Oudphoria

Going through samples on a theme is a really nice olfactory adventure. I think when I am done with Byredo I will spend a week or so on Oud.

Kilian Day 8: Jasmine whispers

Ok, another floral day... Not my thing. Still not my thing. But, if you like light florals you will probably love this one. It is very springy and very feminine and gentle. Like a soft kiss on the cheek. You hardly notice that you are wearing a perfume but you smell really nice. And I mean really really nice. It does not however make me want to surrender as much as it makes me feel like I already have surrendered, which to me is a less interesting feeling. But if you want to have a perfume that feels elegant and easy, try this one. Also I would say that it is an excellent choice for environment or situations where a more extrovert fragrance is not suitable.

Kilian Day 7: Iscious

Fragrance no 7 is described with these words by Kilian, "An inspiration from the Marshmallow. A pure sensual treat." I didn't read it however until today (I wore the fragrance yesterday), and it makes me smile. The description feels more than adequate as I felt a bit like this the entire day. Or no, I did not feel like this, but I felt like I smelled like this.

Holy Sweet, Stockholm

The roses, honeysuckle and the caramel are like a romantic embrace. There is something about the feeling that this fragrance creates that makes you think of women like in the old movies. Of blushing cheeks, soft skin, light red anticipating lips, blossoming cherry trees, skirts that swoosh on a summer's day and crushes. Total utter impeccable sweetness. And... as much as I love seeing it and it makes me smile and fills my heart with marshmallows...it's just not me. Well, ok, it is a part of me... Yes. But not enough parts to define me in a way that I am comfortable with so not a fragrance that I can "stay" in.

However...there is a person that is the embodiment of all the things mentioned above. Also she of course has many many other sides and is a more complex person. But. She has that very very very special kind of romantic sweetness that you find in so few people these days. You have met her before on this blog, Karin. Karin can carry blush, blossom, swoosh, caramel and rose with a credibility and contemporary touch that no one else that I know can master. So, my Love. don't be shy-sample now belongs to her, it's  a really lovely match. Perfumes like this are made for women and womanisciousness like Karin.

Kilian Day 6: Oligophoria

Second day with this diabolic caress.

I am infatuated. I keep smelling my own skin and every time I do it smells differently. It feels like I keep chasing it, the scent. Trying to capture it. Eight hours after application only a soft basenote veil is left and you have to be very close to feel it. So I put my wrist right under my friend Fredrik's nose. He is a photograper with a divine eye and he has been wearing Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska so you understand... he understands. He tells me I smell like I am wearing a man's perfume, but he says it with a smile that can only mean that it is in a really good way. Before he has finished describing his reaction the fragrance has changed again. Which gives me a reason to start all over and reapply. I have it in my pocket. I have been carrying the sample with me for two days, every now and then I have to reach for it. Love is an understatement. Fredrik leaves with arms covered in styrax and castoreum.

For some reason, for me it is really about basenotes. I am obsessed with basenotes. But then I also prefer afternoons, Sundays and autumn. The dance between the resinoids, woods and glands in this fragrance intoxicate me. I don’t feel the violet at all. I feel an almond that is not there. I feel so many things and this fragrance just keeps changing. But there is a constant balance between soft and coarse. Between close and escape.

This is what perfumery as an art is about. The creation of adventure. Artistry and mathematical precision in magic union.

Agarwood. gaharunusantara.indonetwork.co.id

Kilian Day 5: Tempted to break the rules

After some floral confusion for a few days everything fell into place today.

I am not at all ready to let this go and wear a new fragrance tomorrow. I am in the middle of a love affair. So I am breaking the 11 days with Kilian and one fragrance per day rule. But this is my game so I can. I'll be back with reflections around this liaison extra-ordinaire tomorrow.

Kilian Day 4: Iris & I

I have a weakness for Iris. It is a scent that gives a fragrance immediate elegance and it quietly travels between confidence, politeness, reservation and kindness. Extrovert and disciplined one second, discreet and sophisticated the next. It is also a note that I love experiencing on different people and especially both men and women. Iris is so elegant, and so versatile. So I was looking forward to this.

This is a lovely fragrance. I can imagine that many people would feel very comfortable with it and that it would blend nicely with most body temperatures, skins, characters, textures. I think it would be very interesting on a masculine man. On me, it felt light and undemanding. I had a moment when it gave me associations with traveling in warm equatorial countries. Not because it smells like a warm equatorial country but because it is the kind of fragrance that you would feel comfortable and invigorated applying for dinner on a warm day. I also think it would be lovely with light clothes in linen and elegant sandals.

For me it was maybe a bit too light. I felt like I was searching for something that was not there and like it left me too soon. But like I said, this is a lovely fragrance. It works very well in a business context and does not demand attention. Also one of rather few interesting perfumes that would work very well at a dinner or lunch.

Beautiful article by Clayton on ambergris

I love this article on ambergris by Clayton. It is so detailed, descriptive and beautifully crafted. Read it!

Photos from Clayton's website 'What Men Should Smell Like'. A general reading recommendation. It is fantastic.

Day 3: Tuberose girl

This is an unusual one. For a Kilian. It is less complex than what I associate with this perfume house and lacks some of that darksidedness. If I didn't know this was a Kilian I wouldn't have guessed... But then let's be frank, I am not a tuberose type of girl. I generally don't like florals (there are always exceptions and one should embrace the exceptions in life), they make me feel a bit uncomfortable. I could try to explain why but I won't, it is a matter of compatibility. So, this is just very obviously not a fragrance for me. I find it very very pretty, but uninteresting. It is like absolutely nothing in me or on my skin reacts with this formula. Does this mean I think it is a bad perfume? Absolutely not. This is not a review, I don't believe in perfume reviews. I am also sure there are many people who feel completely lifted and enchanted with this fragrance. If you like florals and are not into heavy scents, then this is a very elegant undemanding option.

image from dalybeauty.blogspot.com

Day 2 with Kilian: A Day of Encounters

It is a man. I am sure of it. A tall man with integrity in corduroy. He has the fingers of a pianist and speaks of politics. It is a fragrance of an intellectual man, sharp and keeping the world at a distance. Not someone you hug. Someone you would really want to discuss the world with by a fireplace with some incredible cognac though.

Two hours later he is gone. He has left a veil of something that makes me think of Santa Maria Novella or a meeting between the clergy and herbs. But the man is replaced by a woman with strong attitudes and sharp features. She takes over a room. 

She stays for about an hour. Then enters a different person. Someone more subdued but confident. Much softer though. I envision a baroness from Veneto in masculine clothes and unruly hair. I like her. 

As day turns into evening the herbs are gone. Also the sharpness. What remains is a soft warm velvety vanilla. Where did they all go?