Monday 'vrooms' by

As I mentioned on Friday, we visited friends of ours who live in Cambridge. Actually, they have just moved a little way outside of Cambridge, to a village called Girton. It is a lovely place, and while their new house needs a bit of work, it already feels quite homely and welcoming and we had a lovely time. George, their son, turned four and it was his party that day. It was a long drive up from Kent, but we had lunch with John and Katherine and after the party we stayed on with another family of close friends to have a few laughs, some cider and then a curry. The only down side was having to drive back to Kent at 9 at night, with two shattered young children for company! Incidentally, Girton is sort of famous for being the location of Cambridge University's first female college. This being a bit before the Suffragettes movement reached its height, the ladies were housed a 'safe' two miles or so out of town. I could be wrong, but I think males were only admitted well into the 20th century.

Anyway, rambling on, the last three days have been relatively devoid of perfume, as I suspected it would be. Today, back at work, it was scentless, until this evening, when determined not to remain unscented, I applied a few dabs of Le Labo's Iris 39 and Profumum's Olibanum. Yes, I know. There isn't much science in how I wear perfume. I simply looked at my sample vials and picked two that randomly shouted out at me. Wear me! Wear me!

The highlight of my day was that we completed the exchange of our car for a new one. Nothing fancy - one Honda Jazz for a newer Jazz model. We like the Jazz. It's a very small family car that for it's size is surprisingly spacious inside. It's hardly a boy racer's dream, but hey ho, so what. Now I am obsessing like a new parent, looking outside the window to where it is parked, terrified that someone is going to scrape it as they walk by, or some idiot is going to dent it as they try park nearby. Anal, I know. I'm sure the feeling will pass in due course!

Weekly roundup and Le Labo Vetiver 46 and L'Artisan Voleur de Roses

This has been a good week for me perfume-wise. Do you ever have one of those cycles where all the perfume you wear smells good or different to before? It's lovely when it happens.

I started the week by trying the new samples that Frida sent me. Florida Water is a cologne, and quite light, but it smelled good - essentially some citrus and perhaps a touch of cloves. I also wore Cologne du Maghreb by Andy Tauer on the other wrist and you know what? They weren't miles away in feel and smell. Both are fleeting, but being colognes, they are meant to be applied and re-applied generously. I also tried Bond no 9's Washington Square and Creed's Fleurs de Bulgarie. The Bond reminded me freakily of something else I've worn. I know I've never tried another Bond before, so I don't know what it is. Fleurs de Bulgarie is lovely, with a pure and gorgeous rose note, easing into a dry down that reminds me startlingly of La Nuit by Paco Rabanne, which is a dirty green chypre. Very nice.

I mentioned last week how I wore Tabac Aurea and for the first time got what everyone else seems to love about it. This week a similar thing happened with Vetiver 46 by Le Labo. In the past I've worn it and liked it, but not loved it. It smelled like a bog-standard vetiver on me. Today it started with a wonderful smoky, almost beeswax-like blast and then carried on with a great smoky vetiver note that impressed me. So what happened? I'm always fascinated how this can occur with perfume. Is it my skin chemistry, seasons, hormones, the place my mind is at at present, or what?

Today I revisited L'Artisan's Voleur de Roses, after reading Perfume Shrine's lovely post about it a few days ago. She's right too. This must have been one of the first rose and patchouli combinations before it became all the rage. What I love about Voleur de Roses is its heavy shot of patchouli with a sweet, yet pure rose note. While there might or might not be ambroxen in it, it doesn't smell as cliched as some of the more recent rose-patch perfumes that have been released. And it still smells surprisingly distinctive and unique. I love it.

Following receipt of my sample of M from Puredistance a couple of weeks ago, I have tried it a few times and feel ready to write about it. That will most likely be next week. It's very good I might add.

So, this weekend we are off to Cambridge to see some friends whose son is turning four and is having a party. I like going up there. We hardly ever see them anymore. I doubt I will get anywhere near a perfume shop but no doubt I will be wearing something or other.

Have a good weekend all.

My dad and Muscs Kublai Khan

I don't know about you, but sometimes it is difficult seeing one's parents grow old. I say sometimes, because age is not something that should frighten us, and growing old gracefully and graciously is part of our humanity and collective wisdom. Without it, we would be poorer humans.

Still, it does hurt from time to time. Pictured left is a photo of my dad with my late mother (right) and the then girlfriend (left) of his best friend from school, Eric. My dad and Eric would remain friends for the next forty years, until he passed away sadly a couple of years ago. What I love about this photo are the expressions of vitality and hope in the faces of all three. My dad looks proud to have his future wife-to-be on his left side. Would he have known then that their marriage would stand the test of time, destined to spend the next four decades together, have three children, live, love, lose, and then be parted by death? I suppose so. Fundamentally we all know the ultimate destiny, our human frailty. But I think at this moment, the photo captures that immortality of youth, and rightly so.

The title of this post mentions Muscs Koublai Khan. What does this have to do with my dad? Well, nothing directly, but today I am wearing MKK and whenever I do, I almost always think of my dad, because he used to wear a musk perfume that smelled very similar to MKK. I know for sure that it wasn't, considering this was in the eighties and early nineties and I have to be honest, I don't know what it was. Still, the smell of my dad brings back a lot of memories. Of when he was younger and more vital. When I believed my parents were invincible and would always protect me. When our family was still together. When youth reigned supreme. When I believed in ever after. Which seems a bit contradictory, as MKK is hardly the perfume of innocence. Having said that, musk in this style smells very fleshy, of skin, and very carnal. The skin of humans in their prime, who have loved and lusted.

Today my dad may be in his seventies, with his frailties beginning to show, but I know that even though flesh may shrivel and bones weaken, his spirit remains young and true, and that is what counts. The fact that Muscs Koublai Khan can help me to believe this is part of what makes it such a brilliant perfume for me. 

Heeley Sel Marin

Sometimes it can be risky to order a perfume sample based too much on expectation. Heeley Sel Marin is a case in point. I had read reviews beforehand, studied the notes and salivated at the thought of how good it was going to be. For some reason (why?) I thought it would be another Sel de Vetiver, one of my favourite and original takes on a 'marine' theme. I suppose both have the word 'sel' in their title.

The notes from Luckyscent include lemon, Sicilian bergamot, sea salt, seaweed, vetiver, birch and cedar. Not a million miles away in theory from Sel de Vetiver. The opening was totally unexpected, and that threw me, I think. It reminded me strongly of Apres la Mousson by Hermes, which is not what I was hoping for. I don't dislike the Hermes, but it is not my favourite in the line. Sel Marin smells swampy and brackish and not like the sea salt accord I was hoping for. There is a watery and slightly peppery feel to it, with light woods. As it progresses, it smells less like Apres la Mousson, but still not distinct enough to win over my heart. I was hoping it would smell fresher and fragrant, with an association of being by the sea, washed by an ozone-laden sea breeze. Instead it makes me feel like I'm stuck on the middle of an island, on the salt pan, away from any breeze, sweaty and humid, desperate for a drink, with only brackish pond water available. I know, that is a fairly pathetic attempt at describing the feeling of Sel Marin, but its the best I can do.

I know there are fans of Sel Marin out there and I appreciate that for you this may work brilliantly. I don't think it is a poor fragrance, but just not what I am looking for in a perfume.

Image credit - www.luckyscent.com 

A gift from Frida

As I mentioned yesterday, I received a package from Bloody Frida yesterday and promised I would post some pictures. Having finally located my camera I took a few very professional photographs (yeah, right) which are set out below. I thought as I am a proud dad, I would include a few additional ones of my very lovely daughters, who mean the world to me. No bragging...

We do like our berets!

Stickers, hair clips, perfume samples, sweets - yum!

Thanks Frida!

As you can see, I am not the best at laying out photos in a blog, which is probably why I don't focus much on the pictorial aspect of my blog.

As you can see, Frida knitted my daughters lovely berets and was also very kind to send them some sweets, stickers and hair clips. The perfumes are on top of the green beret if you haven't spotted them.

Daisy and Hannah with their dollies

A sleepy Daisy

Daisy and Hannah on the train to London

Spring is almost here - the first Daffodils in our garden

Weekend musings

So, it is weekend again, and it was back to DIY again. The day started with fantastic weather, which could only mean one thing - get a roof on the Wendy House (playhouse) as soon as possible. To someone technically challenged like myself, this is no easy task. In the event, I managed to get the roof on by mid afternoon, but still needed to collect the felt (for waterproofing) from a friend who had a spare roll. By this time the sky was looking decidedly more murky, so with a sense of urgency we fetched the felt and after some cutting, cursing and tacking, got it done by 5.30pm. By the time we had finished supper the rain was pouring down. Phew! Thank goodness.

A lovely surprise awaited me today - a package from my friend Frida over on Bloody Frida! I'm sure quite a few of you know this wonderful lady already, who is extremely kind and generous. I sent Frida a few samples last month and she reciprocated by knitting my two daughters lovely berets and also sent me samples of Bond's Washington Square, Creed's Fleurs de Bulgarie and something I haven't seen before, Florida Water. Yo Frida - big thanks. I will post some pics in due course, once I locate my camera...

I didn't wear any perfume today because I knew that with manual labour it would disappear quicker than a refund of an MP's falsified expense claim. Yesterday I wore a couple of samples from the wonderful Sonomo Scent Studio. I've written about them before - Winter Woods and Tabac Aurea. In my original post about Tabac Aurea back in August or September last year I wrote that I couldn't detect all that much tobacco and mentioned an immortelle note that I didn't like very much. I've worn Tabac Aurea a few times since then and got the same impression. Lo and behold, yesterday it unfolded in a totally different manner. Right from the outset I smelled a beautifully rendered tobacco note, which was later joined by smoke and labdanum. I could still smell a little immortelle, but only just, and it worked well with the tobacco. I still find it amazing how perfumes can perform so differently over time.

So, have a good weekend all. I'm off to find my camera now...

The Different Company Bois d'Iris

I'm not sure about you, but generally I am a fan of iris-focused perfumes. I don't know what it is about iris, but it smells like the height of sophistication for me, perfume-wise. There is something about that cool, almost haughty earthiness that thrills me. 

I must admit that iris notes are not always that approachable. In fact they are a bit of an acquired taste (or smell I suppose one should say), but once acquired, very rewarding. I find that broadly speaking iris can smell powdery, earthy/rooty and woody. Of course, very often it can borrow from all of these, and also smell buttery in the process. 

There are still a lot of iris perfumes I haven't tried. One that I haven't, but yearn to try, is Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens. Of those I have tried, I particularly enjoy 28 La Pausa by Chanel and Iris Taizo by Parfumerie Generale (which I think has been renamed). I think my least favourite rendition of the note is powdery/floral, a good example of which for me is Iris Nobile by Aqua di Parma.

Bois d'Iris by the Different Company to my mind falls predominantly into the woody category, but in the heart also smells richly buttery and almost fatty. I suspect that some of that 'fattiness' might come from aldehydes, which I detect a lot of in the top and heart. Bois d'Iris, along with the same-named by Van Cleef and Arpels, is possibly the most woody rendition of iris I have personally encountered. I like that. There is a phase, probably as the aldehydes dissipate, where the more rooty/earthy facets of iris emerge, but this is relatively short-lived. To my mind Bois d'Iris is not dissimilar to 28 La Pausa. Particularly with all the aldehydes it smells very 'Chanel' at one point, before the woodiness takes over.

I would say that Bois d'Iris is fairly unisex, and I think I can pull it off fairly comfortably, although I suspect it would be marginally more popular with the ladies. This is not to say that I don't like it. I actually do. My favourite part is the first half, particularly when the coolness of iris is balanced with that butteriness, gradually merging to reveal a woody heart. It is very well done.

Image credit - http://www.luckyscent.com/