Samsara and Shalimar – Guerlain

There are certain sensory ‘NO!’ signals that are strong enough to become a physical imperative. When the dentist finds a tender spot in your tooth, you natural reaction is to jump out of the dentist chair and run away. When you drive west at the end of a summer’s day, the sunlight feels like it’s burning into your retina. It becomes almost unbearable to keep your eyes open. When you hear that classic fingernails on the blackboard noise, you have to block your ears.

In the same way, there are olfactory notes that are not just scrubbers – they are runners. I’ve been trying to like Guerlain fragrances, but Shalimar and Samsara completely defeat me. I can take the lid off the bottles, but that’s about it. Even bringing the fragrances close to my nose is a bit of an ordeal.

There are other fragrances that create the same feeling. Prada’s L’Eau Ambree and Dior’s Dune are both cases in point. The physical sensation they create feels similar to sucking on a ball bearing. Sound a bit daft, but it’s the closest I can come to describing it accurately.

OsMoz describes Samsara as Top notes of Bergamot, Lemon, Green Note and Tarragon. The Heart notes are Jasmine, Rose, Ylang Ylang and Carnation. The Base notes are Sandal, Vanilla, Benzoin and Tonka.

For Shalimar OsMoz says there are Top notes of Bergamot, Mandarin, Cedar and Lemon. Heart notes of Patchouli, Jasmine, Rose and Orris. Base notes of Vanilla, Benzoin (beginning to spot a theme), Peru Balsam and Leather.

You can buy Samsara and Shalimar for £21 and £27 respectively. No question that these would be ones to try before you buy.

Chance Eau Fraiche – Chanel

Unlike many people, I’m not drawn to Chanel fragrances. Probably because they’ve always been my mother’s fragrances – and I find it difficult to associate them with anything other than my Mum.

Chance is one of those fragrances that seem to be extremely popular. A friend came to dinner smelling absolutely lovely. It was Chance, she revealed. Another good friend tells me that Chance is one of her favourites. Okay – I get the message – Chanel is good, like it or not.

Chance Eau Fraiche smells like wet green leaves in a forest. Slightly spicy in a peppery way. Woody – like tree bark. Although it’s probably a feminine fragrance, it could be unisex as there are lots of masculine notes. Now that I’m wearing Chance Eau Fraiche, it echoes many of the elements of my all time favourite fragrance, Aromatics Elixir.

So, CEF is a great fragrance, and one that I could almost wear. The final hurdle that I would need to overcome is the sillage. You don’t really wear Chanel fragrances – they wear you. They seem to rush along the street ahead of you and shimmer through doorways to announce your arrival. Ultimately you have to be feeling confident to wear this Chance flanker.

OsMoz describes Chance Eau Fraiche in the following way: Top note – Citron. Heart notes – Water Hyacinth and Jasmine. Base notes – Teak Wood, Vetiver, Patchouli Amber and White Musk.

Fragrance Editions says that if you like/loathe Chance, then you should try/avoid L.L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani Klein.

This morning I tried the Roger and Gallet Lettuce shower gel. It was a bitter disappointment – not a hint of lettuce!

Lettuce – Roger and Gallet

Got a blocked nose today. Can’t smell a thing.

But I did find this lettuce fragranced shower gel in the pharmacy today. I can’t wait to try it. It’s part of the Roger and Gallet range.

Will post a review as soon as I’ve tried it.

Signature Scent’s Best and Worst Fragrances

Since I’ve been writing this blog I’ve come across perfumes that I love and ones that I would be happy never to smell again. Here are some of my tips for a selection of the best fragrances available:

Signature Scent’s Best 5 Fragrances

1. For Her – Narciso Rodriguez

My husband took the hint and bought this for me for Christmas. I love it so much I want to drink it. Puts a spring in your step – a true happy fragrance.

2. Flora – Gucci

I tried this again the other day and it’s a light, fresh floral fragrance with a strong apple note. Lovely.

3. Rush – Gucci

A beautiful sexy fragrance curiously disguised in a horrid 80’s red plastic box.

4. Chinatown – Bond no. 9

A sophisticated fragrance that gives you a sexy, confident aroma.

5. Coco Mademoiselle

A young Chanel fragrance that has been extremely successful for all the right reasons.

Signature Scent’s Worst 5 Fragrances

1. Dune – Chanel

This was given to me as a Christmas present. I haven’t reviewed it yet but definitely not something I will be wearing. If you would like a virtually unused bottle of Dune – then let me know. I’ll send it to the first person who requests it.

2. Rive Gauche – Yves Saint Laurent

Although I didn’t give it an overly negative review, this fragrance is one that I can’t stand.

3. L’Eau Ambree – Prada

The advertising is fabulous. I really wanted to like L’Eau Ambree. Amber is one of the basenotes that I’ve discovered that I have to run a mile from.

4. Knize Ten – Knize

This male fragrance may have a lot of history, but I’d be happy never to smell it again. Grim.

5. Secretions Magnifiques – Etat Libre D’Orange

After I’d made the mistake of actually applying this to my skin I had to throw the tester tube away. Unbearable. Can’t even pretend that I find it interesting. A bin job.

Rumeur – Lanvin

Although it’s not considered highbrow in perfume terms – I’m a big fan of fruity florals. There I’ve admitted it. They’re cute and fresh and brighten up even the darkest days of winter. And let’s face it there are a lot of winter days to come. So I’m all up for anything that makes you want to skip down the street.

Rumeur comes in odd packaging. The shape of the bottle is reminiscent of a bottle of whisky. And the lid has a sort of ring pull – which adds to the salty sea dog character. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised.

The first elements of Rumeur are a juicy pink grapefruit, followed up by sparkling florals. It manages to bypass any synthetic sweetness. In a nutshell Rumeur is the equivalent to Flora Gucci for the budget buyer. At only £9 for a 30ml bottle, Rumeur is a bargain, that I for one will be snapping up this winter.

OsMoz describes Rumeur as top notes of Magnolia, Aldehydes and Fruity Note. Heart notes of White Rose, Jasmine and Mock Orange. Base notes of Patchouli, Musk and Ambrox. Yesterday I complained about the aldehydes and amber in VC&A’s First. Rumeur is very similarly constructed – aldehydes in the top notes and ambrox in the base notes. However Rumeur manages to be a much lighter, fresher and younger fragrance. To my nose, the aldehydes and ambrox are imperceptible.

Rumeur was created by Francis Kurkdjian. Kurkdjian is, by no coincidence, the co-creator of Narciso Rodriguez For Her – another celebrated sparkling floral.

At such great value – I would definitely recommend this as a fragrance to brighten up anybody’s January.

First – Van Cleef & Arpels

This fragrance was amongst the sample sizes that I bought at Westfield shopping centre a few days ago. I tried it today and it’s a Granny scent. It’s a floral fragrance with a strong tang of aldehydes. First reminds me of the old lady who lived on the top floor of my Mum’s building a decade or so ago. She was lovely, but smelled very old fashioned.

I can’t imagine that anybody less than 60 would want to wear First. It’s the type of fragrance you would have chosen as your signature scent decades ago and never looked back. Funnily enough, somebody said just as much in a comment they posted on Amazon: “I have worn First by Van Cleef & Arpels for 35 years. I LOVE it. It is my personal signature fragrance.” Euuw – it’s like not changing your pants for 35 years.

The OsMoz website describes the fragrance in the following way: Top Notes – Bergamot, Mandarin, Blackcurrant, Aldehydes. Heart notes – Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Hyacinth. Base notes – Vetiver, Vanilla, Amber and Civet.

There are two dominant elements that I’m not keen on. Firstly the Aldehyde top notes. Although the aldehydes are beautifully effective in Chanel No 5 (amongst others), it can easily seem old fashioned. Secondly, the basenote of Amber is a bit too cloying for me. I’m not a fan of amber as it tends to dominate what could otherwise be a good fragrance.

According to Fragrance Editions, First is similar to Cialenga by Balenciaga. Amazon sell a 100ml EdT of First for £29.

Champs Elysées – Guerlain

Happy New Year!

The more I’ve read about perfumes, the more deficient I’ve felt not loving a Guerlain fragrance. Well, today all that has changed. I’ve finally found a Guerlain fragrance that is not only tolerable – it’s totally wearable.

Champs Elys ées is a sexy sultry fragrance. Like Bond No 9’s Chinatown, Champs Elys ées is the type of fragrance that you smell on glamorous women. Wearing Champs Elysees give you a smidge of the confidence that those women seem to be born with. Like the Narciso Rodriguez For Her fragrance, this is one that I want to smell stronger. I feel the need to apply more and more to get a proper whiff.

As to defining this fragrance – it smells slightly smoky. But other than that, quite floral. OsMoz describes Champs Elysées as top notes of peach, melon, violet and anise. Heart notes of mimosa, rose, peony and lily of the valley and Base notes of Vanilla, Benzoin, Cedar and Sandal.

Fragrance Editions say that if you like Champs Elysées you will also like Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B.

Fragrance Direct sells a 30ml Champs Elysees EdT for £18.

Eau de Sisley 2 and Glow – JLo

As part of our Christmas beauty bonanza, my husband tried Eau de Sisley 2 this morning. It’s definitely a male fragrance – I wouldn’t even really say it’s unisex. It smells of Alpine forests. Leaving the house this morning was a bit like going on a date with the man from Milk Tray. He smelt like he’d just skied down the mountain side. It was all good – but if I weren’t married to him it would whiff slightly of mid life crisis.

JLo’s fragrance Glow is one of those perfumes that you hear a lot about. Firstly it’s mentioned in the context of, ‘Oh no, not another celebrity fragrance’. Secondly, on the whole, it seems to be pretty successful. I’ve been walking past it at the beauty counters thinking, I must get around to trying that. Yesterday at Beauty Base in Westfield, I managed to bag a mini Glow sample.

Today I tried out Glow and I feel generally under-whelmed. Initially it has a greenish smell. It’s difficult to work out if it’s Lily of the Valley or something more animal. But that floats off quite quickly and the drydown is very weak and powdery. I was really disappointed, as I had expected more of this much-hyped fragrance.

You can buy a 50ml EdT Glow at Amazon for £27. According to OsMoz it has top notes of neroli and pink grapefruit, heart notes of rose, sandalwood and amber and base notes of soft musk, jasmine, iris and vanilla.

Un Jardin Sur le Nil – Hermès

Today, my husband and I took our four lovely children to Westfield shopping centre in West London. I don’t know what we were thinking of – it was absolutely packed with post-Christmas shoppers. Happily we bumped into some friends who we hadn’t seen in ages, so we binned off shopping and had a delicious Lebanese lunch.

One of the very few shops that we briefly went into was Beauty Base. It stocks masses of perfume, most of which you can try. The actual shop is better than the online store, which doesn’t seem to have such a wide range. Anyway, I managed to speedily snap up a few new perfumes as well as try a few things whilst we were there.

Un Jardin Sur le Nil has been on my list for some time as something I should try. Whenever there are conversations about muted/sophisticated/quiet perfumes, this one seems to be mentioned. Funnily, it wasn’t until quite recently that I realised that the Nil refers to ‘Nile’. For some time I had thought it meant ‘nil’ as in ‘nothing’ – assumed it was one of those philosophical perfume names like ‘L’Air du Temps’ (which I’m now bound to discover means something equally prosaic).

The first whiff of Un Jardin sur le Nil reminded me of how my skin smells naturally after swimming outside on a hot day. It smelt very fresh and natural, with a hint of garden spiciness, perhaps nutmeg and jasmine. It lacks any of the ‘perfuminess’ of many female fragrances.

Now, after several hours, the drydown is almost leathery. For me, this fragrance is sexy and decidedly masculine (although the Hermès website suggests that this fragrance is for men and women). The smell is intriguing as I can’t think of anything that it’s similar to. I’ll definitely revisit Un Jardin Sur le Nil, if only to be able to define it a bit more accurately.

Five Tips on How to Find the Perfect Perfume for You

It’s easy to get stuck in a perfume rut and wear the same fragrance or several fragrances over and over again. Here are five tips on getting inspiration for new fragrances:-

Michael Edwards’ website Fragrance Editions is a great starting point. Click on fragrances you like and the site suggests three similar fragrances. For instance, if you’re a fan of Chanel No 5, they suggest you might also like Jil Sander Style Pastels Blush Pink 2008. Fragrance Editions is an inspirational resource to start off your search for a new perfume.

Remember to ask for a fragrance sample or two whenever you buy some make up or skin care products. If you’re not familiar with the brand’s fragrances, then ask if they’ve recently had any new launches. Typically it will be easier to get samples for new launches rather than for established perfumes.

You can also buy some excellent sample collections online. These give you the chance to try out some fragrances you may not be familiar with or may not even have heard of. The Perfumed Court sells a sample set of the top 25 perfumes as voted at Make Up Alley in 2007. This list includes some classic fragrances. For just under $100 this set could be well worth the investment.

If you’re looking for something really special, Les Senteurs online will send you up to six fragrance samples for £3 each. Les Senteurs stock mainly high end and niche fragrances. A great way to get your hands on something totally different.

Finally, when you smell a great perfume on somebody else – make sure you ask what it is. People are genuinely flattered when you ask about their perfume. You’re not just admiring the fragrance itself, you’re commenting on their great taste too.

Happy fragrance hunting!