Question:
Oh Wolfie - you make me want to go right out and blind-buy Envy!! Thanks for the Italian source - (The Italian word "invidia" ="envy") - makes me think of the English "invidious" which means to inspire ill will, not so much "covetousness" - "I want what you got". Who cares!! Give me the three gallon size!!
Moving right along.
First off, Asquith & Somerset English Rose shower gel, followed by Heathcote & Ivory Magnolia and Peony Luxury Body Lotion in preparation for.....(drum roll)...Fleurs de Bulgarie!!! (A very Brit morning)
This was the first Creed I bought for myself (been giving variations to my guys for years) and I bought it blind because in some perfume column somewhere some man said he bought if for himself. (Don't ask me who.) Nothing if not impulsive.
Turned out to be a great buy - I just adore the full bloom of heavy-headed rose-ness that comes right out of the bottle. The musky amber base is so well handled that it supports rather than intrudes in the dry-down. On my bod there is none of the sickly sweet sometimes mentioned in connection with this frag - one of the many benefits, I feel, of age. My chemistry tames outrageousness. And this is one Creed that has longevity and sillage for me.
A joyous day!!!

Answer:
Twolf, that was a gorgeous review on Gucci Envy.
Positively nailed it right on the head. I couldn't have said it better.
A Rose Is a Rose
...but a rose by any other name—would not be Guerlain.
Nahema took me by surprise. It was described as a “big” rose, so I automatically expected a big, sweet, wet rose. I expected a rose dripping with honey and fruitiness, opulent like Yves Rocher Rose Absolu with its big, creamy vanilla and patchouli, or the very-berry Givenchy Very Irresistible with its anise note, or even something like Les Parfums de Rosine plummy violet La Rose de Rosine or the dried fruit, cinnamon, and powder of Poussierre de Rose.

Indeed it is powdery. (This is Guerlain, after all.) But sweet? Not immediately. To be sure, there are vanilla and tonka lurking in the base, waiting to sweeten the fragrance as time goes by, but these are usually clear notes, and the overall effect of Nahema is of a “gauzy” rose, out of focus, covered under a veil of semi-transperancy.
For quite some time, Nahema is surprisingly woody. Imagine that! A woody, powdery peach; a dusty rose. The rose never presents itself apart form the peach, it is a constantly peachy rose. My daughter commented that it reminds her of peach incense. This is the dry aspect of Nahema. (It it is not the least bit smoky.)

And it is persistent. Here is where Nahema earns its “big” rose reputation. Once the powdery, peachy rose establishes itself, there is no turning back. No other notes overtake this accord. It remains strong and true to itself until the last petals fall away.

(I especially want to mention the "green" sweetness provided by the hyacinth. I love Guerlain’s hyacinth note. I smell this next to a live hyacinth in bloom, and it captures that wild, springlike freshness in both Chamade and Nahema. I cannot speak more highly of the effect it has on me.)

Nahema is like an old-fashioned box of ladies’ face powder—the loose, peach/flesh colored powder with the aroma of cosmetics. Imagine a well-dressed woman standing at a department store cosmetics counter, surrounded by mirrors. She opens a box and applies her powder, using a fluffy powder puff. A little haze of dust arises around her face. Then she shuts the box too quickly and, “poof!” A small cloud of powder explodes and settles slowly. That is Nahema to me.

When the powder is gone, there remains the most tender, peach gummy bear candy—or a soft little piece of rose flavored loukoum. Oh! Guerlain peach. Oh!

Answer:
Due to my allergy I'm being very careful and have applied a little dab of Penhaligon's Bluebell to my top. It's a beautiful, fresh yet quintessentially English floral. Not too sweet but pretty nonetheless. One day I will invest in a bottle.

Answer:
Bouncing into Basenotes, high on caffeine and love of fragrance and my BN sweethearts ... drenched in nectar myself. We smell F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!
Floral Saturday gives me the opportunity to perform my three-layer act.
In circus ring #1: Wet Garden: sprayed on my t-shirted torso, it gives off that florist's fridge scent of carnations and wet stems.
In ring #2: La Chasse aux Papillons: sprayed across my long sleeves, its many sweet, white blossoms make me envy the bee who can dive headlong into their fresh petals.
In ring #3: DSH Nouveau Gardenia: spritzed lightly over La Chasse. I'd never have tried this scent if not for Shycat since other gardenia scents didn't thrill me, but this one's different and carries a musky base. It manages the La Chasse so it isn't so sweet.
I'm covered in spring! Well, my long-sleeved t-shirt is. I find only Guerlain scents work really well on my skin. Others are generally better on my clothing.

Answer:
Due to a fortuitous change in weather I began my floral festivities a bit early. Spring is my season for enjoying florals and since UK weather / seasons can be so temperamental I thought I'd better take advantage of the improved conditions.

Yesterday I craved a perfume that smelled like champagne, or at least created the impression of it. My beloved YSL Champagne / Yvresse was too 'yeasty' / heavy but I found the perfect scent: Houbigant Demi-Jour!

Houbigant Demi-Jour - Aldehydic Floral - 1988
Top: Aldehyde, Bergamot oil, Green Note, Violet
Heart: Heliotrope, Jasmin, Lily of the Valley, Orris, Rose, Ylang-Ylang
Base: Cedarwood, Moss, Musk, Sandalwood

Although very similar to Yvresse, Demi-Jour is a tarter, more acidic interpretation of the Champagne feel. Demi-Jour is extra-dry to Yvresse's sweeter demi-sec.

This is commonly catergorised as a classic aldehydic floral, and likened to Chanel No.5, Revillion Detchema and Dolce & Gabbana Woman. But Demi-Jour has a much more youthful, modern feel on my skin with non of the cold aloofness that is a major aspect of this family. Though I must stress it isn't 'girly' either. I imagine that Audrey Hepburn's eponymous heroine in Sabrina would have worn something like this of an evening, after her sojourn in Paris.

I am sad that this beauty has been discontinued but also happy that I have had the good fortune to discover and enjoy such a beauty before it disappeared altogether.

The funny thing is, even though I love Houbigant perfumes and trust their inherent craftmanship and class, I purchased Demi-Jour first and foremost for the gorgeous cut glass Victoriana style bottle! It was one of the very rare times when the bottle / packaging influenced my purchase more than the jus inside. Luckily for me the perfume is just as delightful as the bottle it comes in. Now that's something that's worth a (Champagne) toast... Cheers!

*********************


This morning I awoke with my spring head firmly in place and went sniffing for a fresh, feminine floral to wear today. It is very warm so I am craving a sense of 'cleanness' to my perfume.

Although, my beloved spring regular, Guerlain Champs-Elysees EDT was smelling delicious again (after smelling like bleach to me in the cold weather a few weeks ago), I found myself reaching for a long neglected favourite: Cerruti 1881 Eau d'Ete (2003).

Cerruti 1881 pour Femme Eau d'Ete - Floral Floral - 2003
Top Notes: Bergamot, Freesia, Mimosa, Violet, Blond Woods
Middle Notes: Rosewood, Chamomile, Coriander, Jasmine, Geranium, Orange Flower
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Ambrette, Musk

Sadly, I cannot find an individual listing of notes for this scent so have used those listed for the original upon which this summer version is based. This was the first summer version of this perfume launched and was such a great success that Cerruti have released a new contemporary interpretation every year since. A brief marketing description states: "Cerruti 1881 Eau d'ete summer fragrance is described as a soft, feminine scent that captures the freshness of nature in the summer. It features top notes of pink hyacinth and green grass, mid notes of mirabelle..."

I believe the original summer version was / is the best so far! It opens much fresher, greener than the original but has lost much of the starched crisp linen coolness. Where the original evoked a pristine, crisp, starched linen summer suit in the office, the first Eau d'Ete version evokes softly creased, worn linen (like a long skirt) worn whilst playing and lying back enjoying the sun in the park on a summer's day. Still elegant and classic, with that unique linen accord but much softer, warmer and more gently feminine throughout.

I was completely smitten when I first smelled this in the summer / autumn of 2003 and immediately bought two huge 100ml bottles. I am still only a third way through my first bottle, due to unforeseen illness and chemistry changes, but will never relinquish my stash. Today, I am reminded again of why I fell in love with this in the first place and the love affair begins anew!

For those rare ladies that adore the original Cerruti 1881 pour Femme but find it a little too staid and demanding, or just want a softer, more casually feminine version this one may be for you.

Answer:
Hello, fellow Sniff & Speakers!!!
Last week (and again today), I decided to try out two brand new floral scents... And although they are wildly different, I am head-over-heels in love with BOTH of them.
First, on one side, our own Annette Neuffer's (http://www.naturparfum.net) Narcissus Poeticus. I need to say up front that Annette has achieved something here that I thought completely impossible: she's created a predominantly white flower scent that not only holds its floral freshness on my skin, but that I love so much I must own a full container of the stuff!
Head notes: Bergamot, Clementine, Tunisian Neroli, Violet Leaf
Heart: French Narcissus Absolute, Tunisian Orange Flower Absolute, Indian Tuberose, Egyptian Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose Otto
Base: Vanilla Absolute, Mysore Sandalwood, Musk
I suspect that it's the sweet and spicy base that's keeping the fragrance so lovely for me, but whatever it is, I am finding it makes me exceedingly happy. I am redolant early spring in this scent...
And full-blown springtime in Neil Morris Fragrances (www.neilmorrisfragrances.com) Storm. (Some background: I've heard about NMF as a Boston-area custom perfumer for years, but haven't been able to justify a pricey custom fragrance, and couldn't find his perfumes commercially. Recently NMF decided to open a retail line. I promptly dropped my $18 to test all six frags available. They very nicely also sent me two additional fragrance samples they plan to add to the line soon, including Storm. I must say I think the fragrances are wonderful, though not all to my taste.) But Storm really blew me away.
At first I got what I can only describe as watery notes. Then... there are flowers! Everywhere. It's late May or early June, and my skin has transformed into the middle of somebody's flower garden immediately after it's rained, and you can tell that those flowers are wet.
I would describe it as 'antique flower garden' flowers -- hyacinth and delphinium, maybe some mimosa. Also, a particularly delicious cinnamony patchouli that ends up bringing in a very subtle wet soil base with the occasional civet note. Definitely full-bottle worthy.
Happy S&S to all!

Answer:
Ah, ComDiva, enabler extraordinaire...you make my mouth water and my nose buds cry out in expectation
After my happy wearing of Tub Couture, I changed into Gelsomino del Deserto (Desert Jasmine), allegedly a Florence exclusive from the I Profumi di Firenze line. This morning, the very first jasmine flower of the season bloomed on my balcony, so I can easily compare and this scent is all about jasmine, a soliflore very true to the real thing. Slightly smoky and rubbery if sniffed close to the skin, otherwise I am feeling like Botticelli's Spring Goddess.

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by ComDiva Recently NMF decided to open a retail line. I promptly dropped my $18 to test all six frags available. Well, thanks a bunch. Just dropped nine bucks to try three out of the six. Thanks a bunch!! (Background sobbing is Amex card.)

Answer:
[quote=purplebird7;1011127]... or the very-berry Givenchy Very Irresistible with its anise note, /QUOTE]
I guess the anise is the culprit of the bubblegum/mouthwater smell I get from Very Irresistible; my skin bring out nothing but the anise it seems. I learn something new everyday.
I have been smelling of all sorts of flower today; lily of the valley from Jessica McClintock while I was outside gardening; and now I'm off to a film evening wih girlfriends; wearing Champs Elysées.
The Narcissus Poeticus sounds lovely Comdiva; my favorite from Annette so far is Rose Absolue.

Answer:
Houbigant's glorious Wistaria...a very true soliflore.
--------------------------------------
Was going to finish out the evening in Dark Brilliance and savor the carnations, but ended up doing a side by side of ET Gardenia and YR Gardenia. ET had a nice gardenia "from a distance" bouquet feel, while the YR was a "I stuck my nose in the gardenia and I can't get out"...so I washed them off and am ending Saturday with Secret Datura.