Finally we've had a few days of non-freezing temperature. It's not yet spring but still a step in the right direction. This has made me reach for a whole new sets of perfumes, colognes, light florals and even some fruity ones. So, lets do a recap of Winter 2012, before we forget all about it.
My top 3 most used for perfumes during the winter of 2012:
Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne - Conjures an image of dark green fir trees covered in snow. Cool, delicate and severe at the same time. The scent of an elf queen during winter.
Santal de Mysore, Serge Lutens - It took me some time to "get" this one, the first few tries I could only smell wine barrels. Now it's a cornucopia of gourmet notes like chocolate and mint, spice notes like curry and cumin and above all, divine Mysore sandalwood. Funny thing is, when I made my husband try it, it mostly smelled like coconut!
28 La Pausa, Chanel les Exclusifs - Very hard to describe, it feels like adding an (much needed) aura of exclusivity and refinement whenever I wear it. If there ever was such a thing as class in a bottle, 28 La Pausa would be it.
Top trends:
Evergreens - not your regular "green" scents at all, but somehow with a dark, green, near teal, feel to them. I do mentally place Ormonde Woman in this category along with Mandy Afteliers sweet and heart warming Fir and Chanels, cooler, Sycomore.
Orientals - they're soft, warm and spicy, in other words, the best thing to battle winter with. Some much used favorites have been Serge Lutens Chergui and Chanel Bois des Iles.
Cool Iris - if fighting the cold does not seem like an option, join it. Some great options here are (the already mentioned) 28 la Pausa, Serge Lutesns Iris Silver Mist (interesting how I got more damp soil, roots and blood during summer, in winter is all about etheral metallic cold) and the soft and super feminine L'Eau d'Hiver by Frederic Malle.
New acquired tastes:
And, yes, one of the most fun things with having perfumes as a hobby is you think you know it all, "I love this, I hate that, yada yada" and then comes along a fragrance that proves you utterly wrong. For me, two notes that I didn't use to like but now have started to crave RE aldehydic cleanness and pepper. Aldehydic cleanness (I'm lacking a proper name here) is that sharp, scrubbed, slightly chemical clean note that make your eyes widen and at least I think "Should I really be inhaling this?". It's present in the top note of Frederic Malles Iris Poudre and it's in Aldehyde 44 by Le Labo.
Another new friend of mine is pepper. I used to think it was a bit to much, to sharp and not something I liked to smell in a perfume. No more. I now love how it adds character to the top notes of most of the Ormonde Jayne scents and how it's used to create contrast over time in Le Labos Poivre 23.
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I'm really intrigued to see aldehydes and clean notes (in combo) creeping onto your list. I think those are hard to "make friends" with if the friendship doesn't come naturally, so I applaud you being able to do so! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm a bit surprised as well, I remember smelling it in Estee Lauders White Linen a while ago and thinking "Why on earth would anyone make a perfume like that, and who'll ever wear it willingly??", but, since then, every time I got that note I've disliked it a little less and now I do crave it something like once a week :)
ReplyDeleteAldehydes always give me a whoosh of happiness; they somehow manage to evoke both sophistication and joy for me. Very much enjoyed your list and share your love of several of them. Alas, 28 La Pausa does nothing for me -- it's a bit too pale for my (mostly) drama-loving tastes. :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes, 28 La Pausa is a discreet one. But it's a good one for work as it's so non-intrusive. And my husband loves it, which is always a plus :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, another thing, there is something about iris that really goes with computers. Weird but true :)
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