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

[Quarry]

For newcomers, here's the lowdown on this monthly online event:

Every member, any gender, novice or veteran sniffer, is invited to apply a fragrance related to the theme of the month (listed below) and share your thoughts on the first Saturday of the month. This isn't a mandatory assignment; it's just for fun. Because not everyone logs in on weekends, you're encouraged to continue to add comments within this themed thread on subsequent days. If you don't join us for this month's discussion, please look ahead at the tentative lineup and join in at a later date.

JANUARY ~ Oriental
(warmth, flowers, spices, woods & vanilla)
FEBRUARY ~ Animalic
(civet-, castoreum-, leather-, or musk-influenced scents)
MARCH ~ Chypre
(used to be defined by oakmoss presence, but ...?)
APRIL ~ Floral
(single solifore or full bouquet of flowers)
MAY~ Fruity
(single sweet fruits or a bowl of fruity-florals)
JUNE ~ Citrus
(hesperidic: bergamot, lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, etc.)
JULY ~ Green
(fresh leaves & grasses)
AUGUST ~ Fresh or aquatic
(cool, dewy notes and seaside scents)
SEPTEMBER ~ Opposite-Gender Fragrance
OCTOBER ~ Ambery
(dark, light or blond amber as feature note)
NOVEMBER ~ Spicy
(warm notes associated with cooking)
DECEMBER ~ Gourmand
(fragrances with a foody note, but not usually fruity--save for May)

Looking for suggestions?
See previous SnS discussions:
Oriental — Jan. 2007, Jan. 2008, Jan. 2009
Animalic — Feb. 2007, Feb. 2008, Feb. 2009
Chypre — March 2007, March 2008, March 2009
Floral — April 2007, April 2008, April 2009
Fruity — May 2007, May 2008, May 2009
Citrus — June 2007, June 2008, June 2009
Green — July 2008, July 2009
Fresh — Aug. 2008, Aug. 2009
Fougere — Sept. 2007
Opposite Gender — Sept. 2008, Sept. 2009
Ambery — Oct. 2007, Oct. 2008, Oct. 2009
Spicy — Nov. 2007, Nov. 2008, Nov. 2009
Gourmand — Dec. 2007, Dec. 2008, Dec. 2009
For the months of July and August 2007, regular BN was offline and supporters had access to an abbreviated site. We discussed aquatics and greens, but those posts are no longer accessible.

[kumquat]

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.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

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

[TaoLady]

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!

[Baldufita]

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...

[Quarry]

Tabu? Samsara? Mauboussin? (no wonder I couldn't find the sample - I got a BOTTLE) Dragon's Kiss?

Now THAT's a true perfumista—you don't even know that you own a bottle. We love you, T.

[Lessa]

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

[Sunnyfunny]

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!

[Guest 3]

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

[DeniDithyrambia]

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.)

[Sunnyfunny]

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

[rogalal]

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!

[Guest 3]

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.

[DeniDithyrambia]

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.)

[G.303]

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

[YouCanCallMeMo]

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

[Jane Daly]

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

[trikkirikki]

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.

[ECaruthers]

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

[cello]

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

[chayaruchama]

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.

[TaoLady]

Oh TrickyRicky I ALMOST went for Youth Dew today...it is just SO special...and ooooo.... Afire is my FAVERTEST Morris...and somewhere I got a sample of that divine CO, Chaya....

...but my eye lit on an old lovely, neglected for ages, on the top shelf of my etagere:



"Rumba opens on a rich and tenacious fruity note of mirabelle, peach and plum. The heart unveils orchid, magnolia, gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, Indian carnation and patchouli.The fragrance ends on an equally rich accord of amber, leather, vanilla and oakmoss."
.... from OzMos...and I couldn't have said it better!

Like Tabu this is a relatively inexpensive 'fume that is (on me, for me) elegant and soignee and has more class than a lotta her much more expensive sisters.

Arriba! Arriba!!

[Jane Daly]

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.

[Evangeline]

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.

[RHM]

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!

[kumquat]

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.

[rtamara41]

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

[Guest 3]

Bal à 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)...

[Therese]

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

[ECaruthers]

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.