Frangipani by Ormonde Jayne

Frangipani. This perfume is the first one I tried out of the Ormonde Jayne line and to this day, is my favourite perfume in the world. I wore it on my wedding day and perhaps that is why I love it so much as the scent is now closely tied in with the memories my wedding day and the exciting run up to it. It reminds me of the wonderful taffeta Pronovias dress I wore, the warm sunny days in Cambridge, the blue hydrangea bouquet I loved so much, the happiness, feeling so in love... It always puts a smile on my face. But happy memories aside, this is undoubtably a stunning perfume.

The scent begins with a tart, lemony-lime burst which is fresh and invigorating. It then settles into a floral composition, which I assume is the smell of frangipani. Unfortunately, I never have had the chance to experience the natural scent of the frangipani flower. The perfume has a creamy, jasmine-like scent but without any of the strong pollen-y edge which I always experience with jasmine. The scent also has a note which reminds me a little of Umeshu (梅酒), a Japanese plum liqueur. I would say the perfume is predominantly floral but with a splash of fresh fruitiness that's almost dewey. I find that on my skin, the scent remains fruity-floral for a long time and later on has the added dimension of a warming vanilla-wood base.

It's a beautiful perfume.

The notes that Ormonde Jayne have published are as follows:
Top Notes: linden blossom, magnolia flower and lime peel
Heart Notes: white frangipani, jasmine, rose and tuberose absolutes, water lilies, plum, and green orchid oil
Base Notes: amber, musk, cedar and French vanilla absolute

Hypnotic Poison by Christian Dior

So I'm done with interviews for this week. I already heard the result of Tuesday's and it turns out that I didn't make it to the second round. Bummer. Well, all the more reason to focus on perfume and lovely things in life.

Today I'm going to talk about Dior's Hypnotic Poison. I never tried any of Dior's perfumes before and it was a lovely surprise when my husband gave me a gift set for Christmas called "Little Luxuries for Women" that contains adorable minatures of J'adore, Hypnotic Poison, Dior Addict 2 and Miss Dior Chérie. Having sniffed all of them when I received the box, I immediately knew that Hypnotic Poison would be one I would go back to.

The juice (or poison would be more fitting) comes enclosed in a red bottle that that makes me think of a dark fruit. It looks very edgy and due to the fact that it's called Poison, it certainly wouldn't be my first choice of perfume just based on image. However, the scent is very different. It's warm, sweet and not at all scary.

The notes that comes to mind are bitter almonds, milk and vanilla. I find that it also has hints of liquorice and a sprinkle of cardamon. The notes really makes the perfume sound like a recipe for a yummy cake and indeed, it is very much a gourmand scent. However, it's so perfectly balanced that it's never too sweet, the bitterness from the almond keeping it in check.

Interestingly, this perfume reminds me in a vague way of Bvlgari's Jasmin Noir (not the newer Mon Jasmin Noir which smells entirely different) and I think it's due to the milky-liquorice like scent. Both also have notes of jasmin, although I don't always smell the jasmin in Hypnotic Poison.

Overall, I think the perfume is perfect for the winter months as it's warm, gourmand scent is very comforting. It makes me think of ladies in beautiful cashmere sweaters and silk scarves. Comfortable, luxurious and effortlessly elegant.

Off topic...

I haven't had the time to post anything as I'm busy preparing for interviews... But I saw this YouTube video and it made me laugh. The story of my life 2006-2011:

Cupcakes again

I was a bit lazy last week and abandoned this blog... It was my birthday so I think I have a good excuse ;) My lovely husband treated me to the wonderful Ta'if and since then, I've been smelling of roses, oriental spices and sweetmeats. Mmm.

My day has been frustrating so I decided to do some baking this afternoon. Today I made vanilla cupcakes. The first batch turned out just right and I was really happy but while making the second batch, I realised that there wasn't enough milk left. Oh no. Hence improvisation kicked in. Last night I had glutinous rice with coconut milk mixed in as a night-time snack (I know, I have weird cravings) and had loads of coconut milk left. So it made sense to replace the milk in the recipe with coconut milk. Then, instead of adding the vanilla essence, I added a dash of rose water.

The 20 minute wait while it baked in the oven felt really long! I was worried that it would turn out horrible and would be a waste of my lovely ingredients. (I know it's just the standard store cupboard stuff but I always feel bad when I have to throw out food).

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And so, the verdict: pretty good really!! They turned out a bit softer than expected and maybe a tad too sweet but tasty all in all. In fact, having just eaten another, I think they are rather good! The coconut milk has given them a creamy taste and the rose flavour is just perceptible. I quite like that it's not overly rose flavoured as I think it's nice for the coconut to really take centre stage. Overall, it's quite a subtle cupcake which most people would enjoy and is a nice change from vanilla.

Recipe:

40g butter

120g sugar (perhaps use 80-100g for a less sweet version)

140g self raising flour

120ml of coconut milk

a dash of rose water (Maybe about 1/2 teaspoon or so)

1 egg

Mix the butter and sugar until the butter has turned into a creamy paste. Add flour and mix until the consistency is sandy. Briskly whisk the coconut milk, rose water and a whole egg in a separate bowl and slowly add to the sugar-butter-flour mixture until smooth. Pour into paper cupcake cases in a cupcake tin and put in a pre-heated oven at 170°C. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Easy!