Good morning! Today I have a guest post from a fellow fragrance lover and friend, Lizzie. We met in the Arcana Wildcraft group and when our paths crossed in the wax community we struck up a friendship.
I had an opportunity today to try out a scent from the Nocturne Alchemy permanent collection.
My first experience with clove as a scent note in perfume oil was with Nocturne Alchemy "Vanilla Rose and Clove" from their Limited Edition Valentine's Day release. As a committed a Rose hater, I fell surprisingly hard for this one. I told a friend of mine that Vanilla Rose and Clove was like the movie Heathers. I envision the scent as Winona Ryder looking bored while smoking a clove cigarette over one of the other Heathers' Rose strewn coffin (!). She was so cool, so aloof, so beautiful. Dirty and gorgeous. Just like Vanilla Rose and Clove. It's my idea of goth magic... anyhow, this scent put clove on my radar (and made me rethink being a Rose hater!) and thanks to a Facebook connection, I had an opportunity to try another clove scent: Nocturne Alchemy BES.
"Vanilla Cream Vapour, Caramelized Egyptian Sugar Dust, Vanilla Musk, Cardamom, Sandalwood and Egyptian Black Clove Buds"
BES is absolutely drool worthy. The cardamom and clove notes when inhaled from the bottle together remind me a bit of Garam Masala, an Indian spice blend which is similar to the American Pumpkin Pie Spice which is so readily available in autumn. Garam literally means "heat the body", and in that vein, this is a very warm foodie scent. Minus the cinnamon, and adding in the cream and caramalized sugar, this smells like a decadent Indian spiced version of Creme Brûlée. Dripping the perfumed oil upon the skin akin to breaking the crisp warmed burnt sugar crust and beneath finding the delicious spicy vanilla custard. Every sniff of the wrist allows you to experience chipping away at the caramelized crust and digging into the cool custard waiting for you all over again. It's linear, it's fabulous and it's "Nom, Nom" good. I would imagine that layering this perfume or Vanilla Rose and Clove with NAVA rice milk could create a lovely interpretation of my very favorite Indian dessert, Kheer. If I can detach my nose from my wrist long enough to apply a second scent for layering, I could confirm. I believe Heather would approve.
"Vanilla Cream Vapour, Caramelized Egyptian Sugar Dust, Vanilla Musk, Cardamom, Sandalwood and Egyptian Black Clove Buds"
BES is absolutely drool worthy. The cardamom and clove notes when inhaled from the bottle together remind me a bit of Garam Masala, an Indian spice blend which is similar to the American Pumpkin Pie Spice which is so readily available in autumn. Garam literally means "heat the body", and in that vein, this is a very warm foodie scent. Minus the cinnamon, and adding in the cream and caramalized sugar, this smells like a decadent Indian spiced version of Creme Brûlée. Dripping the perfumed oil upon the skin akin to breaking the crisp warmed burnt sugar crust and beneath finding the delicious spicy vanilla custard. Every sniff of the wrist allows you to experience chipping away at the caramelized crust and digging into the cool custard waiting for you all over again. It's linear, it's fabulous and it's "Nom, Nom" good. I would imagine that layering this perfume or Vanilla Rose and Clove with NAVA rice milk could create a lovely interpretation of my very favorite Indian dessert, Kheer. If I can detach my nose from my wrist long enough to apply a second scent for layering, I could confirm. I believe Heather would approve.
(Photo from Allrecipes.com)
(Garam Masala will include coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You can find the blend at most grocery stores which carry Indian foods. The next time you make Pumpkin Bread, try substituting Pumpkin Spice with Garam Masala)
(Garam Masala will include coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You can find the blend at most grocery stores which carry Indian foods. The next time you make Pumpkin Bread, try substituting Pumpkin Spice with Garam Masala)
My name is Lizzie. I am a northern transplant and a mother of two sets of twins living outside of Atlanta, Georgia. When I am not contemplating the latest Indie Perfume releases, you can find me carpooling children to dance classes, sketching on my art pad, reading from the library of Golden Age Detection, and teaching aerobics.
Hello, Lizzie!
ReplyDelete~Deb
Good morning, Deb! :)
DeleteThis one sounds amazing. Thank you for reviewing it. I might have to add it to my mile long NAVA wishlist. <3
ReplyDelete