Visar inlägg med etikett Les Absolus. Visa alla inlägg
Visar inlägg med etikett Les Absolus. Visa alla inlägg

måndag 8 februari 2016

Annick Goutal - Les Absolus 1001 Ouds

PictureEnjoying Coffee, Oueen Shirin of Persia (d 628)
Painter from the french school,
 first half of the 18th century
Wikimedia commons
1001 Ouds is the third fragrance in the Les Absolus line from Annick Goutal. It's created by Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal.1001 Ouds is inspired from the tales of the Arabian Nights.

1001 Ouds strarts with an smooth dry but in the same time creamy accord. The first impression of the fragrance is very original to me, it smells as something I'll describe as a creamy juniperberry. There is none of the sharpness from the usual interpretation of that note, just the woody-herbal character of the berry smoothened to a soft, fluffy texture. As there is no juniperberry among the notes I suppose it's the oud mixed with the birch, papyrus and rose which creates this inmpression, I can recognize this juniperberry like oud note from By Kilian Pure Oud where it's stronger and raw in its interpretation. As the dry down is approaching, the beautiful creamy, medium red rose, steps forward, fleeting in the fluffy but in the same time dry setting. The rose note slightly reminds me of the juicy rose in Le Galion La Rose, but not as big and radiating. There is a contrasting chilly aspect which is dry a bit like paper, probably the papyrus, combined with a soft, very light boozy almost applelike note, probably the myrrh, which has similarities with an accord in the great masculine Royal Vintage from M.Micallef. 1001 Ouds also feels royal, but it's to my nose is a feminne royalty.

As 1001 Oud dries down it becomes woodier and rosier but still preserves its excellent smoothness, it's a real comfort to wear this fragrance. It has not so much to do with the regular ouds, here the oud is one of the components interacting and not dominating over the other ingredients. This is not a "statementperfume" like many in the oud genre, this is pure, soft elegance. Maybe the name should be another as the many oudhaters which seems to be out there, at least in the perfumeforums could be scared away. But those should not fear, it's better to think of this as a woody oriental perfume and don't think of it as an oud. On the other hand I think the name is good as this perfume reveals that oud is an excellent ingredient and it could be presented in many shapes.

1001 Ouds is suitable to wear around the year, it has nuances that fit each season. The sillage is close and the longevity is for a day. A discrete, high quality fragrance, safe to wear in any occasion. Another winner from Annick Goutal and one of the best releases in 2015 IMO.

Rating: 5

Notes: Oud, papyrus, rose, pimento, birch, guaiac wood, myrrh

torsdag 4 februari 2016

Annick Goutal - Les Absolus Ambre Sauvage

Picture: Painting of a family game of checkers
("jeu des dames"), ca 1803
Painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845)
Ambre Sauvage is featuring another staple in perfumery: Amber. Ambre Sauvage is created by Camille Goutal and perfumer Isabelle Doyen.

Ambre Sauvage starts with a soft and smooth amber note, the amber is nor herbal, nor dry gunpowdery, nor candy sweet, just light, refined like a mediumbrown colored silkveil fluttering in the wind. There are no sharp, rough edges of the resins in Ambre Sauvage, it's a balsamic interpretation mixed with the glazed vanilla of Vanille Charnelle. For a short while I can also feel a light, almost salty vibe. As Ambre Sauvage dries down an offsetting slight cold accord with a just detectable iris/lavender appears, balancing the warmth of the amber. A refined, dry and dark patchouli creates a beautiful dept to the perfume. Ambre Sauvage is very well balanced and blended in a way which makes it hard to distinguies the different ingredients, they are just swirling in a comforting, quality flow. Compared to the earlier Annick Goutal amber, Ambre Fetiche, Ambre Sauvage is quiet and soft, Ambre Fetiche is relatively loud and powerful compared to Ambre Sauvage and Ambre Fetiche contains a  considerable amount of incense.

Picture: Ambre Sauvage
Photo: PR Annick Goutal (c)
Ambre Sauvage is a calming fragrance, a fragrance which feels classic in style and apperance. When wearing it I can imagine ladies from the Empire wafting this type of fragrance when moving in their cashmere stoles. Ambre Sauvage is maybe not the right name to this gentle and refined amber as it is not wild at all, on the contrary it's very polished, soft and elegant.

Ambre Sauvage is an excellent comfort fragrance for autumn and winter. It's softspoken and could not offend anyone. Sillage is close and longevity for more than a day. Unisex but leaning to the feminine side.

Even if not smelling the same I think those who likes ambers as the more boozy Parfum d'Empire Ambre Russe, the more woody-spicy Téo Cabanel Barkhane and the a tad sweeter Rania J. Ambre Loup will also appreciate Ambre Sauvage.

Rating: 5

Notes: Patchouli, amber; pink pepper, lavender, iris, vanilla 

måndag 1 februari 2016

Annick Goutal - Les Absolus Vanille Charnelle

Picture: Le Bain
Painting by Alfred Stevens (1823-1906)
Vanille Charnelle is the first one I test from the 2015 introduced Annick Goutal sub-line: Les Absolus. In Les Absolus house perfumer Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal "listen to the whispers of their rawmaterials" and creating exclusive fragrances of the best ingredients which are highligthing one rawmaterial at a time. In this case: Vanilla. In coming reviws amber and oud are featured.

Vanille Charnelle starts with a clean, vanillapod note combined with a milky impression, the marketing buzz says: "Imagine a bath of almond milk laced with vanilla beans in which you want to immerse yourself before meeting your lover". There is no chemical-sweet vanilla like in some cheaper fragrances, this smells like high quality stuff. A hint of a well intergrated pepper soon appears and also a soft, very light hint of flowers. The flowery element is just perceptible, it is not as pronounced as in another clean and bright vanilla also from 2015, Eau d'Italie Morn to Dusk. Just as in the latter, there is no boozy, tobbacco or spicy notes in Vanille Charnelle even if it in the next step of its developement becomes gourmand in its character.  Vanille Charnelle than smells like a fine, delicious, glazed vanilla cake, and just as in the earlier stage without smudgy or cloying elements.Just as Morn to Dusk, Vanille Charnelle is a fragrance in the higher octaves of the olfactory notescale. Even in the basenotes Vanille Charnelle retains its sort of light impression, still gourmand and with a musky touch cleaverly counterbalanced by an almost undetectable vetiver, it's just discerned.
Picture: Les Absolus Vanille Charnelle
Photo: PR Annick Goutal (c)
It seems as there  currently is a trend with a sort of fluffy, clean and pristine vanillas which are very comfortable to wear, so far I have tested Vanille Charnelle and Morn to Dusk and I am convinced there already are or will be more fragrances released in this style.Vanille Charnelle has very little in common with the earlier Annick Goutal vanilla Vanille Exquise which is (as I remember it) sharper, greener, fizzy and more distinctive compared to Vanille Charnelle.

Vanille Charnelle is cozy and comforting to wear in the dark seasons and could also be appropriate for cold and rainy summerdays. Labeled as unisex but I find it more feminine. The silage is close, a skinscent, with longevity for a day. Summed up Vanille Charnelle is a very well balanced, skillful crafted fragrance which, not surprisingly, is also priced thereafter. 

Rating: 4

Notes: Ylang-ylang, mandel, pepper, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk, vetiver