All invited *** Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, August 6, 2011 *** FRESH

I always struggle with this one. But I'm game. I'll be there.

I'm playing too- probably with a seaside scent

Dewy violet leaf in La Perla Blue for me today -- as much as I have worn and shared this summer, I will have nothing left of 100 ml bottle by the end of August I am afraid -- once again: not an aquatic fragrance per se but with a green aquatic feel, long-lasting and very pleasant in the dryout without musk (thanks heavens!) and cedarwood and patchouli instead. Sweet and unisex, mossy and fresh, not very changing but versatile nontheless.

Planning to promote it from **** to ***** in My Wardrobe.

I think I'm fudging it this month: my SOTD is Ted Lapidus Silk Way. While it's by no means a true fresh or aquatic scent (it's a floriental), it does have a fresh aspect from (not loud, not synthetic) fruity notes that last well into the drydown.

top notes: citruses, red peach, apple
middle notes: ceylon cinnamon, atlas cedar, jasmine, peony
base notes: amber, bourbon vanilla, incense, white musk

Available at several etailers for $25 or so. Smells a lot more costly than that, it's lovely and very well-made.

l had a sample of the perfect fragrance for this month's Sniff 'n' Speak, which l posted about in the "Today l Sniffed" thread. Unfortunately l used it up a few days ago! But it's worth a mention here, as l think it's an unusual & very well done aquatic scent; Maui by MCMC Fragrances, obtained online from lndiescents.com.

l don't know how to insert quotes from other threads, so for those who didn't read it, the notes are "young ginger, star anise, frangipani, tuberose, green bamboo, salty essence". l described it as evoking drinking an ice-cold ouzo by the ocean, while a gentle breeze blows through the nearby greenery & flowers. The anise note is gorgeous & very refreshing, & when l tried it again on a hot afternoon some days later, the sillage was wonderful. l would seriously consider a full bottle of this, & recommend trying it if you're looking for a fresh & uplifting summer scent.

Then this morning l remembered l have a new sample of Tirrenico by Profumi del Forte, among a few others from this line that l haven't tried yet, from Luckyscent. l got excited about this line after reading some rave reviews in the men's forum. l didn't know which to try first,so this thread helped me make up my mind!

The notes are "marine accords, bitter Sicilian orange, bergamot, Egyptian jasmine, Philippine elemi oil, basil, oakmoss, sandalwood, white musk". The very positive reviews on Luckyscent's site compare this favourably with other aquatics such as Sel Marin, & describe it as being calone-free. l'm not overly familiar with aquatics as a genre, so can't comment on this myself.
The opening is crisp, citrussy, sweet & yet salty, with a definite marine vibe & a hint of anise or fennel. My first reaction is "Wow, this is lovely, the sillage is just like a sea breeze!" A few minutes later, it conjures up an image of me rinsing the sea water out of my bikini in the hotel bathroom after a swim & a shower. l'm not sure how l feel about that, but this is certainly a refreshing summer scent. l'll let you all know if it changes in the drydown! Unfortunately, after a few very hot days, the temperature has cooled considerably here, so l may not be getting the best impression of this one...

Maui sounds nice, Teardrop.

I'm also wearing a beachy scent for SnS this morning...



It really does smell like a fresh, breezy, summer morning on the dunes. I lived near the beach for several years, and this is making me pine for those days. This is from a decant sent to me a long time ago by a Basenoter we don't see anymore, Taolady. Lady Tao, sending you my very best wishes and warm regards wherever you are! ♥

YSL M7 Fresh for me today. I've been missing regular M7 lately, but it's been way too hot and muggy to break it out. M7 Fresh is the best way to sneak in that great cherry cough syrup accord in summer weather. The fresh notes on top of it are of reasonably high quality, too. Not thin and shouty like so many other fresh scents. This one can be difficult to track down. Worth the effort if you love M7.

Hello everyone! I'm cross-posting - I just copied this from the sotd thread. I know you don't mind Q, but I always feel like I should explain the blatant autoplagiarism.

I'm in Dali's Laguna for S'n'S. I've yet to do a side-by-side comparison, but this has always reminded me of Dune, which explains my instant infatuation with it. To me, Laguna is a fresher, fruitier, sweeter, creamier, slightly more floral and much wetter Dune...lol! I realize that must seem like quite a stretch, but it's the fascinating truth. It's not nearly as flamboyant and fruity as the notes make it sound...it's rather calm and serene actually, and very beautiful - I just wish it lasted a bit longer.

Mark Buxton created Laguna in 1991.

Top - mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, coconut, plum, pineapple, peach, and apricot
Middle - jasmine, rosewood, rose, galbanum, iris and lily of the valley
Base - tonka, amber, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla, and patchouli

I just don't have anything in my wardrobe that seems to fit the bill, so I went with AG Heure Exquise today.

It might be cheating a little, but I'm wearing Virgin Island Water today. The name alone makes it sound fresh and beachy and it lives up to it's name.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin, Coconut Toddy, Copra
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Hibiscus, Ylang-ylang, Ginger
Base Notes: Tonkin Musk, White Rum, Sugar Cane

Wearing Pleasures Bloom - fresh and ozonic 'Pleasures '
with grapefruit hints. Clean and uplifting .
Thanks for the suggestion Lilybelle.

Mims, I'll be sure to go sniff that one now that I recommended it, lol!! "Grapefruit", "clean" and "uplifting" all sound rather nice! It's funny, I used to hate the grapefruit note in fragrances, as it seemed to turn nasty on my skin, but now I love it. Hormones (I'm convinced)! I may even give Pamplelune another chance.

I'm continuing our aquatic theme this evening in a dab of Terra Nova's Rain fragrance oil. This is a green/floral/musk rain scent. It's not salty like my beachy scent from earlier today. UbuandIbeme sent me a little decant of it a long time ago. It is such a pleasant, clean fragrance this evening. I remember Love's Rain Scent from eons ago when I was a teen. I used to love that one. I had the sponge-tip glass tube of that fragrance. Anyone remember those?

I almost wore Laguna but I ended up spraying the terribly named Womanity- for the seaside-type scent. Released in 2010 and already available in discount stores, this was not a big commercial success, I'd bet- but it has a certain feel of "I'm on a boat eating figs, cheese, and caviar" that charms me.

Well, it's not aquatic but is fresh, refreshing - the Smell Bent Tokyo Mama Fizz. This smells pretty literally like lime soda, but isn't sticky. The fizz fizz is gone now and it's limey papery, sort of. It smells better than that sounds, it's nice.

I was away from the computer this weekend. Friday I wore Lolita Lempicka L Fluer de Corail, which claims to have driftwood. A light fresh scent to me with a gourmand lurking underneath. Saturday was Lilly Pulitzer Beachy, which is a salty amber on me.