I have no idea where that title came from, it just seemed like Kerosene and Xerjoff together made up some biker flick they should have made in the ’60s, starring Billy Jack with “One Tin Soldier” playing at the end, but it needed a third wheel to complete it.
Just asking – are you all totally happy with all the new Posse Posters and the double posts on some days and posts on the weekends? Aren’t they amazing? I knew all of you, by your comments, were a literate/literary group, despite our more irreverent view of perfume, but as the post submissions have come in, I’ve just been bubbling over with happiness at getting to share so many great writers and their thoughts about perfume and life with all of you. Thanks for being so welcoming, but I knew you would be.
I’ve got a few scents to go through today.
Kerosene needs a perfume called “Light a Match.” Seriously. And the notes in it should be birch tar, patchouli, incense, rubber, sulfur and? What else? I think the name of this perfume line is incredibly clever, as is the back story. John Pegg was a YouTube perfume reviewer and started his own perfume line. CaFleuerBon has done a really nice interview of him, and I recommend it as a great background. Musette sent me some of her samples to try, and it’s an interesting line and approach. Meant to be much more raw, there is a jagged edge around them that only feels a little jagged in the beginning.
Creature is green and mint, like you just rolled around in minty grass. Pretty amazing if you are a big fan of mint or green or both together!
Whips & Roses is musk and leather and roses. It’s an interesting blend between the three. Usually when you do this sort of thing, one dominates, but they all seem to take turns being top in this threesome. Rose puts the other two in submission early on, but in the drydown leather binds rose up and shoves her out of sight, but not out of smell, it keeps a certain sweetness to this. Musk isn’t ever top or bottom, just the filling in this rose and leather sandwich. Oh, what?!?! Do you really think I could resist? I restrained myself as much as I could. Oops, I can’t stop!
R’oud Elements – Oud, Sandalwood, Amber, Vanilla, Lavender, Iris and Orange Bitters. This is a really interesting oud composition, things that you think shouldn’t be going together that actually work. Lavender and oud with orange bitters works unbelievably well together.
Copper Skies has notes of Amber, Cedar, Sweet tobacco leaves, Honeycomb, Basil and Cloves. My serious favorite, this is some smell from somewhere long ago that I can’t place, but it is warm and spiced and everything that is good and comfort and love – my head is about to go all splodey trying to figure out where I remember this smell from. Copper Skies took me by surprise, banged me over the head and drug me off to the cave so I could love it forever and ever. Rust, slightly sweet, spiced rust. I don’t think there’s anything else like it. Except that smell in my memory that stays just out of reach of my mind.
Then I got really brave in my Billy Jack flick and pulled out the Xerjoff Oud Stars Gao. Now, when I say brave, I mean it. Not everyone is cut out for oud. As an example, I gave the bottle to my youngest son to smell, then walked out of the room quickly. The bottle had a little leakage from overspray around the cap. I heard a yell, and I tried not to laugh, and left for about ten minutes. Went back down and peered around the door and asked him if he wanted me to take the bottle back. He said I didn’t need to then – it was room-clearing just sitting on the bottle cap, but once you had some on your skin, he could stand it and was kinda liking it. Notes of Spanish Saffron, Iranian Saffron, Gurjum, Bois de Cade, Nagarmotha, Indonesian Patchouly, Amber, a Blend of Thai Pratchin Oud with Oud Laos (Udomsai). Oud with saffron ladled on like gravy – that is all. The oud is spectacular, if you like your oud to smell like oud and not a watered-down variety like those showing up in lesser compositions. If you have been yearning for something bold in the Saffron department or oud department, Gao is your Gao-to. It’s like nothing else.
I think I have enough of the Kerosenes to do a giveaway, but, just two sets of those with a Gao as well. Just drop a comment. Do you like your oud room-clearning or something you can serve up with tea? And do you have any scent like the Copper Skies is for me that reminds you of something – a place, a time, a soft space in your past that has happy memories – but you can’t figure out what it is? Did you ever figure it out?
Winners for last week’s drawing of Mamluk and Beloved – NozKoz, Eric Love, Rena and Mother Courreges. Just click on Drop us note above, send me your address, remind me what you’ve wond, and I’ll give you a quick “got it” e-mail back so you know your e-mail didn’t get netted in my spam filter.
I don’t know if the draw is till open, but I’ve been lemming these Kerosene scents since I first read about them! Would love to be included, if possible. Thanks!
Darn! Just saw this post. I love my oud room clearing and am dying to try these perfumes. Need to get rid of this jet-lag so I can keep up with my perfume blog reading.
Diorissimo reminds me of when I was 9 years old. (So long ago.) One of my teacher’s in grade school wore it. We had a bed of Lily of the Valley growing in our yard and I loved to make a vase of them to bring into the house.
For the theoretical “Light a Match” perfume, I think it needs a tiny whiff of smoke to round it off. And given how many idiots I’ve known who’ll use stuff like kerosene as accelerators for charcoal, the inevitable flanker can have a charcoal note 😉
As to oud… I’ve admitted before that I have no idea what it smells like, so I have no idea if I like it loud or soft. Scent memory wise, oh dear, lately I’ve frequently been getting those “this smells familiar, but where have I smelled it before?” moments complete with assorted childhood memories that are wonderful, but of no help. I’m beginning to wonder if a couple of compounds used in 80s scents and 80s/early90scandles and potpourri have wandered over into detergent-and-personalbodyproductsland… I think I’ve documented my more concrete scent memories elsewhere here on PP, so I’ll spare everyone repetitions of those.
NP
I would love to try these, all of them sounds divine – especially Copper Skies.The bottles look great and very different ,my favourite Oud is by Mona Di Orio,how I wish it wasn’t so damn expensive 🙁
I have had to get rid of my small SL De Profundis sample as it was torturing me- I just couldn’t remember where I have smelled it before – I am convinced that I have used a body or hair product of some sort that smelled very very similar in the past
Thanks a lot!
I’d love to be in this draw…I like a nice balance with oud. If it is too much, then it doesn’t even smell good really. But I do enjoy saffron so would at least love to give Gao a try and especially those Kerosene scents!
I usually do end up figuring out the scent memory deep in my brain. I find it best not to think too hard about it and just keep sniffing away. It will come to you!
I’d love to be in the draw! And I think I like my oud somewhere in between room-clearing and in my tea. 🙂
I would like my oud to smell like horse apples, saddles and dead things please, I will also have that cup of tea. Lady Grey anyone?
Portia xx
Hey Patty, I know exactly how achingly elusive pinning down those scent memories are. There is a particular smell I have encountered a few times, fleetingly, as an adult that always brings a deep pang, taking me back to my early childhood at my grandparent’s summer camp in rural PA. The assembly hall was a place of wonder to my 6-year old self, with its mysterious plaques and echoe-y acoustics. Its smell — or, at least what I remember as its smell — was something like cedar and dusty sunlight and wood polish and felt. Once in a blue moon, I have caught a waft of something similar and been stopped dead in my tracks. If someone bottled and sold this, I might be the only purchaser, but I would be able to spend a few moments every day with that little freckly girl who liked catching salamanders and picking blueberries that was me back then.
On the oud front, I actually love it more when it is pared down, so this sounds like my cup of tea. Even if the word oud always makes me think of Dr. Who.
Copper Skies sounds wonderful to me. Actually they all sound good.
I love scents that bring back a memory that you don’t quite remember. I love the mystery of it. I don’t own any oud scents yet but I do like it and need to find one to add to the collection.
Love all the posts and posters. Great job by everyone.
I am thoroughly enjoying all the new posters, keep it up!
STILL have not smelled oud yet, but I can get like this sometimes when something is very “of the moment.” Don’t exactly know why, but the dander gets up a bit. Incense Pure by SSS was my “wait, I know this smell.” It’s the scent of the pines in my little section of the Rockies.
Yeah, I was intriqued with Kerosene, too, after reading the Cafleuerebon interview. Self-taught perfumers are very intriquing.
I’m afraid to like Xerjoff – so $$$$$!
Please enter me in the draw.
I’d love to be entered in the draw. The Kerosenes all sound great, tho Creature is the one screaming my name. I’ve been obsessed with mint in perfume lately. Serious crazy craving. And I always adore green. So, mint + green? Yes, please! As for oud…yeah, not so much. Either it’s too medicinal for me or it’s dull (the prettified versions). I’m still looking for “my” oud. However, my pocketbook begs that it not be Xerjoff’s version! 😉
As for a scent that reminds me of something–for me, that’s Heure Exquise. I just love it. The first time I put it on, it was like coming home–to a home I never knew existed. It’s not so much that it evokes a memory I can’t quite place, but rather that it creates that “soft space” you mentioned just by wearing it. Bliss.
I haven’t smelled oud except in Kilians amber oud-smelled medicinal and Dirty English which claims oud, but I’m sure it doesn’t have it. So, I don’t know what kind of oud I like, I haven’t sampled enough perfumes with that note to have an opinion.
A perfumes that reminds me of a forgotten pleasant time for me would be Dzing!, I find it very evocative of a particular location, but I can’t remember what it is. And, no, it’s not a circus.
Thanks for the draw and for the blog.
I’d love to be included in the draw! I like my oud loud and stinky with lots of saffron, and Soivohle Cumberland Ti was incredibly evocative for me.
I used to be an oud wimp but I’m liking it more and more—and I love saffron, so Gao sounds very interesting. The price of the Xerjoff, rather than the oud, has been what’s making me hesitate on trying all of the Oud Stars, because I’m afraid I’ll really fall for one of them.
These sound interesting and would like to try them even though I have 15 samples that I do have to try and review.
Copper Skies is a fabulous name for a perfume and it sounds as if it lives up to its moniker! Whips&Roses sounds gorgeous as well, so please enter me in the draw. Thanks!
I did read the Cafluerbon interview and thought at that time I would love Whips & Roses or Copper Skies.
I have never smelled oud…don’t know if I’d like it. Please enter me in the draw.
Copper Skies sounds very good indeed, and, gosh, I covet the Oud Stars. But Xerjoff prices them out of my reach!
I like the new look as well as the new posters. Let’s face it I love the website!
Please enter me in the draw particularly for the oud. I’m nor “over” oud and I like mine loud. I find it oddly comforting.
R’oud Elements and Copper Skies both sound great. I like my oud to smell REAL–I am nurtured just sniffing my sample vials of Oudh Lacquer and Temple.
Copper Skies seems like my latest love, L’Air du Desert Marocain, warm and cozy and wonderful with curious nostalgia. After going through a hundred metaphors for this spectacular beauty I finally settled on L’Air du Desert Marocain recalling the sepia-toned hues of lazy summer afternoons past. I spray it on and lay in my backyard hammock until the rest of the family comes home and dissolves my reverie.
Thanks for the draw!
If I did ever wear an oud it would have to be well behaved which is not really what oud is all about…
Yes, I have enjoyed reading the posts from the new writers. We appreciate their hard work. You have me intrigued with Copper Skies and I appreciate the chance to be entered in the draw.
Ohhh for the love of Pete. I’m absolutely positive that I NEED all of these! Especially Whips and Roses, Copper Skies and Gao. I think Whips and Roses sounds like what I wanted Madonna’s scent to be. Ya snooze ya lose Madge.
I like my Oud loud and proud. It’s oud after all. It’s okay if it clears the room. I will sit in that room and enjoy the oud perfection all by myself. More for me.
Of all things Hermes Doblis leaves me with that feeling of nostalgia/deja vu. I don’t know how or why that could be because I’m certain nobody I knew was floating around in Hermes when I was a little girl, (Not here in this little midwestern town.) But when I wear it, well wore it, that tiny sample, I have a sense of being a small girl at some special occassion. I can’t pin it down though.
Please do enter me in the draw!
Ooooh! So excited about my first win here – will e-mail you tonight!!!!
I just adore all the new posters, and I already adore all the original posters, too, and it’s so much fun to have more posts. Everyone has their own individual styles and perspectives – such a delight! Aside from keeping the posse entertained, there are so many launches and brands out there, it takes a bigger roster and more posts to catch the highlights. Huge thanks to all of you!
Please enter me im the draw.
OT: I’m using the original ipad and I only see a blue rectangle at the top of the page – no lettering, nothing. On my Kindle I see everything.
Please consider me for the draw! I am ashamed to admit that, despite my large collection of perfumes and samples, I have no idea what oud smells like. Now I am intrigued!
Well, if it all works together, I don’t mind oud in any amount of loudness. Like the Copper Skies (which is such an evocative name) I’ve had some scents that make me feel nostalgic, and sometimes it’s hard to remember what from and sometimes it’s obvious.
My, I’m not very definite this morning. Oh well.
Please count me in on the draw! I really enjoyed the CaFleuerBon interview w/Kerosene. Copper Skies sounds like pure love and those gorgeous bottles just beg for a good home. As to oud, I haven’t gotten much further than Montale; some I like and some, not so much. The story of sneaking oud in on your unsuspecting son is hilarious 🙂