SOTD: Several

Today started with modern Balmain Vent Vert. This is a scent that I tend to unfairly ignore, because it doesn't approach the glory of vintage Vent Vert. But it's lovely all the same, so why don't I wear it more?

Then I went to Alchemy Botanicals, again, to play with the Dawn Spencer Hurwitz perfumes, again. I re-sprayed Bancha, and while I still love the drydown, I found out that I'm not as big a fan of the first couple of hours. What to do? 

I re-sprayed Tubereuse, and it was, again, gorgeous. It starts out with a fog of tuberose candy mixed with gasoline, and, yes, that is a lovely thing, no matter how it might sound. The gasoline fades over time, leaving the tuberose candy, which is much nicer than other perfume candy.

I already have Parfumerie Generale Tubereuse Couture. I intend to buy Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle. I think that there's at least one other tuberose perfume that I own or intended to own. Just how wrong would it be to buy this?

I also tried Prana. It's interesting. It's puzzling. I got a strongly animalic feel from it, even though it doesn't contain even one animalic note. I suspect that I'm smelling a combination of the cardamom and oud.  Sadly, over time the oud started to dominate, and I really don't like oud. But this perfume comes closer to making me like it than any so far, so I may give it another try.

So, Vent Vert sort of lost the spotlight today. Maybe I'll try it again Sunday.

Image: By Father.Jack. Wikimedia Commons.

SOTD: Scentless Saturday. Sort of. Then I went shopping.

It was going to be a scentless Saturday.

But then I remembered that there were Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (Parfums des Beaux Arts) perfumes in town. (Alchemy Botanicals in Ashland is carrying them! Woohoo!)

So I went to sample. I tried on Pamplemousse, Tubereuse, Bancha, and d'Anjou, all at once. And walked around town in a perfumed fog. And promised Himself a Scentless Sunday instead.

As for the perfumes, I'm uncertain:

• Pamplemousse started out nice and sharp-fruity, but ended with a little too much sharp and too little fruity, and the fruit that was left wasn't specifically grapefruit to my nose. I've read that this has neroli in it, too, and neroli is a note that I love for about forty seconds, and then grow actively tired of. So this one isn't for me.
• Bancha started out with a lovely combination of bergamot, tea, and other green things. It seemed to turn unpleasantly sharp later, but I now suspect that that was Pamplemousse aggressively announcing itself from the other arm, because several hours later Bancha is gorgeous, soft bergamot with just a hint of tea and an even more subtle hint of something richer. It's soaked into my skin as if it belongs there, and I'll be very sad when it finally fades away.
• d'Anjou was a lovely pear for an hour or two, and then it was gone. I may have missed subtleties; I'll try it again.
• Tubereuse was tuberose. A whole lot of tuberose. If I want a straightforward tuberose soliflore, this is in the running, but before that happens I want Tubereuse Criminelle. Though, there is an engaging graininess about it, rather like that of Un Lys...

So the favorite is Bancha. Am I going to do anything about that? I'm not sure yet.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.