>>>Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007>>>GOURMAND

Ooh yay I can't wait!! I love gourmands

Hi Quarry,

This sounds like fun. But - I have still not gotten used to these new categories for scents...I am very confused about what is or isn't a "gourmand" .
I have lots of frags that have vanilla...quite a few with peach notes - but much of what I have/love seems to be floral, oriental or a combo of the two.

Could someone please take a look at my wardrobe and tell me what is a gourmand there, if any - including tested or to test (where my samples are listed)?

I am also very uncertain about what scents belong to this group; hopefully you wll get many replies..
Maybe Sugar by Fresh?

Musse - glad it's not just me!

Dunno about the Sugar - it was a gift and is currently being used to scent toilet paper rolls!

I'm with Musse, Fresh Sugar would fit nicely with its base notes of vanilla and caramel.


From your wardrobe Musse, Gourmandises and Une Bois Vanille contain some gourmand notes.

As for me, I may indulge in Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum.

I hope my nose is recovered. I have a terrible head cold and have stayed away from work today - I feel awful!

Musse, you can also choose Serendipitous from your wardrobe - chocolate, isn't it? Or any of your Maison de la Vanille.

Ack!! I am on a 'Guerlain Week'

Now, the Spiritueuse Double Vanille has not arrived yet so I have to pick something else.

And I don't know what!! Plenty of vanilla in the Guerlains, but I would not call Shalimar a Gourmand, I think

Ahhh gourmand. Yeah now we talkin!!!! Sweet scents for my sweet tooth. Now, this is making me want to go out and find a new one. My wardrobe has a few delicious treats, but I want something new.....As If.

As if I needed a reason to buy perfume lol.

Feel better my Coney Island buddy. Having a cold sucks big time.

I'm one of those being slightly confused over gourmands as well....Chergui is an oriental and not a Gourmand,right?But from my wardrobe I think Angel,Lolita Lempicka L,Omnia and Bulgari Black fits the bill...The last two less so?Hmm....Decisions,decisions..

Oh GAWD yes....that is one serious yummy, that Serendipitous.

I may just go all out with my fave bedtime combo - Amorito (chocklit) Loukhoum (AL) and Cafe Noir!!!. (I'm not an alcoholic for nothing. If it's worth doing - it's worth overdoing!!)

Thank you Quarry. I did order SL Datura Noir a week ago. It hasn't arrived yet. I see it has coconut, almond and vanilla - will that work? I didn't smell the coconut in the tester, on me - but will be interested to see how it goes with a full wearing.

Yum! All these suggestions sound fantastic... and delicious!

I think my gourmand choice is going to be a full wearing of Michael Storer's Yvette, which may not qualify as a classic gourmand, but I think has plenty of food-y notes in it (tonka, tarragon, etc.). I fear this is going to be another addition to the wish list...

Now this is something
I can do .
Gourmands are my
favorites.

Pretty base of me?

Ah! Like Dee OLive I'm struggling a bit to come up with something gourmand that I'll enjoy wearing. I suppose I could go CSP Vanille Coco, but I'd like to stretch a bit.
I've got samples of Daim Blond, Datura Noir and Yves Rocher Coccon. Which of those fit the bill best?
(I know I have CSP Amour de Cacao as well but honestly it only lasts about 2 minutes on me. I'll happily put that on first thing but I'll need a go-to if I do that!)
Go on - boss me around. You know I like it.

Same here, my dear, although I'd change that into orientals with a gourmand touch. However, I also enjoy full-on gourmands.
Don't worry, our taste is as good as any other sophisticated perfume lover's. We just have different scent preferences! Vive la différence

Jeez! And you've got VIWater and Noir Epices and Miami (yum) Glo and all them Occitanes....YOUR problem is which one you gorgeous thing you.....

I think it will be my brand new bottle of Vanilla Grapefruit by Lavanila - this is so sweet and tart my teeth hurt if I over apply it.

It has been a while since I participated in S & S, I feel I lack the vocabulary to describe what I think I am sniffing (read:- I am poor at identifying notes ), but on Saturday it will most likely be my new love Un Bois Vanille. :bounce:

I think I'm going to try one of my "problematic" gourmand samples: Either L'Artisan Piment Brulant or Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique. I think it will depend on how adventurous I'm truly feeling. Un Crime Exotique has smelled good on me 1 day and scrubber the next. Piment Brulant is a scent that reminds me of Chicken Mole - and smelling like that may be an issue at my nephew's 1st birthday party

Is someone doing Britney Spears's Fantasy?

The fragrance or her actual...fantasy?

Oh dear, already late on Thursday! Is it near time to form a circle and invoke the Moondeva? One of her magick lists would be very welcome about now.

Musse, if you can't say what a scent contains, tell us how it feels.

We need to round up, cause i invoked her over at the Tuberose=Rubber? thread and she hasn't appeared -yet-.

I'm still pondering what to choose for this thread and i also am behind on the Amber and the Spicy S&S!

Thanks Moondeva! It sure does


Maybe I bought samples of Pink Sugar which always seems to be compared to it so I'm thinking Fantasy on one wrist and Pink Sugar on the other.

Tee hee hee!
Made me grin - does that count?
Thanks for the help though - tomorrow (Matthew) I shall be Figgy. Hoorah!

(And in case you're going Matthew? I'm Quarry! There's a UK TV show called Stars In Their Eyes in which people sing as their favourite star and just before they go backstage to get transformed they say to the host "Tonight, Matthew, I am going to be Elvis/Cher/Judy Garland/Billy Ray Cyrus")

Still not quite sure what to wear tomorrow,but think it will be Angel.

Here is a link to a discussion regarding Chandler Burr's article on gourmands in October's O magazine.

http://fortheloveofperfume.blogspot....-magazine.html

The original article is what inspired my leap into the world of fragrance!

Most gourmands, or fragrances that has a food note, are most commonly chocolate or vanilla. However, I consider fruity notes to be in the category as well. Wouldn't you say? Therefore I will wear Daim Blond by SL for its candied fruit and apricot notes. I adore this fragrance. I simply cannot wear vanilla in any shape or form.

Borneo 1834 for me

For gourmand SnS, I chose to wear something new:


(Angel Heath in Bréton language) from the French Lostmarc'h line. I am surprised: a delicate comfort scent, only moderately sweet, redolent of immortelle, baked apples in lemon sauce and a cup of hot milk flavoured with vanilla pods.IMO, this is very wearable, and not only for an armchair-plaid-good book session in the midst of the winter.

Oooh that sounds interesting LIB.
These days are useful because they challenge what we believe about fragrances. I only thought of vanilla and chocolate as gourmand, but this has expanded my terms of reference enormously. I found myself flicking through all my bottles, samples, solids, decants and minis and realised that actually I had a few to choose from.

In the end I went with Tesco's Finest Fig, Almond and Cassis
This might provoke a few smiles among UK readers and those who know Tesco is a huge supermarket chain.

It's interesting to wear a perfume I think of as for high summer in the winter; it opens up new dimensions to it. It's a fragrance that doesn't change or develop much; a straightforward fig-leaf note is rounded out slightly by a little almond but I get no cassis.

I find it fresh and green but also rich, which I suppose is the nature of fig.

I found some Jo Malone samples and if this calms down or I have a bath later I'll try Pomegranate Noir as my SOTE.

Have a good World Aids Day everyone. x

.......I may go for this later in the day if and when my current combo of Vanille Abricot (Coco!!!) and Sex on the Beach (Melon! Pineapple!! Raspberries!!) wears off, which they tell me Demeters do. (I just HAD to get this 'cause of the name and besides StrawberryNet was practically giving it away.) Love the CSP too - it is more vanille than abricot on me and I get powdered sugar too. And I don't care if celebrities wear it - I'm gonna wear it anyway.

I luvluvluv this category. Just couldn't wait to see what all y'all were gonna do. Am scampering off to check out LIB's Lann-Ael and WordBird's Finest Fig (prolly won't have much luck with that - waaaaah!) because the day is young and I may have to go figgy later on.

(And I agree with W-Bird....there's lots of good smellies sitting on the front display racks of chain drugs stores and supermarkets that can hold their own against high end.

Mmm you all smell delicious!
I had a lot to choose from but as I'm riddles with cold virus, I thought it best to go with something I know Angel in the extrait. The EDP can sometimes smell a bit harsh - not so the extrait, which is much softer. There's more of an amber undertone and a touch of honey, and it lasts far longer, though it sits very close to my skin. If any of you haven't had much luck with the EDP, it's worth checking out the extrait if you can find it.

For today's Gourmand Sniff & Speak, I am reveling in the lovely and supremely unexepected floral-and-woody gourmand (who'd have thought such a thing was possible, but it IS!) Michael Storer Yvette.

Notes: Muget, tarragon, vanilla, white chocolate, oakmoss, ambrette, precious woods.

Starts off almost herbally floral (tarragon and muget right there in your face), making me think, "Gourmand? Not this scent." And then the dessert notes start sneaking in there... Until it gets almost too sweet, before warming down to a luscious blend of vanilla/chocolate/pale floral/wood.

I definitely feel delicious in this.

LMAO I can think of a couple of frags that deserve that use and placement. One also has Sugar in the name, come to think of it.

And I join the swelling chorus wondering what defines a gourmand. Obviously vanilla alone doesn't qualify or most Guerlains would belong as it's a component of Guerlinade, I believe. Then some Compoir Sud Pacifique Vvanilla scents almost demand being a ingrediant in a cookie batch or cake batter.

OK - using Moondeva's definition, I've tested the following scents:

L'Artisan Piment Brulant:

Notes (from Luckyscent): Red pepper, soft and creamy chocolate, vanilla, cloves and poppy, hints of musk and amber.

What I'm supposed to think of: Aztec Chocolate (according to Luckyscent).

What I wind up thinking of: Red Bell Pepper morphing to Chicken Mole. I like chicken mole, just not necessarily on me.

Parfumerie General Un Crime Exotique

Notes (from Luckyscent): Chinese osmanthus, gingerbread, tea, cinnamon, star anise, mate absolute, vanilla sugar, South Sea Island sandalwood.

What I'm supposed to think of: Gingerbread (according to Luckyscent).

What I wind up thinking of: Oranges studded with cloves and cinnamon sticks to start. Then it becomes what Mom used to call "russian tea" - Tang, Nestea Instant Tea (in Lemon), and stale pumpkin spices. Sadly - this goes sour on me some days after 30 minutes or so.

Serendipity 3 Serendipitous

Notes (from Luckyscent): Cocoa, Tahitian Vanilla, Blood Orange

What I'm supposed to think of: Chocolate Truffles (possibly laced with Grand Marnier (according to Luckyscent).

What I wind up thinking of: Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows. This scent is very linear and comforting. Maybe not as exotic as chocolate truffles with Grand Marnier, but it works for me.

For this Sniiff n' Speak, I chose Yves Saint Laurent's Body Kouros. (Thanks, knightowl!)

First, a bit of history: Body Kouros is notable as the last YSL men's fragrance before Tom Ford took over the design of Yves Saint Laurent ready-to-wear and Chantal Roos (who was responsible for the success of Opium and Paris) returned to YSL Beaute from Beaute Prestige International (where she successfully launched the Jean Paul Gaultier and Issey Miyake brands into the fragrance world).

Now, onto the actual scent: Despite its name, it has nothing in common with its animalic brother. Instead, it has many gournand notes... nutmeg, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and caramel, among others (according to our perfumed friends at Osmoz). The result is similar to another popular men's gourmand, Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin, but softer and minus the anise note that made the Lolita Lempicka irritating to my nose. The end result is quite delicious.

One final note: One could only wonder if YSL men's fragrances had evolved like this that they would have been more successful... M7 and Rive Gauche Pour Homme were never very popular in the USA, and the YSL brand only re-established its footing in the men's market this past year with the success of the rather ho-hum (but very popular) L'Homme.

Today I am wearing Immortelle l'Amour, by Ayala Moriel , now my favorite gourmand scent, right up there with Aimez Moi by Caron. It is warm and sweet without being too sweet, dark and invigorating like a great cup of espresso with a touch of whipped cream on top for a hint of sweet, again not TOO much sweetness. I also love that the ingredients are natural. This scent is comforting, wearable and gives me a sense of well being.

To top it off a friend of mine went to the Culinary Institute and brought me back some goodies, which I will sample and savor in my Immortelle l'Amour in honor of Gourmand Saturday.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Piment et Chocolat for me. We're getting our first major snowstorm today, so this is perfect for staying cozy indoors.

"Top notes: black pepper, paprika, pimento berry (allspice), red chili
Heart notes: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
Base notes: cocoa beans, dark chocolate"

-- notes quoted from RedRazz's review

Most chocolate scents that I had tried before this one ended up smelling like Cocoa Puffs cereal on me. The pepper & other spices in this one temper the sweetness and keep it smelling warm and a little mysterious (makes me think of Vianne's Chocolaterie).

So many beautiful gourmands!

For me it's AL Turkish Vanilla today!

Well - the closest I could get was MPG Bahiana

According to MPG it features “Brazilian orange, caïpirinha lemon, yellow mandarin, tagette, green leaf, rosewood, gaiac wood, elemi, amber, musk, and coconut”

I figured the coconut made it acceptable in this category - if not - no matter - the first thing that DH said this morning BEFORE he had a cuppa java (normally says nothing before 2 cups) was "You smell NICE"

That's all I needed to hear - this will now translate into a full bottle.
Even if he hadn't made that earthshaking remark - this would go into my buy list.

I was prepared not to like it - I like my coconut in macaroons or on top of cake icing. Never figgered I'd wear it. And I don't really own anything very citrusy either.

This is also supposed to be for warm weather - I'm sitting here in a hat and gloves indoors (cause part of my roof is off) and I don't care - this is so refreshing!!!

I am a novice scent describer with an untrained nose so bear with me.

Hmmm adjectives:
top notes: tart, crisp, sprightly, spicy, peppery, alive, sunny.

Had to look up "tagette" - turned out to be a lemony smelling flower, but this has not much lemon for me - smells more like a mango-lime combo.

As it is drying down the amber/musk/coconut warms it more - have a feeling this isn't going to have a lot of longevity, but I am sniffing me and it smells yummy.

It actually does not remind me of Bahia at all - it smells more like lively, faster paced Rio de Janeiro. I think that Bahia, would have a much lusher riper scent with a darker sensuousness. But it awakens feelings of "Saudade" (homesickness) to be again in Brazil

The green and yellow notes do match the colors of the Brazilian flag

For the S'n'S Saturday I'm wearing Angel edp.The topnotes of the scent is dominated by a sparkling,but slightly sour/bitter quality.It reminds me of mint and grapefruit.This note slowly develops into something with a little bit more depth.The sparklin g quality is still there,but the citrus is gone.Not sure what causes this effect,but the drydown feels a lot "thicker" and slightly sweet.There's defenitely patchoulie, bergamot and something sweet that I think is honey and vanilla.This scent varies a lot from day to day on me.Today I find it similar to burned sugar,but other days it's defenitely chocolate of the kind you find in those Advent calendars. All in all it's a real silage monster,but it never fails to give me selfesteem.A little goes a long way,though.

My sotd is HYPNOTIC POISON. This is a lovely musk, vanilla oriental that I always find soft, sensual and never cloying. It is also one of the few gourmands that I can wear really well!

Sote will be SHALIMAR. I love the tonka bean and incense paired with loads of scrumptious vanilla in this one. Still one of my all-time favorite classics!

Dee Olive you may be responsible for starting my next major 'lemming'. I had a baaaaad case of lust for a bottle of Creed Virgin Island Water all summer after I got a decant. It gave me the most enormous coconut craving; I was astonished how many frags use coconut as a note. But only 'the real thing' absolutely hit the spot. I may cave in next summer and just save up for a bottle. (That's one reason I didn't wear it today - that stuff is dangerous!)

The figs are still going. Admittedly, I did have a very good squirt this morning (OK, maybe more of a shower in the stuff). But it's still exactly as it was this morning - very green, very figgy.

However, I'm sniffing my wrists a lot this afternoon as I had to try Bulgari Blue Notte Femme, having heard about the foody notes in it. It's not as sweet as i'd expected and in truth I can't make any elements out, but it's very nice. Maybe I can smell a tiny bit of chocolate.

Or maybe that's residual cocoa powder from my baking session with my Chick this afternoon. She's been desperate to cook pancakes for days so that's what we had for supper. After baking a big chocolate cake. Influenced by the perfumes I wear? Me?
;-)

Since Lann-Al eventually wore off, I am in PG's


THE perfect spicy gourmand.
Sakecat, I am sorry it didn't work for you, but .... more for me!
On my skin, it isn't a mere gingerbread concoction. Anise is very prominent and the mate adds a tiny bitter accent, with the other spices blending in so smoothly.... and a splendid apricot-scented floral hint dwells in its heart. Agreed, it isn't an easy scent, especially if one wishes to wear it when it's NOT holiday season. But I have a suspicion it will be my next full bottle from Pierre.
Notes: Chinese osmanthus, gingerbread, tea, cinnamon, star anise, mate absolute, vanilla sugar, South Sea Island sandalwood.

Today I'll go with Dior Homme. I know it's only a semi-gourmand, but it is as close as I can get.

Montale Sweet Oriental Dream. Not as Turkish Delight-like as Amandes Oriental, but still quite foody, imo, but smartened up by what tmn is pipe tobacco.

Wordbird, you and your lady need to come over to our house! Baked a "checkerboard" cake for DS#2 (birthday was earlier this week, his party is tonight), and our Sunday morning breakfast is usually pancakes (with silken tofu snuck in for health reasons)... You'll never be able to taste the difference!

My Yvette is drying down to a gorgeous foody/woody delight. Yum!

I'll be wearing Rochas Man tonight!

Top Notes
Lavender, Green Leaves, Bergamot,

Middle Notes
Sensual and Lush,

Base Notes
Amber, Mocha, Vanilla,