I smell nice

That's what I kept thinking yesterday evening while on a drive to our evening destination. :)

I was wearing Vamp a NY, which always works for me, and catching whiffs of it around me, kept bringing a smile to my face until I realized, I smell nice.

Ok, so that might sound redundant, I mean, I usually wear perfumes I like, so of course I'd smell nice to myself but it just never hit me that I enjoy the way I smell.

I enjoy catching whiffs of my perfume of the moment.

I smell nice to myself. :D

Best of 2010 Blogging Event

I find it very appropriate and positive to end the year with thinking about what was good about it. So, when Trish from the Scent Hive asked me if I wanted to participate in this blogging event, of course I said yes. :)

This has been a difficult year for me but at the same time, it came with some happy realizations.

One of them is that the perfume blogging world is full of wonderful, helpful people who are both generous of heart and mind. I am thankful for that to Carol and AbdesSalaamAttar and the event Carol organized where we could discuss perfume with AbdesSalaam. He said then something that stuck with me and I see as being true the more I smell and enter the world of smells:
"Love of perfumes comes from a quality of the soul, and being able to feel joy from scents instead of material things also. It is not given to all.
It seems to me that people who enjoy perfumes are also people who find joy in the most simple and little things in life and want to share it with others.

Since I started with AbdesSalaam, I should say that in my mind, this year had been quite oriented towards natural perfumes and they were discussed more than before (and I believe used as well, at least I know I did). The Mystery of Musk project and the Outlaw perfume project were incredible success and I think they promoted quite well they quality of perfumes containing natural ingredients and the fact that there is no need to forbid the use of some natural components in the creation of perfumes. I am still eagerly awaiting my outlaw sample pack that Carol organized and still has some if you are interested in acquiring one.
My perfume collection is getting bigger and bigger and this year I bought more natural perfumes than others which surprised me as well when I realized it. But then again, I'm after perfumes that make me smell more and create more vivid images in my mind and those are naturals it seems. :)

As you might have noticed so far, the end of the year brought many posts regarding what was best (and worst) this year and many of those included perfumes and ideas I found great as well.

So, I'll just give you a quick rundown through those that when I look back on the year, shine through the fogginess in my stressed mind (which is getting some deserved rest as we speak). :)

This year's discoveries started with Annick Goutal's Ninfeo Mio. I love it and just thinking about it brings gladness to my  mind, it reminds me of my grandmother's garden.

Then came the release of Honore des Pres' coffee cups collection. :) Here I need to thank once more to Denyse from Grain de Musc for the effort and help with procuring me with Vamp a NY and Love Coco. Again, natural perfumes I fell in love with, not so much the carrot one (which is very interesting but not wearable for me) but the other two are just plain great.

I'm still unfamiliar with the following but have high hopes in some more love going that way. The creations I'm most eager to try are L'Artisan's Traversee du Bosphore and the whole Pierre Guillaume's Huitieme Art collection.  I love both the work by Bertrand Duchafour and Pierre Guillaume so I'm postponing trying them in order to not spend too much money. ;)

My personal perfume discoveries for this year are the love of amber and the line of Laurie Ericksson - Sonoma Scent Studio.

These are my thoughts on what was best this year, please visit my fellow participants for their take on what made them happy this year:

The Non-Blonde


Smelly Blog

Roxana Illuminated Perfume

DSH Notebook

I Smell Therefore I Am

EauMG

A Rose Beyond the Thames

Schreibman's Live

Portland Fragrance Examiner

CaFleureBon

Persolaise

Sorcery of Scent

Scent Hive



Thanks to Roxana for the picture.

SOTD: Vamp a NY by Honoré des Prés

What a better way to return to my blogging life than with this gem, I am sure I wasn't the only who set her alarm to be on time for the 50 samples being given at Grain de Musc almost a month ago. :) I didn't want to forget and miss out. And I didn't. Lucky me.

I should probably call it the sample of the week, I've been sampling for several day now, in small quantities so it lasts a bit (I'll divulge why a bit later). And the sample is a large one (thank you H des P).

What I could find of the notes mentioned is rum, tuberose and resins. That is true but also not enough.

This has made me smile through the last week when smiling wasn't something I was prone to do. I do have to say that I don't find it vampy (which is a good thing because I probably wouldn't like it so much) but actually, I find it sexy in a different way (I'm sure many see vamp idea as sexy).

For me, this is sexy the same way a girl/woman having fun at a party in the sun, smiling and laughing around a bunch of guys who are there vying for her attention is sexy. The completely natural, unforced in any kind sexy. The best kind.

And that is why I'm saving my sample. I've been thinking for some time what perfume am I going to wear to a dear friend's wedding in a few weeks - and this is it. I knew that the first time I smelled it. It's perfect for a summer day wedding at the seaside (I'm sure it's perfect for many other occasions as well) - it is just so easily loved. And I know why that is so in my case. To me, it smells like L'Artisan's Vanillia mixed with a lot of tuberose (I love Vanilia and I adore tuberose, so this is a direct hit for me).

Yes, I got the rum (although much more strongly on paper than on me) and it's a particular smell, not really as boozy as some perfumes containing boozy factors are. And then, there's tuberose and anything else that appears in Vanilia. :) I think that is the best way of summing up what it smells like. And if you have a chance, try it.

Btw, Nathan Branch wrote a great review of another perfume from the We love NY series, Love Coco. From what I read there, I pretty much think I will love it, so now I'm wondering if that means I'll love the carrot thingie as well. Probably. I really like carrots. :)

And last but not least, I think the marketing strategy that enabled people like me (bloggers who are seriously interested in new creations) to be able to get a sample just by reading one of the (best) perfume blogs is straight on target. I wish more companies would consider this tactic. The word will spread wider before this hits US and the way it's going, it will have a seriously positive vibe. :)

Pic by: www.honoredespres.com/