Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Manor Library


I just had to share a discovery. After reading carmencanada's fabulous review of No. 5 Eau Première in grain de musc, I thought why not sully the perfection that is Chanel No. 5 parfum with some tinkering myself? You know what I found out is the perfect combo to dirty it up a bit? L'Artisan Parfumeur's Dzing! Together, you get fabulous old library, like the pictured Magdalen College's Old Library in Oxford. Or perhaps a library in an English manor mouse that was renovated out of the old stables or mews, with mouldering leather Chesterfield sofas and crumbling 18th-century volumes piled on oak bookcases. Adding No. 5 adds aristocratic elegance, of course. Dzing! on it's own is purely a fantastic circus midway.

Photo courtesy of Magdalen College.

7 comments:

Rose said...

Wow this does sound like an interesting combination.

I do like No 5 but can never really get it to smell at it's best on me- but layering could be the answer.

The smell of an old library is so comforting.

Unknown said...

Well I am all for sullying Chanel No. 5. I swear that perfume was created deliberately to puzzle and pain me. I take it personally. ;)

Hey Aimee, I left you a comment over on PST suggesting you get in touch with me if you want a sample of Jasmin et Cigarette, but I'm afraid you haven't seen it. Feel free to shoot me an email...

Aimée L'Ondée said...

Rose, aren't old books the best smell ever? I grew up in a university town, Madison WI, and went to school in Boston, and the old book stores in both places were great. I miss that!

Aimée L'Ondée said...

ooh, thanks for the offer, alyssa. I emailed you because we should indeed get together to snifferama in Austin.

Divina said...

Damn, as I suspected the comment I left this morning didn't go through.. I had some problems. Bleh, even though I don't remember exactly what I said, I DO remember I suggested to try CB's perfume "In the Library". I haven't sniffed it myself since he doesn't ship to Europe so I only get to sample his stuff randomly when people I exchange samples with throw some in, but his work is generally very very interesting. This one was inspired by the smell of libraries of course and all that entails... bindings of leather and cloth, paper, dust...

Aimée L'Ondée said...

Thanks Divina! Yes, I definately need to put that on my to-try list.

carmencanada /Grain de Musc said...

Old books smell of vanilla, because vanillin is a by-product of wood pulp. Hence the divine smell... I've never even conceived of layering N°5 (probably because I never wear it?), but if my review tipped you over into strange creative endeavours... I'm glad!