mindcandy pennies from the overgenerous lunatic

Perfume Review: Bulgari Aqua Marine

In case you're wondering, the v in Bulgari and Aqua is actually u. It's written in V to reflect the greek influence.

Aqua Marine has been out for around 2 years now, i got mine around last year and kinda grew tired of it for a bit as i do not have much love for aquatic fragrances: mainly because they usually end up being too stereotypical, linear and boring. i prefer rich, opulent and complex scents but in any case, everyone needs a nice aquatic somewhere down the road to balance out the collection and also for it to be worn during a trip to the beach (nobody wants to smell like Aramis there!!!) and so i got it. It was actually chosen for me by a female friend whom i have seeked her advice on which perfume to get at that time. I got it and 2-3 months down the road regretted it and gotten egoiste and M7 instead. But using it once in a while does bring back its beauty.

The opening starts with a blast of neroli and grapefruit, with the neroli being played down (I detected it as the smell of rice) as it was blended with the grapefruit adding a floral touch to the otherwise citrusy grapefruit. This is not a fruity grapefruit but a very juicy and watery grapefruit that you can almost smell the juice dripping off (most probably Calone, the chemical that most aquatics are loaded with to give you the impression of water). This continues in to the mid notes where a somewhat salty note comes up. Bulgari claims that this is seaweed but logically speaking seaweed smells like the sea (i.e dead fish). the tinge of saltiness tones down the Grapefruit a little, in time for a drydown of pure Cedar.

Now, this is where the fragrance gets very annoying. It almost disappears after 2-3 hours. The Cedarwood base is nice but its barely detectable. And Bulgari stuff aint cheap. They're priced slightly above average your normal scents. And to add salt to the wound, you'll have to use a lot of this for it to last the whole day as an office/daily scent. So its not gotta be a nice journey.

Overall, amongst all of the aquatics that has been produced, Bulgari Aqua Marine has been one of the best and most interesting aquatics that has ever appeared. It's fresh and dosent smell squarely of calone. It has character (but not a very prominent one) and this interpretation of a fresh, aquatic sealike scent is quite accurate to boot.

Spraying this and sniffing it takes me to some posh seaside resort where i am walking out of the corridor with white walls, on a path lined with pebbles and black slabs in between with a nice herb garden on the sides, towards the sea. The sea is light blue with foam, its sands are white. I then dive into the the beach and get this really refreshing feeling on my face. That would be the impression of Bulgari Aqua marine to me when used during a long day on the evening to rejuvenate myself. I still like this fragrance, but just not everyday. If you love Issey Miyake, Hugo Boss and Aqua Di Gio, get this to give yourself something better.

Perfume Review: YSL M7

Today we're gonna have a look at this little known classic who has been sidelined by its owner, Yves Saint Laurent the fashion house due to it not appealing to the masses. However, it has gained a steady flow of fans over the years, mostly perfume enthusiasts who are tired of the usual, generic aquatic or sweet scents out there.

M7 has depth. It is intense and overpowering. Like the butch jock you meet at the club. The opening notes come with a blast of dry, almost sickly cherry with a huge woody accord (we're assuming it's the Oudh/Oud/Agarwood) before the cherry note quickly dissipates to a dry, dark wood accented by sweet musk and amber. A few hours later, only the musk, amber and a small hint of agarwood remains and it does smell slightly creamy and sweet all the way, resembling a very dry version of white chocolate or cocoa butter but with a woody, spicy thing going on at the background. It is not an edible kind of chocolate at all but the spicy, dry type as if you're smelling those white chocolate meant for cooking, except a lot less sweet and dry beneath. It is basically a woody-musky scent that is unusual and at the same time, demands attention. The musk itself in this scent is not your typical clean smelling one, its a slightly dirty musk that has been blended in with vertiver, giving it a slightly bitter/dry accent. The vertiver here is almost invisible; only a very slight hint is detected with the musk and almost, no where else. One note that constantly plays itself at the background, throughout the perfume is the spicy coriander note that makes a very subtle appearance. Overall, it is a very unusual scent that would challenge your impressions on the world of perfumes.

The entire scent evokes a very sensual and classy dinner in a nice restaurant with the girlfriend, sharing a laugh or two along the way. Many men would find this scent a little too heavy for their tastes in more ways than one as it does have a 'dirty' smell to it (the amber and musk combo) may intimidate many guys. It's definitely not a scent that can be worn in the office daily (I've tried and it just feels odd to smell so wildly different than everyone else's hugo boss and CKs. Like wearing a suit, a tie and suspenders on a causal friday) It feels like a subtle power suit one level below Aramis that would make you feel confident, sensual and mysterious at the same time.

However, this scent is getting rarer and rarer at the moment as many people are not used to having their olfactory impressions challenged, they just wanna smell clean. It has been reformulated to tame the cherry note, which alone would put many people off due to its association with medicine and also, possibly to remove allergy triggering substances (the pre-formulated one gave me a headache). It is still however a wonderful fragrance even if some people cry that it's been reformulated and watered down (in reality, the original was headache inducing. i am sure it wont be fun wearing it if you get headaches from it) so i dont really get the whole hoohah about the whole reformulated thing. Just enjoy the perfume people!

The ad campaign for this one is also interesting: It features a very hairy naked man (please google i'm not that into guys..:x) sitting reclined. I have no idea why or what does it represent when it could have been some guy in a power suit or something (which represents it closer) instead of some hairy naked guy. It could have been because the creator of the perfume, Tom Ford (who is now heading his own niche perfume line) is gay and he wants to target the gay people with this perfume(or just wanna see a naked guy) or that the naked guy's hair represents how that perfume is supposed to feel. Either way, its somewhat disturbing and i do not really wanna know. haha.

Do give this a try at the YSL counters. It may be a pleasant suprise or a not so pleasant one, depending on how well you adapt to it...

Perfumes for men: why its not a gay thing

Most guys think perfumes are for girls or a gay thing but in reality, its for anyone for wants to make an impression. The word perfume itself comes from the word fume in latin, as in ancient times fumes and incense were used to worship the Gods, and somehow they were used to give scent to the bodies of the men and women of that time around the time of the ancient greeks and romans. These later evolved into liquids over time but the name and connotation still remained over the centuries. These liquids were made of plant oils, honey, and animal fats, depending on the formulas and location. In Ancient China, flowers were either made into pomades or pickled in alcohol for use by the people of the time.

But the history of bottled perfumes in the west stems from Catherine de Medici's time, where gloves were scented with oils and plants to make them smell more pleasant. And from that time onwards scented gloves became the in thing. Later, the cologne was invented, first as a health tonic alongside with older pleasant smelling tonics such as Queen of Hungary waters that were meant to consumed by the individual. It was the invention of cologne that stemmed the whole trend of making bottled perfumes from plant oils. Some were a mixture of multiple oils. King Louis the 14th (i dont think he is gay) used perfumes extensively as bathing was not the trend at that time. Later, the birth of modern perfumery was marked with Guerlain's Jicky, one of the first perfumes that featured a different scent over time. Prior to this, perfumes smelled the same throughout.

So in the history of perfumes, many men has used it along with women but why is it now associated with gayness when a man wears it? Kings and noblemen have used it and they're definitely not gay so where does the whole funny idea come from? It's thanks to the homophobia and lack of exposure. Perfumes are one of the most effective fashion statements for guys and they are used to leave an impression. Many people have this really funny perception that perfumes are used for seduction. they *do* have a small role in that, but that is not the main purpose.

If impression plays an important part when meeting with people, definitely every little detail matters. getting into a tuxedo but smelling like an old shoe is not going to leave good impressions. You gotta obviously smell nice. But that is not enough if you're gonna grab the attention of the girl in the small black dress who's wearing Chanel No5 at the corner. You have to smell like a gentleman too. In short, courtesy, personality and presentation is required in all amounts to make a good impression and smelling correctly is an important part of the equation because without one, you'll be just one of the extras in the show and no one really notices you. If you look the part and play the part well but dont smell the part, isnt that very odd? Might as well complement it by smelling nice.

And no, smelling like the beach on a funeral is not appropriate which is why you can never have a single perfume for all occasions. For example, the aquatic Bulgari Aqua Marine may be a great fragrance to wear during an outing with friends or vacation, or even the office but not appropriate for a blue tie event, which demands a darker, deeper and more opulent scent. So having one for each possible scenario would make you fit in the picture more. A basic collection would have at least 5 different scents. Signature scents are overrated these days, but if you dont get bored of scents, why not but do bear in mind it will not help you get noticed the way you would want to in most situations. If you do want a signature of sorts, get scents with certain accords that you want: such as vanilla for example which is mine. I chose mine based on the significance and effects it has on people: vanilla is sensual, playful yet matured and a contradiction of sorts which represents me in more ways than one.

To choose the right perfume, imagine yourself in some possible scenarios and what would you want to smell like. Then, search online for recommendations. If you want you can start testing around, first on paper and if you feel its agreeable, test it on you skin because they WILL smell different. never buy a perfume just because it smells good on paper. A good perfume would be one that is still on your wrist after 2-3 hours. You do not want something that disappears even before you reach the office do you?! because that will be quite costly as you would need to spray it on your clothes to make it last. Of course, do not overapply perfume. If you start to choke in 1-2 hours after applying, thats too much and will probably be the reverse of the effect that you would want to achieve. Do scale it accordingly so that people will just experience an aura of scent around you, not as a farting skunk. 2-3 sprays at the neck or chest should suffice with most scents but again it is up to the scent itself and how it projects from your body. Best is to ask friends around you if they smell anything.

In short perfumes are important as the clothes you wear and the impression you want to give to others. If you just dont care, thats what others perceive you as and would people wanna be around those who dont care? hmm. Again, Perfumes are not everything. it's a small booster as the rest will still have to depend on how you carry yourself.