hortus conclusus

From an email sent to me from my perfume pen pal, Tamara: Ok...so I gotta tell yah what happened to me today! I got a generous sample from a new PPP [perfume pen pal] of mine- God bless her! In these samples is thee infamous Mitsy edp! And whoa bebe, I'm excited to try her on for size. I've read so many threads on her and reviews galore. I am ready to dive into her legend that is alive and well in  Perfumistaland. I'm puttin' on my 'big girl panties' for this one! I get her on me. And.. It's Mitsouko Mayhem to my nose. I recognize the smell of too many a lady in a too small office, so much peachy spicy Mitsouko love these women had! Where is that love now- on me?  She is murdering me, assaulting me with her delicious d eath moan. I do my best to fend her off- "Be nice Mitsy, love ME Mitsy!" I try to scream at her but she attacks my open mouth , I shut it and quit huffing her. But to no avail- she clobbers me  nearly t...

Jameel is ready to go on a postprandial stroll, so he calls ringingly out to his friends with a fresh green citrus shout! Once they have all convened, he opens the hike through the southern Mediterranean citrus groves with a brace of bitter petitgrain or neroli,  but then, just as quickly, he kicks up some dust, then squats down in the middle of the dirt path. He Isn’t going anywhere till he gets his lemonade. And a brandy and a cigar. For he is a well-travelled and coddled sophisticate, this Jameel , even if he is a bit indolent. Credits: James Tissot , the holiday, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

I have been away visiting my best friend and his cousin, who owns a French bakery up in Crown Point NY, which is right on the border, practically, of Quebec. I had a blast helping Yannig (his name is an old Breton one, from his dad’s side)  to bake his  artisanal bread in the great stone oven he built by hand, even though it was like 110 degrees in the bakery. To the right you can see Laurel, my best friend Robert’s girlfriend, getting ready to load unbaked dough into the oven. When the oven door opens, a blast of fragrance explodes out with the incredible heat, redolent of woodsmoke, whatever spices and fruits may be in the bread and pastries inside, and the yeasty, supremely comforting fragrance of baking bread. when the bread comes out of the oven, my nose can differentiate between the different kinds; Crown Point Bread’s signature pain rustique,with its hearty, full, wheaty smell, the more delicate, tantalizing odor of baguettes, and, the absolutely ...

Excerpted from a personal email written to me by Tamara, my guest commentator: Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm? :p Bvlgari Black is not bad but I do not want to smell like a vanilla condom. Amen to that, Tamara! CREDITS: Paintings, both entitled “A Priestess” by John William Godward Courtesy of Art Renewal Center at www.artrenewal.org                        

Some of you may remember I really liked the mystery a nd dark depth of Ormonde Jayne woman , but complained that its longevity left too much to be desired to justify Full Bottle Status? And then the lovely Mrs. Trefusis recommended OJ man to me in the comments, suggesting that might give me the satisfaction I crave? Well, a long, lingering encounter with OJ Woman’s masculine counterpart has lead me to conclude that this is the real candidate for possession! As witchy as Woman, but considerably more bold, this is a soft, sweet, dusty, cardamom, vetiver, birch tar party. A good, mysterious scent, perfect for any shaman you know, or you could wear it yourself, whoever you may be. I see it as definitely unisex, as well as well-composed—no component or note stands out from the rest in the composition. T he oudh--sometimes a stand-out centerpiece in fragrances in an annoying way-- is blended in here very well—it does not scream oudh. Rather, I find myself wondering—what IS that faint woo...

Behold, a venerable and dangerous bottle of perfume is riddling. Who will be the first to name her true name? You should search for me in your dreams: Morpheus is my father, he who pushes at the seams of your consciousness when you are asleep or perhaps when you’re under my red sway so deep. Sunk in your couch, or on a Chinese bed while visions of courtesans dance through your head, inhale me and transport yourself to a land where the texture of silk brocade smooth on your hand Reassures you when you feel you’ve flown too far on the wings of my namesake, floral bliss in a jar; remember the poppies that made me, the resin so sticky and black and heavy as Heaven and know me, for I am more than iconic the scent of the 70’s,  I know its ironic, for nobody used me all that much, they’d all moved on to a heavier touch but I represented a golden time long gone by when respectable gents visited dens to get high and lounged in a s...

L' Heure Bleue. I am twitterpated by her pensive softness. She is lovely and melancholy and I want to give her a home right by the fire come late fall. Everything about this scent is perfect. I know some people can't handle what they perceive as "G'ma's here!" But I am enamored by the spicy carnation, fluffy violet and creamy rose and tuberose. And the drydown is what I crave the most. I know she stands for the The Blue Hour in twilight and I get that but for me she fits right in with my tender dreams of spring on a brutal, grey /blue day in the heart of winter when each afternoon bleeds into the next with no change in sight. We can console each other till the dawn.... Aaagghhh there I go again, waxin poetic to yah! Fragrance gets that outta me everytime. Written by Tamara CREDITS: Viktor Vasnetsov, “Snow Maiden,” 1899, in Tretyakov Gallery, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I’ve been hanging out wi th my two cellist siblings a lot this summer and it has gotten me thinking about cellos. Well, cellos and people. Well, cellos, perfume and people. You see, to me the cello is the instrument that most resembles the human voice. In shape, it most resembles the human form. Its voice is mostly male, its form mostly female, and thus it is fundamentally androgynous, a quality which has done much to keep it in the collective unconscious of pop culture. Even the act  of playing the cello is intimate in a way unlike any other player’s relationship with his instrument. The female player titillatingly holds the cello between her thighs when she performs—my sister has trouble finding black clothing appropriate for performance for this very reason—and their union results in the birth of music itself. The male cellist, too, is locked in a creative embrace of his beloved. The color of the cello—as well as its tone—is the richest warmest honeyed amber, in one of the mos...

Ellen Covey, the talented perfumer of the brand spanking new niche line Olympic Orchids , created this fragrance with a specific image in mind—an imp sleeping under a tree on a midsummer day.  I like the idea of such reversal—dreaming supernatural beings in the day in sharp contrast to Shakespeare’s famous dreaming humans in the night. This is a perfect fragrance for a sweltering summer day—it holds a mirror up to nature, so to speak, and really captures the ripeness and dirtiness of a summer day, while refreshing and cooling with a sour lemon/currant topnote that lasts throughout its lifespan. This is at its core an earthy fig fragrance, green and brown, and very summery, so of course I thought of Ines, the lovely blogger over at All I am-a Redhead , who adores fig fragrances. I bet you’ll lik e this one, Ines! A Midsummer Day’s Dream opens with and retains a very sour fruit smell—the notes say black currant, and I’ll buy that, but also mention I detect a strong lemon com...

As I have been writing this blog over the past few months, I’ve been thinking that I need an alter-ego, someone really different from myself, who can say things that I wouldn’t say to spice things up around here. I have a {bad} habit of getting a little too in my own mind, ranting along about crap that mayn’t interest everyone, getting into gloomy moods, and so forth. I was about to invent and pretend to be a second poster, a character who was exactly not me, but then a real person showed up...my perfume pen pal, Tamara. Tamara is a kind, thoughtful, hilarious woman from the Pacific Northwest who adores fragrance. Some the things she says make me laugh, because she’s so dead on. Other things she says are very tender and sweet. I have grown to look forward to our frequent perfume-related correspondence, because she always  has something to say that I wouldn’t. So, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, dear readers, the new feature here at hortus conclusus : TOTD , or Tamara o...

I just received a pack of the Scented Djinn’s line of perfumes, and I am very impressed with Sahar— This is seriously quality juice! Something about it reminds me of Thai food-in the best way possible—that sour lime and woody/sour/aromatic lemongrass-ginger combo is true to life here. So, as an adventure in sinaesthesia suggestion, I’d say give this a go the next time you go out for Thai food! I bet that would be awesome…. Sahar boasts a citrus/lemon/bergamot sharpness on top of a round, full floral/green accord that is truly luminous. On me, the white flowers come out, and create that Fraca s-like yeasty butteriness that I love oh so much—but unlike Fracas , which is full-bore floral, this is green and fresh! Sweet, tart, woody, lovely, yes…. I do not think of the Sahara Desert when I smell this—rather, as I said, of Thai food and fresh, sour, green things. It is not a dry fragrance, as its name might lead one to believe, but rather, a moist and lush affair. In the drydown—som...

Hotlanta Linda , please contact me so I can send you your discovery set of Tauer perfumes! Yours, la Bonne Vivante CREDITS: Triton Blowing on a Conch Shell . [1] Etching. 198 × 165 mm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (Inventory number RP-P-1878-A-925).

Welcome to the fourth installment of my new feature here on Hortus Conclusus , in which a perfume bottle sings a little riddle, and it’s up to you to guess which bottle of perfume is riddling. Hark! The bottle speaks: Although I delight in barroom raunch, I’m not recommended to those with a paunch. You must be quite lean, and perhaps somewhat mean, to wear me; I pack quite a smokey, dark punch. That is the problem, and also the solution, but also, my white flowers suffer no dilution! They swim side by side with the ciggies so snide, I’m retro-ironic-- t’was my author’s intention. Who am I? CREDITS: Franz Von Stuck “Sphinx” courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I recently got a full set of samples and some soaps from a brand new niche perfumery— Olympic Orchids —and I have to say that I am quite im pressed with the perfumer Ellen Covey’s nose and vision. As I told her: I just got your package today, and I must say I was blown away! I had a feeling your work would be good, but I had no idea HOW good. I was literally shaking my head in wonder and amazement at the balance, the craftsmanship of each scent, everything. I will be writing about your whole line on my blog. Not to mention buying some FBs for myself when my budget expands. thanks so much for allowing me to experience your work. I see great things in your future as a perfumer. Here’s the deal: I really think everyone should give this line a try. I was impressed with every single thing I smelled, and I do intend to review them all over the coming weeks. SO here’s the first of many, a rather telegraphic review of Olympic Orchids Red Cattleya : This fragrance is fruity—real...

It’s still really hot here, so I am making lots of cold soups. Here are some more recipes, for those who are also suffering this heat wave. Cold sweet corn soup. Slice the kernels off at least 4 ears of fresh sweet corn and blend with 1 sauteed onion and 4 sauteed whole garlic cloves, 2 tbsps. lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, and the liquid of your choice—cream, milk, evaporated milk, chicken stock, or buttermilk. Blend till relatively smooth-textured. Open a can of chipotle peppers, and drain out the juice into a bow l, reserving the peppers for another use. blend a bit of the reserved liquid with olive oil, and then drizzle this on top of each bowl of cold corn soup, adding a dollop of sour cream as well! Enjoy! Kurt’s Cold Cucumber Soup (one of my favorites ) in a blender, 2 peeled cukes, chopped a bit enough buttermilk to make it blend nicely one clove of raw garlic dill a tsp. Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, wi...

Well, today’s the day I announce the winner of the giveaway. I have the names all lined up and ready to draw! But first, what have I learned about Tauer’s line? That I adore it! That I think Andy Tauer might be a genius. That I admire his integrity, hard work, and inspiration. That I am pumped that he has some new fragrances coming out soon—I’m now officially a Tauer addict! That I need to buy myself some full bottles. The question is only, which to choose? SO I have ripped up the names into little strips now. I’m putting them in a bowl…. Bringing them out for my husband to draw…. WHO WILL IT BE? DRUMROLL PLEASE….. HOTLANTA LINDA! Congratulations! Please contact me with your info, and I’ll have your lovely discovery set out to you posthaste! Finally I want to thank Andy for his generous donation of samples and the discovery set-I really appreciate your support of Hortus Conclusus. And thank you all for following!  

Well, here we are at the last Tauer review (at least for now, until Andy releases his new fragrances) and I feel a little melancholy to have completed this project! It has been a blast exploring this exotic and fragrant world with you. But since we are at our last review, I chose to try something a little different. I am going to review Lonestar Memories through the lens of my own memories of my artist/cowboy uncle, whose face immediately came to mind the first moment I smelled this sagey, western fragrance. My uncle Bruce started out as a talented artist making his living painting watercolors and creating pots, table tops and other useful and decorative items o ut of fiberglass. Then in the late 1980’s he designed and directed the building of Transisco tours’ "The 49er Express", a dining/tourist train which ran in northern California and Nevada. He and my aunt Roxanne were the owners of Dr. Hoys, a line of body products  that he developed, manufactured and sold for man...

SO my cat looks like I feel: pooped. It has been a great week, but very busy here! First, my best friend and his girlfriend stopped by on their cross-country roadtrip….   they were doing contact dance and gymnastics in the living room. You know, like you do (LOL). we went on a picnic together, and toured downtown Ithaca (I won a free rose here!) we walked around the lily pond in Cornell’s Plantations and listened to the frogs in the evening. Some bird dropped a feather here. After they left, my brother and his wife (the Brazilian) came over from michigan to spend the 4th here. we went on a drive to Skaneatles, a Finger Fake and town to the east of us where the water is crystal-clear and got some homemade malts and super-fresh fish  at Doug’s Fish Fry for the 4th, I threw a party down by Cayuga Lake. my thesis advisor and a bunch of grad students came. we sat on the dock, watched the sunset, and then the fi...