Katie's Perfume Collection Update: Part 3




Here is Part 3 of my perfume collection update. Topics discussed:

1. Eating beans while surrounded by goats on a Mediterranean hillside.

2. The state of Maria Callas's dressing room after opening night at the opera.

3. Tricking friends into thinking you're a tree.

4. Various things that might happen in bed.

Perfumes discussed:

1. Diptyque L'Eau Trois

2. Guerlain Nahema

3. Clinique Aromatics Elixir

4. Bruno Acampora Musc

Please click on the perfume names for prices and more info. For Part 1 of my perfume collection update, click here. For Part 2, click here.

27 comments:

  1. You left off Aromatics Elixir!!! My mommy's perfume. She is gone now, but I love it. Agreed that at first sniff people go OMG, THAT IS HORRIBLE. But they are WRONG.

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    1. Ack! Rori, I will correct my list now. And yes, the "HORRIBLE" people are WRONG!

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  2. I've always enjoyed your perfume collection videos and watched them several times. I thought L'Eau Trois was discontinued, thanks for the rectification. What would you say about the differences between Musc oil and eau de parfum, if there's any?

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    1. There is a difference. The smell of the oil (which I've loved and worn for years) is compressed and more dense than the edp, which is what you would expect. It also has somewhat waxy smell, which dissipates as you wear it.

      I now prefer the edp, which is just as complex and long-lasting as the oil, but which settles into the "good stuff" sooner than the oil does. But they are both beautiful.

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  3. Katie, Aromatic Elixir is great,the first 30 min can be overwhelming but then it develops & keeps giving for hours & thats what I like, Bruno acompora is probably gonna be a blind buy for me, I'm always looking for the perfect musc & I have "few"from our Arabic perfume shops, ok; less than 10 ! But I'll have to order it from their site cos lucky scent does not ship to my country, let me tell you their site is challenging for me, It's Italian LOL.Hessa

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    1. Oh yeah...I just looked at the Acampora site. It allows you to choose English, and then halfway through the buying process, it reverts to Italian.

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  4. Katie
    Do you know where the Bruno Musc is available in London?
    Thank!

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    1. It's available at Les Senteurs, you can order online too.

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    2. Les Senteurs only stocks the oils. I asked them about the EDP versions of Bruno Acompura's fragrances but they said they have no plans to stock them in the immediate future.

      If you're in Europe and you're having trouble ordering from the official website, Alla Violetta.com stock the EDP. They provide excellent customer service too.

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    3. I didn't know Les Senteurs didn't have the EDPs. Bummer. Thanks for the tip on Alla Violetta.

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  5. Katie, what is your take on wearing scented body products alongside a fragrance? Surely that's a big NO NO?

    Speaking as a man, if I am going to use anti-perspirant or a moisturiser, I will tend to go for a scent-free product to avoid the inevitable clash.

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    1. Yes yes, it's a no no, unless they all have the same scent (ie Aromatics Elixir helpfully comes in an anti-perspirant if you wanna get matchy-matchy). Or if the smells are compatible. My REN rose body lotion smells good when I'm wearing most of my incensey or patchouli perfumes.

      But I had to stop using the divinely-scented Moroccan Oil shampoo because its perfume really lingers and clashed with my "real" perfume.

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  6. It's been my experience, and maybe mine alone, that there are times I KNOW someone is wearing Aromatics Elixir and they will lie about it. I have yet to run into anyone who will admit it's what they're wearing. I had a coworker who swore she only wore Tommy Girl or Cacharel Amor Amor, and yet more often than not was clearing wearing AE... even people in the office who knew nothing about perfume could tell. Not sure what makes people shy away from proclaiming their love for AE. I might wear it today and see if I find myself feeling particularly dishonest.

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    1. Hahaha - that's funny that people would lie about their not-so-secret love for Aromatics Elixir.

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    2. Hmm, I wonder when the various people deny wearing it, what they say they ARE wearing. Are they all saying they are wearing the same perfume or different ones? And does the perfume they say they are wearing bear any resemblance to AE?

      I know - too anal, but then my analytical brain will ponder these things...

      SoS

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  7. I bought Bruno Acampora musc after seeing your review and I was so disapointed ! I really could not smell a thing apart from the mushroomy vibe, then it morphed into a sort of nothingness. I probably smelled good to others but I like to smell good to myself as well. I really want a good musc perfume that is of the cleaner kind, can you reccomend any others ? That Bruno Acampora website is bizarre but customer service excellent and they sent me some body cream and a little bag.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear you and BA Musc didn't click, Jaki. Now, there's a whole wide world of musk perfumes to suit every preference. My fave cleany-clean-clean ones include C.O Bigelow Musk Oil and Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess (Narciso Rodriguez Musc Oil for Her was great, but sadly discontinued). More hearty is Kiehl's Musk Oil and Annick Goutal Musc Nomade. For more on musk perfumes, check out this post:
      http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2010/03/viewer-mail-i-want-to-smell-like-me.html

      See also my recommendations on Fume Finder:
      http://fumefinder.com/m/#/m/fragrancepicks/women/ingredient/musk/

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    2. Thanks Katie will check these out, I am a fan of Kiehl's already. I ordered the BA musc blind as your fragrance loves are very similar to mine. After a visit to the Bowie exhibition yesterday I trawled on down to Harrods to check out the Guerlain Les Déserts d'Orient trio, my first thought being "wow " they are gorgeous I want some, and then next, I bet Katie loves these !

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    3. You know me! Encens Mythique d’Orient was the one I ended up favoring. The leather one I found too blocky and loud.

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    4. As an update to my earlier comments on the Bruno Musc edp, I was about to go to work yesterday when UPS turned up at my door with a package from BA containing a 5ml flask of the musc oil and tester oils of Bianco and Nero packaged in their beautiful aluminium stamped box. I just had time to open it and get some of oil on to me before heading to work. I can now say I love this stuff !(and not just because it was free!) I can actually smell this and so could others around me ,eliciting several favourable comments from co workers normally bored of my perfume obsession. My husband also commented favourably on it and said he found it very pleasant. I am wondering if the edp was not so good on my very dry skin, whereas the oil has lasted and I can still smell it faintly on me this morning.
      I can only assume someone from BA read my comments here and then sent me the oil as there was no covering letter with the package.
      So I can now say, if you don't get on with the edp try the oil, it's great !

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    5. Jaki - really valuable insights on the USP of Musc EDP vs oil. It hadn't occurred to me that the "nothingness" you experienced with the EDP could be solved by stepping it up to the relative density of the oil version.

      I'm glad you found a way to love the perfume. I'd felt a bit bad about leading you down a blind alley.

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  8. I love your camping trip conjuring!

    Nahema was like sucking on powdered iron girders to me - very much at the metallic end of the rose spectrum. But I do quite like it, if not as much as my beloved Plus Que Jamais that I didn't manage to buy before they discontinued it.

    I am most curious to try that musk scent as I know how much you rate it as an easy access "business" / "sheet action remembering" scent. Not too easy access, obviously! ;-)

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    1. Thank you Vanessa, I was looking for a word to describe Nahema & as you said it is metallic, I tried it once & the sharp note blocked every thing else on me, I dont remember the concentration though it may vary as Katie has the pure perfume I think. Hessa

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  9. First mission of Saturday: Find diptyque l'eau trois sample ASAP to re-visit based on bean eating review!

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  10. I love the Bruno Acampora Musc. It definitely smells mushroomy at first, but not in a "button mushrooms going off in the fridge" way. I like to describe it as the smell of a dew covered chanterelle, freshly picked in the woods. I decided to try Aromatics Elixir today. It wasn't out on the Clinique counter, and I swear the Clinique sales assistant made a weird face when I asked about it. She cautioned that one spray was enough, held the blotter far away from herself as she sprayed and handed it over to me with a look of concern. I can see why this one has its haters, but I bought it, applied light spritz and I'm awaiting my husband's arrival home to get his verdict. My cat really seemed to like it, which I don't think is a bad thing!

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    1. Haha - funny account of the SA's visceral reaction. AE is just one of those perfumes that has to be smelled on the skin, and is so easy to overdo. I managed to make my tiny travel bottle last for a year. But now it's time for another!

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