Rose cupcakes

This time it's an edible rose post!

I love baking and one of the things I love to create are cupcakes because they can be made to look so pretty really easily.

Photos from the fruits (sweets?) of my labour: rose, chocolate orange and lime coconut cupcakes

The recipe I normally use is from the Cupcakes book by the Primrose Bakery so I probably shouldn't post it here (copyright restrictions and all...) but what I can say is that you can easily recreate it by adding a teaspoon or so of good quality rosewater (it depends on how strong the particular batch of rosewater is and also how strong or subtle you like the flavour to be) into a standard plain cupcake recipe. The icing is just as easy, add the rosewater and a little drop of food colouring to the usual butter and icing sugar mixture!

So I think that now completes the journey into rose scented and flavoured things in my life that I enjoy. I'm sure I'll come across new things in the future though! And if anyone ever has something to recommend, I'm all ears!

Amandopondo by Lush

So today's post is about one of my favourite Lush products: Amandopondo.

I've had quite a funny relationship with Lush. I think I first found out about it when I was shopping in Birmingham back in my undergraduate days and was really put off by the insane smell of the shop. Because Lush is a big believer of reducing waste, many of their products aren't wrapped and stand around in the shop and this creates the most unbelievable odour. It's so strong that I can often smell a Lush shop meters away. Although I was put off on that first visit, I bought a few products but neither of them wowed me. If I remember correctly, I got a lemony soap called Bohemian and Candy Fluff Dusting Powder (which I think has been discontinued). The soap was a bit boring and unfortunately the dusting powder made me sneeze and itch every time I used it. So after that experience, I just wasn't interested in Lush, until a few years later when one of my friends was telling me how amazing Lush is. I wasn't really convinced until she brought along a fresh face mask to a girly sleep over and I was completely converted. I think that was the start of my love affair with Lush. Even though my first encounter wasn't successful, I am now a big fan.

So, Amandopondo. This product is one of Lush's bubble bars. It's a very sweet looking product, a creamy round bar with a dried rose bud on top. It smells lovely, of roses and citrus oils. But it really comes to life in the bath tub. Lush's bubble bars are used by crumbling under running bath water. I normally break up one of these bars and use a quarter per bath (so at £2.65 a bar, we're looking at about 66p per bath - and if your bath tub's on the small side, you might even get five to six baths out of one bar!). I'm always amazed at how much bubbles this product produces. Even by just using a quarter of it, it creates masses of bubbles and I usually sit blissfully under a good 20cm of bubbles. It really feels luxurious and the smell is divine. It is quite a subtle scent, quite sophisticated, smelling gently of roses, oranges and lemon. It is also gentle on the skin and makes for a fantastic relaxing bath before bedtime.

Photo from: https://www.lush.co.uk/product/23/Amandopondo-Bubble-Bar

I think Amandopondo is a fantastic product and one I always end up buying when I visit Lush.

I still can't stand the smell of the shop though.

Postcript - Rose hands and Isfarkand

So, Molton Brown got back to me in less than 24 hours (excellent customer service) with the ingredient list for their rosé granati fine liquid hand wash which I chose to compare with Baylis & Harding's wild rose and raspberry leaf handwash. Interestingly enough, there isn't a huge deal of difference between the two in terms of ingredients that make an impact (i.e. it doesn't seem like one cleans better than the other or is more gentle than the other) but Molton Brown uses much much more fragrance ingredients. They also list pomegranate fruit extract as their fifth ingredient, which, if we are to believe is the fifth most abundant ingredient in the product, must be a fair amount of what I would imagine is a relatively expensive ingredient. So perhaps there is reason to be dishing out the extra cash for Molton Brown products (although I'm not entirely sure what that fruit extract is for, apart from maybe for the fragrance but it certainly does make the product sound nice...). In any case, I think as a special case luxury product I'm already sold, as many of their products smell so lovely!

I'm listing the ingredients below and what I believe is/are the purpose/s of each ingredient in the product. (I can, of course, be wrong as although I have a scientific background, I've never worked in the cosmetics industry)

So the ingredients that are present in 

both Baylis & Harding and Molton Brown handwash are:

• Aqua (Water)
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate - cleansing agent
• Cocamide DEA - foam booster
• Parfum (Fragrance)
• Glycerin - humectant (moisturiser)
• Benzophenone-4 – preservative (I think by preventing UV light from damaging scents and colors in product)
• Methylisothiazolinone - preservative
• Citric Acid – acidity regulator
• CI 17200 (Red 33) - colourant (for its pretty pink colour)
• Sodium Chloride - thickener

Ingredients only found in 

Baylis & Harding handwash:

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine – foam boosting
• Benzyl Alcohol – viscosity decreasing agent
• Magnesium Chloride – viscosity controlling
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone - preservative
• Magnesium Nitrate – preservative?
• Hexyl Cinnamal - fragrance

Ingredients only found in 

Molton Brown handwash:

• Punica granatum fruit extract – extract from pomegranate – for fragrance?
• PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil - surfacant or emulsifying agent
• butylphenyl methylpropional - fragrance
• geraniol – likely for fragrance
• hydroxyisohexl 3-cyclohexane carboxaldehyde - fragrance
• limonene - fragrance
• propylene glycol – humectant and viscosity decreasing agent
• phenoxylethanol - preservative
• PEG-18 glyceryl oleate/cocoate - thickener
• caramel – colourant? Fragrance?

If you are interested in what all those ingredients do in your cosmetic products, I'd thoroughly recommend: EWG's Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep

*******

Linda Pilkington did not lie, as she says in her video, Isfarkand lingers divinely on clothes. I picked up my clothes from yesterday this morning and the wonderful scent of citrusy pepper greeted me. I can see why it can get addictive!
Video and Ormonde Jayne Website on Isfarkand

Rose hands

There is a rose product that I use everyday and it is Baylis & Harding's Wild Rose and Raspberry Leaf Hand Wash. Unfortunately, having done a Google search the other day, it seems as though Baylis & Harding has a bit of a bad reputation which I wasn't aware of until my search. "Cheap copy of another more high end product" (in a derogative tone) seems to be the words I come across often. Well, I don't quite agree. It's true that it's cheap but only in an affordable way and yes, it's true that the packaging looks uncannily similar to Molton Brown's packaging, right down to the silver neck and shape of the pattern on the bottle. That is perhaps one thing that annoys me a bit about Baylis & Harding, as I don't like products that try to fool the customer. I'm sure a few people that aren't too switched on would mistaken Baylis & Harding as the "posh liquid soap", while thinking of Molton Brown. That's not very honest. But other than that, I have nothing against Baylis & Harding. In my opinion, the products they make are actually very good.

It's clear that the Molton Brown products seem more luxurious but Baylis & Harding doesn't fare too badly either. Okay, it's not going to be at the same level as Molton Brown (but how can you expect it to be at £2 for 500ml for Baylis & Harding as opposed to £15 for 300ml for Molton Brown - that makes the Molton Brown 12.5 times more expensive!) especially in terms of exciting fragrance combinations, such as  pomegranate with essential oils of ginger, black pepper and cardamom (pictured below) but Baylis & Harding's is also very good quality, especially when considering the price.

• Molton Brown
• luxury product
• exciting fragrances that contain essential oils (however, remember that these essential oils make up only a tiny part of the whole product)
• £5 per 100ml

• Baylis & Harding
• affordable product
• great fragrance
  [I am currently waiting for an ingredient list from Molton Brown customer services so that I can compare it with that of Baylis & Harding and see what the difference is. EDIT: this is now on my new post ] 
• 40p per 100ml

The Wild Rose and Raspberry Leaf hand wash is actually really lovely. The rose scent is very well done, being fresh and fruity enough not to smell tacky and well... "cheap". I'm not entirely sure where the rasberry leaf is in the fragrance but perhaps it refers to the slightly green feel to the smell, which I feel is part of making the rose smell like good quality rose water. I think fragrances don't need to be made out of essential oils to smell wonderful. Many perfumers make use of synthetic fragrances and will fantastic resutls. As for the soap, it doesn't lather up as much as some of the other soaps that I have used in the past but I believe that is one of the reasons why it is very gentle on my skin. As I tend to over wash my hands, it's a good thing. The scent lingers on for just long enough to be pleasant but not in an obtrusive way. (I hate it for example when I can smell soapy smells when I'm trying to enjoy my food).

So all in all, this hand wash does exceptionally well and I love it because it's so affordable. As much as I love luxury products like Molton Brown, I really can't afford to use something so pricey on a daily basis. And it's certainly much better than all this antibacterial nonsense I keep on coming across in supermarkets and pharmacies. Since when do we need antibacterial handwash when simple soaps and handwash will do? These antibacterial handwashes tend to stress out my skin and unless you're working in the laboratory or in a hospital, it's really overkill.

Oh and one more thing, the packaging in pretty and looks lovely in my bathroom :)

Isfarkand by Ormonde Jayne

I just heard from Ormonde Jayne on Twitter that they are now collaborating with Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park London to offer their Isfarkand fragrance. According to Mandarin Oriental the Isfarkand fragrance will be available as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion and soap in all rooms and suites. How fantastic, if there ever was a good reason to choose a hotel over another... Hmm, perhaps I'm getting a bit carried away but attention to detail and dedication to excellent quality of this scale is very attractive! Isfarkand, as most of Ormonde Jayne's fragrances, is fantastic.

I would say that this is a little more masculine of a scent but definitely wearable by both sexes. I find that in general, there are very few scents that women can't wear. How lucky we are!

Anyway, it is quite fitting that I happen to wear this fragrance today. I'm still testing it and haven't worn it outside the home yet. The reason is because it is very different from the perfumes I normally wear, which always has a clear sweet note in it, be it floral or fruity. Although Isfarkand is fruity to begin with, but very citrusy and tart. There isn't much sweetness in it. From the very beginning it sparkles with cool green and yellow notes of lime and lemongrass. Then as it calms down, the warmness of pepper begins to envelop the scent. At this stage, I find the slight sweetness of mandarin is present, with lemongrass.

I love this stage of this fragrance and the scent makes me think of a spa, of relaxation and massages. (In fact, the scent very much reminds me of the shower gel that is in the shower room of our gym / spa in our building. I should enquire as to what it is. I had a feeling its something by Molton Brown but I'm not too sure.) Given the association I have with massages, it evokes quite a sensual image in my mind.

Towards the end of the fragrance landscape, I very much perceive some green woody notes. Perhaps it was present all along but I only really appreciate it once the citrus and the pepper has calmed and cooled down a little. Somehow, I see this fragrance in colours, where at the beginning it is quite cool green and lemon yellow, to warm up into more yellow ochre and a tiny blob of apricot pink then back into the cool green and lemon yellow, although warmed up by woody browns. It's a very beautiful scent and I love experiencing it. However, rather than smelling it on myself, I am so tempted to get my husband interested in trying perfumes out as I would love to snuggle up to a man that smells so sensual.

The Ormonde Jayne describes the notes as the following:

Top: lime, mandarin and bergamot

Heart: pink pepper

Base: cedar, vetiver and moss

Again my lack of knowledge comes out... I haven't a clue what bergamot should smell like, nor vetiver. But hopefully the more perfumes I sample with these notes, I'll begin to understand what they should be.

Anyway, this post was a bit of a tangent from the rose I have been writing about lately but I couldn't resist writing about Isfarkand after hearing the news about Ormonde Jayne and Mandarin Oriental. How I would love to stay at the Madarin Oriental and dose myself in the wonderful fragrance in such a luxurious setting, but at £300 (and over!) per night, I don't think it's going to ever happen. I would much rather buy myself several bottles of perfume!!

My next post will be about a very affordable rose product that I use everyday :)

Ta'if by Ormonde Jayne

My last post was about rose tea, and I've decided that my next posts should be about my favourite rose flavoured or rose scented products. I mentioned in my first post that I'm keen to write about many of the Ormonde Jayne perfumes created by a wonderful perfumer called Linda Pilkington. Ta'if is one of my favourites and is centered around rose. It already has a special place in my heart as I wore it on my graduation day.

Ta'if is named after the Saudi Arabian town famous for its centuries-old cultivation of a species of damask rose. Rising over 2000 meters above the Red Sea, it evokes a romantic image of lush fragrant roses overlooking the Arabian desert. The image is seeped in history and romantic mysticism of another world. This is how I experience this perfume. It is terribly romantic but also has a dark side, possessing some mystery and a touch of the seductress in its composition. I find it sensual and teasing but also sophisticated and regal. Perhaps it sounds like a strange perfume choice for a graduation but I find it fitting for most occasions, even the most serious, as the side that seduces is very subtle and fleeting and is only particularly noticeable very close to my skin.

Image from: here

 

Despite what its name might suggest, Ta'if is not a soliflore (a fragrance replicating the scent of a single flower). It has fruitness and spiciness within it, and the perfume would probably be defined as a floriental. Instead, it is a perfume that in my mind creates a rich, opulent world of the past, an exotic world of abundant spices and fragrant flowers, a world of ladies beautifully clad in gold and in flowing silks. A mysterious world that is so sensual it almost intoxicates.

In the first moments after spraying Ta'if onto myself, I sense a fresh green scent that is peachy and peppery. I notice a sparkling rose peek out delicately at times, almost as if it is playing a seductive hide-and-seek within the perfume. Once the greeness has faded a way a little, the sweetness of dates and oranges greet my nose in a cloud of oriental spices and sweetmeats. It's almost gourmand but not quite, it is so well balanced and is paired beautifully with the rose that seems to bloom and become more bold as it develops.

The Ormonde Jayne website describes the notes in the perfume as:

Top: pink pepper, saffron and dates
Heart: rose oil, freesia, orange flower absolute and jasmine
Base: broom and amber 

Unfortunately I'm too much of an amateur when it comes to perfumes to fully appreciate what broom or amber described as the basenotes is, but what I am able to sense once the wonderful sweet-floral-spicy seduction has calmed down is a warm golden woody scent, perhaps a touch a vanilla and something slightly sensual, a little musky something.

It is a truly wonderful fragrance. One day, I will definitely own a bottle of Ta'if. Hopefully sooner rather than later as I am dangerously coming close to the last drops of it in the small vial I possess. This 2ml vial was from a discovery set that can be bought from Ormonde Jayne. It is a fantastic sample set as it contains all 12 of the perfumes created by this fantastic perfume house. I highly highly recommend it to anyone who loves perfumes. I'll certainly be writing much more about my favourites from the set.

The set can be bought online from the Ormonde Jayne Website or in person in one of the boutiques. I visited the boutique in Mayfair (12 The Royal Arcade, Old Bond Street) when I bought my bottle of Frangipani perfume which I wore on my wedding day.

A Rose Garden

For me, tea is a very comforting drink. It evokes memories of cosy evenings at home with my parents, snuggling up on the sofa with a good book.

The other day, when I was dithering around the tea section of Waitrose to buy Lady Grey tea (my husband's favourite), a pretty box caught my eye. It was in the standard black Twinings package but with a picture of an elegant lady in a pink dress. The tea was named "Rose Garden".

It immediately piqued my interest. I love the scent of rose and enjoy it in perfumes but also very much in food. Turkish delights (although increasingly a bit too sweet for my tastes these days... maybe it's a sign of age...) come to mind and also my pretty pink cupcakes containing rose water extract that I like to bake. So this was a very exciting find, a black tea with a flavour of rose. These teas with a black tea base with added flavouring reminded me of this shop (now sadly closed) called First Class Teas which I used to enjoy going to in Cambridge. There I loved to buy almond black tea. It was a divine tea delicately flavoured with almonds. I really loved it, somehow the combination of black tea and another flavour with a sweet undertone is something I find irresistable.

Anyway, getting back to the rose tea at hand. Once I got home, I immediately put the kettle on and got out my favourite big mug my husband recently bought for me from John Lewis (with an amazing capacity of 500ml!). I tore open the sachet excitedly and sniffed. Wonderful. The scent of black tea was perfectly matched with the floral sweetness of rose. I couldn't wait to brew it. Once the hot water hit the tea bag, the aroma really spread out and I already knew that this would be a tea I would enjoy very much. I had it with a dash of milk and it was divine. The amount of rose was just perfect. It wasn't too strong to be overwhelming but enough to really flavour the dark tea. Every time I took a sip the aroma of rose would fill my senses and then I would taste the tea. Delicious.

A New Year, A New Start

About half a year ago, I started a blog about fragrances.  (The Fragrance Weaver) However, I failed to post more than two entries. The problem is not that I have no ideas - in fact, there are many perfumes I still want to write about, including a big set of Ormonde Jayne perfume samples I bought last fall - but that I am not always in the mood to write about perfumes. The blog was too narrow and too claustrophobic for me to feel inspired. That's why I decided to start a new blog that can include all of my interests: perfume, makeup, music, good food... many things people would call luxuries in life, but which I like to call life's sensual pleasures.