Aromascope

“Close Your Eyes And… ” by Miller et Bertaux

Francis Miller and Patrick Bertaux are the people behind the Miller et Bertaux brand that’s known for its modern, unique clothing, art, accessories, and now perfumes (you can see some of their work on Milleretbertaux.com). “Close Your Eyes And… “ is the fourth addition, the previous ones being (For You)/Parfum Trouve, Spiritus/Land , and Green, Green, Green And… Green. Just like its predecessors, it’s a very wearable, captivating, albeit not particularly unique but still quite an agreeable scent. It also comes in a different bottle.

“Close Your Eyes And… ” features the notes of Sicilian lemon zest, mandarin, jasmine petals, Turkish rose, Guaiac wood, pear, cinnamon, heliotrope, almond. A very gentle, sort of airy scent as if you’re smelling but a vapor of the ingredients. With its translucent effect achieved by soft rose powder and dusty heliotrope sweetness, it touches your skin like chiffon. The other notes (pear, mandarin, jasmine, almond) are practically undetectable, with the exception of perhaps Guaiac wood which adds a touch of balmness. Perfect for any season and any occasion, especially if you want to leave but a whiff of your scent behind you as opposed to heavy duty sillage. Close your eyes and float away in the clouds would be my interpretation, and I’m still deciding whether that’s something I want to do in the near future.

“Close Your Eyes And… ” is currently available at Lusciouscargo. For more retailer information, please check French Look.

Image source: www.milleretbertaux.com

16 comments October 3rd, 2006

Les Epices de la Passion by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Les Epices de la Passion (Love Potions) are part of the L’Artisan Parfumeur fragrance line that was initially introduced as a set of 15 ml bottles (The Spice Trio), and is now available in regular 50 ml and 100 ml sizes. With a savory spice as the lead ingredient, the fragrances are meant “to add a touch of spice to life”, “stir up the passion within us and set our hearts on fire”. I could always use some spice (literally and figuratively), especially in perfume, so these scents did not go unnoticed and have proved to perhaps not quite set my heart (or nose) on fire – rather, added that much needed zest and piquancy.

Piment Brulant (Hot Pimiento)

Red chili pepper, chocolate, poppy, vanilla, cloves, musk, amber. Hot and fiery, soft and creamy like whipped chocolate. Starts out with juicy red pepper with just a touch of chocolate that keeps it round and smooth. My favorite part is when poppy enters the scene with its gentle bitter powderiness. The drydown is just hints of red pepper on a gentle, watery clovey-musky base. This is an acquired taste for me. Probably the least savory, more subdued, and sort of the most diplomatic of the three.

Poivre Piquant (Fiery Pepper)

White pepper, milk, licorice, honey. The pungency of pepper is immediately softened by milk and honeyed licorice that to my nose smells like white chocolate. The most gourmand of the three. The liquorice here is mature and not dominant, amd in the drydown it’s mellowed by dusty pepper and fluffy white chocolate. Playful and invigorating!

Safran Troublant (Saffron Spell)

Saffron, vanilla, sandalwood, red rose. This one was my immediate favorite as I adore saffron in fragrance. Starts out with very sweet, honeyed saffron, the kind that pleasantly tickles your nose. There’s just a touch of rose to highlight the spiciness, and the drydown is zippy, savory saffron on a sweet, frosted milky sandalwood base. The jolliest, zappiest of the three, hence my frequent comfort scent.

The Love Potions are available at Aedes, Beauty Cafe, Luckyscent, as well as directly from the L’Artisan boutique online. For more information, please check their retailers page.

P.S. I’ve also experimented with layering these, and my favorite combination so far is Poivre Piquant with Safran Troublant.

Imag source: www.aedes.com

28 comments October 3rd, 2006