Chypre

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.

Is A Perfume Name Important To You?

Is a perfume name important to you? This is a question which came up on one of my Instagram posts last week when posting this photograph of Does in the Snow*.  4160 Tuesdays Doe in the Snow is an intriguing name for a fragrance. When I read the name Doe in the Snow it instantly got my attention. I like the perfume as well. On the other hand I have a bottle of Caron Aimez-Moi (which translates to Love Me in French) which I do not wear due to its name. I find its title needy and not very inviting and honestly I haven’t given it much wearing because of this as it bothers me.

Another perfume brand I love for its names and stories is Brooklyn based DS&Durga. Titles like Burning Barbershop and Portable Fireplace for a scented candle which are very inviting and give a very good idea of its fragrance as well. I like both of them and tried (and bought)  them for their names. They make me smile every time I see them.

Titles for a perfume can be personal and when they are in a different language slightly confusing as well but I have noticed they are important to me especially when they have an interesting name which tells a little story too. So it’s not just a pretty name but there is a whole story (made up or not) behind this title too.

How about you? How important is the name of a perfume for you? Have you bought or tried a perfume because of it? Or because of the story behind the title?

Wishing you a wonderful joyful Easter!

*Doe in the Snow was created by perfumer Sarah McCartney for the wedding of fragrance specialist Odette Toilette aka Lizzie Ostrom.

Nicolaï Rose Oud Perfume Review

Photograph: Esperessence

Rose Oud is very soothing for the heart. Especially when you are suffering from heartache or confronted with difficult emotional situations in your life and want some elevation of stress/anxiety in a soft and gentle way. 

Interestingly Patricia de Nicolaï made Rose Oud as a powerful very rich deep fragrance (see video) But Rose Oud wears very close to my skin. It is more the light stroke of a rose. Caresse in French. Caresse de Rose would have been a better title for the fragrance.  I can only scent Rose Oud when I smell my wrist very closely, at less than 5 cm. Which is a pity but I reapply several times during the day. Longevity is not very good either. Very powerful rose perfumes on my skin are Guerlain Nahema edp and Maria Candida Gentile Cinabre.

Although I love rose fragrances I find it hard to find rose perfumes I wear regularly.  They can either be too the linear like Jo Malone Red Roses, too uplifting like the spicy Amouage Epic or Majda Bekkali Mon Nom Est Rouge or too activating like Maria Candida Gentile Cinabre.  I have found Rose Oud to be very appealing and  wore it quite often last summer. Of all my rose fragrances, this is the one I used most.

Rose Oud could give an uncomplicated impression at first sniff. But I find it an interesting modern, elegant, radiant and subtle fragrance.  You can wear it when you do not want others to smell your fragrance for example at your office or for a job interview.

What do I smell?

Personally I do not scent any oud in Rose Oud but some other male bloggers (Chemist in a Bottle and Geurengoeroe) say they do. At the beginning I get a fruity peach note probably due to the osmanthus. At the same time I get a lot of aldehydes the first few minutes adding lightness and brilliance. The aldehydes are not used in a retro vintage style like Antoine Lie in Rien Intense but in a more modern 21th century way.  What remains afterwards is an oily fragrance according to Perfume Shrine due to Nargamotha/Cypriol*. I get a sweet raspberry/rose note as well which is very similar to the Oliver and Co Santalum scented candle.

What does it do ?

Rose Oud is very soothing for the heart. Especially when you are suffering from heartache or confronted with difficult emotional situations in your life and want some elevation of stress or anxiety in a soft and gentle way. I used it a lot when my mother was in the hospital last summer. Part of this soothing effect could be a result of the usage of cypriol or to the calming effect of the rose.

Which image do I get ?

I get the image of the fur of my cat, Rubio as caressing him has a similar calming effect on me as wearing Rose Oud.

Composition: (according to the official Nicolaï website)

Top note: raspberry, davana, osmanthus

Heart note: rose, lily of the valley

Base note: agarwood, patchouli , sandalwood, musk, amber

Fragrance family: according to Patricia de Nicolaï chypre due to the rose and patchouli absolute (I would say floral chypre with fruity accents due to the raspberry or fruity chypre, Michael Edwards classifies it as a rose soliflore which makes sense)

Sillage: 1/5

Longevity: 1/5

Fragrance: 4/5

Overall: 3,5/5

Origin of bottle: my own,  Nicolaï is sold in The Netherlands by The Perfume Lounge and Parfumaria, both sell samples.

* Nagarmotha/Cypriol is a plant of the Cyperaceae family belonging to the papyrus family. Cypriol essential oil is harvested through steam distillation. Lotus Garden Botanicals states on its website that its fragrance has similarities with vetiver and oud. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy and is said to have an emotionally calming effect. According to an article of Swiss perfumer Andy Tauer most of the oud in perfumes are bases often made with Cypriol.

Give away: we are giving away a 2 ml sample of Rose Oud

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  2. Leave a comment telling us what scent relaxes you or soothes your heart
  3. Draw will close september 3, at 12.00 PM Parisian Time
  4. We will contact the winner by mail, announce it on our website and on twitter, if you are the winner please check your mail and other folder
  5. Worldwide draw