Santal Majuscule (and a minuscule draw)

There is a reason why I don't review Serge Lutens perfumes often even though I wear many and like many of them (wouldn't mind owning practically the whole line).
I just never seem to be able to find the words to describe exactly what I smell - that happens with other perfumes as well, but nowhere am I so strongly aware of it as with SL perfumes.

So, I'll try and do my best ut in the end, as is always the case with Uncle Serge perfumes, the reviews won't really prepare you for what you smell in the end. :) (I find that a great thing myself)

Notes: sandalwood, cocoa, Arabian attar rose, honey, spices

I've sampled and worn Santal Majuscule many times over the weeks I have it and still, each time I smell it, I find another facet of it to be revealed. I went through so many ideas of what this perfume smells like and each time I smell it again, half of the stuff I thought it smelled like aren't there but there are new things I smell.

Until I saw the notes, cocoa and rose never entered my mind  but once I saw them, I knew they were in there, I even remembered exactly at what point the cocoa comes to play.

Before I start describing what it smells like to  me, I should say that the most obvious thing I get from it is that it is a combination of perfumes that already exist in the line. I don't mean to say by that that I think it's not good or smelling differently, it's just that there are familiar accords jumping out at you at different times.

Sometimes it's the idea of sweet, sticky, spiced (and even boozy) fruit of what I'd like to think as Arabian market variety the first thing you smell, soon to be followed by the teasing wafts of how Jeux de Peau starts, following with opening of Santal Blanc until sometimes you come across barest hints of Ambre Sultan hidden in the murky depths of this perfume.
Because there ARE depths to it, you can smell them from the start. But try as you might, sniffing at close proximity won't get you anywhere near those depths.

So, what I smell in the beginning is described in the previous paragraph, warm, spicy, boozy fruit with the general feeling of seriousness and darkness (there's not frivolity to this fruit as the feeling is dry and not sparkling and happy) with cocoa underscoring the darkness and warmth and sandalwood making you swoon.
Now I know it's there, I can smell the rose appear and the fruitiness slowly disappear. At this point is where I feel a smile blossoming on my face. It is also where I feel the resemblance to Santal Blanc is most prominent.

Being true to my smelling practices, after enjoying this phase for quite a while, all I can say about the drydown, is, it continues to dry in the vein it smells.

Honestly, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm really not a drydown person.  My attention dissipates by that time.

So, for the minuscule draw I have two samples from my bottle, tell me why you think you might like/love this or why not? Both will work. :)

Being careful around SL perfumes

It hit me this morning when applying Rousse.

It's not only Fleurs d'Oranger you need to take care when you decide to apply, as Birgit  explained the other day.
Many Serge Lutens perfumes are mischievous, not exactly beasts, but creatures they could be. Everything is working fine until one day you put the perfume on, and it smells off. I'm pretty sure this has happened to many of you but the only perfume house which perfumes do this to me is Serge Lutens.

I will have to employ some investigative methods  to discover why exactly does that happen but I think I know.

*psssst*

I believe they know when you are applying them without being sure it's the right perfume for that day as you're thinking, today this might work.
They know...

That is what happened to me today.
And that has also happened with Fleurs d'Oranger, and Cedre, once with Serge Noire, Fille en Aiguilles and Boxeuses (I'm pretty sure it will happen with some others I decide to wear without being sure it's their perfectly right time).

I tell you - they know your heart wasn't in it when you sprayed it. And they take revenge.

Having fun in Paris II

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but upon hearing I'm going alone to Paris, my mother said she'd like to come as well (she was never there).

I am so glad she decided to come, even though the 3 days aren't even close enough for someone who is there for the first time to see anything. But she had fun.

So, I spent the Saturday morning walking around (and getting a bit lost) with my mother, then headed to meet with Asali at 3, before we went together to meet Denyse for coffee.
We were meeting at a bistro at Palais Royale, the most easiest to find if you remember correctly the instructions from the email (which I didn't). But we found it (and a nice French guy even googled the location to help us). :)

And let me tell you, time spent with Denyse flies by. She wasn't as I imagined her from her blog writings, she is very gregarious, smiling, vivacious and interesting to talk to (or just listen to). I feel Asali and I were lucky as she brought with herself, two of the creations she tried at the IFF Speed-smelling lunch she talked about on her blog.
I was much more impressed with Citizen K than with Yamazaki Idylle, which I wouldn't mind drinking but well, the Idylle from the name is one of the Guerlains I'm not in love with. Citizen K on the other hand, I seriously hope will become widely available (if we're lucky).


After coffee, of course we proceeded to Serge Lutens.
I was there only once 3 years ago and I was the only one there. This time around, there were a lot of people inside and people kept coming and going. It was a bit crowded.

I wasn't interested in buying a bottle (except the Christmas present for my boyfriend) because as my company is located in Slovenia (the EU), SLs are always available for ordering.

I smelled many, learned I really like El Attarine and was careful not to get too close to Un Bois Vanille so it wouldn't follow me home. :)


Denyse suggested one more stop after Serge Lutens, so she took us to the Iunx shop. She and Asali kept talking about the name and I kept thinking, how come I've never heard of this line before?!
Well, that happens when all you ever do with names is read them somewhere and don't pronounce them. :)
Once we were in front of the shop and I saw the name in writing, everything fell into place.
(from now on, I'm pronouncing brand names loudly - except possibly for Xerjoff)

The shop only carries two lines - Iunx and Costes.

The Iunx perfumes are located in these strange tubes which release scent when you put your nose close to them. It's actually a great way for getting a good smell. Too great as I learned I really enjoy the tubes containing Eau Frappee, Eau Baptiste and Splash Forte.
The very good-looking girl SA told me that my choices range all over (which they do) but each of them is unique and interesting and now I need to get myself samples so I can get to know them better.

In the end I walked out with Costes 1. :) The winner of the day (and quite economical when compared to other perfumes I liked that weekend).

We said our good-byes to denyse and hopefully, there will be another chance in the future to visit perfume shops in Paris with her explaining all the details and background.

Vitriol d'Oeillet - friend or foe (and a draw)

It seems that lately there isn't so much love for the SL releases. Beats the hell out of me why that is so, because to me, they are still so very Lutenesque. And by that I mean, it takes several wearings for me to get to know it and then get friendly with it and then, comes love for life.
That's my usual path with any SL perfume (exceptions exist but aren't many).

Therefore, I don't get disappointed if a SL perfume doesn't instantly sweep me off my feet. It is usually a complex stranger you would be wrong to take at initial value.
So, I don't. :)

I've been testing and wearing it for some time now and what can I say? :) I'm a huge clove fan. For some reason, I keep thinking of this as a clove perfume even though it exhibits the carnation most of the time.

Notes: cayenne pepper, black pepper, pink pepper, clove, carnation, wallflower, lily, ylang-ylang, nutmeg.

I guess you can tell by all the peppers it's going to smell sharp on the start (clove helps too). If you ever smelled an SL creation, you probably know that no description can prepare you for what you're going to smell. So, when I say it starts peppery sharp with a clove twist, I'm hoping you're imagining your nose tinkling in response. :)
But before that happens, just after the initial spray, before the pepper takes over for a while, you will get the  sweet whiffs of nutmeg being propped by ylang-yland and lily. I'm still not sure on how good the lily part is  but it seems to work. Later, it will take much more work to smell all this under the peppers.

For me this perfume emits a constant light charge - each time I smell it, it seems my nose gets a little electrical charge. Quite interesting really. And then I smell the carnation. But for the life of me, I can't think of this as a carnation perfume. :) Yes, most of the time, it smells like carnations. But those are metallic, strange carnations, emiting even a lightly meaty smell at one time. Ok, so that last part might not sound enticing but it's not bad.
And yes, I noticed my constant use of "buts". :) That's because I keep thinking that while I'm describing this, I'm making it sound bad and my opinion couldn't be further away.

Once the carnation gets going, there's not much change, it lasts and slowly loses the charge. Less clove-y, more floral.

And each time I wear it, it seems more friendly and easier to love (less sharp, more sweet). Luckily, I'm not going to run out of it any time soon... :)


As I was the lucky recipient of a whole bottle, courtesy of Ca Fleure Bon and  Serge Lutens (it was supposed to be a mini bottle but they generously sent me the whole), I have 2 little decants and a sample to give. State your interest in the comments, and let me know whether you think you can like this or not.

De Profundis

By Asali

I can’t remember anticipating a Serge Lutens release as much as this for a long while. The name of De Profundis had captured my imagination well before the beautiful bell jar with the purple juice arrived in its black box. Describing De Profundis, M. Lutens once again reached Sfinxish heights, referencing certain periods of French and English literature and its flirtatious fascination with death.

I find it is a fragrance full of quiet surprises on every corner you turn with it, from the very first green notes of the funeral march, to the last sweet whispers from beyond. Much has been written about the resemblance to funeral wreaths, church yards and mourning veils, but to me it’s not gothic and dark, if any connection to these, it’s more like a remembrance, a peaceful celebration, a sanctuary. But having said that, I don’t feel that the fragrance has limitations as such, I could certainly wear it often. Perhaps because it’s a quiet, all be it persistent, Serge. De Profundis Clamavi might translate as I shouted from the depths, but there is never any shouting from De Profundis EdP.

I like the opening of the green yet friendly, chrysanthemums followed by the cool violet and rest of the bouquet, which together with the aldehydes are all together more extrovert and less melancholic than I would have expected. The flowers have a bit of own spiciness and it feels like some musk works its way into the bouquet as the violet softly withers from the perfume. I get the decided feeling that the fragrance itself yearns and beseeches you to think of the violet, once gone, like an echo. There is incense but I find it only detectable as a feeling of calm and quiet, it isn’t a dominant note, and yet it almost feels like it is a main player of the fragrance because of the serenity it emits. Is it perhaps some chamomile which reinforces that sensation of peacefulness as the perfume slowly descends into the base? This is richer than one would have expected of the opening and the aldehydic flowers, yes, it turns out to surprise by its Lutenesque familiarity. Like a last caress, it whispers of spices and warmth.

I imagined many different poems and poets, before receiving De Profundis, but the one I’d like to share with you that I find to be the closest poetic soundtrack is by Rainer Maria Rilke and called Traumgekrönt.

Traumgekrönt

Das war der Tag der weißen Chrysanthemen,
Mir bangte fast vor seiner Pracht...
Und dann, dann kamst du mir die Seele nehmen
Tief in der Nacht.

Mir war so bang, und du kamst lieb und leise,
Ich hatte grad im Traum an dich gedacht.
Du kamst, und leis’ wie eine Märchenweise
Erklang die Nacht.


Crowned with dreams
That was the day of the white chrysanthemums,
Its splendor almost frightened me,
And then, then you came to take my soul
At the dead of night.

I was so frightened, and you came sweetly and gently
I had been thinking of you in my dreams.
You came, and soft as a fairy tune
The night resounded.

Ambre Sultan - the Sultan of ambers

I believe the title says it all. :)

There've been several reviews of this wonder in the last few weeks so I don't want to write another one.

I'll just say that when I say the Sultan of Ambers, I mean it. And I love ambers. In all variants.

A big thank you to Helg from Perfume Shrine who sent some over for me to try (along some other gems I hope I'll be reviewing soon).

So, instead of a review, I leave you with a round-up of those I found the best (and I urge you try this one if you havent already):

Perfume Shrine

Olfactoria's Travels

The Non-Blonde

Before I finish, I just have to add, it has the additional quality of making me think of Shalimar when I put AS on.

I need a bottle (or 10). :)

Giving in to my perfume sweet tooth - Un Bois Vanille

I find it both interesting and telling that at this point in month, the two perfumes that made such an impression are both sweet. :)

First, I'm forever thankful to the Perfume Posse for hosting that incredible mass swap before Christmas, I got so many wonderful things in exchange, I still need to go through them properly.

One of the things I received was the decant of Un Bois Vanille as I never tried it before and since I, well, like pretty much anything coming from SL line, I wanted to try it. It took a while for me to take it out (two days ago actually) and I decided to spray it on without testing it first.

It wasn't a mistake. :)

In my case at least. I'm not sure though how many people actually appreciate burnt caramel smell. But it's so wonderfully done! I keep getting that burnt caramel/sugar vibe with some smoke hidden under that heaviness but it's so good. (I'm doing a little happy dance in my chair just thinking about it) :)

Before you start thinking that's all there is to it, I do get traces of vanilla, the one that makes me love Vanilia by L'Artisan (why in the world did they decide to discontinue it?!).

For me the burnt caramel never truly goes away but it certainly dissipates enough to get you to smell a nutty (slightly bitter) vibe and then it just dries down to a less sweet (not that it was too sweet in the first place) woody burnt caramel/nuttiness. The burnt part has here already been mostly cleared by the wind.

Notes: Black vanilla absolute, licorice, sandalwood, coconut milk, beeswax, caramelized benzoin, bitter almond, Gaiac wood, tonka bean


P.S. I do wish I got a 10ml decant instead of 5ml.

Intrigued but not yet in love

Thankfully, there is still a lot left in my sample to fall in love with.

So, I finally got my hands on a sample of Boxeuses. For some reason, I though it was going to smell like a leathery version of Feminite du Bois. I was quickly proven wrong and then I started thinking how in the world did I get to thinking that? Perhaps somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered reading plum is a note listed and most of my SL experiences are oriental so the leap was made.

You can probably guess from my introduction that I don't think it smells like leathery Fem du Bois. :) Actually, in the beginning it smells more like you had an extremely juicy smelling lollipop clutched in your leather-clad hands. Probably sticky as well as it was handed to you by your kid standing by.
Here is where I have to say that someone forgot to mention a whole bunch of notes when deciding to make them public: woody notes, leather, licorice and plum.

Plum completely went by me. The initial fruit burst reminded me more of oranges and berries and there was something lightly floral in there, giving off some powderiness (so my mind went straight thinking there's some violet in it), but that didn't last too long. As the fruity aspect subsides, leather gets more and more prominent but it's the type of leather that's in Daim Blond which in my mind is well, too lady-like.
Given the name, I really thought this was going to be more dangerous and dark (maybe that's just me thinking box is a dangerous and aggresive sport, even if women participate). I find it serious but not really dangerous. 
Unfortunately for me, I don't know what licorice smells like. But I can tell you that I smelled light smokiness, like someone accidentally charred some of the wood in this, and it was the only thing giving a dark and bitter vibe. Maybe if I were to spray it on, this darkness would get more pronounced and therefore be truer to the name for me.

Since I have enough left in my sample, I'm looking forward to seeing if I can tease the darkness out. :)

Pic by: www.sergelutens.com

I think I kill the roses

This week has been really hectic for me so I didn't have time to smell anything (let alone review it). I decided to remedy that today and since I loved Santal Blanc, I took out of my bag of samples Santal de Mysore by SL.

Notes: sandalwood, spices, cumin, styrac balsam, caramelized Siamese benzoin.

It opens very similarly to Santal Blanc (there's no way you can miss the sandalwood), but since I associate sandalwood after SB with white, the way I smell this is white, woody and vanillic. And warm because there's no way around cumin. But I don't mind, I love the warmth it brings to perfumes.

As always, I dabbed it and tried to guess what I smell, and I got the sandalwood, cumin, and benzoin, but the whole spices thing just went past me. I read the review of this at NST and realized Kevin was able to differentiate all these spices and all I got was cumin. Not that there aren't spices in there, but just I don't really know what they smell like. :( Well, one more thing to add to the list of things to learn...

Even though I enjoyed this very much, I am more happy with Santal Blanc. This one gets too sweet on me and although I like the sandalwood, I prefer the less sweet version of it. This one seems to be the middle ground for me between Santal Blanc and Spiriteuese Double Vanille by Guerlain. And although I do crave a bottle of SDV (and given the price, it's going to remain a craving), and have a bottle of SB, I don't really feel I need a bottle of this. Or want. If I had it, I would use it, but I don't really think at this point I'll be getting one.

Which brings me to the rose. Maybe it was my subconscious working (there have been many postings on roses the last week - Valentine's day being tomorrow) but when I chose Ta'if from my sample bag, I didn't know it was a rose scent.

Well, the initial smell set me straight on that point. :) Before I got interested in perfume, I had a bottle of Very Irresistible by Givenchy (the first and original one). I was totally in love with it and wearing it for some time before I learned it was actually a rose scent. And I always thought I didn't like rose scents...

So, when I smelled Ta'if and it reminded me straight away of Very Irresistible, I knew it was a rose. And what a rose it is! It smelled intoxicating and I realized why rose scents tend to be so loved by some.

Notes: pink pepper, saffron, dates, rose oil, freesia, orange flower absolute, jasmine, amber and broom.

So, after getting my initial, oh, it's a rose, I went in search of notes. What can I say? I didn't get much further than rose. Actually, no further than that. I couldn't smell any of the notes (this doesn't seem to be my day for smelling). It is so well blended, it seems like a fantasy rose story that starts with intoxicating you and then you just enjoy the ride. Unfortunately for me, it didn't last that long. I seem to have killed the rose in the drydown and it went somewhat sour on me. I still can't believe that happened! It was so great and I already say myself ordering a bottle and then this happened. It wasn't terribly bad but it wasn't what it was before. I am definitely going to give it more tries because it might just be a bad day for my skin chemistry (please let it be that).

What I liked about this is that it is much less jarring than Very Irresistible and doesn't feel like it enters the room before you but with you. I would say it is a terribly sexy smell and I wonder is someone going to wear it tomorrow? :) To tease their partner terribly with things to come hinted by the intoxicating rose...

I wish I could.

Pic by: www.pdphoto.org

Building a Serge Lutens collection: Santal Blanc

More than any other line, Serge Lutens scents are slowly winning over any other line. Well, they actually already won and I'm not even close to owning bottles of all of those I love. That is one of the reasons I am very attached to my credit cards. :)

I swapped some time ago for a small decant of Santal Blanc and I totally fell in love with at first smell but didn't give much thought to actually thinking about what is it that I love so much (probably due to the fact I couldn't at first recognize any note out of it).

So, the other day after feeling so low I decided to visit Martimex (used to be my favourite perfume/skincare store - maybe will be again) and see if they have Douce Amere before the bottles disappear forever. They didn't but I saw Santal Blamc and while discussing some other things with the very helpful SA and buying some of them, I decided I will be going home with SB. :) And since I did, it was time to give it a proper sniff and review.

Notes: white sandalwood, cinammon, fenugreek, pink pepper, rose, jasmine, orris root, musk, benzoin, copaiba balsam.

I'm still struggling a bit with it because to me it is complex and not easily broken down into notes. It starts with this warm sandal feel but it has much more depth than those words imply. The slightly warm feeling reminded me of cumin but it's not exactly that - cumin has a "distinctive" warm smell while this just smells slightly spicy and warm (my guess fenugreek and musk?). Anway, smelling it without notes, I would never have thought of cinammon and then afterward I thought I smelled it through this white sandal spicy warmth but cannot say that for sure. I started to think of it as warm and cuddly but although it comes close to being that, it doesn't actually get into that category. There is a spicy/woody edge that just doesn't let it get there and I appreciate it. It exactly fits with me when I want to smell warm and approachable but strong.

I find it rich and deep, I guess all those bottom notes give it that quality. Honestly though, I don't know where the jasmine and rose are - probably blended so well into the structure that my untrained nose just can't get them. It took me a while (although it shouldn't have) to figure out that the slightly boozy-vanilla hint was coming from benzoin (I know that usually!).

It really isn't an easy perfume for me to get to the bottom of - I got the feeling like it has this quality of its ingredient notes being wet. Not an aquatic note but more like some of the ingredients were wet when getting into the formula. And it gives it even more depth and body. This wetness dissipates later and I'm left with a drydown of benzoin and sandalwood hinting at some saltiness coming from orris (that would be my conclusion).

And since I mentioned my collection, it already has: Cedre, Serge Noir, Chergui and now Santal Blanc (I also have Feminite du Bois but that is a special category). Those that I know I will buy (eventually) are: Douce Amere, Fille en Aiguilles and Fleurs d'Oranger. But since I haven't smelled all of them, you never know what else might come along.

Pic by: http://www.parfums-serge-lutens.de/visitor/produkte/santal_blanc.html

My favourite Serge Lutens perfume

I found my favourite SL fragrance. Not that I don't like the rest - I actually haven't smelled any of them (except Chergui) that I didn't like and wouldn't mind wearing. It is really strange after you read this that the only SL bell jar I have is actually Chergui. :) I blame it on the SL and the SA working in the Paris boutique. And if you are ever there, don't smell the strips, they are not helpful at all. I smelled all the Bois and didn't particulary like any. Now when I keep getting samples of them, I wonder how come they didn't smell this nice when I was there...

Anyway my favourite is Fille en Aiguilles and I better find a large decant soon (I'm spending much on Christmas presents so I'm not buying myself a bottle - yet).

Notes: vetiver, incense, fruits, pine needles, spices and luminous woody-oriental base.

Ok, so it's not possible to really describe any fragrance - one can get the idea out of the description but until you actually smell it, it is a vague idea you have in your head. After reading the reviews of this I understood there would be pine in it but I didn't think it would smell nice. I thought it might be too strong. I really should know better than to doubt Mr Lutens creations. :)

There is a signature in some of SL creations, especially of the woody line. This one has it as well but that pine needle note and the fruit make it perfect in my opinion (ok, vetiver and incense help as well).

It starts off like boozy pine smell with lightly burnt wood from the fireplace (only wood you would find there, not the smoke). And I couldn't believe it when I got the incense (I'm really proud at being able to discern it), especially because I was never a fan (to put it mildly). I love it here - but it is not too strong so I guess that's why I like it.

I kept wondering about the fruit in this - first I thought it might be more of the candied sort (in the beginning) but then I got this tangy-juicy vibe so I thought maybe some tangerine and pomegranate? I don't really know, I wish someone would tell me if I'm right or wrong.

Anyway, why I love this is because it is like a breath of winter fresh air over the woody-oriental loveliness of SL creations.

Picture by: www.mimifroufrou.com

It really does smell that nice

I have no better title for today's post than this. Before I get on to what I want to say, I have to admit I have a serious credit card problem. It seems I order with abandon because yesterday I got a little package from Juliet Stewart which I completely forgot I ordered. :)

And this is where the title of this post comes into play. I've been reading around how wonderful her scent Juliet is. Hence, the title. It really is that nice. I don't even know how to describe it.

Here are the notes: Amalfi lemons, basil, bergamot, Sicilian orange, mediterranean herbs, Italian jasmine, vanilla, amber, precious woods.

I wish I could do it justice. It starts sweetly floral with hints of fruit and green freshness and you can barely trace hints of something herbal but it is not really a citrusy smell (all those citrusy notes made me think in that direction). And then, you get the jasmine but not like any I've tried yet (ok, my experience is not actually extensive, but still). A sweetish, fresh, lightly citrusy jasmine. Absolutely wonderful. The combination is at the same time fresh and floral, utterly feminine and energetic. My idea of it is a vanilla jasmine rendered light by the citruses. And at the end, the smell I was left with in my mind was the picture of amber.

Btw, I think my co-workers think I'm strange. I sniff my wrists all day long. :) Ok, maybe not since we're really a good bunch so we respect each others idiosyncrasies.

What I had on my other wrist was 5 o'clock au gingembre by Serge Lutens.

Notes: bergamot, candied ginger, honey, pepper, dark cocoa, soft cookies?!, gingerbread, patchouli, vetiver.

I believe I saw somewhere that this is a masculine scent? Anyway, I'd never have said that from the start of this but in the end I could understand why would one make it lean toward that category.

I smelled it before I had the notes. Honestly, if I read the notes before, I'd have thought it was some kind of a tooth-aching sweet cookie monster. :) It's not that. It's wonderful but, is it possible that the SL/Sheldrake combo has such a strong signature? I mean, it is recognizable as theirs if you smelled more than one of their scents. But never mind that - I like almost all of them. :)

For me the start is sweet and woody. I didn't get any of the notes listed at the beginning but thought it was a blend of Feminite du bois and Santal blanc or some of those boozy woody fragrances. I loved it! :)

Once it got into drydown I found lovely patchouli-vetiver mixed with a citrusy note (that could only be bergamot) that I could understand would be termed more masculine. But I liked it. I know I have a tendency toward "masculine" scents.

Pictures by: http://www.julietstewart.com/, http://www.community.basenotes.com/

P.S. I was wearing Love By Kilian today. No review, but I only wish Love was so sweet...

Oranges blossoming around me

I never thought I was a flower girl. By that I mean I never thought I might like floral perfumes that much. But then again, 2 years ago I wasn't aware there was a perfume world beyond the doors of my local stores into which once you enter, you never leave. :)

Anyway, it seems to me that this spring/summer (I believe we are seeing the last days of spring here), I'm into orange blossoms. Today I'm wearing SL Fleurs d'Oranger which I got from a lovely MUA swap. And even though I know that orange blossom does not smell like the fruit, the first thought this morning in my head was - wow, where did this flower bomb come from? :) Kinda stupid when the name itself declares that it is about flowers. :) The initial flowers didn't last that long and now I'm enjoying myself feeling the softness of all those white flowers in it. It seems we hit it off perfectly today, because I don't think I'll be able to wear this when the real summer hits. Today it makes a fresh spring day warmer, but I don't think I'd want that in the middle of summer.

That's why there is Fleur d'Oranger 27 by Le Labo. That one seems to be the fresh orange blossom that is going to bring some fresh air into the summer heat of Zagreb. I have a fondness for grapefruit both in perfume and in my diet, so getting a whiff of that citrus bitter smell is perfect although kind of hard to detect around bergamot. But that's ok, I like bergamot as well. :) So, I'm preparing to battle summer heat with this fresh, summery-green orange blossom.

And on to my third orange blossom scent. I have to admit, in the end I did buy the Givenchy's 2008 harvest Organza Fleurs d'Oranger. :) But I am proud I limited myself to only that, didn't buy the Amarige Ylang-Ylang. In the end, Fleurs d'oranger spoke to me much stronger and convincingly, so it came home with me. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to smell it properly and with concentration, so no more information about that one today, but it falls somewhere in the middle of the first two.

SL Fleurs d'Oranger notes by Luckyscent: Orange blossom, white jasmine, Indian tuberose, white rose, citrus peel, hibiscus seeds, cumin, nutmeg

Fleur d'Oranger 27 Le Labo notes by Luckyscent: bergamot, petitgrain, grapefruit, amber, musk and vetiver

Organza 2008 Orange Blossom notes by Harrods: neroli, honeysuckle, petitgrain, orange blossom, soft spices, vanilla

Images by: www.ures.hr