Some Quick Reviews...

Got some new stuff today... First, I want to praise DHL. I ordered 4 items from Beauty Encounter (formerly PerfumeBay) on Tuesday afternoon. I paid for 2nd day Air, just to be sure I'd get my stuff by the end of the week. Unfortunately, my package didn't get sent until yesterday evening. From LA. And I'm in the Midwest. My estimated delivery date was given as Monday. I was bummed out, so imagine my delight when the DHL guy showed up today (Friday) with my stuff. I had already accepted that I'd have to wait until Moday, so I wasn't expecting it. AWESOME!!!

I made a blind buy of Yves Saint Laurent Opium Pour Homme Eau d'Orient (2006 Limited Edition). Instant WOW factor for me. Knightowl called it holy grail material, and he's got a point(edit: He was talking about the 07 version-- though I'm sure they quite similar). It's very spicy, but light and crisp as well. I remember when I tried the original Opium Pour Homme years ago I didn't care for it. It was so heavy and stuffy to me. This stuff is fresher and more interesting. There's also something in this that gives me a pleasant sense of deja vu. Something about this seems to remind me of a happy time and place, but I can't put my finger on it. For a guy like me who generally dislikes orientals on account of sweetness, this fragrance is a godsend. Eau d'Orient feels a bit like Spring to me-- like this could be a Spring/Summer Oriental. I'll be anxious now to try the others from the Opium line, but I can't imagine any of them being as good as this (for my needs). I want to thank Knightowl and all the others for recommending this one-- it's going into heavy rotation.

I also wanted to get something from Guerlain's Habit Rouge line. I'd tried the EDP before but it was a bit too heavy for my style. I wound up making a blind buy of Habit Rouge EDT Legere (light version). Hey, I like it. It doesn't even seem that far removed from the character of the EDP. You smell it and you know it's Habit Rouge right away. More zing in the topnotes. Still lots of vanilla. This sort of reminds me a little of L'Artisan's Patchouli Patch a little. I haven't worn Habit Rouge Legere long enough to know how well it's going to last, but it actually seems pretty stout. I still get some of the animal notes in it. That character that Scentemental described as "lanolin" seems to be present in this one. More wearable for me than the original. Also, I think the bottle is cool. Not as cool as a leather wrapped EDP bottle, or a metal EDT flask, but still-- it looks cool with the red bezel around the cap and the red colored atomizer tube that cuts through the juice.

I finally got my own bottle of Caron's L'Anarchiste. I was given a sample of it once and loved it. I used it up long ago and always wanted to get a bottle. I couldn't wait anymore. It's true that this fragrance flirts with smelling like Deep Woods Off, but after five minutes the clove cigarettes come out and this stuff hits its stride. God, I've missed L'Anarchiste. It's so mysterious, independent, and quirky. Yet also so well-made. Wrought iron gates and the hint of pie crust. Mint and copper. Also, Caron has put so much care into the design and packaging that it's the most fun I've ever had unboxing a fragrance. It comes in a big black box with black on black lettering. The bottle is entombed in a black cardboard tray with a bunch of poetry embossed into it. You lift the asymmetric flaps and there it is... That whimsical yet morbid copper tombstone/flask bottle. Best bottle ever. It's glass, but it's covered in some kind of copper finish. There's a big note informing the user about how the bottle is designed to tarnish over time and develop a patina. The first thing I did was take my hands and give the bottle a good rub-down. I can already see where it's going to start changing. Very cool. Also, there's a strip of glass down the back of the bottle that lets you see how much juice is left. There is so much attention to detail in this fragrance-- I really stand in awe of Caron for devoting so much to such a wonderful individualistic EdT. I rotate my fragrances on my shelf, but I don't think this bottle can ever leave "the mantle".

OK, one more. I got a mini of DK Men (Fuel). I'd smelled it years ago and figured my best chance to get a bottle would be to just get one of the minis that are floating around. I'm kind of shocked. It doesn't quite rekindle any memories. I'm sure the stock is getting old since this is discontinued, but it just seems different. I like it, but I was expecting more of a connection. Perhaps it was Unleaded that I smelled originally. Either way, It's still a great fragrance. I like the pineapple and gasoline notes. Almost boozy. I can't believe this had to be discontinued.

A good day for me. Two new blind buys that I love, and two old flames that I'm reunited with. Also, Beauty Encounter threw in a big bag of samples. Mostly designer stuff-- about half of it is womens' and most of the mens' is common stuff, but I'll make use of it. There's a sample of Davidoff Zino, which I'd been wanting. I've got some guys I work with who are always asking me for cologne-- so I think everything will find a good home.

Time to book an appointment with the Gallo clinic. I think I'm done for a while.

Thanks for all your comments guys.

To Latch and Pluran, I can see where each of you are coming from with regard to Habit Rouge Legere.

I agree, Latch, with your music analogy of Habit Rouge Legere. I wore it to work tonight and enjoyed it. I liked that two sprays under my shirt was the perfect "volume". It stayed right in my personal space and didn't "wander" out into strangers when I didn't want it to. The EdP puts out too much sillage for me (in those daily situations where I'd want to wear it). The Legere is still Habit Rouge. It's by no means a "Habit Rouge Sport." I'm not going to wear it in the most casual situations. However, I think it's good for work and professional wear. I like the lime note in this quite a bit.

Pluran, I also get what you mean about the Neroli note in this being a bit "up" in the mix. Something about it is almost a bit "skunky", though I like the smell overall. The skunkiness is actually similar to an accord that I get in Montale's White Aoud. Kind of the smell of a rubber balloon-- which is probably a weird thing to be saying about Habit Rouge. I think you have a valid point about the white musk. It does come across a bit powdery. It's nowhere near as complex as the EDP with its agarwood note. Still, I have to confess that Habit Rouge was never my personal favorite Guerlain so I'm not too worried about any liberties taken in creating a lighter version. I wore it to work tonight and really enjoyed it. But yeah, this is a stripped down version of Habit Rouge-- and I think it works better on me. I don't like it as much when I sit and constantly try to sniff where I sprayed it, but when I just go about my business and let the sillage come and go on its own, it smells really good. On a side note though, my brother went through my new scents and he said he didn't care for Habit Rouge Legere-- though he probably wouldn't like the regular Habit Rouge anyway. He was amazed that L'Anarchiste "actually smelled like rust--like the bottle" in his opinion.

To Mike, ZZ, Jellybean, and SculptureofSoul-- yep, L'Anarchiste can be a challenging scent with plenty of people who love it or hate it, but we can all agree, that's one HELL of a bottle/package. Everything about it--even the font of "L'Anarchiste" on the bottle is just perfect. Very Tim Burton, and I think the scent follows this theme-- but in an unexpected way. It's not a "dark" fragrance in the typical goth/black incense kind of way. But like I said before, aside from the marketing/packaging-- when I smell this fragrance, I seriously get the smell of wrought iron (well the abstract idea of such a smell. But it struck my nose that way when I first tried a sample and had never seen the bottle). I also get the dry warm feeling of a fire that is burning and throwing shadows over a room. I love L'Anarchiste from top to bottom.

To Knightowl, thanks for turning me on to the Opium PH EdO. I wasn't expecting that a fragrance could be so spicy without being big sugary mess. KiatBkk, I think you'll like it. Really unique smelling. I'm curious to see how this is going to perform in warm weather.

Yep, I'm kind of big on blind buys, but only after I've read a ton of reviews. I figure if I really don't like a scent, I can always trade or sell it, but I've had good luck with blind buys so far.