Tom Ford Sahara Noir

You would think by this time that I would have learned that when wearing a Tom Ford fragrance that less is more.  In other words, a little Tom Ford goes a long way.  So now that we established that I overspritzed, that set the tone for the rest of my experience with Sahara Noir.

WHAT I SMELL:  Hay. It smells hay like that has been sitting in a barn for some time.  The smoke from a nearby fire has been absorbed by the hay.  There’s incense and what may be a hint of bergemot, but mostly smoky hay.  Nothing really happens much after this except that the hay becomes a bit dryer and woody and maybe just a tad sweeter; but I think that’s just wishful thinking and my mind playing tricks on me.

From Fragrantica:

Sahara Noir is an oriental-woody scent based on incense. Bitter orange, Levantine cypress (known as one of the plants growing in the gardens of the 1001 Arabian Nights) and cistus essence Orpur® (Orpur® are high-quality natural ingredients of extraordinary purity, developed by Givaudan) open the composition. The heart blends frankincence essence Orpur®, cinnamon, cool papyrus extract, rose absolute from Morocco and Egyptian jasmin with honeyed and animalic shades of beeswax from Burma.The base centers around warm amber notes – made of labdanum absolute and ambreinol (an intense natural labdanum fraction), cedar, frankincense resin, benzoin, vanilla, oud and balsams.

OK, I am seriously missing something here because Sahara Noir is incredibly linear and I am missing what I wish I could smell, like the rose absolute, jasmine and other notes that could brighten this a bit.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Of course, I can only say…smoky hay.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SAHARA NOIR: boring, dull, there (I know, there is not an adjective, but Sahara Noir is just “there”)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SAHARA NOIR: Adventures of Barberella, Scents of Self, Notable Scents

BOTTOM LINE:  When I first put on Sahara Noir I found it promising.  I thought that it would develop and morph into something interesting.  Unfortunately, it ended up sitting on me like a log.  By the end of the work day I was incredibly tired and worn out from wearing this fragrance so much so that I just couldn’t wait to get home and put something else on.  Uggggh.

• Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental Woody
• Classification: Unisex
• Expense:  $150 for 50ml EdP

Naomi Goodsir: Cuir Velours & Bois d’Ascese

Cuir Velours

WHAT I SMELL:  The initial opening of Cuir Velours is cool and slightly astringent, but this lasts for a microsecond before it moves into a boozy rum and almost chocolately suede.  It’s ever so sweet and gourmand and to me it feels like a layer of brown sugar on top of a really fine layer of suede.  I love this phase, it’s completely yummy.   After a bit, a light incense comes forth which pares down the light sugar.  At this point Cuir Velours becomes ethereal and translucent like a light sheen of leather floating in the air.    In the final drydown, Cuirs Velours gets a bit sweeter in an almost fruited way, like sniffing a full-bodied fruity red wine.  Unfortunately, Cuir Velours disappears all too quickly on my skin and that’s a shame.

From the Naomi Goodsir website:

A deep & textured perfume, that evocatively encases the skin like soft velvet suede. A tobacco atmosphere supported by notes of rum, cistus labdanum, incense & fleur d’immortelle.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The prettiest pony.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CUIR VELOURS:  soft, sugared, comfy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CUIR VELOURS: Persolaise, Smellythoughts, Perfumeniche.com

• Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Leather
• Nose:  Julian Rasquinet
• Classification: Unisex
• Expense:  $150 for 50ml EdP

Bois d’Ascese

WHAT I SMELL:  Bois d’Ascese opens smelling like wet burnt campfire wood.  There is just a hint of cinnamon and whiskey to give it a bit more rounded sensation.  Bois d’Ascese doesn’t transform much. The smoky incense dominates and pushes everything else to the back.  To me, this needs a little more whiskey and cinnamon and less smoke.  Most surprising to me though, in the end I found this very much to be a comfort scent.

From the Naomi Goodsir website:

A captivating & reassuring smoke. Notes of tobacco & whisky, are supported by cinnamon, amber & cistus labdanum. Oakmoss, smoked cade wood, almost burnt, prolong the incense of Somalia with power & elegance

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A KOA campground circa 1968.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BOIS D’ASCESE:  smoky, linear, woodsy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOIS D’ASCESE:  Now Smell This, Sorcery of Scent, The Scentualist

• Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Incense Woodsy
• Nose:  Julian Rasquinet
• Classification: Unisex
• Expense:  $150 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM LINE:  I had not heard of Naomi Goodsir prior to Freddie from Smellythoughts providing me with these samples.  Both of these fragrances are very unique in their own way and their quality in composition makes me curious about the 3rd offering this house is launching, Nuit de Bakelite, which the Naomi Goodsir website says is coming soon.  BTW, the website and the packaging are par excellence.

Vintage Opium Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent

WHAT I SMELL:  Opium opens with a spicy bang.  It’s peppered with a sweet honeyed striking bite of cloves and cinnamon with hints of citrus.  It’s almost overwhelming in its richness and depth.  It makes my head swirl with the intoxicating jasmine and dare I say a bit of carnation which is a much hated note by me, but in this case it’s entwined with the other notes and doesn’t dominate. When I hold my arm close to my nose, the peppery spice notes almost burn the insides of my nostrils.  There’s a slight smoky incense like layer on top of the floral spice giving it increasing depth.  Opium is exotic, powerful and in charge.  After a while the cascading full and rounded notes start to even out and Opium becomes dryer with more amber.  At this point, Opium is still a spice bomb, but it ‘s now just a bit sweeter, but this is not sweet by any means.  Opium never calms all the way down but becomes a bit more woody…it wants to be taken notice for hours and that’s just fine with me.

Opium Notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes are coriander, plum, citruses, mandarin orange, pepper, jasmine, cloves, west indian bay and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes are labdanum, tolu balsam, sandalwood, opoponax, musk, coconut, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, incense, cedar, myrrh, castoreum and amber.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Whoever named this perfume, named it perfectly.  It’s intoxicating and habit-forming and I can’t get enough.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE OPIUM:  mysterious, seductive, passionate

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OPIUM: Kafkaesque, Perfume Fountain, Yesterday’s Perfume

BOTTOM LINE:  Once again I can point the finger at Kafkasesque for leading me down the eBay path to buy this beauty.  I think I have put some on now for the past 5 days in a row and I continue to fall in love with it.  Now mind you, I think you can find some good deals on the EdT versions on eBay, but the vintage parfum is a bit pricier.  Even though I paid a lot for this love, it was still a relatively good deal at the price I got.  I have done some research and it seems that my version is from somewhere between 1995 and 1999.

• Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental Spicy
• Nose:  Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac
• Classification: Feminine
• Review based on vintage parfum
• Expense:  Varies on eBay
• Member of the Scented Hound Fragrance Collection

Zelda by En Voyage Perfumes

If you have ever wondered if people make blind purchases based on a blogger’s review; look no further, because this is one of those cases.  Recently Freddie from Smellythoughts posted a review based on a sample of Zelda.  His description was so compelling that it made me quickly run to place my order.  Trust me, that was a bold move because as much as I love my dear Freddie’s reviews, we don’t always see eye to eye in our fragrance loves.  So what do I think of my blind buy?

WHAT I SMELL:  Zelda, named after the legendary Zelda Fitzgerald, goes on green.  The galbanum and bergamot make this feel like spring has sprung.  Just hidden under that green surface is a bit of warmth though which quickly moves Zelda from spring to summer.  After a bit, the florals start to arrive, bringing with them an elegant refrain of honeyed depth.  I’ll admit that as a man I love a good floral fragrance as long as it’s not too sweet, but like in this case, is beefy and rich and substantial.  After around 15 minutes or so, the magnolia really starts to appear.  It’s thick and rich and at first it almost smells like coconut suntan oil (something that I was noticing and which was validated by my partner).  This made me a bit worried, but the coconut suntan oil subsided after a while and the creaminess of the magnolia was met with a smoky aura which is incredibly intoxicating.  Zelda takes a long time to transform, but continuing on, the magnolia which still remains centered, is met with a wash of vetiver.  At this point, Zelda is better smelled from afar.  What I mean is that is smells more harmonic when you’re not sniffing your arm directly.  This doesn’t surprise me though, as I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for years and the magnolia blossoms smell wonderfully at a distance, but when you go up to a flower, it doesn’t have that same sweetened creamy smell that permeates the air.  Zelda requires that distance as well.  As Zelda continues its drydown there is a slight bitter bite which again, from a distance adds to the layers of the fragrance.  In the end, Zelda becomes more woody, but the spiced magnolia is ever-present.  Zelda also seems to transform with the environment.  As such, it’s not going to smell the same in the hot sun as is does inside in the air conditioning.

Zelda notes from the En Voyage website:

TOP NOTES: Spiced Italian Bergamot, Spices, and Iranian Galbanum

HEART NOTES: Creamy Magnolia Blossom and Garden Florals

BASE NOTES: Smoky Amber, Vintage Musks, Vanilla, Balsams, Sandalwood and Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Mousse de Chêne

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A hot summer night in Montgomery, Alabama (Zelda Fitzgerald’s hometown).

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ZELDA:  creamy, dense, waxy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ZELDA:  Smellythoughts, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  This was a lovely blind buy.  I find that Zelda is pretty feminine so it won’t be something that I wear to work.   Instead, Zelda will reside in my collection as  a comfort scent that I will wear at home and in the evenings.  Thanks to Freddie to introducing me to this fragrance and to En Voyage perfumes which I had not heard of before.  I received some other En Voyage Perfume fragrance samples along with my new purchase.  If they are as good as Zelda is, I think I’ll be placing some more orders!

• Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental
• Nose:  Shelley Waddington
• Classification: Feminine
• Expense:  $55 for 17ml at the En Voyage website
• Member of the Scented Hound Fragrance Collection

Vintage Arpege by Lanvin

WHAT I SMELL: Arpege opens with a large blast of aldehydes with an herbal essence, but immediately shows its floral beauty with rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang infused with a warm and soothing light amber musk.  Arpege unfolds seamlessly making it very hard to pick apart the notes and that’s a good thing.  I can tell you that there’s a bit of peach hiding inside just enough to give it a slightly sour flavor, but one that’s not offsetting.  Instead it gives it just tad bit of a bite to make this a more than a run of the mill floral fragrance.    There’s a graceful beauty in Arpege that keeps it’s notes grounded in mystery rather than in light.    Not that Arpege is shy by any means, its projection is great and its bold without being loud.

Arpege notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes:   bergamot, aldehyde, peach, orange bloom, honeysuckle, orris

Heart notes:  rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coriander, sensitive plant, tuberose, violet, and geranium

Base notes:  sandal, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Arpege is a lady.  Not a woman, not a dame, but a lady.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ARPEGE:  proper, poised, serious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARPEGE:  Yesterday’s Perfume, The Non-Blonde, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE:  There is nothing playful about Arpege.  It’s wonderfully elegant and very staid.  It’s what you think vintage perfumes should smell like and I love it.  And don’t get me wrong, even though I say that Arpege is a lady, there is a masculine edge about the fragrance which bodes well with me.  Do I wear it at the office?…no.  But I often wear it when I do my Saturday errands, it makes the drudgery of going to the dry cleaners and grocery store so much more palatable.

I do have to say that I originally purchased a 7.5ml bottle of extrait on eBay and that’s when I fell in love.  So much so that I saw a good deal on a 30ml extrait bottle (again on eBay) so I snatched it up as well.  As with any vintage perfumes, depending on storage, etc. the fragrance can wear differently.  In this case, the 7.5 ml bottle is deeper and richer and maybe a bit creamier (don’t get me wrong, this is not a creamy fragrance) right from the beginning which says to me that the top notes may be a bit lost.  The 30ml bottle goes on greener with more bergamot, but then moves into wonderful heart notes.  But both are wonderful and I’m thrilled that they’re part of my collection.

• Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Floral Aldehyde
• Classification: Feminine
• Review based on:  vintage parfum extrait
• Expense:  Varies, but can be found on eBay for what I think is a reasonable cost

Kiki Parfum Extrait & Rubj EdP by Vero Profumo

KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT

WHAT I SMELL:  Kiki opens with a heady lavender doused in cream.  It’s gourmand and smells like a topping that you would want on top of ice cream or some other dessert.  There’s a caramel quality that gives it substance and depth which makes it slightly sweet but more of a rich and substantial sweet rather than a sugary sweet, if that makes sense.  Kiki is lightly warm and very cozy.  After a bit, a fruitiness appears that gives Kiki a kick of brightness.  As Kiki continues to morph the fragrance swirls and whirls while radiating off your skin.    I wore this the other night out to dinner and couldn’t stop sniffing myself and was paying more attention to the perfume than to my meal.  Finally Kiki becomes a lavender dream wrapped up in a light musk…am I in heaven?  Overall, Kiki transforms little and is pretty linear, but it is beautiful from the first drop.

Kiki Parfum Extrait Notes - lavender, caramel, musk, fruits

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Louise Brooks circa 1928

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT:  heavenly, bright, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARFUM EXTRAIT: Smellythoughts, Olfactoria’s Travels, Scent for Thought

BOTTOM LINE:  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kiki.  I haven’t felt a love for a fragrance like this in a long time and that’s very exciting.  But the cost…oh my!!!  The parfum extrait is $220 at Luckyscent, which I believe has been raised from $185.  Why are the gods against me??

• Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones (trust me I am tempted to give this 5.5 bones!)
• Scent: Aromatic Fruity
• Nose:  Vero Kern
• Classification: Leans slightly feminine
• Expense:  $220 for 7.5ml Parfum Extrait

RUBJ EdP

WHAT I SMELL:  Rubj opens with a bergamot blast mixed with white florals including tuberose ( I typically hate tuberose but here it doesn’t dominate so I don’t mind it at all.)  After the initial blast of its opening, Rubj is slightly herbal, slightly fruited and slightly floral…nothing is dominating at this point and I wonder soon if Rubj will transform or if it will stay in this kind of netherworld of personality.  After a bit Rubj starts to get slightly tangy, but it’s a tang from the basil and the cedar which give the scent a greener feel.  After a while longer the cumin starts to come to the surface.  I know that many people don’t care for cumin in a fragrance, but I am not one of them.  To me it’s earthy and exotic and wonderfully masculine.  Rubj is warm and its herbal essence to me is incredibly comforting.

Rubj EdP Notes -

Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  An herbal/floral garden.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE RUBJ EdP: spicy, green, snappy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RUBJ EdP: Perfume Posse, Kafkaesque, All About Scent

BOTTOM LINE:  Suprisingly, I find Rubj to be a comfort scent.  I find it easy to wear and I like the fact that it’s slightly exotic.  Beautiful.

• Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental Floral
• Nose: Vero Kern
• Classification: Unisex
• Expense: $220 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE:  Thanks to the sweet and wonderful Freddie from Smellythoughts for sending me these samples.  There is now a new Vero Profumo fan in the house and I am itching to sample her other creations as I have the feeling that they are all masterfully terrific.  Thankfully the line isn’t too large, but this could be bad for my wallet!

Vintage Samsara by Guerlain

WHAT I SMELL:  Samsara contains a lovely thickened and slightly sweet creaminess which to me becomes cravable.   Yummy!   Fragrantica lists the top notes as bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang and peach.  They exist, but only for a few seconds.  Samsara quickly moves into the lovely stage where the subtle florals are seamlessly entwined in a way that makes it hard to distinguish between the notes.  It’s warm and intoxicating.  If I didn’t know this was a classic fragrance, I would say that it is.  After a bit, a woodiness arrives with almost what I would call a hint of a hair spray smell, but it doesn’t detract nor is it noticeable unless you’re really trying to sniff it out.  Samsara finally warms to a wonderful sandalwood where it becomes incredibly calming with just a lightly spiced floral.  It doesn’t take long for Samsara to reach it’s destination, but all roads lead to loveliness!

Samsara Notes (from Fragrantica):

The top notes are juicy and fresh: bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach and green notes. The heart is blooming in opulent flowers: elegant jasmine, cold woodsy iris, luscious narcissus, violet and delicate rose. The base is composed of sandal wood, vanilla, Tonka bean, amber, and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A luxurious and exotic scarf.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SAMSARA:  smooth, elegant, timeless

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SAMSARA: Bois de Jasmin, Perfume Shrine, Yesterday’s Perfumes

BOTTOM LINE:  I picked this beauty up on eBay and managed to get a great deal on an unopened bottle at a great price.  I have no regrets and I have the feeling when this small bottle is emptied, a larger one will be on my list of “to buys”.

• Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental Woody
• Classification: Leans feminine
• Expense: Varies.  Review based on vintage EdP.
• Member of the Scented Hound Fragrance Collection