All Invited! ♥ ♥ ♥ Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, Jan 2, 2010 ★★★ ORIENTAL

Sweet! Orientals are a rich category. I might wear one of my favorites:
MPG-George Sand I haven't worn
YSL-Opium for a long time, though. I'm sure I'll think of some more.

Yeah, baby! It's gonna be Oriental Lounge by The Different Company. Woo-hoo! I'm psyched.

Oh geeze....where to start?

Tabu? Samsara? Mauboussin? (no wonder I couldn't find the sample - I got a BOTTLE) Dragon's Kiss? Repeat last year's trio of : Youth Dew Amber Nude, Coco and Habanita?

Oy vey!

My favorite category!!! I'll need some inspiration, though... Don't know what to wear!! And we will be celebrating NY Saturday with the whole family instead of Friday... Choices, choices...

Not going to be around a computer Sat, but I'll be wearing Ambre Sultan for sure!

Orientals are my favorite! I hope my Imari arrives in time. Otherwise maybe I'll try and analyze Bal a Versailles. Or Tabu, which is always a winner, in my book!

I'll be there. I don't know in what, but I'm in.

I have:

1. Guerlain: Two vintage versions of Shalimar and a bottle of Samsara. According to Fragrantica L'Heure Bleue, L'Instant, and Chamade are Oriental Florals so I have them to include in the mix.
2. Also according to Fragrantica, Oscar by Oscar de La Renta are floral orientals. Got them.
3. Got Amourage Epic, but don't think Lyric can be here on time. I also have a really old vintage Emeraude.

How should I go about this? Any ideas?

Deni
life dithyrambic
dithyrambic a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a dithyramb; wild and boisterous. «Dithyrambic sallies.» Longfellow. -- n. A dithyrambic poem; a dithyramb. A frenzied, impassioned choric hymn and dance of ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus. 2. wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing. Life Dithyrambic n. Writing passionately about Motherhood, Adoption, Illegitimacy, Technology, Science, Pop Culture, Ecology, Film, Art, the Religious-right, and Perfume (not necessarily in that order.)

Hey Deni, welcome to BN! Just wear whatever oriental you want and write your impressions on it.

Woo Hoo!

I've had a sample of Jovoy Paris Oriental sitting around for ages that I keep meaning to wear. It's got Saturday written all over it!

ps. Welcome Deni! I just checked out your nice blog. If we ever manage to pull together another San Francisco Basenotes Meet-up, you'll have to join us!

Welcome, DeniDithyrambia! :wave: You have such a nice selection. I love floral-orientals. I think they're my favorite style, the type of fragrance I've been most drawn to consistently over my fragrance-wearing life. I never know what I'm going to wear for Sniff 'n Speak until I reach for it. As long as I have a few to choose from, it's best (for me) to choose at the last minute.

Sunny and Lily :wave:

I have suspected all along that I am partial to the Floral Orientals as well many other floral variants.

I am also quite fond of leather scents.

I am thinking since I will be wearing Amouage Epic tonight I can just write about that. I am surprised Basenotes doesn't seem to have an entry for Epic.

Deni
life dithyrambic
dithyrambic a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a dithyramb; wild and boisterous. «Dithyrambic sallies.» Longfellow. -- n. A dithyrambic poem; a dithyramb. A frenzied, impassioned choric hymn and dance of ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus. 2. wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing. Life Dithyrambic n. Writing passionately about Motherhood, Adoption, Illegitimacy, Technology, Science, Pop Culture, Ecology, Film, Art, the Religious-right, and Perfume (not necessarily in that order.)

I Love Oriental's.....I look forward to this.....Happy new Year to all!!!
Gary

I am thinking either Coco or Fendi....I haven't broken out that Fendi in a while, so that may be it!

Thinking Samsara vintage parfum, or perhaps Promesse de l'Aube...truly finding Orientals are so deliciously PERFECT for January

As I won't be around later today, I'm starting off rather early. This is my very first Sniff 'n' Speak (had planned to be here last month, but couldn't make it).

So today I'm (so far) in Youth Dew

and I'd like to share the story of my first meeting with this gem. I'm afraid it won't be much about different notes and my views on them, so if that's what you want, you can stop reading now :-)

I had just confessed to myself that I was a perfume addict, and I was out and about with a friend who is a fellow addict. She showed me a bottle of Youth Dew Amber Nude, and thought that would be a good introduction to modern orientals. I din't care for it at all, but next to it was the original Youth Dew which I picked up and sprayed on my wrist.

Instantly, I was in my Nan's house. This stuff smelled just like my Nan used to smell when I was a child! My Nan died almost five years ago, but at the time, she'd only been gone a couple of months, so smelling Youth Dew really smacked me in the face. I bought a bottle on the spot but couldn't wear it for a few years since it was Nan's scent to my nose.

I later spoke to my Granddad about it and he went to the bathroom and got out a bottle of the bath oil which was still there from when Nan was alive.

Nowadays, it's all my own scent, and one I wear for comfort. The cinnamon stands out on my skin, and the whole composition makes me feel strangely exclusive and very expensive. Maybe it is that I associate the smell with my Nan's fur coats, I don't know, but I know that this is a staple in my collection.

Orientals are my favorite category. But instead of one of the old familars, Kitty and I are trying one of the Neil Morris sample set we gave each other for Christmas.

Afire is maybe a bordline oriental. There's no "rare oriental spices" like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg. But it's got vanilla and incense in the base and sweet heart notes. The primary experience is, sweetly smokey. We love the balance, especially since yesterday we were overwhelmed by the creosote smoke in Andy Tauer's Lonestar Memories

I've started today's SnS with CdG's White - for what I call a "casual" oriental. This one opens tart and spicy, then drifts into cool white flowers (lily) warmed by cinnamon and pepper, all this enveloping a lovely little rose. Drydown is sandalwood with a nice amber accord. Never loud, almost on the verge of a skin scent. Not warm and spicy, but instead almost cool and spicy. It actually works in hot weather as well as winter. Firmly unisex, but does have a prominent rose note.

I wanted to start with something not too perfumy, as I have to play tennis later this morning. This is one oriental that almost seems "sporty" or casual to me. Maybe I'll bring out the big guns after my tennis

I am a major oriental gal; but I guess I could say that about any scent group, LOL ! ;-)

Today I will be in limbo, with a fragrance that links leathers and orientals, East and West-
Parfums D'Empire 's Cuir Ottoman.

The base boasts burnt storax, burnt cistus, and tolu, benzoin resins; lots of orris butter and jasmine add their delightful presence to this balsamic beauty.

In days gone by, I felt the opening to be a bit harsh...
But these days, after sampling many other attempts, I find CO to be utterly satisfying, a complex veil of beguiling smokiness.

I used to love spicy orientals in the 80s but tired of them, and thought I was done with orientals. Well, I have recently discovered that Floral Orientals are my new love!!

I will wear Guerlain Plus Que Jamais to start the day. It's floral woody warmth is like a fire stoked with flower petals.

Hi everybody!

I took this opportunity to enjoy my vintage Emeraude extrait.

I was familiar with this before meeting Shalimar, so that might have something to do with it, but to me this Emeraude is far superior to any Shalimar formulation I've ever encountered. I get soft incense and woods, a delicate floral note (orange blossom?) and something furry and warm that must be the civet. I don't get much spice or any obvious vanilla. It's smooth, soft and plush, and creamier to my nose than powdery. It makes me feel luxurious and sophisticated.

LOVE this category, so much to choose from too. I may go with my Christmas present from my husband, coco edt. It's the first and only perfume he's ever picked out & purchased for me entirely on his own. That means a lot!

Nice post on vintage Emeraude, Evangeline. I wore that last nite and I completely forgot about it being an oriental. That's the same bottle I have!

I have George Sand from Maitre Parfumeur & Gantier (not the other; Parfumes Historiques). I'm noticing the patchouli mainly but it dries down to a complex woody/amber combination that is very warm and sensuous.

An edp created by Nicolas de Barry with top notes of bergamot and Sicilian lemon, heart notes of patchouli, Oriental rose, and amber, on base notes of musk and sandalwood.

Love this thread so far, from trikkirikki's nostalgic post to the Emeraude homage to George Sand, one of my favorites.
I am in Hypnotic Poison which is a new discovery for me this year and have posted a link to a recent commercial on you tube.
Though in truth, HP makes me feel sensual, comforting and approachable, rather than dangerous and "poisonous."
I love the almond note and to me the coconut is pretty evident. It is just a lush, luscious experience to wear it. Very feminine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIoFb...eature=related

Bal Ã* Versailles edc. I just read on Amazon that the parfum of this was Michael Jackson's favorite fragrance. Just a little tidbit there. I've tried the parfum, and it's nice, but I really have a fondness for this edc. I get a sweet, spicy, old fashioned powdry-ambery, orangey-orange blossom impression, and then the civet kicks in. Whoa nelleh! It's a bit musty but there's a syrupy sweetness hidden inside. This is pretty potent stuff for an eau de cologne, very old-style, and not what I usually reach for (i.e., clean), but there is something compelling about these old classics. This one and Tabu make me feel like I need to dress up sexy and make martinis - at the very least, wear red nails and a charm bracelet. Nothing modern or "fresh" going on here.

My bottle looks like this...($7 at Marshalls for 1 oz., btw)...

It's got to be amber, a hard choice because I love all my ambers so much. But it will be Ambre Russe.

Evangeline,

Thanks for the ad. I love it. The little bubbles give a better sense of fragrance surrounding the wearer than any other graphic I've ever seen.

I opted to try Shalimar EDP... The initial smoky blast is not exactly my cup of tea, but after a couple of minutes I get heaven... Which concentration has less smokyness to it? I might sure like it...

Woo hoo! How lucky am I that I reached for my tester of Miller Harris Fleur Oriental this morning? Because we were travelling back to Switzerland from our Xmas hols in Wales, I had forgotten bout the SnS (sorry Q). But it turns out I was part of the gang anyway!

I chose Fleur Oriental this morning because I'm on a huge Oakmoss kick at the moment (oh the irony of discovering oakmoss just as the IFRA bans it) and it was in my handbag with a selection of other tester vials.

I like the top to this fragrance - it has a sparkle to it that is slightly citrussy but also has a touch of the spiciness I associate with orientals like Opium. I suppose it's a 'traditional' oriental in both those aspects, but it smells fresh and good to me.
I love the base - it has a lot of oakmoss and has a warm, soft, musky animalic feel to it that smells very human. It feels like being cuddled up in your warm bed in the morning. Sexy, I'd say, but then I like that kind of smell.

It's in the middle that I become unsure. There's a vanillic heart that I don't know, has a touch of some kind of synthetic tonka or something I don't like enormously. It downgraded this from a 'must buy' to 'maybe a decant'. Though I still think it's very good, just not quite excellent. but don't quote me too much on that as I want to test it again.

Well I must admit, I have not (as yet) been a frequent wearer of Orientals. They tend to overpower my senses. However, if there's one thing I keep experiencing over and over (THANKFULLY!), it's that like other tastes, what I may find unpleasant (often repugnant) at first, can at another point in time become delicious. [See blue cheese, mince fruits, earthy mushrooms].

So last week when I read about Oriental SNS, I gave it some thought and decided to try a scent which I’ve never worn, and never wanted to wear. Chanel Coco. Of course I’ve smelled it on others and from the bottle, and my knee-jerk reaction was always “its way too loud and powdery”. I got a sample of Coco (EDP) and decided not to look up the notes. I gave it three, very short-lived ‘test wears’ over the week, just to build up some exposure.

Today it’s a full-fledged wear.
Where to apply: Since I don’t really know her yet, the left inner wrist it is.
How much: One medium-strength spray from a distance of about 9 in. [Yes I know, I'm being a sissy, but I have a fear of sillage and want to experience a diffuse Coco.]

Impressions: At first, it’s a blast of spicy, sweet, woodsy, creamy notes. Very assertive. Smells like the way the inside of a Lindt truffle feels in my mouth. It’s a bit heavier than I’m comfortable with, but not oppressive. Thank God I only sprayed once. I can relax now.
After 20 minutes of the spicy-sweet dance, a glorious orange note comes to the front and beckons me further. Oooh, I like that! Very quickly, the bright orangey note turns into a dark, candied orange, and then a molasses note chimes in. Another 10 minutes in, the chocolate-y sweetness is way in the back now, and the scent has become smoother and much less sweet. Then comes a whiff of coffee, and the candied orange whirls in and out again. Cedar, and then some cardamom – or was that masquerading as the orange all this time? After 1 hour, it seems to have settled into a soft, dry, orangey, woody scent. But time will tell if Coco has more to say to me.

Do I like her? Yes I do. Another friendship yet to explore.

Pomander, you're talking about one of my all-time favorites there... And I like what you say... It's exactly how I experience Coco...

Amouage Epic

Epic is a sublime accident as I became confused thinking I was buying Lyric. The first time I got the vial I put a tiny droplet on the top of my hand, as I had another fragrance on my wrist from earlier. It was impressive that even though I was wearing Coco, I could from this one droplet detect its character. There is this soft sweetness I remember from that quick sniff of Lyric, it is never cloying because it is perfectly balanced with spices. There is pink pepper and tea in there. That droplet had so much going on I knew this would be the perfect scent for the New Year. The scent makes you want to recline and think of being strewn on silken sheets with incense around you in a palace.

I shopped to find the perfect top and jewelry for the perfume and found a ruffled, gauzy shirt with dark red and pinkish rose poppies with green leaves and a black background. I also found gold jewelry that suggested Central Asia.

I waited until I was fully showered, dressed, and made up to put the full application of Epic. Listening to the New York Philharmonic play Gershwin fit this sublime sweetness beginning -- that beautiful peppery rose opening lasts for a couple of hours where we decide where we want to go, drive, walk on street lit up with glorious holiday lights, and wait for a table and our food with a perfect straight up martini. Then at the start of dinner the fragrance just opens up and gives an "epic" performance of roses, spices...everything it got. It shocks and awes in a lovely way. Having pillowy, garlicy naked clams and in the halo of Epic was just perfect. My only sticking point was I picked an Italian white, which didn't quite work. Maybe I should have gone with a Fume Blanc. Oh well.

Then as we started driving home the fragrance danced one last time to the fusion live jazz on the radio and then it adjusts itself again and centers itself into a low flame of incense with a hint of the sweetness that was there all along. When I say "centered" I mean that this incense was the type for meditation - there was nothing distracting -- just this resinous low flame.

Overall, we all ate well and hubby was able to share in the perfume's various stages. The sillage was 6-12 inches according to hubby. The experience was so touching and wonderful, I was eager to recapture it. I went over to share Epic with a perfumista friend. While it was lovely, Epic should never be worn when just watching Bowl games. It just didn't work. My suspicions about this perfume was correct, it needs to be worn for special events where the tempo is slower and everything glows and is romantic or dear. Epic is not a casual perfume. Lesson learned. Yet, one last little spritz today as I relax at home. Then I promise to put it away til some special occasion.

On Vintage Emeraude, what a charming spicy confection it is to me. I have a similar Emeraude de Coty with a green and gold cap and the label placed closer to the cap. Love the vintage ad.

Deni

On to Laura Biagiotti's Roma after a shower. I had sampled this once and thought it was nice, but just didn't want a hugh bottle o it. Then over the holidays, I found a cute little 25 ml bottle and pulled out the wallet. The strange, herbal/minty opening is as I remember, and also the fair amount of pepper keeping it spicy. All I remembered from my sample was the minty opening (I found it strange then) and the creamy orangy body. I wanted to explore this one a bit, so it gets called into duty for Oriental S'n'S

Started out early this morning with Avon's Far Away. impression a nice floral oriental but it didn't wow me. maybe next time...

now trying Coco on one hand and Coco Mademoiselle on the other. both parfum from a wonderful sampler of 5 from a Chanel boutique that was a holiday present to myself. I think I am falling for Coco.

Hi all! I'm on vacation, and didn't pack an oriental fragrance. Or did I? This classification has always been confusing for me. Some of the fragrances that seem to be considered front-and-center orientals (Opium, Tabu, Youth Dew) are among my least favorites. They are just too heavy-hitting and not a good match for my unsophisticated personality. On the other hand, there are the floral orientals, ambers, incenses and vanillas, many of which I really love.

So I did a little research, and just in case I'm not the only one with some confusion, I'm going to share two posts from an old thread on the subject:



And this blurb from the Fragrantica website is helpful:


So now I see that many of my favorites apparently fall into this group. Mauboussin, Note Ambree, Boucheron, Ambre Precieux, Theorema, Fleur Oriental, Tolu, Shaal Nur, and Ta'if are among them. Are Chamade and Montaigne orientals? If so, those are good for me, too.

I see that many of you call Chergui an Oriental. Here's a question for you: Would you put Havana Vanille in this group, too? My nose says yes. Those two fragrances do basically the same thing for me, with Havana Vanille being my fave of the two.

Whew! Apologies for the long post (insert the old embarrassed smiley face). This kind of analyzing aloud is how I learn best, and I'm hoping the info is helpful to others.

For this little trip, I packed decants or travel bottles of the following fragrances: Havana Vanille, Hologram, Rose Poivree, Sel de Vetiver, TDC Osmanthus, TDC Bois d'Iris, and Une Rose.

According to my new deeper understanding (or is it confusion, LOL?!), both the Havana Vanille and Hologram fall into the Orientals group. I am going to choose Hologram for today. It's an unusual fragrance by Neil Morris, with listed notes of yuzu, black currant, violet, fig, sea moss, amber, incense, and musk. It has that shimmery, warm, deep quality that fits our SnS category, and besides -- it's really, really beautiful!

Running to put on some Montale Oriental Flowers. Will post impressions later, if I don't forget. I've been absent-minded lately.

Haunani, thanks for the previous posts. I've felt the same way about orientals and some of the same confusion.

This is a category where my knee jerk reaction is, "What will I wear? I don't particularly like this category." This is based on my initial perception that to be an oriental, it had to be big, spicy, and vanillic. Also, I'm not crazy about heavy orange blossoms, so some florientals don't work for me.

But then I start looking at categorizations and my list and realize that I have and enjoy quite a few frags classified as Orientals, even a few "heavy hitters": Bal a Versailles, Chergui, L'Air du Desert Marocain, Black Cashmere, Theorema, Roma, Ta'if. . . . I don't reach for these all the time (with the exception of BaV), but with the right kind of weather or mood, they hit the spot.

Good question about HV. I was wondering the same thing with Spiritueuse Double Vanille. Are they gourmands? But they're not really sweet. Are they orientals because of the smoke? I'd love to hear what others think about categorizing these.

Today I tried Ava Luxe's Carnet de Bal EdP from a decant I recently received in a swap. It appears to be based on a 1930s Revillon fragrance.

AL classifies it as an oriental and describes the oil version as follows:

"A wonderful musky and spicy oriental scent with very subtle fruit and citrus top notes over a soft woody floral heart of jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, cyclamen and lily. The drydown is warm and slightly powdery musk and mosses.
Notes:Bergamot, peach, apricot, chamomile, cyclamen, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, ylang , vanilla, musk, oakmoss, patchouli, ambergris."

I'm having a really hard time picking up the notes in this one. It's extremely well-blended and definitely has a vintage vibe. Got the bergamot and gentle fruit on the top on this one. Definitely getting the florals as well, particularly the jasmine. It also is animalic, which I liked. But I'm not loving some of the spices--they're nose ticklers for me, as is some of the powder.

I'll probably switch to BaV EdC later, thanks to Asha, I believe. I haven't tried that version yet. So far, my fave is the Parfum de Toilette. The parfum is gorgeous once it hits its stride, but I get a fair amount of gasoline out of the first 30 minutes, which is a rough ride for me.

I'm taking Galimar by Galimard to bed with me now.

It started out with really clean, fresh lemon and orange, but mellows rather quickly into a heart of iris and nutmeg.
I don't get jasmine or cinnamon, which is supposedly there, but they might show themselves later.

The base is patchouli, vanilla and musk, and I'm sure that some of it will still be on my wrist when I wake up in the morning.

It's quite a fun and playful little scent, not an obvious sex kitten, nor sultry and seductive. It's easily worn both day and night and it stays quite close to the skin. Not a favourite, but very wearable, and probably a good choice for someone who is not used to wearing orientals.

Ohh, the vanilla is breaking through now...very nice, almost a bourbon vanilla. Rich as anything.

Anyway, good night for now.

Wow, there are so many thoughtful and eloquent posts today! Thanks for the crash course in orientals, Haunani, it really is a broad group, isn't it. So all that being said, I guess spicy is sort of an oriental sub-category? I've always envisioned oriental to be more Pluran's definition of straight oriental, and spicy to be a non-gourmand foody. For instance Theorema and Ambre Narguile are both reminiscent of dried fruits or warm, baked goods to me, spicy but not gourmand, neither exotic or nuanced enough for me to call them oriental, while Hypnotic Poison is very much gourmand, due to its thick, syrupy yet effervescent sweetness that makes it almost Italian soda-ish, but definitely not spicy and not particularly oriental. I guess it all has to do with what it most dominant on whose skin. Also, though, if incense is also an oriental sub-category, then is Chanel No. 22 a floral oriental? or a soft oriental? I can't bend my mind around that one.

Anyways, I'm wearing Tabu today.



This one is so intriguing to me because sometimes the drydown is really dirty and animalic, but more often than not it is reminiscent of my Tabac Blond edp, with a warmer, sweeter spiciness. TB really shrinks up on me in the cold but is fabulously different and sexy on a swelteringly hot summer day. So I am loving the similarities of Tabu during these fall and winter months.
I got to thinking about how, exactly, those two are related and how another mentioned heavy hitting oriental that I love in edt also shares some similarities (and differences ).

Imagine there are three sisters, Bal a Versailles, Tabac Blond, and Tabu, hanging out in a crowded bar with a live band and a full dance floor. Each is wearing red lipstick and drinking wine, but the similarities end there.
Bal a Versailles is glamorous, elegant and overdressed. She is out of place, wishing she was at a symphony or at the very least a restaurant whose staff know the difference between Gris and Grigio. So she is resignedly sipping a Chablis, disdainful of the fact that all wines here are served in the same shape of glass.
Tabac Blond is moving her stilletoed foot in time to the music. She's festive in black slacks and a sexy top, aware of the eyes on her and flashing a diamond on her left hand, making it quite clear you can look, but not touch. She's on her second Cabernet and is seriously considering hitting the dance floor.
Tabu is already on the dance floor. She's been throwing back White Zins all night and right now her hair is a little mussed. She's clad in high-heeled knee high boots and a low-cut dress that keeps slipping off one shoulder. She's out to have fun, that's why she's here, and if she gets a little carried away, more's the better! The bassist, emboldened by her enthusiastic dancing, steps off the stage to make her his temporary muse. She willingly obliges him.

I've been wearing Juliette Has a Gun Midnight Oud today. Sadly, I just can seem to get the rose. And those around me smell it, too. I've also got Amouage Epic and was ready for a different take on rose+oud (thought Epic is hard to top) but I still don't "get" the perfume. I'll have to give it several more tries.

I love your "three sisters" story, Sunnyfunny!

I think Chanel No. 22 is classified as an aldehydic floral, yes? However, I'm still not firm on this oriental category and how it relates to the other groups!

Haunani, I think you're right. 22's classification always throws me because the incense is so prominent on my skin.

I switched to Mitsouko edc for tonight. My daughter loves it on me & the vintage edc smells wonderful.

I'm wearing L'Air du Desert Marocain today. I am crazy for the incense in this ... one of my very favorites.

I've been wearing Robert Piguet Visa, a luscious gourmet-oriental and a gift from a darling, astonishingly generous friend.

Hi all!

I started out the day, as promised, in Jovoy Paris Oriental.

It was perfectly nice, but missing a certain spark.

From the top, it was mostly cinnamony, citrusy bergamot with little pinches of peach and rose over vanilla. I have issues with citrus + vanilla mixtures, because they can easily cross over into creamsicle territory. Oriental managed to escape that fate, but still came off as a bit of a bergamotsicle (he he - I'm making up words now...).

With time, the bergamot faded and a light musk came in underneath the whole thing, but it really didn't do much.

The whole time, I kept wishing it had gone the next step somehow. Perhaps some bready orris would have taken it a step closer to Mitsouko and a step further from the ice cream truck. More spice could have upped the oriental angle, or some booze or heady woods would have rounded the whole thing out a bit more. Or even if it had just jumped in whole-hog and let itself be the gourmand it wanted to be.

As is, it was perfectly nice, but not very inspiring. I'm sure many people here would enjoy it quite a bit, but it left me wanting more.

2 stars from me.

Hours later, with this morning's perfectly fine but uninspiring Jovoy Paris reduced to a musky memory on my right arm, I decided to try out Ava Luxe Vamp on my left.

Wow - this is really something.

Like wet brown paper towels with a pinch of cinnamon and sparkly cherry over vanilla.

In a way, this is intriguing, but it's also quite gross.

This isn't the time or place for impolite discussion, but suffice it to say that this is bringing to mind some rather unclean manly smells, so I'm quite creeped out - this isn't something I'm comfortable smelling like.

Points to Ava Luxe for recreating a specific kind of sexy funk, but I can't wear this.

1 star - sorry...

Maybe I'll dab a little L'Heure Bleue to finish off the evening on the right track...

For my first Sniff 'n' Speak I wore Dior's Dolce Vita, a lovely woody oriental. I get spice, fruit (love the plum note), floral, woods (sandalwood & cedar) & a hint of vanilla & powder.

I went to bed wearing Field Notes From Paris, by Ineke. It's still wearing well, four hours later.

What great posts this SnS! I love the 3 sisters story. I suppose I'd be Chergui in that one, but I've never tried it. Straight up "Orientals" have always been a bit problematic for me, too. Even though I love many of them (e.g., Coco - a sophisticated, sensual fragrance) they wind up wearing me and that becomes a drag after a while. I'm having more trouble than ever these days figuring out what classification a fragrance falls under...I suppose because the lines of separation are blurrier than ever. Which is a good thing overall, I think. Today, continuing SnS into Sunday, I'm wearing some Fendi edt that I bought last year in a drugstore bargain bin for $8.74. I would call this an Oriental, but maybe it's more of a powerhouse 80's spicy-Chypre.

Sunnyfunny, I loved your "3 sisters" story. Loved it!

Oh, yes! Big LOL on that one! And I must say - you have Tabu nailed.


Also being new to Epic, I loved your description. And I agree - it demands something more than usual conditions. Walking the dog? Nice time for that first sample, but I need to save it for more interesting situations.

I wore Oriental Lounge as planned. What wasn't planned was wearing it into an oriental lounge. Well, kinda. If the bar at Benihana counts as an oriental lounge. Turns out that the projection and sillage were perfect for dining. And it made a wonderful addition to dinner, with one spray on the back of my chopstick hand. For those interested in a full report, more details here.

I've been big into orientals this frigid holiday season in Minnesota. Coco edp, Bal a Versailles edt, Opium (femme) edt, vintage Shalimar edc, Lagerfeld Classic (men), M7, Polo Double Black, Zino, Yatagan... the list goes on and on, but my favorite is a new aquisition, [B]Robert Piguet's Baghari[B], a floriental par excellence imo. I think I love it because it has aspects of other scents I adore. It has a aldehyde sharp/sweet orangey opening that is definitely akin to No. 5 or even more so Arpege (vintage extrait, especially, because it has less soap and more nutty sweetness). Then spices and flowers like Vol de Nuit and that great Guerlainish almond-pastisserie aroma, but also the warm vanilla syrup of Opium and Coco. All that and an ambery-chypre drydown ... simply fantastic and a winter HG I think for me.