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: November 2016: Exploring Cashmeran

My November Bloom Perfumery Sample Pack arrived the other day. This month the theme is Exploring Cashmeran.

"Cashmeran is a slightly unusual but incredibly distinctive ingredient that is widely used in perfumery - both for the way it smells and they way it exalts and affects a blend. Also called musk indanone, Cashmeran is a lot of the time referred to as blond woods by perfumers because it has a very velvetine and rich quality to it; but it also smells sharp, woody and clean. It's essentially a spicy musky woody note".

Grossmith Floral Veil EdP (50ml - £170, 1ml - £5) with top notes of cassis, green leaves and lemon, a heart of geranium, rose, tuberose, vanilla and ylang ylang with a base of amber, cashmeran and musk.

Praline de Santal by Parfumerie Generale EdP (100ml - £117.50, 50ml - £81.50, 1ml - £2) the cashmeran helps the hazelnut to sit at the top of the scent. With top notes of hazelnut, a heart of cedar and heliotrope with a base of cashmeran, musk and sandalwood.

Angela Ciampagna Ducalis EdP (100ml - £160, 50ml - £95, 1ml - £5) which is one of my favourites from this month's selection. It has top notes of nutmeg, geranium and salt accord, a heart of rose, may-lily, cyclamen, ylang ylang, acacia and cedarwood with a base of sandalwood, rosewood, leather, amber, musk and vanilla.

Parfumerie Generale's PG10.1 Bouquet Massai EdP (100ml - £117.50, 50ml - £81.50, 1ml - £2) cashmeran helps the floral notes fuse with the gourmand-ish fruitier notes. With notes of peony, magnolia, karo karounde, coffee, cashmeran, sandalwood, tolu balm and fruity notes. I like this one too.

From Olfactive Studio we have Lumiere Blanche EdP (100ml - £108, 50ml - £74, 1ml - £2) which is gorgeous! With woody notes and spices. With top notes of cardamon, cinnamon and star anise, a heart of almond, cashmere musks and iris with a base of cedar, sandalwood, tonka beans and white musk it cocoons and comforts. Love this one.

The final perfume this month is Just Landed: Arquiste ELLA EdP (100ml - £135, 1ml - £2) which is floral, leather and spicy. With notes of cannon ball tree flower, angelica root, carrot seed, Turkish rose, jasmine absolute, cardamon absolute, black buckwheat honey, ambergris, patchouli, civet, vetiver, cigarette smoke and chypre accord. This is a very heady scent which is growing on me!

What do you think of this month's picks?

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: October 2016

My Bloom Perfumery October sample pack arrived yesterday. This month the focus is on #ExploringLabdanum. Labdanum is a rich brown gum resin that's sourced from the cistus shrubs of rockrose. It helps to anchor and extend the impact of more fleeting notes.

"A key ingredient in any amber based perfume, labdanum is a truly multifaceted thing. Both the spice and sweetness it's honeyed and still enriched with oriental elements. It smells truly exotic yet comfortingly familiar. It's leathery and yet woody at the same time conjuring up ideas of far flung luxury as much as it does dusty carpenter's workshops and bustling shipyards".

Bloom Perfumery have included a sample of labdanum absolute so it can help subscribers identify the ingredients wholly unique properties. The perfumes this month are:

Paradis Perdu by Frapin EdP (100ml - £98, 1ml - £2) - is aromatic and woody with top notes of bergamot, lemon, grapefruit and mandarin with green notes of basil, elemi and galbanum. Hay and labdanum combine with moss and rosewood.

Panorama by Olfactive Studio EdP (100ml - £108, 50ml - £74, 1ml - £2) - this is a very green perfume. The labdanum adds a spicy note. With top notes of bamboo shoots, bergamot, fig tree leaves, tonka bean and vanilla a heart of cardamon, galbanum, cut grass and violet leaf with a base of fir balsam, labdanum, musk, myrrh, patchouli, tonka bean and vanilla.

Signature Wild by Art de Parfum Extrait de Parfum (50ml - £88, 1ml - £2) - the labdanum is buried between the layers. It has a woody and slightly masculine edge. With notes of leather accord, orange blossom, cinnamon, cardamon, orange flower absolute, ciste labdanum, davana, peru balsam and vetiver.

Sable Marocain by Phaedon EdP (100ml - £95, 1ml - £2) - opens with Moroccan labdanum with a sweet cocoa note. Ginger and balsamic notes help to avoid too much sweetness. With notes of cocoa, copahu balm, gaiac wood, ginger, labdanum and vetiver.

Saffron Rose by Grossmith EdP (100ml - £295, 50ml - 195, 1ml - £5) - this is the perfume you don't want to like too much ouch that price! It is really lovely and one of my favourites this month. Labdanum is used alongside the oud, myrrh and castoreum which provides an animalic note which "makes the rose smell dirtier and more realistic".

The final sample this month is by one of my favourite perfume houses. Just Landed: Fathom V by BeauFort London EdP (50ml - £95, 1ml - £2) "The idea of this ’sea-change’ and the constant tidal flux of the sea is properly explored in Fathom V with the overdosed use of contrasting materials: salt and earth, fragrant herbs and mosses, pleasant floral notes and intense dark spices encompassing and outlining the push and pull of the oceanic torrents". 

It has top notes of juniper berry, tangerine, blackcurrant, green leaf and earth with a heart of thyme, lily, jasmine, ylang ylang, ginger, cumin, black pepper and mimosa with a base of patchouli, vetiver, moss, salt, frankincense, atlas cedar and amber. Rather in love with this one!

Are you liking the sound of any of the perfumes in this month's selection? 

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: April 2016

My Bloom Perfumery April samples arrived on Saturday and this month the theme is "Citrus Breeze". The picks are fresh and citrus (and there's only one in the pack which doesn't make me swoon!)

I've had a sample before of Phaedon's Verveine Figuier EdT (£69 - 100ml, £2 - 1.6ml) and I loved its refreshing verbena and earthy fig notes. With notes of benzoin, fig tree leaves, licorice, musk, ooakmoss, Texas cedar and Verbena. It's the perfect scent for spring and summer.

I am totally smitten with NEW IN: Art de Parfum's Sensual Oud Extrait de Parfum (£88 - 50ml, £2 - 1.6ml) and I'd say it's up there with TARDES by Carner as one of my favourites from the whole year. It has notes of rose, leather, cloves, cypress, jasmine absolute, patchouli and geranium.

From Olfactive Studio we have Flash Back EdP (£74 - 50ml, £2 - 1.6ml) which is sweet and tangy with top notes of grapefruit, orange and rhubarb, a heart of Granny Smith apples and pink pepper with base notes of amber, musk and vetivert.

Spice Bazaar Extrait de Parfum from Nishane (£110 - 50ml, £5 - 1ml) is spicy and woody with top notes of ginger, juniper, rosemary and yuzu with a heart of cedar, cinnamon and cumin and base notes of black pepper, saffron and vanilla. I also loved their Boszporusz scent.

Arquiste's L'Etrog Acqua EdP (£135 - 100ml, £2 - 1.6ml) is woody and citrussy and has notes of bergamot, cedrat, labdanum, mandarin, myrtle, petit grain and vetivert.

I find Arquiste's Fleur de Louis EdP (£125 - 55ml, £2 - 1.6ml) a little too powdery for my tastes. With top notes of bergamot, cypress, galbanum and neroli, a heart of clove, jasmine, orange blossom and rose and a base of amber, cedarwood, Italian iris root, labdanum and vetivert.

What do you think of this month's picks?

Bloom Perfumery: Yearly Sample Pack: November 2015

This month Bloom Perfumery mixed up the sample packs and the girls got the ones for the guys! I was initially a bit surprised but being a lover of Drakkar Noir, Eau Savage and Cacharel Pour Homme in the 80s I decided to give this month's choices a bash.

Bloom Perfumery also thinks swapping this month will help with Christmas present choices for the men in your life - there are woody, citrus, leather, spices, herbs and frankincense notes in the perfumes this month.

My favourite this month is CUIRS by Carner EdP (50ml - £81, 1.6ml - £2) an intense oud leather scent with top notes of Saffron, heart notes of Gaiac Wood, Sandalwood, Texas Cedar and Violet and base notes of Amyris Wood, Oud, Patchouli, Leather, Musk, Tonka Beans, Cistus and Nagarmotha. I also adore TARDES by Carner (review).

My second favourite this month is best seller PG20 L'Eau Guerriere EdT (50ml - £81.50, 1.6ml - £2) which is woody, spicy and fresh. It has top notes of Cinchona Bark, a heart note of Frankincense and a base of Aloe Oud Wood and Ambergris.

The ultimate best seller for men in 2015 has been Tabac Rouge by Phaedon EdP (100ml - £95, 1.6ml - £2) which smells sweet and spicy on my skin and reminds me a bit of chai tea! It has notes of Benzoin, Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey, Frankincense, Musk and Tobacco.

Frapin's L'Humaniste EdP (100ml - £98, 1.6ml - £2) is light, refreshing and aromatic. It has top notes of Bergamot, Black Pepper, Cardamon, Lemon and Pink Pepper. Heart notes of Juniper, Nutmeg, Peony and Thyme with a base of Oakmoss and Tonka Bean.

Bestseller Autoportrait by Olfactive Studio EdP (50ml - £74, 1.6ml - £2) is my least favourite. It's apparently a popular choice for customers working in the City and No.5 bestseller this year. It has top notes of Bergamot and Elemi, a heart of Benzoin, Frankincense and Musk with a base of Cedar, Oakmoss and Vetivert.

Finally, new in Selfie by Olfactive Studio EdP (50ml - £74, 1.6ml - £2) almost smells quite edible on first spritz. With top notes of Angelica Root, Elemi, Ginger, Star Anise and Frankincense with a heart of Maple Syrup, Cabreuva Wood, Cinammon and Lily with a base of Oakmoss, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Suede, Tonka Bean and Styrax.

What are your thoughts on this month's choices?