Weekend roundup

Some of you might have noticed my relative scarcity of posting this month. Some of this is part of my so-called new year resolution, as I have resolved not to write simply for the sake of it. Which, thinking about it, means that this post is in direct contradiction to that, as I don't really have anything that interesting to say, but I felt like posting, and its my blog, so wah!

The other reason for my scarcity is that my work has got incredibly busy again. January is usually one of my quietest working months, but for various reasons this is not proving the case in 2012. I shudder to think what June to September will be like, as that is usually my busiest time of year!

On the perfume front, I have been working my way through some samples sent to me by my generous friend Cym, and that has been a lot of fun. I plan to write about some of those at some point, but for now I shall merely appreciate them on my own skin. 

This week I've worn Ormonde Jayne's Ta'if, Aroma M Geisha Green, Aftelier Shiso and Al Haramain Sheika. They are all very interesting to say the least. This weekend I got a bit retro and loved wearing Caron's Tabac Blond and En Avion. I don't know anyone who wears Tabac Blond, but jeez, I would almost kill to smell this on a woman, it's so stunning. I also tried Puredistance 1 and Antonia's Flowers, two which I was too nervous to wear at work, for fear they would be too feminine. They are feminine, but lovely, and not as strong as I feared they would be. I can't decide which one I preferred; they both had some lovely aspects.

So, this week continues in a crazy-busy fashion, but rest assured, somewhere along the line (actually mostly along the line) perfume will feature!

Tuesday scent of the day and holiday thoughts

We haven't been on a proper holiday for a long time. This year is hopefully going to be different. However, like my recent prevaricating with perfume samples, we have been struggling to decide where to go for a week or two (no work, but no Cliff either, please). I'm rather keen on a relaxing beach holiday, that doesn't entail too much effort. I'm usually a relatively adventurous traveller, but since we've had kids, I'm less enthusiastic. I really want them to have a good time and to my mind a sandy beach, warm weather and buckets and spades sounds good.

So, I've been looking at South-West France, particularly the Languedoc and Gascony, or possibly somewhere around the French or Spanish Pyranees. However, Brittany is appealing too, and easier to get to, particularly by ferry. 

Another part of my mind, primarily the lazy one, is set on simplicity, like a package tour to one of the Canary Islands, or Madeira, or perhaps even Ibiza or Mallorca. Ibiza is not as crazy as it seems. I've been told that there is far more to the island than clubbing and Cafe Del Mar. Another destination I've been toying with is the Azores. 

I was shown an advert by a colleague today that was advertising very affordable self-catering accommodation at some exotic sounding beach, which name I can't remember. It sounded great, but turns out it was in the Falkland Islands, which interesting though it is, I'm sure, is a tad far away for me this year!

So, what about my scent of the day? Well, it was Secret Oud, by Caron. I will review this in more detail another day, but save to say that it is very well done. I think if you are expecting a great big blast of oud with a massive Middle-Eastern aura about it, then you might be disappointed. But Caron being Caron, this is a sophisticated and lovely take on the note, with the added delight of a soft, sweet, yet not cloying rose, with a bit of incense and smooth woods. It's not a screamer, but in many ways all the better for it. Watch this space...

Caron - Yatagan

Caron's Yatagan is a strange, yet compelling fragrance. It strikes me possibly as Caron's most unique men's perfume, although thinking about it, I'd hardly call L'Anarchiste or the Third Man boring. There's something about the opening of Yatagan that reminds me strongly of an old man's cologne. That might seem like a disparaging comment to make, but I don't mean it in a bad way. It is an intensely, astringent opening, full of bracing herbs. This phase reminds me of a cologne I used to smell on a father of one of my childhood friends. I don't think that what he wore was Yatagan, but it was certainly the early eighties, which was a time when I'm sure a lot of men would have been wearing this excellent perfume.

Much is made of Yatagan's wormwood note, and I think it is this note that causes me to perceive that intense, herbal theme that pervades this fragrance from start to finish. I've used the word intense a few times already because Yatagan is quite forceful and, I'm guessing, most definitely not for everyone. The development is quite linear after the opening, with perhaps a slight smoky phase, coupled with herbs and woods. I'd also say that there is a slight conifer feel to Yatagan, which also becomes a bit leathery later on, without ever feeling to me like an out-and-out leather scent. The dry down is perhaps a bit woodier, but again, that wormwood, herbal green note never goes away, always the main player in my opinion.

I can't really think of any other perfume that smells quite like Yatagan. It is an edgy perfume to my mind, to the extent that it is almost, but not quite, disturbing. At one point I thought that Mazzolari by Mazzolari smells a bit like it, but having tried that one again not so long ago I realise I was wrong. Other perfumes with a wormwood note include Amouage Memoir and I think Serge Luten's Douce Amere, but again, neither of these capture quite that astringent, herbal tone that I find with Yatagan.

Would I recommend it? Yes, absolutely, although at the risk of gender-categorising again, I suspect that Yatagan might find favour more with men than with women. It's worth a try though, irrespective of sex. You certainly won't find it boring.

Image credit - http://www.ausliebezumduft.de

Caron L'Anarchiste

I have a troubled history with Caron's perfumes. Venerable house, almost niche, not that readily available, true to its traditions - I would have thought I'd have loved their perfume, but a lot of it has in truth left me cold. I enjoy and wear Tabac Blonde and En Avion, quite enjoy Pour Un Homme, yet Yatagan and Third Man did not thrill me at all; nor did Parfum Sacre. This is just my personal experience though. I'm not for one second saying that this is not a great perfume house, its just that I'm not moved by what I've tried so far. Which leads me to their most recent masculine release (which is not that recent at all, released in 2000), L'Anarchiste.

L'Anarchiste receives some serious love - one only has to read reviews on Basenotes, for example, where there are 45 positive and 15 neutral opinons out of a total of 70. The notes are listed as Orange Blossom, Mandarin, Cedar leaves, Sandalwod, Vetiver, Cedarwood and Musk.  On my skin L'Anarchiste does open bright and citrusy, and almost fizzy, or zingy might be a better description. It has been described as having a metallic feel and I can make this association, which I perhaps perceive as zingy. I find the opening a bit weird if I'm being honest. There is a freshness to it that is at the same time slightly "off", at least to my nose. I get notes of musk and cedar quite quickly after this, but not in a generic, department-store sort of way. I saw in the notes afterwards that cedar leaf is listed. Perhaps that is the slightly unusual cedar note I'm getting. In the heart the metallic accord fades away, thankfully, and it segues into a smooth and quite rich combination of musk and woods (cedar), tinged with a sweetness that I presume is the sandalwood. I never quite identify vetiver, but having said that, the fragrance does maintain a slight tartness throughout that tempers the musks and sandalwood, which could well be the vetiver note. There's something about the overall style of L'Anarchiste that reminds me of a couple of the men's De Nicolai perfumes, but not as rich or vanillic. In the dry down I do detect what I think of as that trademark Caron base - skin musk, smooth, rich and slightly buttery almost and its probably the last phase that I appreciate most of all.

I personally think it is the most interesting of the masculine Carons that I have tried, but its not that easy to wear, particularly the opening, for me. I'm still not convinced that Caron works that well for me, but granted, this is an interesting fragrance and definitely worth trying, although I would stress that sampling this first is probably a good idea.