Penhaligon's Gardenia - My New Favourite Perfume

I don't know where to begin with this post. I feel like I have SO much to say about Penhaligon & their amazing Gardenia perfume, but I'll try not to ramble on ^.^

From the first time I saw a Penhaligon's store, I was captivated by just about everything in the store; from its beautiful displays, its traditional perfumes, the originality... I was entranced.

Founded in 1870 in Mayfair, Penhaligon still sells original compositions from that date. It has other compositions on future dates such as 1872, 1902, 1927, 1930, 1949 all the way to (currently) 2009 !
I like the fact that the interior of the store and the design of its bottles stayed old fashioned, as they were. Preserved through time.

I knew that one day I definitely will be getting a Penhaligon perfume. I smelt so many of their perfumes. Most of them are mature, some are very strong and all of them are completely unique in their own way.
But when I tried Gardenia, it was like magic created - like a genie appearing from a lamp; almost like I was transported to a mystical surreal garden.
It caught me by that big of a surprise that the first time I sprayed it on two years ago, I kept bugging a friend of mine to smell it continuously and couldn't stop talking about how wonderful and unique it smells.
It's absolutely spell-bounding...
With a price tag of £98, this was way out of my range. As much as I wanted it, I couldn't allow myself to spend that much!

So I was so excited when I got this as a present. I immediately pushed all my collection of perfumes further back on my shelf and put Gardenia right at the front in its box.

It has become my favourite perfume.
The more I smell it, the more I discover something about it and I like it more and more.

Gardenia was launched in 1976. This is one perfume that I have a hard time describing (I tried to think about exactly how to describe it before this post, but couldn't come up with suitable descriptions), so I have taken most of its descriptions from Penhaligon's site. It's very unique, complex...truly one of a kind.

Its composition is the following:

Head Notes
Violet, Rhubarb, Bergamot, Hyacinth, Magnolia, Green Leaves

Heart Notes
Gardenia, Rose, Ylang, Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Jasmine, Clove, Cinnamon, Lily of the Valley

Base Notes
Benzoin, Sandalwood, Musk, Vanilla

One of the most striking and amazing thing is that you can make out each and every one of these notes when you smell Gardenia. They're all distinguisable, something that, I think, is very rare. I also like the high composition of Jasmine in it.

Penhaligon notes:

Our fine fragrances are made in England using the finest rare ingredients; from hand-squeezed bergamot, to jasmine at twice the price of gold. Our signature Penhaligon’s fragrance bottle is to William Penhaligon's original design: clear glass with a distinctive ribbon-wrapped top.

Inside Penhaligon. I captured these pictures to show you how one of their stores look like. I admire the timeless designs and bottles of perfumes...

Even their wrapping paper is amazing (yes. I kept it haha!)

My Louis Vuitton Bag - The Montorgueil GM

Louis Vuitton's Montorgueil GM is my first (and currently only) designer handbag. It was given to me as a gift and I treasure it very much, so much so that I always put it in its original case and in the shopping bag it was purchased in. I take care where I take it to and where I place it.

I always wanted a Louis Vuitton bag. I knew that my first designer handbag had to be an LV, even if it was my one and only.
I'll forever admire its traditional style and the fact that it would suit any occasion, just as it had done for decades in the past.

Some might think it has lost its appeal as so many people now seem to own an LV; a lot of which are replicas. However, I can see through this and see the old fashioned traditional style that captivated a lot of women before and will continue to appeal to generations of women.

To me, it's like Chanel No.5.

Not to mention, this has been to its homeland, Paris, with me =D
Without a doubt, I'll be using this for many many years to come =)

I leave you with some precious pictures of it ^.^

Dinner at Chiquito

I headed to Chiquito for an occasion. I rarely go to Chiquito - don't get me wrong, it is one of my favourite restaurants!

Actually, after Middle-Eastern cuisine, Mexican is my second favourite.

But when you pay a trip to Chiquito, you must be prepared to finish whatever you order for the sake of not wasting food.

And no matter how hungry you might be, don't order too much, because believe me, their dishes are so filling and satisfying! I always find myself underestimating this!

Here's how my dinner at Chiquito turned out....

I was given this device whilst waiting for a table. It took more than the promised 30 minutes to turn red (red = free table =P). I think this is a cool idea to avoid frustrating customers whilst being put on hold.

Whilst waiting for a table...

I browsed through some non-alcoholic drinks and went for the Virgin Colada. This drink and Virgin Momo are simply the best!

Now to the Main Menu.

Some complimentary nachos arrived.

Followed by some yummier nachos that was ordered. These are the most delicious nachos I've ever tasted.
If you do visit Chiquito, don't miss ordering this!

Prawn Cocktail salad. Yum. But it was no match for the Prawn Cocktail at Park Plaza hotel.

I can't remember this dish's name, but I know it was one of the specials.
Spicy and very filling; it has a bit of everything.

Some coleslaw to accompany dishes.

This was my main meal. I think this is the Santa Fe wrap and at first glance appears like a small portion. I thought a wrap might be a lighter option but I struggled to finish this. It was so delicious though and I would order it again!

Le Chanson du Printemps (Spring Song)

I hope I got the title of this post right =P
Chante avec moi ^.^

Miss Dior Cherie is one of my favourite perfumes. I'm wearing it as I post this =)

The song to Miss Dior Cherie's advert is so sweet and girly. I don't know the whole translation from French to English but it sounds so elegant in Francais, n'est ce pas? =P

It's playful, light and some parts of the video look so magical.
I want to try one of those Macaroons sometime!
I certainly want to visit Paris again.
And I really want to brush up my French!

I also admire the colours, from her dress to the room interior she goes in to...it's so magical.

L'Eau D'Issey Florale by Issey Miyake

So much fuss over a perfume sample...

I only have one of Issey Miyake's perfumes that I have yet to blog about. For some reason, when it came to the original L'Eau D'Issey, I preferred the men's version much more. The women's version just didn't quite convince me.

But this sample tells a whole different story...and Issey Miyake has done it for me!

To start of with, I like how balanced this fragrance is. It's not too concentrated on one thing entirely, so you could always make out several underlying scents under the dominant note.

Top Notes I could make out are citrus (a mix of lemon/lime) which grabbed my attention for the first few seconds. Then quickly follows a slight powdery scent which blended well with the citrus. Tangy yet sweet. The powder scent resembles a light version of Kenzo's perfume. The floral notes then come in and further blend in so well.
Combine this with some slight musk.
And you have a refreshing, not overpowering blend of different scents working in harmony.

Perfect for spring.