torsdag 6 november 2014

Parfum d' Empire - quick reviews

Recently, I (and Mr Parfumista) tested some almost forgotten samples from the wellcrafted Parfum d'Empire line, all the samples is from the "old" line ie before the change in bottledesign.
Below some quick impressions:
Picture: Yuzu Fou (old bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Yuzu Fou: Citiric, kumquat and bitter orange notes contrasted with different bright, green notes such as bamboo and verbena. Creates a sunny and warm impression and a touch of something fizzy spicy as ginger. Goes much better with Mr Parfumistas skinchemistry than mine.
Picture: Osmanthus Interdite (old bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Osmanthus Interdite: This osmanthus is just lovely, it reminds me of another light and tender favorite but featuring another flower, ByKilian Imperial Tea.
Picture: Equistrius (old bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Equistrius: Strangely enough this is said to be an iris as it smells close to Antonio Visconti Rose Savage but on the other hand  neither the iris in E or the rose in RS are particularly clear or dominant, they are just parts of two elegant and well crafted fragrances.
Picture: Wazamba (old bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Wazamba: A gentle and unusually warm incensefragrance with some slight sweet, spicy notes. It is said to be inspired of Africa and I could agree as it has that warm and different twist compared to  the  austere styled cold european incenses. Great longevity.
Picture: Fougere Bengale (old bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Fougere Bengale: One of the best blond tobacco scents out there, smells pure and authentic as freshly harvested tobaccoleaves. A winner for Mr Parfumista.

Fragrance & Art carries the full line and have some bottles left of some of the Pd'E fragrances in the old styled bottles to the old considerably lower price.

måndag 3 november 2014

Parfum d'Empire - Cuir Ottoman (new & old version)

Picture: Sultan Selim III holding an audience in
front of the Gate of Felicity.
 
Oil on canvas, Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi, Istanbul,
Wikipedia commons
Cuir Ottoman is created by ISIPCA perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato for his own perfumehouse, Parfum d'Empire. Parfum d'Empire is a house that produces first class perfumes to decent prices (to be niche) also after the re-packing, and it also seems to, slight revison of the earlier fragrances. When it comes to Cuir Ottoman, revision is definitly the case at least to my nose when comparing the first version launched in 2006 with the new one.
Picture: Cuir Ottoman (old)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)
Cuir Ottoman starts leathery-floral, the newer one airier and with more flowers than the older one. After a while the old one becomes a bit smokey, supported by a rubbery note, slight similar to the rubber in Bulgari Black. The rubbernote is intricate and surpringly shifts between the rubber and a note similar to something to a flowery bubblegumnote. When the new version developes, the higher octaves of the scentscale and the more flowery impression remains. Instead of the rubbery note in the old version, I smell a note close to gunpowder balancing the flowerinfused leather. The new version is a tad more feminin in style, more elegant than the more masculine tougher and rougher old version, somewhat like the elegant Chanel Cuir de Russie compared to the masculine Knize Ten even if not smelling the same. As Cuir Ottoman dries down in the still leathery basenotes, I find new and old version becoming more alike than in the earlier stages, even if the old version is a tad more spicy and deeper.

Cuir Ottoman is a very good leather fragrance in the basic classic style that every fragrance wardrobe needs. Not demanding or or particularly innovative but a well made and well balanced leather in a timeless style. When writing this review, a grey autumn Sunday, I slightly prefer the old version, which with its a bit darker facetts is suitable for autumn and winter. But if the testing was performed in spring/summer I maybe would prefer the new version.
Picture: Cuir Ottoman (new)
Photo: PR Parfume d'Empire (c)
Cuir Ottoman is appropriate for most occasions (apart from working out) and seasons (though not in the hottest summer). Longevity is good, for more than a day, and sillage is somewhere between close to medium. To conclude, Cuir Ottoman is definitely a leather to consider when adding a classic "Cuir" to ones wardrobe.

Rating. 5

Notes: Iris, jasmine, leather, vanilla, tonka bean, incense

Thanks to Fragrance & Art  for a sample of the new version

lördag 1 november 2014

Blog Anniversary - 8 years today

Today it's eight years since my first entry (in swedish) on old "Parfumistans dagbok" = "The diary of Parfumista". It was about my long time passion for perfume, my first perfumememories of my mothers signaturefragance Dior Diorissimo etc. Looking back, if I had put all the effort that I put in blogging and the money spend in perfume in managening a stock portfolio instead, I would be halfway to be financially independent by now :-). On the other hand, I  probably would have smell less intricate.

Perfumes I crave and wear at the moment:


Guerlain L'Heure Bleue Edt & Edp (vintage): Both magnificent, Edt airier, drier and with an almost herbal touch, Edp dark and like velvet in texture, sweeter and with more flowery notes.

YSL Opium Edt (current): I love also the current formula, deep, spicy, dark woody. Perfect for fall and winter and with a excellent longevity.

Montale Aoud Red Flowers Edp: A non-oudy oud from Montales oud-line. Lipstick texture, tagets with traces of tobbacco. Sort of vintage feeling.

Farmacia SS Annunziata Gelsorosa Edp: The best jasmine (supported by orangeblossom and tubereuse) I have tested so far. Intensive and musky-animalic.

Chanel Cuir de Russie Edt: Powdery, aldehydic, leather, with a lipstick texture. Like the smell from inside an elegant purse.

Pictures above: PR Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, Montale, Farmacia SS Annunziata, Chanel (c)

PS: Out of nostalgia I publish this post at 14:02 PM exactly the same moment as the first entry eight years ago.

måndag 27 oktober 2014

Maria Candida Gentile - Noir Tropical

Picture: Noir Tropical
Photo: PR Maria Candida Gentile (c)
Noir Tropical is a vanilla, silght gourmandy fragrance from  italian perfumer Maria Candida Gentile whos fragrances, I appreciate very much. See reviews and other posts tagged MCG.

Starts with an vanillic accord which is almost chocolaty in the first stages. This part reminds me of old Trussardi Python but a smoother and gentler interpretation. The chocolade vanish after a while and a woody, slight rummy vanilla takes the centerplace. In this stage Noir Tropical reminds me of a mixture of Boucheron Trouble, the characteristic dry woody vanillanote, similar to the smell of old books, and the rummy vanilla of L'Artisan Parfumeur Havana Vanille/Vanille Absolument. After that there is not much more happening, Noir Tropical is a cozy plain vanilla, nothing original or challenging which is a bit disappointing as some of MCG:s first fragrances Sideris, Cinabre and Exultat are exactly just that. The longevity is for at least a day, the sillage is close and Noir Tropical is a perfect, not offending, perfume for the workplace. But as said above, no sensations. The name Noir Tropical to me recalls the image (or smell) of a dense night blooming, dark perfume, something with heavy flowers and vanilla and compared to that, Noir Tropical seems seems a bit lightweighted.

To summarize: A nice, and pleasant vanilla perfume which could be appreaciated by a much  wider audience than MCG:s earlist fragrances. A good sort of basic vanilla fragrance to consider I one needs a new one in this genre for the grey and cold months to come.

Rating: 3

Notes:  Bergamot, almond, vanilla, rum

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try

måndag 20 oktober 2014

Rania J. - T.Habanero

Picture: A close up of an orange Habanero chile pepper
Photo: 
Ryan Bushby (cc) Wikipedia commons,
some rights reserved
T.Habanero is the latest release from perfumer Rania Jounaeh who has created a collection of perfumes containing a high percentage of naturals. See  my reviews from spring this year.

T.Habanero starts with a blast of barnyard, strong, dark, and intensive. The barnyard accord is similar to tha same accord in Rania J. Oud Assam which is the one of Ranias earlier fragrances that most equals T.Habanero. It also have some traces of Rania J.s Ambre LoupAs T.Habanero dries down to its second half, the dirty notes almost disapperars and a distinct but not too strong tobacconote takes the centerplace. There is also a ligtht spicy impression which is rather cold and not warm in its character, probably it's the cardamom contributing to this. The pepper, is despite the name of the fragrance, not a dominating note, it's well integrated in the fragrance.

T.Habanero isn´t something new or especially orginal despite some challenging accords in the first part of the fragrance. Overall it's a nice and comforting perfume, perfect for the cold autumn and winterdays which are approaching. It's a strong fragrance so one has to apply sparingly to avoid overdoing. So handled it could be worn also in the workplace even if the style and character in my opinion is more casual, perfect for a walk in the woods in crispy autumn leaves.

The style is in the contemporary dark-resin-oudy with representatives as for example Puredistance Black, Parfums MDCI Cuir Garamante and Stephan Humbert Lucas 777  Black Gemstone. When comparing T.Habanero to Oud Assam, I think the latter is a better and more challenging composition.

Rating: 4

Notes: Cardamom, black pepper, sandalwood, olibanum, myrrh, oud, tobacco

måndag 13 oktober 2014

Parfum d'Empire - Corsica Furiosa


Picture: Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821),
another corsican furiosa.
Painting by  Paul Delaroche (1797-1856)
The latest addition to the highquality house Parfum d'Empire, Corsica Furiosa is a tribute to the ISCPA-trained perfumer and owner of the house Marie-Antoine Corticchiato native island Corsica. Corisca Furiosa, which features the mediterrian shrub lentisque, is an aromatic-green fragrance in its very own style , one hand dry, herbal, on the other green, leafy, crisp.

Corsica Furiosa starts with an accord which smells of dried herbs and gras over the sunbaked, hot, earth of a mountained, mediterrian island. There is also a note of smoke, as the smoke from a fire far away. A light spicy limenote is also present and is recognizable also in later stages of the fragrance. After a while a natural haynote appears and further in the dry down an almost animalic note, a pleasant furnote, appears. This stage reminds me of something in Musc Tonkin but softer and tuned down. In the basenotes a note clos to crisp, bulbflower leaves appears, probably the tomatoleaves but different handeled than in typical tomatoleave fragrances as Sisley Eau de Campagne and Joop! What about Adam. In this stage a light flowery element which reminds me of daffodil, enlighten this, taken as a whole, austere composition. This flowery note, the green note, the fur note and some of the hay with a slight herbal touch is what remains in the basenotes and lasts until the fragrance has dried down after 8-10 hours. There is also an element in Corsica Furiosa which reminds me of an accord in the base of Olivier Durbano Lapis Philosophorum.

Corsica Furiosa is gentle and close to the skin, it's light, almost as a cologne and could be re-applied during the day without any risk for overdoing it. It's a very casual fragrance but would also perform well in the workplace, especially in the scentfobic office. Corsica Furiosa is most intriguing in its first part, than its plesant and quite ok but with out the sensation of the first one third.

To me Corsica Furiosa is truly unisex but to be honest I think it wears better on me than on Mr Parfumista who tried it at first as I thought it would be more herbal bitter and masculine in style. Other fragrances which comes to my mind when testing Corsica Furiosa is Guerlain Cologne 68 which have some of the burnt, herbal mediterrian notes but is more flowery and sweet. The crispy bulbflower leaf is present in for example Pierre Balmain Vent Vert (older formula) and Oriza L .Legrand Deja le Printemps.

Rating: 4

Notes: Lentisque, hay, grass, lime, honey, moss, labdanum, mint, tomatoleaves, pepper

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test.

måndag 6 oktober 2014

Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Féminin Pluriel

Picture: Portrait of a young lady with a white veil,
oil on painting, unknown french painter ca 1800
Féminin Pluriel is the feminie part of the Pluriel compositions of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, with Francis himself as the nose. The masculine Pluriel will be reviewed in a coming post.

Féminin Pluriel starts with a bright, clean iris where the carrot is present but very well balanced, it never reaches the deep, rough, earthy territories like for example Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Soon bright and almost sparkling violets and roses apperars, I imagine the roses as elegant creme colored ones and the violets in a pale violet nuance. Further in the dry down the flowers mingels in a beautiful, bright and uplifting boquet, subtle, trasparent and very elegant like a creme colored silk chiffon scarf flapping in the wind or the veil of a bride.There is something the overall impression that reminds me of two Jean Patou fragrances: EnJOy and Un Amour de Patou, mostly of the latter. From EnJoy there is something similar from the basic structure, a contemporary chypre with a patchouli-vetiver base. EnJoy is rougher, louder and have some frutiy  notes (which mixed together reminds) me of pineapple, these notes are not present in Le Pluriel. The flowery light rosy bouquet is in the same style as in Un Amour de Patou, even if not smelling the same, they mediates a similar impression. A note that is distinguishable when  I'm wearing Pluriel is the Lily-of-the-Valley, the spontaneus reaction from the kids are "Your smelling like grandma" and as Dior Diorissimo is my mothers it signaturefragrance there must be the LOTV. Even further in the dry down, a very light powdery impression with a glimpse of a soft lipstick note, apperars and when reaching the base, the vetiver steps forward making Pluriel a tad greener. The vetiver is dry and gentle and not of the rougher, masculine kind, the patchouli is in the clean, contemporary style, which is not dominating the base, just adding some slight earthy dept to it. There is also a balsamic quality in the texture, not the smell, of the base, despite all traces of balsams and resins are missing in the composition. This "balsamic"quality is also present but more pronounced, in another MFK favorite, APOM Pour Femme. There is also something common in style, not much in smell, with Jour d'Hermès but the latter is greener, harsher, sharper and more tangy in its scent.

Picture Féminin Pluriel
Photo: PR Maison Fracis Kurkdjian (c)
Féminin Pluriel is a very wearable fragance, both for business and for pleasure including occasions that deamnds an elegant outfit and fragrance. The sillage is medium and the longevity for a day, and when wearing Pluriel one could be sure it's attracting compliments. Pluriel is not as complicated as the earlier MFK fragrances so it will probably reach a greater audience than the more extreme ones.

I was very curious to compare Pluriel PF with an other great Francis Kurkdjian composition of 2014: My Burberry and thought there would be more similarities than it really is. Pluriel is very clean, innocent without any dirty notes, compared to My Burberrys urban garden and asphalt notes, Pluriel is an unspoiled country girl where My Burberry is the casual chic and though city girl. Taken as a whole My Burberry has more interesting twists with the contratsing flowery and urban notes but Pluriel is much more beautiful and elegant. Just as with My Burberry, I find Féminin Pluriel to be one of the best and most wearable fragrances of what I have smelled from the 2014 releases.

Rating: 5

Notes: Iris, violet, rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, vetiver, patchouli leaf