Hooray, some samples at last

After a crappy Monday, I got home to discover that some of my samples from the Perfumed Court have arrived. I've been waiting with bated breath, so now I can't wait to try some Uncle Serge, Ungaro and some oud from Ajmal! Hopefully I'll find the time to actually blog about these for a change...

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 inspiration to type. It's more a form of procrastination than a block really, as all the ideas are there in my head. I hope it passes, because I do love blogging and am still very interested in perfume and trying lots of perfume, to be honest.

This week was mostly about trying some of my older samples. One that caught my attention in particular was Diptyque's Philosykos, possibly the best fig fragrance I know, in my opinion. Actually, I am not generally a massive fan of fig in perfume. I don't mind it, but it doesn't move me like some other styles do. Having said that, I do love Philosykos and with Tam Dao, it is my favourite in the Diptyque line. I think what I like is that the fig smells like fig to me. The whole tree, not just the fruit or the milky sap. It starts quite milky green, then gets a touch 'fruitier' and finally mellows to a woodiness that is suffused with subtle fig notes. A masterpiece in my opinion.

Another thing I have been doing a lot more of recently is giving away samples to friends. Not bloggers who live in other countries, but just my ordinary, every day friends, many of whom are not at all fanatical about fragrance. It's also a way of culling my ever-growing collection of samples, which is wholly unmanageable now. My drawers at work are overflowing with samples, and these days I do not have any idea what is in my collection. I mean, I do have a general idea, but it is a hazy recollection at best!

What I'd be interested in hearing from you, dear perfume bloggers, is whether any of you have experienced a period of bloggers block, and secondly, whether you also like giving away samples to friends and family, even if they aren't massive fans of perfume.

Have a good weekend all, and wherever you are, I hope it is sunny and fragrance-filled!

Happy Easter and an update

Firstly, to those of you who celebrate it, a slightly belated happy Easter! We are 'egged' out in our household today, as you might gather from the photos below...

Hannah & Daisy with the spoils of the Easter Egg hunt

Daisy drooling chocolate

 I have been really struggling to find the time to blog this April. The last ten days have been manic at work as we've been putting together a proposal to win an important new client and I've been part of the team that put it together and presented it to the board. It might seem strange, but a team of three has spent a collective two weeks working on a proposal that took thirty to forty five minutes to present! A lot of hard work behind the scenes. As my workload increases, as the next three to four months tend to be my busiest, I feel I will struggle to find enough spare time to blog like I have so far this year. I know it isn't the quantity, but I am amazed how some people are able to put together a daily or even thrice daily post, religiously. The mind boggles!


So, spring has been amazing so far this April, as I may have mentioned before and below are some photos of what we have been up to when the sun has been shining, which is daily. Very unusual for the usually damp and grey UK!

Daisy with her new scooter she got for her birthday on the 8th

Our cherry tree in full bloom

Beautiful English bluebell wood near Oxford, where friends of ours live

So, I hope all of you have been enjoying the Easter break, and also perfumes. I have, funnily enough, been wearing a lot of perfume, following receipt of my large number of samples from Luckyscent. Perhaps fitting for Easter, I have tried quite a few incenses, mainly from Comme Des Garcons. Some have been good, some so-so and a couple extremely good. I am hoping to put together some thoughts on these over the next couple of weeks, time permitting. 


Until then, spring sunshine - keep it coming!

New samples from Les Senteurs

I haven't purchased samples for some time now, in fact not since early September. In the intervening two months, I have managed to obtain quite a number of free samples from my two local department stores, where a number of the sales staff are very generous and willing to hand these out. By way of example, I've received samples of the reissue of Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs, Pehaligon's Sartorial, Amouage's Memoir Man and Woman, Cartier's Declaration and two of the new Lubin's, to name but a few.

Anyway, I've recently ordered a handful of samples from Les Senteurs in London. I've written about Les Senteurs a couple of times before and I use their sample service relatively frequently. I like ordering from them for a number of reasons - they are friendly, the sample sizes are very generous and reasonably priced (£3 for about 2ml of juice) and their range is very good. For example, they carry the entire ranges of Amouage (excluding attars), Frederic Malle, Parfumerie Generale and Parfum d'Empire, as well as stocking Lorenzo Villoresi and Caron. Not bad.

In any event, this time I've tried to order a good mix and range of samples:

Molinard - Habanita

Frederic Malle - Portrait of a Lady

Jean Desprez - Bal a Versailles

Rosine - Twill Rose

Heeley - Iris de Nuit

Boadicea the Victorious - Complex

I'm taking a bit of a chance with some of these. For example, the first three are feminine perfumes, although I have read reviews stating that Habanita and Bal a Versailles can be worn by a man, so we'll see. Rosine has been a bit hit-or-miss for me, while I've read mostly negative reviews of Complex. As for Heeley, Sel Marin turned me stone cold, but I enjoyed Cardinal, so I'm hoping Iris de Nuit will be a good surprise. I'm sure I will get round to reviewing these in due course.

Sampling fever continues

As I mentioned not long ago, after a hiatus of over three months, I have taken the plunge again and purchased a number of samples, this time from Luckyscent. It is expensive, and I know there are more important things I could spend my money on, but then again, perfume is my hobby. So why shouldn't I indulge every now and then? I don't know about you, but in a way, the actual process of ordering samples can sometimes be more exciting that the sampling itself. There is something about that process of browsing a site like Luckyscent for example that is addictive, looking at the various lines, making a shortlist of what you think you want, reading a few reviews, tweaking the list, then with an intake of breath, clicking that order button, for better or for worse. Then there's the anticipation and waiting. Checking the post each day, searching for that padded tell-tale parcel. I could go on, but I think you get my drift. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this, am I (said in a plaintive, slightly desperate voice)? 

Anyway, below is a list of my most recent order and once it arrives, I look forward to writing some more reviews as I try them:

Amouage Opus II

Nasomatto China White

Costamor Tabacca

Eau d'Italia Paestum Rose

Eau d'Italia Sienne l'Hiver

Mazzolari Mazzolari

Parfums MDCI Enlivement au Serail

Atelier Orange Sanguine

Atelier Bois Blonds

The Different Company Bois d'Iris

Odin Nomad

Heeley Sel Marin

Domenico Caraceni 1913

Mark Buxton Black Angel

Here's wishing you all a great final day of August 2010.

Samples confusion

This is a slightly silly post, but does anyone else feel slightly overwhelmed with both their samples/perfume collection and obsession? I'm sure my collection is by no means large, but for me I am really struggling to keep on top of my samples. My drawers are crammed full with atomisers, carded samples, vials, boxed sets, you name it. I don't have a very good system of keeping tabs of what I've got! Even more worrying is that it really takes me quite a long time each day to decide what I want to sample. If I have new stuff to try, it is quite easy, as I just work through it fairly systematically, but when it comes to perfume I have tried at least once before, it takes ages to decide. I'm finding it even trickier in summer, as a lot of the perfume I like seems to be better suited to the cooler months. This situation hasn't curbed my desire to sample more though. If it weren't for my limited finances I think I'd be ordering new stuff every other day.....


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