What are your favorite flowers?

It occured to me after a trip to the Skagit Valley in Northern Washington state that I had not been to a flower farm or beautiful garden in quite some time.  Even though I was going through some very painful personal life changes I realized that being surrounded by such beauty and color on a clear and beautiful spring day had the power to overcome a bit of sadness cast over my heart that day.

How wonderful are flowers?  Not only do they grace us with their external beauty but they can be distilled, crushed, pressed and turned into such beautiful essential oils for perfumistas such as myself to enjoy!  I love flowers of all sorts.  I've never really written down what are my most desirable and coveted blooms are however.  So here they are!













Forget Me Nots are unforgettable both in color and scent! 

 Lilacs are irresisteble aren't they?


Freesias are my comfort flower and calm my spirit.


My childhood memories abound with this flower.  The tropical Plumeria or Frangipani.


Roses of course
 



These are in no particular order but are some of my top 5 constant favorite flowers, both for their beauty and their inherent scent.

I'd love to know what your favorite flowers are!

Samantha

My History with Obsessive Olfaction

As an ardent devotee of scent and olfaction I have always been fond of gardens, flowers, weddings....etc.
Growing up in such a verdant place such as Hawaii where sweet scents can be found right from your porch.  The morning mists early in the morning trailing down the valley.  The salt and sun in the air mixing in with delicious food smells along with spicy and floral trails from the forests.  Ahhhh.....Closing my eyes listening to the waves methodically dance their gentle beat into my heart and mind forever.  It's no wonder why I have grown so keen on triggering memories through my sense of smell.  I love to tell stories through my scents.

I have been a collector of perfumes for many years now.  When I was younger, I didn't quite know the value of my collection and in error I tossed out some very rare pieces that I could kick myself for doing so later.  However young and inexperienced as I was, I am grateful that I held onto my collection even as some of them I eventually outgrew with age, experience and chemistry that alters ones taste.  Every now and again I will peruse my collection and sniff a scent I had long forgetten and it takes me to a place I'd forgetten. That is the pure pleasure of collecting scents for me.  Each bottle I hold, has memories attached to it.  It's my life in pretty little glass decants.

I sometimes wonder as I have yet to meet anyone else as obsessed with scents as I am, if there was something the matter with me.  Are you one of those like myself?  Borderline obsessive about scent and perfumery.  I adore my collection of scents and as I have a daughter, she has developed her own interest in scents.  I have slowly started a collection for her to enjoy as a little girl.  She has her very own perfume table.  Though not allowed to wear it to school or herself just very rarely, she is allowed to scent her teddies and dolls and she delights in the whole process.  It's a wonderful passion to share with her and I count myself fortunate to gift her with this memory which I hope she will treasure as I surely did with my beloved Mother did for me.  I will never forget the first perfume she let me wear.  It was the original Zen by Shiseido.  Still to this day brings back stark memories of her.

I continuously ad to my collection and am always very interested in others collections as well.  I'd delight in knowing or hearing about your collecting and how you go about it and any tips I could learn to enjoy this addiction to the full!

Enjoy your wonderful perfume treasures....


Samantha

Roberto Cavalli Acqua.....Enchanting Liquid Dreams

Today I will be reviewing for you a flanker from Roberto Cavalli based off of his original release by the same name in the Gold Bottle released in 2012.  This Acqua version was released in 2013.  I recently acquired this gorgeous blue bottle from a recent Marshall's shopping trip.

I owned the original RC and absolutely adored it as it was full of spicy amber notes and lasted an incredibly long time on me.  I gifted it to a friend who had enjoyed my bottle very much.   I wanted to pick up another bottle of that one when I came across this version.  I looked it up and besides being intrigued by the beautiful bottle and color I fancy acquatic scents the most but find ones that have good lasting power to be difficult to find.  The only other acquatic that lasts as long on me is Womanity by Thierry Mugler, (a much maligned bottle to be sure).

All of the flankers are shaped as the original in a sculped oval glass with his signature gold stopper.  A very simple but elegant design.  The bottle has heft and is sturdy and the color of the acqua glass is a showstopper on your vanity.  When bottle design blends well with the intended aroma and name such as this beauty then I believe I have found my Holy Grail of acquatic scents.

This perfume was created by Louise Turner and the inspiration as the flacon seems to imply is exciting Mediterranean nights.  When looking at the notes listed I was surprised at the simplicity as to me this perfume seems quite complex in how it wears through the course of the day.  The main notes are listed as: Jasmine, watery notes, lemon/citrus, lily of the valley, sensual musk.

On initial spray I get smacked in the face with lemony citrus, Neroli I believe?  At the same time I smell salt or salty air, perhaps the base of musk shows through highlighted by the citrus blast at first.  The more I smell my wrist I begin to pick up the faintest hint of jasmine flower.  I cant immediately detect the Lily of the Valley note as its described as a heart note.  It does start to take prominence about 20 minutes into the scent.  I detect spicy warmth on further testing.  I definately can feel the aura of being on a beach or patio at night in the Mediterranean under a starry and black sky.  This scent is pure heaven to my nose.  It is fresh, but clean without seeming pungent and sour as sometimes acquatic scents can be on me. 

On me aquatic scents really show up well with my chemistry especially when layered with a type of musk as a base note.  I am completely smitten with this turqoise jewelled perfume.  I love everything about it.  I am obsessed with the color and gold, the juice inside lasts several hours wear on me even in somewhat warm weather.  I sprayed it four separate times.  Each wrist and elbow.  I did get nice comments from others while wearing this which is an added plus.  I enjoy it when my perfumes sillage gets me noticed purely on basis on smelling good.

If you like acquatics or the color blue then give this lovely gem a try.  Under 20 dollars at my local discount store and it was a steal!  I've some very spendy quality scents at several times that price and this one has garnered a special place on my perfume rotation.  I am enjoying using it at night as it seems to give me pleasant dreams.  It seems like a dream inducing scent especially with that beautiful Vincent Van Gogh blue bottle sitting on my dresser.  I love everything about this perfume.  It gets a full 5 stars in my book!

Hope you enjoyed this post and dont forget to ask if there's a particular perfume or scent you'd like for me to review.

Happy scent adventures to all my fellow perfume bunnies this Spring season.

Samantha

Revisiting old loves with Gucci Premiere

Limes, orange blossoms, honeysuckle, cork, old wood like at a mill, acidic, pine, crushed gardenia, crushed jasmine, something reminiscent of the original Jessica Mc Clintock.  This scent on initial spray is very stark and acidic literally attacking the nose with the smell of limes and lemongrass.  A few seconds later the softness and creaminess of orange blossom begins to take root and softens the initial smell and its at this point that the fragrance starts to show the heart of some very cold and crushed white flowers.  Most of what I smell is the gardenia and jasmine which to my nose makes up the most of the traditional scent that this seems to try very hard to be.  The orange blossom tends to stay throughout this stage as well.  The orange blossom is my favorite part of this scent.  I am partial to this because its one of my very loves in the realm of scents.  To me it triggers wonderful memories, and in particular a memory of driving down through Southern California on a motorcycle and smelling the wonderful orange groves and the warm scent  wafting through the orchards.  It was a unique way to experience one of my favorite scent varieties in its most natural form.  I never dreamed that orange blossoms could be so sweet with nothing else added to it.  In fact one of my sons when he was very young, about the age of 6 once at a L'Occitane le provence storefront he picked out a scent out of all that they had that he said smelled like me.  I thought it was somewhat fate that he picked out a pure Orange blossom scent.  I wish I could find that scent again.  I tried and realized later that they no longer carried that particular scent in the same formulation.  I have tried but have not been able to find that particular memory enducing quality again.  Perhaps one day I will run across it.  I have thought at some point I would love to distill my very own quality orange blossom cologne.  In my dreams, but what a wonderful dream that would be! 

Is this scent a groundbreaking revelation?  Probably not in my estimation but it certainly does what it name suggests.  It exudes the clarity and class that comes with a very elegant affair.  Its wearable for both day and night time functions and would be a pleasant choice whether in jeans and a shirt or a full gown production.  Its very well suited to a confident and accomplished woman who knows her place in the world and likes being there. 

Though I have owned this Gucci gem for over a year now I have not chosen to use it until very recently and have found that it wears on you in a pleasant way as it takes time for it to leave its mark upon you.  Its like an old comfy part of jeans or boots to me.  I feel like myself only better smelling when I wear it.  I have also had many compliments from others when I have chosen to use it.  More so than many of my personal favorites and typical crowd pleasers.  In fact the sillage of this perfume is quite good even though my nose will get anosmic after a while or few hours, I have still had people hug me and make the comment that I smell very nice.  So in my mind this was a very nice purchase to add to my collection and its one I can see purchasing again.  Also as a side note, I have found that the scent requires colder wear to bring out the creaminess of the orange blossom.  Maybe as I have been wearing this during the colder seasons could be the reason why my love for this initial beauty has grown.

Samantha

Change of life circumstances

I need to apologize for being gone for so long......

Where have I been you may be asking?  How rude to leave no advance notice of my obvious lack of involvement in my Blog!  Yes and I sincerely apologize for that.  Recently I have had so many literally life changing events in a personal nature that I could not keep my mind focused on my poor Blog.  I am so sorry for the lack of care of my readers.

Now that I have a better hold on some of the life circumstances that I have been dealing with recently I am back and ready to focus on the pleasant aspects of the Wintry season with all the lovely new releases in our scent obsession.

I have a few new Fragrance series that I am looking forward to sharing here soon to start off the new year of Blogging with a bang~

Hope you enjoy and dont forget about me!

Enjoy your Holiday plans whatever they may be and thank you for being loyal despite my blogging being so random the last couple of months.  My readers are the best!

Samantha


Photo credit:  cal_gecko  http://hdrcreme.com/photos/12284-Window-inside-a-lighthouse-looking-out

Samantha's Perfume Diary: Are all scents unisex?

Samantha's Perfume Diary: Are all scents unisex?:   On a recent scent exploring trip at my various favorite spots in the city it occured to me that so many of my favorite scents appeared ...

Are all scents unisex?

 


On a recent scent exploring trip at my various favorite spots in the city it occured to me that so many of my favorite scents appeared to fall into the category of unisex scents.  I'm not sure if that is because mens scents seem to wear heavier and that is somewhat a signature for me.  Also I found it interesting that in doing some research on the subject of unisex perfumery that its really regional.  Certain parts of the world it is quite common place for men and women to wear scents made for the opposite sex.  Perhaps it is only in the Western countries that it seems to taboo to switch to mens scents and vice versa.  Seems to me that its almost considered "bad taste" to wear a mans colonge or scent.

Good for me then I'm somewhat of a rebel in perfumery.  I like to smell like whatever triggers my fancy at the time.  Consider myself to be scent ADD, I cant help it.  Because I wear dresses and skirts so often I find I like my scents to be powerful, clean and sweet but definately in the masculine range.

I came across a scent by mistake in after purchasing it, I thought it was a perfume, but it was an EDT by Versace "The Dreamer".  Oh my suns, moons and stars.....when I sprayed this heavy sculped bottle upon my wrist I almost squealed with delight!  Oh how strong, beautiful, rich and opulent.  Clean and fresh with explosions of green flowers with a hint of spicy vanilla notes though in face vanilla is no where in sight.  It may just be my chemistry that turns the smokiness of the tobacco and tonka bean into a heavy vanilla?
The notes list it as including Clary sage, Mandarin and Lavender, with Geranium, Rose and 
Tobacco in the heart  and trailing off with hints of Cedar and Tonka bean.


This was my very first Versace purchase and I dont regret it, even though intially I was dismayed that it was a menswear scent.  After wearing it all day and into the evening I must say it works wonderfully for me.  This is one of those Unisex scents that can work for a women.  Not just any kind of perfume wearing woman.  You must not be afraid to walk into a room and let your perfume walk a few feet ahead of you announcing your entrance with full fanfare....lol

Wonderfully bold and spicy.  If this perfume had a color I'd wear a beautiful gown littered with cobalts, purples and bold red crystals-like the starry night which the box suggests.  It truly makes me feel like I've stepped into a dream.  Now if I can just find the right man that chooses this scent for himself-Ah I might be hooked.  This scent makes me want to travel to the Mediterranean Sea.  I'd love to be lingering on a beautiful yacht in the deep blue ocean under the illuminating light of that night sky.  Dreamers this scent whether for men or women is for you.  Dreamers are less bothered with things like dos and donts I believe so this scent will work for those of you who don't fit the typical floral fruity Juicy Couture set.

The Bottle is beautiful cut crystal with what appears to be a Medusa on the front in frosted glass, with glassic Grecian architectual accents.  Very acceptable for display on the vanity for either sex.  It's truly a unique scent and I get so tired of the constant dribble of everyone wanting to wear what is in.  I like wearing what is in bad taste and the opposite of what everyone else is blogging about.  I want real perfumery and couture design in my perfume.  Perfumery is the one area of extravagant purchases that I have no issue with spending a considerable amount of money on.  Perfume is the only thing next to diamonds and jewels that really never go out of style and always leave traces of memory of your presence.

Forget jewels....I'd rather drown in a sea of perfumed oils.....

Happy scent journeys fellow Perfume afionados.

Samantha


Image Courtesy of Getty Images