#parfumo

[fragranticareviewers]

yeah? is it?

[nightmarebuntrotation]

PSA to my fragheads

in light of Fragrantica deciding that they needed to put a banner on the site memorializing Charlie Kirk, as well as all of the other BS they've pulled over the years-

parfumo.com has pretty much everything fragrantica does, AND executes it even better. I switched over today and I'm delighted with the site so far. I highly recommend it.

And now I don't have to deal with Eddie Buliqi's moronic op-eds anymore! bonus!

[hares-pelt-sky]

[notesofether]

Oerba Dia Vanille's scents and perfumes.

My first post goes to one of the most misunderstood characters in Final Fantasy XIII: Oerba Dia Vanille.

Vanille is a character that represents the wisdom and pride of her native land of Gran Pulse. Despite her cheerful façade, she snaps at others when they badmouth her homeland in front of her. Her character design is directly inspired from the Himba women of Namibia, an ethnic group whose way of life is built around nature and community. The women perform more labor-intensive work and their traditional clothing and hairstyles are designed for the arid climate they inhabit. I find this reference both cosmetic and telling of Vanille's character. This is further reinforced in the novel Fragments Before, where Snow recalls the survival skills he learned from Fang and Vanille during their time on Gran Pulse. Vanille specifically taught him the different medicinal properties of the flowers.

The monsters and creatures on Gran Pulse are massive and ruthless, requiring teamwork and patience to defeat them. Both Fang and Vanille have Saboteur as part of their primary roles, in which they cast negative status effects to weaken their enemies and take them down more easily. Fang ultimately excels in the Commando role (physical damage) while Vanille shines as a Saboteur, and is the best character to farm Adamantoise and Long Gui thanks to her Death spell. The Saboteur role reflects how Vanille is as a character, rather than confronting enemies head on like Fang would do, she works subtly in the background, gradually dealing emotional turmoil to the group.

All of this represents a character whose essence is deeply rooted in her homeland, something that can be translated into a scent profile that feels alive, organic and personal.

Soleil de Jeddah from Stéphane Humbert Lucas comes to mind. This perfume is what spending a day on Gran Pulse smells like. A sun shining harshly on a vast hillside with wild flowers. It's herbal, earthy and leathery, yet soft and bright.

A realistic chamomile note dominates the perfume. It's a rare note in perfumery, but here it's very unique and present during every phase of its development. The base feels like a dry steppe, smelling like roots and soft leather, the amber and vanilla notes adding warmth in the drydown. It's an opulent perfume, the notes blend beautifully and melts on the skin, lasting forever. It's a summer from your childhood in a bottle.

I chose this perfume not only because its scent embodies Vanille, but also because some of its notes are representative of her character. Chamomile and osmanthus are commonly used for their calming and medicinal properties, which references her knowledge in flowers and Medic role. The leather note references her fur pelt she uses as a skirt, probably sourced from an animal native to Gran Pulse, adding a subtle reference to her way of life.

The vanilla note is present but it isn't cloying in the way it's commonly used in perfumery. In this blend it adds a gentle warmth and softness to the harsh herbal and leather scent. It's easy to associate her name with this spice because of its popularity and sweetness, but I wanted to take a more grounded approach that strays from the idea of her smelling like pastries and instead represent something more natural.

[elvensilk]

more parfumo picks

yard by domestica

flåme by ånd fragrance

someone else's flowers by freddie albrighton

cactus abduction by heretic

hot spring by sound fragrances

[femmesoterica]

why does literally EVERY creamy lactonic perfume have coconut notes ??? I desperately want a creamy, slightly musky, white floral, clean milky scent but they all have coconut in the notes and I hate it sm 💔

[elvensilk]

i smelled these at the drug store, both very lovely, especially for spring

[elvensilk]

the scents i'm gonna bring when i go back home for a few weeks. one from each of my top 5 perfume houses