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måndag 14 mars 2016

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Noir Exquis

Picture: Terrace of the café on the Place du Forum in Arles
in the evening,ca 16 September 1888
Painting by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Wikimedia commons
Noir Exquis is a fragrance in the gourmand style created by Bertrand Duchaufour, as most of the latest fragrances of L'Artisan Parfumeur.

Noir Exquis starts with dark vanillic, nutty slight flowery and soft spicy notes enlighted by a green, fizzy spicyness. The first section of the accord described reminds me of a paler version of the almond-vanilla bomb Montale Amandes Orientales. The second spicy part with soft spices brightened by the fizzy, a bit sharp green, spicyness reminds me of two fragrances from Carner Barcelona, most of Rima XI, the soft spices and comfortaura and Palo Santo especially when it comes to the green, spicy notes. As Noir Exquis dries down the pleasant, comforting spiciness remian as also the green fizzy vibe as a balance. The vanilla is pleasant and not too sweet, it's a fizzy vanilla in the style of Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise, maybe the Noir Exquis name isn't a coincident. Noir Exquis is overall quite linear in style, even if it also becomes woodier in the basenotes with a warm sandalwoodnote of the australian type, a bit herbal, not as smooth as the indian. Heliotrope also adds a cozy, familliar, very pleasant flowery, sweetness in the second part of the fragrance.
Picture: Noir Exquis
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)
Noir Exquis is a moderate sweet gourmand in the contemporary caféstyle as Rima XI mentioned above and also Frederic Malle Dries van NotenNoir Exquis just seems to be some years delayed. Just as the other Dries van Noten and Rima XI it is somehow light in texture despite it's gourmand character, the gourmands of later years are not as heavy and dense as the gourmands of the 90s-00s. Noir Exquis is a unisex comfortfragrance, easy to wear and appropriate for autumn, winter and early spring. Sillage is medium and longevity for more than a day.

Rating: 4
Update January 2018: Rating 5 This is a really good gourmand fragrance, the more I'm wearing it, the more I'm appreciating it.

Notes: Chestnut, orange, orange blossom, coffee, maple sap, ebony, heliotrope, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

måndag 30 mars 2015

Parfums de Nicolaï - Kiss Me Intense

Picture: The Kiss (1908-1909)
Painting by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
Wikimedia commons
Kiss Me Intense is a reworked version of Kiss Me Tender Edt which was launched 2010. As usual when it comes to the house of de Nicolaï, Mme de Nicolaï herself is the creater of the fragrance.

Kiss Me Intense starts with a beautiful, warm, lush, sunny and somehow fresh note of heliotrope. It's not overly sweet, it's like it's just picked and some of the juicy green from the steam and leaves are also included. The heliotrophe is sweet and warm,  close to the scent of mimosa but thicker and darker in scent and texture. Almond and anice add gourmand sweetness to the fragrance and the mix smells almost like a soft almondcake. The flowery, gourmand accords are saftely anchored in a soft vanilla base. The fragrance is quite linear and the wearer could enjoy most of the notes  simultaneously. Kiss Me is a very cosy and embracing fragrance, like a smooth cashmerejumper. Somehow Kiss Me reminds me of how I imagine the atmosphere in beginning of the last century, the era of Gustav Klimt, where elegant ladies enjoying pasteries in Wiener cafés.

Picture: Kiss Me Intense in 30 and 100 ml
Photo: PR Parfums de NIcolaï (c)
To me Kiss Me Intense is a bit less pastery and more of the flower than the Edt version. It's a very good, sort of natural smelling gourmand fragrance, not too sweet or cloying, it has an uplifting sparkle to it. The gourmand style combined with the sweet flowernote makes Kiss Me perfect to wear for Easter. The longevity is good, at least for a day and sillage medium. Kiss Me is a fragrance for comforting, casual chic occasions and would also suit for casual Friday in the workplace.

Kiss Me is for those who like gourmands like Etro Heliotrope, Editions Frederic Malle Dries van Noten, By Kilian Intoxicated Carner Barecelona Rima XI and El Born

Rating: 5

Notes :Heliotrope, vanilla, star anise, almond, hay.

måndag 2 februari 2015

Huitème Art - Liqueur Charnelle

Picture: Liqueur Charnelle
Photo: PR Huiteme Art (c)
Liqueur Charnelle is a woody aromatic fragrance with a gourmand touch created by Pierre Guillaume for one of his lines, Huitème Art.

Liqueur Charnelle starts with boozy notes accompanied with the for dark gourmand fragrances, typical dark, accord of dried fruits. There is also an interplay with not too sweet gourmand notes, like hard candy or delicate cakes. An offsetting, fresh, woody note, like just carved juniperwood also appears and creates a special touch in the top.  After a while woody peppernotes in a distinct dose appears and are the leading accord in the fragrance during almost the rest of its drydown. Liqueur Charnelle acts quite linear during the dry down, with the light pastery accord, supported with some booze as the offsetting notes to the woody pepper. In the basenotes, the pepper steps back and the dark, dried fruits preserved in cognac appears forward just as an accord which highlights balsamic and tobacconotes joins the composition. And the beautiful fresh juniperwood from the topnotes appears and is the note which remains in the very late dry down. To me the basenotes are the most pleasant part of Liqueur Charnelle.

Liqueur Charnelle is definitly a fragrance for late autumn and winter, I think it could be overwhelming in warmer weather. It has an impressive sillage and is strong, very light application is necessary. Liqueur Charnelle is partyly similar to a bunch of woody/spicy/aromatic/gourmand fragrances on the market as for exemple when it comes to the spicy, gourmand part: Editions Parfums de Frederic Malle Dries van Noten, Carner Barcelona Rima XI and to some extent  El Born. That despite all the three mentioned are smoother and cozier, more of "sitting in a café sipping latte", than Liqueur Charnelle which is more extroverted with its woody peppery accords, similar to some recent more masculine woody fragrances. Those fragrances often containing oud, mentioned or not, and when testing Liqueur Charnelle when it comes to its woody part, I come to think of recent releases such as the HA of 2013  Monsieur , Parfums MDCI Cuir Garamante , Puredistance Black (here also the boozy aspects), Robert Piguet Bois Noir (the woody pepper) just as in Montale Dark Oud.

Liquer Charnelle has traces from many fragrances but also an own personality, it's a good fragrance, nice to wear if lightly applied. When I tested Liqueur Charnelle the first time, Mr Parfumista liked it better than me, but after I have worn the sample a few times and found the right, light dose to apply I like it as much. Liqueur Charnelle is something as strange as an aggressive comfortfragrance.

Rating: 5

Notes: Cognac, dried fruits, linden blossom, grapes, caramel, vanilla, black pepper, pink pepper, elemi, amber, raspberry, coumarin, tobacco

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test.

måndag 18 augusti 2014

Carner Barcelona - El Born

Picture: Mercat del Born (Barcelona)
Photo: Maria Rosa Ferre (cc) ,
Wikipedia commons, some rights reserved
El Born is the latest addition in the Carner Barcelona line which is inspired  from different parts/aspects/moods and of course scents from Barcelona, both from the present and the past. El Born is inspired from the streetlife, scents and views of the old, touristcrowded El Born quarters, surrounding the market place.

El Born starts with slight citrusy and tart herbal notes contrasting to sweet, edible, pastry notes, the angelicanote is not as obvious as in Guarlain Angelique Noir it's a more of a light weight interpretation. After a while a delicious smell of a dry almondcake appears, it's not the liqueur-like amarettonote, this is the note of ground almonds for a cake. The fignote is not the lush fruity one of for example Diptyque Philosykos, the fig is more of the leaves and the tree, with something dry that reminds me of a smoother and lighter version of the fig-peppery combination of Neela Vermiere Creations Ashoka. In this stage, El Born as a whole, rests in a balsamic, light spicy comfort.

In the basenotes the balsamic-resin comfort still consists and a smooth, even if a bit peppery, sandalwood emerges. There is also an unexpected twist with an accord which smells slight liquirice/anice-like (even if not present as notes) and which add a contrasting chill in the warm balsamic base. This anicelike reminds me of a similar treatment of the note; it reminds me of the base of Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli but in the latter, the anice-like aspect is interacting with patchouli instead of balsam and soft woody/spicy notes. The longer El Born dries down, the more I smell the connection to Mistral Patchouli.

Picture: El Born
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)
El Born is a very good representative of the comforting, contemporary, casual, chic style of  Carner Barcelona. To my nose El Born in style most resembles the light spicy, sort of café-atmospheric Rima XI. Just like these comforting scents, El Born is easy to like, smooth as cashmere, a true wrist sniffer with an almost calming influence on the wearer, at least if the wearer is me. The slilage is close, the longevity for over a day and its suitable both for casual (a perfect perfume for shopping, with a break at some fashionable café) and to comfort duirng a though day in the office. Even if the warm and comforting character makes it well suited for autumn and winter it also smelled great during the hot, humid summerdays when I tested El Born. To finsh the praise: The more I try El Born, the more I like it. It's not love at first sniff but this fragrance wins in the long run.

Other fragrances that reminds me od El Born in their style is The Different Company Oriental Lounge (swe) and Frederic Malle Dries van Noten but I percieve El Born as less sweet than the latter.

Rating: 5

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, angelica, honey; fig, heliotrope, benzoin, jasmine, vanilla, peru balsam, sandalwood, musk

måndag 21 april 2014

By Kilian - Sacred Wood

Picture: Santalum Album in Hyderabad
Photo: J.M Garg (cc) some rights reserved,
Wikimedia Commons
Sandalwood perfumes are a tricky fragrance cathegory for me. The iconic  Guerlain Samsara is too bold for me (even if my friend Fragrancefanatic have some anosmic problems with it), the heavy sandalwood + curry(?) Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore which is the only fragrance so far that has caused me an allergic reaction, Parfums Frederic Malle Dries van Noten is a bit too sweet and almondcookie like too remind me of the real wood. Etro Sandalo (old version) is good but maybe a bit too dense. And so one could go on... Until now, when I have found my ideal sandalwood (so far): By Kilian Sacred Wood from the Asian Tales Collection, as most Kilians created by Calice Becker. CB is well known for her excellent floral interpretations but apparently she is also a champion of woods. As a composition Sacred Wood is built around the olfactive impression of Mysore Sandalwood. This sandalwood is prohibited to use because of over-exploitation and a similar accord has been  reconstituted in Sacred Wood.

Sacred Wood starts with delicious sparkling, transparent sandalwood. The cocosaccent in the sandalwood is distinct in the operning and is almost flowery and reminicent of the cocoslike note in tubereuse. Soon there is also a tart, slight, fizzy but in the same time smooth and milky green note contrasting the sandalwood. The milky green note reminds me of fig, not a listed note but the effect is similar. The sandalwood, tart milky fig combination persists during the whole dry down of Sacred Wood but as longer the fragrance dries down the more prominent the sandalwood is. In the later basenotes, the impression is of solid, warm sandalwood.

Picture: Sacred Wood By Kilian
Photo: PR By Kilian (c) 
Sacred Wood somehow reminds me of a woody Annick Goutal Ninféo Mio and is just as this dark green.figgy  fragrance, a perfect companion for summer. Even if transparent in texture, Sacred Wood is a powerful fragrance that lasts for almost 24h and has a medium sillage. Its warmth makes it also nice to wear during the colder month. Sacred Wood is suitable both for work and festive occasions, an elegant,  sandalwood in a contemporary but in the same time timeless interpretation.

Rating: 5

Notes: Sandalwood oil, milk, wood, spices

måndag 4 mars 2013

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle - Dries van Noten

Picture: Caffè latte as being served in Oslo
Photo by Jazzbobrown (cc), Wikimedia commons

The Belgian fashiondesigner Dries van Noten has released the first fragrance of the house (bearing the houses name) in collaboration with wellknown nichehouse Editions de Parfumes Frederic Malle. This instead of taking the "regular" massmarket channel as most fashionhouses when release their fragrances. The perfumer of Dries van Noten is Bruno Jovanovic.

Dries van Noten smells like almost unsweet pastry, the sweetness is at least subdued.The whole impression of the perfume is like sitting in a café a grey, snowy and chilly day (exactly the weather when I write this review :-) consuming a croissant together with a giant latte. As Dries van Noten dries :-) down the croissant-note becomes apparent. The texture of DvN is somehow like the feeling of smooth, lightcolored suede, even if there is no suedenote recognizable in the blend. There is also a beautiful, smooth sandalwood in DvN, the finest I have smelled in a contemporary fragrance for a long time. As I understand it there is some "substitute"  for Santal from Mysore that has been introduced to the market latly. Probably this has been used instead of the rougher australian sandalwood that is common in woody perfumes released in the latest years.  In the basenotes there are smooth, powdery and a bit sweet woody notes, also almond is detectable as later also a clean, a bit almost sweet herbal note. To my nose DvN is sweeter in the basenotes than in it's earlier stages.

Overall a pleasant and very comfortable fragrance in the transparant gourmand style of Carner Barcelona Rima XI. I like the latter equal to Dries van Noten Rima XI is, even if also transparant and smooth in texture, more pronounced in its gourmand style, more distinctive with its smooth spices and maybe more intriguing as composition. On the other hand Dries van Noten is almost seamless in its development so very delicious and cosy and I think it appeals to a broader group of perfumewearers, it could also have been released as an "highend mainstream". Dries van Noten is very officefriendly, a fragrance that gives the wearer compliments. Perfect for the colder months. I have read complaints about the longevity of DvN but this is not a problem for me, I can smell sufficient traces of it almost 24h after applying it. Sillage is medium in its earlier accords, then close.

Those who likes fragrances in the style of Carner Barcelona Tardes, Parfumerie Generale Praline de Santal, Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau and  Etro Heliotrophe (mini review in swedish) could also appreciate Dries van Noten.

Update late April 2013: The more I wear/test/sniff DvN the more I like its subtle and comforting character and the fact that its longevity is great despite its transparency. The sandalwood note is smooth and has no harsh edges which is sometime the case with the australian sandalwood used as a substitute to the Mysore in many fragrances during the latest years. Overall DvN is a very wearable fragrance. 

Rating: 4, Update April 2013: 5

Notes: Citron, sandalwood, guaiac wood, cashmeran, tonka bean, vanilla, saffron, jasmine, musk

Thanks to Alla Violetta for a sample to review.