We’re enjoying some bouquets of very fragrant carnations and stock grown from seed; the carnations are especially nice, with more spicy scent than most varieties. They’re an heirloom type called “Enfant de Nice” from Renee’s seeds. Her larkspur called “Alouette” have also been spectacular this year, very prolific in beautiful colors and wonderful as cut flowers, though not fragrant. Larkspur are an easier alternative to delphinium in our area.
I made some minor adjustments to Gardenia Musk today, decreasing the level of the new base notes I just added. I’m liking the extra oomph the additional ingredients have provided.
I tested Tom Ford’s Noir de Noir and liked it, though I think I liked Japan Noir better and will need to revisit it. The opening saffron notes in Noir de Noir were very nice and I liked the spiciness that lingered. When I tried the Japan Noir though, it seemed like a very nice soft spicy scent with an earthy woodsy base that really appealed to me. I need to try it again. The Noir de Noir seemed stronger, but I liked Japan better.
My main computer is running again, so that’s a relief. I can’t believe it is August 1st tomorrow!
2 comments
Oh, I LOVE the way real carnations smell! Over the years, I’ve tried lots of different carnation scents trying to find one that smelled just like the real thing. Haven’t had success yet – maybe there’s really no such thing after all? I’ve read somewhere that it’s really not possible to recreat exactly the smell of a real, live, growing plant. Maybe in Dr. Gilbert’s book?….off to look….
Perfumers can look at the data from “head space” analysis to see the chemical constituents of the scent in the air around living flowers, but then the problem still exists of trying to formulate an approximation of that mix with available ingredients and make it perform well on the skin.
I agree with you; I don’t think perfume ever quite matches natural flowers. I love many rose perfumes, but there’s nothing quite like sticking your nose in a fresh rose from the garden. Sometimes perfume can be just as fun from the standpoint of mixing the flower scents with spices and other florals that turns it into something special in its own right and different from nature.
I love these carnations! Between the carnations and stock (also clove scented), I have some really fun bouquets that I can smell by my computer while I work. Their scent doesn’t fill a whole room but wafts several feet and is quite yummy. 🙂 These aren’t the giant scentless carnations you see sometimes in florist shops. They are smaller, have all shades of pinks and whites in various combinations, and have wonderful scent. One of the main ingredients used for carnation is the clove-scented chem eugenol and its relatives.
Maybe someone will come along with some good carnation perfume suggestions… I like Caron Bellodgia but it’s not perfect. I also like DSH Oeillets Rouges.