Parfum Sacré is a majestic marriage between the Sacred and the sensual. Through a veil of incense smoke and dark peppery dust, a voluptuous rose emerges blushing.
The scent wafts around like threads of incense smoke – myrrh, frankincense, pepper and dry rose. Rather than the powerhouse of condensed resins that so many orientals are famous for, Parfum Sacré wraps arounds, wafting in and out as it envelopes you with its dream-like quality.

The rose evolves backwards – instead of blooming, drying and dying, it grows out of the smoke and becomes younger, as if the petals’ thirst was quenched by the mere action of applying a perfume, bringing it to life. Perhaps it is the wearer’s own moisture that is now watering this green, lush rose, with its crisp dewy petals – as notes of violet leaf and iris make it even greener.

The powdery aspect of these notes takes over as the perfume dries on the skin and takes on the texture of a fluffy, powdery snow as it falls on a furry coat and gets caught in curly eyelashes and fluffy plume without melting. After dancing in the snow most of the night, you will wake up the next morning still surrounded by this magic cloud of powdery snow of incense, rose, musk and vanilla.

It’s hard to believe that this creation by Jean-Pierre Bethouart for Caron has happened so recently – 1990. But at least something good happened in the 90’s perfume wise and is still with us!

Top notes: Pepper, Frankincense
Heart notes: Rose, Orris, Violet
Base notes: Myrrh, Musk, Vanilla

I first encountered Ta’if on a chilly winter day in London some three years ago, when searching for perfumeries that can be found nowhere else but in London. Ormonde Jayne’s miniature store front, furnished with polished black ebony and tangerine accents was an immediate fascination. Perhaps the fact that Linda Pilkington spoke fluent Hebrew helped too… She spent a few years in the Hebrew University studying anthropology, and so the conversation between me and my friend Yasmin was completely transparent to her ears…

In no time it was quite obvious that Ta’if was my favourite. Perhaps is was the humorous glint in Linda’s eyes when she mentioned saffron and dates... It smelled right to me on first inhalation, yet my nose was a bit tired of all the former sniffage (Penhalligon’s practically exhausted my sense of smell with their far more sharp creations just a few stores away from Ormonde Jayne), and I had to postpone my complete union with this scent until my return to the similarly chilly city of Vancouver.

I left the shop wearing Ta’if to try on one wrist (and Sampaquita on the other), and feeling happy that there is another Hebrew speaking perfumer in the world. In fact, Linda was the first perfumer I met first-to-face at that time. Perfumery is a solitary work, and even more so when you are an independent perfumer - the only board meetings you ever attend are your own, which will most likely involve clients rather than colleagues…

In the briskness of the foggy London night, there was something exalting about that cloud of roses and spice floating about me. And from than on, whenever I wear Ta’if I’m immediately reminded of that one chilly night in a bigger-than-life city, finding a perfume to be excited about and enjoying a rare moment of friendship that is usually separated with one big pond and the whole width of the largest country in the world…

Ta’if opens with saffron, dates and pink pepper, to an overall tangy-spicy composition. Than comes the dusty, desert dryness of cedar and the opulence of roses along with honeyed broom note. The base is ambery-sweet, powdery and musky, in what I would later discover to be a signature component of most Ormonde Jayne’s perfumes. This base may not be for everyone - especially if you dislike musk in any form, but on the right skin it is magnificent.

Unlike most perfumes with oriental elements, Ta’if is expansive rather than introspective. In that regard, it is reminiscent of other favourites of mine from the powdery rose genre – Tocade and Parfum Sacré.

Ta'if may be inspired by the roses of the desert city of Ta'if (see image above), but it reminds more of the illusion of softness the look of frosted roses evoke:

The official notes per an old Ormonde Jayne catalog:

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Saffron, Dates, White Peach
Heart notes: Ta’if Roses, Orange Blossom, Broom, Freesia, Lily of the Valley, Jasmine
Base notes: Amber, Tonka Bean, Musk, Vanilla Absolute

Like all the Ormonde Jayne perfumes, Ta'if is only available through Ormonde Jayne store in the Royal Arcade on Old Bond Street, and her online store.

Note: Despite its relative lightness, Ta'if must be applied with a light hand to avoid adverse reactions such as sneezing or eye-watering (I'm talking from experience here...). Sometimes too much of a good thing will not get you what you want...

It’s Buy Nothing Weekend for the anti-commercialism activists among us. I’ve had this idea for a while to whip up some DIY gift ideas for this special day. Things you can do yourself rather than buy. But the more I think about it, this one single overwhelming fact becomes clearer and clearer to me with an intensity that is not surprising but nevertheless shocking: there is hardly anything we do these days that does not involve a monetary transaction. We pay to eat, drink, be able to communicate with others (phone and internet bills anyone?), exercise (gym membership), and so on and so forth.

So what can we do, without spending a penny, to show our loved ones our affection and to make them happier? Here are a few ideas that will not cost you a thing, or for which you will be using things you’ve already spent money on in the past but haven't used up (cause you probably didn't need them in the first place, right?...). They may not be all that great either – you will probably come up with way better ideas of your own. And I have that terrible feeling deep down that the following will look not so much like the Smellyblog entry anyone was ever looking forward to read, but rather more like one of those cheesy, wisdom-dripping emails that land in your mailbox every other day and usually originate from a remote friend or an aunt who thinks that sending spam to your mailbox will make you remember her birthday…
But at least I tried!

The purpose of Buy Nothing Day is to shift the emphasis from materialism and consumerism and the fake feeling of happiness that gift-giving has developed into – into an emphasis on strengthening the connection between people by spending meaningful time with one another. Buying less is the greatest gift we can give the to environment this season, that’s for sure.

Before you buy a gift, ask yourself:
1) Is this gift useful? Would the person receiving it be able to use it in a meaningful way?
2) Would it make the person who will receive it HAPPY?
3) How, where and by whom was it made? If the answer is not clear and you are not sure this was made ethically, you might want to find something similar that was made elsewhere.
4) How am I going to carry this home? Most of the trash we produce is because of packaging and shopping bags. Bring your own bag whenever possible. If you didn’t bring a bag with you that means that you were not planning to shop or spend money, so perhaps you can re-think your purchase…
5) And last but not least – can I afford buying this? If not, perhaps you should wait until you can afford it and avoid unnecessary debt.

And here are a couple of other ideas that will reduce the holiday stress and also make you buy less:

1) Invite your friends for dinner, but instead of cooking it for them, cook it WITH them. Teach them your favourite recipe and enjoy an evening of sensory delights that will make you feel and live the moment.

2) Making your own gifts is fun and can also be easy. I will dedicate a whole post for that later this season with ideas for fragrant DIY gifts. However, keep in mind the same guidelines mentioned earlier for gift buying – is the gift useful at all? Would the person receiving it be able to enjoy it? Or would they be just pretending… Some gifts are better than others, so make sure you put your efforts in the right direction. As a general guidelines, gifts that can be further personalized (i.e.: a picture frame – your friend can choose the picture); edible gifts (i.e.: cookies and baked goods, jams, preserves…) usually garner more attention than others.

3) Instead of forwarding chain emails to your friends, have the courage to pick up the phone when they call you up (even though you may have not spoken to them for a while). They might actually really need to talk to a human voice of a real person who loves them and cares for them.

4) Using materials you already have at home, write your loved ones a card telling them what you like most about them. I am sure this will make them happy. You may use a pen and paper (something most of us already have at home), or you can even cut out letters from old magazines and newspapers to make up the words. Finish your message with a spritz the card with a scent that you think they'll like which will leave a fragrant layer to your message.

5) And finally - for the die hard perfumistas among us - throw a perfume party (which could be combined with a perfume exchange party, if you know others with the same "problem" like you). A perfume party is all about sharing our innermost feelings and getting to know each other better while having fun sniffing beautiful perfumes. Pick a few fragrances, or a few essential oils or spices that mean something to you, and share them around in circle (either on a scent stripe, or from the jar if you are smelling other things). Each friend will share their reactions, impressions, memories and thoughts regarding the smell. You can get even more creative by writing short poems or story about each scent and than reading them aloud. It's all about sharing the moment and a piece of your human existence with friends and loved ones, and can make you become even closer.

For more ideas for Buy Nothing Day and Buy Nothing Christmas visit:

Tree Hugger

How To Do Things

Adbusters