O Tannenbaum! [a joint blogging project]

Around Christmas time every year, I think back to my much-cherished days in 'a capella' choir in high school. Singing holiday songs in different languages was one of my favorite parts about choir, and no song was more beloved by me than "O Tannenbaum" sung in its original German, which was also my favorite language to sing in (it's so satisfying and earthy). So, when Joanne of Redolent of Spices first contacted me to see if I wanted to participate in this blogging project and told me the name and theme, my heart leapt just a little bit.

I could have chosen dozens of fragrances that I love with a woody and/or tree resin theme, but alas, we could only choose three. I decided on Aftelier Perfumes Fir solid, Odin 01 Sunda and Ormonde Jayne Man. Please do check out the following blogs who have also participated in "O Tannenbaum", we are all very excited to share the spotlight with one another:


Joanne of Redolent of Spices
Ines of All I am.. A Redhead
Mals of Muse in Wooden Shoes
Krista of Scent of the Day
Victoria of EauMG
Meg of Parfumieren
Joey of Beauty, Bacon, Bunnies
Dee of Beauty on the Outside
Suzanne of Suzanne's Perfume Journal
Birgit and Tara of Olfactoria's Travels
Julia of Undina's Looking Glass
Thomas of The Candy Perfume Boy
Nick of Fragrant Reviews
Natalie of Another Perfume Blog


Now, on to the perfumes!

Aftelier Fir Solid
Fir solid perfume has a particular bright, jammy quality that I've found in several of Mandy Aftel's perfumes. One of the golden threads running through many of them is a flair for adding fruity elements to enhance the major notes and to cast some sunshine on the entire blend. This technique is used to great effect in Fir, and it makes me think of fir trees in Mandy's native California instead of those found, say, in the Midwest this time of year. These are not snow-covered trees, these needles have been sun-warmed and are sticky with resin. It's a truly charming and sensual fragrance and a year-round favorite of mine.

Odin 01 Sunda (formerly Nomad)
Surprisingly potent for an eau de toilette, Odin 01 Sunda really delivers all the best mouthwatering bits of a woody, musky perfume. I've been consistently impressed with Odin's fragrance offerings, but so far, Sunda is my favorite and the only one I have a full bottle of. There are notes of juniper berries, cedarwood, bergamot, palmarosa, black pepper, heliotrope, tonka bean, West Indian sandalwood and grey musk. Right off the bat, you get a soft but persistent pinch in the rear from a really lovely bergamot note, followed very closely by an amalgam of juniper, cedar and sandalwood. If Sunda were a person, it would be Barry White. By that I mean that it's one smooth cat. Nothing is ever too sharp or too soft, and it melds with the skin to create a musky, sexy scent that can very easily be worn by both women and men. In fact, my husband loves to wear it too (maybe there is a god?).
P.S. Odin, if you're reading this... hey... it's me, Carrie. You should have left the name at Nomad, it's cooler.

Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Man
Okay, I need to compose myself for this one. Ormonde Man, the slightly more masculine version of my beloved Woman, is less sweet and powdery, more herbal and the grass oil has been replaced with juniper- but it's got that sigh-inducing level of Iso-E Super and natural sandalwood that still makes a massive impact on me every time. What's more, it has oudh. Oh yes, there's oudh. I personally think that Man and Woman are equally good, so if you're going to have one, you really must have both. If you've spent any amount of time at all with these two fragrances, you'll know how each one satisfies different moods and whims, and they beg to be shared with your significant other. Ormonde Man is sexy, intelligent and defies you to categorize it with anything other than its female counterpart.

Please enjoy visiting the other bloggers involved in "O Tannenbaum", and have a lovely Winter Solstice, Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! Now go hug a tree and tell it that you love it.