Nothing, but nothing is catching my eye enough to write anything more than a sentence or two about it, so it’s time for just a general march of the perfumes:
Profumum Neroli — This is a pretty great Neroli perfume. Light, effervescent on the open with some interesting long-lasting depth, while not losing that bubbly, beautiful open. I love it, but what in the world is Profumum doing raising prices to $240 for 100 ml?!?!? Last time I priced them, they were like 180-190, which was bad enough. This is ridiulcous.
Profumum Dambrosia — weird on the open, really figgy in the drydown, which lasted overnight. I woke up to the smell of figs on my hands, which was lovely. Again, see complaint about Profumum above
Yvona K. Possessive — biiiiiiiig white floral on the open, but it turns into a really beautiful little soft white floral that’s charming.
Montale Aoud Red Flowers – this is one of my favorites of the Aoud flowers series. There’s a sweetness to it that distracts from the oud bitterness, like a blend between the sweeter Montales and the more bitter ouds. Was this one renamed something else? A really annoying Montale habit.
My new favorite incense? You have to trust me on this because I try them all. Fred Soll. He’s got clumps of dried stuff on his incense sticks, all hand made, and it burns beautifully and for about 2-3 hours per stick, it sets of a great cloud of whatever flavor you’re burning. You can get myrrh, incense, white sage, pinon, cinnamon, nag champa, etc. I came downstairs today after my run, and it smelled like a wonderful cozy fire had been burning somewhere. Gorgeous stuff.
Patty, since you’re the expert on incense, can you tell us what you think are the best incense perfumes, and which one is your favorite??
Also, I have been on a search for a fig that doesn’t vanish on me. This Dambrosia sounds like it would not have that problem, but the price tag… I have L’artisan PF and PF Extreme, Figue Amere, Philosykos, Magnifique, Fig & Cassis, Fico di Amalfi, Un Jardin en Méditerranée, Jardin de Kerylos, Io Capri, Fig Tea, and Fig Apricot, Aqua Allegoria Figue Iris.
The best I think I ever tried was ‘Maison Berdoues – Figue Delicate’ but I have never EVER ever been able to find it, and it doesn’t last very long. :/
Any suggestions?
So the problem is they all vanish? Your figs? Hmmmm.
Do you like your fig creamier or woodier? I don’t know if it will help at all, but my fig obsession is on this blog in two posts, Figmania I and II, if you search for them.
Off the top of my head, wondering if you have tried CB I Hate Perfume’s Revelation? That’s a woody fig. I’d guess if you got it in the oil it would last quite some time. Separate from that, it’s wonderful. :)>-
Yes, they all vanish. I have also tried the Slatkin and Pacifica figs too, I forgot to list those. I haven’t tried Revelation but I hear there’s issues with lasting power for alot of CB scents, but I will if this isn’t the case with the oils (although I would like some sillage)
I’m not sure if I like my figs creamier or woodier. I think my favorites are Jardin de Kerylos, Philosykos and the Maison Berdoues… I absolutely hated Fig and Cassis (some weird dirt note) and Figue Tea made me feel ill. I think I tried one by Satellite I didn’t like too. Magnifique! was too spicy, but I will try to check out the CB. I don’t even want to try the Demeter because I find them very fleeting, and I don’t have access to a Bendels (but maybe I’ll go during Sniffapalooza??)
I highly recommend Ava Luxe’s fig frags:
Bois de Figue – if this is her old “Fig Wood”, it’s in my opinion the best take on fig & woods I’ve encountered.
Fig Leaf – Again, the best leafy fig I’ve encountered – very green & figgy without being harsh or fruity.
Figuier – I’d place this sort of in between Bois de Figue and Fig Leaf, with a bit of Johri’s heat.
Figue Noir – Very fruity, dark fig.
Johri – Complex, very warm, a favorite of mine but not very figgy if you’re looking for that note.
Unfortunately, Serena doesn’t offer samples. You can find samples of Figue Noir, Figuier, and Johri on Perfumed Court, but not the others at present.
Totally seconding your suggestions, and they have good lasting power, too.
Oh yeah, I forgot: wanted to chime in on the incense thing. My favorites are CdeG Avignon and Zagorsk, and Tauer’s Incense Extreme. Recently a friend was wearing a sample of Ava Luxe’s Incense Noir, and I have to say I fell in love: smoke, wood, and incense – not really like anything I’d encountered before.
Tauer’s Incense Rose – I love it, but I don’t know I’d call it an incense frag, since the incense combines with the rose and clementine notes in a most interesting and delightful way.
The Dambrosia was nice, but the fig was so persistent and coconutty that it got tiresome after 8+ hours. Loved Aziyade, Serge Noire was really really bad BO. I am saving my $$ for Onda and Rubj. The price of the Carnal Elixirs is seriously putting me off, and we won’t even discuss the ad copy. (!) Hope to sniff the new l’Artisan Eau de Liane this weekend at Barneys in SF.
Hi there! Forgot to tell you how great you looked in your post from the other day.
Have you gotten a sample of Chanel Beige yet?
And, for some weird reason, I am dying to try the new YSL Elle Intense fragrance. The regular was not bad, although I would not purchase a bottle. Maybe this one will be even better???
Hugs!
OK, so nothing catches your eye but I like everything new that I smell…and I mean everything.Bizarre! :d
I HAVE loved couple of the new things this fall. Love in Black and the new Serge both work perfect for me. Feerie was really nice, but the price point is too much. Once it goes to discounters, it will be appropriately priced.
I’m just not over the moon about anything new really.
Have you tried Juniper Ridge incense and smudge sticks? I’ve never tried it but the site looks really interesting, I’ve been meaning to try them for a while now.
I eyed the Profumum D’Ambrosia when I got the letter from Luckyscent but at that price really, why bother? Just not gonna do it.
I don’t think I’ve tried those. I’ve done most of them. 🙂 That profumum is a pretty great fig, but… sheesh!
I might try some Fred Soll – sounds lovely – though the husband rejects any/all incense, white sage etc. in the house as “weird” or smelling of burnt plastic. He really didn’t appreciate my efforts in the Spring to smudge his parents’ business tax files so that I could drive the evil IRS Collections spirits out of them and fix and settle everything faster (BTW it worked!). Men….
Seriously? Okay, I’m trying that on this year’s tax return. 🙂
Hey could you recommend any of the Fred Soll frags? The boyfriend has a wee obsession with incense whenever we have some, so to get some of the nicer stuff burning would be a treat.
Hilariously, one of the scents is “Pine, Taos” which as I glanced at the page screamed “Pine, Tacos” and I thought, well now, that is interesting. Also, how cute is the homepage with Fred and ZZ…tee.
I really, really like the ancient blend frankincense and myrrh and pinon is something you can never go wrong with, as well as white sage. Just depends on if you want a more incense smell or more of a woods smell.
Fred Soll’s incense sounds great. The picture of him & Billy Gibbons … hey, I think I smoked Something Funny with those guys 40 years ago!!
Hey, that incense sounds great! I love the smell of incense. And the Profumum people are out of their gourds. 8-}
To be fair, I suspect the change in the Profumum price has more to do with the exchange rate than them actually raising their price. I know I have to be really careful all the time at looking at that because I forget how much of a jump it’s taken in the last year.
But still!!!
Why *does* Montale change names like that? If I were Czarina of the Perfume Universe that’s one of the first things I’d declare to be illegal. OK…have a fairly long list of things that I’d do before that, but I *would* get around to that eventually.
Have yet to feel any of the Profumums are FBW – phew! Must try that incense. Thanks for the rec!
That little thing just bugs the crap out of me. It’s not bad enough that they are so prolific, and so many of the scents are similar, but to put that on top of it! Arggggh!
I :xlove:x incense, so I’m really happy to learn about Fred Soll. Thanks, Patty!
It’s my absolute favorite incense to burn, and I’ve tried a lot and loved a lot. It’s just pungent and gorgeous.
I keep hoping for some stellar fall releases (*) And waiting. It’s just not happening…Serge Noire went seriously bad on me, Aziyade turned to plain curry w/out the fruit, and of course the Carnal Elixirs are only putting me off, before even sniffing :(( Time to shop my shelves….and save for Onda when it arrives at LS.
And, of course, hope that El Attarine may live up to my fantasies.
Of the above, the figgy Profumum sounds lovely, but I just can’t/won’t fork over the bucks. I adore Montale, but am saturated, so to speak, and currently loving Velvet Aoud. Maybe try some new incense *-:)?
Hey babe! How about Bond No. 9 Lexington Avenue?
Also, Chanel Beige debuts on September 2nd at the Saks flagship on Fifth Avenue. It’s classifed as a soft floral, but has cedar, gardenia and jasmine. I don’t know if that’s for you, but it is at least worth a sniff! Contact Hazel at the Chanel counter. She was very helpful.
Hugs to you!
Hey you!
I’ll give these a spin <:-p !
Oh, I’m so glad that you like Aoud Velvet too! I’m on a serious Montale binge. That and digging through old classics, plus discovering new ones with the help of the delightful Lisa at Fair Oaks. That place is a little treasure trove! 😡
I know. This fall has been just okay so far. I do want those new Guerlains to be at least as good as the Matieres, then I have hope.
the new Serge worked for me, as did the love in Black, which surprised me, but I’m not seeing a lot coming up through the fall/winter that will do it. Maybe the new Malle?
Though I am swooning through my very naughty The Party in Manhattan. Lord, this thing is just filthy.