New Escentual Post: Caron Parfum Sacré

Caron Parfum Sacré - My Winter Warmer — Caron Parfum Sacré – The Scent of Cold Winter Nights

I am in full-on winter mode, and just as well really, seeing as the temperature dials have been twisted firmly towards the blue and the season of frost has started. As you may have noticed from Monday’s post, I’m rocking as many scarves as I can, but I’ve also got myself a snazzy new coat and the heated seats in my car have never seen so much use. In short: it’s officially winter.

At this time of year, I tend to pull out much warmer and heavier perfumes, as I’m sure many of you also do. One of my absolute favorites is Caron’s Parfum Sacré, a most beautiful floral incense that sits somewhere smack bang in the middle of France and Oman. Parfum Sacré is the olfactory equivalent of a hot water bottle, or a purring feline on the lap. It’s simply divine and for that reason, I’ve dedicated this week’s Escentual column to it. Click here to read about one of my favourite winter fragrances.

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A Journey Through The World of Amber with Olfactoria and Perfume Lovers London

Bloggers x 4 — A Gaggle of Perfume Bloggers: Birgit & Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels, Vanessa of Bonkers About Perfume and me, The Candy Perfume Boy.

The Perfume Lovers London events organised by Lila Das Gupta as part of Olfactory Events are a fabulous opportunity to learn about perfume, to talk to and meet with like minded perfumeophiles and discover a plethora of new, exciting perfumes. It’s safe to say that every event is a joy to attend so the news that one of my favourite bloggers, Birgit of Olfactoria’s Travels, was going to be holding her very own event was very exciting indeed!

I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir here, but Olfactoria’s Travels has become a go-to blog for many perfume lovers and it’s teeming with beautifully written reviews, informed discussion and passion from Birgit and Tara, who have both changed the face of the perfume blogosphere.

For her event, Birgit promised to take us on a journey through the world of amber, a sensible subject choice seeing as she has rightfully earned the title of “Queen of Amber” through her love for the genre. Now, I’ve made it no secret that amber isn’t my favourite genre of perfumes, but that’s not to say that I don’t like it either, I simply haven’t had the right amount of exposure to it, but now thanks to Birgit and Perfume Lovers London I feels as if I am well-versed on the subject!

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Whips, Chains and Feisty Dames – An Evening of Leather With Perfume Lovers London

I have to admit that I’m not the hugest fan of leather in fragrance, mainly because I really haven’t a great deal of exposure to the note, which is why I was particularly interested in attending last week’s ‘Evening of Leather’ organised by Lila Das Gupta of Perfume Lovers London/Olfactory Events. I wanted to explore leather, deconstruct and understand it, but most of all I wanted to find a leather that I loved.

Perfume Lovers London is a Meetup Group run by Olfactory Events in conjunction with Basenotes. They have so far held two events, with many more exciting meet ups in the pipeline. An Evening of Leather was hosted by Lila Das Gupta who has a penchant for leather fragrances, was the perfect captain for our voyage of discovery of a note that is steeped in history and comes in many guises.

An Evening of Leather promised to “map out the geography of leather fragrances from the meaty to the haughty” and I’m please to say that it was an event that delivered on all counts. I may have walked into the event being clueless about, and not really loving leather but I left with a new found appreciation for the genre and a head full of leather fragrances that demanded to be explored further.

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The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Lavender

There is no sight more pleasing than the sight of rolling fields of lavender.

Lavender is beautiful, whether you like the smell or not you cannot fail to be moved by the sight of purple fields of lavender rolling under the summer sky.

Lavender is a smell that I have learned to love. For many years I couldn’t abide its smell, which to me was reminiscent of old ladies, underwear drawers and cleaning products. These connotations give lavender a bad rep that it absolutely doesn’t deserve for it is one of the most complex and pleasing fragrance ingredients available.

What I have found most interesting on my lavender scented journey is despite the fact that it is such a bold and distinct smell, it is also incredibly versatile and there are a melange of superb perfumes that showcase the note in unique and fascinating ways.

Lavender

Lavender is part of the mint family and there are approximately 39 species within its genus. It grows in abundance across the world, mainly in; The Canary Islands, Madeira, North and East Africa, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, Arabia and India. [1]

The Smell

The smell of lavender is arguably one of the most distinct smells on the planet. It has many facets, it is herbal, sweet – like burned sugar, fresh, green, minty, menthol and floral. Despite its distinctive aroma, lavender is an incredibly versatile material that can be interpreted in a plethora of interesting and surprising ways.

To me, lavender is the smell of summer.

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Taking the Plunge – To Blind Buy or Not to Blind Buy?

To blind buy or not to blind buy, that is the question. Shakespeare said that didn’t he? Well, he said something along those lines anyway. The blind buy is for those thrill-seeking perfumistas who like the adrenalin rush, it’s like playing Russian Roulette, except with perfume instead of the bullets and a fraction of the danger.

What is a Blind Buy?

I’m sure most of the lovely people reading this post are familiar with the blind buy but for those who aren’t, a blind buy (or blind trade) is simply where a fragrance is purchased completely untested.

From my experience, a blind buy can happen for many reasons; perhaps there has been a lot of buzz on the internet about a particular fragrance or the notes list sounds right up your street or even a favourite house/brand releases a brand new fragrance that you simply must have.

I’m sure you’ve all been there, reading reviews from a variety of blogs and websites and thinking ‘I know I’m going to like this’ before reaching for the credit card.

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