posted April 05, 2011 04:17 PM            

When the package arrived today in the mail, I was tickled! I am not affiliated with review magazines, I am not a journalist, I am not in the perfume world necessarily, but what I have is a passion for scents and a desire to express them through the written word. A. F. has a real talent for the blending and even better- the longevity, the revealing layers- of an unfolding scent, and how they move together on the skin. Truly like the notes of a piece of music creating a personalized story.

What starts as sharp and crisp, alluding to the later stages- when worn on the skin, emerges in ribbons of scent that warm and evoke a deepness and a sophistication that unfurl and exceed expectation. The fact that these are pure extractions-chosen naturally sourced and with botanical purity in mind-not synthetic fragrance oils-is an absolute miracle in sensibility and longevity.

First- they came wrapped delightfully in a gorgeous vanilla coloured embossed box, with a ribbon complete with music notes (Music for your nose! *Giggle*) and a lovely ivory ribbon. Then, a beautiful dragonfly themed tissue paper, and a wax-sealed-stamped dragonfly holding a dried flower.
The presentation was a treat! The samples were encased in a velvet pouch....but the real treat was inside! How do I try them all at once? Surely my olfactory senses will give out before I sample each one- and which to try first? Oh... a quandary. But if it must be a challenge, what better to encounter than this?

So I started blotting oils on each area of my arm I could reach with my nose.... To quickly find I needed a better way to keep track as the scents evolved. So I chose a few and labelled my arm. I am doing a few at a time to give proper scale and allow my nose to adapt to the uniqueness of each scent. More to come!

I was very anxious to try to warmer scents first...

Bennacht- Oh Bennacht how you have stolen my heart. You evolve like a full bodied silky shawl with your sandalwood undertones and your spicy floral heart. You are definitely showing up in my roster when I want to tell a secret and the whisper of the scent I leave will entice them to remember it. Rapturous. Nose-gasm. Feminine but not cloying.

Autumn Spice it was! CINNAMON! Spice! Everything nice! Initially the notes were of course- warm and autumny- like a simmering cuddly cinnamon stick, nutmeg, woods but with an undertone of orange... not too sweet, but just sweet enough.

Gourmand delight I want to eat you. No lie. Creamy. Wholesome. Tender. Sweet. Edible. Just how we all want to be perceived! OK, a little bit nutty perhaps- nothing wrong with that! Bedtime scent!

Melange- reminds me of what I currently clean my home with- a blend of patchouli, orange, ylang ylang, lavender- and is that the sharper note of eucalyptis or melaleuca? I am pretty sure all the notes I detect are wrong except for the patchouli, but that is how I perceive them and I love them! Familiar- intoxicating.

Lime in the coconut- Exactly how it’s described- so long lasting too! I couldn’t stop sniffing this one! Addictive.

I can’t wait to smell them all! I do, however, want to eat my arm or roll on myself like a contented kitty who’s found a life-sized doll filled with catnip.

posted April 25, 2011 12:55 PM            

I realized I didn't get back here to thank you for your loving and kind words about my babies.

Thank you SO very much.

posted April 25, 2011 01:40 PM            

I am going to launch into a continuation of the gorgeous fragrances I have been sampling from Esscentual Alchemy. These are beautiful blends, each unique and made from natural sources.

OPHELIA- Heady. Vintage, floral, rich, an established thick garden in the middle of the city. Nearby there are large barrels of soil-salty earth and a sort of ozone-patina blend from the barrel’s metal rings .This is a rich and wet fragrance to me. Deep violet. A woman with sly eyes, peeking in a come-hither way, in a black and white photograph, well worn at the corners.... Well-loved.

That 70’s Smell- I thought it would be patchouli- the pure undiluted kind... it is not. Not at all. It is a resinous pine, fresh citrus-I detect a sharp oceanic note-maybe lavender-fresh is the pervading scent, classic and crisp. Very different than I imagined. Nostalgic, like it’s a warm summer day, and you’ve walked into a fresh lemon-scented home and it is comfortable and clean all at once. Wearable. It evolves beyond the initial notes into those I suspected originally. Deeper like the frankincense but with the lightness of the bergamot giving it scope.

Kama- There is a special place in my heart for any scent that makes you go “Oooh” like a sensual punch to the stomach that makes you sit up and want to reach for another sniff, going ‘what IS that exactly?’ This one starts strong and develops into a rich enveloping spice and makes you sing out to the tips of the hair on your arms. It rivals any classic fragrance with strong spice notes- you know the ones I mean- the ones you turn to for comfort, sex in a bottle, warmth, moan-worthy. This is one moan worthy fragrance! I'll be using this one again! and I do mean 'using', as it is a tool.

Purple Orchid- Clean. Light Floral. Sensual. Fresh. The longer it rests on the skin the more soapy it becomes. Almost powdery with lavender freshness. I LOVE a good lavender. It’s so calming and clean. Makes you want to nuzzle up into someone’s neck and hug deeply. Although this is primarily what I would consider a woman’s fragrance, I could see a man wearing this. Lavender speaks to me of cleanliness and love.

posted April 25, 2011 01:42 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pixelpixie:
You're the star!

I mean, I knew you were, but I was so glad to have been able to gather firsthand knowledge. And thank you for the momentum established in my own life as a result!
♥

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It's a win win yes?

Loved your review btw...you sassy thing!

Can I post your review link please please oh please???

What our own Pixelpixie has not told you all, is that she's reviewing for a blog now!!!

I hooked up the owner and our Pixel

posted April 28, 2011 11:56 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by bunnies:
Do me do me

I think it might be Kama but I want a sensual long lasting smoky boudoir scent.
What do you recommend?

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Kama would be good, melange is like a visit to your inner bohemian at the moulin rouge

posted April 30, 2011 10:45 AM            

Ugg.