hortus conclusus

Where the bee sucks, there suck I; In a cowslip's bell I lie; There I couch when owls do cry. On the bat's back I do fly After summer merrily. Merrily, merrily shall I live now Under the blossom that hangs on the bough. SO says the freed Ariel, and so do I wish I could do. Alas, I am but a human and must content myself with sucking nectar from a different kind of vessel. And I found some interesting new nectar in an unexpected place this morning. A few weeks ago, Jessica said: “Ever since I started reading your blog I have been searching for scents that I like and find wearable (which, admittedly, are rather few). One of my absolute favorite smells and flavors is citrus (particularly orange blossom, can you recommend a good--and perhaps more widely available--soliflore? Serge Lutens is kind of inaccessible from my current location). I have always loved the marriage of citrus and "darker" elements wh...

There has been a lot of bad press about Detroit and its environs lately, but I must say, it is a great place to shop for perfume. I have had a great time this past week exploring the little specialty boutiques, as well as the big stores packed with scent. It is a welcome change for me from my small upstate town, which is nice in its way, but has absolutely nowhere to sniff things! SO here, my list of must-dos in Detroit for perfumistas. First, one simply must head off to Birmingham, a gay-friendly suburb of the big city filled with locally-owned upscale boutiques as well as a few chain stores here and there. There you’ll find two very pleasant venues for sniffing. Well, actually, these shops are more than just pleasant. I had a great time in both of these charming boutiques, and found myself wishing I lived closer so I could enjoy the sniffings offered in Birmingham more often. The first, Lori Karbal , is  an adorable, well-curated beauty supply and clothing store. I spoke w...

I have been going through a citrus phase lately, wearing Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte and Serge Lutens' Fleurs D'Oranger lots and lots , and even sometimes the light citrusy juices Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat and Euphoria Blossom . I found myself mixing a drink last night that really summed up my feelings on the matter. You can see that it looks a bit like a raw egg, so I'm still trying to come up with the right moniker. The 'yolks' in the center are little kumquats, cut in half and squeezed lightly to release their singular citrus fragrance and flavor. I cut up a lime and put it in a shaker with just the tiniest soupcon of Saint-Germain elderflower liqueur, then poured in the Russian Standard vodka that is my hands-down preference for vodka (an article coming on this soon) and a bit of homemade club soda. The composition overall is very fragrant, delicate, and delicious, and tastes a little bit like drinking some bespoke flower water.

I just tried a tester of this straight musky scent and am impressed with it. I then checked online reviews, and was somewhat surprised to see so many people put this down, saying pretty much the same thing, every one of them--an unexciting, well-behaved musk. Suspicious, I checked my copy of Tanya Sanchez and Luca Turin's Perfumes, the Guide , and sure enough, he gave it two stars, and, you guessed it, said it was an unexciting, well-behaved musk. this just goes to show how much of the perfume-connoisseur business is, like other things like wine tasting and art appreciation, an Emperor's New Clothes deal. If one of the big players says something, God forbid someone thinks otherwise!