Il Mondo di Odore

By no means related ( aroma-wise) to Sashka for Him, Sashka Man falls in the fougere category and its release date is a mystery to me. I will guess that it's between 10 and 12 years old and is reminiscent of a few bigger 1980's type masculines in its construction. I have read some reviews on this fragrance and I guess my take on it may be a tad different than others. I immediately get a marine-fougere vibe straight out of the bottle that is akin to Monsieur Morabito. With that said....this isn't Morabito and Sashka Man opens with a citric lavender and woody tarragon. A weirdly pleasing aroma that is substantial....maybe too much so for some. This opening accord is 80% of the transition...and if linear bothers you, then.....you may want to look elsewhere. I, on the other hand, appreciate linear masculines on occasion.....and this happens to be one of them. The lavender isn't extroverted by any means, but still there elbowing for position alongside bergamot and wood. ...

I believe the Sashka line released by the House of Micallef came about in the late 1990's. I have had no knowledge of them until recently. There are simply too many frags to keep up with and this line escaped me.......until now. This is one of two masculine Sashka's I recently purchased from Parfum1. Yes......I bought them blind based on reviews and accords......and yes, I still have a horseshoe in my !@# because both are very good and wardrobe worthy. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good............ I am, at this moment, wearing both on each hand and find myself appreciating them equally, in spite of them being completely different one from another. I shall now focus my attention on Sashka ( amber-colored) for the sake of this review. The opening is a concerted blast of lavender and a lemon-mandarin duo. You can smell all three equally and I am pleased to announce that the lavender is extremely well blended and never takes more of the topnote spotlight than it s...

This 1998 Floral found its way to me courtesy of my good friend and Perfumista MimiGardenia. This is one of many terrific samples I have received from her and I am increasingly impressed with her taste in fragrance. I have found it to be fun sampling feminine fragrances as of late. Most, whether or not I like them, are unwearable for me. It has assisted me in becoming subjective when sampling....not to mention recognizing groups of notes that aren't commonly found in masculines to the degree they are in parfums. Enter Sabi by Henry Dunay. This is, without question, a floral dominant scent that leans just a hair green upon application. The opening is a combination of citrus and what has to be galbanum ......followed immediately by iris and tuberose. Within seconds, these four rise above what is to become the slow burn of an entire and well blended array of floral notes. There's a hint of orange, then a wispy powder floating above an anonymous sweet characteristic. The iris a...

I have picked up 2 bottles of Sheherazade in the last 2 years. One vintage splash and the other the exact bottle in this image. Initially, I purchased them to stockpile, but as always, I ask my better half if she likes it. She does, but unlike me, she hardly ever wears scent. In the healthcare field, that has become an unbreakable habit for her. However.......when her and I have a "date"....."sans parfum" is thrown out the proverbial window. She doesn't wear Sheherazade, but not because it isn't good. It's actually a well constructed chypre that gets no love in my house. I cannot pull it off due to its leaning far too feminine. I will periodically blur the lines when the mood strikes, but I can't wear this.....unless, of course, I took up cross dressing.....and THAT would really upset my softball team. To them, it's bad enough I wear powerhouse fragrances to games in the hot weather. It would also piss off Mrs. Aromi....and that is even more de...

The title of this post refers to the common note in Chanel Bois des Iles and Guerlain Samsara. They share a creamy, dreamy and delectable sandalwood note that is front and centre in both– they give me a feeling of calm inner peace, as one might expect from sandalwood incense in a temple.  Chanel Bois des Iles was first released by the designer in 1926 and is now included in their Exclusif Collection of Rue Cambon fragrances. It is only available at Chanel Boutiques, and only in the spectacular 200ml bottle in an eau de toilette concentration or in the parfum version in a 30ml bottle. According to  Bois de Jasmin , the perfumer Ernest Beaux was inspired to create Bois des Iles by an opera by Tchaikovsky, The Queen Of Spades, based on a short story by Aleksandr Pushkin- a heartbreaking romantic tragedy of love and obsession. Heavy stuff, no? I love a perfume with a story and this perfume is so beautiful, I can close my eyes and feel my heart break when I wear it. Really....

Jean Guichard created this fragrance for Cacharel in 1987. Lou Lou is advertised as a strong parfum.......and they told no lies. THIS....is yet another fragrance that needs a minimal hand when applying. A few drops will truly suffice and when put on sparingly, it is indeed an old school parfum that smells very good....even today. If over-applied, well.....I wouldn't want to be around to experience that. This is right up there with Dior's Poison for sheer tenacity. Lou Lou is a powerful and slightly powdery floral with an oriental-woody base accord as its foundation. Right out of the bottle, a herbaceous and fruity accord with some spice emanate off your body with a strong jasmin-tuberose duo hot on its heels. I had to sample this EDP rendition a few times and found that just 1-2 drops is perfect and makes for an enjoyable ride. More than that is cloying and simply too much of a well made thing. Minimalism is the key here........ Muguet, orange blossom, rose, orris, violet a...