Perfume Review: Jalaine Fragrances
Jalaine (formerly Bagutta Life) is a line of perfume oils created by Jalaine Sommers, a New York perfumer. “Combining impeccable oils found throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Jalaine Sommers has developed a line of fragrances that are alcohol-free, allowing the full potency of each scent to be experienced for hours.” (Jalainefragrances.com). Can’t add much more to this – high quality oils that last for hours. I’ve tried every single one of them, and these are my favorite perfume oils besides Yosh oils. For those of you not familiar with the line or simply curious to hear more about it, here’s a brief overview of the scents (in no particular order) and an opportunity to win a sample pack (of all the ones reviewed below) – the usual way, please mention in your comments if you’d like to be included in the drawing.
Citrus Dream – orange, grapefruit, musk. A cheerful and uplifting blend of what mostly smells like orange peel and musk and just a hint of grapefruit juiciness. There’s a bit too much musk here for my taste but if you don’t mind it and enjoy citrus scents, it’s a must try.
Vanilla – one of my favorite vanillas. Smells like creamy vanilla ice-cream with musky undertones. It’s never cloying or boring, and it lasts and lasts. But don’t be fooled – while it is a gourmand vanilla, it’s not the type that makes you think you’ve just spread vanilla frosting all over yourself.
Ocean – lily of the valley and musks. What I like about this one is that it’s free from any typical ozonic/aquatic notes, in spite of the name. It just smells clean and refreshing like ocean air. At the same time, it could very well be my favorite lily of the valley scent – it possesses a certain purity and gentleness without being too much. I can see this as a perfect office scent – inoffensive and mild.
Patchouli – Tunisian patchouli, musks, hints of vanilla. An absolute masterpiece! If you’re not a fan of patchouli, you should give this a try. It’s so earthy and dirt-like, yet smooth and balanced, almost balsamic and resinous. If you’re a fan of patchouli, your collection will never be complete without this one. I adore it to pieces.
Gardenia – gardenia, white and Egyptian musks. The floral ignoramus that I am, I have no idea what real gardenia smells like but comparing it to other popular gardenia scents, i.e., Marc Jacobs or Chanel Gardenia, this scent seems to render it as a green and creamy flower. It possesses a slight decay note that makes it even more appealing.
Silk – white amber, vanilla, marine notes. This is one of my favorite your skin but better scents. There’s just enough amber, vanilla, and marine notes to make it very soft-spoken and polished without being ample or weighty that’s usually the case with these notes. It also has amazing sillage – probably the best sillage of all Jalaine oils.
Green Tea – extracts of two different varieties of Chinese green tea. Juicy and sparkly at first, almost like a carbonated lemon-green tea soda drink. Verdant and smooth as it dries down. A sophisticated green tea scent, no doubt. Very pleasant and very elegant.
Vetiver – I’ve already raved about Vetiver here. I’ll just add that there’s nothing like it out there. It’s absolutely mesmerizing!
Amber – Moroccan amber and hints of three different white musks. It starts out smelling a bit animalic and boozy and dries down to spicy and slightly soapy amber. It’s not powdery-sweet and resinous as most amber fragrances tend to be but its spicy soapiness makes it quite sultry and seductive.
Other Jalaine fragrances include Lotus, Honeysuckle, Cucumber, and Rainforest.
Jalaine oils are available at Aedes, Luckyscent, Your Cosmetics as well as directly from Jalaine Fragrances online. In Europe, they can be purchased at Aus Liebe zum Duft. Yes, they’re pricey but keep in mind you’re paying for high quality ingredients and excellent staying power (a couple drops last me a whole day).
Note: the drawing for the sample pack is now closed. I’ll announce the winner shortly.
Image source: www.jalainefragrances.com
31 comments September 17th, 2006