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!

smellbentI’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.

  • Maura says:

    I love the artistic cuteness as well! I ordered the sample pack from LS and am looking forward to *Elf Fulfilling Prophecy*. Love the play on words and the cost?? Crazy good. They would be great stocking stuffers! I’ll have to look at the calenders. Curious about Commando…LOL! /:)

  • Joe says:

    Hey Patty! I actually thought the Smell Bent line seemed a little silly and I wasn’t going out of my way to try it, but a perfume angel sent me a bag of samples and they really are FUN!

    Hungry Hippie totally made me laugh out loud because as soon as I dabbed in on one finger, I thought, “OMG, this smells like pot and chocolate.” I’d never in my life want to wear it, but it was hilarious to smell it.

    I really do like Sunshine, however, and it’s something I wouldn’t mind a little bottle of.

    Blimey Limey smells exactly like lime lollipops. Lemon Cowboy is a weird leather-lemon pledge thing. I wasn’t wowed by the others I tried (Little Miss Panda, Debonair, Incensed, etc.), but yes, it’s a fun line. And I just looked at the website which is super cute, as you say. I’m going to pass the samples on and hopefully they’ll keep traveling.

  • air says:

    I had a look, Incensed can be thrilling as well and it’s such a fun to look at their site. Thanks!

  • ScentRed says:

    Both the Bent scents and the T.O. event sound like too much fun to miss. I’m gonna to see if I can swing by.

    • Erin T says:

      ScentRed, can you send me your contact info to erin at nstperfume dot com? It was really nice to meet you – too briefly! – and I’d love to send you an email.

  • Shelley says:

    Don’t these sound like fun? Okay, I’m agonna visit that thar site soon. A little screen-shopping (just like window shopping) as a reward for getting these Thanksgiving proceedings underway, methinks.

    Good on you Torontans for getting together! Have fun!! Erin, no :(|) business… 😉

  • mals86 says:

    The Smell Bent website is adorable, and I do hear good things about the scents, although none has sounded particularly appealing to me. That might change if I got the chance to smell some of them in person.

    But I really got a kick out of the post today, Patty. “Eat it or %$&* it” made me sputter coffee, such a great description.

  • Melissa says:

    Love that website! My impulse control disorder made me immediately order a sample set. :d

    • hongkongmom says:

      heres a tip for that…don’t go look at the website in the beginning..it works for me..no impulsive orders…:d

  • Erin T says:

    Hey, Daniel moves fast! I met up with him on Sunday and we hung out talkin ‘fume and food, etc. and here he is already organizing something for this weekend. Where is Nava? All you Torontonians, come on out! Noor is awesome, Fred and Nahla rock, and maybe we won’t get kicked out of Hermes. Daniel’s great company and he promises he won’t tell you my secret about a certain fruit… right, Daniel?

    And $20?! I love it…

    • Krista says:

      I am so disappointed, I love Noor but I’ll be out of town on the 28th. I hope a Toronto Sniffa is organized again sometime. And find out for me if they have Havana Vanille in stock yet. 😉

      • Erin T says:

        Awwww! We’ll miss you. It has been rather sudden planning, but I’m sure we’ll do it again some time. And when I spoke to Fred on Monday, there was still no sign of the Havana Vanille. L’Artisan is now talking like they’re going to release it at the same time as the (delicious!) Al Oud, some time in the coming weeks.

  • hongkongmom says:

    i NEW it ….some sort of ADHD human yeah patty!…i love the way you term it “my ADHD” just as well…i don’t think you would want mine!!!:d
    all these seem yummy and fluffy…good for this time of year!!!

  • lee says:

    Hey fluffy stuff (ha!)

    Colour me intrigued.

  • tmp00 says:

    I’m glad you liked these; I liked quite a few of them too and think that my Godchild (yes, the one who I gave Bandit to on her 16th B-day and Norell on her 17th) is going to have a great time with these for X-mas. He!! I’m keeping a few for myself..

    And Brent is so nice, even if he does the unforgivable sin of sitting there making me look like a freaking pharaoh..

  • Sara K says:

    The first two sound really great! I’m not so sure about the last one – I really can’t imagine the combination of patchouli and chocolate….plus patchouli sometimes smells really awful on me.