Stanze

Kumquat travels, with the eucalyptus,
In a beautiful Bohemian bus.

The notes remain incomprehensible to us,
No matter how deeply we probe them.

Even Eucalyptus (who only sniffed for the scent's sake)
is at a loss for advice.

Yet just this makes us pale like mud.
No blow to the neck will help.

And he writes in his weekly chronicle:
Another experience, without electronics!

(Very loosely based on "The Bohemian Village" by Christian Morgenstern.)

Even though a certain online sales portal always translates "bohemian" as "böhmisch," this translation is at best outdated. In the 19th century, the French thought that the French Roma had come from Bohemia in the 15th century. Their lifestyle was romanticized as unconventional and free. Therefore, bohemian is indeed böhmisch, but the people of Bohemia would surely be surprised if they were seen as unconventional, freedom-loving, French Roma.

At this point, family tester M pointed out to me that there is indeed Bohemian absinthe. So absinthe from Bohemia. Damn, and I was just getting into the swing of things. I have never drunk Bohemian absinthe and therefore cannot say whether it smells like Bohemian Absinthe. Bohemian absinthe differs from traditional absinthe in that it contains no anise. Bohemian absinthe does not turn cloudy when water is added, so diluting it is not really worth it, and according to Wikipedia, many Czechs do not dilute their Bohemian absinthe at all. This explains why Bohemian Absinthe smells so strong that it fills the whole room with its aroma... uh, scent. I definitely do not want to drink Bohemian absinthe, as I already get a headache from the smell of Bohemian Absinthe.

I thought to myself that the website of the sisters of Noé might enlighten me regarding the meaning of this scent, and lo and behold: it represents the ecstasy of the French in the 19th century over La Bohème ('Bohemia'). So forget what I said about Bohemian absinthe and remember the romantic, unconventional, freedom-loving, French Roma of the 15th century. That’s how it smells.

I would not want to wear Bohemian Absinthe in any season. The sillage is very unconventional and freedom-loving. One can wear this if one has traveled back in time to the 15th century and does not want to stand out among Bohemians or French Roma. Or if one wants to remain abstinent at a feast with Bohemian absinthe. One then smells as if one has heavily indulged in the drink. Apparently, you can't see that in the glass. So cheers.

Brocade throws, silk dresses, reed corsets, bleached linen undergarments, furniture with rich inlays. On the dressing table, next to the ceramic bowl and water jug, lies a comb, carmine lipstick, and face powder. A lot of face powder. This is how it looked in Isabella de’ Medici's (1542-1576) dressing room. In the 16th century, pale faces were in fashion. In cosmetics, this was achieved through (toxic) bleaching agents or simply through powder.

The fragrance Talco Delicato ('exquisite powder') delivers on its promise. It reminds me of something, perhaps a face powder my mother had, or one I used to own, or even the one I currently have but hardly ever use. I hardly wear makeup anyway, but since Corona, I don't even wear tinted moisturizer anymore. Everything just gets messy in the FFP2 mask that I wear for 10 hours at work.

The sillage of Talco Delicato is quite strong. Unfortunately, this Concentrato is not as citrusy as the Eau de Parfum. So I am a bit disappointed. The bottle is a kind of miniature with a small transparent rubber stopper. So it’s not for spraying. If I were to spray it, I could definitely fill a factory hall with the sillage. After receiving the bottle with the small rubber stopper, I dabbed it once on the right and once on the left side of my neck, and that was already quite potent. One dab is enough, so the 10ml will last for a while.

Historical digression: Isabella de’ Medici was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Florence. After her mother's death, she took on the role of the female representative of the Grand Duchy in the ducal palace. She was a very important woman. She promoted art and music in Florence. In 16th century Italy, murder of more or less high-ranking dignitaries of the nobility and the church was commonplace. Therefore, after Isabella's death, there were many rumors. She died at the age of only 33 and left behind two children. Her alleged lover was murdered the following year, her husband a few years later, and his mistress as well. However, letters revealed that Isabella and her husband had a good relationship. Real life is more boring than fiction. Isabella died after a prolonged illness. Why am I telling this? The company Spezierie Palazzo Vecchio / I Profumi di Firenze refers to Isabella de’ Medici. She is probably to Florence what Diane de Poitiers is to Anet. The tiny shop of Spezierie Palazzo Vecchio / I Profumi di Firenze is located not far from the Palazzo Vecchio, which Isabella once inhabited. If you are in Florence, it is definitely worth a visit. And if you like powdery scents, it is definitely worth testing Talco Delicato. However, I don't know how one should go about that if they are not in Florence.

For her 80th birthday, Scarlett received very little mail or gifts. Her husband was financially dependent on her and could at least not buy her anything. Since he otherwise anticipated her every wish, there was nothing special to expect. So Scarlett decided to write a book. The book was to be an autobiography. The story of her exciting life. But then she quickly realized that she actually had no events to present that would have been important to the rest of the world. Like French nobles in the Ancien Régime, she decided to elaborate a bit more and started with the arrival of the Pilgrims in America. One of her ancestors was supposedly (in her imagination) on one of the ships. This ancestor, the Urscarlett so to speak, solved the problem with the stubborn natives simply by her awe-inspiring presence. The ancestor then moved to Charleston in South Carolina and established a cotton plantation. In the course of time, her further female descendants (Weiterscarletts) dealt with the slavery issue, as their slaves were incredibly happy to work for them for free and were completely satisfied with the inspiring presence of their mistress. It was an honor to work for her. During the Civil War, Damalsscarlett was adopted by Indians and thus avoided all problems. She then secured her tribe a particularly good reservation, which she achieved solely through her impressive appearance. Then there was a break, as some Scarlett apparently only had a son who married a Deutschscarlett, who like the Urscarlett had come to America on a ship. They survived the Great Depression unscathed, as the husband was a dentist. A recession-proof profession. Then Scarlett was born (the book writer) and she wrote about the thefts and frauds through which she made her first million. Because she was proud of it. In the course of time, she wrote about her affairs with more or less famous men.

Finally, Scarlett put down her pen, closed the book, and stood up. She had written as if in a trance for several days. She stood up and went to the fireplace. Scarlett took the photo of a deceased opera tenor from the mantelpiece, gazed dreamily at her former self, arm in arm with the famous man, sighed, and crushed a tear. Suddenly, she was filled with an irrational anger. She put the photo away in a drawer and went outside.

In the courtyard, her laundry was hanging. She had to hang it herself (or rather her husband, her extended self), as the staff is not what it used to be. Scarlett stomped over to the little concierge and loudly complained about the lack of respect shown to her. She received puzzled looks, but she didn’t notice. She had earned respect; the world was back in order.

That was how it was back then. White Linen is a chypre. A bright chypre that does not overwhelm but presents serious, well-to-do femininity. It radiates security, effectiveness, and Southern romance. If laundry, then definitely starched. I can’t relate to it. On other people, the scent wouldn’t bother me, and I can imagine that White Linen appeals to others and might even trigger a desire to purchase. Not for me. Although I must admit that the base is quite nice. The initial phase, however, lasts too long and evokes too many unpleasant associations. A 7.5 is not a bad rating!

Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind, was asked to write a sequel. She did not write one and said she had no idea what could still happen to Scarlett and Rhett.

This time, I have no desire to give application tips. You can figure that out for yourselves. Manfred Schmidt developed a finger paralysis after so many Knatterton comics (which I love). He didn’t want to anymore. I once had an acquaintance who had similar problems during his studies (classical guitar). I could easily develop finger paralysis so that I don’t have to write application tips today, but I could also just stop writing reviews altogether, which would solve the problem too (that’s not meant to be a threat). I may not have time to answer all comments and am not particularly active here anymore (that is meant to be a threat).

To let you know what it smells like, there's an exclamation mark behind the name. Maybe it's also safer to inform the brain about what it should sniff out. With fragrances, you never really know what it will make of it. Orient ! definitely smells oriental to me. I would say synthetic-oriental. Those who enjoy perfumes from Zara will surely find something here. The price-performance ratio of this scent is absolutely insane (100ml in the single-digit Euro range). In that regard, you can afford to bathe in it.

Orient ! is not a bad perfume. I wanted something sweet today and was not disappointed. Orient ! is not too sweet, rather oriental-sweet, as there's usually some sweetness involved. I think I can smell Iso-E, a very lightly singed woody note. I have nothing against Iso-E. The brain might also interpret that as (artificial) leather. Family tester M smells shoe store again (which probably represents a mix of waterproofing agents and leather). He also finds it - at least at the beginning - disgusting. Later, according to his statement, "it gets better." Well, that's why I compared it to Zara scents. It's just not really good.

Orient ! is more of a scent for the colder half of the year; I am olfactorily dressed all wrong for the season. But that's okay, I wanted it this way. I consider Orient ! to be unisex, though some men might find it too sweet.

Unfortunately, the perfume seems to no longer be available. There are similar representatives: Terre d'Orient, Bois d'Orient, and Café d'Orient. The latter sounds intriguing to me, especially if it was possibly made on the same base. This is, of course, unfortunate. Why am I writing a review for very inexpensive stuff that is no longer available? And I’m not even telling a crazy story.. What a waste of time.

As so often, this perfume is suitable for shoe salespeople. You become one with the store. Moreover, it brings a bit of sweetness into life, and sometimes you need that too.
"I go to bakeries all day long
There's a lack of sweetness in my life.." The Modern Lovers - Hospital

Anton Spot learned to be a circus clown. After becoming unemployed due to Corona, he looked around the job market. He was hired by a group of burglars to participate in a heist at a chemical factory. Anton was to disguise himself as the supervillain 'Jusbox' and steal the formula for a particularly expensive perfume. Anton gained access to the chemical factory. He limbo-danced under numerous light barriers and thus reached the vault. However, there he was met by the lawman Brot Fein (also known as Bettmann, since before his career as a superhero he was a mattress tester at a well-known Swedish furniture store), who mistook the disguised Anton for Jusbox. All very confusing, I know, but that’s how it was back then.

Anton tried to run away, but Bettmann stepped on his Jusbox cape. This caused Anton to stumble and fall into a light barrier equipped with a real laser, which inflicted a terrible wound on the unfortunate circus clown's face. To make matters worse, Anton then fell into a perfume vat. The alcohol burned terribly in the wound, and due to the high concentration of fragrance substances, Anton's olfactory receptors were permanently damaged.

Bettmann arrested the whimpering Anton. The wound was stitched up by an overworked assistant doctor and healed into a disfiguring scar that resembled a crazy smile. In prison, Anton retrained and became a perfumer. After his release, he founded a perfume company as a start-up with crowdfunding. He found it totally funny to name the company 'Jusbox' and his first fragrance Cheeky Smile.

With the sale of the perfume, Anton became filthy rich, proving that rehabilitation does indeed have its benefits.

The review is pure fiction. Any resemblance to fictional characters is entirely intentional, but the story has nothing to do with the real creators of Jusbox.

If someone wants to break in somewhere, they definitely shouldn't wear this scent, as first of all, you can smell it from miles away, and secondly, the scent still lingers in the vault the next morning. It might also be suitable for keeping pests away. In any case, it can keep me away.

I wrote this at the request of FvSpee. If the content of the story traumatizes you, you should therefore contact Mr. Spee.