Morderteile Kelah - Darling Clandestine

Details: 
Morderteile Kelah
Darling Clandestine

Notes: 
This is a fragrance I've created in honor of a magnificent lady with magnificent knockers. Amber, hyacinth, milk and strawberry jam are just a few of the elements that capture Kelah. As if anyone ever could capture her completely. You need a butterfly net, I bet. It's sweet and sultry and spicy and summery, and I'm so very happy with it.

I've never set myself up as a perfume expert (far from it), and I've never claimed to be great at describing them. I try to get across how each perfume smells on me to the best of my ability, and hopefully that is helpful to some people. However, I struggle so much with Darling Clandestine perfumes. The blends are such that I can rarely pick out any specific notes, and it's not that they are a big mess like, say, some of the BPAL general catalogues. It's just that they're so damned unique that I can't just go, "Oh yes - that's X!" with any confidence. I think I smell something like vanilla, but that might be the milk now that I've seen the notes. It's creamy and sweet - more like condensed milk now I think of it. There's something vaguely alcoholic in there... something a bit smokey... there's a dab of sweetness that's bordering on fruity but not quite (the jam?). Gosh, I don't know. It's very pretty, though.

This perfume went a bit dusty on me after a while, which was a pity because I was quite enjoying it until then. It didn't last all that long - maybe 3 hours or so. Sillage is quite low too. Once again, Darling Clandestine defeats my attempts to get my head around a fragrance! 

Rating: 
I don't know... 3/5? I like it a lot, but then it goes dusty. And even when it's good on me it's probably not one I'd buy a full bottle of. 

Day 139!

Belle Epoque - Black Baccara

Details: 
Belle Epoque
Black Baccara 

Notes:
Inspired by Marchesa Luisa Casati, one of the most fascinating women of the 20th century and the Queen of the Belle Epoque. This blend captures the decadence of the time period and the sensory delights that might have surrounded the eccentrics of high society. A feminine yet bewitching blend featuring an unusual combination of florals and gourmands. Deep florals of hyacinth, geranium, carnation and a touch of rose make up the floral bouquet, which is blended with a decadent brew of tobacco, chocolate, vanilla, anise and black pepper. As the scent unfolds on your skin, you may also catch glimpses of strawberries and rum as it settles into a complex chocolatey floral. Belle Epoque is a soft, yet extremely seductive and enchanting blend reminiscent of vintage perfumes of days gone by.

This perfume is so tightly blended that I struggled to pick out any specific notes. It smells like an expensive, slightly old-fashioned perfume of the type I could buy in the less tizzy section of the David Jones perfume department. One of those ones that has a classically heavy cut glass bottle. In the vial it's floral - nothing stands out, just a bouquet, as the decription says. Once applied I thought I could detect vague snatches of something smokey now and then, but every time I tried to sniff it properly, that note disappeared. After 20 minutes or so the perfume deepened - I guess the chocolate and vanilla warmed it up, but I honestly could not detect either of those notes in themselves. It was just... a warmer, deeper floral than it had been minutes before. Several hours later they become more apparent - it's still a floral blend, but the chocolate and vanilla are there, faint though they may be, and the rose has finally dominated the other flowers. I did not get either strawberries or rum. Sillage is quite high when wet, it almost made me a bit headachy at first, and I don't know whether this was more caused by the cold I am currently getting over, but for the first 10 minutes or so after I applied this I was sneezing like a mofo. It lasts quite a long time - I have had it on now for about 6 hours and it's still chugging along. It's definitely an 'older' perfume; I could see this being more suitable for someone 35+ than a teenager or young person.

Rating: 
3/5 I do like this, but it's nothing amazing.

Day 80!

Ostara - Alchemic Muse

Details: 
Ostara
Spring 2012
Alchemic Muse

Notes: 
The eternal embodiment of spring pays tribute to you with a mix of hyacinth blossoms, myrtle, and wild heather fused with the soft green foliage of moss and ivy, gently grounded by a warm and earthy base of clove, cinnamon, and myrrh.

Not to put too fine a point on it, in the bottle this smells very synthetic. And yet I like it. It's so old lady-ish and I have a fondness for old lady perfumes. Applied the synthetic note is still there, but not as obvious. I smell hyacinths and lots of lush, damp greenery. It makes me think of an English country garden - something like this:

 Source

Despite the apparent presence of possible amping notes like clove and cinnamon, this doesn't really change much on me as it dries down. I like it, though it’s nothing amazing – just a pretty, very old lady-ish Springtime floral. Noodles commented on this one too, just after I applied it she walked in and asked what I was wearing and said, “I like it.” High praise indeed. It’s quite strong at first, but the dry down is close to the skin. Longevity is medium – about 4 hours or so.

Rating:

3/5 As I said, it’s a very pretty floral, but it’s nothing remarkable.

Day 44!