Visar inlägg med etikett Reverie du Jardin. Visa alla inlägg
Visar inlägg med etikett Reverie du Jardin. Visa alla inlägg

måndag 20 februari 2017

Anatole Lebreton - Grimoire

Picture: Grimoire
Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

Grimoire is the fifth fragrance in bretonic perfumer Anatole Lebretons robust perfumeline "Parfums de Liberté". For reviews of the earlier releases from the house click here.

Grimoire  starts with distinctive green incense, which is the domiatning note in the whole dry down of the fragrance. The green incense is warm and has a resinous texture. In the backgroumd there is also an accompanying, sharp compact and deep citric note which also is green in appreance, probably the bergamot. In the opening there is also a blast of cummin, which for a while creates an almost sweaty impression but in a nice, horsy way. There are also herbal notes, which are leaning to the dry almost dusty side and conveys the
image of an old half-binding book with its old, dry musty paper and its dry leather.The base also shows some mossy, woody notes.

The overall impression is green, resinious incense, a fragrance with the robust, rual character which is the trademark for the Lebreton style. Grimoire is a fragrance of it's own even if it reminds me to some extent of Parfumerie Générale Bois Blond which lacks the incense but has a similar texture and the rual, natural character. When it comes to the green incense, Grimoire has similarities with Andy Tauers Reverie au Jardin even if the greenery in the Tauer is more sappy and even more outdoor, like resting in the green grass, Grimore is more like reading the old book sitting on the terrace surrounded by the greenery. As a fragrance in the outdoor category,one can perfectly imagine a relaxing stay in the countryside wearing Grimoire. Other fragrances which conveys that relaxed outdoor feeling (even if not smelling alike) are for example Pafumerie Générale Papyrus de Ciane and Parfums de Nicolaï Week End a Deauville.

Grimoire is an intense perfume, it is strong with 24h longevity and should be applied carefully. It's sort of
addictive, the more I try it, the more I like it. Grimoire is a daytime casual, fragrance, unisex, leaning to the
masculine side. It's suitable year around except when warm in summer. For that season there is better to wear the more hayish, flowery, green L'Eau de Merzhin also from Lebreton.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, patchouli, musk, basil, moss, cedar, lavender, elemi, olibanum, cumin

måndag 6 juli 2015

Olfactive Studio - Panorama

Picture: Sheats Goldstein House, LA with panorama view
Photo: Miguel Sandinha, PR Olfactive Studio (c)
Panorama is the latest addition to the Olfactive Studio line. The green fragrance is inspired of the "urban jungle" and the amazing view from the famous Sheats Goldstein House, an extraordinary villa in Los Angeles. Panorama is created by perfumer Clement Gavarry.

Panorama starts green but not with the damp and moisty greeness that I associate with jungles. Instead it smells like some green Irish mist perfume, a cold, herbal, clover greeness, man cologne-ish in style. After a while Panorama gets warmer and spicier  and a gourmand note reminding me of the asian gourmand note in Neela Vermiere Creations Ashoka and also in  État Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes. Probably this is the wasabi note mantioned, but far away in strength compared to when eaten with sushi. There is also a light incense-pepper note lurking in the background and here there is something (minus some sweetness) that reminds me of Tauer Reveire du Jardin. After a while, cooler, fir-like,  greenery appears and once again Panorama feels very masculine. The basenotes is the most plesant part of Panorama, the blend has smoothing out, some almost flowery and earthy elements have joined the mix and suddenly I recognise an old acquaintance the rough and tough lady Balmain de Balmain which is much more distinct and interesting green blend compared to Panorama. Not much more is happening in Panorama, it's a safe linear, but quite different and a bit weird green blend which is almost refreshing in its apperance.

Picture: The Beautiful green liquid of Panorama
Photo: PR Olfactive Studio

Panorama is good for summer, office friendly. with close sillage and longevity for a day. Even if a unisex fragrance, to me it's more masculine which I also think of Balmain de Balmain which is marketed as a ladys fragrance.

Rating: 3

Notes: Bergamot, lemon, wasabi, violet leaves, fig leaves, galbanum, cardamom, freshly cut gras,  musk, vanilla, tonka beans, myrrh, labdanum, fir, patchouli

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the Panorama sample to test

måndag 16 september 2013

Neela Vermeire Creations - Ashoka

Picture: Ashoka in its sylish, Indian inspired bottle
Photo: PR Neela Vermeire Creations (c) 
Ashoka is the latest of  Neela Vermeires Creations and it will be released later this week. Thanks to Neela I've got the opportunity to test a sample of this intriguing fragrance in advance. Ashoka, as also the first three fragrances in the Neela Vermeire line, is created by the top perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. The inspiration to the perfume comes from an Indian Emperor Ashoka (304-232 BC) a qruel conquer who transformed to a relativley nice guy when he found Buddha.

Ashoka starts intriguing, there is a note that reminds me of lemon balm, which is not mentioned among the ingredients and there is also something thats reminds me of sandalwood. The fragrance has a slight spicy, green, almost foody character, much like green currypaste smoothed by coconut milk. This early stage of Ashoka reminds me of the context of (even if not smelling close) the gourmand (= Asian food, not sweeties) Etat Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu du riz et des Agrumes, but Ashoka is more distinct in style. After a while notes of figs, both leaf and fruit, enters. The fignotes are so well blended that they don't stand out separately, they contributes with their different ascpects of green, the smooth, milky fruit and the fizzy green of the leaves. Watery and a tad powdery floral notes adding additional dimensions to the the milky fig greenery and the mix is somehow calming and comforting. It's like resting in the shadow at the side of a pond in an oriental garden a very hot day. When Ashoka is settled in the base, the green balsam fir and the incense is dominating and in this phase Ashoka reminds me of Andy Tauers Reverie au Jardin but smoother and milkier in texture.

My overall impression of Ashoka is an oriental styled interpretation of Un Reverie au Jardin, green notes, incense and balsam fir is mutual and take central roles in both fragrances. When I wear Ashoka I think of it as an warm Un Reverie au Jardin.  Ashoka is spicier, smoother and warmer where Un Reverie au Jardin is dewy, balmy and aromatic with its lavander. Even if providing a mutual impression in style, the differences are are sufficient, Ashoka and Un Reverie au Jardin are sort of Yin & Yang, which complement each other in an excellent way.

Ashoka is a high quality fragrance in which naturals are predominant. Fig, insence and fir balm in a smooth, green context is dominating according to my nose. Ashoka is intriguing and there is always something going on during the whole dry down. The longevity is good 12h+ and the radiance is a bit louder  than most of the first Neela Vermeire trio Mohur, Bombay Bling and Trayee. According to my nose, even if  unisex, Ashoka is the most masculine from the Neela Vermeire Creations so far. Probably thats the reason, even if a very well done fragrance, why Ashoka doesn't click with my chemistry as well as the first three creations and the retro beauty Mohur Extrait which will be reviewed later this week. Ashoka is a must try for admirers of the Neela Vermeire Creations and for fine fragrances in general.

Rating: 4

Notes: Fig leaf, leather, white and pink lotus, mimose, fig tree, osmanthus, rose, water hyacinth, vetiver, styrax, incense, sandalwood, myrrh, tonka bean, balsam fir

Ashoka and the other Neela Vermeire Creations could be bought directly from Neelas E-Boutique
I can recommend the discoveryset.

lördag 20 juli 2013

Fragrance(s) of the week (29) 2013 - Green &herbal

Here we are in the middle of the summer.Almost every year I have started long for the dark orientals of the autumn & winter by now but this year I'm more in tune whith the season and like to wear herbal and green perfumes such as:
 My SOTD Reverie au Jardin a bit neglected and forgotten Tauer.Green incense  lavandel herbal dry beauty, the always so wearable Cologne Friction from Parfums Nicolai, the salty, musky galbanum of Balmain Vent Vert (I appreciate the new version more and more) and the cotton clean galbanum of Coton Egyptien from Phaedon. Overall I like the unsweet and natural in style fragrances at the moment but theses preferences will probably change soon...

torsdag 5 maj 2011

Andy Tauer - Zeta

Picture: Winter-Linde, Franz Eugen Köhler,
Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen 1897, Wikimedia Commons,
some rights reserved (cc)

Going out, wearing Zeta and I was immediately attacked by a wasp. A wasp with superior taste. Beacause Zeta really is the essence of linden blossom, like linden just in bloom in a cloud of a light green-yellow nuance.

Zeta is the first parfum that is a part of Andy Tauers new line "Collectibles". As Zeta and the coming fragrances contains most natural ingredienses the different batches of the perfumes will smell partly different. Just like different years of a certain wine. A cleaver way to refine the business, if someone really fells in love whith one (or many : -) of the Collectibles that person probably will test blendings from differnt years of the favorite.

On my skin Zeta is a uncomplicated liniear one note perfume. But that note, the lindenblossom is not very common in perfumes. And of course there are lot of other ingredienses so well blended that my nose can't separate them and togeather they bring the brilliant image of linden blossom. Zeta is blended from what seems to be high quality, most natural ingredienses. It's the ultimate daytime spring/summer scent. There is almost no traces of the typical Andy Tauer basenotes the "tauerende" in Zeta, only for a very short moment i could smell a wisper of the base, somethin  in common with  the incense in Reverie du Jardin but much, much ligther and more transparant. Zeta has medium stayingpower on my skin. The only fragrance with some amount of linden blossom that I can remember I have tested is Parfums DelRae:s Dèbut. Dèbut is in my opinion heavier and smells more like some bubble bath product.

As I'm more in dark and dramatic fragrances Zeta is not completely my cup of tea. I like the typical heavier and darker Tauer-style more. But Zeta is a very beautiful, unusual, high quality fragrance and I can recommend it to everyone who is searching for the ulitmate spring-/summerperfume.

Rating: 3 (should be higher if Zeta was my style of perfume)

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, sweet orange, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, neroli, linden blossom, rose, orris root, vanilla, Mysore sandal.