MoodScent4 Project

Mood Scent 4 Super Power Perfumes

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It is Mood Scent 4 time again! Where 4 bloggers from around the world share our views on the same subject linking perfume to mood or occasion. This time Portia (now on A Bottled Rose), Sam  (I Scent You A Day) and Megan (Megan In Sainte Maxime) and I picked Super Power Perfumes as a subject as all of us could use some Super Power during this exceptional period of lock down or semi lock down.

While being semi quarantined in Amsterdam I have spent time enjoying blossoming flowers and admiring nature’s resilience while walking outside. In The Netherlands luckily we were allowed to have our daily walk in the first 6 weeks of the “intelligent” semi lock down. This week hairdressers reopen, restaurants will opening in the beginning of June.

I have been spending a lot of time at our allotment and gardening with the help of Peter luckily. We are very grateful for our garden these days. A yoga school near my home started doing online lessons which I do now as well. Very easy yin yoga and restorative from the comfort of my living room and a way to support local shop owners as well.

During my daily walks I have seen different flowers in bloom following their natural rhythm like magnolia, tulips and the current white and purple lilacs. Being completely honest; flowers have given me more strength and solace than perfume lately but these fragrances boost my confidence, give me hope or strength: Nicolai New York Intense, Pure Distance Master Perfumes M and Chanel Les Exclusifs 31 Rue Cambon. Nicolai New York Intense is one of the fragrances I reach for most when in need for a boost of confidence or strength. Long lasting uplifting  bergamot and lemon on a warm oriental base of oakmoss, vanilla and frankincense never seize to amaze me as it is both multifaceted, rich and sophisticated. It is said to be the signature fragrance of its maker perfumer Patricia de Nicolai which does not surprise me. 

Another confidence booster is Pure Distance M which I recently won in a photography contest. Inspired by a James Bond Aston Martin Car this perfume smells full bodied and complex like the slightly used rich black leather interior from a very expensive car and some added precious resinous frankincense mixed with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and clove. As Nicolai New York Intense, M leans towards masculine.

The ultra chic Chanel Les Exclusifs 31 Rue Cambon is another confidence booster and one I tend to reach for when I want to feel elegant despite the outfit I am wearing. 31 Rue Cambon wears like dark pink smooth velvet fabric, both comfortable and opulent in a classic way. Wearing this fragrance makes me feel like everything will be alright whatever the outcome will be for us, our family and friends, our communities and our planet.

These are my 3 picks of Super Power Perfumes. Have a look on Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s  Megan in St. Maxime  and Portia on A Bottled Rose to read their picks and see how they are doing during this exceptional period. I am very curious, aren’t you?

I hope you and your loved ones are able to stay healthy, calm, centred, and positive during this period we are all experiencing.

Do you use perfume to feel more confident or strong now? Which one do you use?

Disclosure: all photographs made by Esperessence. Last photograph is a view of one of the Vondelpark entrances.

Mood Scent 4 Wellbeing Wonder Perfumes

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It’s Mood Scent 4 time again where we, 4 bloggers around the globe, show our thoughts on the same subject every month.  Sam (I Scent You A Day) from Wales, Megan in Southern France (Megan in St Maxime) Portia in Australia (guest blogging on A Bottled Rose) and I (from The Netherlands) chose to write about Wellbeing Wonders today, given what is happening in the world due to the Virus. We could all use some well-being wonders at the moment. 

It may sound frivolous right now to write about fragrances and beauty. But I have found perfume and beautiful things like flowers to be very uplifting, calming and comforting these past couple of weeks.  Nature is showing us its own natural pace with spring blossoming flowers like vibrant magnolia and joyous yellow daffodils.

In The Netherlands we are in semi lock down as we are still allowed to go out for a walk to get some fresh air opposed to other countries where people are not allowed to walk outside except for shopping. What is uniting us on this planet at the moment, is that we are going through the same things in our own way as we are all effected by the virus. Quite an exceptional experience.

Back to perfumes, I picked 4 perfumes as Wellbeing Wonders, 3 of them are reasonably priced, in case you would like to buy them online. The first is April Aromatics Precious Woods, not a cheap fragrance but well worth its price, this is why.

April Aromatics Precious Woods Eau de Parfum -Calming and Grounding-

Precious Woods invites us to take a slow calming walk in a green moist forest. German perfumer Tanja Bochnig was inspired to make this fragrance when she scented an Indian forest after the rain. Wearing it makes me feel like having both feet firmly on the ground. It has a very calming effect. This is not surprising as one of the main notes of Precious Woods is sandalwood. Sandalwood has been used by all Indian spiritual traditions (Brahmin, Buddhist and Hindu) to induce a calm state of mind and for meditation.

Precious Woods features natural notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, cistus, vetiver bourbon, patchouli, Buddha wood and white Sage. It is infused with small herkimer precious stones


Paul Smith Rose Eau de Parfum – Uplifting –

Elegant and effortless chic is a word which comes to mind when smelling Paul Smith Rose. It smells better than a bouquet of large stemmed pink roses from an exclusive flower-shop in one of the most expensive areas in the city. Paul Smith Rose is very uplifting and places you in a pink bubble for a moment. It is available online for a fairly reasonable price and was created by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu.

Paul Smith Rose features notes of green tea, violet heart rose, violet, magnolia, cedarwood. 

Guerlain Mitsouko Eau de Toilette – Comforting –

Many have written about Mitsouko which I will not repeat other than that it is a classic comforting masterpiece. Mitsouko was created more than 100 years ago in 1919 by perfumer Jacques Guerlain. The Eau de Toilette refills sprays (93ml) are still available online for 30 euro (not on this photograph) which is cheaper than a regular roomspray. This Eau de Toilette might not be as rich as the pure perfume but it works wonders when you spray it on your cushion or sheets before going to bed. It certainly is a wellbeing wonder for me.

Mitsouko features notes of bergamot, jasmine, peach, rose, oakmoss, pepper, cinnamon, vetiver.

Caron Pour Un Homme Eau de Toilette- Calming and Relaxing-

Pour Un Homme is a calming lavender perfume with a warm amber and comforting vanilla base. These notes have a very calming and relaxing effect. The fragrance is available online for a fairly reasonable price. I just found a 125 ml bottle with shower gel for 30 euro online as a giftset. Highly recommended for relaxation and calming the mind. Although Pour Un Homme is called For A Man in French, it is not for gentlemen only…

Pour Un Homme features notes of lavender, vanilla, musk and amber.

These are my 4 Wellbeing Wonder Picks. Have a look on Sam’s blog I Scent You A Day, Megan’s  Megan in St. Maxime  and Portia on A Bottled Rose to read their choices and read how they are doing  I am very curious, aren’t you?

I hope you and your loved ones are able to stay calm, centered and positive during the upcoming period. Stay well!

Do you use perfume as wellbeing wonder now? Which one do you use?

Disclosure: all photographs were made by Esperessence. The perfumes mentioned in this article were bought by Esperessence as well.

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