Is everybody off on their August break? Possibly. Well, the perfume sniffage never stops. Here’s a quick run-down of three more Naomi Goodsirs, I bought the whole sample set since I loved this one.
Corpus Equus (Bertrand Duchafour, 2021) – the one that Portia reviewed which sounded a bit terrifying, in a good way. Smoked wood, leather, birch, amber, frankincense, musk, patchouli, rose, cedar. Hey, does anyone remember Absorbine Jr.? When we were kids, my mom applied that dabber bottle with its distinctive, medicinal-smelling dark green liquid to bug bites, sunburn, scratches, bumps, bruises, and anything else not requiring a trip to the Emergency Room. A friend of mine who’s a dressage instructor told me it’s horse liniment (google says: true, with formulary modifications for humans). Anyway, that medicinal scent overlays a perfectly respectable horse-y smell in Corpus Equus, nothing that would offend. It’s funny how different we perceive fragrances; I was sort of looking forward to Portia’s wild ride. I like it, but if I want to smell horses it’s the fabulous Arabian Horse all the way. However, next time I’m at a drugstore I might pick up a bottle of Absorbine Jr. just for fun, it’s supposed to be great for muscle pain.
Iris Cendré From their website: A floral tone, fresh, led by bergamot, tangerine & spices. A rich incense & powdery heart of violet & iris. Sensuality is enhanced by cistus, tobacco & amber. A true green rooty & creamy Iris butter. (Julien Rasquinet, 2015). Doesn’t that sound glam? Well, I got a big hit of milky-metallic-sour-sweet-sick at the top, then a hint of mildew, then damp socks, and it was downhill from there. Carolyn’s one-word review was “no.” Reminded me a bit of Secretions Magnifique, maybe the pour femme version? Hey, I wasn’t bored! And it washed off easily, so there’s that.
tuberose in my walled garden
Nuit de Bakélite A green, obsessive & addictive composition supported by tuberose, galbanum, angélique flower, fleur d’immortelle, wood & leather notes & styrax. (Isabelle Doyen, 2017.) I am unclear why it’s called “Bakelite” which I know only as the pre-plastic jewelry that has a smell, when warmed, described variously as chemical, phenolic, or medicinal. A weirdly wild (wildly weird?) combination of disparate notes that morph into one of the more peculiar fragrances I’ve tried. Green, herbaceous, a little sweet, tobacco, resinous. Carolyn’s favorite of the bunch so far. I’m not sure how much I like it, but I also keep re-applying it, it’s so interesting.
I did notice that three of the six Goodsirs on the brand website are out of stock, which is … somewhat concerning. Hopefully everyone’s on les grandes vacances and they’ll restock in the fall.
I’d love anything called “Nuit de Bakelite”
Even though the story of the Baekeland’s is rather iffy..
I kept looking for some alternate French definition and didn’t find one, so. All of these are available to sniff in your nighborhood!
As a galbanum fiend, Bakelite was a big let down. Of course, YMMV and I have a large stash of my ultimate GREEN-very very vintage Vent Vert in many iterations. Based on your wonderful post on the Goodsirs a few weeks ago, March, I got a sample of Bakelite, Corpus Equus and Bois d’Ascèse. The Bois was more an atmospheric than a scent I’d wear, the Corpus was, to my nose, not all that different than Bois (enjoyed the journey, would not want to smell this on myself all day) and the Bakelite was (for me) a long, fruitless search for the galbanum as I wondered what the perfumer was trying to say/accomplish with the blend. tl:dr? I thought March’s write up was far more interesting, well done and worth while than the time I spent puzzling over these 3 so-so samples.
Glad to hear your reviews, from another Galbanum fiend. 🙂 Thanks!
Oh, goodness! “A long, fruitless search for the galbanum” is a hilarious phrase — is it in there at all? I couldn’t decide. I don’t think my write up is far more interesting, yours is GREAT. Atmospheric is a highly accurate way to describe Bois. I still have two more I haven’t tried, we will see about those.
Absorbine Jr!!! I remember that! Also remember horse liniment ( which is how we found out I was allergic to horse dander). Alss, none of these pique my interest, probably because I am in a perfume slump and only want to wear The Usual Suspects right now.
It’s that time of year for sure — tbh I don’t know if I’d be trying all these things if I didn’t have Carolyn here to sample with.
Nuit de Bakelite sounds weirdly good to me. Love galbanum and green scents. Not so much the others. I’m not sure why they called it that either. I’ve read that Bakelite jewelry is a hot commodity in antique stores, but I haven’t seen any yet.
That’s funny, I thought of you for Bakelite — i think you might really like that one! There’s a consignment/thrift shop here with an entire huge case of Bakelite. It’s very pretty but not really my style.
I adore Bakelite and used to wear my collection all the time! Hmmm … maybe I should pull it out and wear it today!
Yes, yes you should!
I did! They looked fabulous against my tanned skin!
Heya March,
WOW! A perfect moment of YMMV!
What a sad day in perfume sampling.
It did make a compelling read though.
Portia xx
Portia — not sad at all, truly! I’m really glad I tried them, and I won’t be surprised if a decant of Bakelite is going to be on order.
During summers in Maine we used to wear Old Woodsman bug repellent. Smelled like wood preservative. Not sure it’s still available in the same formulation (maybe that’s outlawed now). But it smelled strangely compelling and certainly kept the bugs away.
I want to smell all of these but I am not sure any place in London has them. Maybe next visit to Paris …
Hey Cinnamon, Bloom has Naomi Goodsir.
Portia xx
Bloom ‘says’ it has NG. Doesn’t mean it’s actually in stock. Bloom is a bit of a conundrum.
I hope you can find the Goodsirs! And I feel the same way about Absorbine Jr. — it’s a smell from childhood and strangely appealing.
I remember the name Absorbine Jr. but don’t think it was ever in the house. I remember having to put on good old stinging and staining iodine.
You confirmed my suspicions on Bakelite. Shame on you for leading me/us astray with Iris Cendre! It sounded wonderful and then……..pfffft, so there! 😉
Thankfully I haven’t ordered any Naomi Goodsir yet. Your review reminded me of how much I love the smell of horses! I am a fan of Pierre Guillaume so I must add a sample of PG Arabian Horse even at the risk of falling for it and wanting a bottle.
Hey as Portia says, YMMV! I think LuckyScent has samples of all of these, including PG Arabian Horse.