Sunday: Annick Goutal, Eau de Ciel. This is a light, lovely, iridescent fragrance, like a dragonfly's wing. The notes are Brazilian rosewood, violet, Floretin iris, and lime blossom, and while they are lovely, they were not strong enough to convince me that I should continue to wear light, breezy scents, even in the heat, which is why on Monday I went with...Monday: 10 Corso Como. This was a bit more like it, with notes of frankincense, musk, rose, geranium, vetiver, and Malay oud wood oil, although I must admit, it left me feeling a bit like Goldilocks. That is, Eau de Ciel was too light, too ethereal, and 10 Corso Como, while sophisticated and lovely, proved to feel a bit to dry for me. Perhaps it was my mood, but it made me think of leafless branches and high, icy clouds, and even though I'm ready for fall, I'm not that ready. It made me a bit melancholy, so on Tuesday, I went with...
Tuesday: Donna Karen, Wenge. This is one of my oldest samples. I'm pretty sure I picked this up in the first few months of blogging, which means it's been floating around in my stash, neglected. Wenge is part of Donna Karan's Essence Series, which also includes Lavendar, Jasmine, and Labdanum. I think it might be beautiful blended with something else, but alone it translated to something like saffron on my skin, and I found it a bit stifling. I have this same problem with Safran Troublant, which is quite pretty, but in summer tends to make me feel as though someone has soaked a rag in the stuff and tried to smother me with it. Having decided to leave Wenge alone until it gets cold and give it another shot, on Wednesday I decided to buck up and wear something summery, so I went with...
Wednesday: Estee Lauder, Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. Even in its straightforward, simple beauty and elegance, it could not sway me. The perfume matters less than the fact that on Wednesday I met my first ever friend of Sweet Diva, Vida. She had offered me a sample of one of her favorite perfumes, and after emailing back and forth we realized that we work inside a mile from each other. Vida is quite cool and generous and fun, and she brought me a lovely bag of goodies! We had a lot of fun over lunch chatting about perfume and blogs and Sniffa and so on. How lucky I am to have such fun readers! I told her that the next day I would be sure to try...
Thursday: Montgomery Taylor, Ambra di Venezia. This warm, elegant floral, with notes of narcissus, jasmine, mandarin orange, lime, sandalwood and mango was certainly much more fitting with my mood. I agree with Vida that this is one of those perfumes that, instead of developing by note, from the first makes you feel as though someone has handed you an exquisite bouquet of stunning flowers. I think this would be lovely year-round, and who wouldn't want that bottle sitting on her dressing table? Apparently Montgomery Taylor is quite an artist when it comes to glass as well. Too bad for me, the hand-blown limited edition bottle is too costly, but the juice is still available in a regular bottle and well worth it. The next day, I thought about wearing this again, but I didn't want to use it all up right away, so instead I decided to wear...
Friday: Santa Maria Novella, Eva. With notes of citrus fruits, Italian bergamot, black pepper and vetiver, you might think this was more up my alley, after all my complaining about florals and my quest for something drier, spicier. This was lovely, but I think this one is suited to cooler weather. I also tend to have trouble with fragrances bearing black pepper (I cannot abide Rose Poivree, for example), but this one wasn't overwhelming. I'm afraid I can't do it much justice, though, because I was coming down with a cold, even though I didn't realize it until today, when I decided to wear...Saturday: Estee Lauder, Private Collection. I could still smell when I put this on before going to the hairdresser this morning (I make it sound like I went to have a wash and set or something), and at the top, this one is too too green for the likes of me. Luckily, after about twenty minutes or so, it becomes something wonderful, or at least I trust it does because both my colorist and Bob said I smell good, and I'll just have to believe them!
I hope your week has been an adventure of scent as well, and that you'll share some of your fun! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, my friends!
*images from Aedes, Donna Karan, and Montgomery Taylor
