Juliette has a gun - Gentlewoman (perfume review + GIVEAWAY!)

Helllllloooo everyone! It has been forever and a day (again) - and I apologize.  I have really missed this blog, but home renovation work has consumed my life for the past month or so. We're still not done (are we ever??), but things are coming along grosir kaos distro and I'm excited to post about the changes over on rustyfarmhouse. But today - today I focus on perfume!  (and I hope to start posting slightly more regularly again too.)  :)

Up until about a month ago, somehow in my perfume journey I had managed to try nothing from the house Juliette has a gun. Not for lack of interest, however, just circumstances. Then suddenly I won a decant of Moondance from the lovely lovely folks at AustralianPerfumeJunkies, and then I somehow also won a sample of Gentlewoman from APJ. A couple days after that I was surprised with a promotional kaos distro sample of Gentlewoman as well. It seems my JHAG luck has turned!

Gentlewoman is the latest release from Juliette has a gun, a feminine take on the classic eau de cologne. Perfumer Romano Ricci characterizes Gentlewoman as modern, daring and free.

When I wear Gentlewoman, it opens with crisp citrus that manages to be neither too sweet nor too bitter. It feels like your fingers doused in the juices and oils of freshly peeled oranges and limes. Within moments the bright citrus notes fade into the flowy white caresses of the orange blossom. The orange blossom is soft, gentle, wispy and soapy. I can't help but think of bright, slightly overgrown sun-soaked country fields adorned grosir tas import with wavy white bedsheets hanging on expansive clothing lines. (If I'm perfectly honest, I also picture Julie Andrews twirling about and singing that the hills are alive with the sound of music...). It's really so very pretty.

The soapy orange blossom gives way to the lavender, which begins as subtle, clean and slightly masculine. I should admit that on the whole I'm not a big fan of lavender. Lavender almost always feels heavy and distinctively masculine to me. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, and one might expect an eau de cologne to have masculine touches - even a feminine one. 

The lavender grows in intensity, becoming stronger and sadly a bit too sharp for me. Gentlewoman also becomes a bit powdery and artificial at this point, making the soft cotton sheets feel more like a dryer sheet right under my nose. Fortunately, this stronger lavender phase passes and the lavender eventually retreats into the cozy world of musk. On me, the musk in Gentlewoman feels pristinely clean - keeping Gentlewoman squarely in the work and black-tie appropriate arena. The clean laundry musk also feels a bit artificial. It is here that I wish Gentlewoman was a bit more "daring." I think a slightly more animalic musk to offset the stoic and artificial-feeling cleanliness of the lavender would be amazing.

Overall, I think JHAG did well with the concept of a feminine eau de cologne. It's a simple but pleasant fragrance. I was surprised by how much I loved the opening of Gentlewoman. The sparkling citrus of the opening is perfectly blended for my tastes and I actually really enjoy the gentle soapy character of the grosiraksesorisfashion.com orange blossom heart. Unfortunately the drydown wasn't a great fit for me, perhaps because I simply don't care much for lavender and I prefer a slightly skankier musk. But I'd dance around with Julie Andrews in the opening for hours if I could!

If you like soapy orange blossom, Gentlewoman could be a winner for you - but it may not be the best fit if you dislike soapy florals and clean musks.

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My rating of Gentlewoman: 3.5

1  -  - -  -  2  -  -  -  -  3  -  - X -  -  4  -  -  -  -  5

   Nausea/Gagging         Meh        Decent          Great        Olfactory Elation    

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Gentlewoman as described by Juliette has a gun:

Family:  Citrus Woody Musky

Top Notes: Neroli Essence, Bitter Orange Petitgrain Essence, Calabrian Bergamot Essence (Capua)

Heart Notes: Almond Essence, Coumarin, Orange Blossom Absolute, Lavender Essence 

Base Notes: Ambroxan, Musks (Muscenone and Ambretolide)

Perfumer: Romano Ricci

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A Scent Life's FIRST GIVEAWAY!
Since I was lucky enough to both win a sample and receive a promotional sample of Gentlewoman, I'd be delighted to share the wealth and give away my promotional sample. 

Who is eligible?
Readers worldwide are eligible, though I cannot guarantee it's safe arrival for my non-US friends or replace it if something goes awry.

How do I win?  (updated)
Just leave a comment telling me about why you'd like to try Gentlewoman and if you have any favorite JHAG scents that I should try.  The draw will remain open until June 1st. The winner will have several days to claim their prize, so don't forget to check if you've won!

*Although I received a promotional sample of Gentlewoman, all opinions are my own and honest. 

Ava Luxe - Mousse de Chine (perfume review)

The more perfumes I try, the more I realize how many I haven't tried! I have been rather unorganized in my sampling since delving into the perfume world - following individual tangents (such as particular notes or houses) or simply going gaga over the rhetoric surrounding new releases. 

But there's a huge world of perfumes out there and to be quite frank, I am missing whole families of them in my testing so far! For example, chypres. I had never tried a chypre on skin (and have only sniffed a few at most). In fact, to really highlight my ignorance - I can't even tell you what the famous, iconic chypres are. Clearly I have some reading ahead of me. (If I get any credit at all for this, I do know that Hiram Green's release Shangri La is a peach chypre, and I'd like to try it). 

So, in an effort to rectify my chypre-virgin nose, I raided my sample box and decided to give the Ava Luxe chypre Mousse de Chine a try.   

The opening of Mousse de Chine offers about 10 seconds of crisp and loud citrus, then dives straight into sharp lavender and powder. Very shortly thereafter, the lavender powder becomes quieter and is joined by the earthy fern and moss. 

mossy, weedy grass

These greens are slightly herbal and pungent - and lean a touch masculine to me. For some reason, the green notes in Mousse de Chine never feel warm or inviting, instead remaining cool and stoic. This is a little unsettling for me. I guess I like warmth.

moss covered concrete stones

About 20 minutes in, the citrus notes seem to reappear and waft about me - though I don't necessarily smell them when I sniff my wrist. They just float around for a bit.

About an hour in, the lavender fades and the powder remains. The ambergris makes a slightly salty appearance, but it's not particularly loud and I mostly get powder with just a touch of something peppery.

I had to try (and re-apply) Mousse de Chine several times to even get this characterization of it, and it generally became barely noticeable by the 2 hour mark (though it's nearly imperceptible scent remained on my wrist much longer). 

To be fair, I received the sample I tested as a freebie from another lovely perfumista, so I can't be sure if it was very fresh or if time has compromised the sample at all.

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My rating of Mousse de Chine: 2

1  -  - -  -  2  -  -  -  -  3  -  -  -  -  4  -  -  -  -  5

   Nausea/Gagging         Meh        Decent       Great         Olfactory Elation    

This is the first chypre I've ever tried, so honestly I have no idea how it compares to other chypres. I'm not a big lavender fan though, so Mousse de Chine was not for me.

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Mousse de Chine as described by the Ava Luxe perfume website:

Family: Chypre

Top Notes: bergamot, lime

Middle Notes: fern, lavender, amber, spanish moss, oakmoss

Base Notes: labdanum, musk, ambergris

Perfumer: Serena Ava Franco

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Have you tried Mousse de Chine? What are some of your favorite chypres?