Madonna Truth or Dare

Madonna's Truth or Dare perfume has hit my fair town at last, and I felt I had to have a sniff. If truth be told, Truth or Dare is rather good as far as celebrity fragrances are concerned. I'm not an expert in this 'genre' but while I liked Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, I think Madonna's perfume is a bit more daring and unusual, by these standards.Truth or Dare was apparently '15 or 16 years in the making'. If I'm being honest, Truth or Dare is...

Weekend musings

This is the best weekend we have had in England so far this year, at least weather-wise. Warm, sunny weather prevailed, after weeks of rain and cool weather, so it was with great joy that we spent most of the time outdoors.On Saturday Hannah, my older daughter, was invited to a friend's birthday party, held at an indoor play centre, of all places. Luckily they had an outdoor play area, with seating, which is where we spent most of the time. Afterwards...

Hermes Voyage D'Hermes Parfum

In a post of mine in March, here, I mentioned that Hermes had released a parfum version of Voyage. Well, I tried the parfum version for the first time today and I have to say that in my opinion the original perfume wins hands down. It isn't that the parfum is bad, but to my mind it deadens the notes that made the original a curious, yet compelling pastiche of the Hermes aesthetic. The original was fresher, lighter and more vibrant - usually...

Scent of the day - ELDO Rien

Whew, today was a scorcher here in the United Kingdom, which, reading between the lines, means that we got into the low twenties (celsius). On this muddy isle, a day in the twenties means shirts off, skimpiest skirts on, sandals and general bizarre behaviour. Not for nothing the old saying 'only mad dogs and Englishmen enjoy the midday sun'. Or something like that!Today I revisited Rien, a perfume that is rapidly becoming my favourite ELDO fragrance....

L'Artisan Dzing

Today I wore L'Artisan's iconic Dzing, a perfume of genius if ever there was one, in my humble opinion. I can't believe that I wrote about Dzing more than two years ago, here. It feels like just the other day. Reading my review on 13 May 2010, I don't think much has changed. Dzing still smells and wears pretty much like that. It still amazes me how Dzing manages to convey the smells of the circus. Who needs Demeter or CB I Hate Perfume? One...

Weekend - back to basics

This weekend I made a point of wearing two perfumes that I actually own. To call this post 'back to basics' is possibly an insult to Hermes Terre D'Hermes and Gucci Pour Homme, as neither is basic or simple really. They are both, to my mind, examples of what can actually be achieved in the mainstream perfume market. What makes me rage inside, sometimes, is why more of these sorts of perfumes aren't released. I think what I mean by back to basics,...

Hermes Rocabar

I was at my local Fenwicks department store today, who are celebrating their beauty week. I saw a few weeks ago that they are now stocking Rocabar, which I haven't personally come across before, but they didn't have a tester until recently. I've tried Equipage numerous times but Rocabar has eluded me (I'm still on the lookout for Bel Ami, but I am not convinced I will find it here in the UK - if anyone...

Antonio Banderas - Antonio

I received a bottle of Antonio Banderas Antonio as a gift a few years ago. During that time, I have worn it a little, but to be honest, I can't say that I find it very good. It isn't terrible, and to be fair, doesn't smell like a hundred other humdrum masculine perfumes out there, but it translates as quite synthetic on my skin, in the sense of smelling of chemicals. Every time I wear it, I do a search on the internet to try find reviews of...

Serge Lutens Arabie

Could this be one of the good Uncle's most polarising fragrances (let's not even talk about Miel de Bois)? Arabie was the first Lutens perfume I ever tried, way back in the 'misty times' of 2007. It set the tone for what I initially thought applied to all the Lutens perfumes - that oft-talked about syrupy, stewed fruit accord. Arabie has it in spades, but over time, as I've got to know and love the Lutens line, I realise that in actual fact not that...

Serge Lutens Chergui

Oh dear, I wasn't expecting this. I used to like Chergui. A lot. I haven't worn it for some time now, but trying it again today, it came across cloying, over-sweet and just a bit nauseating. It's always been a strong perfume on me, like most Lutens, which aren't known for their light, fleeting sheerness. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that today was quite overcast, humid and rainy at times, which just seemed to amplify all...

Scent of the weekend - 10 Corso Como

This weekend I wore 10 Corso Como, consecutive days. It isn't often that I do this, but it is testament to how good a fragrance 10CC really is. I had a look back over my blog, and see that I've mentioned 10CC in passing on at least six occasions, perhaps more, yet have never written about it in any depth.Named after the address of a Milanese fashion house, 10CC used to be the rage on the perfume...

SOTD - Parfumerie Generale Hyperessence Matale

There is something about Hyeressence Matale that has me intrigued. I have written about it fairly recently, here, and I still stand by my opinion that it is a fairly straightforward fragrance, but smells amazing. It is green and citrusy to start, even mossy, and feels perfect for spring. While that is nice, it is the phase when the smoky tea accord emerges that most seduces me. The tea accord smells a bit like incense to me, which makes me think...

Scent of the day - Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille

Is it just my skin, or is Spiritueuse Double Vanille frustratingly shy? Perhaps I have developed the nasty olfactory habit of wanting all my perfumes to be strong, but SDV is positively (negatively?) a wilting flower on me. I love the ingredients, I love the idea, and I love the smell, when I can smell it.It takes some serious close-up wrist-sniffing to detect it and when I do - yum, yum, yummy! Certainly a skin scent on me, unless my sample was...

Amouage Library Collection Opus VI

As I have mentioned a couple of times recently on this blog, Amouage's latest in the Library Collection, Opus VI, has really struck a chord with me, making it by far my favourite of the Opus range and certainly one of the best recent releases from Amouage, in my opinion. It is no secret here that I am a fan of Amouage, so I should state that my opinion is possibly biased, but in any event, a perfume...

Scent of the day - Prada Amber Pour Homme

I wore Prada's Amber Pour Homme today. I've tried it a few times before, but I have to admit that despite the enticing notes, Prada's perfumes haven't done very much for me. There is a note that all their perfumes seem to have, mainly in the dry down, that just doesn't appeal to me.Anyway, Amber Pour Homme has notes of mandarin, bergamot, cardamom, patchouli, tonka, vanilla, saffron, suede, vetiver and orange blossom. In theory, this combination...

Sunday Star - Orange Star

Apparently the earth is extremely close to the moon at present and it looks up to 30% bigger than usual. The 'supermoon' as it is being called, is actually a full moon known as a perigree full moon and is about 356,400 kilometers from earth, rather than the usual 384,000 kilometers and causes higher than usual tides.That's all good and well, but is only exciting if one can actually see it, which here in the UK, with our present weather, is remote,...

A Serge Saturday

Following on from Borneo 1834 on Friday, today I thought I'd remain in a Lutens mood and wear Amber Sultan by Serge Lutens.I don't have much to say about Ambre Sultan that I haven't said before. It is still my favourite amber perfume, what I call my gold standard. Having said that, the recent Opus VI by Amouage is quickly moving up the rankings! What I especially like about Ambre Sultan is that it is not a sweet and powdery amber, my least favourite....

Scent of the day - Serge Lutens Borneo 1834

Today was chilly and drizzly in England, or at least where I am. I don't know what it is about weather and perfume, but for some reason cooler, damp days often make me want to wear patchouli perfumes. I wouldn't say that patchouli is necessarily a comforting, cozy note. In fact, patchouli can often be quite a challenging note. However, Borneo 1834 from Serge Lutens manages to make patchouli cozy in my opinion, without sacrificing any of the 'integrity'...

Attar Bazaar Mysore Sandalwood

I received a sample of Attar Bazaar's Mysore Sandalwood oil courtesy of Cymbaline, who I met recently in London.I had never heard of Attar Bazaar and was interested to find out after visiting their website that they are based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have a host of interesting oils, ranging from rose  to sandalwood to musk, and a lot in between.The Mysore Sandalwood oil, according to their...

Diptyque Boulevard 34 Saint Germain

I only recently encountered Diptyque's Boulevard 34 Saint Germain, which is stocked at my local Space NK store. I vaguely remember seeing some reviews of this fragrance about a year ago, then it all went quiet. The '34' range (I can't be bothered to write out the full name again) was released to celebrate Diptyque's 50th birthday and is meant to 'recreate' the smell of the Diptyque shop, in the...

Happy May Day

Happy May Day to everybody. If you're wearing Lily of the Valley today, then I hope you are enjoying it.I'm not, because I don't have any Lily of the Valley perfumes in my possession, funnily enough, or not.May Day started grey, dank and miserable here in the UK, but thankfully it brightened up considerably to the extent that by evening time, it was glorious. Now I am hoping (praying?) for a good...