Gift

Budget Pick of the Month: Paul Smith Rose Eau de Parfum

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Paul Smith Rose is an elegant, sofisticated, natural smelling rose scent. If this rose had a color it would be light pink. This flower would have been picked in a classic English garden like the rose on the photograph. The photograph was taken in the famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent. Sissinghurst Castle Garden was created by the writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband. Vita Sackville-West is generally known as well for her relationship with writer Virginia Woolf.

There is not really an interesting story to Paul Smith Rose in contrast to the life story of Vita Sackville-West. Virginia Woolf was inspired by Vita’s life to write the novel Orlando, made into a movie in 1992 with Tilda Swinton as Orlando. Paul Smith presumably had Rose created for his wife.

Paul Smith Rose is a very natural uncomplicated quite linear scent. On my skin it smells in the beginning like rose lemonade. Giving the impression of a fresh, light pink rose with some dew on its petals. On paper I clearly smelled the tea note in the beginning but I could not smell this on my skin at all. After a few minutes Rose develops on my skin into a slightly warmer red velvet rose.

I have been testing different natural rose oils lately and interestingly some of them do not smell the way you would expect a rose to scent. But this Rose eau de parfum really smells like a natural rose. It is best used sprayed lavishly.

Paul Smith Rose is not an Eau de Parfum I would recommend to anyone who does not like the scent of rose. But I have found reviews online from people who did not like rose scents in general and like this Paul Smith Rose scent.

Do not be put off by its boring name or uninterestng bottle as the fragrance Paul Smith Rose is really worth a try. It would make an excellent gift to a lover of rose scents and for its price it is an absolute bargain.

Notes: top green tea, violet heart rose, violet, magnolia base cedarwood (according to basenotes)

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu

Date of introduction: 2007 (In 2006 it was introduced at the Chelsea Flower Show)

Olfactory family: Floral/Soliflor

Disclosure: I bought my bottle online at the Dutch discount webstore Parfumdeo and paid 22 euro for a 100 ml tester bottle.

More information about Sissinghurst Castle Garden (link embedded)

Did you try Paul Smith Rose? What do you think of the bottle or story (lack of it)? Does this influence you when deciding to buy or try a scent?

My Favorite Holiday Gift: Vanilla Body Oil (easiest DIY ever!)

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DIY vanilla body oil

Take 100 ml pure jojoba oil and add one vanilla pod into the bottle. Leave it several months in a dark cupboard. As there is not enough time for the upcoming holidays you can make one bottle and give it away with the advice to leave it some time to rest like a bottle of wine.

DIY Vanilla Oil

This vanilla infused oil has become one of my favorite body products. The first time I made it with 100 ml of jojoba* oil from De Tuinen (now Holland and Barrett) which was about 4 euro and a cheap and probably not high quality vanilla pod from Lidl for 2 euro. I had to cut the pod in half and put both halves into the bottle with the oil. After 8 to 9 months it smelled amazing and was an excellent oil to layer when using vanilla perfumes. This oil was not 100 percent jojoba oil but had some other stuff added. I just finished this bottle.

Some months ago I made a new batch with better quality pure jojoba oil from Oshadhi (bought online in the U.K. I paid about 24 pounds for 200 ml) and an organic vanilla pod. One important thing about jojoba oil is, it does not go rancid. Another quality is that it is easily absorbed by my dry skin. It is said to work for both dry and oily skins. I am about to start with my new bottle.

When adding a vanilla pod to your oil you really get the natural vanilla scent into the oil which is nice as you get to know the natural fragrance of vanilla as well.

One thing though, this is for true vanilla lovers!

DIY vanilla oil

*Note about jojoba oil: officially jojoba oil is not an oil but liquid wax. Its latin name is Simmondsia sinensis. If left in a very cold place or fridge it will solidify but will become liquid again easily at room temperature of 10 C. It could also be used as a hair conditioner and after epilation. (source: Carrier Oils by Len Price, if you want to read more about carrier oils like jojoba oil, this book is quite a good source)

Hermes Eau d’orange verte Shower Gel Better Than a Shot of Caffeine

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Bitter oranges

In the Netherlands it is wintertime. Days are short, tend to be grey and it can be rainy. For me it is one of the most difficult times of the year as we do not get a lot a sunshine. I compensate the lack of sun as much as I can by using fragrances and body products which are uplifting and energizing. One of the best to accomplish this is Hermes Eau d’orange verte hair and body shower gel (in short: shower gel).

Hermes Eau d’orange verte shower gel is not cheap* but I find it to be extremely uplifting, energizing and worth its price as you do not need a lot of it. Apply a bit of shower gel (the amount of 5 euro cents) on the inside of the palm of your hand, put your hands together so you get a bit of lather and smell for a few seconds. This energizes me more than a shot or two of espresso or ristretto coffee.

Hermes Eau d'orange verte showergel review

 

Nice to know

Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte used to be called Eau de Cologne Hermes and was created in 1979 by French perfumer Francoise Caron. It does not contain bergamot or so Hermes claims for some unknown reason. But it does contain petit grain lemon, mandarin, bitter orange tree (bigadier) leaves (orange leaf absolute plus probably petit grain orange) and peppermint, according to official Hermes training material from the nineties. According to different internet sources Eau d’orange verte contains/used to contain oakmoss and patchouly.

Fragrance Family

Rich Citrus (Michael Edwards)/ Floral Chypre Citrus (Technical Commision of French Society of Perfumers)

*The official Hermes price for a 200 ml hair and body shower gel bottle is 33 euro and can be bought online via the official Hermes website.

Do you use body products to uplift or energize you ? If so which one do you like to use most ?

Photographs made by L’Esperessence

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