Hey there A Bottled Rose, It’s a Mood Scent 4 week. WOO HOO! This month the crew are looking at Joyful Spritzing perfumes. My thought for Joyful Spritzing is the ones I like to spritz a LOT of. Ones that not only give me happiness through their smell but the simple act of giving myself a few good blasts of them. The memories and feelings that I know will join me through the life of the scent. The whole wonderful experience of having, holding, spritzing, smelling and remembering are so much more than just what I smell.
Obviously, these choices are subject to change, daily.
Can’t wait to read about your favourite Joyful Spritzing perfumes in the comments too.
So excited to be blogging with these three superstars again: Esperanza L’Esperessence, Megan Megan In Sainte Maxime and Samantha I Scent You A Day. Check theirs out too.
Mood Scent 4: Joyful Spritzing
Aromatics Elixir by Clinique
This old charmer is iconic for a bunch of reasons, not least of which is that it smells amazing on everyone who wears it. Created in the early 1970s by Bernard Chant it was the sister of Cabochard (1959), Aramis (1964), Azuree (1969) and the precursor to Cinnabar (1978). A quintet of spicy, herbaceous, leathery beauties smoothed with resins and incense. There are no wallflowers in the group. All are handsome divas but it’s Aromatica Elixir that stands out head and shoulders above the others for me. It has a soaring grandeur and elegance. It feels perfectly poised yet ready to take on the world. My mate Scotty once dared me to wear 35 sprays and it was like walking in a cloud of fragrance. The fact that it’s still available so reasonably and in really good nick makes it a definite joyful spritz in my books.
Bulgari Man In Black
Released in 2014 Man In Black feels at least 100% better made and thought out than it ever needed to be. A very niche inspired offering with the woods, leather and oud referencing darkness you would expect from a much higher priced product. My first spritz was in a Duty Free hall in some airport on one of Jin’s and my adventures. Being 2014 it may have been on the way to or from the USA or South Korea. All I remember is standing there with my mind blown, what a sensational surprise. I know it’s not listed as a note but I get a very clear fig note in the heart, a slightly juicy lactonic sweetness that persists right through to dry down. When I wear Man In Black I like to go heavy and it always brings a smile to my face that something so beautiful could be this affordable and available. The discounters have it for next to nothing nowadays so I have a back up just in case. I gave myself four blasts before starting to write this post and it is so damn good, smiling as I type.
Curious by Britney Spears
OK, if we are talking joyful spritzing then this little lovely HAD to be included. Curious is a juicy floral aquatic. Not mind-blowing, not groundbreaking, does smell a LOT more expensive than it is and does that fresh waterlily in the rain excellently. I had the box for ages but only recently opened it. Since then it has not left my desk and gets spritzed with gay abandon regularly till my chest is wet with it. I get so much simple joy from sitting at my desk doing comment answering, eMails, FaceBook and reading perfume blogs while wafting crazy amounts of this pretty, fresh, fun and super cheap perfume. Even the ridiculous bottle makes me happy. Aren’t you the least bit Curious?
Niki de Saint Phalle
Anyone who has read any of my perfume writing over the years will know that Niki de Saint Phalle the artist and the perfume hold a special place in my heart. It is the most me chypre of them all. Sadly discontinued and becoming impossible to find anymore for reasonable prices. Fortunately I saw the writing on the wall and stocked up enough to last me till the day I die. Friends have also grabbed them when they see them and so I am still able to joyfully spritz it. There is something incredible lavish about having enough of something I love, even though when I use it there will never be more. So when I wear Niki de Saint Phalle it is one of my most bittersweet joyful spritzes, which makes it all the more precious.
Pour un Homme de Caron
I might have talked about Pour un Homme de Caron here before but it seriously bears repeating. Smelling like lavender lollies is Ah May Zing! Sweet, fresh, relaxing, energising and green; lavender itself is a weird combination of so many different facets. When you add vanilla and sugar to the mix it heightens the pleasure. Now add in a generous dollop of slightly animalic amber and you have the most elegant masterpiece that no-one knows about. In production since 1934 and getting harder and harder to find, I seriously worry if we are about to lose it from the face of the earth. Caron has been in all sorts of trouble in the 21st century and I think they may have been left behind in the rush towards new. I don’t care, I’d rather joyously spritz this rare enigmatic beauty and enjoy it while I can. Then one day when I’ve drained my bottles I’ll look back and remember how much I loved it and how glorious I smelled.
Rahele by Neela Vermeire Creations
When it comes to joyful spritzing I’ve left my most important till last. Rahele is the least flamboyant of the Neela Vermeire Creations oeuvre. This 2016 release was a complete let down for me. I thought it banal and pedestrian and unworthy to sit within the line. Though I’d tried it and not liked it, out of love for my friend Neela I bought a bottle while in Vienna, which was the first place I saw it for sale. It was also the first bottle I bought on that holiday. So I started wearing it. You know when you like something but don’t love it you feel that you can give yourself extra spritzes just to use it up. Well, this quiet violet, osmanthus and leather beauty stole my heart. It needs time to appreciate its charms. Since then it has vied with Mohur as my favourite of the line. It’s calmness is perfect, especially for days when you want to smell exquisite but also need to get stuff done. It will not constantly derail your thoughts. Rahele sits beautifully in the background till you want to smell it and there it is, perfection. I wore it for our wedding day and it shone, garnering loads of “you smell amazing” from our crew. Yet it never intrudes, never takes over and is a subtle reassurance that the world and my place in it is OK.
Don’t forget to go across and read the other three members of the Mood Scent 4 crew:
Esperanza L’Esperessence
Megan Megan In Sainte Maxime
Samantha I Scent You A Day.
So what are your favourite Joyful Spritzing fragrances, and why?
Portia xx
A Bottled Rose 
Lately I’ve been joyfully spritzing DS & Durga Rose Atlantic. It smells like wild roses growing by the seaside, happy and carefree. I also love spritzing my 4160 Tuesdays scents: Mrs. Gloss Made Me Do It, Mother Nature’s Naughty Daughters and Goodbye Piccadilly. So cheerful & fun.
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Hi there TaraC,
I never smelled any of these but DS & Durga Rose Atlantic sounds freaking amazing. I love salt in perfume a lot, it adds so many layers of interest for me. Where does Sarah come up with these hilarious names from? Mother Nature’s Naughty Daughters! Laughing just reading it. Now I want a bottle so when people ask me what I’m wearing I can reply thus!
Portia xx
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Amoureuse perfume. The initial blast of citrus and cardamom followed by its rich, honey dry dry down. I normally am very sparing on perfume application but I pour this one on. Just makes me smile!
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OOOOH ElizaC! I love Amoureuse too. What a bummer Parfums DelRae closed its doors. I thought they’d be with us forever.
Portia xxx
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I have glue skin and rarely joyfully spritz. I mean I get about 20 hours out of 4711. Hahahahahahah. BUT I spritzed Rahele like you would in Switzerland last week. And it is absolutely beautiful. I kept wondering what smells to good. I brought a decant home. I do spray 28 La Pausa with a heavy hand. That might count? ❤️
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Heya Val,
Sometimes I’m a bit jealous of your skin and how its holds perfume. Other times I like that I can wear three different perfumes a day. All depends on how I’m looking at it.
YAY that you love Rahele. You girls were SO MUCH FUN on FaceTime. I was smiling the whole next day.
28 La Pausa definitely needs an extra spritz or 10 on me too.
Portia xx
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Beautiful line up,Portia, love what you write about Rahele, it must be extra special now. The memories you have with some certainly add to the pleasure of wearing them! Must really try Bvlgari Men in Black! XxxEsperanza
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Thanks Esperanza,
Rahele is about as special as a perfume can get. in my heart good and solid.
OOOOH! I can’t wait to hear what you think about the Bulgari!
Portia xx
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Hi Portia, I absolutely love that you kicked off with Aromatics Elixir. Why on earth don’t I own any? Whenever I’ve complimented strangers on their perfume, it’s always turned out to be that one. Great to see Britney Curious getting a shout out. My sister in law wore that to a party once and I simply had to have the name of her perfume. It smelled wonderful, and as you say, much more expensive than it’s real life price. Always a joy to work with you! Sam at iscentyouaday xx
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That’s so strange Sam, I can totally imagine you rocking the socks off Aromatics Elixir. GET SOME!
I’m glad that you are a story corroborator about Curious, thank you. Sometimes I’m clacking away here at the typewriter and I read back and wonder if it’s TOO personal experience.
Yeah, this Mood Scent 4 crew are excellent to be hanging out with. So glad you invited me.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia, OMG 35 sprays of Aromatic Elixirs – you might not survive! It’s a beautiful fragrance but incredibly potent. Some great choices here and you wore Rahele for your wedding too which means it must be extra special for you. All of Neela’s perfumes are beautiful and so well done. Plus the bottles are gorgeous too. What is tied around the Britney bottle? Have you heard of the Free Britney movement? Look it up – such an awful situation. Until next time xxx
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Heya Megan,
HA! We went shopping straight after I spritzed 35 sprays of Aromatic Elixirs. Not one person said anything. It was WEIRD!
Yeah, you know how much a fan I am of Neela and her work. Everything is done with such intensity and intention.
Poor old Britney. I feel bad for anyone with terrible mental health issues but to have it all constantly in the public view would make everything a million times more awful.
On the bottle is attached a little chain with two pink crystal love hearts. It’s twee but fun.
Portia xx
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Hey Portia
I also smiles at the 35 sprays of AA. That perfume is utterly unique and I love it. It was my signature scent for a while.
I mostly joyfully sortiz green and citrus perfumes. O de Lancome and Niki De Saint Phalle for sure. Maybe even No.19 and Miss Dior edt.
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HA! Tara, I felt like it was radioactive amounts of perfume but no one batted an eyelid. Bloody Scott, he could probably get me to put my head in an oven or jump off a bridge.
Woo Hoo! Clouds of ALL THE CHYPRES! There is a 125ml bottle of O de Lancome sitting here looking at me. It’s the old squiggly bottle. I so rarely wear it and think it should move on but something is holding me back.
Portia xx
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35 sprays of … probably anything – and I’ll die 🙂
Years of wearing perfumes in places with other people, not necessarily perfume-inclined, have tought me to apply perfumes with an extra-light hand. So, the only perfumes I apply … well, normally are those that I wear for special occasions or on a vacation. And still, I’m talking about 6-7 sprays 🙂
I need to revisit Rahele: I think I didn’t like it the first time around.
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HA HA HA HA HA! Undina, it was pretty thick in the scent field. Fun though.
Yeah, I’ve always been a bit of an overspritzer. I think seven is my very soft application. Don’t you love how different all of our scent stories are? Endlessly interesting to me.
Yeah, Rahele needs time to get to know. Also, I think, because it’s so different from the rest of the line. When you’re expecting a choir and you get a quartet, no matter how amazing the quartet is, you need a moment to adjust your expectations before the enjoyment can begin.
Portia xx
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I don’t know whether it’s a power of suggestion or a more suitable weather, but I found my sample of Rahele, poured the remaining 0.5 ml on my wrist – and thought it was beautiful.
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Fantastic Undina. I’m so happy that you love it too. So beautifully balanced and feels expensively created without a lot of the marching band extravagance of the rest of the line. For me anyway.
Portia xx
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So interested to hear more about Rahele – haven’t tried a NV since Pichola. Sometimes you find yourself suddenly drawn to things that had previously underwhelmed. Making it your wedding perfume is testimony enough of its slow burn appeal.
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Vanessa,
Rahele and Niral were quite different offerings from the brand. They didn’t seem to get nearly as much blog play as the others. I wonder if they were so different that on the initial spritz or two peoples expectations weren’t met.
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you ever get to try them.
Portia xx
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