fruity | Pomelo girl thoughts

Penhaligon’s Vaara

Posted on January 12, 2017 by elemonated

Last one of this set. It’s been really fun trying out all of Penhaligon’s interpretations of womans’ fragrance, and I didn’t think I’d like this company anymore than I did but this set was delightful and now I own at least a little bit of 7 of their fragrances, which is crazy! The only other quantities I have to rival it is my number of L’Artisans and Annick Goutals. I love Serge Lutens as well, but I have like nothing sample or FB-wise relative to the number of fragrances I could have.

Alright, no more daydreaming. Let’s get on with the last one, shall we?

Vaara

Wet: mimosa (the drink), honey, fruit juice, sweet rose
Dry: sweet rose, peony, magnolia, iris, saffron, honey, sandalwood, resins

Penhaligon’s Empressa

Posted on December 30, 2016 by elemonated

We lost an Empressa recently, so this review being the next one on my list is fortuitous timing, I think.

Empressa

Wet: apricot, peach, carnation, lily, lavender, bergamot
Dry: peach, apricot, lavender, lily, rose, bergamot, patchouli, pepper, orange, sandalwood, cacao, vanilla

Zoologist Bat

Posted on September 19, 2016 by elemonated

Like a bat with a 9 to 5, Mr. Chokkattu hasn’t really slept in two days, so I’m writing this review after cuddling him to sleep at an incredibly early hour (It’s 9PM! Madness!)

Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires

Posted on September 14, 2016 by elemonated

Okay so I disappeared again for a month. Whoops! I’ve been working hard for money to afford books and perfume remember? I’ll post some of the fruits of my labor later this week.

I received a decant of Myrrhe et Delires as one of those fruits.

Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires

The little cap on top of my decant smells like what violet candy tastes like to most young people: violets, vanilla, resin, and soap.

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.

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

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

Scent Trunk Box Review!

Posted on September 4, 2015 by elemonated

A fellow smelly had done a review of what they got from the baby company (May 2014!) Scent Trunk in a Youtube video a few weeks back, so I decided I’d try it out! I’m a sucker for the niche and the indie, and I was excited when the box got here so quickly after only about a week’s time. My referral code is 8522, or you can click here to sign up.

I did have a few technical difficulties regarding the site, but their customer service (aka Will Yin, who is also CEO; love that entrepreneurship) cleaned that up quickly, and I can see that they’re still going through a few design transitions, which doesn’t bother me at all. I kind of feel like they sent me the regular starter pack though; two of the fragrances sent to me were on their back-to-school blog post, and while that is admittedly my demographic, it’s not as though this was my first foray into niche fragrance. (I’m about to get to reviewing the glut of Imaginary Authors samples I have by the way!) But I mean, it’s not as if they knew that, and I haven’t tried any of the brands they sent, so that’s definitely a plus.

They did send Mr. Chokkattu almost explicitly feminine and floral scents though he ordered unisex and I helped him move his sliders to where we thought we’d get something in his ballpark of woody and oriental, so that was rather strange.

However, I’m holding on until the next box at least! Hopefully it works out a little better. On to the reviews!