scent | Pomelo girl thoughts

Novice design analysis, queso, and Ellis Brooklyn’s Bibliotheca box set

Posted on May 11, 2018 by elemonated

I’m just going to come out and say it.

I am a huge sucker for marketing that implies that the buyer is knowledgeable and well-read or appreciates some sort of pseudo-sophisticated humor. Like it makes me actually feel dumb after the fact for falling for it over and over. Whenever I catch myself wanting something because I think it’ll make me look smart I wonder if the thrill of having knowledge others counts as a guilty pleasure. Is it if you feel like a dick doing it? Is it if you don’t feel like a dick doing it?? Is that simply nerdy, or does it cross into being elitist? Am I even snobbier than I thought I was? Will I start interjecting “um, actually” more or less after this revelation??

In my defense though I think it really just boils down to wanting to be in on all the jokes. Nerdy jokes are hands down the best.

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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 Iris Prima

Posted on January 9, 2017 by elemonated

Disclaimer: I don’t like iris in perfume. Serge Lutens Silver Iris Mist, while I appreciate it as a lovely work of art, is like huffing Vaseline lotion (the one that comes in the regular cream-yellow pump bottle) and carrots. Tauer’s Lonesome Rider would have hit all my happy spots…if the iris wasn’t so prominent. And so on.

Iris Prima

Wet: peony, bergamot, carnation
Dry: iris, suede, violet, peony, bergamot, nutmeg, vetiver

Penhaligon’s Halfeti

Posted on January 4, 2017 by elemonated

Halfeti

Wet: rum, saffron, bergamot, coriander, pepper
Dry: saffron, leather, oud, musk, pepper, coriander, cedar, bergamot, grapefruit, rose, violet

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

Penhaligon’s Artemisia

Posted on December 27, 2016 by elemonated

And so it begins, not with a bang, but with a whisper.

Perhaps this review would have been different if I sprayed you? I doubt it though.

Artemisia

Wet: violet, makeup powder, sandalwood
Dry: violet, makeup powder, sandalwood, apple, jasmine, vanilla, amber

Let’s start those reviews again

Posted on December 26, 2016 by elemonated

Mr. Chokkattu purchased me a Penhaligon’s gift set for Christmas (among other things, the sweet man) so I thought I’d start writing reviews again, starting with the adorable little stopper jars in the box.

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Poetry

Posted on December 20, 2016 by elemonated

Part of a window at La Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Taken in March 2016 by moi.

I was looking for a quote from Pablo Neruda when I came across a few other poems I wanted to share. The first one is also a translated Spanish poem by Fernando Pessoa. I’m going to reserve judgment until I read more of his corpus, and then attempt to read and understand it in Spanish, but I’m kind of into this one, if only because it surrounds fragrance and humanity.

I know many people, myself included, who gladly wear the badge of “unnatural and strange” who also adore perfume. I may drop this into the purview of a few people in the fragrance community. Read More

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male

Posted on September 25, 2016 by elemonated

I have a feeling that many a person is going to disagree with me on this very vehemently.

Ah, well. Can’t be worse than my Valentino Uomo review! I’m honestly feeling particularly grumpy because I’m in pain at the moment for full disclosure, but I don’t really think being in a better mood would really effect my impression on the fragrance.

Sometimes though I do wish I had dedicated a little more time to the fragrance before writing; I don’t absolutely dislike Uomo, for instance, on myself anymore, and now appreciate the sweetness and syntheticness (and I promise, that wasn’t a sarcastic statement.) This time, I’ve put on Le Male twice now over the past few weeks and spritzed my boyfriend with it, so I think I’m as warmed up to it as I could be. Read More

Ormonde Jayne Rose Gold

Posted on September 22, 2016 by elemonated

I snagged this one up during Ormonde Jayne’s promotion celebrating the British team’s 67 medals in the Olympics! Too bad the US crushed that number with 121 medals and China edged you guys out at 70 as well, though Great Britain did get more gold medals.

Details aside, everyone did well this year at the Olympics and everyone had something to celebrate in Rio. Except, of course, for Ryan Lochte’s teammates who had to face the consequences of their (and his) actions while Mr. Lochte celebrated getting the hell out of Rio in business class and out of the clutches of Brazilian law enforcement; for a little while at least.

But I digress.

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