Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: June 2017: Smell to Taste - Fruit

This is my final Bloom Perfumery sample pack over a two year period (sobs). This month the theme is Smell to Taste - Fruit.

"Fruit is mostly a fantasy in perfume as distilling something like apples, raspberries or mango is quite impossible (essentially one would get jam in the process). However, the aromachemical producers by now have a huge library of molecules that will smell fruity and recipes of how to mix them to create a certain fruit effect. These compositions are called 'smell-to-taste'. The current selection covers straightforward fruity perfumes and formulas where a fruity nuance has been used to present a natural raw material in some unusual way".

Pear:

Huitième Art Ciel d'Airain EdP (50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) is the one which jumped out at me first. The perfumer wants you to feel like being in an orchard before the rain, taking refuge under a pear tree. With notes of ambergris, olive tree twigs, pear tree bark and pear tree leaves.

Mango:

Again from Huitième Art is Manguier Metisse EdP (100ml - £115, 50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) is a gentle honeyed floral built around Frangipani. With notes of frangipani, mango tree bark and tea. It's lovely.

Coconut:

Olfactive Studio Still Life in Rio EdP (100ml - £124, 50ml - £84, 1ml - £2) - with a coconut water accord. With top notes of ginger, lemon, mandarin, yuzu and mint with a heart of black pepper, pink pepper and coconut milk with a base of copaiba balm, leather and rum. Love!

Wild Strawberry Jam:

PG Cruise Mojito Chypre EdP (100ml - £116, 50ml - £80, 1ml - £2) which we received in the very first sample pack in July '15. Think Strawberry Margarita built up with vetiver, patchouli and labdanum. With top notes of lime, mint, strawberry aldehyde and rum, a heart of patchouli, vetiver and labdanum and a base of vanilla and oakmoss. I can't remember liking this so much first time round! 

NEW IN: Nikkos-Oskol No 34 HYDRO which is a water based fragrant body mist. It's a honeyed fruit floral blend with top notes of grapefruit, raspberry, pear and lime with a heart of violet, rose, jasmine and lychee with a base of plum, white cedar and musk.

The only one I'm not so keen on this month is Ripe Morello Cherry - Brocard Modern Classic Noir EdP (£21 - 100ml, £17 - 50ml, 1ml - £2) which is reminiscent of black forest gateau. With top notes of almond, cherry and red berries with a heart of licorice and rose and a base of musk, patchouli and vanilla.

I'll be doing a round-up of my favourites from my two year subscription at a later date.

Bloom Perfumery Yearly Sample Pack: May 2017: Fragrant Travel

My May Bloom Perfumery Sample Pack arrived on Thursday and last month's picks were Fragrant Travel.

The theme for May is "fragrant travel and the pack is showcasing rare natural materials sometimes used only in one formula among the ranges we stock and which come from a very specific location (e.g. sausage tree extract, for instance) or a material which has become part of identity of a place".

Gaiac Wood & Paraguay:

The first one to jump right out at me was from favourite perfumer Carner Barcelona - Palo Santo EdP (50ml - £85, 1ml - £2) is a creamy lush woody blend with rich buttery notes. It has top notes of Indian davana and rum accord, a heart of warm milk, Paraguayan guaiac and Venezuelan tonka beans with a base of Moroccan cedarwood, vetyver from Haiti and Dominican Republic amyris. Simply adore & full size is going on the to buy list!

Rose de Mai & Provence:

The next one I couldn't wait to try was Dusita Melodie De L'Amour which has just landed (just my luck it's super expensive!) Extrait de Parfum (50ml - £250, 1ml - £5) and it's stunning! It has top notes of heady gardenia, honey and tuberose, a heart of broom, Indian jasmine, lily of the valley and peach with base notes of cedar and musk. Bloom Perfumery say "A towering sultry floral with a jasmine heart surrounded by myriads of white floral shades".

The third one I can honestly say I want to buy is New In: You or something Like you EdP (50ml - £82, 1ml - £2) by Etat Libre d'Orange is a mouthwatering fresh blend of molecules one might find in mint, shiso, violets and citruses but designed in a lab and not corresponding to any particular plant. It's light and fresh and perfect for summer. With notes of eucalyptus, green leaves, shiso, violet leaf, white mint, spearmint and garden mint. LOVE!

Pine & Canada:

From Imaginary Authors is Cape Heartache EdP (50ml - £90, 1ml - £2) "the formula has authentic raw material to take you to the quietude of a boreal forest". With notes of douglas fir, pine resin, western hemlock, vanilla leaf, strawberry, old growth and mountain fog.

Sausage Tree & Central Africa:

Naiviris by Huitième Art EdP (50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) which is woody and green. It has notes of red iris and zebrano wood. I'm not so keen on this one. 

Wild Vanilla & Mexico:

Anima Dulcis by Arquiste EdP (100ml - £135, 1ml £2) which is a powerful blend of wild vanilla, chilli and cloves. With top notes of sesame seed, cinnamon bark and oregano, a heart of clove bud, cumin, night blooming jasmine and chilli infusion with a base of Mexican vanilla, cocoa bean absolute and oriental-chypre accord.

What do you think of this month's choices?

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack March 2017: Green

I have to say straight up front - I think this has been my favourite month ever! (I actually love all the scents included this month). "In the first month of Spring we explore the phenomenon green (cut grass and leaves) in perfume and how perfumers go about instilling it in a formula".

Inside the pack this month:

Zoologist Hummingbird EdP (60ml - £125, 1ml - £3)  which is designed to make you "think of a tropical forest and it's lush green vegetation". It has a high level of coumarin which smells of warm hay with green smelling florals. With top notes of apple, cherry, citrus, lilac, muget, plum, rose and violet leaf. A heart of honey, honeysuckle, mimosa, peony, tulip and ylang ylang with a base of amber, coumarin, cream, moss, musks, sandalwood and white woods. 

Huitième Art Aube Pashmina EdP (50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) which is "a straightforward green with a note of tomato leaves propped up by a geranium-basil mix". With notes of basil, currant leaves, geranium, rosemary, satinwood and tomato leaves. This is really fresh with a fruity edge.

.vero.profumo. Mito EdP (50ml - £138, 1ml - £5) which is the "perfect perfume to learn how galbanum smells". "French perfumers call this resin "runner bean in a shoe" - green beans and leather.  Bloom Perfumery say to compare this with Aube Pashmina (synthetic green - tomato leaf) "compared to a carefully built up green created from combining natural materials with a green nuance". With top notes of green leaves a heart of champaca, magnolia grandiflora and tuberose and a base of galbanum and hyacinth.

PG16.1 Bois Naufragé EdP (50ml - £81.50, 1ml - £2) which is new in (a reintroduction) which is formulated with a note of mock fig (carob) which is sweet and leafy. With a top note of fig of Egypt (carob tree), a heart of sea salt and a base of vetiver fraction and ambergris.

Baruti Melkmeisje Extrait de Parfum (30ml - £98, 1ml - £5) which is built around linden absolute (a rare and expensive material). A green floral with powder and honey notes. With notes of honey, iris butter, lilac, linden, musk, pear, sandalwood, vanilla and vetiver.

The final pick this month is by Bloom Bespoke Lab KisKis EdT (50ml - £69.99, 1ml - £2) which is Bloom's own experiment "the fruity green nuance has been created from combining blackcurrant leaves, cucumber and apple accord". With notes of amber, sage, cucumber, granny smith apples, oakmoss, rose, vanilla, blackcurrant leaves, jasmine and raindrops.

Have you tried any of these perfumes? As I said, this month goes down as one of my favourites over the two years of my subscription (I could easily have them all full size - if only!) You also get a code for 10% off any of the bottles this month.

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: January 2017: Exploring Resins

My January Bloom Perfumery Sample Pack arrived on Saturday. This month we are exploring more exotic and rare resins - elemi, Peru and tolu balms.

"Elemi comes from a tree native to the Philippines and smells somewhere between cedarwood and frankincense with a lot of citrus nuance. Peru balsam is much smokier, boozy and vanillic and comes from South America, so does tolu which smells sweet and reminiscent of old library ambiance. All these materials offer perfumers a choice of intense shades of smokey, sweet, spicy or crisp woods depending on what the resins are combined with".

The first perfume which I totally fell for is Angela Ciampagna's Aer EdP (100ml - £160, 50ml - £95, 1ml - £5) which focuses on the citrus green aspect of elemi. It opens with mint, grapefruit and lemon with juniper in it's heart. With top notes of grapefruit, lemon, mint and pink pepper, a heart of jasmine, juniper and magnolia with a base of cashmeran, elemi and patchouli. Love this!

From Parfumerie Generale we have Long-Courrier EdP (100ml - £116, 50ml - £80, 1ml - £2) which is a salty vanilla. It's part of the PG's Cruise Collection which is about travel to remote exotic locations. With notes of cedarwood, cocoa, elemi, musk, orange and salt.  

Meanwhile, PG26 Isparta (100ml - £117.50, 50ml - £81.50, 1ml - £2) is summer roses with a dark side. With top notes of candied fruit and oud, a heart of Isparta (Turkish) rose and patchouli with base notes of ambroxan, benzoin, calamu, frankincense and Peru balsam. We also received this in July's pack.

PG10.1 Bouquet Massai EdP (100ml - £117.50, 50ml - £81.50, 2ml - £2) which we received in November's pack (there has been a few repeats now over the 2 year subscription). Tolu is paired with coffee. It has notes of cashmeran, coffee, karo karounde, magnolia, peach, peony, raindrops, sandalwood and tolu.

From Huitème Art Parfums there is Poudre de Riz EdP (100ml - £115, 50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) which is a floral with powdery sweet notes. With notes of benzoin, cedarwood, coconut, iris, syrupy rose, tiare, sandalwood, tolu, tonka and vanilla.

The final scent this month is New In: From Angela Ciampagna Fauni Extrait de Parfum (100ml - £245, 1ml - £7) which is a leathery gardenia (and is lush!). With top notes of green leaves, a heart of frankincense, gardenia and ylang ylang with base notes of amber, benzoin, musk and tolu.

I've been really enjoying this month's picks, even with the two repeat perfumes. What are your thoughts on the selection?

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack - December 2015

My December Bloom Perfumery Sample Pack arrived on Tuesday and this month the fragrances feature notes such as myrrh, frankincense and benzoin. Samples are also included of raw materials to give an idea of what they smell like before perfumers work on them in their perfumes.

Bloom Perfumery also gave us an extra gift this month of Hyalomiel Hand Gel with Organic honey and rose to moisturise and leave hands velvety soft - thanks Bloom Perfumery!

Inside this month is:

New In: Habanita - Molinard EdP (30ml - £47, 1.6ml - £2) which has top notes of lemon and petigrain, heart notes of heliotrope, mimosa, rose, virginia cedar, jasmine, nutmeg, vetivert and ylang ylang with a base of amber, patchouli, vanilla, oakmoss and sandalwood. It's a little bit powdery for my tastes.

Exclusive: Lye by Gabriella Chieffo EdP (100ml - £110, 1.6ml - £2) I like this one! It has top notes of bergamot and lemon, a heart of frankincense and iris with bases notes of leather, opponax, patchouli and vanilla.

Bestseller, Just Landed, Exclusive: Mūsīqá Oud by Nishane Extrait de Parfum (50ml - £150, 1ml - £5) a rich and heady scent. With top notes of amyris, wood, cypriol, grapefruit a heart of amber, oud and saffron with a base of gaiac wood, oakmoss and sandalwood. This is unlike anything I've ever worn before.

Myrrhiad by Huitieme Art EdP (50ml - £88, 1.6ml £2) a warm and sensual scent which is also gourmand, balsamic and woody. With notes of black tea, licorice, myrrh and vanilla.

Exclusive: Oliban by Phaedon Paris EdT (100ml - £69, 1.6ml £2) with woody, fruity incense notes of ambroxan, musk, incense and sandalwood.

Exclusive, Best Seller: Esprit Divin by Paul Emilien EdP (100ml - £140, 1.6ml £2) This is my favourite this month. A spicy chypre with top notes of clove, ginger, grapefruit, frankincense, nutmeg, rose saffron, vanilla, amber and cardamon with heart notes of musk, nagarmotha, patchouli, rosewood, sandalwood and violet leaf with base notes of amber, labdnum, musk, spices, tobacco and Turkish rose.

Extra: Exclusive: Hyalomiel Gel (50ml - £9.50) a luxe jelly which moisturises, soothes and refreshes the hands. Scented with honey and rose.

What do you think of the choices this month?

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: August 2015

I've had my Bloom Perfumery August sample pack a couple of weeks now and already have a few firm favourites.  As you know I'm on a spending ban but I'm planning on picking up the perfume I've loved most in the (July - December period) after my ban as a little treat.  You can see what I received in July HERE.

This month the samples come in plastic vials (exactly the same if you buy a sample online).

Inside the package is 5 x 1.6ml samples - and this month includes fruit, honey and patisserie inspired fragrances. There is also a 1 x 1.6ml of a recent launch and a promo code for 10% off one of the perfumes included in this month's selection.

My absolute favourite this month is Parfumerie Generale PG16 Jardins de Kerylos (50ml - £81.50) which is a delicious fig scent perfect for summer. In fact it is a "summer fruity best seller". Inspired by a fruit orchard on a cliff in Cote d'Azure and has top notes of Fig tree fruit, heart notes of Peach and Sycamore with base notes of Musk and Tuberose. Love!

Ciel D'Airain (Huiteme Art) (50ml - £88) is a woody and fruity scent. It is "a study of a pear" and includes fruit notes, bark, leaves, ambergris and olive tree twigs. It is quite unlike anything I've worn before but I really like it.

The all year round best seller among the fruity scents is 1270 (Frapin) (100ml - £98). The perfume is a tribute to the year the Frapin family started making Cognac in the Grand Champagne region in France. This is fruity and sweet with notes of Cocoa, Coffee, Pineapple, Prunes, Raisins, Grape Blossom, Immortelle, Linden, Pepper, Gaiac Wood, Honey and Vanilla.

Like This (Etat Libre d'Orange) (50ml - £70) - a gourmand edible scent which is rich and sweet. With notes of Ginger, Heliotrope, Immortelle, Musk, Neroli, Pumpkin, Rose, Spices, Tangerine and Vetiver.

This best-seller PG03 Cuir Venenum (Parfumerie Generale) (50ml - £81.50) is my second favourite this month. It has top notes of Orange Blossom, a heart of Leather and Tamanu Oil with base notes of Atlas Cedar, Honey, Musk and Myrrh. I love it's leathery scent with floral and honey notes.

The final sample is new-in Pasion Choco (Nishane) (50ml - £110) - which is sweet and comforting with notes of Passionfruit, coffee, carmelised Grapefruit, dark Chocolate, Orchid, Coriander, Vanilla, Benzoin, Patchouli and Dark Musk.

What do you think of the choices this month?