Review | Pomelo girl thoughts

Imaginary Authors: Stories III (Every Storm a Serenade)

Posted on January 11, 2016 by elemonated

I’ll preface this to say that when Mr. Chokkattu got Every Storm a Serenade in the mail, it also came with Cape Heartache and Yesterday Haze and Yesterday Haze had leaked all over everything. Mr. Chokkattu, who is not a big fan of fig, was not pleased and we tried to scrub it off our hands and off the other bottles and were unable. The other samples still smelled ostensibly like Yesterday Haze for a whole week, and it stuck to our hands for hours afterwards. Mr. Chokkattu also reported his clothes smelling like it the next day. So for all of you that really like fig and woods, but were concerned about longevity, don’t be. Yesterday Haze is a great fig. Get a bottle, have fun.

I have a lot to say about this one. Every Storm a Serenade is Imaginary Author’s “traveling by ocean” aquatic scent (read: woody) in comparison with their Falling Into the Sea aquatic scent, which is more “at the beach” and not a little soapy in execution. And Falling Into the Sea lasts an awful lot longer, which is unfortunate because I’m not that fond of Falling Into the Sea at this temperature, and like Every Storm much better.

Tocca Reviews: Graciella & Cleopatra

Posted on January 8, 2016 by elemonated

The last of the reviews! They might get a little preachy, just a warning, and I paired these last ones because they are both meant to represent real people (and out of the ones I got are the only ones that are; Giulietta is named after a real woman, but is based on her and her husband’s relationship.)

Gonna say this right now, but Florence and Cleopatra are probably my favorites of the bunch! No surprise there.

Reviews a go!

Graciella (fruity floral)
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Tocca Reviews: Stella & Florence

Posted on January 7, 2016 by elemonated

I just have to say that the samples I got from Tocca are just so, so clean. I know I mentioned it earlier, but I just wanted to drive that point in.

Tocca is great for people who aren’t really into perfume per say, but enjoy their hand soaps and shampoos (as opposed to Philosophy users who aren’t really into perfume but enjoy their hand creams and desserts.)

And on continues the reviews!

Tocca Reviews: Giulietta & Violette

Posted on January 6, 2016 by elemonated

Tocca is a brand that tries to embody an old world aesthetic and feminine sensibility. With its simple round bottle and traditional “perfume-y” notes, I can see its point, though it lacks some of the dirtiness I associate with a lot of old world perfume.

At their price point, this would be a great gift for someone starting out in fragrance who is perhaps a little too old for Bath & Bodyworks, cringes at the department store stuff, and values light and dainty things. The packaging, and the whole sweet and ethereal floral and fruity deal, is obviously staunchly on the girly-feminine side of things, but if that’s what you prefer, go for it!

These will be in installments of 3 so that my posts don’t stretch on.

Google’s Year in Search 2015

Posted on December 26, 2015 by elemonated

What a lovely video! Touched on a lot of the very interesting things that happened this year.

I will say I flinched a little when I realized who the speaker was, because of who she is but I guess there are no perfect victims. (Except, like, Malala. She’s pretty close to a perfect victim.) Read More

My favorite gourmands

Posted on December 22, 2015 by elemonated

I don’t wear a lot of gourmands. I’m an ethereal or incense floral kind of girl. I’m also a fan of the weird stuff, like the fish market Etat Libre D’Orange Secretions Magnifiques and the fermented Byredo Pulp. That being said, tis’ the season! It’s cold and dark and dreary (or it would be if not for global warming), so wanting a bit of warm creamy sweetness is to be expected.

This is a list for people who probably aren’t really into gourmands. No big vanilla bombs to be found, I apologize. Read More

Mitsouko vs. Mitsouko

Posted on October 23, 2015 by elemonated

I have been reassured by several reliable-enough sources on the internet that 1989 Mitsouko counts as vintage, THEREFORE.

AND I have also received my Surrender to Chance sample of Mitsouko which I’m 99.5% certain is not a vintage in any way, though I don’t know what batch it is, so it’s time to compare them and, perhaps, contrast them!

I visited Twisted Lily tonight for their Sniffapalooza kick-off gathering and drenched myself in niche juice, so here’s to hoping that the shower I just took helps mitigate any interference. Also touching the wrist pad of my laptop makes my wrists come away with a rather unappetizing rubber scent, so I’ve been trying not to do that. Read More

6 Scents 6 Selves

Posted on October 15, 2015 by elemonated

These are all male-leaning or unisex, but I have no problem wearing Fils de Dieu or Le 3’ Homme myself and I am a tiny, rather unimposing female. The Jungian personalities that I decided would be best suited to each fragrance is also just my opinion. I would never discourage anyone from wearing what they like unless they ask for it explicitly! Mr. Chokkattu and I decided that these were the most versatile that we collectively own, so the list is obviously biased in our direction.

Nearly all of the fragrances in mentioned in this list come from Twisted Lily’s The Sands sample collection which I purchased for him a few months ago. I would like to take this moment and congratulate myself on being able to choose gifts really well, and also bask in the smugness of getting Mr. Chokkattu’s older brother in on the fragrance game without actually having to interact with him. (He basically stole the sample of Tom of Finland Mr. Chokkattu had received from Scent Trunk.) Anyway.

Enjoy the list!

Imaginary Authors: Stories II

Posted on October 6, 2015 by elemonated

Here comes installment two! In my previous post about Imaginary Authors, I decided that for these fragrances I would do something different and write some short stories based on what comes up when I smell them. These stories are based on a vigilante concept that Mr. Chokkattu and I discuss whenever someone who’s a waste of space shows up on the news, and the style hopefully smacks of Brandon Sanderson as well as a tiny hint of Haruki Murakami perhaps. Hope you enjoy!

Cape Heartache: pine, oak, embers, strawberries, vanilla Read More

Imaginary Authors: Stories

Posted on September 6, 2015 by elemonated

Bit of a different format for the reviews today. Since Imaginary Authors is all about stories and evocation, I decided to write a very short story in response to some of their products. I haven’t written nearly any very creative things since I started business school because the place kind of drains me of mental energy, so I’m really glad I was able to get this much out. These stories are based on a vigilante concept that Mr. Chokkattu and I discuss whenever someone who’s a waste of space shows up on the news, and the style is a tiny bit inspired Brandon Sanderson novels (though he does it much, much better.) Hope you enjoy!

Memoires: vanilla, sandalwood, chocolate, myrrh, warmth, woods, spring trees Read More