Comme des Garcons Ouarzazate and Kyoto

Some of you may recall that a few weeks ago I went on a bit of an incense binge, ordering a number of mainly incense-dominated samples from Luckyscent.Among the many I ordered were two from the Comme des Garcons range, Ouarzazate and Kyoto. I'd sprayed these before a number of years ago, but only on paper, and neither was particularly impressive in that form.Ouarzazate is inspired by the deserts and...

Back from holiday

Well hi folks. In some ways it's nice to be back from our holiday down in Cornwall but the week went far too quickly, as is usually the case. The weather wasn't fantastic, very windy and variable, but the north Cornish coast is very beautiful, with wild, windswept cliffs and bracing coastal path walks a must if, like me, you enjoy the outdoors.The place we stayed at was very nice too, with both an outdoor and indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam...

Holidays!

I'm off for a week's holiday tomorrow, so no blogging from me for a few days. Not that I've been doing much, but anyway...We're heading west over to Cornwall, for those of you who know the UK. Somewhere between Newquay and Padstow. I must admit that it will be great to get away to the seaside, far away from the usual everyday life!On the perfume front, not much to say really. I hope to wear some perfume on holiday, but I'm still deciding what might...

Weekly roundup and bloggers block

I never thought I would say this, but over the last six weeks I have found myself increasingly in the position of experiencing a mild form of writer's block, or bloggers block as I have named it above. To be fair, I am extremely busy at work and that never helps, but I do find myself making a few rough notes on perfumes I have tried, or making mental notes of things I want to say, then when I sit down at the computer, I simply feel no compelling...

Random family pictures

Some of you have expressed interest in seeing the occasional picture of my family, or a glimpse into my personal life - gulp - God forbid, so below I'm setting out a few more pics of my children and my insane cat Sadie.Hannah in a field of Dandelions near OxfordSadie in our garden, about a year agoSadie, queen of our staircaseDaisy tucks into birthday snacksDaisy at Bedgbury Pinetum, East SussexAh,...

Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles - a brief review

There's been a lot written about Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles. Looking on the web, it also seems as if it can be had for some significant knock-down prices. I got my sample from Les Senteurs and I must admit it surprised me on two counts. First, I was led to believe that it is very feminine. On my skin it did have these elements, but was far more unisex than I had feared. Second, it was nowhere near...

Xerjoff Casamorati Mefisto

This is the first Xerjoff that I've tried, courtesy of the lovely Carol at Waft, what a fragrance fanatic thinks. I've been wanting to try Xerjoff for some time, partly based on the many solid, perhaps even rave reviews.I didn't know anything about Mefisto before trying, but initially it felt very thin and weak. I can't quite explain it, but I was expecting the top notes to sparkle with citrus notes...

Weekend roundup and Blu Mediterraneo

Life continues to be busy as the first week of May comes to a close. Yet, as I said the other day, despite the hectic work schedule and other distractions that I am currently encountering, I'm still wearing a lot of perfume, and a lot of new perfume at that (for me). If only I could somehow bring myself to write about it more than I am.I plan to express some thoughts on these over the next few weeks, but over the last five days I've been wearing...

Montale Oud Musk and Full Incense

I've been working my way steadily through my new samples over the last three weeks and I must say, one lesson I am learning is to not jump to conclusions about a fragrance before I try it. I know this might seem obvious, but so often I read a good review of a perfume, go into raptures and then order a sample. I wait with bated breath, it arrives, I try it and... Oh dear, not so good. Disappointment. Or sometimes it works the other way round, whereby...

Aramis Vintage Porto

I'm relatively familiar with the Aramis line, in particular the one pictured left, the original classic, which is a very 60s/70s leathery chypre and can be found all over the show. However, until Carol sent me a sample of Porto, I had not even heard of it, let alone tried it. In fact, googling Porto images, I could not even find a picture of the bottle, hence the picture used here. Porto opens...