I'm back I'll have a lot to talk about (in terms of both books and perfume) with some summer photos.

Picture : Dreamland by SteveCampbell

Harry Potter 6 - the movie

- possible spoilers -

This is going to be a short venting of my frustrations. I finally saw the movie yesterday and I got out of the cinema angry. I remember when the book came out and I read it, I was totally shocked - it was dark, the ending was completely shocking and depressing and I couldn't wait for the last to come out. The series grew progressively darker and culminated in no. 7. The movies so far have kept with that. But not this one. If you haven't read the book, I believe the movie will be just fine. But for all of us fans, this is, mildly put, - disappointing. Not mildly put - it makes me angry. There are so many things missing that are in the book, which I understand, it's never possible to film everything and some things need to be changed. But to completely remove the grand finale battle and change the whole tone of the book, I find that unforgivable. What were they thinking?! The movie actually ends on a positive note?! There is no reason that I can find that acceptable. My guess is that they probably wanted the movie to be viewable to all of public, but in my opinion they completely missed the point of the book. I certainly hope they are not going to repeat anything similar with the final book.

Hopefully, this will pass by tomorrow because today I plan on re-reading the book 6 (and then the 7 as well), just to calm down a bit. :)

If you haven't read the book, see the movie and then read the book, and you'll see what I'm talking about. If you read the book and love it, I wonder what will you think of the movie.

The picture is of Luna Lovegood, one of the more fun characters in the book. I absolutely love her.

Pic by:www.filmofilia.com

Jo Malone Ginger & Nutmeg

Sometimes I wonder where did I misplace my brain. I keep telling myself it's just stress and that I need a vacation when some of the more obvious things hit me in the face after a lot of time has passed since the point in time when it was actually obvious.

Like the fact that I needed something light and fresh for the summer heat and kept going through my collection finding nothing that warms my heart and cools my head. Most of the summer fragrances I have do one of those things, but I wanted something that would do both. So, I looked at other blogs, read through reviews, ordered some things, swapped for some things, tried some at my local stores and sniffed some great things and found some new loves, but nothing that would fit both categories I wanted at the same time. That is, until I started putting my wardrobe into some semblance of order and found a full bottle of Jo Malone Nutmeg and ginger (that's the original name, in my mind it's always ginger and nutmeg). After buying it last autumn in Paris of all places, people kept telling me they are not terribly happy with Jo Malone because it doesn't last. That is a problem when you have eau de cologne though. :) I for one was thrilled to discover it (after I stopped being angry with myself for forgetting I have it). I don't mind reapplying in the middle of the day although it's not that it completely disappears, it just dries down to cedarwood and sandalwood and stays close to skin.

This seems to hit all my spots. :) It's a spicy eau de cologne. I love the citrusy openings and find spices highly addictive.

Notes: neroli, lemon; nutmeg, ginger, lilly of the valley; cedarwood and sandalwood.

There's no depth or wealth of notes and discoveries, it just goes through the stages and smells great and light. I don't get the lilly of the valley though and get more cedar than sandal, but I don't mind, I enjoy it completely. :)

On the other hand, I finally got a sample of Delrae Amoureuse. All I can say, wow! There you have all the depth and discovery missing in my edc.

Notes of tangerine, cardamom, tuberose, jasmine, cedar moss and honey by Perfumed court.

I read awhile ago a great review by Grain de musc and I knew I had to try it. I love it! It's wonderful and new while smelling oldish at the same time (like a modern version of an old perfume). I was having problems figuring out what is that first note that hits the nose, what I came up with was that it smelled like parsley. :) I guess I'm a bit off since the opening is cardamom -tangerine, but hey, I tried. I did get the aldehydes (finally!). Those aldehydes have been bugging me for a time (couldn't smell a trace of it - couldn't distinguish it). Now I know where to practice. Anyway, I did get the citrusy thing, thinking that it was perhaps bergamot (but no, tangerine). I got the whole floral middle, thinking it was mixed with civet, but no, that was honey. :) Now in the drydown, I can smell the honey quite clearly and I like it. It balances nicely without getting into the "territory". I totally fell in love with the pricklishness of the structure. This feels like something a slightly brazen girl would wear, and though I don't think of myself as such (though sometimes I wish I was), I am definitely getting myself a bottle.

Image by: www.jomalone.com

End of the week

This has been a really hectic and tiresome week for me and the fact that is almost impossible breathing outside (due to heat and humidity) didn't help at all. Thank god there's AC. :)

Just two more weeks and I won't have to rant about working and heat, I'll be enjoying myself - swimming, reading and sun bathing in the amount my skin allows. That's not much though. :)

Today I was wondering, do perfume samples produce sample children? Because I decided to clear out my drawer at work where I put all those samples I plan on sniffing and didn't have time at home, and it seems that in the last month or so, those work samples grew to quite a number. I'm not mentioning the ones at home. They probably already have grandchildren. ;) I got asked by a colleague who saw me putting them away if I sell perfume. :) What ever gave him that idea?

The other day we were discussing swapping and I was explaining all the possibilites there are (swapping, splitting and buying online) when my boyfriend came out with: are you telling me there are not enough perfumes in Zagreb that you can find to your liking? Hell, no. How exactly do you explain to someone your growing love for SL creations? And the fact that most of those are only sold in Paris (or online) and no, there is not something similar in all those Zagreb stores carrying the same brands everywhere. Lately, I just avoid those conversations, let people think I'm odd swapping with the world and contemplating my next perfume purchase.

I concluded this morning that life is fun (beautiful and fun was the end conclusion) and that is how I am going to approach it from now on all the time. For example, it's funny how I said I am not going to buy any bottles until after the summer, and I sort of ended up with an ordered package from Rei Rien. And day after that I discovered I want a bottle of Cristalle (that's still unbought, but considering what I wrote two lines before, it probably won't stay like that for long).

Ok, I pretty much just rambled today but my brain can do no better today. I'm looking forward to a weekend of resting with a book or two. :)

P.S. I reserved my tickets for Harry Potter on the first day of showing here!! Yeeey for me! :)

Image by: www.enjoyfrance.com

Perfume thoughts

Unfortunately, lately I sense a definite lack of time in my daily routine. Have no idea why suddenly there are so many things requiring my attention, but the only thing is to go with it, it also will pass. If not sooner, when I leave for my (well-deserved if I say so myself) vacation.

So, experiencing a serious time problem, the only thing I have time to write about are sentence or two about scents I've tried recently.

Foremost in my head is the fact that I'm heading down the new bottle road after reading a review of Chanel Cristalle edt by Vetivresse (July 9) - I tried it yesterday, and it hit all my buttons. One of the loveliest green scents I tried in a long time. And I so wanted to try and save my money... Or at least not spend so much.

I finally got my hands on Tea for two by l'Artisan and although I loved the opening (I'm very much into tea in any manner it can be experienced), the drydown was too sweet for my taste. It's not actually that sweet, but I'm more of a salt person, so too sweet for me is probably normally sweet for everyone else.

I keep saying how much I love Lucky scent's sample packs, and I'll keep saying it. :) They are great. My last one contained samples of Amouage Reflection masculine and feminine. I really liked Masculine version, it smells like a male version of Amouage Lyric. Which is good because I love Lyric (not so much the price though). The feminine Reflection is some aquatic, light thingy that left me completely cold and not impressed.

Yesterday I was contemplating how much my nose has changed during the last year. I'm nowhere near having even an average knowledge of perfume but I seem to enjoy more different scents than before, and appreciate notes I don't find wearable but that seem to be well incorporated into a scent. I know I tried L'Artisan Ete en douce last year and dismissed it straight away (I'm not going to say what I though of it then), yesterday I tried it again and found it lovely. I'm still not sure I'll be wearing it anytime soon, but it seems I'm on my way.

Picture of what I wait to see in person in 2 1/2 weeks. :)

New author discovery

I haven't been writing much about books lately (not having enough time to actually read them) but I finished one from a new author (new for me, haven't read anything of his before yesterday) and I am happy. :) With the book, with the fact that there are more and with discovery. I am talking about James Rollins and Map of bones. I don't know how many of you read Dan Brown and were interested, but in my opinion this is better. This one revolves around the 3 Magi (the ones who visited Christ) their bones, secret societies, lost gospels and all other interesting facts and ideas we are never going to know for sure. M-state gold (anyone heard of that before?) features prominently and I actually learned a lot. If you're into thrillers, I highly recommend this.

And it came around the time there has been a lot of religious debate in my life - usually with friends. Do you believe that when the time is right, you get/find the information you are looking for? That seems to happen to me a lot. And the final word by Mr. Rollins at the end of the book is from Matthew: Seek, and you shall find. Well, couldn't be more true if you ask me. This book has opened some new horizons for me, I just have to find the time to go explore them (several books are mentioned and I plan on getting my hands on them). :) The only problem I face a chronic lack of time, but hey, who needs sleep? ;)

I have the second in the Sigma series (by Rollins) at home, so soon I hope I'll be able to share my happiness over another of his books.

Picture by: digital.friscolibrary.com

Two short reviews (rainy garden and vanilla)

Yes, I finally got my hands dirty with some new fragrances. Today I testes L'Artisan's Vanilia and AG Un matin d'orage. I've read a lot about Un matin d'orage so I knew I wanted to try it, but Vanilia sort of flew under my radar, being a vanilla scent. I have a strong dislike of vanilla, after smelling a whole lot of vanilla car smells that keep making me sick.

Vanilia notes:vanilla flower, ylang-ylang, vanilla bean, amber, sandal.

Well, it certainly does not fit my vanilla image but that's good. That's actually more than good because I think a bottle of this might be coming my way. :) It starts like sweet, white flowers with a light green-fresh undertone. I read a review at Now smell this and Robin mentioned the slight smokiness. After I read that, I did smell it but I don't think I'd get it on my own. I like smokiness in my scents but those tend to be unmistakeable. :) After a while, it settled onto a salty, white vanilic flower with a hint of smokiness and bark. Absolutely wonderful. Such a comfort smell. And I keep wondering where did the saltiness come from?

Un matin d'orage notes: gardenia, magnolia, lemon, perilla leaves, ginger, jasmin sambac, champaca, sandalwood.

Although I'm a city girl, my grandmother had a garden and I spent many wonderful days playing there with my sister and cousins (coming home dirty and going straight into the bathtub). :) But I do remember the smell after a downpour. This does it complete justice. I get the whole aquatic-ozonic opening (more ozonic than aquatic if you ask me) and it smells of wet flowers, greenery and earth, and that ozonic layer making it seem you're standing there just afterwards. I find it fascinating when perfumers manage to catch that one moment and give it form. I'm not going to break it down into notes, I love the wholeness of it and the fact that the ozonic hint does not disappear after the initial appearance. Now, after all this, I don't think I want to smell like it but I'll be using the little sample I have to smell it again and again.

Picture by: www.gardening.savvy-cafe.com

A bit of everything

I'm just going to go through things I want to say, in order to clear the jumble in my head.

I tried Elixir de Merveilles on me and it is nice, but wasn't as uplifting as when tried on a strip. It's fresh and citrusy (unfortunately chocolate is not prominent enough for me) and the drydown smells like oranges (turning somewhat to orange juice) with a nice but barely there incense hint. I'll definitely be wearing my decant but I'm not sure I'll be buying a bottle.

This morning I made a mistake - I put on a perfume I swapped for last summer and well, it almost made it into scrubber category, but I'll survive today and never spray it on again. I'm talking about Yuzu Ab Irato by Parfumerie Generale. It smells like a strong lemon lollipop (having that artificial candy lemon smell). I'm all for citrusy fragrances, but this one is just not me.

Notes by http://www.nstperfume.com/ :yuzu, spearmint leaves, pepper, magnolia, jasmine, hyacinth, absolute of thyme, hyssop, myrtle, and bamboo.

I finally got a package containing Bal a Versailles (been on my list of things to try for a while) and while I did spray it on yesterday, I was so busy the whole day I wasn't able to give it my full attention. But what I fleetingly got, I liked very much. :) More to come...

Now, onto something non-fragrance related. I don't know how much people follow Croatian politics (or politics in general) but our PM resigned yesterday. And while that is not a strange thing by itself, PMs resign often enough following scandals - at the moment, the only scandalous thing in Croatia is the fact that due to our governments politics, Croatia is facing bankruptcy. And getting into European Union seems to be further away than ever. There were enough scandals over the years which would force other PMs out of their offices, but ours would never. Now, when we face the biggest crisis since independence and war, now he decides to leave. Does this seem like he's a rat abandoning a ship to someone else as well? Well, I'm not going to dwell much on that, it's frustrating as hell, and I never liked him. I hate when people are full of themselves and know what's best and all they do is perfect. He was an awful PM if you ask me and I sincerely hope whatever happens now, whoever comes next will do better.

That's all from me today, hopefully tomorrow I'll be happy when I put my perfume in the morning. :)

Picture from:www.viette.indigofiles.com

P.S. I was looking for a picture of a lemon lollipop but it turns out there is a flower with that name, so I took the flower instead.