This year I’m not ignoring the 2016 Art and Olfaction Award Finalists like I usually do. Instead I’ve hunted down as many as I can to try and have been impressed with the finalists. Yes, they are artistic, but they also smell great. I doubt I’ll get my hands on the Experimental finalists (if anyone knows someone that knows someone that can get a sample into my hands, I’d be grateful!) to confirm my thinking that those are artsy and aren’t meant to smell great. Hey, could be wrong.
I know at least one of the 2016 Finalists – Papillon Salome. I’ve talked about it before, It is amazing, smutty, raunchy, sex-filled and perfect. I had to go spray it on me again just to make sure I wasn’t going overboard with my memory. Nope, it’s that fantastically brazen. If you have any appreciation for this area of perfumery and have not tried it yet, then stop fiddling about and try it. I really love the brand thus far and can’t wait to see what they do next.
One of the scents that blew my hair back was La Curie Incendo. It is a smoky, huffing campfire number that made my heart skip a beat. Then I sprayed it next to Papillon Salome. Ohmyyyyy. Notes of fir needles, embers, incense, sage, pine, sun-kissed dark skies. Seriously, the sun-kissed dark skies comes from the company. I have no idea, but i didn’t want to leave it out. It’s enough for all the smoke, incense, sage and pine to be in there. That a smoke pot made it as a finalist just makes me so freaking happy.
Tammy Frazer Namibia. I’m familiar and have loved a couple of the Tammy Frazer perfumes in the past – they are pricey and all natural and beautiful. Notes of Mandarin, Bergamot, Omumbiri, Neroli, Sandalwood, Tonka bean. Bright and sunny on the open with a resinous tonka and sandalwood drydown. This one fits Frazer’s artistry, and it is a perfect perfume to be a finalist.
Thorn & Bloom Bird of Paradise is a unique white floral. Ginger, citrus, champaca, jasmine, ambergris, sandalwood and driftwood. It’s an interesting mix and it’s got that somewhat salty tang to the white florals that lifts it up out of the white floral Madding Crowd. I found it to be tremendously long-lasting.
I’ll have more about these Finalists as I try them. I think the judges have a hard job ahead of them choosing the winners – the ones I have tried are unique and beautiful, and my hat is off to those that chose the finalists.
I have some old giveaways that I never got around to picking the winners on. So here we go! Winners of the three Nabucco samples – Deb Lacativa, Spring Pansy, Pats133 and Sonia L. Guerlain Ambre Eternel and Armani Crema Nuda foundation samples – feraljasmine, Poodle, and Janice. Frederic Malle Monsieur (or another Malle if you really hate patchoujli) winners – Das, Marcy singer, Hajusuuri and Eve.
Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top, send me an e-mail, remind me of what you won and get me your mailing address. I’ll send you a quick e-mail to let you know I got your e-mail and it didn’t land in a spam filter and then get it on the way to you!
Let’s do a giveaway on these four perfumes. The Thorn & Bloom and Frazer ones are super-pricey for a small amount, so they will be little samples. I’ll give away two sets of these four. Just drop a comment to be entered. Can I just say that predictive advertising is awful? I just got that Sean T Cize dancing thing, haven’t even had a chance to try it, and I am nagged by every ad that shows up in my internet browsing to buy it again, which reminds me that I do have it and haven’t used it yet. Stop! I know it’s spring, but nothing short of a miracle is going to make my legs anything like summer ready. What’s annoying you this week or what are you loving, just for you postive people that don’t get regularly annoyed by something.
How I do love seductive, not at all prim fragrances. These sound that way for sure. Yum.
Spring wish—that the sun wasn’t bad for us. For those of us pale, pale folks, a summer sun blush was a joy. All that’s left of those days are the age spots! Damn.
Salome definitely sounds seductive I will have to add it to my already to long must sniff list.
I’ve read so much in recent times about Salome – sounds like a glorious old-school frag. But I have to admit I’ve not heard of the others – I’m obviously a bit behind the times! 🙂
Thanks for such a generous draw.
I have not tried any of them, they all sound wonderful. I keep my fingers crossed for Namibia.
(just for the story). Thanks for the draw!
Mmmm, Bird of Paradise and Salome have been on my must-try list for a while. Sounds right up my alley, but as you mentioned, BOP is very $$ (eek!). This sample pack has quite a delightful range of scents and I’d love to try 🙂
OMG! Namibia. My little sister was born there. I have memories of my Dad being alone in their bedroom and my being confused that my mother wasn’t there. And of sand blown over the road, gemsbok/oryx magnificent by the side of the road, huge empty beaches, our 404 Peugot, our Labrador and cat that we had to leave behind, the Bushmen, the thorns, the koekerboom, The country is the size of Texas and Montana combined, but with the population of, say, Montana and New Hampshire. 6.6 people per square mile is not a lot when you get a flat. It has a wild beauty. Go there. I went back as an adult. It’s amazing.
Hi Patty,
The ART AND OLFACTION AWARD 2016 FINALISTS sound so interesting and different. I would love to try some of them. Thank you for the chance.
Nice to see you again, Patty 🙂 all of these finalists sound pretty great, especially Salome. My annoyance is that the gorgeous shelter cat my husband surprised me with a couple months ago only snuggles with him, not me!
Good to see you back, Patty!
There’s a perfume that smells like CAMPFIRE? Crap that’s like my favorite smell ever (my husband does NOT get it). Must find a sample!!
I have never heard of these brands, but would love to try, especially Salome. I am sick of cold weather…please Spring hurry up! My water heater leaked, so I will have workmen fixing walls and woodwork, and then have to have painters , then new rugs, which is good, I guess, but hate the disruption. Hope the insurance covers it. Hate insurance deductibles!
Good to see you back Patty! Of the perfumes you mention I ordered a sample of Salome some time ago and fell in love with it. It’s absolutely not my style, yet it has a magical attraction for me and I’m considering a FB. Of course, I’m curious about the rest of the bunch.
This week I love the fact that it’s getting really warm around here and I can wear my beautiful thin leather coat. On the other hand, it’s annoying that I have to deal with electricians in my apartment this week. It seems they are everywhere and I have no privacy…not to mention the costs…
These all sound super-interesting, especially Salome, and I haven’t tried any of them yet, so thanks for the giveaway!
Please enter me in your awesome draw.
O my goodness, the Incendo sounds crazy awesome. Would love to try all of them. I also live in the South and it has been wet and cool. I just hope some of the coolness moves over to summer. Last summer was an oven. Thanks for the opportunity.
Yes, welcome back, Patty! I find the hail storms and tornado sirens of North Texas Spring annoying, but I do enjoy the wildflowers. The ones left after Monday’s hail, anyway…. Speaking of Anyway, I have really enjoying my samples of Juliette Has a Gun perfume, especially Anyway and Lady Vengeance. Oh, it’s raining again. Time for another spritz….
Welcome back, Patty! We missed you. Thinking of you and continuing to keep you and your family in my prayers. These fragrances sound amazing; thanks for sharing about them. And of course, DNEM. Thanks!
The perfumes sound most interesting and I will probably never get the chance to try them unless I make it to NYC. I live in the South, and it has been a very cool and wet Spring here, too. I have not been loving the pollen, and it usually doesn’t bother me that much. Would love some sunshine!
These finalists sound amazing and I will probably never get around to buying any of them 🙁 But just reading your take on them is a pleasure in itself! Would love to will samples…
Loving: birdsong, and watching the eagle cam at http://www.eagles.org/dceaglecam/
I saw the two eaglets hatch out of their eggs and now try to watch them for a few minutes every day.
Not loving much: continued cold & wet weather in New England. I’m dying to get out into my garden where I can uncover the garlic bed and pick some rhubarb.
Happy day & XO
…win. win samples. sheesh.
I would love to try these, particularly the Incendo. Sounds delightful!
Thorn and Bloom Bird of Paradise sounds interesting! I am not especially fond of BWFs, but the mention of ginger and salt caught my interest 🙂 And everyone seems to be raving about Salome!!Thanks for the draw.
Artsy and don’t smell so good! You’re killin’ me here Patty! I thought I was the only one who thought like that! Thanks for the draw. -Robert H.
So excited! Thanks, Patty
Salome is pure amazeballs. I bought a full bottle after draining my sample in short order. LOVE the skank juice. This week, I’ve been loving vintage Rochas Femme (tracing the skank back to its roots), and have been annoyed nearly every single moment of my remaining month at my current job. Maybe an extra spritz of Salome will fend off the haters and cheer me up?
These sound really interesting????
I have tried any of those, but Salome really sounds intriguing. My perfume tastes are starting to expand – as is my tolerance for scent (that sounds awful, but I used to be sensitive to more than 1 or 2 sprays max), so I might be at the right point to start trying some more exciting scents. 🙂 Also, my son’s 2yr molars are starting to come in so he’s been a cranky mess. It’s awful. WHY DO TEETH TAKE SO LONG TO COME IN?!?!
l liked, but didn’t love Salome…and didn’t find it that raunchy! Now realize that I never tried Tobacco Rose, so need to add it to the list. I’m annoyed by our non-spring. Got a tub of pansies for the front porch, and it promptly dropped to below freezing that night. I’m going to be optimistic that they’ll bounce back. Thanks for the draw, selections sound intriguing.