...Wearing Fig Tea today and in rapture from its beauty. It reminds me that Patricia isn't going to be the only Guerlain who struck out on their own. Jean-Paul is, apparently, going to produce scents for a startup called My Exclusive Collection. Samples available in September, making that month and that day more anticipated by me than Christmas. Of course, he won't be able to call them Guerlains, but we'll all know. Waiting...waiting.

...Didn't work. Ended up with a creamy muddle. The modern Jicky smells very close to the Shalimar extrait, though.ScentFan:Does Jicky + Vanilla = Shalimar?I started the experiment only to discover I have no vanilla in my perfumery notes collection! So downstairs to the kitchen I went and...you guessed it. I do not advise this procedure. Food flavorings don't hold their own when mixed with perfume. So I'm ordering a proper perfumer's vanilla. However, In the brief seconds before the vanilla extract surrendered, I absolutely do think I smelled Shalimar. Since Jicky actually contains most of the notes Shalimar once had, I'm excited to see if I can create my own authentic-smelling Shalimar, since today's versions aren't.

...Thanks, Pipette. Fascinating. Scanned and will read in depth because I'm thinking of looking for a mini-course. Oh, how I'd love to have that perfume organ of hers! Must try her scents. I, too, have given up all hope of self-restraint when it comes to perfume. ScentedSalon, personally I do like the science and art together, but it doesn't matter. The world would be so boring if we were all alike. Our differences make things interesting.

...Does Jicky + Vanilla = Shalimar?I started the experiment only to discover I have no vanilla in my perfumery notes collection! So downstairs to the kitchen I went and...you guessed it. I do not advise this procedure. Food flavorings don't hold their own when mixed with perfume. So I'm ordering a proper perfumer's vanilla. However, In the brief seconds before the vanilla extract surrendered, I absolutely do think I smelled Shalimar. Since Jicky actually contains most of the notes Shalimar once had, I'm excited to see if I can create my own authentic-smelling Shalimar, since today's versions aren't.

...Back with the parfum on the back of one hand and the vintage extrait on the other...ParfumA more or less lovely facsimile of the original.ExtraitTHIS is Shalimar. The depth, the full mesmerizing allure can't be found in any other version. There's no comparison. They're all "pretty" to one degree or another and they all simulate Shalimar's olfactory envelope, so to speak, but the only one that truly expresses Shah Janan's deathless love in scent is the extrait.NIPJust a mention that the Shalimar Nip is better than the parfum IMO. I've searched for more, but I have a feeling I may have the last one on planet earth.Well, it took some effort, but the real Shalimar stood up. In the extrait I can smell all that's in the Thierry Wasser pyramid of the original Shalimar notes. In the others I smell Iris, Vanilla and Opoponax, mostly. Also Tonka.Next is to find out if Shalimar is Jicky with vanilla. My guess is yes because a mere whiff of Jicky yields most of the dazzling complexity in the Wasser Shalimar pyramid.

...Just had a few moments of total kid-at-Christmas trying to decide which Olympic Orchids fragrance to wear. I settled on Golden Cattleya, a sultry and hypnotic Narcissus-Honey wonder, never mind that just weeks ago I would have put the chances at zero or less of my ever wearing a Narcissus solifore. More samples on the way.

...I am so blown over in my first wearing of Roja (Haute Luxe) that I had to get reality on my reaction in a trial against some of the most gorgeous scents I own. Can Roja stand its own against:Amouage Gold - Beautiful, but my dear there are moments when you almost smell like...um...urine in comparison.Bal à Versailles - Yes, I once loved you and you alone, but things have changedClive Christian No. 1 for women - Very nice, but sit down darling and let the grownups talkKiss My Name - Cheats by pouring a bucket of indoles all over me from its heady white floralsOpium - A champion enters the ring and the fans shout, but Roja scores a knockout with its fragrantly luxurious woody-spicinessShalimar (extrait) - Well, alright. Clear everyone else from the room. It comes down to a fight between these two. Must wait for the drydown ...OMG! Can it be true? If I had to wear one and only one perfume the rest of my life, could it be Shalimar, not Roja? They battle on, trading jabs, knocking each other off their feet then getting up again. Every now and then Kiss My Name enters and dumps another bucket of indoles on me--a real distraction. Can one always wear intoxicating white florals? No indeed. Shalimar just knocked Roja to the ground again and is whipping him with its bergamot, civet and leather! He's having a hard time getting up, but does! Is it a draw? Roja's creamy, spicy, woody, oriental-chypreish loveliness rises and scores a final point of sophistication. Even after all these beauties, my eyes close as I sniff Roja.Does Roja win? Yes and no. Yes, in that I think its composition is the most elegant and beautiful of them all. No, in that I also adore the others, especially--and newly--Shalimar!

...It arrived! However, I can't test it because at the moment I'm drenched in Shalimar, which by itself may be a sign because when I took the cap off and put the Haute Luxe sprayer to my nose, the heavenly scent I remember muscled its way through the Shalimar and took possession of my happy nose. I do think it really may be the best perfume I've ever smelled---better than Shalimar, Bal à Versailles, Amouage Gold, Opium, better than my adored Carons and newly-adored Guerlains, even Monegal's heady white florals in Kiss My Name may not be able to touch Haute Luxe (aka Roja). When I'm not Shalimar doused I'll begin the investigation. Meanwhile, happy day!

...EdP (current)The current EdP is galaxies away from the original Extrait. No longer do I smell leather or the civet. The potency and depth are gone. What we're left with is an ordinary floral that only vaguely resembles its fabled ancestor. The lemony top note is more astringent but it fades more quickly. If I'd never smelled the extrait, I'd say this is a pretty fragrance, heavy on vanilla, but not a compelling one. If you want something close to the smell of the real Shalimar, skip this.EdC (current)Somehow, this is closer to the extrait. It doesn't seem to be missing so many notes. It has a hint of luxury and while it lasts is more involving than the EdP. Civet definitely appears after a while, just as it does in the extrait.EdT (current)Well, this one is more astringent than either of the above and it retains that astringency until well into the drydown when it does begin to resemble the extrait. It lasts longer and is prettier than the EdC after a while.Eau de ShalimarThis is a flanker with different notes. The citrus top is greener and has orange. The rest is simple florals with a good does of vanilla. It's a nice enough perfume but with no woods, resins, or animalics, not anywhere as compelling as the original Shalimar.NipThis non-deteriorated tiny sample may be the best or certainly the second best rendition of Shalimar I have. I can detect many (not leather) of the original notes but they are so smoothly blended. This is a haunting, sniff-yourself-unconscious Shalimar. Okay, it's not as compelling as the extrait ... but far moreso than the above. Makes me want to go find all the Nips.ConclusionThe original Shalimar is amazing, but its power may be due to ageing, in part. Certainly it has ingredients not available to perfumers today in the same concentrations. It could be that the 1950's Nip is the best representation of Shalimar's original smell. Wish I had a current extrait to test. I found the parfum on the Saks Fifth Ave site and it lists Iris and amber, which weren't in the original, so I'm not optimistic. Barring that, I think the EdT (drydown) is the best Shalimar available (the EdC beats it early on, but fades). Gotta test the parfum.

...I've had this experience twice, lately, with Malle's La Parfum de Therese and Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia. What I sampled was markedly different from the bottle. Plan to resniff both samples and bottles to try to figure out the differences.Mill4r4:Well not a blind buy, but bought from one testing, Womanity. Loved the sample, hated the bottle. I bought a bottle of Chanel Cristalle today and I'm still not sure about it.

...First, the notes. Thierry Wasser gave out pyramids to bloggers based on the initial formulas of several Guerlains. He and his assistant, Frédéric Sacone, took them from the original perfumer's handwritten notes. For Shalimar 1925, they are, per monsierguerlain.Top: Vanilla, Leather, Bergamot, LemonHeart: Jasmine, Rose, Vanilla, Orris, Patchouli, Vetiver, Incense, CivetBase; Vanilla, Tonka bean, MuskExcept for the lemon, these notes I almost always love in a fragrance. However, our database says Shalimar (Extrait) is: Top: Blossoms, BergamotHeart: Isis, Jasmine, RoseBase: Vanilla, Iris, Opoponax, Tonka beanA very different fragrance, sans lemon, in particular, as well as others. Now to put my nose's detective hat on, mindful of the history provided by Wasser in the above link.Extrait - Lemon is the first note. Lemon wrapped in leather, vanilla and bergamot like the Wasser pyramid says. Then comes the glorious heart. I sniff, waiting for the lemon to take a back seat, but it doesn't. What I smell is loads of vanilla, a gorgeous melange of flower, resin, civet, vetiver and wood, and pronounced lemon. Now I see it's the lemon that kept me from falling in love.EdC - I use the small vintage bottle because it has a darker color and stronger smell than the larger light one. This has much less lemon. Everything's melding beautifully. I could wear this. Maybe this will happen with the extrait as it dries. Checking: Yes, the lemon's calming down and the other fabulous notes are taking center stage, including vanilla. This is becoming a potent beauty. The bigger, lighter EdC bottle's contents smell nothing like the first two, so I guess I've got my hands on a fake.Interim conclusion: I had a bad first bottle of Shalimar. Now I know what all the fuss is about. This new extrait becomes absolutely haunting as the lemon mutes. The vintage EdC, while lovely from the start, never achieves the extrait's glory. Also, someone wore this in my childhood. My grand aunt, I'm sure. Makes sense. She traveled all over, had Lucien LeLong beaded bags my mother remembers dragging across the rug. I've found the real Shalimar, at last, and the scent of one of the loveliest women from my early years. I remember it now and my mother's Coty de Chypre, which back then I liked more.In the next post, I'll sniff the remaining versions, then compare to Coty de Chypre to see if I still prefer it.

...Shalimar has perplexed me since I became a perfumista. How was it I didn't like the fragrance most treasured by the perfume community? Did I have a bad bottle? Was my nose in need of calibration? Slowly I collected Shalimar in its several versions, with the intent of answering this question for myself once and for all. Here are the results, clockwise from center: a 1950's Nip; two vintage EdC's, the large one watered, I fear; a vintage? Extrait; a current EdP; a current Eau de Shalimar; a current EdC; a current EdT.Certainly, somewhere in here is the real Shalimar beloved by so many. I'm most hopeful about the Nip, having found and bought a large box containing Nips of 31 different perfumes. Air-tight as they are, they preserve scent beautifully.In the next post, I'll sniff carefully through them, in search of what the garden Shah Jahan reproduced around the Taj Mahal inspired Jacques Guerlain to create. I also have a bottle of Jicky and plan to take a sample, pour vanilla in, and see if Shalimar is the result, as per legend.

...Must give credit where credit is due. Thanks, Pipette. I sent her the link with my order.

...That's a bummer, Pipette. I'm missing Paris, too, for the moment but hopefully not for very long. I ran the names of the 11 perfumers in this year's IFF collection through our database and was interested to see the many houses for which they've created--or participated in creating--scents. Not sure I "get" how the IFF works, yet. Apparently, these perfumers are employed by the IFF? Do the houses rent their services, so to speak? In any case, I have the collection and plan to sniff through it in this topic.

..."Kingston Ferry Fragrance"I’m guessing this is the ferry in Edmonds, WA, thus the seagrass, driftwood, wildflowers and evergreens. The scent is beautifully woody, fresh and slightly marine. The actual outdoors in a bottle."Lil"The Olympic Orchids website says this is the fragrance of Lilith, the devil’s wife in the novel that inspired the perfumer. It has a potent top note: davana, kewda, kaffir lime leaf per the website. which at first bars the way to the equally complex heart of “passion-fruit, angel’s trumpet, lily-of-the-valley, geranium, cyclamen, and a tiny hint of rose.” It rides on a woody, musky base. Though this is a great scent translation of the reference character, it doesn’t personally appeal to me—steely determination and dominance translated to perfume. IOW, if there are handcuffs in your house and you’re not a policeman, this might work for you. As it dries it softens and emits a haunting air. "Olympic Rainforest"Now I realize Olympic Orchids is named after Washinton State’s Olympic Peninsula, much of which is a national park containing fantastic landscapes, including rainforests. What a region to inspire a perfumer. This scent IS the green wetness of a rainforest. The woods, the foliage, the moss. It’s not really woody, like the superb Woodcut, sniffed earlier. It’s wet, sappy, floral, cedary, mossy—all the smells you’d expect in such a place. I don’t know how she does it."Osafume"Anise is strong in this bright, sparkling perfume with strong vanilla. It features a Japanese orchid and magnolia. Not my scent—I need woods and indoles—but it’s lovely"Red Cattleya"This is more my style, a fruity-floral with a musky, woody base. As I suspected, here is the 3rd wicked stepsister—hyacinth—beautifully incorporated. Think a fruitier, richer Amethyst by Lalique. Wishlist."Salamanca"The lovely top note is swiftly overtaken by strangeness which left me waiting to see how things would settle down. Somewhere between African and India, was my first thought. Had to look up Mitti—a special earth from the banks of the ganges. However, the website says Salamanca is a Spanish university town. Well, Spain IS in the general vicinity, more or less. If you’re a westerner, this scent takes you to hot and dusty foreign climes. Wishlist."Seattle Chocolate"A very nice woody-mossy gourmand. "Siam Proun"Per the website, Siam means “we are sufficient” in Provencal and refers to the splendidly self-sufficient kitchen gardens all over the French countryside, but especially there. This fragrance won an award for its amber-based “mix of Mediterranean herbs and flowers, including orange blossom, lavender, rosemary, red thyme, bergamot mint, and yuzu.” It’s a lovely scent, but my skin too rapidly absorbs it, so not a buy.ConclusionI can actually smell the quality of ingredient and construction in these well-done fragrances. They remind me of what I read last night about the creative perfumer in Roja Dove’s The Essence of Perfume “greatness is not just about being technically brilliant, but about truly feeling your art…with much of the industry now being controlled by enormous corporations…perfumery has often become more akin to the work of the chemist than the Master Perfumer.”Ellen Covey is a Master Perfumer. It was a joy to experience her unfettered creativity. Her every effort deserves sampling by those who treasure quality and originality in perfume.I think there may still be a few I haven’t tried. If so, I’ll be back.

..."DEV #1: Foreplay"Per the Olympic Orchids website, this represents falling in love “against one’s better judgment.” At first there’s an aromatic woodiness that is close to tobacco, soon joined by vanilla, resins and animalics. I smell incense and some greenness. It’s a heady, involving fragrance, heavily incensed, woody and oudy. I’d say it was a knock-out if I hadn’t smelled Blackbird and Woodcut which my nose likes better."DEV #3: The Inevitable"This is a brighter version, new notes like Amber, Davana and Black Currant lending interest and clarity. Rockrose oil is cistus, I think. This is my personal favorite of the series."DEV #4: Reprise"This is a less complex one, but it’s also very good. Overall, I like the Dev series. Dev 1 is the “heaviest” and 4 the lightest, but the whole series is great."Gujarat"A beautiful, curried resinous fragrance. Like standing in a spice stall. Jasmine and Rose, principally, make it perfume. As it dries the spices settle down a bit, but we’re in the vicinity of the spice stall throughout."Javanica"Wow, does Ellen Covey have a way with florals! Even my least favorite ones smell heavenly. She did it with Narcissus in Golden Cattleya. Now she’s done it with Lily-of-the-valley. These two and and Hyacinth have sent me fleeing from a perfume many a time. Not in this case. In fact, I’m buying it. I never would have predicted liking perfumes in which one of “the wicked stepsisters” was the main or sole floral! To me it’s proof of sheer brilliance in a designer.More to come ...

...For some reason, yesterday I revisited Roja Dove's website, just to light another imaginary candle at the altar of Roja (Haute Luxe), which heretofore I could only worship from afar, not having slightly upwards of $3,500 I was ready to part with for the 100 ml flacon. As I sighed, what to my wondering eyes should appear? A 7.5 ml Discovery Atomiser!? Was that there before?? Be still my beating heart and overjoyed nose! How much? Combien? Combien? Not a mere ₤190 plus shipping? Beautiful day! Why, that's just the cost of a ... a modest dishwasher, it's just a dishwasher! I have one. I wash my dishes in it. Totally reasonable. Such were the scraps of thought that accompanied the wild, joyful scramble to get the thing in the cart, to enter my info and check out before Roja Dove changed his mind, or the website went down, or God decided to banish Haute Luxe from the earth...or any other calamity that would separate me from the sudden accessibility of my longed-for love and greatest (so far) perfume passion. It's on the way. Ah, bliss!I marvel at life's generosity that somewhere, somehow, a nymph or fairy or passing angel (or kind perfumer) occasionally takes notice of the nonessential yearnings of our hearts. When Roja arrives I shall, of course, report.

...Got my Olympic Orchids order in with samples of the rest of the line yesterday and was barely able to focus on finishing our taxes. To console myself I dabbed on a little Blackbird, certainly among the very best resinous woods I've ever smelled, and promptly swooned. Hubby sniffed through those I already had and really liked them, including the ones I found very dank or animalic like Dev Two, so we're both big fans. Now, having slept late because the IRS kept me up, I really ought to eat or get dressed or meditate, but how when new perfume bounty awaits from this talented lady? Here goes in alpha order:"Arizona Fragrance"Florals, Chaparral, Stone pine, Sage bush, Juniper? Can't imagine what this perfume smells like. Wow, another beauty! First, I think I'm beginning to detect a characteristic base devised and used by this house--a signature akin to the fabled Guerlinade and Caronade. The Orchidade, to my nose, relies on its own combo of animalics and perhaps narcissus as a starting point for some of its fragrances. Will ask the perfumer and, since they never reveal all their secrets, I'll become a detective to see if I can sniff it out. Meanwhile, we're in the Arizona desert smelling the subtle scent of blooming cactus, sage brush and chaparral, and Juniper berries ready to flavor gin. This darling goes on the wishlist.It's truly hard to express how good Ellen Covey's best ones are. They do nearly defy description. It's as if she goes to her perfume organ, inspired by the scent of a place, an herb, a flower and plays until she creates music in a perfume. No namby-pambiness. These deliver distinct smell experience to a nose. "Bay Rum"A new take on an old standby. The top note is moaningly gorgeous then the clove rises and thankfully settles down. This is a spicier, rummier take on bay rum."Café V"Lovely latte spiced with chai and cardamom, supported by a smooth woody leathery base. My nose is certainly enjoying itself today."California Chocolate"Can't imagine a chocolate gourmand fragrance smelling better than this. Yuzu is a brilliant idea here, especially with Neroli. It takes this fragrance to another sphere. I'm not always fond of gourmands, but this one is stunning. Think near-burnt dark chocolate with dashes of Grand Marnier and Bourbon. Patchouli and musk support perfectly. Hard to decide whether to eat it or wear it."Carolina"First thing I think is moss-hung trees and magnolias, a fleeting whiff of swamp. Is this the Orchidade again? Maybe, but this is certainly the Carolinas. The honeysuckle, the grass, the tobacco and pine that scent the air there are in this perfume. The result is nostalgic. It resurrects the old South.Food or me and nose will expire. To be continued . . .

...Here are the rest:"Olympic Amber"Normally when I see an entry like "woody notes" for a perfume, I ready myself for potential nasal constriction and, yes, there is a bit of stuffiness to this scent, compared to the others. It's still better than the other ones that suffocate me. If your nose isn't subject to assault, check out this well-done amber and its strong note of vanilla."Sakura"I was born in a city full of Cherry trees and this scent smells exactly like the air did when they bloomed each spring, just add an earthy undertone and a little moon dust. It reminds me a bit of Demeter's Snow."Sonnet XVII"I assume Nard Oil is Spikenard. Cubeb is a pepper. Don't know the smell, but it's been used as a drug, to make cigarettes for asthma and to adulterate the essential oil of patchouli. For me, the many dank notes here coalesce to create a too-earthy, off-putting scent. Yet for those into dirty scents, this is a great one: champaca blossoms being transported on an oxcart. It improves during the drydown."Woodcut"Oh, wow! I'm going to sniff myself unconscious. Fabulous woods, divine balsam and frankincense, and what?... hot buttered rum without the rum? No stuffiness here, just brilliant clarity. All I can say is go to the woods, go to the woods. A definite buy.That's all I have from Olympic Orchids at the moment, but hang on. I'm getting a sample of every last one of them asap. Overall, Ellen Covey impresses me as a person who perfumes the way I write...balls to the wall, as the current saying goes in the U.S. (from pilots who've pushed the throttle lever all the way forward until the lever ball actually touches the panel wall). When I write, I'm not here. I let every muse in the neighborhood take over my brain, the heavenly ones, the heroic ones, and those who really ought to be in some sort of jail. When I stop and come to myself, I am sometimes shocked. I have to edit and I do, muttering, "You can't say that, you can't write that, behave yourself." This editing doesn't always succeed 100% because sometimes I want to say precisely what I shouldn't. (ScentGal is the alter ego of that writer aspect of me.) To me, Ellen Covey is a passionate perfumer, possessed by her art. I'd rather risk an occasional missed edit from her than a single one of her successes. A heartfelt Brava, Olympic Orchids, Brava!

...I admired Olympic Orchid's recreation of the ancient Egyptian scent, Kyphi, so much that I ordered their Discovery Set of any 10 samples. (Kyphi now scents the chiffon shawl I drape around my shoulders when I meditate.) What other lovelies await? Let's see."African Orchid"OMG! Indoles at their best. I just put a large bottle in my basket because I know I'm going to want to wear this often and for the rest of my life. What a a fragrance coming from this small house I never heard of until a few days ago by sheer accident. This scent is not only accomplished, it's original--doing to florals what I, personally, haven't smelled before except in some of the finest perfumes. It's so good, it's leaving me close to speechless. My enthralled nose shuts down my brain to analysis. Okay, I'll try. It has the quality of scents like Monegal's Kiss My Name and Guerlain's Jardin de Bagatelle. Yet it has an oddly seductive and strange note that for me takes it over the edge. Is it Passion flower? Reaching for my perfumery notes kit...Not really. Must be the African Orchid. Adding nectar to this sensuous darling is almost redundant. Not sure about the longevity because this may be an all-natural scent. (It's lasting!). Needless to say, it's an instant favorite. Check out the notes and if they appeal, I can recommend a blind buy."Ballets Rouges"Sadly, on my skin, this potentially fantastic chypre, which actually contains the full chyre accord (bergamot, oak moss, labdanum) produces a note that for me is close to vinegary. My guess is the labdanum, ordinarily resinous and sultry, is doing something it shouldn't. Or is it the rose? It's probably the mai rose. Dunno, but it's not terrible, either. It's a chypre with a dry rose, rather than a sweet one. Some may find it quite appealing."Blackbird by Ellen Covey"Another OMG! Thought it wasn't in our database yet, but I found it. It's Tam Dao, Fortis and the like, done as well if not much better because it poses no challenges to my nose. Notes are: Himalayan blackberry fruit, dry grass and leaves, elemi, cedar wood and resin, amber, fir balsam absolute, musk. Jimminy Cricket!! Ordering a bottle."DEV #2: The Main Act"Holy Smokes! Well, no. If you've ever wondered what scent the devil would wear, check this one out. Olympic Orchid's website says their devil series of scents were inspired by the novel, Quantum Demonology. How describe it? If you were driving into a dark street and smelled this, it would be your nose's way of alerting you to turn around, you've taken a seriously wrong turn. This literally smokes in the dry down. Yet the devil is a prince, a fallen angel, so if you're brave enough to ignore the top note's warning and persevere, naturally you should expect something glorious and Dev# 2 certainly is. Personally, I prefer the cleaner elegance of Blackbird, but for anyone who walks on the wild side, you might want to wear this dangerous beauty--rendered by what I'm beginning to realize is a master perfumer."Elektra / A Midsummer Day's Dream"This is aptly-named because it smells like a summer meadow, trees and bushes laden with fruit, Frankincense and Cistus adding languor. On skin it's a delight. I'll post a proper review of it and the rest for our database.Put quality ingredients in the hands of a bold and talented perfumer and this is the thrilling result. IMO, all but one of the first five are FB worthy, depending on your tastes, my faves being African Orchid, Blackbird, and Elektra. Simply can't wait to sniff the rest....Okay, one more"Golden Cattleya"OMG, swoon! This goes in the basket, too! And it manages to smell golden, just like its name. What the heck is in it? Narcissus? Shut my mouth! Talk about counterpointing. The strongest note is Honey. Into the basket with you, dear. Analyze later.One more"Mardi Gras"Dirty orange blossom. Parades and voodoo in the French quarter. The beautiful orange blossom/neroli top is swiftly joined by unabashed civet and musks, cistus trying to keep things civilized. Eventually it succeeds, leaving you smelling hauntingly good. These are quality take-no-prisoners perfumes. Either get with the party or go home to your momma. Love them. A buy.More to come...