Weather-Beaten Awakenings: Let it Go

"You must have brought the bad weather with you,
the sky’s the colour of lead,
all you’ve left me was a feather
on an unmade bed”
~It’s Over, Tom Waits

The thunder came crushing down like release from heavens last night. The humidity and the city's torpor of the last few days came to an abrupt end. The foliage, dripping wet and cleansed, as if a giant rubber had erased all dust off it, shone with a newly found brilliance this morning. Mitsouko eau de toilette (with one drop of parfum extrait on the hollow of my neck) wafted off my cleavage in spicy puffs of selfish enjoyment.

How neatly arranged that the demarcation falls on the first calendar day of the month of October; almost as if the skies were conspiring or rather scheduling things with the precision of a conscientious housekeeper. It's official; autumn has started and with it the glorious melancholy that the promise of decline is giving us each year at this time. The moment when nature is rubbing its weary eyes a bit, starts yawning soon to plunge into a short nap. Hypnos (sleep) was the mythological brother of Thanatos and I'm reminded of this little fact as I see the fallen blossoms, yesterday still so orange red, today trampled underfoot in the muddy pools on the ivory pavement, a dark rotting mulch.

Mitsouko by Guerlain, my default rainy-weather-perfume, has often been linked to a certain wistfulness, seeing as it's inspired by a novel concerning cross-starred lovers. But I'm convinced there's something more to it than just mental associations, especially since raindrops make me exceedingly happy, as they're not incessant on these latitudes. As I savor the mowed grass freshly fragrant in the air by the scent of geosmin mixed with chlorophylle rising up, I sense anew that certain aspects of the fragrance are enhanced; its mossiness, its cinnamon-clove kick, its citric tang, its fiery heart torn by unspeakable passions...Although Mitsouko is also customarily linked to glamor, to me it will always remain an introspective affair, something to keep like a secret that puts a smile on your face no one knows anything about.

I'm reprising a ritual and this small tradition aids me more effortlessly slide into the slots of this giant machine of which we're all bolts and wheels in the end. Vaille que vaille...

And how about you? Do you have specific fragrances you wear in rainy weather?

Ormonde Jayne Qi: fragrance review

The beauty of Qi by British niche perfume brand Ormonde Jayne lies in its tenacious subtlety; its low hum is heard and felt caressing the senses and enlivening any waking moment. Essentially a tea fragrance with a beautiful apricot-laced nuance of osmanthus blossom, it transports us to a serene scene featuring Lu Yu scribing what has become the cornerstone of the Chinese tea culture and ceremony.

The name, Qi, an ancient term evocative of the sacred breath of life, suggests the luminous and at the same time natural-feeling hues of a tableau vivant drenched in sunshine. The discreet character of Qi, with a bright green and delicately citrusy opening—reminiscent of the more chypre Tiare in the regular Ormonde Jayne collection—is simpatico to the sensibilities of the Far East where pleasure and joy is imparted through the most refined, the most subtle and sensitive evocations, like a softly scented breeze or an amazing dawn; but that doesn't stop a Westerner like myself from appreciating its grace.

Notes for Ormonde Jayne Qi:
top : green lemon blossom, neroli, freesia.
heart : tea notes, Osmanthus, violet, hedione, rose.
base : mate, benzoin, musk, moss, myrrh.

Available exclusively at the Ormonde Jayne boutiques in London.

The winners of the draw...

...for the Banana Republic perfumes are barbaraw and calliope458. Congrats! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can arrange having this out in the mail for you soon.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

The winners of the draw...

...for the Micallef minis set are:

NofixedStars
Patriacha
Michael Leong
Leathermountain
*JW*
CC
Matt
Kayceebee
Irina
spankysparkle

[If you haven't seen your username mentioned, do read on, as there's something for you too!]

Congratulations winners! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data (please include "Micallef minis winner" in the title for my ease!), so I can forward then to the distributor who will have your prize out in the mail for you soon.

In an unprecedented generous turn on the part of said distributor I have the joy to be able to say to ALL PARTICIPANTS that they can receive free sample vials in the mail to try out the two Rouge scents: all you have to do is email me using Contact (with "Micallef samples draw" in the title) with your shipping data and username and you will have a small surprise in the mail as well!

Thanks for playing everyone and don't forget to check back later on for the winners of the other ongoing perfume draw!

Ormonde Jayne Montabaco: fragrance review

Possibly the most "masculine" leaning of the otherwise aimed at both sexes new collection The Four Corners of the Earth, it being a fougere, Montabaco by Ormonde Jayne is a perfume to capture the essence of Latin America: leather, suede, wood and tobacco leaf repeated over and over again creating a suggestive sensuality and Latino temperament. Basically what the typical westerner dreams of smelling at Havana or any such exotic port of call. Does it deliver a poker hand worthy of a gambler the repute of Jack Weil? I say it does, though in a cleaned up fashion, just like Redford is a cleaned up version of a seedy gambler in the first place.

via pinterest

The floral presence of magnolia, jasmine and rose are meant to soften the toughness of those unashamedly seductive, classic masculine codes for "macho." You can almost see the beautiful face of a Latin analogue of Tyrone Power behind the smoky rings of the tobacco. In our day and age, this is the only acceptable way to get your tobacco fix (mon tabac, get it?), but what a great way it is, eh?
The aromatics in Montabaco are fusing into the woody-fern ambience, giving it an odd freshness. Last but not least, thanks to the unerring fondness of perfumer Geza Schoen for Iso E Super, a woody-hazy-musky component in the base of many of his compositions, Montabaco (an Iso-E Super beast if there's one) radiates friendly vibes in a radius of building blocks and lasts extremely well, even it is noticed more by those coming into contact with you than yourself on you at all times.

Notes for Ormonde Jayne Montabaco:
top : air note, orange absolute, bergamot, juniper, clary sage,cardamom.
heart : magnolia, hedione, rose, violet, tea notes.
base : tobacco leaf, iso e, suede, sandalwood, moss, tonka, ambergris.

Available exclusively at the Ormonde Jayne London boutiques.