It's sample time again!

This is a bit of a nonsense post I suppose, but I am quite excited as I have ordered my first batch of samples in about three months. As I'm sure most of you know, or have experienced, obtaining new perfumes can become a bit of an obsession; some would even say an addiction, whether it be full bottles, decants or samples. I can't really afford full bottles or large decants, so samples it is for me, and has been, for at least two years now. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but my usual sources of purchased samples (I'm not above literally begging sales staff for samples by the way, and am sure I am viewed as a bit of a sicko, or pest, at my local department stores) are Luckyscent in the US, First in Fragrance in Germany, and Les Senteurs in the UK. I have also purchased from The Perfumed Court, but I do find them quite expensive, but admittedly they have an incredible stock. As the pound is currently weak against the Euro, I've also found First in Fragrance quite pricy and can often get the same stuff from Luckyscent for two thirds the price, although admittedly their sample vials tend to be smaller. My experience with The Perfumed Court was good, but a little strange, at least for me. I wasn't used to receiving little packets of perfumes from the various sellers, at different times. In a way it was quite nice because I had three lots of anticipation and deliveries.

I ordered some samples from Les Senteurs yesterday, who are based in London. Again, I've mentioned it before, but for those of you from the US, if you're ever in London, do make the effort to pop into this place in Belgravia, which is but a stone's throw away from Victoria Station. They carry a lovely range of perfumes, including Frederic Malle, Caron, Parfumerie Generale, Serge Lutens, Lorenzo Villoresi, ELDO, Parfums D'Empire, Creed, Mona Di Orio, Parfums Delrae, Byredo and Robert Piguet. Here's a link to their website. What I love about Les Senteurs is that although you pay for samples if you order online, if you visit in person they will happily decant any reasonable number of samples for you, for free.

This is a list of what I ordered: 

Parfumerie Generale - Querelle

Caron - Yatagan

Mona di Orio - Les Nombres D'or Cuir

Andy Tauer - Orange Star

Frederic Malle - Iris Poudre

Byredo Baudelaire

Yatagan was one of the first niche perfumes I ever sampled, more than three years ago, but I can hardly remember what it smelled like, so am keen to try again now that I have more experience. I haven't tried the others before, but have read fairly good things about them.

I would be interested in finding out if any of you have sampled some or all of these.

Incidentally, my scents of the day today were Chanel 28 La Pausa and Czech & Speake's No 88. I have reviewed La Pausa before. I quite like it - very refined and sophisticated. Very Chanel I suppose.  No 88 just doesn't speak to me. I've had samples of this for a year or two now and have worn it at least a dozen times, but nope, it just isn't me. I know it has some ardent fans but I can't get past that slightly sweet, geranium and rose combination, which for some reason reminds me of the smell of a chewing gum we had growing up as kids, called Pepsin. It was almost a wintergreen smell and in itself is quite nice, but for some reason I just don't like it much in a perfume. In fact, I don't like the smell of geraniums very much. Is that strange?

Image credit: www.theperfumeryuk.com

Montale Black Oud vs Czech & Speake Dark Rose

I have had samples of both Black Oud and Dark Rose for some time now and have worn these two regularly over the last eighteen months. To my mind, I thought they were quite similar, so thought I would wear them side by side, one on each wrist. Readers of my blog might know that I am generally quite a fan of both oud and rose perfumes, and the combination of the two can be stunning and is a tried-and-tested duo. I went through a bit of a rose fetish a while back and more recently on an oud bender.  Black Oud is one Montale that always seems to encourage debate - just visit the Basenotes reviews for example, and you will see what I mean. Dark Rose is less well known perhaps, but perhaps the Czech and Speake line as a whole is becoming better known, as recently (i.e the last eighteen months) they have stepped up their marketing, at least in the UK. 

Black Oud opens with a strong medicinal blast, a common theme in the Montale Oud series. Any western nose familiar with more Western-based oud perfumes will recognise this accord. It's quite an oily perfume on skin, suggestive of its concentration and strength. The powerful opening is quite astringent and pungent and I can see some people being put off by this. The rose emerges quite quickly and it isn't a fresh, green, dewy rose; rather it is quite sweet and earthy. At the same time there is a sourness as well, which might be citrus, but I'm not sure. The heart is rose and oud; no surprises there. There is some patchouli here too (some say a lot) but I never find it that obvious, although it might lend that earthiness I was referring to. The rose is of high quality I think, but I do find that Black Oud wears very differently on my skin depending on the season. In winter the rose can come across quite sour and thin, but in heat it blooms and becomes gorgeously sweet and rich. I would say that Black Rose is quite linear. Once you get past the medicinal oud opening, the rest is pretty much rose and a bit of woods, but amped up, so that what you get is a bold, intense and long-lasting perfume. In fact, sometimes Black Oud's intensity and linearity bores me, as it goes on and on, without really altering. However, in warm weather it definitely reveals a more interesting facet. I wore Black Oud a few months ago at the height of the South African summer, when I was out there on holiday. The woody subtleties of the fragrance were revealed, and as I said, the rose more well-rounded. In the gloom and cold of a northern winter, Black Oud can be rather severe and constant, at least on my skin.

Dark Rose also opens with a medicinal oud edge, but is much more restrained than Black Oud. There is also a slight soapiness to the opening which surprised me. The rose is very prominent, perhaps more so than Black Oud's, but it is perhaps less sweet and a bit greener. Other than that, the first half wears fairly similar to Black Oud. As the fragrance progresses, I feel that it is thinner and less rich than Black Oud, almost watered down by comparison. I think Dark Rose is still well done, and one might find it more to their liking if Montale's ouds come across as too strong and forceful.

Having worn these side by side, I find that they are not quite as similar as I first thought wearing them separately. My personal preference is for Black Oud, which I find richer, more complex, has a better and more realistic rose note and somehow its sweeter character suits the rose more, in my opinion. That's not to say that Dark Rose is a poor fragrance; it isn't, and if you are someone who likes, or is interested in, rose and oud perfumes, I would certainly recommend trying them both. I would say that both tend to be more masculine in character, but particular with Black Oud, I think the sweet rose brings it back more into unisex territory and I can't see why a woman could not at least try it.

Image credit: florissential.co.uk

Czech and Speake Frankincense and Myrrh

Czech & Speake is another of those slightly quirky, English perfumeries, also based in Jermyn Street in London (refer to my recent post on the Geo F. Trumper line). C&S, like Trumper, tends to turn out rather masculine perfumes, but not quite as old-fashioned as Trumper, with fewer colognes. They had a very generous sample programme about a year or so ago (perhaps they still do, it's worth checking) whereby if you registered on their website, they sent you samples of their entire collection for free. For some reason I registered twice by mistake, and lo and behold, I received two lots of their samples, so I am no stranger to their perfumes. I don't want to discuss the whole line, as it is relatively extensive, but one I wore today is Frankincense and Myrrh. I was in an incense frame of mind for some reason and thought I would revisit this oddity. The notes include citrus, basil, myrrh, camomile, clary sage, pimento leaf, lavender, frankincense, sandalwood and cedar. The opening is quite citrusy, and is joined fairly quickly by a muted incense note. If you enjoy perfumes like Heeley's Cardinal, Incense Pure by Sonoma Scent Studio, or Incense Extreme by Tauer, the C&S might just leave you feeling a little let down. Shortly after the incense interlude, a mild and quite sweet myrrh note emerges with a herbal accompaniment of Lavender. After that, Frankincense and Myrrh is all about Lavender on my skin, with some woods. It becomes slightly dated and the lavender dominates all the way into the dry down, and even then it never relinquishes its hold. In itself, this is not a poor fragrance, but I wanted more intense incense notes and in the end, I find it a wearable fragrance, but ultimately a little fusty and dull. It qualifies as unisex I suppose, but in my opinion sways more towards the masculine side.

While on the subject of C&S, I quite enjoy Dark Rose, which is a rose-oud combo very much in the vein of Montale's Black Oud, but milder and more approachable. It's probably my favourite in the line. No 88 receives a lot of love from male perfume lovers, particularly over at Basenotes. I find No 88 to be a slightly strange, musty and powdery rose-geranium perfume, not totally my cup of tea. It does have its rabid fans though, so who am I to disagree? The rest of the line is worth exploring, but I must admit that many of them leave me feeling slightly short-changed, particularly at these prices. However, if you can get free samples of these, then why not give them a go? You might just be pleasantly surprised. I suspect that a lot of the ladies among you might find C&S a bit easier to sample. Cuba and Citrus Paradisi in particular might be a good starting point, and although not my cup of tea, No 88 might appeal to the rose lovers among you.

Image credit: http://www.mensflair.com