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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Sensual Orchid by LM Parfums
WHAT I SMELL: Sensual Orchid opens with this gourmand almond which is lightly sweet and a bit candied, mixed with a wonderful floral bouquet. The fragrance seems to dances of your skin in this rather bright and melodic way. I love how cheerful it is to me in the first few minutes. As the fragrance starts to settle it becomes more grounded with a warmish base that helps to radiate the floral aspects. At first I was thinking, where the sensual aspects of this? But after around five minutes you can see where it is…it’s slinky, sexy and has a “come hither” feeling to it. After around fifteen minutes, Sensual Orchid starts becoming bigger; a combination of a sweet vanilla, coconut and a gourmand floral that’s really explodes off of the skin. The fragrance then stays in this sweetened state through the dry down, with a little less projection and just a slight bit of soapiness.
From the LM Parfums website:
Like a model on a fashion show catwalk, Sensual Orchid captivates your senses with its incredible aromas. This second essence of perfume will take you to the front of the stage. The carnal pleasures evoked by this sumptuous arrangement of natural sophisticated fragrances awake all the sensuality surrounding. This sweet bouquet of fragrances will exhilarate you..
A first subtle scent of citrus fruit and Almond leads you into a refined heart of orchid, jasmine sambac, lysilang, peony and heliotrope then leaves a voluptuous final touch made of Vanilla, Musk, Blonde Wood, White Cedar Wood, Labdanum and Benzoin.
TOP NOTES : Mandarin, Almond, Nerolii
HE ART NOTES: orchid, Jasmine Sambac, Lisylang, Peony, Heliotrope
BASE NOTES : Vanilla, Musk, Blonde Wood, White Cedar Wood, Labdanum, Benzoin
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: pink satin sheets
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SENSUAL ORCHID: sweetened, rounded, obvious
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SENSUAL ORCHID: Kafkaseque, CaFleureBon
BOTTOM LINE: I had heard a great buzz about this fragrance and when I was in NYC for Sniffapalooza I really wanted to check it out, only to find that Osswald was out of stock. Luckily a fragrant friend sent me a sample. I think this is a case where I was expecting the world, but it just wasn’t meant to be. You can tell from my writing above that my journey started with promise, but then dwindled to more of a “I like it.” To me, Sensual Orchid is extremely feminine which isn’t a bad thing; but it’s just a bit too sweet for my taste. However, not being familiar with the LM Parfums line, I am looking forward to testing out some of their other creations.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Oriental Floral
- Nose: Jerome Epinette
- Classification: Leans feminine
- Expense: $225 for 100ml Parfum Extrait
New Release: Majalis by Les Parfums de Rosine
WHAT I SMELL: This latest release from Les Parfums de Rosine opens with a rush of what reminds me of honey cough drops. It’s like rich honey dripping down into a hot cup of lemon water. The honey is thick, full-bodied and incredibly edible; so much so that I just want to lick the honey off of my wrist. After a couple of minutes a cinnamon note is added to give the honey a little kick of spice. This literally smells like I have just rolled myself up in a sticky warm honey mess and I keep thinking that I need to wash my hands off so I don’t get my keyboard all sticky. After around the ten minute mark, the honeyed aspects of the fragrance start to calm down and the beginning bloom of the rose starts to make an appearance. Due to the spice of the cinnamon and nutmeg, the rose just adds a nice light touch to the somewhat heavy spice which when sniffed fills the back of your throat with a heavy warmth. But overall at this point, Majalis is almost like a honeyed piece of hard candy as it seems more suited for enjoying in your mouth rather than on the skin. Again, the rose is there, but it’s really kind of overtaken by the spice. Thankfully after around an hour, Majalis backs off the super cinnamon aspects of the fragrance, but overall, it ends up being a pleasant and somewhat dry and woody cinnamony rose that should only be worn in cool months. I can’t imagine what would happen if you wore this in the middle of summer!
From the Les Parfums de Rosine website:
A seductive and sophisticated fragrance
The Rosa Majalis is a rose native from Asian mountains. This simple flower develops an amazing cinnamon scent. This is why we name it the Cinnamon Rose, and it is also considered as the “Love Rose” because of its soft and slightly captivating scent. This natural and exquisite rose gave birth to a new fragrance: Majalis.
Soft Oriental, Majalis offers notes of cinnamon, pink pepper and nutmeg based on a precious wood background. The rose is of course present. We have chosen a Bulgarian absolute to envelope the fragrance with its both bright and heady scent.
Top note : Bergamot, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Nutmeg, Cinnamon bark
Heart note : Cinnamon leaves, Taif Rose, Tea Rose, Rose Absolute, Jasmine, Black and red pepper, Coriander seed
Base note : Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Amber, Musk
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Honeyed cinnamon ribbon candy.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MAJALIS: deep, rich, honeyed
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MAJALIS: Perfume Shrine
BOTTOM LINE: I really liked the gourmand honey opening, but never having been a big fan of cinnamon I can’t say that this is my favorite rose. However, if you do like cinnamon and nutmeg, I would recommend giving this a try. Actually, worn next to a fire with a hot cup of cocoa on a cold winter night might make for a very nice warm and fuzzy comfort moment.
- Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Oriental Floral
- Classification: Leans feminine
- Expense: 125 Euros for 100ml EdP from the Les Parfums de Rosine website
Disclosure: Product for review provided courtesy of Les Parfums de Rosine.
The Scented Hound 