So long, farewell...

Auf wiedersehen, Adieu, Au'voir and sadly...good bye.

Writing about noteworthy fragrances had been a dream of mine that I first envisioned this past Winter after reading so many great and creative blogs proclaiming marvelous and not so marvelous things about fragrances. From the major design houses to the small cottage in England creating a work of love...I've been impressed with this: Those who create beauty ~ are beautiful.

The knowledge I've gained will stay with me the rest of my life. Tihota by Indult became my perfume holy grail and I made so many incredible friends along this journey, both in the US and abroad. I've thoroughly enjoyed sharing links with many other blog owners as well as sharing samples across the miles. I'll always remember Andy Tauer's "Bottle on a journey" as a highlight of this experience. I wish each of you continued success and would love to keep in touch from time to time. I'm richer and wiser and more fragrant for having known each of you!

I leave the world of sampling and writing fragrance reviews to become my husband's copy editor for an upcoming book. He is hoping to have a contract with Zondervan Publishing House early next year. He has been waiting for this opportunity to be a published author for years and finally the time seems perfect. It's his dream come true! I can do no less than to offer this incredible husband of 38 years my undivided attention with editing and help him meet those manuscript deadlines.

I wish for each of you the very best and abundance in all you do.

Your friend forever,
Joyce

“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Liz Zorn Perfumes ~ the girl makes scents

It's always great to stay in touch with Liz and learn about all the new and luscious scents she is bringing to the world. With the appropriate fanfare, here is her latest and possibly greatest launch yet!

The Good Luck collection

"This collection is a reformulation and makeover of the "Fusionne' Collection. Originally only an oil parfume. We have expanded the vision of this series of perfumes to include a variety of selections for each fragrance. As we were making new, the packaging has also been updated to reflect a more contemporary aesthetic. We decided to relaunch with the top three sellers from the pervious collection, Ankhara, Calcutta and Quan Yin." (Known as the Amber Girls)

"Tea Trilogy, which includes a reformulation of the Chado parfume that so many love. These are mixed media scents. Which means that we start with a high level of natural materials and accent them with modern perfumery elements. We call this the Good Luck Collection because these perfumes, have been very good for us. Very popular with our customers, And we want to spread some good cheer."

EDP-X - 1 oz. Flacon (see photo above) A new concentration that we have created, that bridges the gap between a standard Eau D' Parfume and a Parfume Extrait. Rich and lasting, but not to overbearing or heavy on the base notes. Price: 90.00. Allow three weeks for delivery.

Perfumed Body Creme - A generously fragranced luxury formula. May be layered with the eau d' parfume for an added element, or used alone as a light r effect. To be used as one would apply a fine fragrance. Not for use on the face. 4.5 oz. 65.00 - allow two weeks for delivery.

Previously posted:
August/2007Like Patti LaBelle, there's more than just a new attitude rising up from ZZ's Petals Boutique. First of all, let's start with a new name: Liz Zorn Perfumes.

Now let's add a new collection! LZ ARTISAN is introducing five Eau D' Parfumes. I've tried them all and am madly in love with Palomino. Once I get past the opening 'green notes' my personal chemistry kicks in to high gear and the sultry, spicy floral takes over and charms me with its beauty. Long lasting, intensely fragrant...love at first whiff.

PALOMINO "Contrary to the obvious - this fragrance gets it's name from the palomino grape, not the famous horse of Roy Rodgers! The Palomino grape is commonly used in the production of sherry. And like Sherry, our Palomino is a touch dry, warm, spicy and rich. Steeped in Amber and Cloves, with a touch of pomegranate, in a base of Cedar, Sandalwood and Musk. Notes: Clary Sage, Juniper, Cabreuva, Galbanum, Clove, Cinnamon, Amber (house natural), Vanilla, Pomegranate, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, and Musk."

CITRINE ROSE "A conceptual scent, created around the idea of following the evolution of a rose from thorn to blossom. Citrine Rose starts out sharp and biting, and warms over time, to a citrus tinged softness, that is both uplifting and sensual. Notes: Citrus, Spices, Geranium, Carnation, Rose Otto, Rose Absolute, Amber (house), Cedar, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Vanilla, and Musk."

JHANGO BAY "Riding the fence between classic and modern. This scent is rich in Caribbean spices, masculine florals, warm woods, balsams and musky animalic undertones. Notes: Citrus, Jamacian Bay Rum, Spices, Rose Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Natural Musk, and Ambergris."

ALLEGORY "A twist on the traditional Lavender Fragrance. Allegory, rich with leather and smoke is a Lavender, Vanilla scent, built around the Absolute of Lavender, which has a fruitiness not found in the essential oil alone. Allegory comes on strong, and mellows to a beautifully seductive rustic floral, with a rich herb and vanilla dry down. Notes: Marigold, French Lavender, Orange Flower, Lavender Absolute, Lavender Concrete, Vanilla, Spices, Birch Tar, Leather Notes, and Woods."

MAN SPRAY "An extraordinarily smooth natural masculine fragrance, that opens with a citrus and green wake up call followed by a slowly smoldering richness, that can only be described as Vintage Chic. Always on the edge, never out of style. Notes: Bergamot, French Lavender, Clary Sage, Cedar, Spices, Geranium Leaf, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Hay Absolute, Amber (house blend) Ambrette Seed Musk, Oak Moss, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, and Vanilla."

Her new Signature Collection of luxury perfumes will now be available in Parfume Extrait only and are created with well chosen, high quality natural ingredients, tinctured fruits and florals not commonly available to the perfumer, natural or otherwise. Liz refuses to outsource any part of the process allowing her to maintain complete control over the quality of her perfumes.

Liz, like the true artist she is, has succeeded in designing an incredible wardrobe of fragrances.Samples as well as full-sized bottles are available on her website and promptly arrive packaged with the flair of an artist.

Indult ~ An exclusive society of perfumes

Indult: Privilege granted to certain people by the King of France or the Pope to few people in order to profit of certain exclusive favors. Indult Perfumes are inspired by these aristocratical privileges from the past centuries and the wish to present a new concept of perfume for people who appreciate the feeling of exclusivity. These exclusive and confidential perfumes are the result of delicate and exceptional ingredients. Each fragrance is edited in 999 bottles, Indult perfumes are made of natural and extremely rare extracts and contain no colorants or additives. The three perfumes were composed by nose Francis Kurkdjian who also created the MDCI perfumes that I reviewed several weeks ago.

TIHOTA

"Means Sugar in Polynesian. It’s an exotic marriage of musk infusion with the sensual vanilla pods. Like the blow of a warm breeze that wraps the body and invades the atmosphere in a singular way. Tihota is a magical trip, the incandescence of the sunrise that embraces the far horizon." The verdict: Have mercy! This is the mother of all vanilla scents, but with an incredible twist. If you are familiar with Vanille Abricot by Comptior Sud Pacifique, then just imagine that fragrance times ten. My sample was crushed in shipment, so there was only about a drop that I could safely test without cutting my arm with glass shards, but that one drop sent me over the edge of vanilla heaven. Full bottle worthy at any price!!

MANAKARA

"Madagascar’s area famous for flourishing the most beautiful lychees in the world.
When roses are fruits, they associate best with lychees. The most beautiful roses in perfumery are the ones from Bulgaria and Turkey; they could only find their alter ego in the heart of a Madagascar region where the most beautiful lychees are made. An exclusive fragrance where the voluptuous essence of rose is married with the fresh and subtle scent of lychee." The verdict: Sniff, sniff...I wish I liked this better, but I can only think of a very, very sweet rose flavored cotton candy and you'll get a very good picture of that this smells like on me. I think my chemistry intensifies the canned syrupy lychee fruits and I'll have this for dessert with ice cream rather than wear it.

ISVARAYA

"Meaning divine in Hindi. In India, the patchouli is traditionally the favorite scent of Vishnu, god savior of men and life, the guardian of universal harmony. From this secular legend, an olfactory allegory is born that associates the sensual intensity of the patchouli to the fruity and suave scent of the Indian plum trees and the flowers of Jasmine Sambac. Isvaraya is the fantasy of a diverse India, culturally and ethnically, between the spiritual legend of Vishnu and the fantasy of Bollywood." The verdict: It's really super rich and exotic, like Indian incense with heavy woods and florals. Not my cup of tea, but very exotic and sexy and it will be savored for those 'extra special' moments when only a mature siren of a scent will do.

Get over to Lucky Scent and order a sample when it's back in stock. And visit Indult.fr if you want to join the 'exclusive club' of the faithful and privileged 999.

Finding your 'happy groove'

The aim of a fragrance is to make you feel happy! The packaging of Smiley alone started the smiles and chuckles even before I got to the scent inside. Fragrance therapy without an RX? And what's with those crazy bottles that don't even stand up but prefer to just roll around? So fun! When most fragrance designers add glamor and value to their scents by bottling them up in fine cut baccarat crystal, sometimes even studded with diamonds....Smiley says, "No thanks" and instead comes packaged in a pill shaped bottle tucked away in a box that looks like it came from a pharmacology company. So original!

Ah ha!! There in lies the genius of this product, created by the very famous Jean Pierre Bethouart, mastermind of fragrances such as Caron, Christian Dior and Versace with the packaging credit going to Ora Ito who's reinterpreted everything from Vuitton backpacks to Heineken bottles, mobile phones and Mac computers.
So famous!

The Smiley formula combines theobromine and phenylethylamine, both natural mood elevators found in cocoa beans, as well as the more conventional notes of bergamot, orange, pimento and bay leaves; the middle notes are cacao, praline and curaçao; the base note has patchouli, myrrh and musk. Is this the smell of happiness? Anytime I can get a legal giddy boost that's not from a bottle, not from a pill and not from someone who's billing me by the minute - that's got my attention. Smiley calls itself the first anti-stress perfume and those who wear it are 'in therapy'. Now, granted this could be a bit too much hype, but really, who cares? If there is something in these pill shaped bottles that ups the happy factor for my stressful day, I'm at least smiling more just looking at those cutsie bottles labeled in French, English and Braille with such great smelling fragrance. So quirky!

Available in a preponderance of potent perfumed products...you can get your smiles in bath gel and bath fizzies, body lotion, massage oil and my favorite, the Smiley perfume extract. Honestly, you can measure this out by the drop and it lasts all day. Now that is something you can smile about. So happy!

Go on...purchase your own Smiley products at HappyTherapy.com or BigelowChemists.com and let the happy begin!