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Read Smoke!
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Friday, June 6, 2008

The Intrigue of a Woody Oriental

Morning Divas,

Why does it always rain when I return to New Haven? It's like rolling back the tape on a sad movie, coming back to the same rainy scene. I'm spending the weekend with a friend and time I stepped off the train it seems like the clouds inflated at once and began to perforate. This morning my alarm was nature. Water rushed to the ground like marbles, bounced, and scattered beneath the cold gusts of air. The sound was quite pleasant. It sounded just like those rain makers. The sight, not so much.

I will tell you what was pleasant; the scent of Samsara by House of Guerlain against my slumbering body. Of course by morning it had politely nestled into my sheets, pillow, and blanket as well. I love waking up to a great perfume. I just bought Samsara yesterday but I knew I'd love it. First of all it is by Guerlain, perfume diety. Secondly, it's a bold woody oriental and I've decided that this is the category of perfume that best expresses me.

What is a woody oriental? This simply means that traditional and fragrant oriental flowers such as jasmine, rose, and bergamot blend with heavy, more pungent, even masculine woody base notes like cedar, patchouli and oakmoss. The result is a provocative scent that is both mysterious, and sensual. These are complex, intellectual scents that open rather oddly, mystifying the nose, and over time they take on a warm, deep, and sexual nature. It's a journey in scent best for the woman who holds that a little mystery goes a long way and the woman who practices a slow seduction rather than a quick thrill. Other remarkable fragrances of this type include Prada by Prada, Hanae Mori's Butterfly, Omnia by Bulgari, Black Orchid by Tom Ford, and Calvin Klein's Obsession (love it).

Today the market is flooded with sexy spicy oriental and florientals (Armani Code, Magnetism by Escada, etc.) but I think it's quite nice to stand out in the crowd and to catch the unsuspecting nose by surprise. Many of the better woody orientals are really before our time, such as Mitsouko (which means 'mystery' in Japanese) which was created by Guerlain in the twenties. While this fragrance type isn't for every woman, if you're looking to switch it up from sweet and spicy, to bold and mysterious perhaps, try one of these next time you hit the perfume counter. It might become your new thing.

flyness and funk

Ike

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