Countdown day 23

Day 23 of our Christmas fragrance countdown has arrived with predictable punctuality. I am still trying to master my ballet moves following An American in Paris last night. It was beautiful, elegant and moving. There was a simplicity and clarity to the dancing, despite the incredible virtuosity and actual complexity that gave it life. Of equal beauty and inspiration is the train I am sat on with the beloved. Yes, we are braving the weary passenger poo smell which the trains are famed for, owing to a design malfunction with their air intakes. Sorry to do the obvious but I need to close my eyes and picture something to help me relax. Perhaps reading Murder on the Orient Express will help........ Yes a little. What might the great Hercule Poirot smell like I wonder? I would vote for the great hit Caron Pour un Homme, created in 1934, the same year as Agatha Christie's work. Caron Pour un Homme (1934) comes to us courtesy of the mighty Ernest Daltroff and represents one of the great reference Lavenders of all time. Ignore the pour Homme, this needs to be enveloping us all and slaying the generic drivel that assaults our noses on a daily basis. I want to share with you a story that may give you some insight into my love of smells and their memories. When I was 8 years old I remember being in Egypt at the family home, and my nose was in olfactory overdrive. There were all sorts of wonders to enjoy, spices, incense, old mahogany cabinets, the smell of the balcony in the unbearable sun. But one smell, above all these, stayed with me for life. 25 years later when I discovered what it was I grabbed it immediately. That smell was Caron pour un Homme and more specifically its glorious Lavender song . I knew immediately that I would give my father a bottle, and wondered if it might trigger a happy childhood memory. Well, I don't know, but I couldn't help spotting a tear released following his first and longest inhalation. This fragrance is an example of what simplicity and confidence can do, and is a model of holding back and staying within a frame. We open with a beautiful and heady Lavender, wonderfully earthy and full of energy. It has a real chefs bouquet, I could swear there is a tiny dash of Rosemary as well. Stunning, simple and enlivening. I then get a gentle Cedar in the middle, very discreet but knowing and happy to provide a gentle structure. There is further freshness from a hint of Musk. Again, it is tiny and hides so as not to disturb the ultimate duet of this perfume between Lavender and our base, Vanilla. That's it for the base, no Oudh, no Birch, not even a little Patchouli. No this is spare and yet beautifully rich. Sweet but in no way cloying. It backs up the sparkle and drama of the opening, and just offers a little warmth to give you a long finish. I love this stuff, it feels so classic and yet still recognisably beautiful and somehow modern. It is also so easy to discern its structure, which isn't always the case. It takes some level of Inspiration, as did many, from Jicky by Guerlain, yet there is no hint of lazy imitation. This steers its own direct path with ease and charm. I consider this to be a reference Lavender, and it continues to inspire perfumes today, many of which come at obscene costs and half the love. This is a happy and cheap purchase, and the fact that it is still holding its head up proud should tell you something. Please try it, and hopefully Murder on the Orient express can be averted. Happy Smelling. J xxx