Sequoia

Minus 6 degrees outside and a chilly living room: This literally calls for firing up the oven and By the Fireplace

A few spritzes later, I'm in the winter retro vibe: a cozy ski lodge in Chamonix, crackling fire, a tiger skin in front of the open fireplace, hunting tea and a companion with a 70s mat (on her head - not on the floor). All that's missing is the message from my companion's wristwatch and the ski chase that follows... oh yes, the head cinema.

Back in reality, 1971 in Chamonix was before my time and I can't ski either. But the retro vibes of By the Fireplace remain, in a pleasant way: wood, gentle smoke and vanilla play the leading role, pleasantly softly balanced. There are also spicy notes, wintry like mulled wine spice. I can't detect any significant development, but it lasts well - longer than an evening in front of the fireplace.

Even though the fragrance is quite clear and distinctive, I don't find it heavy. For me, the fragrance actually exudes something old-fashioned, but not classic.

It won't be my favorite replica, because some of the mulled wine spices get on my nerves after a while. But as a winter alternative to Jazz Club, it does quite well - even without the tiger skin.

...commented my husband after he had sunk his nose into my neck. Then he left the room.

And I thought to myself: Okay, mission accomplished!

No, I didn't need a fragrance to drive my husband back into his study. But I was specifically looking for a perfume with a strong sillage for an event. Not a signature, just a hammer. And LVEB L'Extrait is a real winner.

I don't even like the original LVEB. It's too sticky-sweet for me. But although L'Extrait has the same sweet base note, the aura is completely different. It seems darker, spicier and more mystical. After a minimal moment of citrus at the beginning has passed, I no longer notice any development. I notice the rose and sweet fruits. However, my nose is also suggesting things that are not there: A perceived hint of praline is smothered by a massive amount of oud.

The oud here is warm, woody, dense and pleasant. No trace of the smoky or medicinal associations that I sometimes get with oud. Definitely feminine, but in terms of sillage, it is also a clear competitor to many a strong men's fragrance.

L'Extrait

While looking for inspiration for a winter fragrance, I came across Goldfield & Banks - a brand I was not yet familiar with. It was a good first encounter, because I found all the fragrances in the Native Collection interesting. But then I took Mystic Bliss with me, even though it's not really a winter fragrance for me.

Mystic Bliss starts off cool, but not fresh. It's more like a morning walk in late fall: cool mist still lies on the fields. The ground smells of leaves. The air is a little crisp. The body is wrapped up warm, but the head is clear.

Then a sweet warmth takes over: Fig and caramel become cuddly, balanced with a floral spiciness. It feels comforting and slightly matte - like returning home to a warm house.

The sweetness remains for a few hours, then becomes more subtle and transitions into a woody, earthy base that can still be clearly perceived in your clothes the next day. It has a calming effect on me.

I find Mystic Bliss exciting. I have rarely noticed such a strongly contrasting development of scent from cool to warm. It's not an everyday fragrance, but something special. For me, it fits perfectly with the time of year.

During my teenage years in the 90s, Angel Eau de Parfum was everywhere, including me. And I always think back to my first perfume with slight nostalgia.

For me, most of the "offshoots" of the original Angel are somewhere between uninteresting and unbearable. I hadn't tested them for years... until my teenager was given a sample of Angel Nova Eau de Parfum last winter, which I completely ignored.

Then she came out of her teenage cave on a Sunday evening when we were about to go out for dinner, freshly drizzled and with a big grin on her face. And she smelled really great. But I couldn't place the scent at all. Soft, sweet, fruity, young... it was the angel offshoot I had ignored.

The Nova is so different from the original Engel that it doesn't set off my nostalgia alarm. But there are probably too many generations of offshoots and too many years of changing fragrance tastes in between.

Both Angels are striking, sweet and soft. But while the original Angel promises more winter treats, Nova brings a fruity, more summery impression. The raspberry is present, the lychee annoys me and also disappears quickly. Rose and wood create a beautifully balanced base. Although I like the patchouli bomb in Ur-Engel, it would have been just over the top in Nova.

Overall, Nova is quieter than the original in keeping with the times, but loud enough to stand out from the crowd of cute-and-clean girly scents. Great for my teenage girl, wearable for me at least. So now the next generation in this family also has its own "Angel"... and I like the idea that they too will think back nostalgically to their "Angel" at some point.

She made her way across the festival grounds, between camping barbecues and smoking rockers. Her long dark hair laid in perfect waves, the white lace dress clung to her body and the skirt caressed every movement of her legs. Wherever she went, she divided the stunned crowd. People who had previously fought for every inch of space in front of the stage made way for her in bewilderment. A soft smile played around her lips as she landed in the middle of the mosh pit between mud-stained men and women with barely covered bustlines. Now it was enough: a mosher drenched in sweat nudged her. "Go home, baby, your clothes are getting dirty!" With a cheeky look, she took the beer from his hand and ran her other hand playfully through his beard. She took a deep swig of the beer, blew him a kiss and then continued on her way to the center of the mosh pit. Being the center of attention for once, everything revolved around her.

I find "Pink Blood" likeable. I like the slightly off-kilter herbaceous start. It's softly edgy, but not distractingly so. The innocent lilies of the valley come too early for my taste, but at least the smoke keeps them in check. The white flowers then dominate, making the fragrance very feminine. Everything is underpinned by a mainstream musk-cedar base.

There is nothing pink here, but rather the color gradient goes from pastel green to light gray to bright white with a slightly beige finish.

The rocker lady doesn't want blood, she just wants to remain herself in a male domain. Her game is teasing, with an edgy start, always with enough distance to not be considered available. The fragrance keeps up the game for an entire evening, but remains discreet.

For me, it is not a candidate for purchase. The lily of the valley bothers me. But what I find most unusual about the whole thing is that it's a "Wacken" fragrance. For me, that fits in as little as a pink glitter shirt at a gothic event.