Confessions of a perfume whore
A reader sent me an email yesterday about some recommendations for unusual yet, soft and feminine perfumes. Perfumes are great gifts for your lady friend. It’s a piece of luxury that last (contrary to a box of chocolate), gives you a great kick every morning, and make you feel (and smell) like a million dollars!
I started off being very loyal to three perfumes, Fracas being my wife, Mitsouko my mistress and L’Heure Bleue my friend. Now I have degenerated myself to a perfume whore with any rare, animalistic perfume being my client. But as with any high-class hooker, I only lend my body once a day and then to the highest bidder.
Today the highest bidder was Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris. It’s one of the few from Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria serie that I like. They are quite soft, with not great lasting power. But this one is a lovely soft iris fragrance, and I would recommend it for those that like a sensual perfume without being overpowering.
To find rare, non-overpowering perfumes can be somewhat of a quest. But there are a few that I love and I can guarantee is going to make the girlfriend wild at heart.
Recently Balmain came out with a very soft, feminine fragrance called Ambre Gris. For those of you who do not know, ambergris, is a secretion of the sperm whale and can be found in the Atlantic Ocean; on the coasts of Brazil and Madagascar; and on the coast of Africa, of the East Indies, The Maldives, mainland China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and the Molucca islands. In the past, concubines used to be fed pure ambergris that gave their skin a musky, animalistic scent, desired by their masters and sexual subjects alike. Ambre Gris in its new incarnation, is well worth a try. Although a new fragrance, it has not made it to commercial heights, and I believe will remain a hidden treasure for the few initiated.
Another perfume house that use ambergris is Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier (MPG) who makes a very nice, more voluptuous and blooming tuberose fragrance simply titled Tubereuse. If you think Fracas is a cheat, then Tubereuse will not disappoint you.
Another flowery MPG is Jardin Blanc. I acquired this one as a substitute to my beloved Bellodgia by Caron (every perfume tells a story and this one will forever be associated with my fateful or perhaps more appropriately described fatal meeting with Reinout). Jardin Blanc’s exhilarating bouquet of white flowers harmoniously mingles jasmine, seringa flower, honeysuckle, tuberose and ylang ylang. As all MPG perfumes, they are very pure, and thus will not give you the alcoholic “after-taste” as so many high street fragrances do.
Serge Lutens Daim Blond, is another soft, yet very feminine and rare perfume. It’s exudes suede covered with a soft hint of mint. Truly wonderful.
Last but not least, Parfum Sacre by Caron should not be left out. This perfume reminds me of Paris, Sacre Coeur at twilight. Equally this fragrance can be compared to a fine cashmere shawl as it clings to the skin in the most amazing manner, warm and smooth with all the notes in perfect balance as a design on an Oriental carpet. Myrrh, amber and vanilla can be found in this amazing olfactory blend.
Perfumes are elusive, fleeting yet capturing. They hold you hostage to illusions and fantasies. Wear them when you are vulnerable, and you will be lost. Wear them when you are strong, and the effect is nothing short of devastating. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Some perfume recommendations from private collection
talking about smelling like a Million Dollars.. Did you smell Millionaire, a new male fragrance… it is hypnotic, sexy and sweet..
reply to this commentYour Message@Karima:
reply to this commentNever heard of it. Which perfume house is it from?
It has probably been about 15 years since I read Diane Ackermans ‘ A natural history of the senses’. Still remember her discussion around the topic of sow pheromones used in the perfume called ‘Pheromone 2000′. Now, does these animalistic pheromones work on men? Dianes suggestion was to let loose a herd of boars on Champs Elysées and find out…
reply to this commentI was at Heathrow airport and women in a Golden disco dresses and afro’s were spraying it around! They said it was a new launch, i couldn’t find it yet in perfume stores. It’s 1 Million from Paco Rabanne. I thought it was millionaire .. well it is almost same!
reply to this commentHello! I happened upon your blog while searching for another translation of Perfum of My Beloved- a Rumi poem! I really like your blog! Recently, I sent away for a few samples from L’Artisan Perfumeur because a good friend recommended the fragrance Al Oudh when she saw the line up of ingredients. They sent me all the samples (from the L’Artisan Perfumeur in Bendel’s in NYC) EXCEPT the one I have been dying to try- Al Oudh.
Have you tried this one, and do you know who might provide a sample?.
Also: about Amber Gris- it happens to be quite an unusual component of many perfumes for many reasons. I have a few magical oils related to the goddess Aphrodite with this ingredient– adds powerful love drawing to enchantments currently and throughout the ages- as I’m sure you know. It’s rare though to find the genuine thing; many industries use synthetic due to demand and high price- do you know if this perfume uses the synthetic?
Speaking of Ambre Gris, one of my favorite paintings has always been Sargent’s Fumee d’Ambre Gris, have you seen it?
http://jssgallery.org/Paintings/Smoke.htm
reply to this commentCHeers!
Your Message@Janice:
I have a few things I’d like to respond to:
Thank you Janice for your comment. It’s always nice to hear when someone finds something interesting through the blog
When you wrote about Perfume of my Beloved – a Rumi poem it instantly transported me to a song featuring Demi Moore and Deepak Chopra called Desire. Listen to it, you won’t be disappointed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEmhhJuMXR0
I am familiar with L’Artisan P’arfumeur but I haven’t been able to find it here (I live in Holland). However as I go frequently to Paris I shall make a point of finding it and Al Oudh. I read a bit about Al Oudh and one thing that strikes me is that it appears to be the olfactory version of the Alchemist. Or perhaps it was intended to be all along, as it inspired so much and so many.
Ambergris is indeed quite rare and unusal. I am not sure if Balmain uses it as a base. Sadly I would think not. But I was told once by someone that MGP does, but I have yet to confirm this.
Lastly I love the painiting. What a coincident (or not) to the latest issue of French Vogue. I took a picture of it in one of my latter blog posts.
Lastly as you strike me as someone immersed into the art of perfumery, there is an article you should read. I copied it from my vintage 1996 Elle, and it’s called Scents of Desire. I know you will love it: http://fracasnoir.com/scents-of-desire/
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