A short 'underwater ballet' for Kusmi's Anastasia tea.
Two times two plus one ~ quick perfume reviews
Quick reviews of two fragrances from Lush (Kerbside Violet and All Good Things), two from Imaginary Authors (The Soft Lawn and Yesterday Haze), and one from Memo (Inlé).
Lush Kerbside Violet
A lovely gentle violet with jasmine and ylang. It’s sweetish but not too sweet, and nothing like so strong and sugared as the brand’s Tuca Tuca…
Holiday fragrance gifts 2014, part 5
The ‘miscellaneous’ gift selection: today we’ve got solid perfumes, plus tea and chocolate, and a few things that just don’t fit anywhere else.
From Lush, the jasmine bomb Lust in a solid perfume tin: “It’s virtually unheard of for a perfume to be this sexy. Seriously, we have really done it this time. Lust is a heady mash-up of rich florals and a warm, woody base that lasts on the skin for hours and hours. LUSH perfume and co-founder Mark has been working on jasmine fragrances for years, and this time he’s gone all the way. Unabashedly sexy, Lust stirs an inexplicable carnal yearning. Resistance is futile.” $11.95 at Lush in the USA…
By Kilian Imperial Tea ~ perfume review
Imperial Tea is the latest addition to the Asian Tales collection from niche line By Kilian. It is being launched along with Sacred Wood, and the duo made me sit up and take notice: I’m not always a huge fan of the By Kilian line, and the earlier scents in the Asian Tales series — Bamboo Harmony, Water Calligraphy and Flower of Immortality — pretty much left me cold, but jasmine tea and Mysore sandalwood? Theoretically, at least, I’m in.
I’ll talk about Sacred Wood later (possibly on Thursday); today’s focus is the Imperial Tea, inspired by the Asian tale of “The Big Red Toga Tea” (you can read versions here and here), and promising “the olfactory impression of authentic Jasmin tea”.1 Jasmine tea is one of my favorite smells in the world. I drink a cup of Yin Hao jasmine nearly every morning, and while there are fancier (and more expensive) versions of jasmine tea, few of them can beat a really top quality Yin Hao. The smell from a freshly opened pouch or tin is exquisite, and the taste is about as close to a drinkable perfume as you are likely to get.
The Imperial Tea fragrance was developed by perfumer Calice Becker, and it’s darned close to perfection…
Valentine’s Day fragrance gifts 2014
A few gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, in case anyone is in need of (scented) inspiration. Do feel free to comment and tell us what present you’d most like to get!
From Diptyque, a brooch you can scent with your favorite fragrance: “Our new hand embroidered Rose brooch was developed in partnership with jewelry designers, Macon & Lesquoy. Perfume the ceramic drop and enjoy your fragrance all day long.” $55 at Diptyque…