2012 FIFI “INDIE” AWARD TOP FIVE FINALISTS

I hope all of you are having a peaceful and fragrant holiday season.

Image: A Dream of Christmas Eve by George Hitchcock at artmagick.com

I watch this every year at Thanksgiving. Inevitably, it moves me every time.

I hope your Thanksgiving will really be a good day.

My donation is a full bottle of Strange Invisible Perfumes Tour D’Ivoire (save for two spritzes needed for reviewing purposes) that I bought on my last trip to Los Angeles. This 1.7 oz bottle is engraved with 22 karat gold and is gorgeous to look at and experience on your skin. Check out the auction page for a mini-review.

As for me, I’m ready to bid on The Non Blonde’s Best of the Best: Eyes and Messy Wand’s Le Metier de Beaute Modernist Merlot Kaleidoscope. We all have to wait until November 28th, but there’s no waiting necessary for ogling and wishlist making.

Unfortunately I still have this blasted cold- now sinus infection- so my week is reflective of that state. Here it is:

Drinking lots of tea. My favorite right now is Smith’s White Petal. All I need to say is, heavenly osmanthus.

Making soup in the slow cooker. Here’s a really good recipe for Italian Sausage Soup.

I’ve managed to create a new addiction. Have you found Pinterest? It’s amazing. I’ve spent hours and hours there this week. Follow me if you’d like.

Did you know Poppytalk Handmade also makes for a splendid time suck? I’ve spent a few hours over there too. I’m trying to figure out which Nest Pretty Things I need the most.

My new BFF is my DVR. I’m all caught up on Pan Am which has turned out to be a terrific Mad Men substitute. Love the costumes, good acting and the story lines aren’t half bad. I just can’t get over not being thrilled with the casting of Christina Ricci.

Of course, I’ve also spent time getting caught up on my favorite blogs and here are a few highlights:

Another Perfume Blog’s “get to know me” post. I loved it. I want to do one too.

I am one of many NST Angela fans, and I ate up every word of her Bottega Veneta review. It got me stomping my feet in the middle of Nordstrom’s to hasten its arrival. That’s an exaggeration. I didn’t do that. But I imagined it, and I will do so once I feel better.

I really enjoyed Olfactorama’s review of Tania Sanchez and Luca Turin’s new book “The Little Book of Perfumes”. I couldn’t have said it better myself, so I won’t even try. I’ll link to it instead.

And finally, Nathan Branch published another installment of the series, “Letters to a Fellow Perfumer: Mandy Aftel & Dawn Spencer Hurwitz”. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the intelligent, creative, and intriguing process of these two perfumers.

Have a lovely and fragrant weekend!

Is she from heaven or hell? Is she an angel or a demon? Perhaps both, considered Romuald, a priest who just moments before his ordination became fascinated with a goddless-like woman sitting in the congregation. She was radiant and wildly beautiful with hair like a river of gold and sea green eyes. Yet, even though he was utterly riveted by her, Romuald proceeded with his vows to become a priest of the lord, during Easter week no less.

For a full year, Romuald was haunted by his desire for Clarimonde, his worldly obsession. While he fulfilled his pious duties of prayer, fasting and tending to the sick and dying, he ruminated on the memory of her with a bereft heart.  But that would change one night when a horseman summoned Romuald to Clarimonde’s palace. She was on her death bed and he was needed for “matters related to holy calling.” Once there, he found Clarimonde lifeless in her chamber but as lovely as he had remembered. Overcome by grief he shed tears upon her cheeks and kissed her- which brought her back to life.

This miraculous occurance sent Romuald into a coma-like state for three days. He awoke to stern warnings from his abbot, Serapion, to do away with all thoughts of the evil temptress, Clarimonde.  Romuald did not heed Serapion’s advice. She came to him that night, a vision wrapped in dazzling white linen and spoke the words, “love is stronger than death.” He declared his love for her, and confessed it to be stronger than his love of God. And so began his nightly affair with Clarimonde.

There were now two men within Romuald, “a priest who dreamed nightly he was a gentleman” and “a gentleman that dreamed he was a priest.” As the gentleman, he was Clarimonde’s devoted and faithful lover. He lived in her Venetian Palace decorated with Titians and sumptuous fabrics of velvet and damask. His life there teemed with poetry, music, and worldly pleasures.

Whether it was reality or fantasy, Romuald led a double life. The tension between piety and debauchery is palpable in this captivating tale and speaks to the duality within all humans. But what I found even more salient within Romuald’s narrative, was how similar his feelings were for the church and then for Clarimonde. Romuald was nearly ecstatic on the day of his ordination as he waited with impatience and joy for the moment to finally arrive. “Never did a betrothed lover count the slow hours with more feverish ardor,” Romuald explained. “I slept only to dream I was saying mass.”

When he first gazed upon Clarimonde, he fell instantly in love with her, with a religiosity to rival the most devout priest. “She breathed her will into my life… I no longer lived in myself but I in her and for her.” He could have been speaking about God in such a manner, and actually was, just moments prior.

So what does this story have to do with perfume, you might wonder. Currently, it has everything to do with perfume! Lucy Raubertas of Indie Perfumes has ridden passionately through the blogosphere, snatching up perfumers and bloggers to join her in a chamber of Clarimonde inspired creations.

Perfumers Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes, Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes, Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Perfumes, Monica Miller of Skye Botanicals, and Maria McElroy and Alexis Karl of Cherry Bomb Killer Perfume have crafted Clarimonde perfumes that I will review in subsequent posts.

I listened to Clarimonde, a short story written by Théophile Gautier in 1836, via Librivox, and was entranced at word one. It is read by Joy Chan whose voice lends itself perfectly to this devilishly romantic thriller. I won’t reveal the ending, even though many of you are already privy to its conclusion. Fair warming, if you head over to the blogs of my fellow participants, Lucy Raubertas, Sheila Eggenberger, and Monica Miller, you will discover the dark outcome, but it’s worth it. Keep an eye on the blogs of Jade Dressler and Beth Schreibman as they will be contributing as well. And if you’re one who doesn’t mind a spolier, also stop by LostPastRemembered for a perfumed wine recipe to accompany this beguiling yarn.

The Clarimonde Project Part II
The Clarimonde Project Part III

Images: Autumn by John Atkinson Grimshaw and Choosing by George Frederic Watts

I bought this after seeing Karla Sugar‘s post as the chocolatey purple color looked so gorgeous on her nails. I totally agree with her “kalamata olive” comparison and find that it reflects both bronze and steel in the light.

If my beauty blogging photos were up to Karla’s par, the above shot would be minus the smudge on the cap. Oh well, you get the idea.

All pics take by me. New World Purple was formerly known as Aztec Chocolate.

I’m happy to have found some new blogs out there, or at least new to me. I love their witty and inspired writing.

Earlier this month, Scents of Me reviewed a perfume that will forever be in my precious category, Après L’ondée.

Another Perfume Blog shows serious editing chops by wielding some mighty red “ink” on Raymond Matt’s op-ed piece from The Perfume Magazine. I will be contributing to TPM from time to time, but was devilishly pleased to read this spot-on critique.

Reading fashion blogs feels like even more of a guilty pleasure than perfume blogs. Man Repeller is my newest bacon. I want these sparkly Brian Atwood pumps, but who am I kidding? Where would I wear them?

And now for my tried and true, go to blogs.

Somehow I missed Ayala’s exhaustive discussion on What is Natural? when she published her post in August. Visit her Smelly Blog for an education.

I was all set to blog about Alima’s newest eyeshadow collection, but Christy Coleman did a great job, so why reinvent the wheel?

Bois de Jasmin has me champing at the bit to try Prada Candy. How long will this be a Neiman’s exclusive?

I thoroughly enjoyed Victoria’s take on DSH Perfumes Pandora. We had a very similar experience with this modern chypre, but I loved her spin. Check it out at EauMG.net

Hope you all had a fragrant weekend!

Image: Juane at SilverRidgeStudio at etsy.

Bellatrix! Yahoo and congratulations! You are going to love this uniquely gorgeous perfume.

Image from eaglewingtours.com

~I loved reading Gaia’s impressions of JAR’s Bolt of Lightning over at The Non Blonde. While this fragrance is almost certainly not all natural (its ingredient list is a well-kept secret) I adore it nevertheless. On me, it is a rich and vibrantly green tuberose that I find altogether addictive and captivating.

~I really appreciate and admire the following bloggers for voicing their opinions regarding Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s recent decision to resign from the Natural Perfumers Guild. Thank you to Eyeliner on a Cat, This Blog Really Stinks, and Scent Less Sensibilities for being brave enough to speak the truth. If you would like more information about Dawn’s decision, you can read about it on her Facebook page.

~I was also very impressed with Fig and Sage‘s post regarding Zuii Organics. Those ladies did exhaustive research into whether or not Zuii Organics deserves their organic certification from the USDA. I can’t imagine how many hours they put into this project, and I thank them for it.

So what do these posts have in common? For me, they are a terrific reminder that while certifications and memberships might serve a purpose, it’s ultimately up to us as customers and members of a community to treat each other with respect, read labels for ourselves and not have our decisions hinge solely upon stamps of approval from guilds or certifying organizations.

When distilled to their essence, these posts encourage me to be true to myself and my beliefs and I thank the above bloggers for their hard work and eloquence.

Image by Patrick de Warren at artnet.com