Smokingboot

Lana Del Rey's Video Games. I cannot get rid of it, it's been like this for ages.

This is a strange song for me, I love it but tire of it quickly. And yet here it is over and over.

A dream the night before last, sofas and beds and maybe even buildings constructed in flower shapes, a huge bird of paradise plant big enough to be a viewing platform, a voice repeating 'Here come the people!' Emphasis on the first syllable of 'people' in a high pitched near-song. It repeated often, but the tune has faded away to be replaced by Lana again. Everything's been replaced by Lana for about four days. Very strange.

Bigger tester for Absolute Aphrodisiac because I like it enough to try more. The blurb goes: Absolute Aphrodisiac activates the carnal energies of animalic fragrance. It is a heady scent inviting white flowers and vanilla before overpowering with a rush of musk, amber, and castoreum.

'Chocolate cake!' Announced R as he walked into the room, 'delicious!'

I may have found the one.

These are perfumes I thought were cologne styles suitable for hot climes. Turns out God of Fire applied in the heat stops being a dry mango scent pretty fast, and smells so like grilled fish on me I had to scrub it off. I gave it to my friend whose flat we stayed in becaise it undoubtedly smells a lot better on her, and doesn't turn into anything weird. Bleecker Street works, stays very floral, and doesn't change notes but its longevity is affected by the heat ever so slightly. Surprisingly Erba Pura works better in a Scottish Spring than a Maltese one, but it's just not that special, fizzy lemony maybe. In any case I wouldn't buy it because a perfume is a luxury experience and one pays a lot for it, so I expect the bottle to please me aesthetically. My dressing table demands magpie nonsense. All of these have slightly rubbishy looking bottles.

https://50-ml.co.uk/stephane-humbert-lucas-god-of-fire-eau-de-parfum

https://www.xerjoff.com/xerjoff-vibe-collection/10436-erba-pura-eau-de-parfum-100ml.html?srsltid=AfmBOooJbykqQ4O_9RSs3vyLAQ-7pB4sYXckR-Mu5Oi4N09ZJeKrWgxn


Nope, nope, Erba Pura's actually turning as I write this, citrus becoming indistinguishable from general dry fruitiness. Strike that one. Bleecker Street's the best on me, but the bottle looks like the Joker designed it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bond-Bleecker-Street-Parfum-Spray/dp/B00N5RLMLQ?th=1

Right. Time for work.

Woke on Sunday with an itchy rash and faintly peeling skin at one of the lymph sites. Looks like sunburn. Common side-effect apparently. The earache - another common side effect - has been around for days and I've no idea how to get rid of it. Can't wander round all day pressing a pillow against my ear. Right now I'm taking pain killers every morning, very irritating.

Strange dream last night; a man captured me intending my murder. We were in a place similar to a graveyard, but more like ruins, grey stone remnants of buildings in the grass, crumbled walls one had to climb over. I could see it from above as well as from my own eye view. I think the man must have thought me stupefied because he seemed astonished when I ran towards people, and an old mate suddenly appeared with her phone and called the police. It was all very easy to deal with though I was terrified at first.

Because of Storm Eowyn, treatment was cancelled on Friday so I spoiled myself with just a dab of experiment utterly forbidden for most of this experience of operations and treatment; they barely accept me using soap and deodorant's a total no-no.

R wants me to create a spreadsheet of acceptable perfumes. I can start by listing testers he need not get again. Time to abandon hope of anything remarkable coming from Escentric Molecules, even if I find the bottles cute enough. 2023 he got me a sample of their Molecule O1, (https://smokingboot.dreamwidth.org/1063333.html) which is basically Iso E Super, a very well known note in perfume. Anyone who has ever worn Calvin Klein's Obsession or Eternity will know the smell even if not familiar with its name. It smells like cedar/wood shavings, but its super power is that Iso E Super is great for longevity. You spray this first, then on goes your actual perfume, and it lasts a lot longer as well as being slightly intensified.

This year he got me a sample of Molecule O1+ Iris. By 'Iris' they mean orris root which gives off a very powdery scent often treated to bring a touch of violets. Somehow the staying power of Iso E Super has just plain disappeared and this perfume has hopelessly weak staying power, especially given a price of £124 per 100 ml. However when I was clearing out the cafetiere I got some grains on my wrist and the combination with violets was delectable. So I'll keep an eye out for coffee/violet combos, see if they suit me.

Trying to start work this morning, and very reluctant to do it. I put the Hubby's jeans on by mistake and am too tired to replace them. The Hubby has the answer (about the situation rather than the jeans. He's philosophical re the latter.)

'You're exhausted. You've been fighting cancer for 18 months, then you got this horrible lurgy for a month, you're still coughing, you are about to start radiotherapy, you have already been told you will be tired for weeks after, so if you edit this now you will come back to it later and say 'this isn't very good.' You are the worst patient in the world. What you should actually be doing is something relaxing like using your painting by numbers present.'

Wise and kind for sure. But I can't do the painting by numbers thing right now because the cleaner's in the kitchen where stands the only table large enough to spread out the picture.

I want to review something and am taking forever to read it for all the above reasons. A chapter a day finishes me. Ridiculous.

So back to Pointless Perfume Reviews! This time it's Absolute Aphrodisiac
(https://uk.initioparfums.com/products/absolute-aphrodisiac) one of those scents that seems to drive perfumistas mad. There was much stuff about musky bottoms and one controversial comment that likened it to spaghetti bolognaise. Clearly this person faces greater cooking challenges than even I do. Absolute Aphrodisiac is an almost simple vanilla fragrance, with just enough castoreum to keep it from cookie sweetness (though I like cookie sweetness too!) There's a bit of musk and amber, resulting in one of the least challenging perfumes imaginable. This is lovely for cold days. Not convinced about its longevity. But yes, gorgeous easy stuff.

Black Phantom by Killian (https://www.bykilian.co.uk/product/19797/50809/perfume/black-phantom--memento-mori/the-cellars#/sku/115015) keep it for smell like a pirate day.

Rum and chocolate and coffee and almonds ('cyanide' in the descriptions, yo-ho-ho!) Maybe a bit of leather. The atmosphere it's trying to evoke is wonderfully expressed on the page: On turbulent seas, an inescapably transient pirate ship braves black waters, leagues deep in mystery. I am left wondering what an 'inescapably transient' vessel is like. Do they mean a ferry?

Anyway, this is fun, better on R than me, but still. Woeful longevity for the price, but the remnants are pleasant.

I am sticking to perfumes because people are already dismaying me and the year's not even a week old.

2024 is the third year R has bought me samples of perfume to play with and here I go!

https://uk.initioparfums.com/products/side-effect

Side Effects top notes are weird. Tobacco and rum are listed, but at first I'm a bit what the hell is this? Still haven't worked out what's going on, the underlying buzziness of cinnamon being all I distinctly get. I wouldn't wear this on public transport within the first 20 minutes, but after that the dry-down is lovely. Anyone who likes cherry cough syrup would have no problems with this and it's not too sugary either. The longer it's on, the more elegant it becomes, its final hours dwindling to a classic amber treatment, utterly gorgeous. It's a fragrance for any time except the hottest weather, and sure, it could be worn at work or after it. Probably a bit wasted at a festival/gig. I sprayed it in the morning, was delighted, and resprayed it for watching Labyrinth just so's Jareth never forgets me, try as he might. My yuuuj pink cardi reeks of it. Still delicious.

Cherry notes are a thing. I can detect them here though they are not listed at all, so maybe it's just me. Tom Ford's brought out a line of cherry based perfumes, and they smell OK. No synthetic attempt can simulate fresh cherries, but then I've never found it to be a flavour that works well in yoghurts, cakes etc. Never had cherry pie. I had a cold cherry soup once at the Gay Hussar in Old Compton Street. It was scrumptious. Rest of the food was only average.

Side Effect's not average. I fall in love with it. Eventually.

I had this last year, like it more this year. Not for hot weather, but nice treatment of different wood notes, amber and apple are coming out too. Quite impressed with the Lavender/Cinnamon combo, would have expected these to clash horribly. Not as much longevity as I would like, but still very elegant. One to note.

ISO E Super, also known as Tetramethyl acetyloctahydronaphthalene, OTNE, Timbersilk, and Amberlan, is one of the most commonly used aromachemicals in the world. If you've ever smelled Eternity by Calvin Klein, that underlying scent is what we are talking about. It's woody, amber-like, a bit sweet. It's basically faux cedar, no trees harmed.

But hats off to Escentric Molecules for making this note the basis of an immensely successful marketing campaign. Escentric Molecules 01 'celebrates the hyper-abstraction of ISO E Super'... what is a hyper-abstraction I wonder? Apparently this scent is something you may not notice yourself but that will delight others because of the way it reacts with your skin. However, as all perfumes react with your skin, this is like someone saying you are going to enjoy the soup they make because of its special down-the-throat pouriness. EM01 = pencil shavings for around £100 per 100 ml.

However, one claim that does get made by perfumistas is that this really works as a layering perfume, adding to sillage and longevity. Bored by it within 40 minutes, I decided to try it with another tester, a big hoofing monster, Amouage Interlude Woman.

I can't even properly identify the notes in AIW. It's a thing of glory and terror. There's amber, there's nuts, there's... look, I don't know. But it's probably safe to say that in the orchestra of perfumery, this thing's the tuba. Gotta respect it.

Anyhoo, sprayed on top of dull old EM01, the result was quickly gorgeous, like unbaked cake dough without being too sweet, plus the odd occasional slightly weird herbal blast. When it gave way - and it took a while, those reports were right - the result was a very pleasant incense scent that managed to stay away from non-descript smokiness. Impressive. But you're generally looking at upwards of £300 for AIW at 100 ml, so this combination hits £400 if one is using equal amounts. That's a plane ticket to somewhere excellent and anyway my heart rebels at the idea of funding Escentric Molecules' sheer BS. So nope.

The day started ominously; I lost my father's ring.

In fairness, I had already seen the warnings. The ring was loosening on that finger from time to time. It seems most unfair. How come my fingers are thinning when the rest of me is doing the opposite? But of course, I never heed the warning til the bad thing happens, and sure enough I found myself facing that moment's dismay. After turning the house upside down I found the ring hidden in the folds of two drying up cloths bundled together in the kitchen, proof that housework is simply bad for me. The ring is sitting in a safe place now, while I work out which ring-guards to buy.

Because there are things to be looked at, some of which are tedious, others distressing and still others just frustrating, plus What We Do In The Shadows is itself shadow of what it was, I return to perfume. Oud!

Right now, everything's got oud in it. I wouldn't be surprised to find a ready meal citing oud as an ingredient. I have already dismissed 'Gladiator Oud' by Electimuss, have done with 'Silver Oud' by Amouage, but there are a fair few others in my Christmas sample selection. Yesterday I decided to brave the big one, Russian Oud II by Areej Le Doré.

A nice thread of dark chocolate note hit me straight away, not a touch of sweetness to it, lots of amber, tobacco and of course,that ubiquitous oud, only to eventually become smokey with an occasional touch of liquorice. It was...OK. The first ALD scent I have found a bit of a let down after the first blast. I insisted that R try some, and he wrinkled his nose at the top notes. 'It's like a French delicatessen' he said.
I told him to keep his eye on it throughout the day, tell me how it developed. He did so, eventually saying 'it's very nice now...' And it was. But this was 12 hours later!
'I'd have to spray it on the day before,' he laughed.
I admire a top note that hangs on in there, but you can't wander round smelling like meat and cheeses in order to have a nice pong on your wrists half a day in, especially if you're going to be on a plane. People will have things to say. Around £399 for 53 mls. Majestic but bonkers.

Ah but. Today I am wearing Oud for Greatness by Initio! So far I have only tried this and High Frequency from this brand, and both suit me. Oud for Greatness is a lavender/patchouli combo with enough oud to be recognisable, and that's kind of it. Not for hot days, but pleasant for everything else. Compared to Russian Oud II, it has a price that's less crazy* with a bottle that's more crazy, looking like it was designed by a member of the Illuminati. The write up's pretty memorable too;

The concept of "sacred geometry," the inspiration behind Oud For Greatness, is that the recurring symbols and motifs, including the sacred smell of oud, are so powerful and sacred that they are imbued with these hidden connections with the world in general, transcending the Material Plane to align those who smell it with the vibrations of the universe.
With Oud For Greatness, Initio harnesses that hidden source of power and offers a vibrant, sensual and richly spicy fragrance deeply imbued with oud from beginning to end to experience the true aroma of oud as a tonic for physical, emotional and spiritual health. Oud for Greatness is an incredibly complex elixir, both energetic and contemplative, narcotic and seductive.

I will of course, reveal if I find myself transcending the Material Plan in alignment with the vibrations of the Universe, but suspect that this is a lot to expect from a perfume.

*Not much less crazy mind; upwards of £237 for 90 ml.

This really does what it says on the tin; it smells like a frothy cappucino with an edge of chocolate and its a great not too sweet scent for being happily ordinary on a cold day. It works! It won't drive a spike into anyone's head, though it may well promote the idea that maybe we should meet in a nice cafe rather than have this meeting at work/online. It's an EDT, so it doesn't haunt one for weeks and its cheaper, but my skin's come up against it! How can this be? My skin puts up with all sorts of rubbish, my skin unflinchingly bore Frederick Malle's horrible concoction The Moon which, at £435 for 100 mls can best be described as a household fumigator infused with raspberry jam, or the entirety of Harrods perfume department bottled and thrown at passers-by. I would only wear this to actively seek the demise-by-nose of another. My methods are ruthless; hug them. Hug them often.

In comparison to that monster, how can this charming restrained little thing with a bit of coffee and lavender cause problems?

Maybe, rather than my wrist, I just need to spray it on my clothes. This could give them that winter warmer feeling, or alternatively just spread the rash to the rest of my body. Oh well. Around £115 per 100 ml.