It's weird. Seriously weird.
I should get some santal essential oil to relate, the closest I got to a santal is Keiko Mecheri's solilignum (1) Bois de Santal, which is sweet, creamy woody thing. I expected more of the same from Jean-Claude Ellena but I got this weird stuff.
They finally got it at Hermès, the sales lady sprayed me generously and I went Oh what the fuck. No creamy sweetness but something weird. I smelled and sniffed and wondered until something connected in my little blonde brain and shouted Salted butter!!!
At which point, I got even more whatthefucked and puzzled. I went to Hermès to buy this thing and I wanted to love it to shreds but it was so weird. I chatted with the sales lady, tried on Voyage (probably goes to the no, thanks file) and Jardin sur le toit and hiris and then the thing on my wrists went all celery root fried in butter. Not bad, actually a nice smell, it's one of my fave foods, fried celery root. In a perfume, though? That crossed my mental border of perfume accords and the ideas started to veer into the dangerous areas of food scents. Something in my brain started to yell What's going to come next? We've already had caramel and butter and honey, is there going to be a Boeuf Gardénia or Pizza Labdanum in the Hermessence line sometime soon, or even worse, Chocolat Roquefort?
What saved me from running away was a blotter sprayed with Hiris. Hiris went surprisingly well with Santal Massoïa and I ended up buying two bottles although I cursed myself that I get a perfume and then another perfume only to make the first one wearable.
I went home, did laundry and some other random stuff and then brought myself to unpacking my loot from the shopping war. I sprayed myself with Santal Massoïa again and I noticed the sweet creamy thing I had imagined as proper santal and a soapy facette. Maybe even a touch of iris but the aldehydes or rose or what may be the cause of the soap could explain why it works so well with Hiris.
At the end, I did come to like the Santal Massoïa. Earlier than expected, even. After all, if the chefs can spray food with perfume (2), why there couldn't be a Quattro formaggi cologne. With some extra peperoni on a good day.
For some factual information, check Perfume Shrine here. I only do rants.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
________________________________________
(1) the word soliflor is used for a fragrance based on one accord. It means single flower, though, and being a generally anal person and a proud grammar Nazi, I've already coined soliradix for vetiver stuff and soliherba for whatever comes from the leaves and stems. Solilignum is a natural addition to the line.
(2) it's actually essential oils. (3)
(3) and I'm skipping the whole field of food flavourings because it's another can of worms.
Showing posts with label Hermès. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hermès. Show all posts
Saturday, 17 December 2011
Monday, 1 June 2009
Shopping spree
On which I bought nothing, basically.
For some reason, when the new Dior fragrance, Escale a Pondichery, was announced, I became obsessed with that. It sometimes happens. I became equally obsessed with the Hermes eaux, Gentiane blanche and Pamplemouse rose. Gentian is one of my iconic flowers for some rather complicated and personal reasons (It'll be elaborated and re-elaborated in some of the upcoming botany rants, no worries). I expected a lot from the fragrance: sky turned a blazing copper bowl, cold wind on the top of the mountain, spruce resin and something bitterish in the air and then, an accord of the tiny and extremely cuteGentiana verna growing in the little stream. Or otherwise, the stately plant of Gentiana punctuata in the middle of the festuca grassland.
All I got was sand pushed down my throat and some adstringent roots.
Eau de Pamplemouse rose was better but still not my cup of tea. I simply don't like grapefruits.
The other stop was Sisley's. I tried all the three Eaux de Sisley and I remained unimpressed. No.1 is another citrusy splashy thing I wouldn't be offended with but I wouldn't buy either, No. 3 should be more citrusy with ginger for extra fun but oddly enough, I don't like citruses and detect them pretty well... and I can't find any. Sweet flowers, I read osmanthus as honey and violets, but, no ginger, no citruses. Weird. No. 2 however... hit something dormant. Grass and spruce resin! Our old summer house where I spent half of my childhood, with the half-neglected garden with the largest pear tree ever.... but somehow, in Eau de Sisley 2, there was the initial spruce and grass accord that didn't continue to the pear three and the best apricots ever and clematis pergola. Pity.
Then I discovered that they don't have Pondichery but that there's the older version of Miss Dior in the shelf, the one in pink box. In vain attempt No. Bajillion-and-twenty, I tried it. There's more lily of the valley than in the newest version (white box, dating described nicely by Helg, my information comes from her) but it's not the nice lovable one as in the miniature, undated, I snatched from my mom, nor is it what I remember from the huge bottle of Diorissimo I gave mom for her birthday many years ago. I want lily of the valley fragrance, damn, that will be so nice and sweet as the old Miss Dior.
I went to the department store to check for Pondichéry. Just in case. The Dior woman said that next week (they told me 'next week' last week, too, liars) and offered me the J`adore L`eau Cologne Florale, hot new summer thingy. I tested it some time ago and it didn't really impress me. Because it was on paper, I can add now. I already ranted about it somewhere or somewhere else because it's a good story but... citruses and white flowers not rarely react with my skin to cat piss. I thought the fragrance a benign summer splash, let the Dior lady spray it on my hand... and only then she told me that it's bergamot and whatever else and magnolia. Even before she finished, I smelled the stench of three days uncleaned litter box.
I needed some antidote so I went to try Nahéma again. I couldn't decide whether I liked it and I finally decided I didn't. I'm not a big fan of Guerlain, there's something that just doesn't appeal to me in their classics. Nahéma is a heavy floral with a touch of aldehydes - but forget the aldehydes of, say, Chanel No. 22 or Rive Gauche, these are decadent aldehydes that would smell like soap in a bathroom equipped with gold watertaps. But, too many heavy flowers, the citrus/white blossom combo that results in Eau du Chat effect is there, too, and after a few hours there come some weird roots or woods. I decided to sell off the one I have and pass on to somewhere else.
And it rained almost all day long, too.
For some reason, when the new Dior fragrance, Escale a Pondichery, was announced, I became obsessed with that. It sometimes happens. I became equally obsessed with the Hermes eaux, Gentiane blanche and Pamplemouse rose. Gentian is one of my iconic flowers for some rather complicated and personal reasons (It'll be elaborated and re-elaborated in some of the upcoming botany rants, no worries). I expected a lot from the fragrance: sky turned a blazing copper bowl, cold wind on the top of the mountain, spruce resin and something bitterish in the air and then, an accord of the tiny and extremely cuteGentiana verna growing in the little stream. Or otherwise, the stately plant of Gentiana punctuata in the middle of the festuca grassland.
All I got was sand pushed down my throat and some adstringent roots.
Eau de Pamplemouse rose was better but still not my cup of tea. I simply don't like grapefruits.
The other stop was Sisley's. I tried all the three Eaux de Sisley and I remained unimpressed. No.1 is another citrusy splashy thing I wouldn't be offended with but I wouldn't buy either, No. 3 should be more citrusy with ginger for extra fun but oddly enough, I don't like citruses and detect them pretty well... and I can't find any. Sweet flowers, I read osmanthus as honey and violets, but, no ginger, no citruses. Weird. No. 2 however... hit something dormant. Grass and spruce resin! Our old summer house where I spent half of my childhood, with the half-neglected garden with the largest pear tree ever.... but somehow, in Eau de Sisley 2, there was the initial spruce and grass accord that didn't continue to the pear three and the best apricots ever and clematis pergola. Pity.
Then I discovered that they don't have Pondichery but that there's the older version of Miss Dior in the shelf, the one in pink box. In vain attempt No. Bajillion-and-twenty, I tried it. There's more lily of the valley than in the newest version (white box, dating described nicely by Helg, my information comes from her) but it's not the nice lovable one as in the miniature, undated, I snatched from my mom, nor is it what I remember from the huge bottle of Diorissimo I gave mom for her birthday many years ago. I want lily of the valley fragrance, damn, that will be so nice and sweet as the old Miss Dior.
I went to the department store to check for Pondichéry. Just in case. The Dior woman said that next week (they told me 'next week' last week, too, liars) and offered me the J`adore L`eau Cologne Florale, hot new summer thingy. I tested it some time ago and it didn't really impress me. Because it was on paper, I can add now. I already ranted about it somewhere or somewhere else because it's a good story but... citruses and white flowers not rarely react with my skin to cat piss. I thought the fragrance a benign summer splash, let the Dior lady spray it on my hand... and only then she told me that it's bergamot and whatever else and magnolia. Even before she finished, I smelled the stench of three days uncleaned litter box.
I needed some antidote so I went to try Nahéma again. I couldn't decide whether I liked it and I finally decided I didn't. I'm not a big fan of Guerlain, there's something that just doesn't appeal to me in their classics. Nahéma is a heavy floral with a touch of aldehydes - but forget the aldehydes of, say, Chanel No. 22 or Rive Gauche, these are decadent aldehydes that would smell like soap in a bathroom equipped with gold watertaps. But, too many heavy flowers, the citrus/white blossom combo that results in Eau du Chat effect is there, too, and after a few hours there come some weird roots or woods. I decided to sell off the one I have and pass on to somewhere else.
And it rained almost all day long, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
