Visar inlägg med etikett cardamom. Visa alla inlägg
Visar inlägg med etikett cardamom. Visa alla inlägg

fredag 22 februari 2013

Histoires de Parfums - Vici

Picture: Victory, Bronze quadriga on Wellington Arch, London, England
Photo: Kadellar (cc) Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved.

Vici is the third installment in the Julius Ceasar conquest inspired trio where houseperfumer  Gérald Ghislain examines different facetts of cardamom. The Veni, Vidi, Vici fragrances are a part of the Edition rare line.

As Vici is the scent of victory, my expectations were something powerful. Instead, Vici is a nice and comfortable fragrance with medium projection. The dominating note to me is incense, and here of course we have the connection to victory. In the Roman, as in many anciant cultures, and almost until today, incense is burned to celebrate victory. The incense in Vici is the dry, transparent and white (if I use a color to image the note) incense of one of my favourite incenses, Andy Tauers Incense Extreme. But in Vici the incense is tuned down some notches. The other note that is distinct to me is a iris very similar to the iris that  complements the tubereuse in the terrific Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse I Capricieuse. The cardamom? I can smell the note in the opening accord together with some flowery notes which together creates a herbal touch of the top. The iris and incense then stepping into the front with the incense getting more prodominant as longer the drydown proceeds to the balanced woody-musk base.

As Veni and Vidi, Vici is also a pleasant, wearable but not especially original fragrance, something that maybe could be expected from a Edition rare line. To me, the regular Hdp line is over all better and more original than the two Edtiton Rare lines. I almost get the feeling that the main work is done for the regular line and that some of what is developed during that process is recycled in the Edition rare line. But this is just a speculation.

Vici would be appreciated by those who likes incense fragrances but also some irises as the one mentioned above and also Hermés Kelly Caleche as KC has a flowery-green-vegetal texture that have similarities with the flowery aspects of Vici.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Angelica, cardamom, red fruit, basil, violet leaf, galbanum, aldehydes, iri, osmanthus, incense, celery seed, patchouli, musk, cedar, raspberry

onsdag 20 februari 2013

Histoires de Parfums - Vidi

Picture: Mount Ararat, photo by Elegant's, 
Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved

Vidi is the second installment in the Julius Ceasar conquest inspired trio where the houseperfumer/founder  Gérald Ghislain examines different facets of cardamom. The Veni, Vidi, Vici fragrances are a part of the Edition rare line.

Vidi, I saw: When smelling Vidi I could (maybe) image Julius Ceasar looking out from the high mountains over another Asia minor country to conquer. The air in the mountains is high and clear, the sun has just warmed up the flowers, grass and herbs which pleasant smells are carried with the wind. Of course this image appears just because I have read about the inspiration to the cardamom trio, but the image is quite reasonable. Just as Veni, Vidi starts with a true cardamomnote that is present during the whole development of the fragrance. But as Veni is darker, sweeter and almost gourmand, Vidi features smooth ozonic notes ie supporting, ozonic notes of the contemporary style, not the dominating, sharp ones of the 90s. The ozonic notes accentuate the cardamom and fresh flowers with a light herbal touch and Vidi feels brisk and sprightly in character. The flowery, cardamom, ozonic accords are prominent in different variations during the whole dry down. One variation is that somewhere in the middle of the day, saffron suddenly take the center stage for a while. In the basenote  the pleasant "plasternote" appears, the note that is distinct in for example Musst de Cartier Edt 90s version and Comme des Garcons Jaisalmer.

Vidi is a wearable and comforting fragrance that is suitable for both professional and casual, daytime wearing year around. The fresh impression makes Vidi suitable also for summer, unlike Veni which I can image will be a tad to sweet when the weather is warm. Projection is somewhere between low and medium and longevity is good, more than 12h.

Rating: 4

Notes: Cardamom, cucumber, ozonic notes, rose, cyclamen, saffron, immortelle, musk, amber, vanilla, blonde woods

måndag 18 februari 2013

Histoires de Parfums - Veni

Picture: Bust of Gaius Julius Caesar
 Photo by Andreas Wahra, Wikimedia commons

Veni is the first fragrance in the Histoires de Parfums "cardamom trio", fragrances that highlighting different aspects of cardamom. The fragrances are inspirated of the conquests of Julius Ceasar and his celebrated words "Veni, Vidi, Vici!" .Veni is composed by Gérald Ghislain, founder and perfumer of the house Histoires de Parfums and, together with Vidi and Vici, a part of the Editions Rare line of 2012. The theme of Editions Rare 2011 was (of course) oud.

Veni, "I have come" starts with a true smell of cardamom, followed by a light and sweet flowery impression supported by different spicy notes. The caradamom is present during the whole dry down of Veni and the unusual, slight flowery, dark, a bit moisty, spicy accord are resting on a bit peppery, contrasted with sweet and resin basenotes. Even in the basenotes the cardamom note feels as natural and the other spices acts like a wellblended warming background.

To be honest, Veni doesn't induce the picture of Julius Ceasar on expedition in faraway countries. My impression of Veni is drinking a nice cup of  chai tea and eating a soft cardamom cake a cold winterday.

Veni is suitable to wear at daytime, escpecially during the colder months. The sillage is close and the longevity about twelve hours.

Those who likes Phaedon Cendres de The and also Dzhari (even if cardamom here just is a supporting note), just as Hermès Un Jardin Apres la Mousson could, even if different cardamom interpretations, also appreciate Veni (and it's sisterfrags Vidi and Vici).

Rating: 3

Notes: Cardamom, cinnamon, galbanum, lavendel, tagete, saffron, guaiac wood, patchouli, vanilla, caramel, musk, amber, benzoin, oakmoss