Mood Scent 4 : Duvet Day Perfumes

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Its Mood Scent 4 time again! Sam (I Scent You a Day), Megan (Megan in St. Maxime), Portia (Australian Perfume Junkies) and I write about a different  theme every month. This time we have chosen to post about our favorite Duvet Day Perfumes. Which perfumes do we reach for on our days off when we relax in bed or stay comfortably in our pyjamas all day? I have chosen 4 fragrances with comforting and relaxing notes of sandalwood, vanilla and Turkish apple tea.

1. Pierre Guillaume Paris 18 Cadjméré Eau de Parfum 

One of my absolute favorites Duvet Day perfumes is Pierre Guilaumes 18 Cadjméré. The comforting creamy sandalwood pairs extremely well with the light milky coconut creating a harmonious fragrance which makes you want to stay in bed or on the sofa all day in your pyjamas. A light touch of spices uplift it slightly.

Some say Cadjméré refers to the soft touch of Kashmir and mère” (mother in French). As the most important note sandalwood is often qualified as “maternal wood” due to its creamy and comforting qualities. I love to wear this fragrance when I want to slow down or before going to bed for its soothing effect.

Cadjméré includes notes of tangerine, aromatic sap, rosewood, Kenyan cypress resin, sandalwood, ambrette seed and vanilla.

2. L’Artisan Parfumeur Traversée du Bosphore Eau de Parfum 

The relaxing Traversée du Bosphore is a good choice for your occasional duvet day. It was inspired by a trip to Istanbul in 2010 by French perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour and opens with sweet Turkish apple tea and a pinch of cinnamon powder. The apple is slightly covered with sugar powder and softly baked in delicious browning butter. This is not a fresh crisp green apple more a sweet warm appetising apple desert. The Turkish apple tea note is mixed with Turkish delight, both very sweet at the beginning but never too candy like. It is just the right amount of sugar.

After a few minutes the scent of almonds appears. Comforting vanilla is the base of this fragrance with a little sweetness probably from the sugar powdered apple and Turkish Delight. Traversée du Bosphore is a wonderful little comforting tourist trip to Turkey with its sweet apple tea and turkish delight while remaining at home in your pyjamas.

Traversée du Bosphore includes notes of apple, pomegranate, tulip, iris, leather, saffron, Turkish delight accord, vanilla and musks.

3. Guerlain Shalimar 

Although Shalimar makes me feel like a movie star from the roaring twenties with natural glamour and sensual elegance I love to wear this at home for its comforting and relaxing effect. The balsamic properties of Vanilla sooth me and I love to wear this before going to bed. It’s a wonderful duvet day perfume and one I can’t live without honestly.

Shalimar notes include bergamot, rose and jasmine, opopanax, vanilla, iris and tonka bean.

4. Le Labo Labdanum 18 Eau de Parfum

More suited for our upcoming theme Sexy Duvet Day (no, just kidding here!) but, an honorable mention go to Le Labo Labdanum 18, created in 2006 by master perfumer Maurice Roucel. This cosy and warm powdery fragrance envelopes you like a soft cashmere blanket. Civet and castoreum add a sensual ‘dirty’ touch making it very seductive while still remaining incredibly confortable.

Labdanum 18 notes include labdanum, tonka beans, vanilla, castoreum, patchouli.

Have a look on the Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s  Megan in St. Maxime and Portia’s Australian Perfume Junkies to read their picks for duvet day perfumes.

What are your favourite duvet day choices on your day off? Did you like my choices?

Disclosure: all photographs were made by Esperessence

Mood Scent 4 : Mid Season Magic : Autumn Perfumes

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It’s time for a new episode of Mood Scent 4 together with fellow bloggers Sam from I Scent You A Day, Megan from Megan in St. Maxime and Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies!  This month we have chosen to write about “mid season magic”.  Portia will be writing from Australia about Spring fragrances, the rest of us about Autumn perfumes.

Autumn is a wonderful season in The Netherlands with its beautiful orange, red coloured leaves and the sun shining it’s filtered golden warm light. I love Autumn in Amsterdam especially sunny days can be very magical.

Warmer, sweeter or woody perfumes might be more suited to wear during Autumn as it is getting colder outside. I have chosen 5 fragrances which are very suited for this season, starting with Nicolaï Parfums New York Intense, Nicolaï Ambre Cashmere Intense, Imaginary Authors Memoir Of A Trespasser, Diptyque Volutes Eau de Parfum and Maison Marghiela Replica By the Fireplace.

Nicolai Discovery Set

Nicolaï Parfums New York Intense 

Notes: bergamot, Sicilian lemon, clove, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oakmoss, vetiver, amber

New York Intense starts with sunny citrus notes of petit grain of the lemon tree, sweet lemon and bergamot like golden Autumn sunlight shimmering through Autumn leaves brightening up your day. Interestingly the citrus notes last for hours. Changing much later into a warm base of patchouli, vanilla, incense with sweet brightening accents of orange rind. It is perfume critic Luca Turin’s favorite for a very good reason. Made by one of my favorite perfumers Patricia de Nicolaï, current president of the scent archive in Versailles Osmothèque.

Nicolai Ambre Cashmere Intense

Nicolaï Parfums Ambre Cashmere Intense 

Notes: black pepper, mandarine, lemon, iris butter, violets, clove, vanilla, benzoin, styrax

Ambre Cashmere Intense is a sweet, warm powdery feminine fragrance which envelopes you like a cashmere blanket keeping you warm and comfortable for hours. It is a rather sweet fragrance but leaves out sugar cotton candy accents that have defined many perfumes in the last decade. The added boozy notes make it well rounded and interesting. Ambre Cashmere Intense could easily be called London Intense with its luxurious easygoing style like some Ormonde Jayne fragrances without the accompanying price tag. This is the first fragrance perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï created with her son Axel.

Imaginary Authors Memoirs Of a Trespasser

Imaginary Authors /  Memoirs of a Trespasser 

Notes: vanilla, gaiac wood, myrrh, benzoin, oak barrels accord

A must try for lovers of vanilla perfumes, Memoirs of a Trespasser wears like a soft vanilla blanket with an accompanying glass of high quality cognac. Uncomplicated and comfortable.

Diptyque Volutes

Diptyque Volutes Eau de Parfum 

Notes: honey, opoponax, cinnamon, iris accord

A trip along the former spice route by ship with spicy pepper, cinnamon, sweet tobacco and clove. Lightly dusted, leaving a powdery trail with some added honey and almond accents in the beginning. Inspired by transatlantic journeys by ship from Marseille to Saigon by one of the founders Yves Coueslant with elegant ladies on the deck smoking sweet tobacco cigarettes wearing powdery lipstick.

Maison Marghiela MMM Replica By the Fireplace 

Notes: pink pepper, orange blossom, cloves, chestnut, gaiacwood, juniper, vanilla, peru balsam, cashmeran

This warm, earthy and sweet fragrance was created (not very surprising) with the idea of spending an evening by the fire. Imagine marshmallows burning over a fireplace, sweet vanilla and light burning wood, damp mac raincoat and wellies drying on a nearby chair and you get an idea. Makes you wish for winter to come (pun intended).

Autumn in Amsterdam, Vondelpark

 

Have a look on the Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s  Megan in St. Maxime and Portia’s Australian Perfume Junkies to read their picks for autumn and spring.

What are your favourite autumn choices? Have worn one already?

Disclosure : all photographs were made by Esperessence, all fragrances were my own acquisition or a gift with purchase.

MoodScent4 Project: Playing The Diva Perfumes

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It’s with great pleasure I am writing a new episode together with fellow bloggers Sam from I Scent You A Day, Megan from Megan in St. Maxime and Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies.

Together we choose a different subject every couple of months and link fragrance to mood or occasion. This time we have chosen to write about “playing the diva perfumes”. Due to moving houses I haven’t written in a long time on my website.  I am very glad to do so for this special festive event. My perfume collection is not completely unpacked so I was slightly limited in my choices and reviews. But let’s continue and play!

Madonna Truth or Dare

Madonna Truth or Dare Perfume Ad

Each of us might have a different image of a diva, To me a diva is a larger than (daily) life grand lady, preferably dressed in a long red velvet dress with feathers, wearing a faux fur coat, demanding and getting a lot of attention.

Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind

 

If I were to play a diva with perfume this would be with a lush white floral fragrance from night blooming flowers like gardenia or tuberose. The perfume would have strong sillage* and leave a beautiful scented trail when walking down the crimson velvet stairs in the theatre or opera house.

Isabey Paris Gardenia

Isabey Paris Gardenia

Isabey Paris Gardenia Eau de Parfum comes to mind. Isabey Gardénia was created in 1924 and won the gold medal at the prestigious International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925. As its face it had operetta singer Yvonne Printemps. Isabey Gardenia is a lush bouquet of white creamy flowers of tuberose and exotic ylang-ylang oozing vintage luxury from a bygone era. It leaves a harmonious veil of sandalwood, soft iris and musk which lingers for hours on the skin.  A luxurious, mature and well balanced fragrance which makes you feel glamorous and like a diva from the roaring Twenties.

Its notes (according to the LuckyScent website) are Tangerine Peel, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom, Gardenia, Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Iris, Ambergris, Musk, Sandalwood.

Yvonne Printemps

Yvonne Printemps

Robert Piquet Fracas and Madonna Truth or Dare 

Other fragrances to play a diva would be tuberose classic Robert Piquet Fracas, created in 1948 by Germaine Cellier and said to be worn by Madonna. Fracas is still packed in a box somewhere so I can’t go into much more detail unfortunately. Madonna launched her own Fracas inspired fragrance Truth or Dare in 2012. Truth or Dare was discontinued but the shower gel and body lotion are still available online for very reasonable prices. You can have a lavish affordable bath in true diva style and still be able to pay your mortgage or rent.

Concluding: My personal picks to play the diva were creamy tuberose centered fragrances like Isabey Paris Gardenia, Robert Piquet Fracas and Madonna Truth or Dare bath products.

Have a look on the blog of Sam from I Scent You A Day, Megan from Megan in St. Maxime and Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies to read their choices. I am very curious how they play the diva, aren’t you?

How would you play the diva? Which fragrances would you choose?

*Sillage: meaning the scented trail left by the wearer of a fragrance

You can read my full review of Truth or Dare here.

Special thanks Vicky, from The Perfume Lounge, Amsterdam

Disclosure: all fragrances mentioned in this article were bought by me

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