August 12th

Eau de Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford
Coconut, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, neroli, tuberose

This is a delightful scent, very much one of those "summer-in-a-bottle" affairs. It's bright, citrusy, floral, and beachy. It has that suntan lotion accord that is essentially synonymous with beachy summer scents, and it executes it well. Compared with the original Soleil Blanc, this is definitely lighter and brighter. It's less creamy, and it feels a bit more sparkly. That being said, the longevity isn't as good as the original. Now, that's not too much of a problem for me since spraying this throughout the day serves as as a good pick-me-up, but I can understand why it's a drawback for most. Overall though, I'm very pleased with this one.

Grape Pearls by House of Oud
Grape, rose, vanilla, coffee, blueberry

I got a sample of this because the gorgeous bottle and unique notes really intrigued me. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm in love. The opening is...a lot. It's a cacophonous mix of rose, coffee, blueberry and grape where every note seems to be competing with the others instead of harmonizing. The grape and berries are full and sticky-sweet where the coffee and rose are dry and almost harsh. And then...all of that just disappears, and what's left is a vanillic rose. That's it. Where the other notes went, I do not know. (Or care to know, I guess - it was better as a vanillic rose anyway.)