A beautiful package arrived yesterday, full of rare and thrilling vintage extraits and intriguing contemporary scents. I will take some of them to Florida with me.
But look at this: A Chamade soap, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
I can’t quite capture the beauty of the green in these pictures somehow, but when I have used the soap, rich with the beauty of Chamade, I am going to frame it.
Chamade used to be my scent when I was in my twenties. And how! I did honour to The drumbeat of the scent. Now I’m making a memory calendar of all my scents in mini-form. And I’m adding otters as well. I started with my mother: Chasse Gardee by Carven. My ex-girlfriend who passed away young, rubs cheeks with Ysatis, my summer holiday Perfume. Guerlain was and is one of my favourites: Chant d’Aromes, Champs Elysees And now also Mahema but that is a ?. Too oriental perhaps. They don’t go down well with me, except Rumba. Or isn’t she a Sultana?
Do you have a suggestion for other vintage perfumes to add to my calendary of scents. I’m a chypre, fruity, spicy, aldehyde, hyacinth, jasmine, Lily of The valley type with wooden aspiraties. But I like surprises. I never discovered The greens. Do you think that Vetiver by Carven is a good starter? Or Vent Vert by Balmain(?). From a starter on The Path of Scents.
I adore your keeping the wrapping of the Chamade soap. What a great idea!
It is distinctly beautiful for me and I will literally put it in a frame!
As for the perfumes you mention, Ysatis was also my ex-girlfriend’s scent, but it must have tragic resonances for you now – I am very sorry to hear it. I really love Ysatis, although it has completely changed, obviously. Chant D’Aromes also. Utterly beautiful. And yes, Vetiver Carven is very nice, quite soft and powdery though despite its lemoniness. I also love Vent Vert, though only know the eighties version. When it comes to hyacinth, after Chamade I love Parfum D’Hermes (read my review), though it might be a bit too oriental for you perhaps. Have you gone the Caron route yet? Infini? Very ladylike but so damn gorgeous when you get a good vintage version…
Chamade is one of my favorite perfumes and I would love (at least) to smell that soap.
It smells how you would imagine it to, although you never really know its fullness until you use it. I am too enamored with the beautiful wrapping to take it any further for a very long time. I don’t know how Brielle
could part with it!
What is it about Chamade? Why is it so emotive? I think it is literally genius. I LOVE IT.
Others not otters you horrible think-ahead spelling machine
I think otters is more interesting.
Well you know, sweat like an
Otter. Did not think of that! I love fecaly scents anyhow!
Within reason……I have my limits!
Have you tried vintage Femme? Gorgeous.
I also recommend the original Carven Ma Griffe…..green yet so poetic and fleshed somehow. Like a kiss on cold skin.
I love soap, I love perfume, I LOVE Chamade. Where on earth did you get such rare treasure?
Well, I do and I don’t. It is a wiggle between just sniffing and smelling. No inhalation. It reminds me of the dark origine of some perfumes. And don’t animals produce aphrodisiac doorstoppers? ASK any tomcat!
I am so happy you are enjoying the soap. I have held on to that soap for almost 30 years, but I felt it would receive immense love from you. May it always envelop you in a glorious sudsy paradise of tranquility.
What a truly magnificent gesture. It brought you a beautiful accolade. Applausje
I love being able to share beautiful scented goodies. Neil makes me very happy with his reviews, I wanted to show my appreciation.
And I certainly do appreciate it: that packaging is the best I have ever seen. And for a soap!
What an absolute Darling you are Brielle. Such a gorgeous gift . Chamade is divine. Expensive .. but divine. Its the best Guerlain the second is Nahema.. or thats my opinion. I went into Ballantynes which is the snootiest department store here to try on some Guerlain perfumes and I knew more about Guerlain perfume than the woman behind the counter…. all thanks to this blog i might add. She’d obviously done one sales course and that was that!!! She got a wee bit sniffy in the end and I asked me if I would like her job.. of course I said YES and she backed down.
Sad that the Guerlain representative was such a snoot. I used to work for Guerlain and never was presumptuous enough to think myself superior to my clients, but I guess it gives some people a sense of validity. Maybe she feels small inside and that makes her feel better, c’est la vie.
I adore all of the Guerlain scents up until the release of Mahora, then they seem to have taken a sad turn; they became uninspired in my opinion, to say the least. Chamade, Nahema, Chant d’Aromes and Parure are 4 of my favorites.
Yes I wish you had been serving me!!!!Chamade and Nahema are 2 of my favourites. I dont think I have come across Parure .. I will have to check it out. Chant d Aromes .. I know I have come across it but I cant remember what it was like.. I will revisit.
What a great job working for Guerlain..Do you still work in the perfume industry? All the best for Xmas and New Year.
Sadly, I do not work in the industry any longer. I now take care of my elderly mother who is not in the best of health.
All the best to you this Christmas and a very lovely healthy New Year.