Scent of the day - Angeliques sous la Pluie

After days of seemingly endless rain today we finally had a day that verged on glorious, a fitting end to April, with the darling buds of May beckoning.

Feeling in a light-hearted mood, I decided to wear Angeliques sous la Pluie. Just saying that name makes me feel good. I've reviewed the fragrance before, see here. What I said then still holds true, except that today it was even more of a skin scent than previously. This time I also detected a lot more musk. The strange thing about this perfume is that it is so light that you really do have to hold your nose right up to your skin to detect it, yet it genuinely does last all day.

In a way, it is perfect for spring, capturing that most fleeting of seasons.

Wednesday scent of the day

I continue to work through my recently acquired samples from Les Senteurs and today I tried Cedre Sandaraque by Parfumerie Generale and Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle. 

For some reason I was expecting to like the PG and find the Malle a bit of a letdown. Don't ask me why. Instead it panned out the other way round. While I didn't mind Cedre Sandaraque, it didn't wow me. I know perfumes can be slow burners and win one over in the long run, but initially I find it a bit bland. It has that PG touch of course - woods, slightly gourmand without being cloying and a strange berry/fruity note which while not department store fruity, is just a bit off putting, at least to me. Maybe it's the Sandarac note, which apparently is a resin obtained from a tree that grows in north-west Africa and has a slightly fruity, balsamic, warm aroma.

Angeliques sous la Pluie was created by Jean-Claude Ellena, but for some reason, while quite light and sheer, a J-C hallmark, this did not really smell to me like the work he has done at Hermes for example. It's a simple perfume, with a bit of pink pepper, angelica and cedar, but it smells lovely. I've read a lot of reviews that describe it as a very fleeting perfume, but on my skin it lasted all day. Yes, it was very much a skin scent, but gorgeous at that, and perfectly unisex. In the past I have steered clear of it, as it's name sounds so feminine to me. I wish I had tried it earlier!

Another visit to Les Senteurs, and some samples

Following on from my last post, as I mentioned, I spent the day in London with my family, but also managed a short visit to Les Senteurs in Elizabeth Street, Belgravia. I've gone on quite a bit about this niche perfume store in the past, and my opinion hasn't changed. If you want personal, unhurried service, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and great perfumes, then you can do a hell of a lot worse than pay a visit to this perfume institution.

On Saturday the store was busier than I have found it in the past, so I took my time and leisurely tried a few perfumes on paper that I haven't tried in the past. I always feel so good coming here. There's an atmosphere about this shop that just feels 'right'. It's hard to describe, but it feels a perfume shop for perfume lovers, owned and staffed in turn by perfume lovers. I asked for some samples and a lovely lady decanted six samples for me without hesitation. I always feel slightly guilty doing this, but Les Senteurs positively encourage you to go away with samples. I think unlike the large department stores, they realise that by building up customer loyalty and a client relationship, and giving you ample opportunity to try a perfume properly that costs sometimes well over a hundred pounds, they are more likely to make a sale in the long term, and have repeat business. I should mention that I don't just take the piss at Les Senteurs - I have bought from them before and regularly purchase samples online, which they currently charge £3 a sample for. Which is not unreasonable, considering the vials contain a very generous quantity of perfume.

The samples I got on this occasion are:

Molinard - Chypre Orient

Frederic Malle - Angeliques sous la Pluie

Parfumerie Generale - Cedre Sandaraque

Andy Tauer - Eau d'Epices

Frapin et Cie - Terre de Sarment

Caron - Secret Oud

So, I am quite excited to try these, particularly Secret Oud, which as I mentioned before, I saw at Harrods and was staggered by the price, so I was pleased to get a free sample of this. And what name is more lovely for a perfume than Angeliques sous la Pluie?

So next time you are in London, do yourself a favour and try pay a visit to this great place, or if you can't, have a look at their website instead and see what they have got. Just for the record, I have absolutely nothing to do with Les Senteurs. I like mentioning them because they are so good for perfume lovers, and that's what I know you, readers, are too!

Image credit - http://shop.lessenteurs.com/