Not another Review!!

Not another review! What makes this different? Well, for starters, the person(s) reviewing stuff here are people who grew up in a world thats far removed from "the Reviews on Gruyere cheese and Asparagus..." In other words,
1. We love Amul butter - the salted yummy thing better than all the 'sophisticated' imported butter in the world!
2. We love the gooey, drippy sweetness of Indian sweets
3. We have, at some point in our lives, ate spoonfulls of Milkmaid conensed milk - right out of the can
4. We understand food and wine pairing (Courtesy the persistent lecturers in Hotel mgmt college), but would rather have chilled beer or the exotic looking potent cocktail with our spicy chicken tikkas or fish fries
5. Prefer to use words like 'delicate' for silks and 'sharp' for tools... NOT food!
6 Are dying find product which make lives easier for working mothers, wives, girlfriends or considerate (also read that as hen pecked) husbands and boyfriends!

So go on... pour your heart out about stuff you liked or hated!



Friday, August 10, 2012

The curious case of Dior Poison

Memories, it is said, is what shapes us for the person that we are. I mean, think about it - basically, we are all cells, pretty much similar in constitution - flesh and bones. And as babies, most of us behaved and looked just the same (well, mostly) .... Then, along the way, we picked up memories, shaping us as we went along, adding an ingredient here, or leaving an ingredient there. It is this very same chance incidents that create memories, which in turn, create us.

Phew! That was quite a bit of gyan just to introduce a memory called "Poison" in my life.

It began with a sinister looking, yet beautiful, half full bottle that my mother gave me when I was packing to travel to my first job after college. A purple bottle with a crystal stopper I had seen her guard like it was the crown jewels!

the enigma, the rebel, the forbidden fruit
Ofcourse I was familiar with the smell it left on her. It was an exquisite fragrance, with a mysterious, questioning, sometimes cynical "Dare you" attitude. That's how I will always remember the EDT (Eau de toilette) called Dior Poison.

Before I go any further, just a little on the fragrance terminology. I would cover more fragrances in the future, and this can be a base reference to understand perfume types and notes.

There can be many strange names on perfume bottles. These depict the strength of the essential oils in the perfume, and subsequently, the cost.
  • Parfum / Perfume Extract has the highest strength ( can go up to 40%)
  • Eau de Parfum (EDP)  (10-20%)
  • Eau de Toilette (EDT): (5-15%)
  • Eau de Cologne (EDC): (approx. 5%)
  • Perfume mist (body mist too) : (approx. 3%) usually non-alcoholic solvent
  • Aftershave: (1-3%)
Fragrances, especially when various essential oils are mixed together have various notes that come together to form the perfume experience:
  • Top notes : These are the scents that are perceived immediately upon application of a perfume, which quickly evaporate to the initial impression of a perfume. Usually, scents of this note are fresh, citrus, sharp etc.
  • Middle notes : This note comes into play after the top note has evaporated quickly and forms the "heart" or main body of a perfume. The middle notes are usually more mellow and "rounded." Scents from this note class appear anywhere from two minutes to one hour after the application of a perfume.
  • Base notes: This is what remains or 'lingers' in a perfume. Also the part that interacts with the person's own skin and sweat to form a 'signature' for that person. This is why some scents suit some people and they don't suit some others. The base and middle notes together are the main theme of a perfume. Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume. These notes are typically rich and "deep" and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after the application of the perfume
 Now back to the enigma called Poison. This perfume, called 'the forbidden fruit' (and shaped just like an alluring, inviting, serpent's fruit) was touted as a rebel when it came out in 1985 - and it received every bit of the limelight a perfume of that stature should. And as with any celebrity, this perfume had no middle path. No greys - only blacks or whites. You either fell in love with it, or loathed it with all your heart. I fell hopelessly in love with it.

The minute you sprayed a whiff, it knocked you down with tuberose, and sweet honey. After you have gulped your fear and dared to sniff again, the perfume has evolved into spicy pepper and cinnamon, with a huge bouquet of roses. Then when you finally sighed, smiled and smelled it deeply yet again, it had grown into a flower garden mixed with musk and sandalwood. (am sighing again - as you can see!)

The perfume leaves a trail - letting people know you are bold. It also carries on for days together - sometimes even a couple of washes do not remove the smell from clothes. The fall side of this is that people with sensitive olfactory organs can have a severe headache due to this rebel of a perfume.

Let me end this review by telling you what my then fiance said to me when I wore it for a party - he told me never to wear "whatever-it-is-that-you-smell-of-today" when I am not with him. I looked at him quizzically, and he said he could eat me up and didn't want to risk that happening when I was not with him.

14 comments:

  1. ooh! Romantic!!!!
    My mom also loves Poison and I too have memories of that bottle having a place of honour on her dressing table! I do not wear it as am a total non-perfume girl!

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    1. Hey Mom (A&a) so good to see you here! Thanks for boosting my morale for this blog - I keep promising myself that I will nurture this one as much as the other blog, but have been falling short - so this comes as some kind of a revival! thanks!

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  2. Wow! Very interesting and informative, with a delightfully naughty ending !

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    1. Thank you Sir. A naughty ending for an equally naughty fragrance. :-)

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  3. remember this from ages ago - when it was a part of moms dressing cabinet items... Poison has survived all these decades even after the advent of so many newer brands .. that says a lot for it, i guess.

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    1. True Roshan - this is a classic almost all of us remember from our Mom's collections. They have reformulated the perfume - it is now a watered down version of what it was; but it continues to rock!

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  4. I remember keeping the bottle when my mom finished using it. It kept the cupboard smelling divine! It introduced me to the world of perfumes. And Cobra. Remember Cobra!?

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    1. Ofcourse I remember Cobra too!! It was similar to Poison - almost as strong, but there was some fullness in Poison thats missing in Cobra, don't you think?

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  5. I am a parfum buff..so read this post with lots of interest...maybe i will try this on one..and see if the husband gives the same comment!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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    1. Shooting Star .... thanks for coming by. Do let me know if the husband takes a double turn :-) ! But a word of caution - do spray sparingly... it is extremely stron, and takes a little time to settle down smoothly.

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  6. I am all stocked up for perfume for now.
    But will keep this in mind for next time :)

    I followed your space ~

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    1. Hey Ghazala ... thankyou for coming by.... am honored you are in my netwrok. Would be looking up your blogs over a cup of coffee and some lovely rains :-)

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  7. I have never used any of the Dior Fragrances, will keep your post in mind while shopping next time. Thanks for sharing specially the last paragraph :)

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    1. Thanks Saru .... I would advise trial spray from someone who owns a bottle (if they will part with that one spray :-) ) before you actually buy it - coz some people's skin do not agree with the strong personality of this perfume (and it is a tad expensive - about 6000 Rs. for 100 ml).... but i hope it agrees with yours - it is the ideal signature scent.

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