dark fascination
Finally, the eagerly awaited, long promised, finally delivered Sambac Jasmine absolute sample landed on my desk. Or better: On the dining table. Where it sends out immense, unheard of clouds of … white jasmine flowers with a sweet powdery line complementing an indole line that is incredibly present. Greetings from Janus. Where white beauty and black magic meet.
What is striking is the green line in the scent, if approached from a distance. It reminds me somewhat in a geranium concrete that I got the other day and that still needs more thorough examination. Sniffing the orange coloured absolute of Jasmine Sambac directly, undiluted from a strip, however, it is heavy, intense, almost suffocating white floral notes with heavy indole lines. If you do not know what indoles smell like: Think feces. Sorry, can’t help it.
So you start wondering. Thus, you return and return to this scent, repelled and at the same time fascinated. Nature has placed this wonderful white scent on a background that makes you think in many things but not flowers. Except if you are an insect, I guess.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Dear Andy when I read yours post similar to it, I start to think, that the Internet is already capable to transfer smells. This post sounds for me as music…Hugs
July 1st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I can so relate to your repelled and at the same time fascinated, you can’t help sniffing again and again. I have a perfume sample like that, intriuging. I bet your absolute will one day be mixed and diluted and just heavenly smelling!
Speaking of heavenly smelling, I received your sample box yesterday and spent the rest of the afternoon in olfactory heaven! Discovered two new loves (the only two of yours I hadn’t smellled yet), Lonestar Memories and RauJ. Oh. my. The Lonestar especially grabbed my attention; all the notes from top to finish are heavenly on me, and I love the development! I also liked the ribbon, what a beautiful shade of gold it is. I’ll be happily playing with this box in the days to come. Thank you so much, dear SPG (Swiss Perfume Genius).
July 1st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Dear Vladimir, so great! And I was this morning on the post office ;-)
Dear Sabina
Great you got it and that you could discover my fragrant worlds . Enjoy your playing and the cowboy next to you! Thank you
July 1st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Dear Andy, Vladimir is absolutely right, you have the special gift to describe so well the olfactory sensations so that your reader’s imagination virtually smells these scents (or odours). And whether a scent smells heavenly or hellish depends solely on a brain connected to a nose. It is man made so to speak. In reality every scent is just a plain scent and nothing else, like each colour pigment in a painting is in itself neither beautiful nor repulsive. Thank you so much for stimulating my imagination.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Dear Stephan
Indeed and even more so… and on the paradoxical side: It needs the repulsive, the offensive to highlight perfection. Isn’t this fascinating?
July 1st, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Jasmine sambac is my absolute FAVORITE floral essence….closely followed by Orange Blossom….another indole rich narcotic fragrance! However, I find that Jasmine auriculatum is much more indolic. Have you smelled that one Andy? The Jasmine sambacs in my garden are flowering now, I have six of them. Pure heaven!
July 1st, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Sounds very delicious, Andy. I think you are a teaser by nature ;-)
Do I smell a jasmine based fragrance in the Tauer perfume’s line somewhere in 2009-2010? ;-)
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:40 am
Dear Roxana
I truly understand why J. Sambac is your FAVORITE floral. Mine is the orange absolute, but less the indolic moroccan, but more th crispier spain that I have.
When I am in Lala land again: please, please let me sniff the auriculatum that I do not know, yet. This sounds like heaven!
Dear AromaX
hehehe…. teasing is my nature!
By the way: There is a sub lethal dose of jasmine absolute in Le Maroc pour elle…
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:59 am
Dear Andy,
Thanks for your comment on Le Maroc – there is a miracle happened. Le Maroc was the only perfume that didn’t work on my skin so far. I smell a “strange rose” component I have aversion for. And you know if you smell a component you really like or have an aversion you get a block and can’t smell through it…
Once I smelled it together with la_myrrhe and she got almost offended by my aversion to the rose of your Le Maroc she loved so much ;-) We put it on my skin and… it went wrong way.
But your comment made a difference. I couldn’t smell Jasmine, I couldn’t smell anything except the “strange rose”. I get very curious to Jasmine, I took the sample, sprayed it on my skin and told to my self – find a Jasmine, it’s the Jasmine you are looking for… And yes – I could smell through. I can smell Jasmine and may be Cardamom and… Incense again? I don’t dare to smell the rose in it yet ;-) The taming process has begun.
Andy, thank you very much that you’ve learned me to ENJOY your Le Maroc…
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:24 am
now, dear Aromax, do not overdo it, please… otherwise you might get addicted to strange roses et al ;-)
So…taming the beast! Good luck.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
yes andy, lets get together next time you come to visit the land of lala! what fun!! i’d like to hop the atlantic and come experience your orange flower absolute from spain.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Scented worlds to discover..
Why not so simple as this? I understand your translation problems, as I read and think in (and between?) three languages each day.. :)
July 8th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Hmm.. an option maybe? I wanted to keep the rythm: 2 words, one verb….
I have posted today an alternative, revised solution.
Babel tower growing daily….