Creative Scentualization Perfect Kiss

I dedicate this review to Sarah Horowitz-Thran, founder of Creative Scentualization. Despite her best efforts to launch this dreamboat fragrance for Valentine's Day, regulatory red tape just would not allow it. Therefore I chose to wear my Perfect Kiss sample today, Valentine's Day, and live to tell about it.

This being my first Valentine's Day as a married woman, it was very important for me to choose a fragrance fitting the occasion. Sarah, you have created a masterpiece with this one. I absolutely love it. The notes that were outlined for us at Sarah's workshop escape me now, although I do remember chocolate being one of them. I've never been a chocolate scent lover. I'd rather devour an entire bag of M&M's dark than sniff chocolate on my wrist all day. Nonetheless, Perfect Kiss resonates chocolate covered strawberries and everything that goes with them, kisses, roses, hugs, and love. Perfect Kiss smells sweet but not overly so, interesting enough to be complimented and feminine. It quite simply is the perfect Valentine's Day scent! I smell delicious, huggable and snuggable today ... just how I'd like to be. My only regret is that I have a tiny sample vial. I could bathe in this!

A great aspect the Creative Scentualization line offers is the ability to layer with body cream, scent oil and EDP. The body creams are very true to scent so I foresee purchasing Perfect Kiss in the cream and EDP formulation when it becomes available March 21st (thank you R!). You can purchase the product directly from the Creative Scentualization website: www.creativescent.com. I imagine luckyscent and others will offer it as well. Happy Valentine's Day to my wonderful fragrance friends. You are loved today and every day!

Anne Pliska

At first sniff, I was confused. Confused because I could not detect one particular note in this concoction. The sign of a well blended scent, for certain. Furthermore, when I set out to do research on Anne herself and the history of her fragrance I found many blog entries dedicated to it but no facts or figures. Again, confused.

As I let the scent, both the cream and EDP, sit on my skin for a while my confusion dissipated and was replaced with like, extreme like. First of all, its staying power is fantastic! Secondly, the scent is simultaneously dynamite, sexy, sensual, contradictory and comforting. It captures for me everything I wanted to find in Fifi Chachnil but couldn't. I am not saying the two are similar. Rather the images evoked by the scents resemble one another. Anne Pliska reminds me of a natural, confident, effortless yet complicated and mysterious woman who at first comes across as wholesome, very descriptive of my idol, Julianne Moore. And by wholesome I mean the orange peel in the top note. It's sweet bitterness soon yields to vanilla, amber, geranium, patchouli and musk. But don't let the odd combination of notes scare you. I cannot detect a one. All of them combined render nothing more than a picture of sultry, red sexiness.

Anna Pliska has evaded my interest for years and yet what a gem. I am thankful to the kind soul who gifted this to me at the Sniffapalooza. Otherwise, I would never have discovered this subtle, non-commercial beauty. It is the scent of candlelit dinners, little black dresses, rose petals, and red wine. And how perfect that I discovered it just before Valentine's Day! A little goes a long way with this fragrance, so just a dab'll do ya. The lotion bears an almost identical scent to the EDP and could be an inspiring substitute or layering essential.

Victoria has a blog dedicated to this scent. Read more here:
http://annepliska.blogspot.com.

Image sources: luckyscent.com, www.notwriting.com

Anne Pliska can be purchased at lusciouscargo.com and luckyscent.com, $55 for 60mL EDP.

Creative Scentualization Perfect Gardenia

This past weekend I had the pleasure of not only meeting Sarah Horowitz-Thran, perfumer and founder of Creative Scentualization, but also attending a workshop she facilitated. The featured fragrance to convey her thoughts and ideas? The creamy and interesting Perfect Gardenia.

Sarah began the study of this fragrance by describing the gardenia plant - the creaminess of the petals, the lush green of the leaves, and the dirtiness of the earth from which it grows. Her goal with this fragrance was to capture the entire gardenia plant, roots to petals.

The fragrance begins with a burst of bergamot, followed by lush gardenia and clean freesia. To me, this is what you see of the gardenia plant, the green coinciding with white, the smoothness of the petals and shine of its leaves. The fragrance concludes with french vanilla and patchouli. These notes conjure up the feeling and smells of the plant itself, the silky and creamy texture of white petals above the cool dirt where they originate. Overall, Sarah has very successfully achieved the essence of an entire gardenia plant.

During the workshop, the patchouli was so offensive to my nose I couldn't even sniff it. What was most appealing? The bergamot, freesia and french vanilla. I've always guessed my favorite notes as citrus, white flowers and vanilla. Sarah's workshop definitely cemented my suspicions. In fact, I am so sensitive to patchouli that I detect it with the first sniff of Perfect Gardenia. However, the other notes are prominent enough to sway my senses and although this fragrance cannot be called my favorite gardenia, it is definitely beautifully composed and true to the perfumer's vision. And unlike so many gardenia scents available, it possesses mysterious, subtle and non-cloying qualities. Huge thanks to Sarah for her patience and most of all her passion! I look forward to reviewing her newest creations very soon. And I will most definitely purchase multiple fragrances from her unique line!

Perfect Gardenia can be purchased at www.luckyscent.com, 1.7 oz. retails for $75 and right now you will receive a free roll-on oil with this purchase.
Image source: www.luckyscent.com

Fragrance Heaven

I'm baaaack! What an incredible day I had (I should say we all had) at the first ever Los Angeles Sniffapalooza. Meeting perfumistas that I have been chatting with and trading scents with for years, hearing from famous noses and fragrance creators, and sniffing fragrances I've drooled over on the internet can only be described as truly amazing. Spending time with individuals whose passion for scent parallels mine created an incredible sense of belonging and community. And did I mention shopping?! Oh, the shopping. If only I were a celebrity living in Los Angeles and I had an inexhaustible bank account ...

In thinking about each moment of the day, it is truly difficult for me to name a favorite. They were all so profound and enjoyable. Hearing the inspiring stories of professionals in the fragrance industry, shaking hands with Sarah, founder of Creative Scentualization, and meeting Marlen from Perfume Critic and hearing about his vision for his website are among some of the highlights.

I returned home with a deep sense of satisfaction and some amazing fragrances, all of which I will be reviewing within the next few weeks. I also have a greater understanding of the art of perfumery which can only allow me to write with more detail. Most importantly, I have some wonderful friends in Los Angeles and New York whom I know I can call on for fragrance inspiration and recommendations! Thank you to Karen and Karen for organizing and bringing this event to the West Coast. I am grateful to have been a part of it and look forward to many more!

LA Sniffapalooza

Off I go this weekend to sniff to my heart's content at the first Los Angeles Sniffapalooza! Sniffapalooza is offered by two perfumistas, Karen Dubin and Karen Adams. It occurs generally several times per year in New York City and it has attained national recognition!!

From 8am to 7pm Saturday I will be experiencing fragrances, learning from perfumers and meeting other perfumistas. I am absolutely ecstatic and this event promises to be amazing and one-of-a-kind ... definitely something I have dreamt about since I was a little tike.

The best aspect of it is I will have many scents to inspire blogging next week. So although I will be out this weekend, please stay tuned to next week's reviews. They promise to be unique!

Image source: www.profumo.com

Banana Republic Alabaster

As I've said before, I like pretty things. On second thought, I should clarify. I like pretty and unique things. Banana Republic's fall 2006 fragrance launch promised unique and interesting scents. Of the three, Alabaster sounded most like my cup of tea. With lotus flower as the top note, wild rose as the base note, and white amber as the drydown, this fragrance would perhaps fit my tastes perfectly.

Banana Republic very generously offers samples of this fragrance. Just ask any BR sales person and you will receive multiple fragrance cards which you peel open to reveal a damp, Alabaster scented swab to dab on your skin. I appreciate their generosity! Fragrance samples have become difficult to attain lately at department stores.

Although its description is quite lovely, all I get is a very watered down, quite generic lotus flower. That to me is a contradiction in terms since lotus flowers are anything but generic. Ancient Egyptian religion revered lotus flowers as symbols of sun, creation and rebirth. The pure white lotus is the only plant to fruit and flower simultaneously. It seems any scent devoted to the lotus should be extremely complex, contradictory and interesting. Unfortunately, Alabaster does not fit the bill. The rose never makes its appearance on my skin which would be quite lovely if it did.

The irony of the marketing campaign is quite abundant. The exotic nature of the lotus flower juxtaposed to a very generic bottle and a very Caucasian (although beautiful) woman clearly states its marketing target. Those of us with a penchant for more rare and exotic scents will find this .... well .... boring. Nice try Banana Republic. Although I am sure you sell quite a bit of this scent for its mass market appeal and inoffensive qualities, I need something a little more unique. Maybe I'll sniff Jade next time.

Image source: www.bananarepublic.com

Sadness

Today is a very sad day. The thing about sadness is it hits you when you least expect it. One minute you can be on top of the world, anticipating wonderful things, noticing all the beauty in this crazy world of ours, sniffing your wrists joyfully and tapping your foot to a great song. And then "it" happens. Whatever "it" is ... it could be a car accident, a painful realization, an encounter with a rude person, or ..... bad news. Today my husband and I received some very bad news.

So what do you do with the sadness? Do you just move on with your day as if nothing has happened? Do you clean obsessively? Do you blow off work and go get an ice cream cone? Do you stuff down your tears and hope they go away? Or do you get your car washed and an oil change? This perfumista did the latter. Yep. That's what I did with my sadness ... that is until I could sit with Jeffrey and talk it out hours later. And when we sat, I cried. And cried. I'm still crying. It feels like my house is crying, the sky is crying, the world is crying.

No, neither one of has a fatal illness, none of our loved ones died, and things are still relatively okay. My heart goes out to those dealing with those scenarios. The human spirit is amazing and the strength people can muster during times of sadness inspires me greatly. Thank goodness I married my husband. He sees the silver lining of it all and can be a rock of faith when I am lacking it.

So, perfumistas, I have a strange desire to wear a black fragrance today. I don't own any. Leather, incense, patchouli and woodsy notes have never struck my fancy. But right now, I wish I had one.

What is your favorite black fragrance?

Image source: www.themysticcorner.com

When Did It All Begin?

I have been fascinated with smells as long as I can remember. I must have an overly developed olfactory sense that originated when I was born. At least that is my only explanation for my obsession with perfume as a young girl, perhaps a toddler. Coming from a family with many aunts on each side who all wore at least one scent, I received much fuel for my fire. Aunt Suzie wore Shalimar, curled her eyelashes and listened to Led Zeppelin. Aunt Nancy wore Jean Nate, had a purple bedroom and loved to write letters to her girlfriends. No one captured my interest and curiosity greater, however, than my Aunt Mary Lynn. Not only is she beautiful, she is extremely feminine and she expresses it through fragrance and makeup. She and I have a kinship, a sacred circle if you will, of girly-girlness. My grandmother recalls that I would sit on the toilet seat and watch her apply her makeup and perfume as a wee little one.

When I became a teenager, I noticed she had a glass square container in the bathroom chock full of fragrance samples. I was amazed that she had amassed that many. How did she do it? I also remember Fracas and Cartier full bottles in her collection. And no one wore Chanel Coco better than her. In fact, I cannot wear Coco to this day because I strongly associate it with her. It belongs to her, per se.

I recall shopping with her when she discovered Cacharel's Anais Anais. She shopped the perfume counters as methodically and stealthily as a cat hunting for a mouse. And when she found it, she lingered awhile, exploring the object of her captivation. It did not take her long to decide that Anais Anais was full bottle-worthy. And in my effort to emulate her, I purchased a bottle of Anais Anais a few months later with the pennies I had saved from babysitting and wore it throughout my sophomore year of high school.

Today, I have definitely taken that childhood curiosity to a new level. With a collection of fragrances so large I'm embarrassed to admit how many I have, and a keen interest that inspired this blog, I can honestly say I have followed in Auntie's footsteps. And I am very proud of it. Here is a photo of the two of us at my wedding reception:




Thank you dear Auntie, for contributing so much to my young little life. Dear readers, my question to you is, would I be as fond of fragrance if it weren't for my Aunt Mary Lynn? Or, was it an innate fascination that Aunt Mary Lynn simply honed due to her interest? And please feel free to share your childhood stories. Reply in the comments section below.

Image source: www.crystalcavern.com

Laura Mercier Tarte Au Citron Eau Gourmande

The growing popularity of gourmand scents over the last few years, perhaps epitomized by the infamous and now obsolete Jessica Simpson Dessert Beauty, seems to appeal to the younger 16 to 24-year old crowd. Walking around smelling like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies or marshmallow creme does not resonate sexiness or sophistication for certain. However, to some it brings joy, happiness and perhaps an increased appetite.

Laura Mercier's fragrance, bath and body Gourmande line is aimed to appeal to more sophisticated noses due to a higher price point and an association with smart makeup and skincare. Of the five sugary sweet scents offered, Tarte Au Citron has become my favorite. "Tarte au Citron captures the essence of lemon, bergamot, cassis, jasmine, anise flower, blonde wood, vanilla, praline and musks" according to Nordstrom. On me, it is a beautiful rendition of my favorite dessert, Lemon Passion from Macaroni Grill.

Lemon Passion

Citrus cake soaked in sweet cream, topped with lemon mousse and finished off with our fresh Italian whipped cream and caramel

Delish! The scent starts off with a burst of lemon, quite tart and fresh. Within one hour, the vanilla, praline and musk become prominent with just a hint of lemon remaining. It reminds me of a half eaten plate of Lemon Passion, the cake mostly devoured with plenty of caramel and whipped cream remaining. And while this is not the scent for a fancy night on the town, it certainly provides a flirty, fun diversion on a casual shopping or errand day. And it elicits enough compliments for this wearer to keep it around for a while!

Image source: www.favoritebrandrecipes.com

It can purchased at Nordstrom and other fine department stores, 1.7 oz. for $50.

Sweet Exhaustion

I must apologize to my regular readers. I am, quite simply, exhausted today and I will resume my regular activity with two posts tomorrow. I plan to review Laura Mercier Tarte Au Citron and offer an informative article on the history of perfume. Please stay tuned! And thanks in advance for your patience.

Chanel No. 5

Hail to the queen! The queen of perfume, that is. The best known perfume in the world, first introduced in 1921 by Ernest Beaux exclusively for Coco Chanel, made more popular by Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe and recently Nicole Kidman has found its home in my perfume collection. Quite frankly, I could eliminate the superfluous decants, samples and department store fragrances and leave only Chanel No. 5 along with three others. (And from my previous reviews I'm sure you could deduce what those would be!)

When this fragrance was first created, Coco Chanel stated in so many words that she would like a feminine yet artificial scent. She believed in juxtaposing ugly and/or artificial things to pretty things. Therefore, rather than an over-the-top girlie perfume she longed for one not obviously so, to highlight the natural beauty of a woman. Mr. Beaux created six formulations total and it was No. 5 that won Coco's heart and fit her description.

Chanel No. 5 was the first fragrance created with synthetic floral aldehydes as top notes. In addition, neroli, ylang-ylang and iris open the fragrance. With mid notes of rose and jasmine and sandalwood, vetiver and vanilla at the base, its composition is beautifully, abstractly feminine. It just smells good without taking away from the woman who wears it, thus rendering it a classic.

About a year ago, I visited my local Chanel counter and gave all the fragrances a spin. Chanel No. 5 remains the one that to me is utterly wearable and gloriously feminine. Therefore, I purchased the EDP, Sensual Elixir, Body Cream and Soap (for my lingerie drawer). I find the body cream the smoothest and richest formulation and lasts all day on my skin. Sensual Elixir is a lighter formulation for those who may be sensitive to strong odors and/or aldehydes. And the EDP is luxurious. Certainly, I have enough No. 5 to last me a lifetime. And that's just fine with me.

Image sources: Wikipedia and www.chanel.com
Chanel No. 5 can be purchased at department stores, .5 oz. Perfume retails for $155, EDP spray 1.7 oz. retails for $80, Sensual Elixir 1.7 oz. retails for $59.50 and Body Cream for $75.

Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier

I present to you, ladies and gents, the closest thing to a signature scent that I own, Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier. As my previous reviews suggest, I have quite a fascination with this house. However, prior to trying this fragrance, my fascination would better be described as intrigue. This is the scent that triggered an "Aha!" moment for me when instantly I appreciated all the hype surrounding Serge Lutens.

Fleurs de Citronnier starts off sharp but only for the first few moments. As it dries the beauty of lemon blossom flowers shines through, fresh, feminine, effervescent. However, honey, nutmeg and musk prevent it from wafting away like a petal in the wind. On my skin, FdC is a perfect combination of lemon blossom and orange blossom and since my skin loves those flowers, I can still smell this fragrance a full twelve hours after applying it. At first glance, I thought it would be perfect for summertime. I was wrong. Its gorgeousness showed through best in damp, cool weather. It must be musk at the base which is highlighted best in cooler temps.

Because the olfactory scent elicits emotions and experiences, Fleurs de Citronnier will always hold a special place in my heart. It has accompanied me on some of the most important days of my life, including my wedding day. And as a newlywed, I have to say that this fragrance elicits the most compliments from my husband of any I own or have tried. And not just any compliments, like "nice" or "cute". "I love the way you smell" compliments. That deserves applause in and of itself!

Image sources: http://www.sloanhall.com/ & http://www.windgrove.com/

SL Fleurs de Citronnier can be purchased at upscale department stores, $92 for 50mL.