August 3, 2020

Mood Scent 4 Joyful Spritzing!

L'Esperessence April Aromatics, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Miller Harris, MoodScent4 Project, Parfums Dusita Anne Flipo, Lemon, Mini reviews, Neroli, Petit Grain Lemon, Petit Grain Orange, Tanja Bochnig, Tuberose 6 Comments

It is Mood Scent 4 time again! Where Portia (now on A Bottled Rose), Sam (I Scent You A Day) Megan (Megan In Sainte Maxime) and I write about a joined subject each month linking fragrance to mood or occasion. This time we picked joyful spritzing!

For me joyful spritzing means, perfumes which always cheer me up. I chose 4 fragrances starting with a perfume full of joy, April Aromatics Ray of Light.

April Aromatics Ray Of Light

Notes: Lime, Lemon, Pink Grapefruit, Orange, Bergamot, Galbanum, Mint, Vetiver, Tobacco. Perfumer: Tanja Bochnig Year: 2014

Bright crisp green lime and sweet vibrant yellow lemon with bitter green bits reminiscent of the leaves of the lemon tree make this a very uplifting fragrance for those days when you need some encouragement. Ray of Light is an all natural cheerful fragrance made by Berlin based perfumer Tanja Bochnig.

Wearing Ray of Light is like hearing a dear friend whispering cheerful words in your ear on those days you need help to get things done or get in a much better mood. Pure joy in a perfume bottle.

L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Eau de Toilette

Notes: Linden Blossom, Lemon Tree Blossom (Petit Grain Lemon), Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Tuberose Perfumer: Anne Flipo Year: 1999

This cheerful innocent floral bouquet of white orange, jasmine and tuberose blossoms with green and coconut facets never fails to lift my spirits. It is one of my favorite uplifting fragrances and I gladly use this Eau de Toilette on grey days to get me in a cheerful light mood again. La Chasse Aux Papillons means chasing butterflies in French, a joyful exquisite and suited name for this perfume.

Parfums Dusita Fleur de Lalita

Notes: Rose de mai, magnolia, jasmine, white lily, galbanum, ylang-ylang, ambrette, vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean and ambergris Perfumer: Pissara Umavijani Year: 2018

Fleur de Lalita makes you feel like a sweet teenage girl wearing a fluffy soft light pink short coat, tutu and sparkly tiara, giggling, joyous and feeling like a little princess. It is an absolutely stunning fragrance and a joy to wear, full of creamy tropical flowers, a light touch of coconut and warming smooth sandalwood. This fragrance had been on my wishlist for several years as it was an instant love and after using up several samples I finally bought a full bottle (my only one in this period!) during our “lockdown”.

Miller Harris Lumière Doree

Notes: Bergamot, Petit Grain Bigaradier, Orange Bigarade, Neroli Bigarade, Sambac Jasmine, Cashmere wood, Vetiver, Amber accord, White Musks. Perfumer: Mathieu Nardin Year: 2016

This cologne style neroli filled fragrance brightens the day with its Mediterranean flowers of jasmine, bitter orange and green bergamot citrus fruit. Lumière Doree transports me to joyful Spanish avenida’s full of small bitter orange trees filling up the air with their sunny luminous floral aroma and children loudly playing while smelling of Neroli cologne and clean soap.

Over To My Mood Scent 4 Pals
These are my 4 picks for joyfull spritzing! Have a look on Sam’s blog on I Scent You A Day, Megan’s Megan in St. Maxime and Portia on A Bottled Rose to read their picks and view on this subject.

I Love To Hear From You
There have been some troubles with leaving comments before. I do hope you are able to leave your choices for a joyful perfume. I love to hear from you!

Disclosure: All photographs were made by Esperessence. All perfumes were bought by me as well. I was lucky to win the April Aromatics set years ago on a Facebook contest.

July 6, 2020

Mood Scent 4 : Weird And Wonderful Perfumes

L'Esperessence Beaufort, Hilde Soliani, L'Artisan Parfumeur, MoodScent4 Project Coffee, Fecal, Hilde Soliani, Ink, Leather, Olivia Giacobetti, Vetiver 14 Comments

It is Mood Scent 4 time again! A joined perfume bloggers project where we share our views on the same subject linking perfume to mood or occasion. This time Portia (now on A Bottled Rose), Sam (I Scent You A Day) Megan (Megan In Sainte Maxime) and I chose to write about unusual weird and wonderful perfumes.

It has been a month since my latest blog post. In The Netherlands we have moved from the semi lockdown to a new situation where we are able to travel further away, go abroad and visit restaurants or other public places keeping the 1,5 m in mind. All is still a bit unusual. As some of you who follow me on Instagram might have seen, flowers and nature helped me to stay centred and positive. Luckily I have been able to see my 85 years old dad more as well. I hope that those reading are able to keep their spirits up.

Back to weird and wonderful perfumes now, I chose three perfumes which all tell an interesting and unusual story. All three are anything but ordinary, because of their story or perfume notes.

BeauFort 1805 Tonnerre, (Come Hell or High Water Collection), Visit The Battle of Trafalgar In 1805

Tonnerre features notes (or accords) of lime, gunpowder, smoke, blood, brandy, seawater, amber, balsam fir and cedar.

BeauFort was founded by musician Leo Crabtree, a current member from The Prodigy band. Tonnerre was inspired by the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Tonnerre features the scents of a complete sea battle with smoking gunpowder, scorched flesh (or blood), black wet earth, salted seawater and pungent tar. It is almost like time travelling as these are not scents (luckily!) you normally get to smell. Tonnerre is not for the faint of heart or a perfume I wear regularly on skin but I find it very intriguing as a perfume creation and olfactory experience.

Hilde Soliani Caffe Delle Vergini, Visit An Italian Cafe In the Eighties After A Night Of Clubbing

Caffe Delle Vergini features notes of ink, coffee and vetiver.

Caffe Delle Vergini was created by Italian perfumer Hilde Soliani. She was inspired by her visits to the bar Delle Vergini in the Italian City of Sassuolo after a night of clubbing to have breakfast. Bar Delle Vergini is said to be one of the first bars to admit women in the Sixties in Italy. Which reminds me of going out in the Eighties to a Spanish disco and have hot chocolate and fried churros in the middle of the night, not exactly the same scents but you get the idea. Caffe Delle Vergini smells of ink from the newspapers in the bar, espresso coffee from the steaming coffee machine and the smell of vetiver from the perfumed men visiting this bar. Caffe Delle Vergini is not as unusual as the Beaufort Tonnere perfume and more wearable. Actually it is one of the fragrances I wear most from Hilde Soliani as I like the story behind it too. The bottle has a label with a newspaper as you can see on the photograph.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Dzing! Visit An Old Fashioned Circus With Animal Poo and All

Dzing! Features notes of tonka beans, balsam, saffron and ginger.

Dzing! was inspired by a live circus with notes of horse or elephant dug, hay, powdery animal fur, sweet bright pink candy cotton, used saddle leather and wood dust in the ring. From all fragrances this is my favourite weird and wonderful perfume as after a few hours it leaves a scent of used soft comfortable black leather with a cleaner aldehydic (or soap like) accent. Last week when my cat Rubio visited his cat loo he left the scent of animal dug which very much reminded me of Dzing! Luckily there is much more to Dzing! than animal poo with the used leather, powdery fur notes, cleaner soap and wood dust. Some people got candied sweet apple too. Dzing! was launched in 1999 and created by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti (who also created Diptyque Philosykos, L’Artisan Tea For Two, Frederic Malle En Passant and Iunx fragrances)

These are my 3 picks of Weird and Wonderful Perfumes. Have a look on Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s Megan in St. Maxime and Portia on A Bottled Rose to read their picks and see how they are doing!

I hope you and your loved ones are able to stay healthy, calm, centred and positive during this period.

There have been some troubles with leaving comments lately. I do hope you are able to leave your choice for a weird and wonderful perfume. I love to hear from you.

Disclosure: all photographs were made by Esperessence. All perfumes were bought by me.

May 11, 2020

Mood Scent 4 Super Power Perfumes

L'Esperessence Chanel, MoodScent4 Project, Nicolaï, Parfums, Pure Distance Chypre, Leather, Spicy Oriental 1 Comment

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It is Mood Scent 4 time again! Where 4 bloggers from around the world share our views on the same subject linking perfume to mood or occasion. This time Portia (now on A Bottled Rose), Sam (I Scent You A Day) and Megan (Megan In Sainte Maxime) and I picked Super Power Perfumes as a subject as all of us could use some Super Power during this exceptional period of lock down or semi lock down.

While being semi quarantined in Amsterdam I have spent time enjoying blossoming flowers and admiring nature’s resilience while walking outside. In The Netherlands luckily we were allowed to have our daily walk in the first 6 weeks of the “intelligent” semi lock down. This week hairdressers reopen, restaurants will opening in the beginning of June.

I have been spending a lot of time at our allotment and gardening with the help of Peter luckily. We are very grateful for our garden these days. A yoga school near my home started doing online lessons which I do now as well. Very easy yin yoga and restorative from the comfort of my living room and a way to support local shop owners as well.

During my daily walks I have seen different flowers in bloom following their natural rhythm like magnolia, tulips and the current white and purple lilacs. Being completely honest; flowers have given me more strength and solace than perfume lately but these fragrances boost my confidence, give me hope or strength: Nicolai New York Intense, Pure Distance Master Perfumes M and Chanel Les Exclusifs 31 Rue Cambon. Nicolai New York Intense is one of the fragrances I reach for most when in need for a boost of confidence or strength. Long lasting uplifting bergamot and lemon on a warm oriental base of oakmoss, vanilla and frankincense never seize to amaze me as it is both multifaceted, rich and sophisticated. It is said to be the signature fragrance of its maker perfumer Patricia de Nicolai which does not surprise me.

Another confidence booster is Pure Distance M which I recently won in a photography contest. Inspired by a James Bond Aston Martin Car this perfume smells full bodied and complex like the slightly used rich black leather interior from a very expensive car and some added precious resinous frankincense mixed with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and clove. As Nicolai New York Intense, M leans towards masculine.

The ultra chic Chanel Les Exclusifs 31 Rue Cambon is another confidence booster and one I tend to reach for when I want to feel elegant despite the outfit I am wearing. 31 Rue Cambon wears like dark pink smooth velvet fabric, both comfortable and opulent in a classic way. Wearing this fragrance makes me feel like everything will be alright whatever the outcome will be for us, our family and friends, our communities and our planet.

These are my 3 picks of Super Power Perfumes. Have a look on Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s Megan in St. Maxime and Portia on A Bottled Rose to read their picks and see how they are doing during this exceptional period. I am very curious, aren’t you?

I hope you and your loved ones are able to stay healthy, calm, centred, and positive during this period we are all experiencing.

Do you use perfume to feel more confident or strong now? Which one do you use?

Disclosure: all photographs made by Esperessence. Last photograph is a view of one of the Vondelpark entrances.