Ormonde Jayne Sampling Kit Giveaway

Giveaway: A sampling kit of all Ormonde Jayne fragrances (except for Tiare.) The samples are full, never sprayed.

How it works: Please leave a comment answering the following summer vacation themed questions: "1) what was your most memorable vacation so far? 2) if you could bottle a fragrance of summer, what would it contain? " Each participant will be assigned a number, and 1 winner will be selected via a random number generator. Draw is now closed, please check back to see if you won early next week. Thank you for participating and sharing such great stories!

Giveaway explanation: anybody from the US or overseas can enter it as long as you answer specific questions explained in the contest rules.

Etat Libre d'Orange Vierges et Toreros : Fragrance Review and White Florals for Men

Star rating: 5 stars--outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars--very good, 3 stars--adequate, 2 stars--disappointing, 1 star--poor.

The idea of a masculine tuberose is fascinating, simply because my own view of tuberose is that of a lush, sweet and coquettish note. While it certainly has an unapologetically seductive facet, most modern tuberose treatments place it squarely in the feminine realm. Vierges et Toreros created by Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu in 2007 for the renegade niche fragrance house Etat Libre d'Orange has set out to work against this stereotype. The idea behind the composition is a tuberose note made virile and masculine, lacking its common “sugar and spice and everything nice” connotations.

Fragrant Antique Roses : Perfume Garden

by Elise Pearlstine

Close your eyes and imagine smelling a rose. Now imagine where you are and who you are with. My first memory is the warm, dewy, pure rose smell of roses along my back fence in my desert garden first thing in the morning. The next impression is the smell and sight of a mixed bouquet of rosebuds cut from my mother’s garden. I remember how the bright colors and subtle hues of different blooms contrast and how some roses stood tall while others gently bent over the edge of the vase. The smell of each was unique. The pleasure of walking in the garden, watching for thorns, cutting the perfect roses, finding an old treasured vase and arranging them for display is intimately mixed in with the scent of roses.

Parfums de Nicolai Weekend a Deauville : Perfume Review

Star rating: 5 stars--outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars--very good, 3 stars--adequate, 2 stars--disappointing, 1 star--poor.

Graceful and delicate, Weekend à Deauville is tied along with Odalisque and Le Temps d’une Fête as one of my Parfums de Nicolaï favorites. The fact that I cannot decide simply proves how much I enjoy the offerings from this perfume house. I love how perfumer Patricia Nicolaï expresses classical themes in a modern form. Weekend à Deauville is a particularly nice example of her signature—a salty-sweet composition of lily of the valley and leather.

Le Labo Santal 33 Giveaway Winner

...is Kate! Congratulations! Please contact me with your address at editor at boisdejasmin dot com