End of Year

I was good and didn't buy any perfume for about two months! How weird!

I did get two bottles at the end of the year, both which didn't break the bank.

The first is Tauerville Patch Flash (30ml), which I had heard good things about. To be honest, it's ok.   A kinda dirty patchouli, along the lines of L'Artisan's Patchouli Patch.  Kind of head shoppy. But very reasonably priced and I think I even had a discount on top of that.

I had been reading a lot of good things about A Lab on Fire's Paris*LA (60 ml), so I thought I'd give it a try.  I was curious about the macaron-cola notes.  It certainly is very fizzy on top, but I'm not sure of cola. Compared with Lubin's Bluff and L'Artisan's Mon Numéro 10, which have genuine cola vibe to them, it falls a bit short.  Also:  I am confused when people refer to it as gourmand, as it doesn't smell edible at all. But I like it okay, and will probably wear it once in a while.

Concrete

I went to Japan for two weeks back in the beginning of September, so put my buying on hold.  I meant to get a bottle of Hermès Cuir d'Ange, but I didn't.  There were also some Serge Lutens in duty free for about $100, though I already had most. Was going  to get Une Fille de Berlin, but, then, didn't.

So I've been back two weeks, back to work.  Have got a lot in those two weeks.

First and foremost, I got Comme de Garçons Concrete (80 ml).  There have been some complaints that it's not sandalwood and it's not petrichor..... well, I do think it is sandalwood.  Kind of a sweet one.  But better than a lot of recent sandalwoods out there.  I like it!  Nice variation on the standard pebble bottle, too, by having it made of actual concrete.

I also picked up bottle of Comme des Garçons Carnation (100 ml) from the Red Series. This is a pretty good carnation, not as clovey as usual.  This may be my favorite of what I have from the Red Series so far (I also have Harissa and Palisander).

I aso got yet another of L'Artisan Parfumeur's Mon Numéro series, Mon Numéro 4 (100 ml).  I certainly like it more than 3 and 9. I'll probably get more use of it.  Does lavender and leather make a barbershop scent?  I really don't think so.  I like it and will probably get use out of it.

On a whim, and after reading a positive review of it on Persolaise, I got a bottle of Reminiscence Oud (100 ml).  I've never really tried anything from Reminiscence before.  It's pretty nice.  Don't smell any oud at all, though.  Sadly, it doesn't come in the starry bottle.

Finally, I ordered a bottle back before I went to Japan of Serge Lutens De Profundis (75 ml).  I have yet to go pick it up.  Maybe today.  I've been busy and/or sleeping. By the time I wake up Barneys is closed.

Whew!  Also decants of Areej le Doré Siberian Musk (I guess I mentioned this before) and Oud Zen.  You, know? They're ok.  I don't think I needed full bottles.  I'm curious what they'll come out with in the future and am glad to have smelled natural musk.

Bois d'Encens

When I first started getting seriously into fragrance, people kept recommending to me Armani Code.  For some reason it never clicked.  I know Acqua di Gio is the men's bestseller, but it leaves me cold.

So it's kind of surprising to me that so far two in the Armani Privé line have made it into my collection.  They're a bit pricey and for a while unavailable. Last year I got Myrrhe Impériale.  I've been watching out for Bois d'Encens (100ml) for the past eight years, but never picked it up.  Boys in Basenotes used to claim that they were able to pick it up at Marshalls or TJ Maxx.  I was never so lucky.

Notino recently had it for basically half off so I finally got it.

It's a nice incense. I'm glad I was finally able to get it.

I also picked up a bunch of L'Artisans.... some for gifts later in the year.  For myself I got L'Été en Douce (100 ml).  Not really all that nuts about it.  I recently tried Glacialis Terra I kept thinking it reminded me of something.... and this is it!

I also got a tiny (5 ml) bottle of Providence Perfume Company Cocoa Tuberose.  It's ok.  Yet another Nestlé's Quik kind of scent. I smell  no tuberose. This bottle was, ml per ml, more expensive than an Amouage!

It's Been a Bit

Sorry.... was having keyboard troubles for a while there.  Couldn't return.  I did buy a bunch of things, but, alas, they are lost to history on here.  Ha ha.

Recenlty, I got a mere three items.  First, I got L'Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 3 (100 ml) because it's there.  It's ok.  Nothing remarkable.  Can't imagine someone paying big bucks for it as a bespoke fragrance.

Next, I got Comme des Garçons Series 2: Red Harissa (100 ml). Hmmmm.  Yet another Duchaufour..... Again, it's ok.  I think it's been discontinued.

Finally, I got Richard James Savile Row (50 ml).  Well, it's a fougère.  Nothing terribly great.  The way everyone on Basenotes raves about it.... Again, this may be a reformualtion.

I will try and stay current.

Between Oranges

A few years back, Musette over at Perfume Posse wrote a review of Ramon Monegal Entre Naranjos, which she translated as "Among Oranges "or "Between Oranges".  I still haven't tried the Monegal, but Between Oranges kind of stuck in my head.

As you may have noted, recently, I have been getting orange fragrances, with Mandarine-Mandarin and Theorema forefront. Although citrusy colognes read summer to me, I guess oranges are indeed a winter fruit.  In Japan, mikans are one of the things I -- and probably everyone in Japan -- associate with New Year's celebrations.  Anyway, I've been craving oranges lately.  There are limits to where I will go -- looking at you, Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine, unless I want to relive the smell of my grandmother's kitchen and orange juice concentrate. I suppose I could layer it with Annick Goutal Sables for the aroma of a pancake breakfast.

I recently got a bottle of L'Artisan Parfumeur Mandarine, the reissue of Mandarine Tout Simplement. L'Artisan reissued it a few years back as a limited edition at $100 for 100 ml, but lately are charging their regular price for edt.  Beauty Habit still had it at the $100 price point, so I grabbed a bottle. It is in the newer bottle and cap, so I'm not quite sure why Beauty Habit does not charge $145, but I'll take it!

Mandarine is very light, and probably will work better in the summer.

Photo from Luckyscent. 

Barneys Perfume/Wine-Tasting Event

Trillian (sp?), an SA at Barneys, organized an event for last night involving wine-drinking and how it enhances the whole scent experience.  I'm not sure that the objective was met, but it was a whole lot of fun, led by L'Artisan people Amy and Karen from the New York headquarters.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, truth be told, but Trillian did a good job selecting wines, I thought. The perfumes they chose to focus on were:  Rose Privée, Mandarine, Ambre Extrême, and Amour Nocturne. Three out of the four I do not own, which I was glad for, as it made the event more interesting for me.  I was able to appreciate Mandarine and Rose Privée much more than I had originally and might reconsider purchase at some date.  I still don't like the amber, but it made me realize why I liked Amour Nocturne in the first place.  The Explosions d'Émotions have not gone over too well, at least critically, from what I can tell. Paired with a dessert wine, it really shone among the night's offerings.

In addition to not really knowing much about wine, I haven't had a drink in ages. Consequently, I was rather tipsy by evening's end (we had four full glasses of wine within an hour and a half, with some nibbling on cheese and bread).   Hopefully, I wasn't too giggly.

Five attended (among 17 or so who RSVP'ed, so there were a lot of leftovers). L'Artisan was extremely generous to attendees. With a L'Artisan purchase, we received a bag which included: La Chasse aux Papillons shower gel, a 175 g Tilleuls au Vent candle, a small bottle of La Provence room spray (which they don't actually sell -- it probably smells of the new Boules de Provence), and a 50 ml bottle of either Timbuktu or Nuit de Tubéreuse -- I chose the latter, as I'm not much of a fan of Timbuktu. Anyway, this was completely unexpected.  I was thinking we would get a 15 ml of something and leave it at that. Very nice. Probably over $200 in giveaways!

I ended getting a bottle of Caligna as my purchase, which I had planned on.  I probably should have gotten the Mandarine or Rose Privée, as I would probably get more use of those than of Caligna. Or maybe backup bottles of Tea for Two or Dzing! Well, it just adds to my collection.

Anyway, it's nice to see me getting out and about.  I've tended to be a hermit lately outside of work.

Bearing the Cold

A bit back, I got a bottle of Serge Lutens Serge Noire.   I'm pretty happy with it.  Of course I didn't get this bottle.

Also available was L'Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numéro 9, which I bought blind.  I've read it described as a cologne.  I find it very similar to Parfum d'Empire Yuzu Fou, which, while citrus, is certainly not a cologne. They're almost too similar, so no need to own both, which now I do.  Numéro 9 is not as loud as Yuzu Fou, though.

I also got these shoes, which get me nothing but compliments:

They're Alexandre Plokhov, if yer interested.

Here's a pic of my feet wearing 'em someone took at work.  The above pic's color is more accurate, for some reason.

Back from Japan

After about a week and a half in Japan, I am back.  I have two more days, less now, left before I go back to work Friday night.

My bottle of Aedes de Venus's awaited me when I returned, and I am glad to report that I am extremely happy with this purchase.  It is much better than I remember it being.  People referred to it as Jubilation XXV lite -- I don't quite get that.  I have never really been a fan of the Amouage.  It's not bad.  I just never saw what people were all worked up about. L'Artisan's Aedes de Vensuas, nosed by Bertrand Douchaufour, is really beautiful.  It's a shame it is being discontinued. Plus, it was a real steal.

At Narita, I ventured into the Hermès shop.  The SAs this trip didn't seem to know much.  Much of the stock in the smaller bottles was low or out.  I sampled Epice Marine.  I liked it, and may have gotten 15 ml as part of the set had it been there.  They didn't have the recent Cuir d'Ange, which I was also interested in trying.  I ended up getting a 100 ml bottle of Rose Ikebana -- which was kind of what I had been planning all along.

Since it was kind of duty free, and with the stronger dollar to yen lately, it only ran me about $180, where it is normally $240 plus tax at Hermès boutiques, so not a bad deal.  This is my second full bottle of one of the Hermessence line, the first being Osmanthe Yunnan.

The New Year

I'm here right now in Japan.  I got here the night of the 9th.  It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm up because, well, jet lag.

First, some news.  I got that job full time that I've been doing for the past six months occasionally.  I officially started this month.  So, I am happy.  My hours are going to be the midnight shift, so I really shouldn't be jet-lagged. I'll be here in Japan for two weeks or so, so hopefully will adjust in time to go back to work and then not experience jet lag back home.

I forgot to pack perfume samples so I will be scentless for the next two weeks, unless I decide to wear what Naoki has: Terre D'Hermès parfum, Alain Delon Samourai, or Givenchy Insense Aquamarine.  I wouldn't mind the Hermès, but not every day. The other two, no thanks.

Since I last posted, I bought a bottle of 10 Corso Como.

Before I left a very cold Chicago, I ordered a bottle of the L'Artisan Aedes de Venustas from a few years back, which is being discontinued, since Aedes de Venustas started all over again. I just chanced upon the L'Artisan web site, and they were having a sale.  Oddly (as it was only ever for sale on the Aedes web site), among the sale items was the Aedes de Venustas edp. Normally, I think it runs $180 for 100 ml. It was on sale for something like $40! So I grabbed it. 

Yesterday, Naoki and I went out for tonkatsu.  Today, we're going out for hitsumabushi.  Seriously, I'm trying to diet.

Somewhat interestingly, yesterday I was on this social web site, and this guy started chatting with me.  He lives in Yamagata-ken, teaching English on the JET Program. I mentioned that I had been on the JET Program for three years.  He's a young'un -- 25 years old.  It wasn't until I woke up jet-lagged in the middle of the night that I realized that I had started working on the JET Program in 1989 -- the year this young feller WAS BORN.

Yikes! I am getting old.

Meeting Sara After Work

Last night I met Sara for Barney's bag event.  I was going to order a bell jar of Miel De Bois, but Andy and Sara convinced me to get L'Artisan's Rappelle-Toi.  Although I wish I stuck to my guns, I do like the L'Artisan more than the other two semi-recent Explosions d'Emotions..... Sara got Haute Voltige.

I also had ordered Donna Karan Black Cashmere from Neimans, which finally was delivered yesterday, along with Fleurs de Citronnier from Lucky Scent.

I'm on  a diet, natch, so I sat with Sara and her friend Shannon, who always seems to show up, while they ate at Connie's, and didn't get home until fairly late (for me). I didn't sleep a whole lot today.

Iris Silver Mist

I had two Barneys gift certificates totaling around $55, so decided to use them to buy a Serge Lutens bell jar.  I figured I should get Iris Silver Mist, even though the jury is still out on it.  Everyone adores it (I'm not so sure), and I think I should own it.  Andy at Barneys called someone, who turned out to be the Beverly Hills store, and it finally was delivered Friday.

The perfume I received is actually colorless.  I was trying to compare it with L'Artisan's Iris Pallida, and don't find a huge difference.  This is my fourth bell jar, after Bornéo 1834, Muscs Koublaï Khän, and El Attarine.   Truth be told the first two are kinda fakes, as I bought decants with 15 ml in bell jars of them from The Perfumed Court, and dumped the contents of my spray bottles into them.  So, if you don't count them, this is my second bell jar.

Andy was nice enough to give me a 10 ml sample of Byredo Accord Oud and a 15  ml of L'Artisan's Prémier Figuier.  I may give them both away.  I have the Premier Figuier Extrême, which I think I like better.  Fig works weird on me.

L'Artisan had a sale today, with lots of things on sale for $15 - $28 or so.  I grabbed a bunch, including La Chasse aux Papillons body creme, Mûre et Musc body oil, shower gel, and body milk, plus a gift set of Mûre et Musc Extrême (which I kinda hate -- it smells like grape Kool Aid on me).  I told Carmon, the manager of my condo building, about the sale, and by the time she went to the site, the sale was over.  I had made my purchase the same day!

I figure I can use these for gifts throughout the year.

EDIT:  The Mûre et Musc Extrême gift set did not come.  I wrote to L'Artisan and, unfortunately, they were out of them.  They gave me a 20% off voucher code, which I thought was nice, and will refund the amount for the set.  I gave my sister the dry body oil (I was at her house for dinner tonight [July 3]) and the Premier Figuier 15 ml.



Photo from SergeLutens.com. 

More Shoes, Perfumes....

I got these Converse plimsolls --- as opposed to sneakers... hmmmm.

They feel kind of narrow.  I wore them to work today.  My feet were really sore when I got home.  Maybe it's just because they are new.

I got État Libre d'Orange La Fin du Monde, 50 ml.  Which I like.

Also, the reissue of L'Artisan's Jour de Fête, 100 ml.

Cheapies

I got a couple of old cheapies this week.

Back in the '90s, Yasutaka used to wear this, and I started to wear it and wore it exclusively for several years .  It's been discontinued, but Fragrancenet had it on sale, so I bought it:  Dunhill Edition.

The opening is harsher than I remember. This may have to do that it is old, and the top notes have gone.  We will see if I still like it.  The bottles I had back then were splash bottles, and I dabbed.  This bottle is only a spray. I think Zino took over as the main thing I wore some time in the '90s.

My second cheapie is Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui. Back when I first joined Basenotes in 2009, a few more senior members got together and gave a bunch of samples to new members, and I was one of the lucky ones.  AromiErotici sent me, among some other things, Oscar Pour Lui.  It just smelled so gorgeous at the time.  I remember spraying my sample in front of my mother and she just smiled. I went through the sample pretty quickly, and oddly never got a bottle, until now.

We shall see if I still like it.  Also, if I remember correctly, the sample was vintage.  This is no doubt a reformulation. (It was only like $20.)  So it may smell completely different.  [EDIT:  I ended up giving this to Junior, who sits next to me at work.  I'll have to get my own bottle at a later date.]

The other two bottles I ordered were backups:  L'Artisan Parfumeur Bois Farine (100 ml -- news is out that it is being discontinued).  The bottle I already had was 50 ml.   I was afraid I might run out if it is gone.   The second backup is Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille.  I heard this might be discontinued as well, which is just weird, since it was just released a few years ago. If Janet likes it, I may give her one of the bottles.  But I really love it.  Both of these bottles were very much discounted.


Dunhill Edition photo from Ozmoz.
Oscar Pour Lui photo from Fragrantica. 

L'Eau Du Navigateur

I ordered this a while back (around the same time I ordered Chaos), and it just arrived today.

I bought this blind, partially because it has been discontinued, and partly because it was pretty cheap. Per Fragrantica, the notes are coffee, spices, woodsy notes, floral notes, rum, resin, incense, tobacco, leather, cedar and myrrh. I've read some reviews and some people say they don't get coffee at all.  I smell coffee and cinnamon right off the bat.  After a quick sniff, it smells nice.  Don't quite get the love some people shower on it, though.   I'll wear it more before making a complete judgment.







Photo from L'Artisan Parfumeur.

Basenotes Chicago Meet-Up

I met a bunch of people this weekend from Basenotes who all came to Chicago to walk around, shop, and talk perfume.  I had a great time, and I hope we can all do this again.  Some came all the way from Boston and Seattle! I felt ind of odd-man out, especially as I was the only man there not married to one of the participants.  But everyone was extremely nice and mdd me, as well as other newcomers, very welcome.

I ended up getting L'Artisan Parfumeur Amour Nocturne.

I'm surprised this is the second of the Explosions d'Émotions that I got.   I was expecting to get Skin on Skin, but, after multiple wearings, decided it was kind of sweet.  This may have to do with the soap I have been using lately, this interesting gel foam by this brand called Rituals.  The can of soap came with the Barneys bag.  Because I bought more this weekend, Andy gave me another bag, PLUS two more cans of the soap! Anyway, the soap is supposed to be scented of cherry blossoms (I never knew they had a scent), which may explain the heightened sweetness of Skin on Skin.  I will try it again later, without the soap.

We also went to Hermès, where I got, oddly, the Terre d'Hermès Parfum.  I like it more than the edt, but I wasn't really feeling it when I wore it today.  Nice cap/sprayer, though!

Again, my reaction may have to do with the dang soap. I could have gotten it at a discounter, rather than pay full for it at the Hermès boutique on Oak Street.  Also:  when I checked the Hermès web site, they had a different bottle (1 oz) plus a large refill bottle for the same price.

Saks has the Christian Dior Collection Privée line, and I was looking forward to testing them all out.  However, several people wanted to decant my bottle of Byredo Black Saffron (and one of my M/Mink), so I took the bus home, got stuff, and then came back, missing their tour of Neiman Marcus and catching them at the tail end of Saks.  I live here, so I suppose I can go myself any time.  Also, I didn't need to spend still more money! But I wanted to sniff.

After Saks, we went to Nordstroms, which I guess I have never been to before, and I was kind of lost, not seeing much that I was interested in.

Finally, we went to Merz Apothecary.  They have Santa Maria Novella, and this time, they finally seem to have the potpourri, but only for the terra cotta urns.  They also had the terra cotta pomegranates.  So I may get one or the other for someone for a Christmas present.  Alas, no Nostalgia!

From there we went to Quarry's room at the Palmer House, and everyone swapped samples.  There was nowhere really to sit except the floor.  As I was not feeling especially limber, I stood the whole time, and finally just pooped out and went home on the bus with another newbie, Annette, who lived near me.

Amour Nocturne photo from Barneys.
Terre d'Hermès Parfum photo from Badger and Blade.

Explosions d'Émotions

Today, I went to Barneys.  They were having yet another bag event.  Ashley had called me Thursday to ask me to come to a L'Artisan thing that was also going on today.  The last time there was a L'Artisan thing at Barneys, I was on my way to Japan, and couldn't make it.

Anyway, the L'Aritisan event coincided with the release of their Explosions d'Émotions trio, Amour Nocturne, Déliria, and Skin on Skin.

For some reason these come in 125 ml bottles, and kind-o-deluxe packaging.

Don't know about you, but whenever I hear Explosions d'Émotions, this song goes running through my head.... where it has been stuck all day. Maybe I'm showing my age.

Anyway, I liked all three of these.  Déliria is the weirdest scent L'Artisan has come out with in a while.  I'm not sure how to describe it. Delirious kind of fits.  On another customer at Barneys, it was very sweet.  On me, not so much, thank you.  Skin on Skin is a nice leather -- non-sweet for all you who were wondering.  The closest I can think of is Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. I'll have to compare.

The woman from L'Artisan was lovely.  I was kind of confused at one point, because all press I have read lists gunpowder as a note in Amour Nocturne.  The woman from L'Artisan said, no, it is in Skin on Skin.  Smelling the latter, I do smell it there, and not in Amour Nocturne.  So I don't know what to think about this.  Even the L'Artisan site says gunpowder is in Amour Nocturne.

I ended up going home with a bottle of Déliria, along with an atomizer full of Skin on Skin.  If I wanted to shell out all the money, I could have gone home with all three full bottles, which would have been signed by Bertrand Duchaufour.  Well, now. Other perks include a 15 ml bottle of La Chasse aux Papillons, which, you know, is not me! I'll probably give it to Janet.  Continuing with my free-association trend today, whenever I hear La Chasse aux Papillons, I think of being chased by a pack of these things:

In the 1960s, Mattel had a line of their Liddle Kiddle dolls called Kiddle Kolognes, with scented dolls in perfume bottles. To me La Chasse aux Papillons smells exactly like the doll Janet had when we were kids, Honeysuckle Kiddle.

No wonder we grew up so twisted!

I had a selection of the minis to choose from, and I had the other ones already, or didn't like.  (I think they were Mûre et Musc Extrême [which I hate, actually] or Premier Figuier.)

The bag from the bag event actually was very nice, with more that I can use than usual.  I think Andy gave me double on certain items since I am such a good customer/easy mark.  I'll talk more about some of what I got in a later post.

Déliria photo from L'Artisan Parfumeur.
Papillon photo from thedogtrainingsecret.com
Kiddle Kologne photo from etsy.com. 

Divine Bergamote

I ordered a bottle of The Different Company Divine Bergamote (now, just Bergamote).  My bottle still has the "Divine" on it, so it must be an older one, before the name change.  Same screw-top lid as with Osmanthus.  I also ordered a bottle of Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge for a present for someone at work.

I went to Barneys today and got a bottle of L'Artisan Parfumeur Al Oudh for a present for Tamio, since he drives me to work all the time.  He has no life lately, and just seems to work all the time.

Dries Van Noten par Frédéric Malle

I went to Barneys today on the way to a doctor's appointment.   I had a $22 gift card and was prepared to walk away with something cheap, either L'Artisan's Mandarine or Comme des Garçons 2 Man.  Instead, I got a 50 ml bottle of Dries Van Noten par Frédéric Malle.

Spend! Spend! Spend!

Image from Frédéric Malle.

Mon Numéro 10

I had a $25 gift card from Barney's, my father had sent me a $100 bill in the mail, and I was downtown, so I went to Barney's. I decided to get a bottle of L'Artisan's Mon Numéro 10, of which I have a ton of samples.  So, it ended up costing me $94.

Ashley was there, at last.  There had been some L'Artisan event a while back, which I couldn't make, since I worked too late.  Anyway, they were giving out gifts at this even, and they had some leftovers.  So it turns out, she saved me one, since I was a good customer:  a 15 ml bottle of Fleur de Narcisse.  I had never smelled this, but it is actually really nice.  The Perfume Guide gives it only 3 stars, but I think I would rate it higher, and regret it is out of circulation.  I could have sworn one of the online retailers sold it still, but I was unable to find it anywhere.

Premier Figuier Extrême

I got the limited edition ten year anniversary of Premier Figuier, in the extreme, eau de parfum version.  Per L'Artisan's web site, Olivia Giacobetti is the perfumer.