What I’m Grateful For – Smell Bent

Hey, first, the winner of the L’Artisan Havana Vanille sample is:  maidenbliss. Click the Contact Us on the left, send me your address and remind me what you won, and I’ll shoot you out a small sample!

Toronto Perfume meet-up:  Date: Saturday November 28th, 2009.    Locationcation: Noor Boutique, Yorkville
Time: Let’s aim to meet at noon (12:00) for a couple of hours. We can stay there, or walk around to some other nearby locations. In the area are various boutiques (Chanel, Geurlain, Hermes) and some other stores like Andrew and Holt. Let’ss see how things go and decide at the time.
To Bring: Yourself, an open mind, maybe some cash, your significant others, and any books, samples, etc.  Daniel will be reading comments, and he’s the organizer, so if you have more questions, mention them in comments!

I’ve had samples that Smell Bent sent me sitting around for a couple of months (insert whatever disclaimers from the FTC that may be necessary soon about no promise for a review at all, positive or negative, etc., etc.).  I have way too many samples I get sent, and my head wants to review what it wants to review only when it wants to, so my slowness to get to something means, well, nothing except my OCD or ADHD spun me off somewhere else for a while.

I spied the packet of Smell Bent scents a couple of days ago and remembered, Hey!  I want to smell those, they have the most ridiculously cute and clever website in the world.  It’s got cuteness down pat, but it’s overlaid with a clever laugh at yourself patina that makes me smile every time I see it.  It’s gotten even better since the last time I went there – now they have calendars with all the great cartoon art that completely enchants me.

Let me tell you something that will make you smile even more.  8 mls of oil perfume at Smell Bent is $20.  AND they are really good. And fun.  And cute.  And clever.  So with all the moaning I’ve been doing about new releases this year with astronomical prices, it makes  me so grateful to see a perfumer who really loves perfume, has a great time with it, making something great for a price point that lets everyone play.  And with Christmas getting closer, these are tremendous stocking stuffers at good price point that the recipient will love.

Horny Little Devil is golden amber, black pepper, filthy musk and a touch of cinnamon.  I was thinking this might be dirtier in the drydown.  Instead it has this great balance between the musk and cinnamon that leaves you poised with the age-old question – do I want to eat it or %$&* it?

Sunshine has notes of sun warmed blood oranges,  rich sandalwood, vanilla-drenched resins and a golden musk base.  The name of this sums it up perfectly, it is an open-mouthed gulp of sun, warmed up with the vanilla and musk without distracting from that full-on happy that comes out of it.

Hungry Hungry Hippie has notes of “freshly baked pot brownies dusted with cassia  over an earthy dose of finely aged patchouli.”  Not that I have any personal knowledge of freshly baked pot brownies, but I think I can imagine the smell of chocolate, ganja and patchouli well enough to say this reminds me of some people I used to hang out with in the ’70s before they got money and started doing blow, then went broke and wound up in rehab.  Normally this combination would send me screaming. Chocolate almost never works for me in perfumes, especially oils, but the combination or addition of the cassia or something makes this pretty great.  The drydown smooths out any of the rough edges of this hippie.

Those are just three that I’ve tried so far.  I’m dying to try some  of the Limited Editions like Pere Noel Coward with notes of sweet immortelle, atlas cedar, balsam fir and pinàµn sap. Yum, right!  I have to tell you, after what I’ve spent on perfume this year, the less than $100 I spent on these have me feeling completely virtuous.