HS3

I just realized that I had taken photos of Derring Do a couple weeks back, but forgot to ever post them! I had spent the afternoon at The Galleria in Tyson’s Corner and after an absurdly comical experience in Joseph Bank (the guy I dealt with really reminded me of Gil, the car salesman from The Simpsons), I went over to a shop to do some sniffing. I wanted something light and crisp to have for the upcoming warm months. I had never been able to try any of the scents from Ineke, a niche brand based in San Francisco, and I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the line is somewhat geared towards the more feminine spectrum, but a few were really great unisex fragrances (I recall really liking Field Notes From Paris, as well). I generally don’t go for scents with things like “Rain Notes” in their pyramid, but this one was an exception. It’s not a scent that will reinvent your idea of the genre, but it does what it’s supposed to do perfectly and even gets a lot of compliments. I even got a “now that’s the way a man should smell.” Can’t complain!

Get comfortable – there are bunch of shots here.

I just got back from a great time back in Florida this past weekend. I’m tan and tired and ready for another vacation!
I took some shots of my birthday present last night – Eau de Polder by Mastenbroek. I should be able to get those out of the camera and up here in the next couple days.

CONGRATS Aubrey! Random.org picked you as the winner! I’ll shoot you an email to get your shipping info.

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I’ve been trying to tidy up my collection over the past couple weeks and I realized that there were still whole boxes of samples that still hadn’t even been opened since I moved. As I’m filing things away to where they need to be, I thought I’d give away some samples, rather than just letting them sit. Nearly all of these are fragrances I loved and ended up purchasing bottles (I’ve topped them back off so you can enjoy fully), with the exception of a couple carded samples that have been tossed into purchases before.

Leave a comment before June 8th, and I’ll use random.org to pick the winner. Be sure to include your email to contact (only visible to me).

Here’s what we’ve got in the little grab bag.
Amouage – Epic Man
Amouage – Lyric Man
L’Artisan Parfumeur – Voleur de Roses
Bois 1920 – 1920 Extreme
Bond No. 9 – H.O.T. Always
Bond No. 9 – Saks Fifth Avenue for Her
By Kilian – Back to Black
Comme des Garcons – Vettiveru
Dior – Ambre Nuit
Estee Lauder – Sensuous
Etro – Raving
Floris – Santal
Jo Malone – Black Vetiver Café
Jo Malone – Orange Blossom Cologne
Kiehl’s – Original Musk
Montale – Red Aoud
Montale – Red Vetyver
Il Profumo – Chocolat
Nasomatto – Black Afghano
Versace – Bright Crystal
Versace – Versense

I folded and bought the last bottle of Auguste’s Esprit de Cuir from Luckyscent. I got a sample from a generous basenoter (LS was out of samples) and it was exactly what it had been touted to be. A rich, warm leather in a very old style. Nathan Branch found it a bit sweet for his likings on his blog, but I think that’s what made it for me. Listed notes are citron, geranium, galbanum, jasmine, clove, birch, oppoponax, tonka bean absolute, and oak moss absolute.

I think NowSmellThis summed it up perfectly:

Esprit de Cuir smells like it looks in its glass sample vial: sweet, warm, thick, and golden. Imagine motor oil laced with honey, a pinch of clove, and a few drops of birch tar, and you’ve got Esprit de Cuir once the faint hint of citron dissolves.

The bottle and packaging were actually a bit of a let down for me. While the bottle is beautiful, it’s certainly not hand painted entirely, but maybe just some details here and there. The box it came in had the quality of a box you’d get with snap cracker fireworks. While the idea of the cork is novel and romantic, it’s certainly not going to keep the bottle sealed – I tried using it for a couple days and it was actually wicking the contents out and the cork was actually wet (but never touching the liquid). I ended up opting for keeping the plastic seal it was shipped with in and that seems to work just fine. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still quite lovely and I’m more than pleased. And the contents are what matters anyways!

Here are some shots of the porcelain bottle from Auguste:

I gave a quick first impression of Odin Nomad long ago, but have finally had a chance to give it, along with the other two samples I had, some more attention.

Odin 03 Century – Beautifully blended. For the initiated, you won’t think it’s anything new and certainly relatively. For what it is though, it’s really quite nice. The cypress peeks through nicely, and the musk and amber in the base sweeten it just enough. It does have some unique elements here and there, but ultimately, you’ve got a mild-mannered woody amber with a hint of patchouli to give it some punch. Century is not in-your-face, but seems to have pretty surprising longevity.

*UPDATE* Century has killer longevity – 12 hours and a shower later and I can still smell the musk aromachemicals on my hand!

Odin 01 Nomad – This one holds my interest a bit more than Century. The initial blast has a cleaning supply vibe, but not in a bad way; it’s probably the juniper in the head. That passes within a minute or two and it turns into a tart, creamy cedar. It settles quickly into another variation of the sweetened woody base, this time with tonka instead of amber. The bright tartness (perhaps the bergamot?) hangs around for a while giving a bit of interest. There’s something floral to me as well, but I might just imagining it. Nomad doesn’t have much more tenacity than Century.

Odin 02 Owari – A blast of mandarin with a realistic grapefruit right out of the gate. It’s not the kind of grapefruit I usually loathe, but like freshly torn peel and tart spray. It fades into the heart soon after and a great neroli plays center stage. It’s supported by a slightly sweet base (seems to be a trend here). I can see some resemblance at times to Diptyque’s Eau de Neroli.

Owari seems like something I’d love in warmer months, but I’ve got a stockpile of great neroli scents, so it would have to blow me away to get my wallet out. Century would be nice for someone looking for a safe, woody amber who doesn’t have any of the genre. Nomad is the only of the three that I could imagine for me – it’s nothing daring, but it’s a great, close-wearing scent with decent longevity that would be perfect for office wear. The bergamot, juniper, and sandalwood are a really pleasing combination.