måndag 31 juli 2017

Histoires de Parfums - 1740 Marquis de Sade

Picture: Portrait of Donatien Alphonse de Sade, "Marquis de Sade" (1740-1814).
The drawing dates to 1760, when the Sade was nearly 20 years old. Drawing by
Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo, Wikimedia commons

This review was hidden in the archives, written in ca 2012.
1740 Marquis de Sade from the for me rediscovered house of Histoires de Parfums, tested fragrances from the house cirka two years ago but it's this year I really have started to appreciate it's sometime serious and "difficult" creations. 1740 Marquis de Sade definitly belongs to the difficult category. Originally  created year 2000 by Sylvie Joudet and as I understand updated by Gérald Ghislain in 2008 it is classified as masculine but as containing some sweetness there is also women that appreciate 1740 and I will classify it as unisex but leaning to the masculine side.

1740 Marquis de Sade is a very wellblended and multifacetted fragrance on the woody-oriental-herbal-leathery theme. It's starts with boozy, slight sweet notes from the davana (artemisia) which is said to, as an ingredient, developes different on different skintypes and therefore transforms a scent to be (to some extent) personal to the wearer. There are also hints of immortelle (even if not mentioned among the ingredients) in this part of 1740. When the boozy top fades away a dray, dark chocolate note, probably a finetuned patcholuli, accented withe a minty tune, appears. There is also a pleseant spicyness from corianer and caradmom even if some dirty notes are shining through now and then. Later on, immortelle, typical housnote in several HdP creation shows up again togheter with a discrete leathernote, the woody pepper of cedar and resins, which creates a resinous and longlasting base.

1740 Marquis de Sade is very pontent and a low dose is needed to avoid smelling of an old grumpy man as Mr Parfumista accused me to do when I spritzed too much. To me four spritz is the maximum to let this well blended juice flourish. Whitin each stage of it's slow and gradually drydown, many things are happening and there is as eache of the top, middle respecitve basenotes represents an own perfume within the whole fragrance ie there is three different fragrances of the same theme whitin the 1740 Marquis de Sade. The developement is very interesting and precipitates out different by different wearings. It's not a flattering scent and as it takes some wearings to understand and appreciate 1740, it is important to don't dismissing it by the first wearing. Associations to Marquis de Sade? Not so many as 1740 reminds me of a distingued, well-behaved gentleman living in a manorhouse in the english countryside, a 19th century gentry. Maybe the chocolate note associate to de Sade as I read somewhere that he was a chocoholic. The leathernote is to gentle and polite to be associated by the games of de Sade.

Other fragrances that is partly similar to 1740 Marquis de Sade is L'Oiseau de Nuit by Parfumerie Générale especially when it comes to the sweet and boozy davananote. Also, but to a lesser extent , some of the skankiness from L'Ombre Fauve from the same house is present in 1740 Marquis de Sade.

When rating 1740 Marquis de Sade I weighs together that the wellcrafted blend (5) doesn't precipitate in the best way on me, it's a tad to masculine (3) which makes a:

Rating: 4

Notes: Artemisia  (davana), bergamot, patchouli, coriander, cardamom, cedar, labdanum, leather, elemi resin

måndag 24 juli 2017

6 Fragrances for Summer 2017

Picture: Clover 2017
Photo: Parfumista (c)
Soon already in the late days of summer 2017, time for a list of perfumes I like for summer. And not just for this summer but for summers in general.

Reverie au Jardin (Tauer): This is imo a neglected fragrance from Swiss perfume meastro Andy Tauers earlier creations, worn by me for about ten summers now. Seems simple but is in the same time clever in construction: Lavender, greenery like clove, an outdoor, green incense and probably a woody violetnote as Mr Parfumista associates to Dior Farenheit when I'm wearing Reverie au Jardin.

Eau d'Orange Verte (Hermes): What more to say after decades with this tangy, green, bitterorange elegant "fresh" brew grounded in moss, than: A masterpiece, the best and most versatile Cologne ever.

Verveine (Heeley): Round, full, like what I imagine a green full moon in dark August would look like if such should exist. A sort of grassy-fruity green scent with what I percive as a figgy-woody accord. Delicious for summer.

Mon Patchouly (Ramon Monegal): Dark, earthy patch in some interpretations is refreshing for middle and late summerdays. Mon Patchouly is a delicious but non-sweet take on patch with its powdery, dry powdery cocabeenfacetts.

Coton Egyptien (Phaedon): Ultra blue skies over sunbathed dunes, a loose shirt in a light, almost transparent, white, crisp egyptian cotton. The fragrance is green like grass, with a clean accord which smells almost like a green, dry, laundry detergent.

Musk Samarkand (Les Neréidés): A clean, robust white musk with something slight dirty lurking in its depts. No detergent and refreshing as a chilly summer breeze a hot sunny day. Reminds me of a budget alternative (but just as good as) to the new interpretation of Parfumerie Generales old Musc Maori 04: Le Musk et la Peau 4.1. My bottle of Musk Samarkand is an earlier version, the bottle with the bookmark angels on the sticker.

måndag 17 juli 2017

Carner Barcelona - Sweet William (Floral Collection)

Picture: Sweet William
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)

Sweet William is Carner Barcelonas modern interpretation of the old-fashioned fragrance floral concept of carnation. Perfumer is Rodrigo Flores-Roux.

Sweet Williams starts very attractive, like a light, fresh, dry, almost ozonic carantion, as wild carnations in a field a sunny and windy day. The texture is of paper. Even if bright and high in the octaves of the fragrancescale, Sweet William is not shrill or annoying. There is nothing of the traditional dense and dark carnationfragrance, heavy supported with clove. Anyway, there is a touch of spice in Sweet William, but light and sparkling from the wellbalanced harmony of white pepper and cardamon. After the topnotes, Sweet William becomes less papery in etxture and a pleasant tangy, slight leafy note with sort of clean earthy glimpses, appears, maybe hints of the tobbaccoflower. This gives the fragrance a deeper contrast and the pleasant tangy accord is the mainplayer together with the clean carnation for the rest of Sweet Williams drydown. There is also a touch of something that reminds me of a natural smelling pearnote, not the chemical cloying version, and also some light woody rosy touches are also present. The base is light ambery together with sort of a clean resin note.

When comparing to the classics, Sweet William could be the modern Caron Bellodgia in Edt version, it has the same light and tonality even if Bellodgia is spicier and if it has a colour, I imagine Bellodgia as orange and Sweet William as bright red. Oeillet Sauvage from L'Artisan Parfumeur in current version, has similarities with Sweet William with the fresh, light, bright and almost sparkling opening and in the overall light and airy impression. Etro Dihantus also comes to my mind when it comes to the light and bright style.

Sweet William is a pleasant, mostly linear, versatile, non-complicated carnationfragrance which is not as challenging or demanding as classic carnationfragrances. It's very easy to wear and it's a carnation for summer and daytime wearing. Sillage is close and longevity for a day. The most unisex of the three fragrances in the Floral Collection even if leaning slight to the feminine side.

Rating: 4

Notes: White pepper, cardamom. cinnamon bark, galangal, dianthus, ylang-ylang, rose water, tobaccoflower, ambrarome, iris, styrax, vanilla

måndag 10 juli 2017

Carner Barcelona - Besos (Floral Collection)

Picture: Besos
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)
Besos (kisses) is my second try of the Floral Collection from Carner Barcelona, a house which fragranceline IMO is versatile and contemporaty in style, fragrances which cheer up in the everyday living. Besos is created by perfumer Shyamala Maisondieu.

Besos starts fresh, sparkling, moisty, musky with a hint of a flowery orangenote, probably the mandarine. Besos has a putty texture, and the colour (if Besos had a colour) I percieve as light grey. I come to think of fragrances as for example Chanel 1932 when it comes to texture and aura of the fragrance. Soon clean spicy elements occours, probably the pepper, a very well handled pepper, there is no traces of the pepper overdose which is persent in many fragrances especially in the "pour homme" section of the market. The white, musky tonality is present throughout the fragrance and the musk is inteacting and highlights other notable notes of  the fragrance for example a white, light spicy jasmine which comes me to think of a crisp minimalist, summervariation of the spicy jasmine in The Different Company Jasmin de Nuit. Iris contributing with a cold slight earthy note which moderating the most flowery aspects of the jasmine. Besos over all is a linear fragrance from and smelling almost the same the whole journey, a light note of resin renders a smooth quality to the musky base.

Besos is a comfortable, easy to wear, contemporary styled flower fragrance. If I didn't know it's a part of the Floral Collection I wouldn't think of besos as a floral fragrance, I would think about it as an musky, light spicy fragrance with some restrained flowery elements. Even if not a luminous bouquet, I think of Besos as a feminine fragrance even if suitable for men to. Besos is suitable for daytime wearing, both for work and casual, escpecially for the warmer months. Sillage is medium and longevity good, traces are present after 24h.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mandarin, black pepper, jasmine sambac, iris, benzioin, vanilla, musk

måndag 3 juli 2017

Carner Barcelona - Latin Lover (Floral Collection)

Picture: Latin Lover
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)
For summer 2017 catalonian nichehouse Carner Barcelona introduces the Floral Collection which is in the opposite style compared to the excellent Black Collection of last year. The Floral Collection presented in stylish white bottles vs the Black Collection in stylish black ones. First out for test from the florals is the wristsniffer Latin Lover created by perfumer Jordy Fernandez.

Latin Lover strats with a burst of beautiful a tad watery flowers, dominated by magnolia sweetened by ylang-ylang. Magnolia usually is a bit tricky note for me as it could be almost harsh and sour to my nose. But balancing with ylang-ylang obviously is the trick, the magnolia blooms beautiful. Later on a clean, flowery jasmine and a detactable also flowery (not powdery lipsticknote), violet steps forward and add a certain elegance to the perfume. The bouquet is grounded in a just enough musky base with some contrasting, almost dark, a bit moisty, earthy elemets, probably the patchouli. The dark of Latin Lover is like sitting in the shadow of a pinetree near the sea a hot summerday. There is something familiar with Latin Lover and after a days wearing I know: It smells similar to Lalique Edp by Lalique but less sweet and fruity. Other fragrances I come to think of (even if not smelling the same but the same feeling/style) when wearing Latin Lover are Puredistance WHITE, By Kilian Water Calligraphy and Amouage Honour Woman.

Latin Lover is a happy fragrance which is a pleasure to wear, perfect for a mediterranean summerevening or just to cheer up a summerday which is spent in the office. The longevity is for at least a day and sillage is medium. Classified as unisex but to my nose lending to the feminine side. After my acquaintance with Latin Lover I have high hopes for the other two in the Floral Collection, Besos and Sweet William. Reviews will follow.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, ylang-ylang, violet, jasmine sambac, narcissus, benzoin, patchouli, musk