Uplifting

Mood Scent 4 Wellbeing Wonder Perfumes

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It’s Mood Scent 4 time again where we, 4 bloggers around the globe, show our thoughts on the same subject every month.  Sam (I Scent You A Day) from Wales, Megan in Southern France (Megan in St Maxime) Portia in Australia (guest blogging on A Bottled Rose) and I (from The Netherlands) chose to write about Wellbeing Wonders today, given what is happening in the world due to the Virus. We could all use some well-being wonders at the moment. 

It may sound frivolous right now to write about fragrances and beauty. But I have found perfume and beautiful things like flowers to be very uplifting, calming and comforting these past couple of weeks.  Nature is showing us its own natural pace with spring blossoming flowers like vibrant magnolia and joyous yellow daffodils.

In The Netherlands we are in semi lock down as we are still allowed to go out for a walk to get some fresh air opposed to other countries where people are not allowed to walk outside except for shopping. What is uniting us on this planet at the moment, is that we are going through the same things in our own way as we are all effected by the virus. Quite an exceptional experience.

Back to perfumes, I picked 4 perfumes as Wellbeing Wonders, 3 of them are reasonably priced, in case you would like to buy them online. The first is April Aromatics Precious Woods, not a cheap fragrance but well worth its price, this is why.

April Aromatics Precious Woods Eau de Parfum -Calming and Grounding-

Precious Woods invites us to take a slow calming walk in a green moist forest. German perfumer Tanja Bochnig was inspired to make this fragrance when she scented an Indian forest after the rain. Wearing it makes me feel like having both feet firmly on the ground. It has a very calming effect. This is not surprising as one of the main notes of Precious Woods is sandalwood. Sandalwood has been used by all Indian spiritual traditions (Brahmin, Buddhist and Hindu) to induce a calm state of mind and for meditation.

Precious Woods features natural notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, cistus, vetiver bourbon, patchouli, Buddha wood and white Sage. It is infused with small herkimer precious stones


Paul Smith Rose Eau de Parfum – Uplifting –

Elegant and effortless chic is a word which comes to mind when smelling Paul Smith Rose. It smells better than a bouquet of large stemmed pink roses from an exclusive flower-shop in one of the most expensive areas in the city. Paul Smith Rose is very uplifting and places you in a pink bubble for a moment. It is available online for a fairly reasonable price and was created by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu.

Paul Smith Rose features notes of green tea, violet heart rose, violet, magnolia, cedarwood. 

Guerlain Mitsouko Eau de Toilette – Comforting –

Many have written about Mitsouko which I will not repeat other than that it is a classic comforting masterpiece. Mitsouko was created more than 100 years ago in 1919 by perfumer Jacques Guerlain. The Eau de Toilette refills sprays (93ml) are still available online for 30 euro (not on this photograph) which is cheaper than a regular roomspray. This Eau de Toilette might not be as rich as the pure perfume but it works wonders when you spray it on your cushion or sheets before going to bed. It certainly is a wellbeing wonder for me.

Mitsouko features notes of bergamot, jasmine, peach, rose, oakmoss, pepper, cinnamon, vetiver.

Caron Pour Un Homme Eau de Toilette- Calming and Relaxing-

Pour Un Homme is a calming lavender perfume with a warm amber and comforting vanilla base. These notes have a very calming and relaxing effect. The fragrance is available online for a fairly reasonable price. I just found a 125 ml bottle with shower gel for 30 euro online as a giftset. Highly recommended for relaxation and calming the mind. Although Pour Un Homme is called For A Man in French, it is not for gentlemen only…

Pour Un Homme features notes of lavender, vanilla, musk and amber.

These are my 4 Wellbeing Wonder Picks. 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 choices and read how they are doing  I am very curious, aren’t you?

I hope you and your loved ones are able to stay calm, centered and positive during the upcoming period. Stay well!

Do you use perfume as wellbeing wonder now? Which one do you use?

Disclosure: all photographs were made by Esperessence. The perfumes mentioned in this article were bought by Esperessence as well.

My Top 5 Favorite Autumn Fragrances

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As leaves are turning into beautiful orange, brown, red and yellow colors, we are slowly moving into autumn in Amsterdam. I have started wearing wool sweaters, thin shawls and warmer autumn fragrances although the weather we are having is exceptionally warm and sunny. But nature is showing us the season is really changing and we are getting ready for winter which is hard to imagine when feeling the actual temperature. I have been reaching for Mitsouko, PHI Une Rose De Kandahar, Slowdive, Flowerhead and burning Nordic Leather lately and will review them in a few  words to give you an impression.

1.Guerlain Mitsouko edt (bottle from 2017) is  a lighter, younger and more sparkling version of this classic perfume from 1919. Although I miss the warm peach and soft suede from the bottle I just finished (the one on the photograph) I love the brightness, citrus and powdery softness of this new Eau de Toilette for colder evenings and at night. It’s a very soothing and relaxing fragrance. I recently bought* a refill bottle at a very reasonable price online as these refill sprays will be discontinued. Worth a (re) try if you don’t like the edp, extrait or didn’t like it before. 

2. Tauer Perfumes PHI un rose de Kandahar, is a beautiful warm woody spicy rose, very much loved among perfume lovers. Due to the rare rose oil from Afghanistan it’s not always available. According to the official website it can be bought at the moment. Andy Tauer offers samples on his site as well so you can try them easily.

Notes: Apricot, cinnamon, almond, bergamot, Bulgarian rose absolute, rose from Kandahar, bourbon geranium, tobacco leaf, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, tonka bean, musk and ambergris. Perfumer: Andy Tauer Year: 2013

3. Byredo Flowerhead Eau de Parfum, this young and uplifting modern floral is not a warming autumn fragrance more a reminder of long sunny summer days and excellent for the warm sunny golden days we are having. A must try for tuberose lovers. It has quickly become ome of my favorite florale as it is such a happy fragrance. 

Notes: Angelica seeds, cranberries, sicilian lemon, sambac jasmine, rose petals, tuberose, suede and ambergris. Perfumer: Jerome Epinette Year: 2014

4. Hiram Green Slowdive. Slowdive is a honeyed golden warming and soothing fragrance. Although officially it is a tobacco centered fragrance on my skin it becomes much more honey centered. Slowdive is very suited for these warm autumn days inviting us to relax outside for a drink, cycle or lay in the grass in a park.

Notes: Neroli, orange flower, tobacco blossom, tuberose, honey, dried fruit, resin Perfumer: Hiram Green  Year: 2017

5. Scented Candle and Fragrance Cards Zara Home Nordic Leather. 
This scented candle is my favourite at the moment and excellent value for money. I wouldn’t have called the candle Nordic Leather as I don’t smell any leather. Nordic Oud or Wood would have been a more suited name as it is a very warming woody fragrance with sandalwood, incense and spices. Nordic Leather has incredible throw off and could be overwhelming if you are sensitive to fragrance. The candle is not very suited either if you don’t like fragrance leaning towards masculine.

The Nordic Leather fragrance cards are fabulous to scent clothes. But they could be overwhelming as well like the scented candle. Both are available online and at times on sale.

Concluding: Mitsouko, PHI Une Rose De Kandahar, Slowdive, Flowerhead and scented candle Zara Home Nordic Leather are my favorite Autumn fragrances at the moment.

*Read this excellent article of Persolaise on what to be aware of before buying and testing Mitsouko. Don’t let it scare you though!

All notes of the fragrances were taken from the Luckyscent website, except for the Zara Home Candle. Photographs made by Esperessence.

Mood Scent 4 Uplifting Perfumes

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Welcome to Mood Scent 4!

We are four perfume bloggers based in France, Holland, England and Wales who post on a different jointed subject every couple of months. This time we have chosen uplifting perfumes as we moving into the autumn and winter season. At the end of this article you will find links to the blogs of A Bottled Rose, I Scent You A Day and Megan in St. Maxime.

I really enjoyed choosing 5 uplifting fragrances for our joined project. The fragrances I choose were the joyful L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Eau de Toilette, invigorating Frederic Malle Cologne Bigarade, contemporary British Heeley Oranges and Lemons, bright April Aromatics Ray Of Light and energising Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte.

1. L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Eau de Toilette

Notes: Linden Blossom, Lemon Tree Blossom, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Tuberose Perfumer: Anne Flipo Year: 1999

La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing butterflies) is a happy, joyful, floral bouquet of white blossoms of orange, jasmine and tuberose with some green leaves and creamy coconut. It is one of my favorite uplifting fragrances and I gladly use the Eau de Toilette, the accompanying body lotion and shower gel on grey rainy days to cheer me up.

In a few words*: innocent, romantic, joyful, young and light, white

2. Frederic Malle Cologne Bigarade

Notes: Bitter Orange, Cardamon, Pepper, Hay, Cedar Wood Perfumer: Jean-Claude Ellena Year: 2001

In true Ellena style this cologne is stripped from any distractions* by leaving out the traditional cologne herbs lavender or rosemary and concentrating fully on the bitter orange essence in all it’s splendour. It’s incredibly energising and an excellent choice for a dull grey autumn or winter morning. I used the shower gel some years ago and loved it too.

In a few words: refreshing, invigorating, clean, casual chic

3. Heeley Oranges And Lemons Say The Bell’s Of … St.Clements

Notes: Oranges, Lemons, Bergamot, Mandarine, Neroli, Petitgrain, Earl Grey Tea, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver Perfumer: James Heeley Year: 2010

Together with La Chasse Aux Papillons a beautiful name for a fragrance. Oranges and Lemons was inspired by an old children’s rhyme from the 18th century. The Bell’s Of St. Clements refer to church bells which can still be found in the historic and financial centre of the City of London.

Oranges and Lemons starts as a contemporary cologne with bright bitter orange flowers (neroli) with their green leaves to change into a slightly sweeter orange lemonade. There is a right balance between the shiny bitter neroli and sweeter orange. Longevity on my skin is good for a cologne style fragrance as it lasts several hours. Unexpectedly the dry down was quite calming.  If the fragrance would have a color it would be vibrant orange.

In a few words: modern cologne, relaxed, contemporary British, colour of bright orange

4. April Aromatics Ray Of Light

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

Ray of Light is an all natural fragrance made by Berlin based perfumer Tanja Bochnig. The fragrance opens with bright sunny bitter green citrus leaves which quickly change into warmer lightly sugared lemon followed by some sweeter orange and a mellow herbal tobacco base. The galbanum adds an overall green bitter scent to the whole fragrance. When smelling and experiencing this fragrance the colour that came to mind was vibrant yellow. I find it a very cheerful and encouraging fragrance. It’s dry down is quite relaxing as well. Ray of Light will work well on those dark days in winter to get you out of bed and running as it will your energy rapidly moving.

In a few words: cheerful, bright, sunny, vibrant yellow, encouraging

5. Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte, I reviewed this energising scent and the shower gel previously on my website.  If you like Frederic Malle Cologne Bigarade you will probably like this too. Eau d’Orange Verte is a cheaper alternative as it is often on sale at discount websites. I use it quite often to refresh in summer and uplift in winter time. You can read my article here.

Bottom line: my top 5 choices for uplifting fragrances were the joyful L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Eau de Toilette, invigorating Frederic Malle Cologne Bigarade, contemporary English Heeley Oranges and Lemons, bright April Aromatics Ray Of Light and energising Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte.

You can find Tara’s choices from A Bottled Rose, Megan’s from Megan in Sainte Máxime and Samantha’s from I Scent You A Day by clicking on the names of the websites.  Go to their website to read their choices of uplifting fragrances. I am very curious to read which fragrances they choose!

Do you use fragrance to uplift you? If so, what are your favourite uplifting fragrances?

*in a few words was inspired by the excellent The Scented Hound website.

*read Clayton’s more elaborate and  interesting article about the making of Cologne Bigarade on What Men Should Smell Like

Disclosure: all photographs were made by me.

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