Abercrombie & Fitch 8
Introduced: unknown

My Description: Winter, Cool, Cute, Sweet.

Top Notes: Clementine, Mandarin Orange, Grapefruit.
Middle Notes: Lily, Melon, Amaryllis, Violet, Freesia
Base Notes: Amber, Musk, Bourbon Vanilla, Vetiver.

During the cold, cold Christmas of 2003, my best friend at the time bought me a bottle of this as a gift. It was one of her favorites and she knew it was one of mine too.

I flipped out. And across all the intervening years, I haven't lost my association between this perfume and those cold nights shopping with her.

I wouldn't call Abercrombie 8 a "sophisticated" perfume in the same way I consider Gap Simply White to be sophisticated - although that's highly relative and certainly a matter of one's individual taste. Instead, I'd call 8 cute, adorable, and in a cute sort of way, a little sexy. Abercrombie 8 has a way about it of smelling *better* after you wear it under a cozy sweater, and the bourbon vanilla, star of this perfume's show, is one of the first things you smell when you spray it and one of the last before it fades. Everything else in this perfume compliments that note. One might think, because of that, that it's a cloying, sweet, sticky, and unforgiving scent. It's actually not. I think it *almost* is...but it goes to the brink of cloying, taunting you across the line. "See, I'm still wearable, aren't I?" The clementine and other fruity hints on top make it eminently youthful without making it childish. It's classy and girly.

Abercrombie 8 is still in production.

I got my cute, tiny little sample bottle of Clinique Simply today. (: I know I've spoken about it a lot on this blog, so I won't elaborate lots, but...what I noticed about it first was white florals, then immediately after for a little while, the thick sweetness of soymilk. Then the woodiness starts to come through..a pleasant sandalwood smell...before the white floral came back to stick with me. I do like this, and I think once my little bottle runs out (it won't take long...) I might have to indulge myself in a 1.7 oz bottle. I've always wanted a full bottle anyway - look at my last entry! They're so pretty!


I rediscovered Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab last night, and I've been gripped with obsession ever since. To internet perfumistas, BPAL is usually very well known, but I'll talk about them for those of us that don't quite belong to the scene yet...

BPAL is a gothically-themed internet perfume house that caters to witches and Pagans, as well as fans of HP Lovecraft, Steampunk, Neil Gaiman, Twilight, and assorted comic books. Their perfumes seem to have a dark, even macabre flavor, as seen in their perfume. For instance, check out Yorick (on the Illyria page), named after the dead character in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "Grave dirt, bone, decay, angel's trumpet, and moldering scraps of shroud: the essence of finality." Or "Nosferatu" under their Diabolus page: "As soft as grave dust and as dry as a breath drawn within a long forgotten crypt, this is Nosferatu: desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines."

Epic, isn't it? There's more, especially if you're a witch! For followers of Freyja, there's "Brisingamen" (Ars Amatoria section): "When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.", if you're a tease, there's "Forbidden Fruit" (same section): "As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus." Oh, but one of my favorite sections (I am a witch, after all) is the "Conjure Bag" section of Bewitching Brews. These seem to be actual magickal recipes I've seen mentioned elsewhere, some dating back quite a long time: Follow Me Boy and Come To Me, oils for attracting wealth like "Horn Of Plenty", and even one called "All Night Long", whose meaning seems obvious. The site also features oils named after deities, mythological figures, oils reminiscent of pirate ships or actual pirates, characters or places from Lovecraft stories, other real or mythological places, and even storybook characters.

They sell 5ml bottles for $17.50, or 1/32 oz sample bottles for $4.00.

When I'm able, I fully intend to return to the site and check out some of the oils I mentioned...and I for one would *love* to know what "All Night Long", "Brisingamen", "Fire of Love", or "Queen" smell like, but then again, I have the feeling this site might be sending me a *lot* of samples in the future. I am absolutely ravenous with curiosity. (:

It was a nice, chilly evening last night, and I was happily wearing my cute, cozy fall clothes I'd been waiting all summer to put on. I looked nice - I'd dressed up for the first time in more than a week - and I decided to make the most of it. After running my errands, I found myself out by Elder-Beerman (Sorry, Chillicothe...no Macy's) and decided to stop in and see their fragrance section. If I was expecting any variety at all, I was sorely disappointed. I found only Estee Lauder and Lancome.

With clear eyes, I saw Chillicothe's fragrance demographic, and it made me sad. But my trip wasn't a waste. Paying a visit to the Lancome counter with the curious nose of a novice perfumista, I eagerly looked at whatever they had in stock. The nice girl working the counter - probably not long out of high school - pointed me toward this one.

Tresor in Love
Introduced: 2010

(notes courtesy of Fragrantica)
Top Notes: Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Pear, Nectarine
Middle notes: Jasmine, Taif Rose, Violet, Peach
Bottom notes: Musk, Virginia Cedar

My Description: Dressy, Frilly, Sweet

Tresor in Love is a newer fruity floral released in March of 2010. She handed me a scent strip and I happily sprayed. I remarked right away about the fruity top notes. The sweet floral middle was right underneath, not to be obscured by the nectarine and pear on top (granted, my nose isn't quite experienced enough yet to tell exactly what notes lingered on top, but I'm slowly getting there...). I listened with some interest as she told me about upcoming sales, and that was when I learned that it pays to be nice to the girl at the fragrance counter! Along with a flyer for a sale, she kindly offered me a sample of this one. I thanked her gratefully, happy to get the chance to really contemplate this one at home.

I've heard others describe this one as "youthful", but when I think of youthful, I think of D&G Anthology #3 or Burberry Summer 2010, both fragrances where more classic floral notes like rose and jasmine are less prevalent. Lancome Tresor in Love is a little more mature, at least to my nose, and I think it's exactly the jasmine and rose in the middle that make it that way...or maybe it's the hint of musk at the base. Although, the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized that Tresor in Love reminded me of Burberry Summer 2010, and they both have the strong peach note in common, so that must be why. So in conclusion, I'd say it *is* a youthful fragrance...but a youthful fragrance for a girl dressing up to go somewhere nice or who wants to be perceived as a little more mature.

Burberry Summer 2010 is more effortlessly youthful, but Tresor in Love is dressier.

Lancome Hypnose
Introduced: 2005

Notes: passion flower, jasmine sambac, solar notes (which means warm and radiant), vetiver, vanilla.

My description: Sweet, Cozy, Sugary

The first thing I thought upon smelling this one was "Burberry Brit!". And I thought of my girlfriend, who loves Burberry Brit but can't seem to get past the lime notes in it. I caught the vanilla right away and even picked up a hint of almond right on top.

When I pulled my scent strip out of my purse this morning, I smelled the soft blanket of vanilla, and sadly the Burberry Brit smell had already faded. But I liked the drydown. I might be brave enough to try this one on, too.

Lancome is a name beloved by older women everywhere, but I have to admit that I like their newer fragrances. Many of them *do* have at least a hint of maturity to them, but I see their thick, cozy bases like a blanket, and ever since Miracle, I've seen a lot of their newer fragrances as dressy winter fragrances, sexy and just a little assertive.

Right now I'm actually feeling very much in the mood for nice, warm fall fragrances with a hint of spice...and nice sweet winter fragrances, too. I know it seems appropriate for the season, but I'm still a ruthlessly fruity/fruity floral kind of girl, even in winter. (Last winter I wore my D&G L'Imperatrice almost nonstop during the coldest months of the year, which is okay but maybe not the absolute most appropriate choice for bitterly cold days with blowing snow...) Not a lot of those fragrances I described above have *really* done it for me in the past, and now that my sense of smell is maturing (and I'm in the mood), I'd like to revisit some of these fragrance families - woody, especially, but also warmer, spicier base notes (definitely in moderation). So I want to visit a few fragrances I'd like to smell.

Givenchy Poetry of a Winter Fragrance

The one shown is called Ange ou Démon Le Secret Santal d’Hiver, and Now Smell This describes it as "a fruity floral with sandalwood and gaiac wood." Fruity floral is a family I've been really fond of in the past, and right now I'm kind of being eaten alive with curiosity about woody notes after my girlfriend bought D&G Anthology #6, which has a nice, comforting woodiness at its base. I'd like to see how the two blend, and I'd like to see why they call this a winter fragrance. I'm excited to smell it.

Edit: A quote from Fragrantica: "The Poésie d’un Parfum d’Hiver collection reflects the magic of snowy landscapes: light blue sky, trees sprinkled with white captivating glitters, the magic of hot burning fireplaces...an imaginary journey into the heart of winter.

Ange ou Demon Le Secret Santal d’Hiver depicts the contrast of ice and heat of burning fireplaces with its notes of cranberries, Sambac jasmine, green tea, sandalwood and Guaiac wood."

Clinique Simply

I've blogged about Clinique Simply before in this blog (my first entry if I remember right...) but never in any detail. Detail is a little difficult, because...Clinique discontinued it! Clinique Simply is nothing if not a sweet fragrance - the soy milk flowing its way through the composition is its signature note, the thing everyone always notices first (and, from what I can tell as a novice perfume lover, a fairly uncommon note for a perfumer to use). Smoky woods also linger in the fragrance, making the combination of those two a strongly winter fragrance, one that is really comforting to some (and cloyingly sweet to others that can't stand the buttery soy milk smell). Supposedly, though, the perfume wears well...it fades into one's skin nicely but stays with you all day to comfort you. It's also alarmingly unique according to just about everyone, whether they love it or hate it - according to Fragrantica, instead of using the traditional top, middle, and base note system, "designer Raymond Matts developed a composition on three equally represented lines: clarity, comfort and intimacy." Since they discontinued it, I'm sorely tempted to buy a really cheap sample on ebay so I can sit down with it and really see how I feel about it. I smelled it once after its debut in 2004, and despite the chilly weather and the coming Christmas season, my friend, shopping with me at the time, shook her head firmly. No-no. I think I'd like to try it again, this time judging with a slightly more trained sense of smell.

I hope Lindsay doesn't mind me taking a list to Nordstrom when she comes up to visit in a few weeks...there seems to be a lot I'd like to try out this season.

When I was little, a lot of people probably thought I was weird. I smelled EVERYTHING.

I smelled my friends' clothes and hair. I smelled my Super Nintendo for years after I got it, because that new game smell was one of my favorite smells in the world. I smelled weeds and dirt. I even smelled bad things....my first instinct if I'd killed a bug or cleaned up a mess or touched something was to smell my hand. I freaked my friends out as a teenager by smelling my Magic: The Gathering cards just after I bought them.

I also had a chemistry set I loved to play with for years. And again, only now that I'm a grown woman, do I see how those two things go together.

I love perfume. I always have. I've always had a soft spot for it....I've always loved giving it as a Christmas gift, seemingly above all else. I've always loved shopping for it, smelling it. I tend to go straight for the fragrance counter, much to the dismay of whoever is with me. It seems like - with the exception of my girlfriend (she had to be my soul mate!) - anyone I drag into that department gets headaches or starts sneezing. My love for fragrance not only makes me feel weird, but annoying too. But I can't help it! I've always been attracted by the all the different colors of pretty bottles, the emotions brought on by certain perfumes, the inspiration I get...

But I know I'm part of a very small, special group of people....a group of people who generally appreciate art, music, and wine more than the average person, too. A group of people who probably also smelled everything as a kid. And knowing this makes me feel humbled and happy.

My happiest memories are tied in with smell. My heart gets heavy with longing remembering the smell of late winter soil back home, crisp in the cool air with just a hint of moisture. It reminds me of climbing a hill near my house in the country during the cooler months, looking out over countless acres of farmland, fields, and woods. Or the smell of honeysuckle deep in one quiet summer, just on the cusp of adolescence. The sweet, strawberry-speckled smell of Gonesh "Perfumes of Orchards and Vines" incense on nights early in the spring of 1995, when I was just beginning my fascination with Medieval History. Or the scent of youthful femininity without any added fragrance...one of the most sensual, romantic, delicate smells possible.

Now, I embrace my strange habits. I think life is meant to be sensed with all five of our senses, and I realize how much fun I have with perfumes. I'm always going to endeavor to *keep* having fun.

Now Smell This had an excellent article on the differences between people who simply *like* perfume....and those that *love* it, here.

Gap Simply White
Introduced: 2002 (discontinued)

Top Notes: Japanese Cymbidium Orchids, Golden Sundust Orchids, Morning Dew Honeysuckle.
Middle notes: White Lily of the Valley, White Hydroponic Spring-Jasmine, White Osmanthus.
Bottom notes: Kashmir, Sandalwood, Soulful-Musk, White Birchwood, White Amber, Myrrh.

My Description: Clean, Winter, Cool.


Smelling this perfume evokes powerful memories in me, and I'll start off fully admitting that whatever I say about this perfume is colored by my own sentimentality. I remember the Christmas of 2003. I remember how cold it was that December. I remember going to the mall...red and white sparkly lights everywhere, the cutest clothes on display. For personal reasons I won't go into details about why that particular holiday season was so special, but...I can tell you that I didn't have many clothes and I took a particular sense of pride and gratitude with every comfy sweater or cute pair of shoes I bought. And then I went into Gap. I've always loved their clothes, and that season was no different. I remember running across Simply White at some point, smelling it, and falling head over heels in love with it right away. Something about its cool sophistication, something about its elegant, effortless femininity, drew me in right away and made my eyes sparkle. I had to have it. And I've never regretted that purchase for a single instant at any point since I bought it.

Simply White is a floral among florals, of this there can be no question. It's like smelling a bouquet of white flowers, stuffed thick with honeysuckle, lily of the valley, and all kinds of orchids. No fruits to be found anywhere, and only a hint of musk deep in the base, like a distant star you can only see way out in the country. But....there's a sweetness to it....just a hint, once the florals have hit you and passed, there's something that remains in the base that almost feels like a smile. It's probably the combination of sandalwood, giving it allure without any musky warmth to throw off the blend, and white amber to keep it feminine. The amber is the elegant, pretty smile at the base. I'd wear this just for the base notes alone.

Everyone knows of a perfume that constantly gets attention (and many women own one) - "Wow...what are you *wearing*?" Gap Simply White is the attention whore of my collection...it gets more attention than any of my more famous, expensive perfumes. And to me, it's a winter perfume as well. Maybe it's just the association in my memory of Columbus's lonely chill that winter, or maybe it's that this is such a "white" perfume with so many cooler notes, but to me, this will always be an eminently wintertime fragrance, and that's okay. I like winter. And even though it's a cooler smell, the sweet promise this perfume evokes always seems to create friendliness and good cheer wherever I go.

I desperately hope Gap brings this fragrance back, even in limited quantities. I can't imagine a life where I couldn't turn to Gap Simply White as a basic staple of cold weather cheer.

A young woman who is learning to intentionally create her reality, one fragrance note at a time.

Loved Ones

Lindsay, my darling girlfriend
Uzume


Links of Interest

My Scent Base profile
Arcana Perfumes (courtesy of The Soap Box Company)
Villainess Soaps
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
Perfume Shrine (blog)
Now Smell This (an amazing blog and an *excellent* collection of resources!)
Perfume Glossary at Now Smell This
Gala Darling (fashion, spirituality, astrology)

Perfume Resources (libraries, forums, etc.)

ScentBase - Keep track of your fragrances
bpal.org - BPAL forums
Base Notes
Fragrantica

Fashion

Net-a-Porter
Burberry
Louis Vuitton
Chanel

Clothes

Abercrombie
Hollister
Gap
Express
American Eagle
StockinGirl

May 2009, June 2009, August 2009, September 2009, October 2009, March 2010, April 2010, June 2010, September 2010, October 2010, November 2010, December 2010, January 2011, March 2011, June 2011, August 2011, October 2011, November 2011, December 2011,

Designer: anna astrid
Credits: image by Amanda Cassandra. Photo: Original found here. Brushes found here.