Abigail — Perfume Bloggers

Angelique Encens

October 6th, 2008 — , Angelique Encens, Marlene Dietrich, Perfume, Perfume Reviews, jicky from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Angelique Encens, one of Creed’s celebrity perfumes, is supposed to be an incense scent. Even the name denotes incense. So, where is it?When modern scents say “incense,” that is precisely what they mean. Commes de Garcon’s “Avignon” in par…

Related Stores

Continue reading → Angelique Encens

Bond No 9 Broadway Nite - Maurice Roucel - Aldehydes & Musings

October 5th, 2008 — , Aldehydes, Bond No. 9, Broadway Nite, Chanel No. 5 from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Broadway Nite was created by Maurice Roucel in 2003 for Bond No 9. Broadway Nite is a sweet, warm floral, with aldehydes aplenty and the potency & sillage of an 80’s perfume.

All of the above happens to appeal to me immensely. I’m finding myself with less and less tolerance for perfumes that don’t have presence or longevity. I’m also finding myself attracted to aldeydes, which is shocking,

Why You Should Own a Bottle of Ivoire de Balmain

October 4th, 2008 — , Calvin Klein Obsession, Ivoire de Balmain from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

This week, sissyfris on MUA, posted about CK Obsession. I’ve copied and pasted her words here:

Amber, vanilla, oakmoss and musk. Sounds nice right? Now what if I said you could get it for +
less than $75, that it has excellent sillage and tenacity, and that it gets me probably more compliments from men than all of my other scents combined? Oh, and odds are you can buy it within 10 miles of

Serge Lutens, Santal Blanc: A Review

October 4th, 2008 — , 10 Corso Como, Diptyque Tam Dao, Serge Lutens Santal Blanc from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

It might be my imagination but Santal Blanc seems to be an under appreciated fragrance from Lutens. In autumn, I crave woody scents and especially sandalwood. Santal Blanc (SB) is a tribute to sandalwood, cedar and wood notes.

Somehow I’ve managed to end up with three bottles of SB. I’m not sure why, it’s not like Lutens discontinues his scents, but I must be worried about SB in the back

Dear Serge Lutens: A Letter

October 3rd, 2008 — , Serge Lutens from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

October 3, 2008

Dear Serge Lutens,

I write because you have created some of the most beautiful and interesting perfumes that I own. I write because even though I was already a perfume fanatic when I first encountered your work, it was your masterpieces that made me view perfume as art. I look forward, in anxious anticipation, to your annual September releases. I write because I’m worried.

Sonoma Scent Studio, Fireside Intense & Ambre Noir: Reviews

October 2nd, 2008 — , Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, ambre noir, fireside intense, sonoma scent studio from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

A few days ago, on MUA, a poster suggested that everyone would have a bottle of CK Obsession if it were under a Lutens of Malle label.

This statement got me thinking about under-appreciated and lesser known perfumers. The perfumer that immediately came to mind is Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio. Laurie is brilliant. Every single fragrance I’ve tried from SSS is gorgeous. I’m not

L’air du desert Marocain

October 1st, 2008 — , Andalusia, Cordoba, Perfume, Perfume Reviews, Spain, l'air du desert marocain from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

As usual, I’m a year or two behind all of you other perfume bloggers out there. For example, Tauer Perfume’s remarkable Vetiver Dance is about to come out, and here I am writing about one of the older ones! But it is early fall here, and I’ve bee…

Tocca Brigitte: A Review

September 30th, 2008 — , Tocca Brigitte from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

I’m fond of Tocca perfumes. I like Touch & Stella. The whimsical bottles and boxes are darling. I don’t often use the word ‘darling’ and it reminds me of the mother of my childhood best friend who grew up in Kansas had a sweet little Midwestern accent and looked like a cross between Ashley Judd and Reese Witherspoon with bouncy blond hair. Anyway, Tocca’s branding is darling. I had been

Frederic Malle, Dans Tes Bras: A Review

September 27th, 2008 — , Frederic Malle Dans Tes Bras from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

This is the “She Said” review. Brian will supply the “He Said” review soon.

Dans Tes Bras is the perfume I’ve been looking forward to the most this year. When I read the list of notes, I expected a “woody violet” fragrance.

Dans Tes Bras is not a woody violet fragrance, or at least not like any woody violet scent I’ve ever smelled. It smells like mushrooms. Slightly salty mushrooms growing

The Nose Knows Part 2

September 27th, 2008 — , Perfume, marketing, scent from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Now Smell This Part Two (from Salon.com) by Suzanne Bopp Below is the conclusion of the article “Now Smell This,” from Salon.com. One study put a floral scent in an area of a casino over a weekend; gamblers there spent 45 percent more money than on oth…

Cavemen in Pinafores: Perfume Does Drag

September 27th, 2008 — , Alliage, Aramis 900, Aromatics Elixir, Bal a Versailles, Bernard Chant, Devin, Tom Ford Black Orchid, angel, aramis, azuree, poison from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

The other day, applying a perfume ostensibly intended for women, I thought, “I really better butch it up today if I expect to pull this one off.”

Funny thing, though, how all that works: half way through the morning, I realized the perfume itself provided more than enough swagger. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the kind of fragrance which can come across like Corporal

A Tale of Two Lilies

September 25th, 2008 — , Frederic Malle Lys Méditerranée, Serge Lutens Un Lys from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Frederic Malle Lys Méditerranée was created by Edouard Flechier and launched in 2000. Serge Lutens Un Lys was created by Christopher Sheldrake and launched in 1997.

I’m not sure what possessed me but after looking forward to autumn for the past two months and anxiously awaiting the ceremonious rotation from summer to fall scents, I decided to wear two lily fragrances today. Once in awhile I

Related Stores

Continue reading → A Tale of Two Lilies

The Nose Knows

September 24th, 2008 — , Perfume, marketing, olfaction from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Below is Part One of an article from Salon.com about scent-based marketing. O Brave New World!(Some of the information on olfaction isn’t exactly scientific, but you’ll get the idea.) Now Smell ThisSavvy consumer marketers are proving that the way to …

Related Stores

Continue reading → The Nose Knows

31 Rue Cambon, Chanel: A Review

September 23rd, 2008 — , Chanel 31 Rue Cambon from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

31 Rue Cambon, where have you been all my life? I haven’t even purchased you, yet. I ordered Beige and Cuir de Russie from the Chanel boutique and you came along for the ride, an afterthought tossed into the package, a lovely little 4 ml sample, a diminutive replica of the big 6.8 oz exclusifs bottle itself.

It’s taken me several weeks to get around to sniffing you. I love Beige and Cuir

Top 10 Perfumes for Autumn

September 22nd, 2008 — , Top 10 Autumn Perfumes from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

I’m perpetually writing lists. I have ‘To Do’ lists for the office, ‘To Do’ lists for home, lists for gift-giving, for books to read, for gardening reminders & supplies, for movies to see, for TV to watch, for baby names, for vacation spots, and, of course, for perfume.

Since today is the first day of autumn, I began the list (in my head) of my top favorite perfumes for the season this

What Would Ava Wear?

September 21st, 2008 — , Ava Gardner, Fleurs de The Rose Bulgare, Perfume, Perfume Reviews from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

“After my screen test, the director clapped his hands gleefully and yelled: “She can’t talk! She can’t act! She’s sensational!” – Ava GardnerAva Gardner was born with a face that would be her destiny.Her father was a poor North Carolina tobacco f…

Related Stores

Continue reading → What Would Ava Wear?

Dandy of the Day: Crispin Hellion Glover

September 17th, 2008 — , Cinnabar, Crispin Glover, Zombi, messe de minuit from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Some find it easy to dismiss him. He certainly gives them a headstart. To many his name has become synonymous with a litany of those adjectives reserved for the terminally idiosyncratic. Years ago, he took aim at David Letterman’s head with his platform shoes and kicked his way out of the mainstream and into the margins. America knew him as the mesmeric goof-for-brains in Back to the Future,

Sniff my Sillage, Baby

September 17th, 2008 — , Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, Keiko Mecheri, Lou Lou Cacharel, sillage from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

So often I read comments by fellow perfume fanatics on various blogs and forums that they don’t want the scent of their perfume to offend others. Most seem extremely sensitive and wary of anyone being able to smell their perfume, their sillage (aka scent trail) AT ALL. It seems that it’s now considered rude for anyone to smell your perfume except you. Perhaps that’s why L’Artisan is doing so

Black Aoud — A Review in Real Time

September 17th, 2008 — , Black Aoud, Perfume, Perfume Reviews from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

I’ve gotta tell ya, there are some things I just don’t get.Having just applied Montale’s Black Aoud, I’m picturing a third-world hospital, in Turkmenistan maybe, after an earthquake. A room full of cast-iron beds, thin mattresses, nuns tending…

Swap Meet: Nahema, Nu, Encre Noire, Yatagan, Azuree, et al.

September 15th, 2008 — , Dzing, Encre Noire, Givenchy III, Guerlain Vetiver, Ivoire de Balmain, Jacques Cavallier, M7, Washington Tremlett, azuree, yatagan from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Late last month, Brian sent Abigail a package of decants from his collection. Abigail had already mailed Brian several herself, including samples from the Bond No. 9, Ava Luxe, and Serge Lutens lines. When Brian arrived in LA for the premiere of his movie, for instance, a package was waiting at the front desk. He ripped it open so quickly that the Bois de Violette he’d been dying to smell flew

This Week At The Perfume Counter: Givenchy III, Van Cleef Gem, Voile de Fleur, Dolce and Gabbana By

September 14th, 2008 — , Caron Pour Homme, DK Gold, Giorgio Red for Men, Givenchy III, Gucci Rush for Men, Rochas Femme, Tom Ford Black Orchid, Tom Ford Extreme, Tom Ford for Men, Van Cleef and Arpels Gem, miss dior from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

The Russians at the perfume kiosk in the mall have some kind of racket going on. I can’t decide just what. Of course, I have my own racket. Last week, after sitting on my “I’m going to sell this all on e-bay and make millions of dollars” stash, I realized that my drive for new perfume is stronger than my patience when it comes to navigating the internet marketplace. Now I understand why the

You Know You’re a Perfume Addict When…

September 13th, 2008 — , Perfume Addiction, perfume of life from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Inspired by a hilariously funny post on Perfume of Life forum ~

You use the phrase “to my nose” on a daily basis

You know the difference between, edp, edt, extrait, elixir, pure parfum, etc.

You can easily convert ml to oz, drams to ml and back again. In fact, these conversion sites are bookmarked.

Your emails and forum posts are peppered with: SL, FM, CdG, L’A, EL, POTL, AG, KM, YSL, AL,

A Moment Supreme

September 13th, 2008 — , Jean Patou, Perfume, Perfume Reviews, moment supreme from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Moment Supreme is difficult.After years of thinking of “lavender” as the sweetish stuff in hand lotion, I grew some. It took time to flower. When it finally did, the bitter scent of those spikes made me recoil. The beautiful purple fields of Proven…

Related Stores

Continue reading → A Moment Supreme

The Me Newsletter, aka “Why I’m So Important and Everything I Say Is Something You Should Hear” Volume 12, Issue 3

September 12th, 2008 — , yes it's a joke and if you feel offended you probably inspired it from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Dearest Reader,

Well, well, well–and what a busy week it’s been.

Several days ago, Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez did an interview with the Guardian, during which–hold on to your hats–Mr. Turin slammed yours truly–AND whippets, for (I guess) good measure. Being the proud owner of a poor, defenseless whippet, and knowing, as I do, that these animals are closer to humans than most of the

I Want My Hymen Back

September 10th, 2008 — , David Duchovny, Perfume Addict, Perfume Addiction, Perfume Virgin from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could return to the days when four fragrant lovers satisfied me and made me complete. I recall the good ole days with a particular fascination and innocence. Back then, I would wear a perfume every day for an entire season. I’d romance that perfume day and night, never switching during the course of a day. I was seasonally monogamous with

Related Stores

Continue reading → I Want My Hymen Back

Chanel Beige: A Review

September 10th, 2008 — , Chanel Beige, Chanel Les Exclusifs from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Chanel has never been my perfume house of choice. I understand why so many love Chanel No 5 but it’s never been a fragrance I could wear. I like Chanel No 22, but this is also not a fragrance I ever wear, I’m not comfortable in it, it’s not me. Chanel No 19 is decidedly not my thing, to me it smells cold and mean, and I imagine a woman such as Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada

Newsflash: Perfume, The Guide is openly opinionated.

September 10th, 2008 — from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Now Smell This has posted an excerpt from an interview with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez which was published in the Guardian. The interview interests and irks me in equal measure, for various reasons. The pull quote reads:

But if the title lacks poetic fun, the book most certainly does not. Although the language occasionally dips into the kind of hyperbolic floweriness one perhaps must expect

And In This Corner…

September 9th, 2008 — , Musc Ravageur, Muscs Koublai Khan, Perfume, Perfume Reviews from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Musc Ravageur vs. Muscs Koublai KhanUntil recently, I was a musk virgin.Let me explain. There was a time when musk was, well, trashy. This was in the Seventies, when the drugstore musks appeared. I’m thinking of Jovan Musk, although there were others…

Related Stores

Jovan Men Discount Fragrances Store

Continue reading → And In This Corner…

The Return of Perfume, the Guide (online)

September 8th, 2008 — from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Lucca Turin and Tania Sanchez have decided to publish quarterly installments of their Bible, Perfume: The Guide, which is a relief to those of us who’ve been wondering what they think of Calvin Klein Euphoria, Acqua di Gio, Allure Homme Edition Blanche, Estee Lauder Sensuous, Giorgio, et al. Some of these were omitted from the original publication. Some have since been released. Others had

Dandy of the Day: Count Alfred D’Orsay

September 6th, 2008 — , Count Alfred D'Orsay, Parfums D'Orsay Tilleul from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Count Alfred D’Orsay was one of the most celebrated Dandy’s of his day (1801-1852). During Count D’Orsay’s time, a particular kind of gentleman, such as Beau Brummel, aroused admiration among the upper crust through their witty remarks and outlandish clothing. They were eager to be noticed and imposed a certain life and dress style in this bored bourgeois society.

Alfred D’Orsay was one of

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur: A Review

September 6th, 2008 — , Musk fragrance, Serge Lutens Musc Ravageur from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur (henceforth FM MR) launched in 2000 and was created by Maurice Roucel. Maurice Roucel has created several of my favorite fragrances (Bond No 9 Broadway Nite, Bond No 9 New Haarlem, Gucci Envy, Hermes 24 Faubourg, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist) so this coupled with MR coming from Frederic Malle nearly guaranteed I would love it.

And love it, I do. Here’s the thing,

Other Things That Smell Good

September 5th, 2008 — , Lime, Perfume, Un Jardin en Mediterranee, scent, tomato from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

One of the best things about loving perfume is the way it opens up the rest of the olfactory world.I live in the American South. There is a song I used to hear on the radio, and the best line in it was “You can’t buy love or home-grown tomatoes.?…

Binge Dieting: Secret Obsession, Magnifique, Sensuous and Other Anorexic Simulations

September 5th, 2008 — from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

What is it with the latest batch of commercial releases? What aroma-chemical or marketing approach lends them all the baffling sense of sameness? Pick up Lancome Magnifique, Estee Lauder Sensuous, and Calvin Klein Secret Obsession to name several. The dry downs of the latter two seem virtually identical: politely discreet, vaguely woody, a half-assed, half-finished accord akin to someone with

Winners of the Yatagan/L’air du desert Marocain drawing!

September 4th, 2008 — , perfume sample drawing from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Thanks to everybody for entering the drawing! The two lucky winners (chosen using random.org) are:flannerygrace Mark42Send an email to pborow@comcast.net with your postal info and I’ll get your samples out posthaste!

This Week at the Perfume Counter: Belle en Rykiel, Lancome La Collection, Bijan V.I.P.

September 2nd, 2008 — from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Art vs. Commerce

September 2nd, 2008 — , Perfume, oakmoss, restrictions, treemoss from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Final reminder: deadline for the Yatagan/L’air du desert Marocain samples drawing is midnight, Sept.3rd (Wednesday). Leave a comment – any comment – and you’re automatically entered!I’m trying to sort all of this regulation/restriction stuf…

Related Stores

Continue reading → Art vs. Commerce

Kristen Michéle Épice Orientale: A Review

August 31st, 2008 — , Epice Orientale, Kristen Michele, Teo Cabanel Alahine from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Kristen Michéle is a new niche perfumer on the scene creating some lovely fragrances. I had the opportunity to try all three of her fragrances; Épice Orientale, Fleurs Blanches and Notes Fraiches, each of which are lovely and different yet carry within them a similar thread that makes them seem obviously created by the same individual. Kristen Michéle perfumes smell to me like chic timeless

Casran by Chopard: reviewing the basenotes reviews

August 30th, 2008 — , Aquatic, Cardamom, Chocolate, Chopard Casran, coriander from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

CB I Hate Perfume: Investigation & Reviews

August 30th, 2008 — , Black March, Burning Leaves, CB I Hate Perfume, Fire From Heaven, Lavender Tea from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

At first I entirely dismissed CB I Hate Perfume without even smelling the perfumes or knowing anything about the reason behind the name. I’d read about others loving the smell of Black March, which was described as smelling like dirt, mud, chilly cold puddles in early Spring. I thought to myself, “Why would I want to smell like that?” I figured CB I Hate Perfume was a flash in the pan. I

My (well, Our) Dinner with Chandler Burr

August 29th, 2008 — , Chandler Burr, Perfume from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Reminder! September 3rd is the deadline to enter the drawing for samples of Yatagan and L’air du desert Marocain! See “Yatagan” post for details.My (well, our) Dinner with Chandler BurrLast night I attended one of Chandler Burr’s “Scent and Savor…

Coversation with Neil Morris

August 27th, 2008 — , Neil Morris, takashimaya from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

The conversation with Neil Morris is also posted more completely at Perfumce Critic, www.perfumecritic.com

Abigail: Hello, Neil, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you for PerfumeCritic.com. After our rather, shall we say, unusual introduction, it’s so nice to be able to do this!

If you don’t mind, let’s jump right into the good stuff!

This is my typical first question, what

Three from the Mass Market, at Random

August 26th, 2008 — , L'Eau de Issey, Perfume, Perfume Reviews, Voile de Jasmin, White Linen from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Reminder: Sept 3rd is the deadline for entering the Yatagan/L’air du desert Marocain samples drawing! See the “Yatagan” post for details.Today I went to the dentist, where I was told that I’ll need several root canals soon, oh, joy. So I decided to go …

Aramis 900

August 25th, 2008 — , Aramis 900, Aromatics Elixir, Bandit, Bernard Chant, Chypre, aramis, azuree from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

It’s difficult to imagine anyone but Bernard Chant behind Aramis 900. After all, he made everything else that smells like it, excepting Bandit.

Released in 1973, Araqmis 900 is a woody, herbal masculine with a bright cirtus opening and a dense, deep rose heart.

The fragrance has a slightly fecal, animalic character, most noticeably up top, and relates to the chypres Chant is famous for. It

Related Stores

Continue reading → Aramis 900

Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile edp: A Review

August 23rd, 2008 — , Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile, Hermes Hiris, Iris Fragrances, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, The Different Company Bois d'Iris from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Acqua di Parma launched Iris Nobile (edt) in 2004. Acqua di Parma then launched the parfum (edp) concentration of Iris Nobile in 2006.

This review is based upon the edp only. The original Iris Nobile edt is a beautiful, light, sweet, floral fragrance. Iris Nobile edp takes on a very different personality ~ it’s richer, denser and closer to a chypre than the edt.

Iris Nobile is not an

Comme des Garcon 2 Men and Gucci Pour Homme

August 22nd, 2008 — , Aldehydes, Comme des Garcon 2 Man, Gucci Pour Homme, Marc Buxton, Michel Almairac, Saffron, vetiver from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Gucci Pour Homme and Comme des Garcon 2 Men seem similar enough at first whiff that for a while now I’ve been inclined to dismiss one or the other as inevitably redundant. The similarities, as it turns out, are purely superficial.
Gucci Pour Homme was created in 2003 by Michel Almairac, the nose behind several Bond No. 9 fragrances (Bryant Park, Fire Island, Saks Fifth Avenue for Him, Scent of

The Meaning of Ma Griffe

August 22nd, 2008 — , Perfume, ma griffe from Abigail @ OlfactaRama

Reminder:(Don’t forget to enter the drawing for samples of Yatagan and L’air du Desert Marocain – see the previous post – deadline is Sept. 3rd!When I was thirteen, I lived in a small Georgia town with my family. I’d already seen some of the…

CARON Farnesiana: A Review

August 21st, 2008 — , Amarige Givenchy, Caron Farnesiana, Guerlain Champs Elysees, L'Artisan Mimosa pour Moi from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Mimosa is among my top five favorite notes. Mimosa is in my beloved Amarige by Givenchy (and FYI the mimosa is much more apparent and breathtaking in the 2007 Harvest Edition of Amarige). One of my favorite L’Artisan perfumes is Mimosa Pour Moi. Unbelievably Mimosa Pour Moi lasts for a few hours on my skin (yay, for L’Artisan!) and it’s a wonderfully rendered greenish mimosa soliflore.

Fragrant Treats- Harney & Sons Flavored Tea

August 20th, 2008 — , Harney and Sons, tea from Abigail @ The Non-Blonde

It seems like many fragrance enthusiast are also tea fanatics. It makes a lot of sense if you think of it: Good tea has a complex aroma and your enjoyment starts with inhaling deeply and appreciating nuances and notes.While I love a good Oolong and a f…

Diptyque Opôné: A Review

August 20th, 2008 — , Diptyque Opone, Juliette Has a Gun, L'Artisan Voleur de Roses, Strange Invisible Perfumes from Abigail @ I Smell Therefore I Am

Disclaimer: I’m a lover of many Diptyque perfumes; Tam Dao, Oyedo, L’Ombre dans L’eau, and Philosykos are among my favorites. Diptyque launched Opôné in 2001. I never investigated it until recently and think it might be because there are several Diptyque fragrances that begin with the letter “O” and I just sort of missed it. Had I known Opôné was a rose & saffron scent I would have sampled

Katie’s Nails Speak Volumes

August 19th, 2008 — , Celebrities, China Glaze, Essie, Katie Holmes, Zoya, nail polish from Abigail @ The Non-Blonde

The interesting thing in this photo of Katie Holmes is her nail polish (you’ll need to click on the picture to see it full size). While I’m not a fan of blue nails, there’s something fresh, fun and even rebellious in her choice of an aqua color. It’s a…

Aggregator of Perfume Blogs