Tea Time on the North Shore

On a somewhat rainy and not particularly cold afternoon, three ladies of varying ages sat to have some tea at the stuffy Mariage Frères boutique/tea house in West Vancouver (Park Royal).
Tea service included cheescake with stilton and rhubarb and strawberries, pistacchio and sour cherries, and almond and pear tart. This was accompanied by the Sakura 2000 green tea, scented with cherry blossom and rose petals.
I have to say that while I enjoyed the company
And the scent for the day is Terre d'Hermes.

Un Jardin Après la Mousson

A new kid arrived to the designer block in Vancouver (Burrard @ Alberni): Un Jardin Après la Mousson, turning the recurring Hermes garden theme into a trilogy. Three reasons lead me to try it out today:
Knowing that it’s not widely available makes me feel obligated to try it for all of those who can’t; The division in opinions as per the reviews on MUA (although there are only 4 for now) peaked my curiousity – making it look like a love-or-hate scent; And finally, the very hot weather in the last couple of days, which made it an ideal condition for a Jean-Claude Ellena scent that is said to include some “cool spices”.

I visited the Hermes boutique this afternoon, right after getting out of the swimming pool into the very hot and humid Vancouver air (a rare phenomenon, if I may add). Perfect time to try one of Ellena’s scents, which are known for their subtle silage.

Un Jardin Après la Mousson stroke me at first as yet another peppery-dry Elena scent (similar to recent creations, such as Osmanthe Yunnan, Paprika Brazil and Kelly Caleche). It seemed indistinct in that context for the first 2 seconds. And than came a surprise (well, not quite surprising because earlier reviews of the scent suggested note in that direction; yet still the effect was quite strange): this is neither watermelon nor melon, but rather – a ripe, juicy cantaloupe. Think of what it would smell like if you were just popping a fresh slice of Trident’s Watermelon Twist sugarfree gum into your mouth while spraying Omsanthe Yunnan all over yourself and you’ll understand just exactly what I’m talking about (Alternatively, try Bvlgari’s Eau Parfumee Au The Vert, if you can’t get a hold of Osmanthe Yunnan for this curious experiment).

I have to admit I'm a bit puzzled by the commitment to fruity notes throughout the "Jardin Trio" (green fig in Un Jardin de Mediterrane; green mango in un Jardin Sur le Nil; and now the ripe cantaloupe in Un Jardin Après la Mousson). Oddly enough, I found myself enjoying this cantaloupe note today, in this context. It was out of place but somehow, but it worked. Perhaps it is just the sun stroke talking, and tomorrow I will sober up (I don’t remember myself ever going gaga over any other melony scent besides Le Parfum de Therese, and the cantaloupe here is an olfactory caricature of the fruit).

The cantaloupe note does not linger for very much longer, and we move back into a vague floral and spicy territory. I’ve never smelled ginger flower before so the fact I didn’t recognize it at the heart means nothing. I can’t even say I smell any floral note at the heart. The abstract veil of cool spices is what predominates, fresh ginger and dusty pepper in particular; and whatever it is in the base that maintains it on the skin shares a something with vetiver as it is indeed cooling.

Like so many of Elena’s creations, Un Jardin Après la Mousson can be described as sparse, sheer, thin, gauze or veil-like and abstract. If you are not a fan of this style or approach you probably will not enjoy it very much. As much as I try to appreciate scents like that (and grew to be able to enjoy them for my personal use on several occasions), I find it very foreign to me and my flamboyant and dramatic Mediterranean upbringing. Something in me always searches for something deeper at the root of the scent; and in Elena’s perfumes I can’t find that, which results in me feeling like I’m hanging in mid-air like a big question mark awaiting and answer that will never come.

Top notes: Pepper, Ginger, Coriander, Cantaloupe
Heart notes: Ginger Flower
Base notes: Vetiver

The scent is available in a variety of forms (including a limited edition dry oil), in Hermes boutiques around the world.

Gigi reviewed on Perfume Shrine

Visit Perfume Shrine to read Helg's review of my Gardenia soliflore Gigi, titled "Making Love In Gardenia Garden".

I'm thrilled that Helg has enjoyed Gigi's lighthearted, playful take on this dramatic floral and "got it" in the context of it's inspiration (the GiGi musical, from which the above quote is extracted).

8the Annual Basenotes Award Winners

Basenotes has announced today the winners in its 8th Annual Basenotes Awards, voted by Basenotes visitors worldwide.

In the perfume blog category, the gold medalist this year is the same as last year - Now Smell This. Perfume Posse won the silver medal, and Bois de Jasmin got the bronze. For the second year, SmellyBlog has been chosen as one of the top 10 perfume blogs in the 8th Annual Basenotes Award.

Here is the entire list of winners, and if you want to read in more details about the finalists and 2nd and 3rd places, visit Basenotes:

For Women

• Best Fragrance : Shalimar
• Best New Fragrance : Prada Infusion d'Iris
• Best Fragrance for Day Wear : Prada Infusion d'Iris
• Best Fragrance for Evening Wear : Black Orchid
• Best Fragrance Packaging : Angel
• Best niche, independent, artisanal or boutique fragrance : Bois Blond
• Best designer, mainstream or fine fragrance : Prada Infusion d'Iris
• Best mass-market, drugstore, budget or direct-sell fragrance : Tabu
• Best Celebrity Fragrance : M

For Men

• Best Fragrance : Terre d'Hermès
• Best New Fragrance : Narciso Rodriguez for Him
• Best Fragrance for Day Wear : Terre d'Hermès
• Best Fragrance for Evening Wear : M7
• Best Fragrance Packaging : Unforgivable
• Best niche, independent, artisanal or boutique fragrance : Green Irish Tweed
• Best designer, mainstream or fine fragrance : Terre d'Hermès
• Best mass-market, drugstore, budget or direct-sell fragrance : Old Spice
• Best Celebrity Fragrance : Unforgivable

• Best Fragrance House: Guerlain
• Best Fragrance Blog: Now Smell This

Mental Notes: Freshly Cut Grass & Mojito

sunset mojito, originally uploaded by edo40ode.

It was outrageously hot today in Vancouver (by outrageous I mean 23 celsius), which calls for light summery scents and also brings forward whatever spring flower scents there are in the air and amplifies them ten-fold.

I chose to veer away from my default refresher for a day like this (Philosykos or Le Parfum de Thérèse), and instead try something relatively new to me - Citta di Kyoto. A scent I am still on the fence about and was hoping to form a more solid opinion about.

Visiting the horselands of the city (aka Southlands) for my daughter's weekly horseback riding lesson, we were immersed in heavy scents of blooming trees, and most notably the sharp and penetrating odour of freshly cut grass.

And later tonight I will be dancing the night away in a "Mojito Night" salsa event, with live music. Who knows, I might even try some Mojito, to go with the memory of cut grass (undoubtedly the cocktail will remain unfinished so consider it up for grabs as of now).

I am still undecided about what scent to wear tonight; I'm tempted to immerse in the Philosykos I deprived myself from in the morning; or alternatively, wear something tropical (i.e.: Gigi, Azuree Body Oil or Songes).

What would you wear for a Mojito night of dancing?

Must Read: Liquid Assets

Read Liquid Assets - an article in the New York Times, about Jean-Claude Ellena's latest travels that inspire his newest scent for Hermes, Un Jardin Après la Mousson (A Garden After the Monsoon).
The article is well written (by Phoebe Eaton) and if not for that, the pictures make a fabulous eye-candy...

You may be also interested to read the review of the scent by Robin on Now Smell This.

b-Glowing Ayala Moriel's Newest Retailer

Great news!
Ayala Moriel Parfums are now available via b-glowing.com as well as on amazon.com.
7 of our gorgeous perfumes can be purchased via these two prestigious online venues:
Ayalitta
Bon Zai
Espionage
Finjan
Rebellius
Tamya
White Potion
Choose from two elegant sizes: 9ml parfum extrait flacon ($110) or 5ml perfume oil roll-on ($65).

Mental Notes: Mix and Wear

Today I've been mixing a trial version of an Epice Sauvage reformulation, so that's what I'm wearing at the moment.
To the original formula, I've added two notes I've been dying to add to Epice Sauvage for a long time: ginger and orange blossom.
I still can't tell if I like the original better or this new version; better let it sit and mature a bit before I cast any judgement.

Natural Joy, Organic Bliss

Bliss, originally uploaded by Dave Ward Photography.

After long procrastination, I have finally got my hands on some samples of Rich Hippie’s perfumes, thanks to a kind swapper via MUA. While Utopia left me only slightly uplifted from my current state (yuzu has the ability to do that to you) ; and Nirvana left me numbly bored – Wild Thing was the one to grab my attention, instantly (and no, it was not because of its steep price point). Wild Thing is as close as a natural perfume ever got to Patou’s infamous “Joy” (at its time bearing the slogan of being "the most expensive perfume in the world”). But the two have more in common than their high price. They both celebrate the luscious beauty of jasmine and rose. In Wild Thing, there is hardly anything else (a little bit of citrus at the opening, and a very subtle orris note). The rose almost gets lost in the bush of sultry, penetrating jasmine. The indole is intoxicating and beautiful. Almost outrageously so. Wild thing is a rich (pun intended) but not overpowering kind of floral and while very animalistic it is never repulsively so. Despite the fact that there is no civet at the base to my knowledge (which is what makes Joy parfum slightly “dirty”) – you get a similar vibe from the dry down of Wild Thing – it’s always jasminey and quite long lasting; though I can’t really tell what is it in the base that make it linger so long (no particular note stands out enough to be noticed, aside from the rose and the jasmine; and whatever iris there is there – it is very subtle, which makes me wonder if it is not used merely as a fixative). To the flower girl within me, Wild Thing is pure bliss and thankfully it is not in the least “hippie”.

On a completely other note, being a by-product of the hippie era myself, I can’t say I am particularly thrilled by the names or the concept of the Rich Hippie line. There are plenty of things that deeply irritate me when I read the website that have nothing to do with my personal taste (or with my lack of fondness of the brand’s paradoxical name): the perfume-history inaccuracies, the scare tactics, and last but not least – the inconsistency in regards to the quality or grade of the materials used (i.e. what is organic). The bottles are all labeled as “Organic Perfume”, yet in the list of notes, sometimes the same notes are listed as organic and sometimes they aren’t. My conclusion is that the alcohol is most likely organic, while maybe some of the essences could be organically grown (especially when listed that way) but many I suspect aren’t. Of course, the overall mystery around the subject contributes to the justification of the higher price point This brings a whole new issue which was brought up to me today: the definitions of “natural” and “organic” product, when referring to perfumes.

Recently, several new health-food-store distributed lines of fragrances were launched , branching out from aromatherapy into the real of “natural” or “organic” fragrances. Theoretically, it’s nice to see this happening – natural fragrances becoming more popular and being semi-mass-marketed. However, we are back to square one in terms of truth in labeling and advertising. Why? Because what makes these products “organic” is not necessarily the fragrance they are made of but the carrier. In order for a product to be certified organic, it needs to be made 95% certified organic components; and it can be labeled as “made with organic ingredients” if it uses at least 70% organic ingredients. The remaining 30% is easily open to interpretations, and could, for example – in the case of perfume – mean that the alcohol base is organic alcohol (usually grain or grape alcohol); but the remaining 30%, where the scent actually comes from, could easily be not organically grown, not to mention – it could even include synthetic molecules. Keeping in mind that the alcohol stays on the skin only for a few second, I am afraid I’m not particularly impressed! In other words – read the label and ingredient list very carefully before you fool yourself to thinking you are using an organic product.

As a flower-child’s daughter, I was brought up in an organic village, and I can tell you quite a bit about what organic farming is, and what is required for any crop to be considered organic. To put it simply, the crops must be:
Not genetically modified or engineered (aka non GMO)
Grown with no pesticides or herbicides
Grown with no chemical fertilizers
Grown within a reasonable distance from pollution sources (i.e.: other farms that use pesticides and herbicides)

In other words, the crops should be grown as pure as possible from any chemical or biological human interventions. To ensure that, most countries have their own body that certifies organic farms and companiess adhering to these standards. To be certified organic the farm must be assessed by a third party that will look at those factors and certify the produce or the products of that farm with the organization’s seal. The seal of approval can be also found on other products, such as prepared foods, cosmetics, cleaning products and body products.

On another note, I am yet to find a jasmine absolute that is certified organic. In fact, the mere act of extracting absolute from a plant is non-organic as it requires the use of synthetic solvents (only traces of which will be found in the absolute). Some even argue that absolutes are not natural (and I will discuss more of that in a future post, tomorrow). The groves of jasmine are sparse in the world and I haven’t heard of an organic one as of yet. Citrus and herbs are more easy to find organically, but the flower essences for the most part are very challenging. If you know of a source I would be happy to get that information from you …

I would be very curious to hear from anyone here who owns an original bottle from this line if there is any seal to attest to its certified organicness.

As you can see, the definition of “organic” is quite ambiguous, perhaps even more so than the definition of “natural”. If you want to further investigate here are two interesting links on the topic:

SkinCare @ Lovetoknow.com
PioneerThinking.com
HallGold.com

Mental Notes: Good Food

Cinnamon waffle@Wawee, originally uploaded by mink~.

Gourmand scents are not for everyone. Some get completely turned-0ff by the notion of smelling like desert. Apparently my fondness for food did not go unnoticed and I belong to those who have a weakness for a good gourmand scent.
Today I am wearing my beloved Immortelle l'Amour; one of those scents that I have created out of a necessity for an enveloping warmth of vanilla and maple with cinnamon and orange. Immortelle absolute and rooibos tincture add a herbaceous tea-like dimension and I am loving every moment of it. It's particularly appropriate on snuggly rainy days, or stormy ones that force people to stay indoors and embrace romance.
Perhaps this is why I spent the evening baking cookies with my daughter (peanut-butter filled chocolate cookies, if you must know!). I think Immortelle l'Amour is the first scent where I really managed to capture the scent of baked goods (cinnamon waffles), most thankfully because of the wheat absolute and cinnamon CO2.

Sweet dreams...

Or, if you are still awake, would you care to share your favourite cooking smells (as well as your fragrance for the day)?

Happy Mother's Day

Mother, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

I know this pic does not look particularly cheerful or display a motherly joy. But who says being a mother is all happy and easy, right? Life and death are intertwined, and I think nothing portrays it better than Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" - the first classical piece I've ever sang (to be precise, it was the third alto aria, "Eja Mater"). I remember my vocal coach trying to squeeze some motherly grieving out of me, a teenager who hasn't experienced childbirth yet. She told me to think of how much I love my mother when I sing the song. I guess that's as close as it can get, assuming the third principle of Newton's physics is valid in the realm of emotion.

The two previous Mother’s Day events celebration in SmellyBlog included a post about the scent of a mother (2006) and mother nature (2007). I’ve pretty much exhausted my (already not that original) ideas for the day if trying to steer away from the retail-orientation the holiday has taken in recent years. So what’s next? What perfumes to buy mom on Mother’s Day? What perfumes do moms wear? Although I know I could come up with interesting ideas and answers I just don’t want to. So perhaps that would happen next year.

How about this for now: let’s just celebrate Mother’s Day with our children and our mothers, and enjoy the day and many more to come, year around. Mothers can always use some spoiling, and we all know how to do that, don’t we? As for me, my daughter decided we’re going out for brunch this morning, and so we did. I’m happy to find myself in a day when my little offspring can make her own decisions, even if they mean having a chocolate milkshake for breakfast.

This year, after being a mom for nearly 12 years, I am starting to finally internalize the fact that I am a mother in the sense that I am also one to leave an imprint of memories on my own daughter. I won’t know which scent she will associate me with, but one thing is certain - the word mommy would be associated with the concept of perfume, no matter which way she looks at it... And today, by the way, I am wearing a few drops of vintage Shalimar parfum extrait.