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...

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/

A Saturday jaunt to the Capital

My wife and I, and our two kids, spent the day in London on Saturday. Nothing remarkable about that, except that as a family, we only get up from Tunbridge Wells about twice a year. Since leaving London in 2007 we haven't really missed the place, but as the children are getting a bit older its nice to make the odd excursion. 

On this occasion we went to the museums in South Kensington, the Science Museum and The Natural History Museum. For those of you not that familiar with London, most major museums offer free entry these days, and have done so since about 2001. Major exhibitions are different; one still pays to see these. There is actually a lot of free stuff to see and do in London, which makes it a great place to visit, and also with children. For those of you who have been to any of the museums in South Kensington, you will have probably found out for yourself that they are exceptionally busy, particularly the Natural History Museum. It was manic this weekend, with literally hundreds of kiddies running riot, including ours. Anyone with young children will know that little minds do not have great attention spans, so we only spent about an hour in each of the two museums. My older daughter Hannah enjoyed looking at the aeroplanes at the Science Museum. They have one of the engines from a Boeing 747 on display and it is a frighteningly massive piece of equipment, close up. Both children loved the Natural History Museum, which has a great (if busy) dinosaur display and lots of the to-be-expected stuffed wild animals, like a lion, tiger, gorilla, etc. Particularly impressive is the skeleton and also life-size model of a blue whale, which takes up the better part of the roof space of a huge exhibition hall. Imagine meeting one of those in real life!

Of course, London being London, and me being me, crazy perfume fanatic that I am, no visit would be complete without a brief excursion to a couple of perfume places. I popped into Les Senteurs in Belgravia (more about that in another post) and Harrods in Knightsbridge. As Valentines Day is on Monday, Harrods was awash with zombie men trying to find a last-minute perfume for their partners and of course, sales assistants waving perfume bottles in one's face. I have learned to bump them off, mostly politely, but I do find Harrods daunting at times, particularly around Christmas and Valentines Day. I did smell the two newish Guerlains on paper, Arsene Lupin Dandy and Voyou. I must say that neither made a huge impression on me, but I clearly would need to test them on skin to form a proper and fair opinion. Of the two I think I preferred Dandy, but both disappeared very quickly on paper, lasting not much more than a couple of hours. I also tried Fleurs de Sel by Miller Harris, which I've never seen before. It was interesting. Slightly weird, but worth a revisit at some point. My final spray was Secret Oud, by Caron. The sales lady said that Harrods have the exclusive right to sell this in London, but a hour later I saw it at Les Senteurs as well, so I am not convinced she was correct. In any event, it smells rather interesting, although the oud had more of a vetiver vibe on paper than the oud smell I was expecting. This is seriously expensive at about £137 for a 50ml bottle (not sure what this is in US dollars). Actually, the Guerlains are bloody expensive too, not much cheaper than the Caron, and with less staying power, on paper at least.

After the perfume detour, we popped into a pub in Victoria for a quick pint of Doom Bar beer, then it was off to a Chinese Buffet place that we always used to eat at when we lived in London. It is cheap and cheerful, and doesn't feel awfully clean, if I'm being honest, but the crispy duck and pancakes are yum, as is the crispy seaweed. My two girls loved it, having not eaten Chinese before. We eventually got home at about 9pm that night and the poor mites were utterly exhausted. Actually, we felt a bit guilty keeping them out so long, but they did have a good time and we don't do this often.

So, all in all a good day, but I must admit that one day in London at a time is more than enough for me. It can be a crazy busy place and it's always good to return to a more mundane and sedate pace of life all being told!