3x3 Blind Sniff Round 2...."The Spice of Life"

Hello

Thanks to Lady in Black for hosting this, she gave us all a wonderful bag of the raw spices. Which is good for me because spices aren't an area of perfume I'm well versed in ( check my wardrobe..yeah 1 spicy scent I think). So after sniffing the bag of raw spices containing dried star anise, a little red pepper ( so cute) ginger, nutmeg,cinnamon and cloves ( my arch enemy note in perfumes, but apparantly scandal has cloves in it too and I love that one) I'm more familiar with all the spices and yes cloves is the one I don't like when its very present. The others are ok

Sample A: Bright orange liquid ( if needed I can take some pics and post them)

First impression: oh this is soft, a lot softer than I expected. At the start I get a citrus note at the start. Reminds me of the citrus and vitamin c drinks you get when you have a cold.I was worried spice might be as heavy and rich as lutens or the real spicyness of some of the l' artisan offerings ( they tickle my nose). This is softer but I can do get some spices in there, could be star anise but it's so so soft. I do get the feeling it is almost watered down and I think there might be some amber in the dry down. It's very light and I think I'd have to re apply several times to get more out of it.

The softness and watered down aspect make me think it's a mainstream cheapie scent, even L' artisan makes very light and transparant scents but I think their spice perfumes had a more pronounced raw aspect to them.

Okay ladies (and gents) here we go:

I've been wearing sample A for a few hours now. It begins with a burst of lemony citrus, bright and cheerful. It is sheer, and beautifully blended. After a short while, there is a creaminess and depth that comes forth. I would say the 'spice' element here is quite subtle...maybe petitgrain and a possible longshot on some tonka or herbs. This comes across to me as either 1.) A better quality Eau de Cologne or 2.) A cheaper citrus frag. I kind of favor the better quality Cologne option, because the drydown is not speedy, and it still has some staying power after 3-4 hours. The juice itself is very honey golden in color. It is med. to light bodied. It may also have some musk in the base. I think this because my nose doesn't get musk very well and there is an absence of strong woodiness - so I presume there is musk.

This also comes to me as a cologne because it doesn't seem dated whatsoever. Timeless. Also, I don't get an impression of feminine or masculine - completely unisex.

After re-reading Lians' post, I might agree about a bit of amber in the base. It is very subtle, and this particular fragrance is gentle. Very wearable! Depending upon what it ends up to be, I might have to make a purchase!

Yay! Another heartfelt *thanks* to our host for the wonderful package.
(Can't resist, here's the picture again)


Sample A is pictured left, the violently orange one. I sprayed 3-4 times to the wrists some 5 hours ago. It's not very oily on the skin, so I doubt it's an EdP concentration. Sillage seems pretty dominant at first, but it settles quickly. Like I said, it's been 5 hours, but it's still noticeable. Subtle, but there - even if I have been washing dishes and folding laundry.

Initial impression: citrus. Oh dear. I'm really bad at distinguishing citrus notes. Very quickly it changes, though, and I get freshly grated ginger. Zesty, sparkly, *nice*. Medium sweet, nothing saccharine. I'm really second guessing myself, though - am I smelling fresh ginger because this is a spice round? There's an almost-bitter petitgrain/orange peel/mandarin thing going on too, which I could easily mistake for ginger given the suggestion.
It reminds me of the Eau-deCologne-with-a-twist type of scent that I've tried in the past (do I get to throw out those names or better to PM those?) - one in particular although I *know* it can't be that due to the colour.

As it dries down, it loses the bitter-zesty edges and mellows out. I can *almost* smell some vanilla-sandalwood, but I'm not so sure that's actually this fragrance. Might be something older that's resparked.

Gawd, this is hard.

It's good for summer no doubt about that. I think that the spices are in the middle stage, because the opening is citrus, the drydown is just soft and warm and only in between do I get any sensation of spice, it warms up slowly . I did re apply it again today. You can clearly identify different stages in it which is nice. I think all the notes aside from the citrus are very soft, nothing really jumps out at you.

It could be a niche EdC too, I think it's light enough for that. It reminds me of eau d'hadrien by annick goual but even lighter with a bit of warmth to it.

Yes Lian, I'm totally with you on the Goutal edH opening! Frankly, I'm not smelling "spices" in this one, which makes me wonder...is the 'spice' association from somewhere else...like ~ is this one of The Spice Girls favorite frags?

Help! This IS hard!

Veuve & Lian ~ are you getting any vanilla?

Seriously, to my nose this is predominantly citrus. I say lemon, but can it be other citrus too...citrus ZEST....'zest for life' = 'spice of life'??? Just a thought.

Since the juice is orange...maybe it's more of an orange citrus. (even though it's lemony to me!)

Yes, I vote mainly citrus as well. It seems to do a sort of balancing act between orange rind/petitgrain and fresh ginger for my nose. Both those aromas share that tingly sensation bordering on bitter. I do get a mellowed out vanilla after a bit, by the way. (Resprayed to make sure)
Nothing musky to my nose, at least nothing like Anthousa's Citrus Sorbet, which is very clearly citrus + musk. This is much fresher - not in the aquatic sense, but as in "refreshing". It almost smells like I could drink it.

Okay girls, going out on a limb here...

Seriously, I ONLY smell citrus. If I have to find other notes, I'm straining to find them. I also think it is not a cheapie and not a niche....which leaves designer frag. So I'm going to make a guess of:

Missoni Color Collection ARANCIO

Don't know it and I'm drawing a blank on any guesses. So how would that tie back to the theme? Missoni = colourful prints = spice of life?

Notes listed for Missoni Color Collection ARANCIO are:

mandarin
zesty-bitter orange
juicy kaki (don't really know what the heck this one is)

But, the color of the juice, and the "zesty" bitter orange = spice of life/zest for life
And the fact I'm not readily detecting other spicy notes.

If it's not right, it's a start !

(plus, Missoni is Italian )

just looked up 'kaki' for fragrance notes and came up with persimmon.

Agree with Veuve - this one is drinkable!

Alrighty then!

Lemon and Amber are in it for sure! The spices mentioned have been petitgrain, star anise, tonka, ginger, vanilla...

As for the category, I say it's no cheapie. Leaving designer or niche in my mind. L & V?

Oh yeah, and a peculiar fruit...

You know, I can't help but think back to my sniff-a-thon with tang in Chicago...at Barney's the SA was flipping so many scented strips at us, I confused alot of them. I do remember him saying this one frag was reminiscent of an 'indian spice market' - yet I recall it smelling like a lemony citrus cologne...

Dang, wish I could remember for sure! At that time we were sampling frags by TDC and Byredo and Lutens. I know it's not a Lutens, but I'm wondering if it's one of the others...they are niche brands.

Does it smell like an American fragrance? French? European?

What's the sillage like ladies?

I find it close wearing - not much sillage, but has decent longevity, esp. considering the lemony topnotes...remember too, the juice is pigmented, pretty orange in color. The only thing I'd put my money on is: it is not a cheapie. I would also say it's not likely American...I keep leaning toward Italian - but that's LiB's influence on me!!!

Well I'm cheating and got the bf involved with smelling and sniffing, we say it's more feminine and after smelling the spice bags he says there is a hint of pepper in there and I'm still not sure, I got a bit of pepperness in there but not much I keep thinking star anise but maybe not dried. Isn't star anise a fruit anyway?

I can't believe it is not a cheapie either, maybe I just associate niche with rather heavy or pronounced fragrances.

Sillage is not present, it's very close wearing and very light. It does last for a good few hours but it doesn't project all around you if that makes sense.

I'd say the fragrance is european because the perfumes I tried from europe can be on the lighter side (penhaligons, l' artisan, floris, annick g, acqua di parma if they count).

After smelling this frag for the better part of 12 hours, I'm going to say there's ginger in it...because both Lian & Veuve mentioned 'fizzy' & 'tingly' in their descriptions - which I attribute to ginger. Still a maybe on the tonka.

Still curious about that mystery fruit...

edited - adding again that I find this fragrance to be completely unisex. (and, yes LiB - that Missoni guess was also inspired by the color of the juice!)

My head hurts...I'm going to bed...will sniff more tomorrow...

Thank you for participation! I am really really enjoying reading your fragrant experiences, let me tell you after the difficult day at work it is the best therapy and a form of relaxation.

So, A is citrucy, colgney and somewhat unisex?

Drinkable? Like in juice? Or, tea (with lemon and ginger)?

Sweet? Speaking of this mystery fruit, is it pulpy or tangy? Crisp or mellow?

My understanding is that there is some amber and knowing LIB, I must notice this amber should be smooooooooooooth in order for her to pick the scent up and include it into the sniffing round. How pronounced is this amber?

Modern? Very modern? Ahead of its time?

Any other spices? Like, nutmeg, for example?

Creed? Dior?


What about longevity? 3-4 hours? On the clothes?

Ah, progress!
Since I wasn't sure if I was allowed, I didn't mention which other fragrances sample A reminds me of. They are Dior Escale Ã* Portofino and Eau de Sisley 3 - but I know it can be neither as both have clear juice.
I wouldn't have pegged it as a cheapie, either. My guess is it's either a unisex designer Eau de Cologne, or a unisex niche launch.

Mike: I would guess it's a Mediterranean scent. I have no real basis for thinking so, except that it's really zingy and refreshing - it would work excellently in Mediterranean heat. South of France, Italy, Cyprus... British houses have done classic citruses as well, but I tend to think of them as more soapy-clean citrus. This is zesty-fresh.

Twolf: yes, I find this very drinkable. A cold citrus drink, maybe an orange-lime cocktail with a happy little umbrella sitting in it. Tea is an interesting angle, but I think the citrus is too dominant for that.
The fruit... I'll get back to you on that. It has to be a yellow fruit, I think. It stays sorta tangy all the way through, but it does lose its citrus edge and mellows out nicely. Maybe something semi-tropical as carambola fruit? I know that's the type of fruit you only ever find in saccharine fruity florals, but the actual fruit is not that sweet at all, and quite tangy.
I hadn't noticed the amber at all, so it's subtle alright. It's more noticeable now that I know it's there, but it's really just a soft backdrop for the other notes to shine on.

Now, LiB mentioned flowers... any guesses? I'm thinking not rose or orange flower - those tend to get soapy on me, and there's no soap here. OTOH, Escale a Portofino does have orange flower, and I saw some similarity there.

I'm with Lian by the way, it's slightly more feminine than masculine in the dry-down, and it sweetens a bit. Only veeeeeery slightly, though.

Oh!
Another continent... her... memories of a certain scent being put in the weekly top 10 with the aid of LiB... this could not be an Annayaké scent, then?

Not very many continents, and it should be of help, I think!

African vibe? Coffee? Incense?

Asian vibe? (I do not believe it is Asian at all, would be too obvious with spices and all, but it is my personal hunch).

Jamaican? Caribbean? (That's where most tropical fruit come from to Texas, at least ). Guava? Mango?

Not Australian. Not the South Pole.

Please speak more about A's resemblance to other well known existing fragrances. Contrast or find similarities, would you sniffers?

Reading through the thread to get here I was thinking it might be one of the Hermes Merveilles but with the clues of Italian house, fruit whose pit produces skin creme, and inspiration from Asia or Arica I'm headed back to the drawing board.

Is the fruit cashew? the only time I ever saw or ate the fruit was in Brazil. Good juice too! But I haven't seen it elsewhere. Only the nuts.

The quality of this one gives an impression of being a frag by I Profumi de Firenze or Carthusia. It comes across as Italian to my nose, but the ginger gives me that Asian question mark. (I usually think Asian when it comes to ginger)

Is there a yes to musk? I sprayed some paper with this yesterday, and upon sniffing it today I'm thinking musk.

The mystery fruit will have to be a wild guess, as it's quite obvious I have no reference in my olfactory for it...the notes in this blend are extremely subtle, so it does not jump out. I would guess it has a 'tangy' character, but that could also be the lemon/(lime).

If the notes are actually listed as lime on some sites, and do include musk, I'd say that (it smells unisex) leaning toward the masculine.

This one's very pleasing,and wearable! I can imagine Mike Perez enjoying a few spritzes on himself in the Miami heat! (Mike, check you 'drobe, I wouldn't be suprised if you own this! )

Cashew huh? Interesting...the cashew fruit is only eaten where it is grown because it is unfit for transportation by any means. Each fruit produces a single "nut", which is how most people enjoy the cashew. Back to the fruit, it is grown in Brazil, and only eaten there. The fruit is LOADED with juice.

I'm going to search more now...

Is the continent south america?

Is it My Afrika by Krizia???

Notes for Afrika are:

Ginger blossom, Lime/Lemon, jasmine, heliotrope, Shea Fruit, Amber, Ebony & Ginger

The juice is orange colored, the bottle is 'tribal', the designer is Italian , and if this isn't the answer, I throw my hands up!

What do you mean, Ubu? Like in Hallelluja?

Nooo, I hadnt even heard of this perfume so not too easy

Wow Ubu - I'm impressed. I thought it was something from Fendi this morning but a quick glance thru the Directory left me puzzled. I couldn't think of another Italian designer house...Krizia, of course!

There is NO way in hell, I would have gotten this one L_I_B - this was not an easy sniff...but Ubu has amazing olfactory and research abilities.

Actually, I think this bottle was in one of tang's bottle collages!

BTW, I'm going to purchase a bottle of this stuff - and I'll send you some Mike!

LiB - that was awesome! FANTASTIC choice!

I'm relieved to be done with A...now only two more...

Aren't you sweet?

Is it me, or does the bottle look like that Sit-n-Spin toy that I used to love to play with when I was a kid - made in glass?



LOL.

LIB, it was a great choice for A, I suppose.

Ubu, congratulations and please PM me the name of the place where you are going to get it from, I can't find it for sale or even the place that lists the notes (when did osMoz get so stingy with their descriptions?), sorry.

Wow, this has been interesting to read. Congrats to Ubu! Love the bottle and the color of the liquid.

Excellent sniffing,everyone! And congratulations on your guess, ubu.

There's a listing for 2 on eB*y Austria right now, I think!

Ooh, I didn't see that one coming! Great powers of deduction there, ubu - and Twolf obviously.
I'm with ubu: I like this one. I doubt I would actually use it enough to drain a bottle, but this is enough of an interesting take on a citrus/refreshing thingie/cologne that it would entertain me for the entire day.
Interesting choice, LiB!

Yeah ubu that was amazing of you to be able to guess it that fast. I didnt even started to do research but I guess the Africa was a good place to start googling.

I opened sample B and all I can say is : cinnamon.

Regarding the Goutal mentions: when I looked up My Afrika just now on Michael Edwards' Fragrances of the World, he suggests Les Nuits d'Hadrien for those who like the Krizia scent. You all had some great intuitive guesses here!

Can't wait, have a gazillion of questions about this B-nnamon (Gourmand? Incensy? Austere?) but will have to hold myself. T-i-g-h-t!

Please sniff on!

I've been out and about most of today...but now that I'm back, I've spritzed B.

Since it's difficult to get us online simultaneously, I'll start blurting out some impressions:

* Clear juice
* Thin, with a noticably high alcohol content
* I'd say CHEAP!

* Cinnamon: Just like Big Red gum or Red Hot candies, sweet & spicy
* Orange & Clove: Like the pomanders we used to make around the holidays...sticking whole cloves into an orange.
* Vanilla: SWEET, weak, slightly powdery, cottoncandy-ish

Smells more like an air freshener than a personal fragrance, or if you're sticking to a budget and buy the generic drugstore holiday scented candle, "B" smells like this to me.

BTW - I do detect an odd note of rubber or smoke...not sure what to think of that!

EDITED: This comes off as a body spray. Gourmand is too elegant of term...it's more "foody". Very much like candy. I don't want a full bottle!

All I pick up is cinnamon and maybe vanilla, it's not as gourmande and strong vanilla like Comptoir Sud Pacific Vanille Cannelle but still moure gourmande than anything else I think.

If orange and clove are not listed as the notes than I'd say maybe nutmeg ( I smelled vanilla and spice from the body shop and I thought I almost reocgnized some of the notes from there in B)

Also...CINNAMON!!! !!!! The development is rather linear and you dont really smell anything else but cinnamon, anything that is there is to support it and maybe warm it up a bit.

Did someone say cinnamon? ((looking around))

I hadn't read Ubu & Lian's impressions before trying on B, but mine are almost verbatim the same. Must be a decidedly un-mysterious fragrance, this one.

Runny, clear liquid. Sweet, uncomplicated.
Cinnamon and orange lemonade (the synthetic kind that has little in common with real oranges) with a dash of vanilla. I do get the weird smoky/tarry note ubu mentions for a second right after spraying (and when I smell the vial itself), but it disappears very quickly. Clove.. possibly. It's not anywhere near dominant, anyway.
I thought "gourmand" at first, but it's not actually that edible. It smells more like cheap vanilla/cinnamon scented candles: plasticky, "flat", waxy.

Hardly any sillage (that or my nose just decided not to cooperate again) and longevity seems poor. I sprayed on paper as well, to see if that would lead to any new insights, but B seems to behave on paper much as it does on skin, except that on paper the orange is more dominant vs. the cinnamon.

I vote cheapo, too.