Archive for November, 2006
Leather in perfumery, while employed, has certainly not been exploited. Understandably so, as this note doesn’t seem to be for mass appeal. It is, however, my favorite note, and I’ll never let a leather scent go unnoticed (although I certainly haven’t tried them all). It’s fascinating to see how leather has been conveyed in fragrance. Representation can be realistic when a scent smells exactly like leather goods (handbag, gloves, saddle) as seen in such scents as Aoud Cuir d’Arabie by Montale, Peau d’Espagne by Santa Maria Novella, Yatagan by Caron. Or it can be experimented upon creatively with often successful results - be it the sawdust circus leather of L’Artisan’s Dzing!, the balsamic iris leather of Cuir Ottoman, the smoky campfire leather of Kolnisch Juchten, the violet suede of Cuir Amethyste, the medicinal take on leather in Le Labo’s Patchouli 24 or the ultimate femme fatale, robust leather of Robert Piguet’s Bandit. Whichever it is, it’s all good. The most recent leather I’ve tried is Cuir Venenum by Parfumerie Generale (still swooning over the line), and I must say the take on leather here is unprecedented.
In Latin, “venenum” means “drug”, “poison”, “potion”. In this case, it’s more of a brewing potion with transformational powers than a lethal substance. With notes of leather, absolute of orange blossom, myrrh, citrus, cedar, black coconut, and honeyed musk, Cuir Venenum is extremely unconventional, sort of a rebel of a scent. The leather here is thrown into a pot of coconut flavored, honey loaded orange chutney where it manages to survive by sticking its dirty head out every once in a while. The whole mix is stewing and brewing relentlessly to the point of getting borderline overcooked and intolerable, yet strangely appealing. The musk is not animalic to my nose as the scent is very much gourmand in character. It’s unbelievably tenacious, so a little goes a long way. I can see myself reaching for it when I need a cuddly type of leather.
Cuir Venenum is available at the lovely Luckyscent as well as directly from the Parfumerie Generale online shop.
Image source: www.parfumerie-generale.com
November 14th, 2006
When I started this blog, I created a Home Scents category and wrote a few candle reviews. I’ve babbled about perfume so much since that it got completely neglected. To remedy that, today I want to talk about home scents as in home/room sprays. I’m not a huge room spray user but I do, however, have a few favorites, most recent ones being Bottega Veneta Intreccio No 1 by L’Artisan Parfumeur (which is said to recreate the scent of an old library, with notes of leather, incense, books), and another wonderful L’Artisan room spray - Bois d’Orient that also comes in a candle (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, walnut, pepper). I’ve also used Balsam by Agraria, and, believe it or not, Liquid Karl (cardamom, thyme, pepper, spices, frangipani, cocoa, crusty bread note, cedar, moss). The latter was purchased exactly two years ago in London at an H&M store which had it as an exclusive. I adored it so much back then, and wore it as perfume but it was later placed in my bathroom for lack of staying power. It does work amazingly well as a room spray, though, transforming the room into a bakery. No, that’s not why I put it in the bathroom (that would be utterly gross!) - it was totally unintentional. So, that’s about all I have for room sprays. I do prefer candles but I’ve heard people use room sprays as personal fragrance, so I’m exploring this new category. Do you have any favorite room sprays? Please share.
P.S. I promise I won’t write about those plug-in room fresheners tomorrow.
Image source: www.osmoz.com
November 13th, 2006
Voting is now open for the 7th Annual Basenotes Fragrance Awards - sponsored by Aedes de Venustas. Consumers from all over the world can now vote in the 7th Annual Basenotes Fragrance Awards. There are several new categories this year including Best Fragrance Blog, and Best Celebrity Fragrance. The awards are sponsored this year by New York-based perfumery, Aedes de Venustas, and one randomly-picked voter will receive an Aedes Giftcard worth $200.
The categories for the 7th Annual Basenotes Fragrance Awards are:
• Best new fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best overall fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best fragrance for day (masculine and feminine)
• Best fragrance for evening (masculine and feminine)
• Best fragrance packaging (masculine and feminine)
• Best designer, mainstream or fine fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best niche, independent, artisanal or boutique fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best mass-market, drugstore, budget or direct-sell fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best celebrity fragrance (masculine and feminine)
• Best fragrance house
• Best fragrance blog
Votes can be registered at the Basenotes.net website. Voting closes on 31st December, 2006, and the results will be announced in February 2007.
Information from the press release.
November 11th, 2006
I love receiving samples. Especially of perfumes I haven’t tried yet. I think perfume samples is a vital part of any self-respecting perfume aficionado’s life. If there is ever the best and most efficient way to market a fragrance (other than giving away free bottles - ha!), it’s to supply the folks with samples, *not* putting a hot (anorexic) chick on the perfume ad. Opinions may differ here, of course. There’s nothing that infuriates me the most, in relation to the fragrant part of my life, than when I’m refused a sample. That usually happens at certain department stores (hello, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s) that seem to live by the tactic that a customer is clueless, incapable of making any perfume decisions and is there to shell dollars with no particular interest in the product itself. It’s like they go through a Soviet-inspired training with emphasis being on they as sales people know best, they have your future in their hands, and you better shut up and obey. The whole point of samples is to actually, um, sample which means try, test on your skin, experience. Stepping off the soapbox now as there’s more I want to say in this post on the subject - I want to share my impressions of what I’ve sampled this week. The samples came from the lovely Luckyscent - big applause to them for always being so generous with samples.
Eau de Cacao by Coppeneur - created by a German chocolatier, the scent is for those who prefer to apply chocolate externally as opposed to internally. I don’t fall under this category but if you do, you’ll find yourself smelling like rum, fruit, jasmine, sandalwood, chocolate, praline, tonka bean, vanilla, musk, Peru balsam. OK, perhaps not all that all at once but Eau de Cacao does indeed smell like the most luscious, creamy milk chocolate imaginable.
MoslBuddJewChristHinDao by Elternhaus - cassis, basilic, marioana base, mate, immortelle, labdanum, olibanum, rose, gaiac, black pepper, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar wood, patchouli, musk, amber. Well, what can I say. Other than being a poor 10 Corso Como copycat, ThisIsTheMostPretentiousAndRidiculouslyPricedScentEverCreatedUnderTheSun.
Kasaneka by Menard - an extremely inoffensive floral. A wallflower of a scent. Seems like all the good stuff went into the bottle design instead of the composition, although the notes might state otherwise: hamanasu (Japanese rose), basil, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, bergamot, orange, carnation, heliotrope, jasmine, ambrette seed, sandalwood, vetiver, cedar, vanilla, musk. Extremely fleeting and understated.
Eau de Polder by L’Essence de Mastenbroek - hay, grass, earth, herbs. Most of my pleasant childhood memories revolve around summers spent in the countryside, so I love this scent for its evocative powers. I do not want to smell like that, however. Besides, I get a very distinct milky smell of cows. Yoiks!
I’m vicious today! But sampling is always fun, whether you like the scent or not. Share what you’ve sampled this week, if you feel so inclined. Happy weekend, all!
Image source: www.istockphoto.com
November 10th, 2006
In relation to yesterday’s post on Guerlain Metallica, the notion of the holy grail perfume has been on my mind a lot. It got me thinking which perfumes could be nominated for this status. The selection process is rather painful, I might add. I did manage to come up with a list, however. As a side note, this should not be confused with my favorite perfumes. The nominees for this particular rank are the best of the best, the tried and true, the ones I’d run to salvage in case of fire (hypothetically).
This is hard! Please share your nominees or perhaps you’ve already found your holy grail perfume?
Image source: www.wikipedia.org
November 9th, 2006
The notion of finding your Holy Grail perfume while quite appealing is rather utopian. Yet if I were to finally settle on one and only, dearly beloved perfume, Guerlain’s Metallica would no doubt be nominated for such a solemn occasion. It’s easy for me to love it. It’s perfect. It’s impeccable. It’s everything I want in a perfume: its masterful floral-oriental blend, its mosaic development on skin, its excellent lasting power, its glorious sillage. I realize I’m waxing slightly poetic here which isn’t my common way of writing but I simply cannot help myself - I adore Metallica.
Created in 2000, it was quickly pulled off the shelves due to a lawsuit for using the same name as the popular band Metallica. Thankfully, the scent was reissued a little while back under a slightly different name - Metalys. From what I can tell, the composition hasn’t changed, with perhaps one exception: Metalys seems to be a bit more vanillic. The scent features the notes of carnation, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, rose, iris, tonka bean, vanilla, amber. I’d never considered Metallica aldehydic until I read Victoria’s review. It does indeed have a slightly sharp, fizzy opening that’s so common in aldehydic perfumes. This is where its reference to metal is quite relevant. Its heart is creamy carnation and ylang-ylang, enveloped in plush vanillic amber. Metallica also has a certain spicy kick typical of carnation-dominated scents and just a touch of powder. Blissful perfection!
Now I should have included this in the first paragraph that it was Marina’s idea to review the same scent today, and she picked Metallica since she doesn’t care for it (blasphemy!), and I do. So the idea is to get two different perspectives. I had to gush about my beloved scent first, hence this paragraph. Please be sure to check out her (blasphemous!) impressions.
Metallica is still available for a hefty price on eBay now and then. Metalys can be purchased directly from the Guerlain shop in Paris.
Image source: www.aromat.ru
November 8th, 2006
Parfumerie Generale rocked my world the minute I heard about the line earlier this year, and the rocking continues as I revisit some of the scents. The line was founded by Pierre Guillaume, a French chemist/perfumer, and consists of two installments or chapters (the Chapitre II was talked about earlier). Since it’s just recently become available in the U.S. through the lovely Luckyscent, I got curious to play with some of the scents from the Chapitre I. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, and, even though it’s hardly had a dramatic effect on me (quite the opposite, actually), it has caused a certain amount of uneasiness over not being able to buy up the entire line immediately. So, here I am today, with a new lemming - Cozé.
Cozé is the most dynamic incense scent I’ve yet encountered. Even though incense isn’t even the official note, that’s what I smell. The official notes are canapa sativa seed oil (hemp), pepper, pimento, coffee, ebony wood, chocolate, bourbon vanilla. It has a forceful, astringent, dark opening. It’s dirty and fiery incense simultaneously. Its rather wicked top notes get quickly subdued into an innocent, vanillic woody goodness. Neither coffee nor chocolate are prominent, more like just a trace. Once again, a scent made for men that I’ll happily scoff at - not the scent itself or men, for that matter, but the gender-specific notion. It will be a sure companion for my all-black outfits.
Image source: www.parfumerie-generale.com
November 7th, 2006
I believe perfume is art. However, the art factory perfume produced today takes away from the artistic expression. Inevitably (and thankfully so!), there are those who rise and bravely stand against the mass market giant by skillfully creating truly one of a kind fragrances. One of such heroes, shall we call them, is the new Swiss perfume line - Les Nez. Founded by Rene Schifferle, a perfume aficionado (read an interview here), in collaboration with Isabelle Doyen (the nose behind several Annick Goutal creations), Les Nez is a novel concept not as much in its dedication to freedom of expression as its rather abstract approach. Inspired by the Frederic Malle’s idea, Les Nez creations take the concept further: the scents are abstract, almost subconscious experiences rather than interpretations of a flower or an object. Their non-conformist nature demands to be experienced rather than understood. They might not impress you but they won’t leave you indifferent.
Les Nez doesn’t list the notes for their perfumes which I find somewhat fascinating as it only emphasizes the need to experience the scent rather than interpret it. In my reviews below, I’ll quote the scent descriptions from their web site. I’d also like to add that in the few times I’ve tested the scents, I found something new every time - the impressions are by no means conclusive.
The Unicorn Spell - “If by dawn still linger on your skin mixed scents of leaves, frost, and violet blooms, and the relentless yearning for stellar sights, you will know that, at night, you felt the milky breath of a unicorn”. Probably the most unique of the three, The Unicorn Spell is a violet scent. Violet flower and violet leaves chilled by the morning frost. The chilly effect subsides a little revealing a more vulnerable nature underneath - a soft, gentle, green violet.
Let Me Play The Lion - “Scents of dusty trails, of lightly sweetened ochre, of sun-weathered wood, of silence swept by mild breezes, of skies open like an endless azure cut oozing signs, of the coming storm”. Undoubtedly my favorite, Let Me Play The Lion is the scent of dust - house dust, sawdust, ashes, trail dust. It wins me over with its soft amber accord in the drydown and the added smoky quality. While originally created for men, it can easily appeal to women.
L’Antimatiere (The Antimatter) - “An invisible ink that leaves a trace, foreseen rather than felt, persistent, yet whispered, like a creased bed linen scent wandering along your curves…” The name speaks for itself - an anti-scent with practically no smell upon first contact with skin. The most abstract of the three, L’Antimatiere smells of alcohol and freshly starched white linens. A very dry and austere scent that takes time and some effort to appreciate.
Les Nez perfumes can be purchased directly from their online shop.
Image source: www.lesnez.com
November 6th, 2006
Le Labo is an exclusive and still fairly new perfume boutique in New York that prides itself in “freshly hand made scents developed by some of the world’s most renowned noses”. A similar approach to that of Frederic Malle’s is used, the exception being the fragrances are mixed right there and then, on the spot, upon your purchasing them. I find this novel concept quite fascinating with perhaps just one reservation - I wonder how this type of mixing affects the quality and longevity of the scent (an average of one year, per Le Labo folks). Nevertheless, Le Labo creations are note-worthy. A few months back I briefly talked about their Jasmin 17. Today, I’d like to share my impressions on their newest - Tubereuse 40.
Tubereuse 40 is developed in partnership with Alberto Morillas, the nose behind such well known fragrances as Bvlgari Omnia, Kenzo Flower, Cartier Le Baiser du Dragon. It features the notes of benzoin, bergamote, neroli, petitgrain, citron, rosemary, cedar, orange blossom, rose, jasmine, mandarin, mimosa, oakmoss, sandalwood, musk (courtesy of Now Smell This). It’s also said to have a unisex, “eau de cologne” identity. The scent is exclusive to the New York City, the first one of their upcoming collection of city-specific fragrances, the ones you’ll have to travel to get which means exactly that - no phone or internet orders will be allowed.
This is the point where I go slightly berserk. Not as much due to the previous paragraph as the actual affect the fragrance has on me. It just puts me in a giggly mood. First of all, the notes. You might as well forget what I just listed above. It’s an explosion in a citrus factory. It has every possible citrus fruit, freshly squeezed or burst open, so bright and juicy it makes you giddy. Marina called it “the essence of summer, bottled”. I call it an olfactory equivalent of those SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamps. It practically forces you into a happy mood - no gloom allowed! Which (illogically) brings me to the next point in question - the tuberose. Or lack thereof. Seriously, I get no tuberose here. You know, how some people tend to name their kids all sorts of odd names? It almost seems like the case here - like Tubereuse is the new cool name, so let’s name our perfume that. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the scent. I just find the whole concept a bit humorous. So, basically, citrus is all it is, with some muskiness in the drydown and perhaps some jasmine thrown in for kicks. I want to say I’ll reach for it this winter but only in socially safe situations.
Tubereuse 40 is available at both the Le Labo shop and Barney’s in New York. But remember, you have to be physically present there.
Image source: from the press release.
November 2nd, 2006
My nose seems to be playing tricks one me these days, so no review today. Instead, I want to honor my current lemmings, even in this written way, before they get the better of me. It always seems to come in stages. I can go on with no lemmings for days and feel completely satisfied with all of my perfumes. Then, a whole bunch of them hit me all at once. Resistance is futile. I figured if I write them down here, at least I’ll feel some sort of control. So, here’s my list:
- Eau Suave by Parfum d’Empire (a bottle)
- Shalimar parfum (the vintage version) by Guerlain (a bottle)
- Parure by Guerlain (to revisit)
- Isabey Gardenia (a bottle - the new one looks stunning)
- Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle (a bottle)
- Chanel No 22 eau de toilette (a bottle)
- Miss Dior by Dior (a bottle)
- Vega by Guerlain (a bottle)
- Bois Orientale by Serge Lutens (a decant)
- Thierry Mugler Le Parfum Coffret (wah!)
- Flowerbomb Extreme by Viktor & Rolf (just love that new bottle)
- Miller Harris Rose en Noir (the elusive one - a bottle for sure)
- Rose Angel by Thierry Mugler (a bottle)
Please make me feel better and list yours!!
November 2nd, 2006
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