Happy Wednesday everyone! I am in a good mood because my marking is mostly done now, the exams are at any rate. The days are getting longer and it is not so dark on my way home, so that always makes me happy. All in all, things are pretty shiny right now!
As you know, perfume is my latest obsession, and I ordered a number of samples from Luckyscent. I like the idea of trying a sample of something before I commit. I received 6 of the 7 I ordered, as one was out of stock. Perhaps the one I was most excited about was Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince. This was featured on Fragrantica and they were drawing for samples. The notes sounded really intriguing, with a combination of green woods, blackcurrant, and deeper musky scents at the base. The reviews have been mostly positive on their website, so I thought I would try it, mainly for the lovely green notes. Fruity scents are iffy for me - while I like some scents like apple, berries I think are harder to pull off without being cloyingly sweet.
Here is the sample I received, with some shots of the liner. This is probably the most elaborate sample card I have ever seen!
The top notes listed are: pink pepper, aldehydes (smell a bit citrusy), orange, blackcurrant flower and leaf, hawthorn, rum and wine, rosemary, davana (an aromatic herb).
The middle notes are: blackcurrant buds absolute, CO2 blackcurrant, Russian coriander seed, honeysuckle, rose, carnation, vetiver.
The base notes are the ones that make or break a scent for me: opoponax (sweet myrrh - a type of resin for incense), Siam benzoin (a resin that smells like vanilla), amber, fir balsam absolute, patchouli, castoreum absolute, cedar, vanilla, musk, oakmoss.
When I sniff from the vial, I get a big whiff of green forest, which is mainly the basenotes. There is some hint of blackcurrant that comes and goes, and something rather sharp. When I put a small amount on my skin, the sharp note becomes the pungent note of cat pee or unwashed hobo - I really can't tell which. Scents do not turn "skunky" on my skin, so I had to see if it was only me --- nope, there are a few people on Fragrantica who really did note the smell of cat urine or armpit. UGH!!!!
I left it on to see what would happen over time. The cat pee note was sharpest for the first half hour, then decreased over time to the point where I did not notice it around 2 hours later. The perfume itself was very lightly woody and powdery at that point - highly disappointing. I am not willing to put up with notes I cannot stand for much more than the time it takes the alcohol to dissipate off my skin.
I believe the culprit is the castoreum absolute. In the olden days of perfume - probably up until mid-20th century - this was extracted by soaking beaver glands in alcohol. Since then, it has mainly been replaced by synthetic compounds to protect beaver populations. It is supposed to lend a leathery smell to perfumes. I was hoping this note would be a very small part of the composition, but I guess for me it was too noticeable in the makeup of this scent. And, I sincerely hope that no beavers were killed in the making of this perfume - I try to be as cruelty free as possible with my vanity purchases, so the thought of beavers being killed for perfume is repulsive.
This is 1 whiff out of 5 for me. I did like the concept of the perfume, but the execution leaves me gagging. I almost gave this a 0, but could not bring myself to be that mean. If the vial was reeking of cat pee, then yes I would be that brutal.
Let me leave you with my ad-copy for my fantasy commercial for the Enchanted Forest....
Two young lovers are walking in the pine woods in early fall. The blackcurrant bushes are heavily laden with fruit, and the air is redolent with their heavy, lusty scent. The lovers come to a clearing strewn with pine needles and crushed fruits, and decide to lay a blanket down to enjoy the wonderful setting for a while. They sit, laugh, drink some wine they have brought with them for a picnic, then make love under the trees. After a long, sensuous caress, they fall asleep under the boughs, content in their love....
....hours later, the lovers wake up distressed to find the scent of feline urine all around them, with the smell of the pines, cedars, and blackcurrants cutting in and out of their consciousness. Opening their eyes, they realize they are surrounded by hundreds of cats, toms and their mates, rutting for the last time before winter comes. In their frenzy, the cats have marked the forest and the lovers with their scent. Enchantment, thy name is cat wee.....
As you know, perfume is my latest obsession, and I ordered a number of samples from Luckyscent. I like the idea of trying a sample of something before I commit. I received 6 of the 7 I ordered, as one was out of stock. Perhaps the one I was most excited about was Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince. This was featured on Fragrantica and they were drawing for samples. The notes sounded really intriguing, with a combination of green woods, blackcurrant, and deeper musky scents at the base. The reviews have been mostly positive on their website, so I thought I would try it, mainly for the lovely green notes. Fruity scents are iffy for me - while I like some scents like apple, berries I think are harder to pull off without being cloyingly sweet.
Here is the sample I received, with some shots of the liner. This is probably the most elaborate sample card I have ever seen!
The top notes listed are: pink pepper, aldehydes (smell a bit citrusy), orange, blackcurrant flower and leaf, hawthorn, rum and wine, rosemary, davana (an aromatic herb).
The middle notes are: blackcurrant buds absolute, CO2 blackcurrant, Russian coriander seed, honeysuckle, rose, carnation, vetiver.
The base notes are the ones that make or break a scent for me: opoponax (sweet myrrh - a type of resin for incense), Siam benzoin (a resin that smells like vanilla), amber, fir balsam absolute, patchouli, castoreum absolute, cedar, vanilla, musk, oakmoss.
When I sniff from the vial, I get a big whiff of green forest, which is mainly the basenotes. There is some hint of blackcurrant that comes and goes, and something rather sharp. When I put a small amount on my skin, the sharp note becomes the pungent note of cat pee or unwashed hobo - I really can't tell which. Scents do not turn "skunky" on my skin, so I had to see if it was only me --- nope, there are a few people on Fragrantica who really did note the smell of cat urine or armpit. UGH!!!!
I left it on to see what would happen over time. The cat pee note was sharpest for the first half hour, then decreased over time to the point where I did not notice it around 2 hours later. The perfume itself was very lightly woody and powdery at that point - highly disappointing. I am not willing to put up with notes I cannot stand for much more than the time it takes the alcohol to dissipate off my skin.
I believe the culprit is the castoreum absolute. In the olden days of perfume - probably up until mid-20th century - this was extracted by soaking beaver glands in alcohol. Since then, it has mainly been replaced by synthetic compounds to protect beaver populations. It is supposed to lend a leathery smell to perfumes. I was hoping this note would be a very small part of the composition, but I guess for me it was too noticeable in the makeup of this scent. And, I sincerely hope that no beavers were killed in the making of this perfume - I try to be as cruelty free as possible with my vanity purchases, so the thought of beavers being killed for perfume is repulsive.
This is 1 whiff out of 5 for me. I did like the concept of the perfume, but the execution leaves me gagging. I almost gave this a 0, but could not bring myself to be that mean. If the vial was reeking of cat pee, then yes I would be that brutal.
Let me leave you with my ad-copy for my fantasy commercial for the Enchanted Forest....
Two young lovers are walking in the pine woods in early fall. The blackcurrant bushes are heavily laden with fruit, and the air is redolent with their heavy, lusty scent. The lovers come to a clearing strewn with pine needles and crushed fruits, and decide to lay a blanket down to enjoy the wonderful setting for a while. They sit, laugh, drink some wine they have brought with them for a picnic, then make love under the trees. After a long, sensuous caress, they fall asleep under the boughs, content in their love....
....hours later, the lovers wake up distressed to find the scent of feline urine all around them, with the smell of the pines, cedars, and blackcurrants cutting in and out of their consciousness. Opening their eyes, they realize they are surrounded by hundreds of cats, toms and their mates, rutting for the last time before winter comes. In their frenzy, the cats have marked the forest and the lovers with their scent. Enchantment, thy name is cat wee.....
Lollll! That mental image is just too funny! Pic-a-nic gone very badly wrong! You've taken the bullet for us on this one, thank you! x x x
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I have seen so many great reviews though, so I think I am in the minority. I must be sensitive to certain smells!
ReplyDelete