Nancy’s Candy

Winners of the Barbara Bui Le Parfum samples, drawn by Enigma’s hand: Divalino, Kuri and Sweetlife! Email me your address under Contact Us. I´ll also throw some random leftovers in your package, having decanted part into vials. Note: I am going to switch to glass atomizers, but I already have a ton of the plastic ones, so that´s what you´ll be getting. If you hold onto your decants indefinitely, consider pouring them into glass vials or bottles.

For anyone else who wanted to try Barbara Bui – I heard from a regular commenter that she bought some online after my review from Perfumes from France (which is actually in Florida), and she was quite pleased with their customer service. They carry 30, 60 and 90 ml bottles at reasonable prices, representing a great alternative to fleaBay. I checked the site out and – squeeeeee! – promptly ordered some Barbara Bui Huile Blanche (white oil) – 100 ml of oil with the same notes as the fragrance for $18.95! It sounds like the perfect thing after the bath. I´ll let you know how it works out. By the way, last week I threw on Barbara Bui Le Parfum in slightly cooler weather and was thrilled to get a big ol’ hit of incense and less amber. It’s sort of a changeling.

Okay, on to today´s post.

Why am I crazy? It´s probably the fumes. Join me as my fingers do the walking through a random, daily dose of niche perfumery.

Gianni Campagne Vento Canale — Nancy stuck this into my sample set as a gift, saying “speaking of comfort scents…” since I´d been blogging on them. Notes are: rum, clary sage, carrot seeds, davana, cedar, lily, amber, tobacco, musk, honey, vanilla, cacao, and vetiver. And wow. Thanks, Nancy! There´s something Giacobetti-esque about it, and it´s up to you whether that´s good or bad. (To me: good.) An airy comfort scent par excellence – a woodsy, piquantly herbal cedar that dries down into a mildly boozy tobacco/vanilla that doesn´t try to strangle me with sweetness like Tom Ford´s Tabac Vanille (and, occasionally, Lutens´ Chergui, as much as I love it. Don´t shoot the messenger.) Not being beaten over the head with the kitchen-spice-box is a nice change. Definitely worth checking out.

Norma Kamali Incense – they wouldn´t let me try this on when we were playing at Nancy´s house; she sent me home with a sample. I can see why. You know I love incense. I like Norma Kamali Ceremony a lot, which is $80 on Beautyhabit and well worth it, IMHO. I smell incense, myrrh and woods in Ceremony. Norma Kamali Incense is $220, and … whoa. It smells to me like frankincense from the most expensive head shop on earth. NK Incense spends 60 interesting seconds after application wafting all sorts of odd smells – mushroom, sweet, resinous musk, bitter herb (sage?), dust — while it rearranges its skirts or something. After that it´s essentially like being whacked by a Flintstone-sized cudgel of incense. And I put on maybe 4 drops. Norma recommends layering it with her NK fragrance. I recommend not wearing it to work or in confined spaces, and double-bagging your sample vial. Potent stuff. I do like it, though.

Guerlain Iris Ganache — Go figure. I hadn´t even bothered smelling this one. I´ve sworn off my Guerlain-whoring ways until they work through that giant drum of heliotrope-benzoin they keep making into various things. Also, could we not name any more fragrances Quand Vient Beyonce Pour La Pluie or whatever? There is zero chance I will ever get that name right, even if I´m staring right at it. Oh, and something in the less than $200 range would be great, thanks, I can live without the Baccarat flacon. Anyhoo. I put it on as a half-joke, because … ew. Ganache? Notes are: iris, chocolate, cinnamon, patchouli, musk, cedar, vanilla, and Kill Me Now. But it smells heavenly! I think the reason it works for me is (joy of joys!) I immediately kill off most of the sweet stuff everyone´s been complaining about and get a metallic iris and a dusting of cinnamon, which is a delightful combo. It´s like L´Heure Bleue with less powder and more spice, and while I´m not sure I need both (I love LHB) this is way more attractive than I thought it would be. Easily my favorite of the L´Art et la Matiere line. The lasting power is excellent, which in this instance is a good thing.

Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale — citrus, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, Madagascan vanilla. Dammit. I really wanted this to work. As you can see it´s not sushi-scented – it´s comfort-scented, and many people love it. I was actually heartened by a commenter´s complaint that it smelled like sweet gingerbread and cloves. Bring it on, baby! What I get, though, is the Grim Reaper of Vanilla. I can kill off random sweet notes like nobody´s business, but too much vanilla is Too Much Vanilla. Where is my comforting spice pudding? Sigh. It´s fine – it´s just mostly vanilla on me, a very nice, pretty vanilla, and no thanks.

Red Flower Hammam Cardamom Amber oil — Notes: cardamom, bergamot, rose, jasmine, litsea cubeba, ylang ylang, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, black pepper, sweet orange, and apricot. I am having huge success today. Is this wildly innovative? Um, nope. Lightly spiced amber with the merest hint of florals. Smelling it on the back of my hand made me grin, it´s like a hug in a bottle. It´s also an oil and so (hold onto your hat!) it´s … oily. Fall´s almost here. Turn the phone off, take a long bath, throw some of this on, climb into your terrycloth robe and read a good book.

Also in the box but not in this review: PG Haramens, PG Cuir d´Iris, Armando Martinez, possibly something else. My nose broke. Maybe next time.

fish candy (aren’t those great? I want some): mundtscandies.com