One of the fun things about dipping into my housemate Carolyn’s sample orders (with her permission!) from LuckyScent is that they’re almost all surprises. I didn’t choose them, so I don’t have much in the way of knowledge / preconceptions / expectations. Many of them I’m unfamiliar with given the huge volume of fragrances on the market at this point, including plenty I missed when they came out. She orders; I sniff; I look up the notes and additional info afterwards. Some recent sampling:
Mossy Glen by Villa Erbatium — bamboo, black tea, cedarwood, cyclamen, fig leaf, narcissus, patchouli, tobacco. This one I’d heard of and really wanted to try – a lot of people think it’s got that flower-shop thing going on. I should love this, and yet somehow I don’t. I get a lot of fig and black tea, which would be just dandy except I feel like I’m amplifying some vaguely syrup-y sweetness on top of the hay-like narcissus? Dunno. I do like it more the further we get into the drydown.
Atelier des Ors Lune Feline – hehe this is a delightful skank-fest. Launched in 2015; nose is Marie Salamagne. Cardamom, cinnamon, pink pepper, woods, ambergris, styrax, cedar, green notes, Tahitian vanilla, Peru balsam, musk. “A dark and animalistic scent based on vanilla pods and sensual orchid warmed with balsamic notes and musky accords, these notes convey a rich, gourmand trail.” On me, not so much gourmand as old-school dirrrrty; less floral treble notes and the animalic bass turned up full volume. Oh hey I talked about this ten years ago!
Taipei by One Day – from Luckyscent: “Ground soy, steamed glutinous rice and taro. The scent and nuance of beans, grains and roots. Soybeans strained and boiled into milk, the aroma of steamed rice and taro rising in the air. Flour and dough kneaded into taro balls, rolled hearty in bowls.” Notes are guaiac wood, iris, musk, rice, sandalwood, soy milk, taro, vetiver. What I got: chocolate dollhead and buttered popcorn, and no, not in a good way. Genuine scrubber territory for Carolyn as well. One of the most unfortunate combinations of notes I’ve sampled in quite some time, and you know what? I’m not sorry about it, because those are fun to sniff too! It’s such a perfumista thing: “omg this is terrible, smell it!!!” Also, feel free to assume I’m wrong about this, because it’s got plenty of rave reviews on Lucky.
cassis guimauves
Parle Moi de Parfum’s Guimauve de Noel. Okay, I need to stick in the perfect, evocative LuckyScent blurbage: “…while it reminds us most pleasurably of fougassette, a type of bread fragrant with orange flower water sold in every market in Provence, this is not at all a heavy, gluttonous fragrance. Rather, it is a tender puff of orange flower-scented air with the sparkle of sugar crystals.” Notes: orange blossom, sugar, vanilla. Guimauve means marshmallow, seemingly another red flag, but French marshmallows are apparently really different and I fell down a whole rabbit hole reading about them. Anyway, if that all sounds terribly sweet, it is not – it’s … kind of a wonder. Orange zest rather than flower to my nose, all so delicate, and yet I cannot get enough of the hours of drydown, a delightful surprise. I need a decant.
Have you tried any of these? Anything tempting?
cover and panther images via Pexels; guimauves from ultimatehotchocolate.com
I want to try the kitty cat one..
I think you would like it!
Leap before looking is not a bad idea. If you always look before you leap you could miss out on a LOT of fun!
I also went back and forth and back and forth on trying Atelier des Ors Lune Feline. I should finally do it! 🙂
I would like to sample Guimauve de Noel and I know someone who might like it too.
I was shocked when I realized how old some of these were — I sort of lost track ten years ago, and there’s really no catching up now. But I am really enjoying the low-stakes sampling.
LOVE doing a sample run, especially in someone else’s wheelhouse March. there’s always some happy surprises.
Luna Feline is gorgeous.
Portia xx
Yes! Happy surprises and new loves, and I didn’t even have to go through the trauma of picking them! (small decisions sometimes stall me.)
I love, love Guimauve de Noel. The LuckyScent description is right on.
I’m pretty happy with my collection of 50ish bottles, but I don’t think I’ll every stop sampling–it’s just too much fun. And I always try to throw something in a sample order that just sounds odd or at least unlike my taste, just for the adventure.
Sampling is SO much fun. And it’s so great to have this route through Carolyn — I can’t choose so I end up stuck at my cart on LuckyScent. Since she’s doing all the selecting (and we have overlapping tastes) this has been a delight.
Haven’t tried any of these, March. The last one, the Parle Moi de Parfum one that smells like orange blossom, orange zest and marshmallow sounds the best to me. I love a light orange blossom. Today I’m wearing Bottega Veneta Knot, an orange blossom scent that went out of production way too fast. By the time I decided to give it a whirl, all I could find was a mini on ebay. Thanks for the great reviews!
I KNOW — I missed out on Knot! Although I’m assuming maaaaaybe if I looked around long enough … but it’s tough when they weren’t in production for long.
Only Lune Feline appeals to me. It’s something I’ve had in & out of sample hauls since it was released.
That blackcurrant marshmallow sounds & looks delicious. The fragrance might be worth a try. Though really a blackcurrant marshmallow fragrance would have me going “Take my money, a full bottle is only a big sample after all”
So, it’s an orange marshmallow (the cassis is just a handy illustrative photo) and now I’m thinking I should put on some … what was that fragrance? Ines de la Fressange.
Which Ines? You know I am a devotee of the Morillas version
I have never tried any Ines de la Fressange, I don’t remember them being on shelves when they were release.
Ok, I go with door number 4, the marshmallow (a new word for my French vocabulary). That sounds … so gentle and enticing but not saccharine. Xmas marshmallow? Something to wear on a snowy day when all in the world is quiet? Going to look for a sample now.
If I’d had 10 or 20 guesses as to what “guimauve” was I’d have never gotten it (“Noel” I knew hehe) and it really is lovely. Something about that drydown.
Heh. That Taipei sounds like my kitchen!!!
And the Guimsuve definitely sounds YOU!!!
That Taipei was WRETCHED but again I’m not sorry I got to try it! Your kitchen smells waaaaaay better. Xo
Wow! That’s… terrifying!!!