Katie,
So I went for a run, showered, and applied my second scent of the day, Tom Ford Private Blend Noir de Noir. And I got "chocolate rose," just as I remembered. And, yes, it feels a little heavy for daylight. But I grew up not far from the Guittard Chocolate Factory and on cool spring afternoons, the smell of chocolate would waft over the soccer field, mixing with the grass and dirt and flowers, and Noir de Noir is reminiscent of this smell. Except when I looked up the scent, there's no mention of chocolate at all, not in the official ingredient list, not in the reviews on the blogs, not on Basenotes (where everyone blathers on about the oud). But you say chocolate, I say chocolate, and Luca Turin compared it to S-Perfume 100% Love, which is most certainly chocolate (though chocolate made on Mars). In the words of the inarticulate youth, "wassup wit dat?"
Dan
Dan,
Chocolate! Yes! I mean, what else? Truffles are listed as a note, but they have an intensely distinctive smell, like sweaty pigs-in-gym-socks sex, and I don't smell that, only chocolate!
I have tried 100% Love at Barney's, and I remember thinking, "Huh. Weird," and promptly forgot anything about it. Guess it didn't ding-dong my chimes.
Hey! I marched into Scent Bar this afternoon, and in a Dan-like, "I'm just buying this RIGHT NOW" kind of way, purchased Nasomatto China White! And no buyer's remorse an hour later! I smell DEAD LUSH. I suspect that this is filling the Creed Angelique Encens hole, because China White is dry, herbal, powdery, woody, incensey. AE is more crazy with the vanilla sweetness, and is more claustrophobic to wear, and would probably annoy me after a short while. So I think I'm onto something more versatile, here.
I was in Scent Bar for over an hour, smelling a bunch of new-to-me stuff. A few thoughts to share: Micallef Homme Aoud is a different character to Montale White Aoud. Here's what the Micallef does: starts earthier, richer than White Aoud, then gets a bit jasmine-y suntan oil, then gets salty, then soapy. The White Aoud seems less robust, more elegant. And drier.
Next thought: if you dig Indult Manakara, you should also look into Parfumerie Generale Brulure de Rose, which is dupe-level close, but less googly-eyed cartoony (Bugs Bunny, not Leonardo da Vinci) than Manakara, and $120 cheaper! Don't know how the staying power compares.
I think we're going to be Patty Duke perfume-alikes come next October, which is when I'll be in the mood to own Noir de Noir. We could even split a bottle, if you're of a mind to. And you have all the meth lab equipment to make it happen.
Katie
Katie,
Congratulations on your reckless...er...spontaneous purchase. China White is one of my samples so I'll be gentle if I happen to hate it. I do love those Nasomatto bottles. That alone makes me want to buy one.
I am loving this Noir de Noir. It doesn't quite develop (do any Tom Fords develop?) but softens nicely and lands at a similar dusty cocoa powder as Montale Chocolate Greedy. Though still heavier, even after six hours.
I'm babbling. What I meant to write about was these B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful (now known as Gorilla Perfume) perfumes. Have you tried them? Specifically Breath of God, which sounds like an incredibly complex smoky floral. A rosy-amber-cedar-violet-smoky floral! It's so inexpensive, I might buy a bottle tonight. It's an English vegan company (not sure what the significance of being vegan is when you're making perfumes - no pork chop accords, I guess). Okay, I'm ordering. I'll send you a decant. See how quickly that can happen?
Dan
Dan,
Nasomatto: it really made me laugh when Invisible Magnet said the bottles looked like "hotel furniture designed by Brad Pitt". The only Nasomattos that grab me are China White and Hindu Grass. And there's no doubt that HG is loud, but it smells REALLY good: chocolate grass.
Noir de Noir: I'm going to have to do a sheep dip of that the next time I'm at Neiman Marcus. I never thought it was my "thing" to smell of chocolate, but now that I'm loving Chanel Coromandel with its chocolate-mimicking vanilla/patchouli, I guess chocolate has "thinged" me.
So today's samples from the Scent Bar were Serge Lutens Chergui, Comme des Garçons 2 (so I can experience "high-pitched" in person) and Profumum Fiore D'Ambra, which the Scent Bar’s Franco and Angela rave about every time amber is mentioned. I was never moved to their heights of ecstasy, but for some reason, when I smelled it today, I saw something new in it.
Katie
Katie,
Wow, you and the Scent Bar. You're like Norm on Cheers. Do Franco and Angela yell out your name when you come in? I'm so jealous. Though I have no impulse control and if I had a Scent Bar nearby, I'd end up dead in an alley. I don't know exactly how the first would lead to the second but I'm certain it would.
Dan
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