Puredistance M

It has taken me a while to get round to writing about Puredistance M, partly because I wanted to wear it a number of times to get a better-balanced view and also due to some personal circumstances, for example a strained back, which, I am happy to report, is on the mend!A few weeks ago I was contacted by Puredistance and then sent a sample of M to try. This is the first time that such a thing has...

Perfume adventures in department store land

I know I've mentioned it quite a lot this year, but in my neck of the woods - west Kent to those of you who care - new perfume releases have been quite scarce. I know everyone is moaning about the sheer glut of new releases and to a large extent I share that sentiment, but still, I do get excited when new perfume releases are planned, particularly if they are from my favourite perfumers or perfume houses.So far this year only designer or celebrity...

My blog is one year old today

I was debating whether to publicise this fact or not. After all, I've noticed quite a few of my blogomates have recently celebrated their first blog anniversary.In any event, here it is. A year ago today I published my first post, here, in which I chattered randomly about how I became interested in perfume. At the time I wasn't sure how long I would keep this up for but I am truly glad that I did,...

Etat Libre D'Orange - Vierges et Toreros

In a line known for its risque marketing and in many cases, quite challenging perfumes, Vierges et Toreros is another that pushes the envelope. Depending on one's point of view, this one could either be very attractive or repulsive.Vierges et Toreros is ostensibly a leather fragrance, mixed with tuberose, for men. However, if you are looking for the more recognisable facet of tuberose, I don't think...

Freaky Friday

I haven't had much of a chance to immerse myself in perfume land this week, much as I would have liked to. I've been very busy at work and also took off three days as leave, spending some much-needed springtime time with my children. The weather has been glorious here and it feels as if spring has finally arrived and is here to stay.Today we took the kids to a soft-play centre just outside of Tunbridge Wells. It is located in a warehouse and has...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Odin New York 01 'Nomad'

I don't know all that much about the Odin New York line. I ordered a sample of 01 sometime last year purely off the back of a review of the line by someone (can't remember who) who mentioned that 01 was most to his liking.The notes from Luckyscent include juniper berries, Himalayan cedar, bergamot, palmarosa, black pepper, heliotrope, tonka bean, sandalwood and grey musk.My initial notes for the opening...

The banality of Monday

Monday, Monday, Monday. Boy, am I glad you are gone for another six days. The title of this post can be summed up by the news I read today that LVMH has bought a majority stake in Bulgari. Is there anything that they don't own or have their sticky fingers in?I woke up today with a stiff neck that has left me walking around like a robot, unable to turn my head left or right, or even forward and backward. I know I did some DIY this weekend but definitely...

Saturday, KFC and the slow-burners

So, Saturday is almost over, for me anyway. MY DIY project has commenced, albeit much slower than I anticipated. It doesn't help getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the industrial estate where the hardware store is based (B&Q, for those of you in the UK). At least I now have the wood I need to make the new roof and floor of the Wendy House, and various shelves for our own house. MDF, chipboard, plywood, you name it. I have it all stacked...

Friday and the weekend blues

It's meant to be the other way around, right? I should be saying this on Sunday night, with the Monday blues. But no, this weekend I have been roped into DIY duty, and that makes me feel queasy. I've developed a modicum of DIY skill over the years, out of necessity mind you, not desire. This weekend I have to put up shelves and put a new roof on the Wendy House we got from a neighbour. Her daughter is a bit old for it now, so it's found a new home...

A visit to Hoopers and thoughts on some samples

Today I felt in a much better frame of mind, and inevitably I ended up wearing perfume that I enjoyed and also managed to pay a visit to Hoopers, one of my local department stores that I have written about on a number of occasions.True to form, Melanie, my friend in the perfume department at Hoopers, had some samples for me, including Amouage's Opus IV (which I already have, thanks to my friend Persolaise) and Jubilation 25. I'm quite chuffed with...

A scentless day, and a surprise sample

Today was a day devoid of perfume, sadly. For some reason work and its myriad distractions got the better of me and before I knew it, the day was over and I went home, scentless and, possibly, senseless.A nice surprise was waiting for me when I got home though - a sample of Puredistance M, by the luxury company Puredistance, who, if I understand correctly, are based in Vienna, Austria. I'm not going...

Hermes Terre D'Hermes

Terre D'Hermes is a perfume I own. A whole bottle. Which is a relative rarity for me. My wife gave it to me for Christmas in 2007, so it is a fragrance I am well-acquainted with, as you might imagine.The unfortunate thing for me concerning Terre D'Hermes is that I developed a negative association with it shortly after receiving it. I've mentioned this in one of my much earlier posts last year. I associate...