Perfume Post: What is an Oriental Perfume? And Why Do I Have So Many???

So here I was thinking I was much more into green, herbal thingies. Right. I'm not big on florals, but I do own quite a few, not big on roses but I own at least 3, etc., etc.. One thing I was quite clear on is that, living in the Tropics, I do not love Oriental Perfumes. Nope, not me, not a bit.

She likes oriental perfumes...a bit.

Well, maybe a little....
I did live in very cold climates for years. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Dolomiti, MRobb, 2015

So what makes an oriental perfume an oriental? There's a great discussion for those who really want to get into it on Basenotes:

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/237169-What-exactly-makes-an-quot-oriental-quot-perfume

Generally speaking, three vital ingredients are vanilla or vanillin, labdanum (rock rose resin), and benzoin. Patchouli or sandalwood are usually considered the fourth vital ingredient. They are meant to be warm and rich, perhaps also spicy. They are generally considered good perfumes for winter, or cozy evenings spent with significant others. They conjure the boudoir and the hamam. Guerlain's Shalimar is usually spoken of first, but weirdly, I can't stand Shalimar (it's lovely, just can't bear it). I do, however, own several versions of Guerlain's Samsara, and wear it often, particularly its lightest version, Samsara Shine. The heaviest oriental I've ever worn is Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan. It is actually quite amazing, practically psychedelic, worn in very hot weather. Might injure bystanders, though.

Orientals typically overlap with gourmands, incense 'fumes, and florientals. Gourmands just smell more gustatory, though where the line is drawn depends on the sniffer. Florientals emphasize, well, flowers. Incense fumes are based on frankincense, but often have hefty doses of vanilla, benzoin, and labdanum, so they're in the club.

Some of the orientals that I wear frequently, even in the heat, are Lalique's Le Parfum, L'Artisan Parfumeur's Safran Troublant, Guerlain's Samsara Shine, and Sonia Rykiel's Woman (original). I wear incense frags constantly, and make my own, as I am basically addicted to frankincense at this point, and labdanum follows close on Frank's heels.

Orientals have not been fashionable for some time, but I guess I really do love them. If you've never tried an oriental perfume, do try one before going to sleep, at the very least. And try it again before a cuddly interlude. I think you'll agree, there's nothing else like them!

A New Cactus Joins the Group: Astrophytum ornatum

I haven't acquired any new cacti for a couple of years. I tried, several years ago, to grow the spectacular Astrophytum from seed- they didn't even germinate. They are notoriously hard to grow from seed I know, but still, I've grown Lithops from seed, so I did have some hope. Ah well.

Growing Lithops From Seed

Astrophytum are also known as Star Cacti, and they are simply gorgeous creatures. So I was thrilled to find one at, of all places, Lowes, a big box store.

Look what I found!

I like how the nursery makes a little basket pot so it's easy to transport your new cactus, injury-free. Great idea! And now, a closeup:

Astrophytum ornatum

Astrophytum ornatum is the largest of the Astrophytums (or is that Astrophyti??). It's a native of Mexico and can grow about 12 cm wide and 1 meter tall! Of course, that takes a long, long time. Yellow flowers arrive in summer. The white flecks on the stem are unique to this genus. They can tolerate high temperatures and high levels of sunlight, and are somewhat frost-tolerant. Water sparingly, as this genus is very prone to root rot. I'll be keeping mine indoors, as we get flooding rains on a frequent basis here.

Weekend Walkabout: It's So Hot!!

It's too hot for a Weekend Walkabout anywhere but in the house. Summers keep getting hotter and hotter. We have less of our old, daily, polite rains. Now we get nothing for weeks at a time, then a monsoon that causes floods. It doesn't cool off at night anymore, and we are literally dependent on our air conditioners. Scary. Our Avian Cooling Station is running full tilt-- here are our Fish Crow Fledglings, cooling their toes....

Hoppin and Pippin are amazing. They've learned to take frequent showers at the cooling station. They bring little shells from the beach to float and play with in the Avian Cooling Pool. Corvids are remarkable and charming creatures.
Since I'm kind of stuck inside with the A/C, I've been painting. My Nebula 3 is getting there....

Here is Nebula 2, the Gold One....

And for all my American Readers, Happy 4th of July! Here is Dahlia, celebrating....

Wishing you all happy Weekend Walkabouts!