PERFUME SURPRISE!!! & A GIVE AWAY

The House of Caron Goose Down Powder Puffs

Caron La Poudre Fine Mineral Body Powder

The Famous Crystal Perfume Dispensers of Caron

Candy Colored Caron Perfume Bottles

160 - The House of Molinard's Newest Creation

The Molinard Home in France

Molinard Vintage Perfume Collection

Courvoisier - Legendary Cognac to Legendary Fragrance

Michel Roudnitska Introduces Ellie Nuit

From the House of Jivago - This sweet scent is selling out in Israel

Juliette Has A Gun - 'nough said

Theosiris from Creations Guy Bouchara

Pure Perfume Oils from Egypt

Sahlini Parfums - Bollywood Inspired

On my ever present quest for all things Luscious last week I ventured into the concrete jungles of New York City. Armed with my trusty camera and a killer pair of stilletto heels my expedition led me to the Perfume Expo America where the largest gathering of the perfume and cosmetics industry meet once a year. There they parade the finer things in life -  those that come bottled anyway – to merchants, journalist, and perfume fanatics alike for four days.

It was a scented safari. Pure perfume oil from Egypt wrapped in papyrus. Pink disco balls of Ibiza. Sahlini with their Bollywood potions of La Femme and Femininde. The ” Irresistible Arrogance ” that only a true Imperial company like Courvoisier can bring… anywhere. The loveliness and finesse of the Molinard family  – a cornerstone in the perfume industry – as they unveil their newest creation 160, celebrating and commemorating 160 years in the business of parfum. The perfume, crystal, puffs, and powders of Caron and so, so much more.

I will be posting some perfume reviews of all the wonderful fragrances that the very generous people of perfume have shared with me. And in the spirit of sharing I am hosting a give-away, two actually. I want to share luscious experience with you. So I am making up two sample packets and if you would like to be entered into the random drawing ,please, let me know in your comments and I will let you know who the winners are on this coming Sunday. The winners can send me their address and I will ship it out to you. This is the first give-away that iLusciousLife has done but, I hope it will be the first of many.

Remember if you would like to enter into the drawing for the mixed perfume sample packets,please, list your name in the comments. Their will be two winners!

Good Luck! 

Perfume Review…. You had me at Pimento

Well, the other day I ordered some perfume samples from Lucky Scent. If you have never been there or don’t know what it is you should totally check it out. It’s a wonderful site where you can buy perfume from great perfume houses, some large well known houses to boutique perfumeries. If you’re not sure which ones you like  or would like to try it out before commiting to an olfactory investment you can buy a sample and have it shipped to your door. The descriptions are entertaining, too.

Here’s the link:

http://www.luckyscent.com

O.K., so, back to my samples.  I chose an organic perfume from Honore Des Pres called Trip. The notes are listed as pure tangerine extract, Mediterranean oranges, yellow and green lemons, pepper, pimento, resins. Interesting? I thought so, too. Especially since it is organic. Go Green! Right? The pimento was what I had to try, hence the post title ( my apologies to Renee Zellweger ) since the little red strip stuffed into my olives never really registered as perfume material on my scale.

So, how did it wear? Honore Des Pres Trip is a lot like a giggle. The top notes smell just like Fruit Loops! Not in a overly sticky sweet way, but in a Sunday morning cereal bowl filled with happy colorful O’s floating in a mini milky ocean. Then it heads directly into the fresh citrus that is very nice and enjoyable, afterwards warming up with the resins, which I believe  to be  frankincense.

The down side is that it lasts as long as a giggle, too. The whole progression from Fruit Loop to citrus to resin to a complete full stop finish is under an hour. Quite remarkable, really. I have never had a perfume that faded so quickly. All three of us that tried it had the same experience.  I didn’t really pick up the pimento. Maybe, I need to learn exactly what it smells like in order to say whether it made an appearance or not. It definetly did not shout it out, though. It really is a nice perfume, but it needs to last longer for me.

Have any of you tried it yet?

I’d love to know if anyone else has ever had a cologne or perfume that was so transient?

xoxoxo

 

Ginger…a la parfum

This is the second installation into my exploration of  essential oils used in perfumes.  Today it’s ginger. Ginger seems to me to be a middle note. When I first applied it to my skin the immediate scent was earthy, the root of the ginger root apparent.  Surprizing  since I was expecting the sharp lemon pepperiness of the freshly grated ginger I use in food.

After about fifteen minutes the earthy-ness started to change towards the pepper and spice. Also it became a touch sweeter. I was happy for the change because that’s what I love about ginger, a peppery zing. And that is where it stayed for its short visit. By an hour and a half it was completely gone. No trace left upon my skin

That is the way of top to middle notes I’ve heard and that is why they need a base note. To carry them through the  hours of our day. Base notes are known as fixatives because they allow the top and middle notes to harmonize and linger in their company. Making a proper perfume when combined.

I have included a list of perfumes containing ginger for your scented pleasure.

They are:

Esteban Le Bain Secrete Afrique

i Profumi di Firenze Zenzero

Jack Black Signature Blue Mark

Ebba by Sand 

Montale Ginger Musk

 Nelly Rodi Scent Factory No.5 Ginger

 

I found this list on a cute web site that specializes in niche, boutique and specialty perfumes. Check them out at:

http://theperfumedcourt.com

So,  have you ever tried any of these fragrances? A sample from a perfume counter or a staple on your perfume shelf? Or maybe you have a different ginger scent that you love; either way I’m interested in your experience and recommendations.

 

 xoxoxo

 

I foun 

What is your favorite Scent?

What is your favorite scent?

I think we all have memories of the way our kitchen smelled coming home from school and your mom just pulled out freshly baked oatmeal cookies. Or the cozy scent of warm laundry as you unload the dryer full of soft fluffy cotton. How about that first date with that blued eyed boy who finally asked you out  and the way his warm delicious smell mixed with the aroma of the little Italian restaurant in the city; with the marinara , oregano, ricotta, basil, red wine, damp newspaper and him. A strange but ultimately awesome and unforgettable combination.

The way our brain registers scent is directly linked to the way that we feel, actually growing out of the region of our brain that emotions come from. So much so, that we are actually emotionally reacting to a scent before we actually consciencely perceive it.  Pretty amazing right?  That’s why opening a jar of marinara does good things to you.

From my personal experience one of the most distinct reaction for me comes from when I was a very little girl and lived in Augsberg, Germany. My father worked for the military and sometimes my mom, little brother and I would drive him to work when he had to go away  on training missions to the field. He  would be gone for a month or two each time and I used to get really upset. Anyway, anyone who has ever been to Germany will tell you it is rainy and drizzlely and gray for a large percentage of the time . So, as we would drive over to the base in the thick fog and drizzle the scent of diesel engine exhaust from the military vehicles held down by the  charcoal clouds would work its way into the car. It was a scent of simi melancholy at the time of a four year old in the back seat was wondering if he’d be alright and having to say good-bye .  That really stayed with me. Even now every once in a while I’ll be driving on a gray day and  a big semi -truck will come barreling down beside me, the windshield wipers having to work extra hard,  and the exhaust will work its way through the vents and over two decades will vanish and I’m four again. Little and sleepy, but my fear is replaced with nostalgia because I now know that he always came back home. I ‘m left remembering little snapshots of my childhood:  rain, camouflage, dark German beer, huge salty pretzels, and being really, really safe. For me deisel exhaust is a time warping cacoon.

Well, so effected by scent, it has become one of my interest and I’ve decided to start playing a little game with it and I encourage you to do the same. I’ve decided to start trying one an essential oil every few days, other than my normal choices, and to see how it actually smells and its development on my skin. I think this is a great idea to become more aware of our surroundings and to enjoy all that is around us in abundance. They say that our sense of smell is our least used . Well, not anymore.

I’ve tried patchouli  and vetiver, so far.

The patchouli is kind of a funny scent mostly associated with  the incense of the 60’s, but I wasn’t born in the sixties so I couldn’t really tell you. First of all, only use a small amount, a little is good a lot smells like insecticide. At first it is it is very medicinal and herbaceous but after a few hours it calms down and become as strange, velvety, and lush with some warmth to it. Kind of unexpected from the way it kicks off. Something to remember here is that patchouli is what is known as a base scent, meaning that it is very tenacious and will most likely linger on your skin for half a day or more depending on how your body chemistry works with it. Perfumers use it to anchor an scent down and give it staying power. It is supposed to blend well with rose.

Next is vetiver. It ,too, is a base scent and is made from the extract from the roots of a desert grass. Again, I only used a little bit. It started strong  like the patchouli and you could certainly smell the dry dirty roots plucked from parched soil, but it too took a turn after a bit of time and ended up smelling, on me at least, sweet. Not a root remaining. I guess it is a mark of base notes to be hidden in the jar remaining pungent and strong from it past only to  develop, grow, and fill out  into its true perfumed self.

I’m going to continue to expand my olfactory repetoire. I’m sure there are other surprises to be found and more memories to be made.

What are your most memorable scents?