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Monday, April 16, 2007

It's a Sniffathon! Part 1 - Rich Hippie and Satellite

I am drowning in samples, so, as a radical measure aimed at reviewing as many as possible as fast as possible, I decided to have a Sniffathon of new-ish releases. Today is Part 1.

Foxy Lady by Rich Hippie. One of the new Rich Hippie scents, Foxy Lady starts with what I came to think of as a trademark Rich Hippie citrus, sweet, “thick”, slightly boozy, and reminiscent of lemon candy. The citrus keeps going strong for a long while; very slowly earthy patchouli starts to become noticeable…And that is pretty much it- luscious citrus fruits and patch, a bright, opulent, almost edible scent, a little too simple to be worth $325.00 for 1/2oz for me.

Hoochie Coochie by Rich Hippie. Another new addition to this organic, wildcrafted collection of fragrances, Hoochie Coochie (as Chandler Bing would say, too many jokes! too many jokes!) begins as a sweet floral with just a hint of citrus. I smell ylang-ylang that is made even creamier than it naturally is by the presence of vanilla. As the scent progresses, it acquires a dry, resinous, woody undertone and at the same time a raw, earthy note that makes me think of boiled courgettes. I encountered that note before, in S-Perfume Sloth, and I have a feeling that it might be neroli behaving in such quirky manner. The drydown is balsamic and sweet, with a hint of vanillic boozyness. Much more interesting than Foxy Lady, but, at $325.00 for 12oz, still way out of my price range.

Woodstock by Rich Hippie. The third new scent released by Rich Hippie in the last couple of months, Woodstock strikes me as the most interesting, simply because it does not feature an overwhelming citrus note nor it is vanillic. It is a gorgeous, dark and spicy, brew of frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, ylang ylang, roses and rose geranium. The peppery incense, the sweet myrrh, the velvety sandalwood, and the piquant floral accord compliment each other beautifully. A must-sniff for the lovers of dark rose scents, incense and woods. Besides, compared to the other two scents, at $135.00 for 1/2oz it almost seems like a bargain.

40º à l’Ombre by Satellite. I have issues with grapefruit in perfume, the note either has a sharp, almost uric undertone on my skin or becomes too overwhelmingly, annoyingly sparkling and sweet…or both, as is the case with Pamplelune The Terrible. The good news is that 40º has no unpleasant acidity; the bad news is that it is rather sweet and more sparkly, happy, smiley, bubbly that I can possibly bear. It is a very pretty citrus fragrance, but our temperaments clash in the most unfortunate manner. I will pass.

A La Figue! by Satellite. Not as green as many fig scents, A La Figue! smells of tree bark and twigs rather than leaves…and underneath that soft woodiness lies a subtly-floral, even more subtly-fruity accord, which, strangely, makes me think of my beloved Marina de Bourbon. An understated but rather interesting fig perfume…not sure if I need a full bottle, but I do rather like it.



Corrida by Satellite. Very ripe, sweet black currants and honeyed pink roses, this is the image that Corrida conjures in my mind. I also smell a bit of raspberry, and this particular combination of fruits and flowers reminds me of my great grandparents’ dacha and happy summers of my childhood. As it develops, however, the scent becomes a little watery, rather bland, and just like any other fruity floral on the market. The word that comes to mind when I think about the middle and base notes of Corrida is Generic. Another pass.

Ipanema by Satellite. My favorite among the four new Satellite scents, Ipanema is creamy, dreamy tropical fragrance, an instant vacation in a bottle. With its subtle citrus note and its coconut, it reminds me quite a bit of Creed’s Virgin Island Water, however Ipanema feels much heavier, much more straightforward and simplistic, much more obviously coconutty. I do think that it is a great cheaper alternative to Virgin Island Water, but I would probably much rather wait and save my pennies for the real thing.

The three new Rich Hippie scents are available at Rich-hippie.com. The new Satellites are sold at Luckyscent and cost $80 for 100ml.

29 Comments:

Blogger tmp00 said...

Funny of all the Satellites, we both like that one the best.

11:15 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also like Ipanema best, although I admit that I still have not given the rest a thorough test.

Victoria/BdJ

11:19 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, Hoochie Coochie and Woodstock sound promising, though Hoochie Coochie may be a bit too vanillic for me. Are there any other ylang ylang scents you can think of, Marina? I'm suddenly craving it.

4:20 AM EDT  
Blogger elle said...

Smiling. A budget sparing post. W/ the exception of Woodstock, I feel no need for any of these. And it's a sad thing to realize I've reached the point where $135 sounds like a bargain to me.

7:30 AM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why on earth does a 1/2oz perfume cost $ 325,- ??? what a lunacy ! I'm afraid, by that price my nose stops working ... (and I'm not exactly a world champion in scrimping, especially if it's about perfume & skincare...)

8:07 AM EDT  
Blogger lilybp said...

The only one of these that sounds appealing to me is Woodstock, and, to tell you the truth, I haven't had any luck with this line at all (even with those you like). I recently got a little Marrakech (have you tried that?) based on notes and positive reviews from scent-relatives, and--I didn't really like it (I mean it was OK, but there's something there that bugs me). So I am not sanguine about the possibilities here (which is a good think, because I just spent a fortune). Still, it does sound gorgeous. . .

9:34 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Tom,
That's because it really is the best one :-)

10:27 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Vika,
What weather, my goodness! I hope all is well.
Yes, Ipanema seems to be the winner.

10:28 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

M,
I hope you are OK in this horrible storm.
Ylang ylang...let me think...head empty, it's as if the power surge surged through it too, not just our computers :-) OK, how about Songes? Mahora?

10:29 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

L,
Exactly, I wrote, $135 seems cheap, and thought, my goodness, I am jaded. Horrible.

10:29 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Lady Jane,
I know! That is very, very expensive. Have you seen the price on the new Guerlain oils? Same thing there. Almost $400 for 20ml. Mamma mia.

10:30 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Judith,
But you do like Jalaine and Yosh? :-) Then we are even :-)
I have a thing for Rich Hippie, as you probably noticed :-D Their stuff is just so...luscious and joyful. It makes me smile, don't know why. But some things are a little repetitive, because of a) citrus and b) vanilla, which seem to be present in a lot of their perfumes.

10:32 AM EDT  
Blogger Unknown said...

I like the idea of a sniffathon! I feel like I did just that in the NYC. ;D In a non-written form. But you reminded me to resniff the new Satellites. I keep putting it off.

10:40 AM EDT  
Blogger Unknown said...

Why is it that I can drum up no interest in those Rich Hippie things? Even in smelling them.

The Satellite samples, I got those, sniffed them, and I've just got a big blank about them. Not unpleasant or bad, just I had nothing to say about them.

10:43 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Ina,
I just got back online. Going to read the blogs. I hate when my pleasant morning routine is broken in such violent manner. Nature sucks. :-)

10:45 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Patty,
Satellites are pretty but rather unexciting.

10:45 AM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wpebdgfkI'm happy the storm is off and you're safe !
I'm an old hippie (unfortunately not a rich one...) - so I'd very much want to like it, but somehow it's still a difference for me to pay a fortune for a Guerlain (with all that reputation and history behind) than for a rich hippie (they say on their web side " it's not what you wear, but how you wear it". hmmm... then...). And I just cannot like a perfume called hoochie coochie... (I'm a bonkers, I know)

10:56 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Lady Jane,
Can you imagine, someone asks, what you are wearing, and you have to reply, Hoochie Coochie? :-)

11:00 AM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Huh. I definitely have to try Ipanema.

BTW DC got flattened by that storm. Power down everywhere. I'm blogging at starbucks (parked and walked the last 1/4 mile...)

-- March

11:04 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

March,
Now THAT is what I call dedication. :-) When our power came back on, you could hear my wail of joy in DC probably. You might have thought it was wind, but no, it was Colombina, delirious with happiness. :-)

11:11 AM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ugh, now I have to leave and go home to our cold, dark house to wait for the milk to sour. We really need to put in a generator, our power is out all the time. People's Democratic Third World Republic of Chevy Chase. :-P

Husband laughed at me. First response: go to Starbucks!

11:18 AM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PS that was March.

11:19 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

March,
I hope the power comes back on very soon! this truly sucks.

11:21 AM EDT  
Blogger NowSmellThis said...

Oh, now you've got me interested in Woodstock! At least it is the cheapest.

11:31 AM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

R,
It is the cheapest and the most interesting.

11:33 AM EDT  
Blogger tmp00 said...

Glad to read the power is back on for you- I thought you might be out when there were no responses this AM.

We had some outtages here from a windstorm on Thursday, and there are parts of Hollywood that are still without power. Oy.

12:05 PM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Tom,
Oy indeed! :-( The world has gone mad.

12:07 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hope your power stays on, Colombina. I am sooo lacking in curiosity about Rich Hippie. Lucky me! I read somewhere--can't remember where--that the Satellites' bright colors do not stain clothing. I was wondering if anyone has put that to the test. I imagine they meant that the colors do not *permanently* stain clothing. I bet you can't avoid that in the short run.

2:21 PM EDT  
Blogger Marina said...

Maria,
I didn't want to test that :-) They do look exceptionally colorful.

2:25 PM EDT  

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