We are having the scariest Autumn. It’s freezing, with constant rain…and it’s not even October! I haven’t seen sunshine in ages…and was in despair…until it showed up in my mailbox! Remember how I was talking about gratitude and appreciation for …well, for nearly everything – and certainly everything to do with my journey through the world of Perfume! This is one of those ‘things’.
I wrote the backstory on the Midnight Flower Collection by Amouage awhile back – if you are not familiar with how it came to be, I urge you to give it a quick read. It is, in essence, a Love Story – and like so many love stories, begins, ends..and begins again, weaving Love and Loss and Love Again, together in a darkling tapestry that shades to brightest gold.
Christopher Chong’s latest perfume offering, Sunshine, is that brightest gold! It’s the summer sunlight as you emerge from a shaded canopy in a primeval forest, where darkness really does have its own backstory. You can sense the spirits of Nature that have gone before but there is also a thread of new life that is woven within that forest and once you come out of the canopy the brilliance of the sun affirms that life. Sunshine weaves all of those feelings into its composition – this is no sparkly little citrus, with a frilly sort of charm. It’s a grounded, warm scent, with a core of burnished brightness – and I know I sound a little twee? But it’s true! That is exactly how it feels! I don’t know if Amouage could even create a little sparkler – and there’s certainly no need for them to try. Plenty of lovely little fizzy citruses out there. This one is heftier, as if it had an actual piece of the burning sun at its core.
I am an unabashed Amouage Lover, as you know, and I consider it a Very Good Thing that there are a couple of the line that I do not love (remember Honour, with the kid wielding the axe?)…because then, when I ‘do’ fall madly in love, as I have here, I can legitimately shout from my metaphorical rooftop. I can say, in all sincerity, that I adore this. ‘Sunshine’ is one of the most complex of beautiful, ‘happy’ scents. It’s a celebration of happiness! but with a nod to what you have to sometimes experience in order to achieve that happiness. Wearing this, I think of all the beloveds that all of us have lost in our lifetimes, all those who have cherished us and, in turn, have been cherished by us.
isn’t this gorgeous?!
Here’s the PR from Amouage:
International luxury fragrance brand, Amouage, has launched ‘Sunshine’ for Woman exclusively at its 17 standalone stores across Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Italy. Created under the guidance of Christopher Chong, Amouage Creative Director, the exuberant, white floral Eau de Parfum is an extension of the ‘Midnight Flower’ Collection that comprises of ‘Hope’, ‘Love’, ‘Happy’ and recently introduced ‘Smile’ candles and complementary room sprays.
Youthful top notes of Almond, Blackcurrant Liqueur and Davana open to an intense bouquet of Osmanthus, Jasmine, Vanilla and Magnolia in the heart. Notes boldly culminate in the magical, earthy base of Cade, Patchouli, Papyrus and Tobacco Blond.
The bright and joyful fragrance is presented in Amouage’s iconic glass crystal bottle in a brazen, iridescent sunshine hue. The refreshingly white cap is accented with a golden Swarovski crystal to resemble a shining overhead sun at high noon. The bottle is housed in a cool azure, mosaic box with gold foil illustrations of swirling flares in rhapsody around the Amouage insignia. With removable inserts, the boxes are designed to be reused to safe keep ornaments and mementos.
Alas. Alas. If you do not live or have friends in any of the locations mentioned in the PR, you are going to have to travel – or wait. It’s not here and it’s nobody’s fault but ours, USA! Why..oh, WHY don’t we have a standalone Amouage boutique? WHYYYY? I ask you? Well…why is irrelevant. It is thus and so we shall have to wait until February! In the meantime, Russia and the Amouage standalones will have it. So! Make New Friends! ???? ??w ???????! (here’s hoping the conversion worked and I didn’t just Make an entire continent of Enemies!)
For candle lovers, there’s Smile, the fourth installment in the Midnight Flower Collection. The original Posse post was all about Christopher’s creation of these candles. This candle is playful, energetic, peaceful and uplifting – that’s a heavy load for one little candle to carry – but it does so with aplomb. It’s a pretty, pretty scent (I love the Hawthorne note!!!) in a gorgeous package – I don’t think there is anything prettier than deep pink and bright gold!
“Smile is the next stage in the healing process when a person can begin to let go and learn to hold onto the truly joyful moments their loved one left them with,” says Christopher Chong. “To reflect this stage, I incorporated playful ingredients like Raspberry and Almond in the top notes and Madeleine, Biscuit and Hawthorn in the heart. Vanilla and Musk in the base softens the fragrance for closure.”‘Smile’ is available in all stores 6 October 2014.
I don’t know if one can ever really gain closure, when one loses a beloved. But I do know you can close chapters in the passage – and the journey does smooth out a bit, after Time has taken you on its travels – and you can emerge into the sunshine – and you can, once again, Smile. And at the end of it all, that’s pretty much what I hope for.
I can’t share Smile – but I can share ‘Sunshine’. Drop me a note in comments and tell me a love story – I’m missing Bruno during these random.org draws. But I soldier on. I’ll spin the button and pick a winner and someone will get to sample the Gorgeous!.
Perfume Love for Everyone!
Related
There’s not a lot of love stories in my life – but the love that is there is strong and true. I wish Amouage would release a scent in this line called Grace (yeah, yeah, I know – Philosophy has cornered the market on the “grace” brand) but it’s my favorite word in all of the English language, and I think Amouage could do a better job with it than Philosophy.
So my husband left me the following poem, spread across my office desk, in tiny yellow post-it notes.
Someone (I think it was you)
left a cantaloupe in the car
it was so rotten–moldy
(my finger went in it- barf!)
you might want to buy an air freshener.
seriously
(I miss my phone).
It made me laugh and reminded me of why I love him oh so much.
Thanks for the draw! Here’s to happiness!
I have tried for two days to post but can’t seem to get through without tears. We had to say goodbye to my little furry man, Leopold last Thursday and my heart is just broken. Having had for the last eight to nine years two other cats who were hand raised from tiny kittens, poor Leopold was often overlooked. He wasn’t the doglike attention whore the other two were, he was always just lurking quietly, often outside keeping the sparrow population under control. He was always my super cuddle bug at night but had been “surprise adopted” at a late stage of kittenhood so never lost his fear of anyone but my husband and myself and even occasionally forgot that we weren’t super-terrifying axe murderers. He certainly had a personality, and a very sweet one at that, but one never forgot that he was an instinct-driven small animal and not a tiny person. Aside from his constant patrolling in the front windows at night, his joy when invited on a hike by the river, and his dedicated bathroom escort duty (my avatar is the view from the potty, Leo being concerned about my husband) he rarely demanded attention. It has been like losing a kind ghost who quietly and comfortably haunted my life.
I’m not sure that counted as a love story and I know it’s a bit disjointed but it has been awfully therapeutic to comment here. I am off now to play with poor Bat who is the last feline standing and is pretty lonesome.
I went back and read your post on the candles, and my eyes teared up. My husband and I are cut from the same cloth. We have a pug named Frank that we adore. My husband is a life-long dog lover, but I’m the one who wanted and found Frank. Now they are best friends. They actually have the same birthday. As for the scent, oh goodness, it is right up my street. I’m am soooo lucky to be going to London in 2 weeks, and my hotel is a 16 min walk from the Amouage store, as google maps has just informed me. I cannot wait to smell this….so glad you reviewed it!
I’m not entirely sure I can get through my love story. Sam was my guy. He was a 6 month-old grey tabby when he chose me at the SPCA. He was a kook, a helper in ways I didn’t even know I needed, and a cat like no other. Whenever something happened that he knew I’d want to know about he would find me, and tell me, and keep after me until I checked it out. Back in the days of pagers, he regularly came upstairs to let me know my work pager had gone off downstairs. The most memorable was his rapid fire meowing and obvious frantic concern when the newly installed master bath shower started gushing water through the kitchen ceiling below. He died in my arms last February after 16 years of an amazing friendship. We got several condolence cards and numerous emails from friends of his. We miss him to this day.
It was a bittersweet birthday for me this year– one of my closest friends died this summer from a massive pulmonary embolism. I had cancer five years ago so I like being alive but Beth will never make it to 46. Not ready to delete her contact from my phone…
I don’t keep dogs anymore, I had a childhood full of them, and they all died one way or another,
my favourite was a Chow-Labrador who was very protective of me, and i still have memories of lying down on him as a pillow when I was a wee boy. We were good friends.
Love makes us so vulnerable to hurt I think. But I have a sunshiney love story.
I adopted a little dog who was absolutely devoted to our old Nova Scotia retriever and used to bring him her toys to play with. When he died we all went into mourning, especially Lucky who put herself to bed and wouldn’t come out.
A few months later we brought home a new Nova puppy, and the first time they met she went and got her stuffed toy and dumped it at his feet! True love rules!
PS I love Amouage too
My love story is a sad story and it has to do with my only cat whom I adored to pieces and she was killed by some son of a gun with his imprudent driving maneuvers in a small, tiny, residential street. Do you believe in the power of words? I coursed him when I saw her on the floor not even half of who she used to be. It was horrendous but I love her, even now, I love. It has been 9 years and I still dream about her. I haven’t been able to have another kitty after her death. I don’t have the heart. Now I have a loving, crazy, manic read ear slider who eats like there’s no tomorrow, but another cat? not yet. I don’t know when. she was my first love. Is all I can say really.
OOOOooooh! smooooochies! LOL! I love that! Best wishes to you – here’s wishing for ONLY the best …which is yet to come! xoxoxoA
This is a timely post for me too as I just found out last weekend that my grand-doggie has an inoperable tumor on her spine and that her days are numbered. She is still so young in dog terms (only 6 years old)and so full of life that it just doesn’t seem possible. She’s in no pain or distress yet, she just has an ever-growing lump on the top of her back. Eventually, though, it will get the best of her.
Like many others here, I’m tearing up just writing this (and reading everyone else’s tributes.
My son was still living at home when he got Quinnie, so she spent her first year or so with me. Although she lives in Texas now, and I only see her once a year, she still leaps up into my arms when she sees me. Something she does with no one else, not even my son. She will always be in my heart.
You are very blessed to have her in your life and in your heart. I know that when the time comes your son will do what’s best for Quinnie…and we will be here to help you through it, teri, just as you all were there for me. xoxoxoA
I was lucky enough to see this and try it at the boutique in Dubai this past weekend (it is not out, they just have one as a sample for people to see and try before the release). The packaging is absolutely gorgeous!! The box is covered in a leather like material with that beautiful sun. The bottle is not as bright looking as I think this picture makes it seem (at least on my computer) it is more of a matte yellow in my memory. The scent is clearly of the highest quality as you would expect from Amouage. I didn’t know the notes when I smelled it but, I would completely agree with the Osmanthus, Vanilla, Magnolia. To me there is definitely some lemon in the top as well. The dry down I would have sworn had a creamy sandalwood but, who am I? It is a wonderful, almost playful scent. Definitely a departure from the big heavy orientals and more along the lines of Journey Woman (maybe the Osmanthus is the common denominator?). At $400 it is not cheap but, I think it is well worth it. And if anyone needs a friend near a boutique, I am always happy to help get bottles when it is released here in the UAE in early October.
No need to be in the draw but, I too am missing my dog who recently passed after 15 great years together…..
I got a touch of lemon, too! And my heart goes out to you on the loss of your beloved dog…xoxoxoA
No love stories recently, but working on creating some with a boy who works near me… fingers crossed! I need these sunshiney ones for when it gets dark, post daylight savings I am a wreck.
my reply to you is waaay down below. Technology. Le Sigh. xoxoA
here is this Amouage (‘amourage’) again. and it touches on a mystical subject dear to my sensibilities: light.
i love the concept of something not just being ‘sunny’, but “…as if it had an actual piece of the burning sun at its core.” because there is certainly something darker within than the life giving rays seen without.
we had similar weather, with a day of snow so deep the only things sticking out of the japanese-looking funeral world was sun flowers.
and now everything a glorious burned sienna, ripe for the compost.
now there is a love story; the swift death of the snow giving way to the rich nutrients which will bring these beautiful blooms back to life next year.
Holy cats & crackers! Where on earth do you live, that you get snow AND sunflowers!??
and I love your love story!
xoxoxoA
black hills of south dakota/wyoming.
was the earliest recorded snowfall and now… 88 tomorrow. 😉
I think “closure” is a meaningless catchphrase, but given enough time, you come to the place where you can smile and know you were incredibly blessed in having those who are now gone in your life.
That’s a very good way to approach it! I always feel blessed, even as my heart is heavy with the missing. xoxoA
Hope a little sunshine comes everyone’s way today! When I was five, my dad’s boss’ cat had kittens. I saw a cute little black and white one that was curled up in a bike helmet and it was love at first sight. Sadly, my parents said no, we don’t need a cat. I was heartbroken, but promptly forgot all about it because I was five and easily distracted. About a week later, I was going to go to Vacation BIble School with a neighbor and my parents came in and said, “You’re probably going to want to stay home tonight.” And I was like, “Wahhhhh, and miss out on singing and snacks? No way, man.” Then they opened the door to our garage, and there was my little black and white kitten curled up in a little box sleeping contentedly. Suffice it to say, I DID stay home that night. I named her Maske, after my teacher (Ms. Maske…this was before I realized teachers all had first names) and she was my best friend for twenty years, until she passed last December. I still miss her all of the time but she had a long, happy life and a happy home. I’m still so sorry about Bruno, I know it must be hard. I am totally getting misty-eyed just writing this.
What a lovely story and memory! So glad you had so many years with her. Keep those memories with you, as I do mine. xoxoxoxoA
These both sound like gorgeous lovelies. I’ve just recently heard about some friends and parents of friends who are dealing with cancer diagnosis, so my prayer list is growing. Happy, uplifting scents can really help during times like this. Thanks for sharing!
Prayer lists don’t hurt, either 😉 All positive vibes help! Perfume helps, too. My best wishes to your friends, Dina. <3 xoxoA
GAWD! Tugging at my heart strings. Love you Musette and can’t wait to see you. SOON!!
Portia xx
I know! I SQUEEEE! every now and then…much to the confusion of El O, who cannot imagine the Squee-worthiness of whatever part I’m researching! LOL!
I’ll be holla’ing at the Posse next week about 24November!!! xoxoxoA
The timing of this post is almost eerie. I learned Sunday that my Father has stage 4 cancer of the spinal cord, and is on very short time. If there is any spare sunshine floating about, I would most certainly appreciate getting to experience it.
Oh, my very dear……I am so sorry to learn this. I wish you and your family as much peace as possible, as you love him now..and forever. xoxoxoA
Oh Tena, I’m so, so sorry to hear this. And what Musette said so eloquently, sending you much peace and sunshine.
Oh, sweetie, what a truly beautiful review! You are always a wonderful writer, evoking amazing images and emotions, but I think you might have outdone yourself today. Although I must admit you make my inner copy editor (who sometimes wishes fervently that she was a glorious writer) a bit green with envy 😉 Some great stories folks are sharing here today, and I’m missing Bruno for you as well. Hugs to you and everyone …
Honeypie, if I channeled my inner copy editor the post would be 3 sentences long! LOL!. This was a long’un …but I hope folks enjoyed it! xoxoxoA
Just yesterday, I was taking a ride down a wooded path. Dusk was on the horizon, but the sky wasn’t yet significantly darkening. I noticed the sun streaming through, into the center of the the woods, left of where I was. I thought about chasing that golden light but realized it was futile- it would always be left of me. Maybe that’s where our loved ones we’ve lost are, shining down their love, in a world parallel to ours. I don’t know, but I sure would love to try some Sunshine. xoxo
How beautiful! Thanks for sharing that. xoxoxoA
Such a lovely thought, Holly.
When my mom was diagnosed with lymphatic metastasis, it was very scary, for all of us. Thank´s to Chandler Burr I discovered the world of perfume reviews, perfume blogs and perfume decanting. We sniffed through her long chemo treatment, and this community was light filtering through the canopy of trees, when the road felt almost too dark to keep walking. Now she is great, out and about, wearing Mitsouko and Chanel 22 and no longer mourning her Cabochard days. We can all smile.
solanace, that is WONDERFUL! I am so glad we, as a community, were able to help you all through that. Mitsouko is wonderful armour, beautiful and strong.
xoxoxoA
Your posts often bring me tears, darn you, but you sprinkle them with sunshine so that I feel that there is always love and hope.
We’ve been having plenty of those dark moments (human and animal) lately, and were so sad when our neighbours’ cat disappeared into the woods with an obvious intent to die there. He had already used up eight of his nine lives having survived road accidents, poisonings and other calamities – he was awarded the “Braveheart” award by the vet. But throughout his troubles he was the constant companion of the daughter who has had to undergo many surgeries since birth. He was her cat, and she his person. So there were tears all round as we searched for him for a week, feeling sure that, as he had stopped eating before he shot off, that we was determined to fade away alone. But a miracle happened. Last Friday night he returned! He was thin but happy and curled up on the sofa with the family as if to say “well, that was a bit close, but I’m feeling better now”. Maybe the mild nights under the huge golden harvest moon did restore him, even if it is only for now. We are all so happy and can’t help feeling that love brought him back.
Wow! What a wonderful story!!! I love the happy ending. Wishing for an even longer life for Braveheart, as he helps his person through her challenges.
xoxoxoA
Oh, I’m missing Bruno, every post you write even if you don’t mention him
I loved him through your love for him
hugs and sunny days
Irina, that is one of the loveliest things I’ve ever read. Thank you.
xoxoxoA
this is exactly the perfume i have been craving but couldn’t describe….my sister’s amazing cat pablo was diagnosed with aggressive cancer only a couple of months ago and he passed on august21st with such dignity..he was the most amazing stocky black gentleman cat and there will never be another one like him….we miss him much and it breaks our hearts…
oh, my dear! I know persackly how you are all feeling, having just experienced that with Carmine. It does get easier to bear, I promise you. But it does take time. xoxoxoA
I love the name of this perfume-simple and beautiful. I hope it keeps working for you 🙂
me, too! xoxoA
I’m taking care of my friend Louise’s dog, Reggie, for a couple of weeks while she’s visiting a friend back east. Reggie was my dog Maggi’s best buddy, so I’ve gots lots of love for him, although spending this time with him has a bittersweet edge. It’s also a little exhausting – I’ve forgotten just how much work a big dog can be. But, for those of us who don’t mind a face covered with dog spit, there’s nothing quite as hysterically fun as trying to get your mug out of the way of a dog who’s really determined to cover it with dog kisses.
Send me some Sunshine, girlfriend!
DOG KISSES!!! xoxoxoA
What an uncanny, timely post. Today I learned of a loss of a wonderful 19 yr. old, son of my BFF’s husband who I’ve known for a couple of years. Trying to wrap my mind around this loss, and how no parent should ever bury a child, I can only wish for one soul at peace, knowing another will never find it. I can only hope he will eventually see sunshine, but today it seems impossible. Hug your babies tonight, regardless of age or number of legs…
OMGosh, Rina..that is brutal. My heart goes out to that family. And I join you in hoping he and all affected will eventually see sunshine. xoxoxoA