The Vagabond Prince - Enchanted Forest

Picture:The beautiful artwork bottle of Enchanted  Forest
Photo: PR The Vagabond Prince (c), all rights reserved 

Enchanted Forest is a 2012 Bertrand Duchaufour creation for the new perfumehouse The Vagabond Prince  founded by the very creative founders of Fragrantica , Elena and Zoran Knezhevich.

Enchanted Forest is an unsual fragrance, centered around the black currant accord. Even if black currant and its buds, are frequently used in different fruity and fruity green accords, that the blackcurrant rarely is the mainplayer. Another fragrance where this is the case is Lalique Amethyst which I havn't smelled. The initial accords of Enchanted Forest is like diving in a blackcurrant bush, the notes of the juicy    berries and the green tart leaves are very natural, luminous and vibrant. Probably the aldehydes helps to lift the black currant, with its intensity it could otherwise easily be cloying. When Enchanted Forest dries down in the middlenotes, the blackcurrant calms down but is still easily recognizable as the mainnote. Green light woody and fizzy notes as vetiver, pepper and especially coriander sparkels offsetted by some smooth flowery notes that just balances the blend and plays in the background. The base are slight musky dark but not heavy with distinct tart woody (fir,cedar) and resinnotes. There is also a transparant, fresh earthy, patchoulinote combined with a slight animalic vibe. The sweet notes are very subdued and not recognizable as separate notes, but they create a softness that balances the dark and  earthy woodiness.

Enhanced Forest is a fragrance that I think could be worn year around despite it evokes the image of a wild forest in early autumn to me, a cold, mossy dampness contrasted with the sunrays defying the high confiers and hitting the ground. Enhanced Forest as an idea and in its structure with green, aldehydic tartness, somehow reminds me of the earlier in 2012, Duchaufour creation for Aedes de Venustas with the same name, even if that one highlights the rhubarb.

Enhanched Forest is a strong fragrance that should be applied in moderation, if not, it could be overwhelming. The sillage is big to be a contemporary fragrance and longevity on skin is about 24h.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Pink pepper, aldehydes, sweet orange, flower cassis, blackcurrant leaf, hawthorn, rum, wine, rosemary, davana, blackcurrant buds absolute, blackcurrant, russian coriander seed, honeysuckle, rose, carnation, vetiver, opoponax, benzoin, amber, oakmoss, fir balsam absolute, patchouli, castoreum absolute, cedar, vanilla, musk.

Thanks to the Vagabond Prince for the sample to test.

Guerlain Mahora and Mayotte - Quick comparison

Picture: Mahora in its special tropical styled bottle and box
Photo: PR Guerlain (c)

As wellknown among perfumenerds the warm and full tubereusedominated tropical flower Guerlain  Mayotte in the Parisienne line (bee-bottles with a ribbon on its neck) created 2006 by Jean-Paul  Guerlain is said to be the same (or almost the same) as the Y2K creation of Jean-Paul Guerlain Mahora in the regular line, I think it's discontinued since many years. As mentioned in an earlier post, I received a sample of Mayotte from fellow perfumeblogger Fragrantfanatic to compare with Mahora.

Picture: Mayotte in the Parisienne bottle
Photo: PR Guerlain (c)

Accomplish a side-by-side test of the two I can conclude they are not the same fragrance even if very close to eachother. I suspect that Mayotte is a "lightweight" further development of Mahora, a adjustment to the taste to smoother and more discrete perfumes during the later years.  Compared to Mayotte, Mahora is shrill and loud with some almost vegetale (on the verge to decaying) notes, more in the style of a 1980s perfume. Mayotte is smoother, fuller more discrete and elegant in apperance and therefore easier to wear, a comfortscent that could be used anytime. Wearing Mahora you have to be in the right mood. All in all: The two fragrances are so close that one just have to own one of them. Below I insert the comment from Fragrantfantic the other week as she nails it when she conveys her impressions:

"I did try the Mahora yesterday by itself and it is similar (as in containing the same notes) as Mayotte but it's definitely not the same. The beginning is harsher and trashier, a metallic note is more pronounced and I don't get any gardenia. The drydown is longer and very similar the heart of Mayotte. Next step is to wear them side by side, we'll see if I stick to my words by then :)"

Notes:

Mahora: Orange blossom, almond blossom, green accords, ylang-ylang, neroli, tuberose, jasmine, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver 

Mayotte: Neroli, frangipani, tuberose, indian jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver

Fragrance(s) of the week (21) 2013 - That note

Photo: Parfumista (c)

 ....or maybe it's an accord. In perfumes featuring different flowers created during the latest one - two years there is a special scent that is tart, putty (moisty but in the same time powdery) slight musky basenote that I like much. As this note/accord has been increasingly frequent during this time period, I suppose that it's compliant to the coming regulations and just like oud has been a sort of substitute to filling  the void left after the banned oakmoss. I find this note/accord more or less pronounced in for example Chanel 1932 (with jasmine), Oriza L.Legrand Oeillet Louis XV (with carnation) Grossmith Amelia (with peony), Puredistance Opardu (with lilac) and Parfums MDCI Chypre Palatin (retro oriental slight spicy contemporary chypre). So there is just to choose what supplementing note one prefers.

M.Micallef - Royal Vintage

Picture: Robert Comte de Montesquiou-Fézensac (1855-1921)
Painting by Giovanni Baldini (1842-1931)

Royal Vintage is a fragrance intended for men in the M.Micallef Exclusive line. Royal Vintage is created by the M.Micallef housenose Jean-Claude Astirer. The fragrance is presented in an exclusive bottle, designed by Martine Micallef. The review is written from impressions mediated by the, when it comes to fragrances, fussy Mr Parfumista who has performed the testings of Royal Vintage.

Royal Vintage starts familiar classy cologne notes, similar to Geoffery Beene Bowling Green but more delicate and smoother in structure. Then a soft but in the same time slight fizzy, pink peppercorn note appears giving sparkle to the blend. There is also a dry, almost papery note apperant in this stage, not as strong and intense as the papyrusnote in Gucci Pour Homme, which also appears in a sweeter and spicier context than the cool and clean papernote in Royal Vintage.

When reaching its heart, Royal Vintage smells like the image of a clean and freshly ironed shining white linen napkin and tablecloth where an elegant gentleman just had lit a fresh cigarette made of high quality tobbacco. This accord, probably it's the among the notes mentioned cypress that creates the clean linen impression and the soft and smooth leather the fresh cigarettenote, is wellbalanced and lasts during the whole drydown, slight deepening in the basenotes. Overall the compostion evokes the image of a dandy.

Picture: Royal Vintage by M.Micallef
Photo: PR Parfums M.Micallef

The sillage of Royal Vintage is medium, it's clearly present during the whole dry down, could not offend anyone in its understated elegance. The longevity is amzing for a fragrance of this transparent character, Mr Parfumista tested Royal Vintage during a whole day performing heavy physical activity and Royal Vintage were still clearly present after 12h+ and on cloth for days. After a day of officewearing it was still there 24h later. I have read some opinons that Royal Vintage is close to Creed Aventus which I can't comment about as I havn't smelled that one. I think Royal Vintage smells of itself and that it's an excellent scent.

Royal Vintage really deserves its name, with its understated elegance, its well balanced precense and longevity this would perfectly match (even if not dandy-like) my favourite royalty H.R.H Prince Daniel in his daily duties. Until the princely nose will detect this gem, Royal Vintage will serve under anything but royal circumstances in Mr Parfumistas office, because for once, he has found something he judge as full bottle worthy.

Update January 2015: Mr Parfumista is testing Creed Aventus and his conclusion is that the Creed, even if a good perfume, is sweeter and more "perfumery"/pungent than Royal Vintage. As Mr Parfumista comments: "If I haven't already known and owned the much more distinctive Micallef, I had probably considered Aventus",

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, pink pepper, cypress, leather, patchouli, musk

M.Micallef - Ylang in Gold

Picture: Vintage Cote d'Azur PR poster 

Ylang in Gold is a truly delicious, luxurary, creamy, fruity, floral from french nichehouse M.Micallef situated in Grasse. Ylang in Gold is created by the "housenose" Jean-Claude Astier and as all Micallefs presentated in a artful bottle this one with shimmering gold, created by one of the two founders of the house, Martine Micallef. The juice itself is avaible in two versions: One goldshimmering and one plain transparent version.

Ylang in Gold starts amazing with an accord that smelle like a golden nectar. Creamy fruity notes, sprinkled with uplifting citrus and an almost liqour like note paired with coconut and slight green notes offsetting the sweetness. The flowers in Ylang in Gold is smooth, rounded and sweet yellow  in appearance (even if not yellow in reality), just as the protagonist of the fragrance, the warm, sweet and sunny ylang-ylang. The base is musky in a wellbalanced way with a damp mossy note offsetting the warm and sweet coconut, vanilla and sandalwood in the base. The whole composition is linear in style, extreamly pleasing and comfortable. Despite Ylang in Gold is consisting of powerful notes, the fragrance is surprisingly transaprent and subtle, sometimes almost not detectable for the wearer even if other can smell it. Ylang in Gold reminds me of a classic powerful floral-fruity-oriental from the early 90s, Chopard Casmir but in a current more transparent, smooth and less sweet interpretation. Casmir is louder, sweeter, darker and heavier with its vanilla-resin base   but there is a chord that smells very similar that goes through both of these fragrances.

Picture: The beautiful  presentation of the delicious Ylang in Gold
Photo: PR Parfums M.Micallef, (c) all rights reserved

Even if a symphony of pleasing sweetness, Ylang in Gold manages to lend over to the not too sweet territory. Ylang in Gold is very well crafted, highquality ingredients is used and it evokes true comfort and perfection, it is almost to perfect, there is no surprising twist hidden in the compostion. But that could be just ok for days when the wearer just need an elegant and caring fragrance, not a challenging one (as my favourite Micallef so far Le Parfum Couture Denis Durand for M.Micallef) that  requires constant attention. The image of the sunny south that the fragrance evokes, make it suitable for wearing in the summer and it has sufficient dept and longevity to last also during a hot summerday.

Ylang in Gold is a shining, yellow fragrance, casual chic, mediating a happy and sunny Cote d'Azur impression. Its texture reminds me of the cocosnutty and creamy character of the dessert gourmand Unkown Pleasures from Kerosene. I also think that those who like Estee Lauder Bronze Godess/Azuree Soleil will appreciate Ylang in Gold. And of course, fans of the original Hanae Mori, with the same name, as that 90s fruity-floral has similarities with Chopard Casmir from the same era.

Rating: 4

Notes: Peach, lichi, tangerine, fruity notes, geranium, sage, rosemary, artemisia, bitterorange, ylang-ylang, rose, lily of the valley, magnolia, mint, sandalwood, musk, moss, vanilla, coconut

Fragrance(s) of the week (20) 2013 -Random perfumeimpressions

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Havn't anything thought out to say perfumewise this weekend so here comes some random perfumeimpressions .

Samples that I ordered from Aus Liebe zum Duft  swiftly arrived during the week and some is already in testing on myself or familymembers. Impressions:

From the descriptions of the fragrance, Lostmarc'h Iroaz is a wild rose from the rosebushes of the shores of Brittany. This is a sort of airy, like the moist seaair, pink rose. Reminds me of the roses in Jean Patou Un Amour de Patou and Montale Crystal Flowers. A wearable, non-sweet rose.

Speaking of Montale, yesterday I couldn't resist trying one of the Montale samples I've ordered. Have sampled so many light, springappropiate fragrances the latest weeks (June will be a light fragrances reviw month) I now long for heavier stuff. Aoud Ever is a quite recent Montale blend that seems to consist of some Aoud Lime at the start lime but here added whith a dose of lemon which dominates the citric part. Then one of my favorite Montales, Amber & Spices appears but in Aoud Ever the peppery notes in the spicy mix are a bit more prounonced and are resting on a base dominated by sandalwood and of course oud.

Mr Parfumista is testing the new Comme des Garcons Black.Starts as a powerful fragrance containing elements of some other of Mr Parfumistas CdG favorites, the cool cypress and pine-like notes of Kyoto and the balsamic spice of Jaisalmer. There are also notes that resembles of a weaker and short lived version of the rough, almost burned leathernotes of one of Mr Parfumistas top favorites ever: Mona di Orio Cuir.

Myself is sampling the new Andy Tauer Noontide Petals. Starts as the powerful Incense Rosé but calms down very soon and then smells like a dimmed version of Incense Rosé with powdery accents. As the Incense Rosé accords tuning out, but still remains in the background, aldehydic flowers appears and the composition becames weak compared to the first half of the dry down. Nice fragrance but a bit messy in the same almost chaotic way as Histoires de Parfums L'Olympia Music Hall ie both these frags somehow intermediate an impression of don't be able to decide what direction to have. As I like or love almost every Tauer creation released so far, I definitly will give Noontide Petals further trials. Update May 28 2013: There was a beautiful scent lingering in a pashmina which I suspected was traces of Noontide Petals and today I have tested Noontide Petals again. This time in a lower dose than before and that was the trick. Today the fragrance was neiter messy or chaotic in the later drydown just perfect powdery, a bit soapy notes that embeds a typical Tauerstyled  accord, most similar to Incense Rosé mixed in the smoothness of luxury aldehydes. Contemporary elegance and in the same time comfort. Great, this is a 5 rated perfume for me and unfortunaly a new lemming!

Sniffing on a napkin saved since the lunch with Fragrantfanatic this Thursday where there are dots of different fragrances from the spanish house Oliver & Co. from a discoveryset that FF has borrowed from another parfumista. One of the M.O.U.S.S.E fragrances stands out from the fragrancedots and I think it's the first Mousse where the clove is very  pronounced and combined with balsamic spice as in Jaisalmer. This one could really be something! Also the balsamic dot that I think is Resina and La Colonia appeals to me. Overall, Oliver & Co. seems to be a house to explore further.

As Fragrantfanatic recently has visited Paris and there acquired a bottle of Guerlain Mayotte I'm now a happy owner of a vial of this that would be compared with its precursor Guerlain Mahora. And as FF now has a sample of Mahora, it will be very interesting to compare our findings from our respective coming side-by-side tests of these two heavy, tropical Guerlains.

Oriza L.Legrand - Déjà Le Printemps

Picture: The Return of Spring (Le Printemps)
Oil on canvas by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1886
Wikimedia commons

Déjà Le Printemps is the fourth fragrance in the great Oriza L.Legrand collection that I had the pleasure to try. Reviews of the others Rêve d'Ossian, Relique D'Amour and Oeillet Louis XV are published already published the latest months. The fragrances are created by Elisabeth Feydeau.

Déjà Le Printemps is just what the name indicates, a spring fragrance. A beautiful, lasting and unusual green fragrance. The marketing blurb is just on the spot:"A promenade in the wood awakening from a long winter sleep. Morning dew is glistening like a beads on a wild grasses which exude fresh flavor. The sun rises and its rays awaken wet flowers and fragrant leaves of fig trees swaying by wind. Tree buds swollen with young leaves, flower buds ready to bloom, and the earth, with its smell of turf and twisted roots, full of vitality. The first lilies of the valley reveal itself. It’s spring awakening. Spring has come."

Déjà Le Printemps starts with the green smell of the crisp, green, leaves of flower bulbs accompanied by fresh, light green grass. This green smell is almost always a bit sharp but in DLP the leaves are embedded in a note tha smells like a delightful, soft  suede. This suede accord I could recognize in a rougher and bolder presentation in for exmple Ava Luxe Film Noir.

As DLP dries down the suedenote recedes step by step and the green accords becomes  more spakling and radiant. There is also an almost tart crisp flowery note with a touch of orange which I can image as hints of  Lily of the Valley and orangeblosssom. There is alsosome alomst herbal green flower which could be the clover mentioned among the notes. Overall the flowery notes are playing in the background balancing the fresh leaves and grass. When DLP settles in the basenotes, the suede note slowly appears again, accompanied by deeper green notes as moss and vetiver.

Déjà Le Printemps is very uplifting and joyful to wear. It evokes the impression of sun even if grey outside. Therefore it's suitable not only for spring and summer, it's also comforting during the darker and colder months.

Those who like fragrances as Puredistance Antonia, Balmain Vent Vert and Ivoire, Chanel No 19 Edt, Parfums de Nicolaï  Week-End à Deauville (swe) and Van Cleef & Arpels First will certainly also like the gem (emerald) Déjà Le Printemps.

Rating: 5

Notes: Mint, orangeblossom, chamomile, fig leaves,clove, mown grass, lily of the valley, galbanum, musk, vetiver, cedar, moss

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of Déjà Le Printemps

Oriza L.Legrand - Oeillet Louis XV

Picture:Portrait of Louis XV of France (1710-1774)
Maurice Ouentin de La Tour 1748

Oeillet Louis XV is a multilayered and fascinating fragrance from the  venerable perfumehouse Oriza L.Legrand,established 1720. Oriza from gold (or) and rice (riz) as the house started as provider of ricepowder to the whigs which were fashionable at that time. Normally I'm no fan of carnation fragrances but Oeillet Louis XV is the fragrance that could change this (or is the exception) because it's by far the best carnation fragrance I have tested.

Oeillet Louis XV starts with a natural smelling carnation. It's the scent of a fresh and crisp carantion, just picked. The spicy facets of carnation are perfectly balanced and also feels very natural. The carnation in the opening I image as bright red  followed by likewise fresh white and pink carnations in the middlenotes. In this part the carnations are counterbalanced of some cold flowers, white lily and iris. In the basenotes the carnation is darker, the spicier clove appears. The notes interacting in the base together creates a light note reminiscent of  licorice which is very pleasant. The texture of  the whole drydown of Oeillet Louis XV
is powdery and smooth silky with a slight tart note that balances the dry, spicy carnations. When smelling Oeillet Louis XV  it is easy to image the dry ricepowder for the hair, whigs and skin as also the colorful costumes of the rocooera. This is the fragrance of Madame de Pompadour, the most famous of Louis XV:s mistresses, a fragrance for daydreams and nostalgia.

Picture: Full-length portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour
Pastelpainting by Maurice Quentin de la Tour between 1748-55

Oeillet Louis XV is all about carantion, an achivement that many fragrances mimicing this flower fails with. For example Vitroil d'Oeillet (in swedish) by Serge Lutens is more about iris-hyacinth-rose and  lacking the natural freshness. Maître Parfumeeur et Gantier  Soie Rouge is fruity and the carnation note is a bit too weak and fleeting. Both the mentioned carnation fragrances also doesn't manage to keep the scent of carnation sufficiently until the end of the development.

It's seems as I'm wearing Oeillet Louis XV very well as I received compliments spontaneously when testing it and I also feel very comforable in this unusual fragrance. Finally I found the carnation for me :-)

Rating: 5

Notes: Pink pepper, mandarin white carnation, carnation absolute, white orchid, iris, rose, spicy clove rice powder, white musk, white honey, woody notes

Thanks to Fragrances & Art for the sample to test.

Fragrance(s) of the week (19) 2013 - Hurry up!

Picture: Miss Dior
Photo: PR Christian Dior (c)

When I a few days ago was reading  this scary entry on the parfumehistorian/perfumeexpert Octavians blog 1000Fragrances, I can not help feel contended with my perfumecollecting strategy during the latest 6-7 months. I have stocked up and complemented with some classics that I really like or think a "full" perfumecollection should contain.

Of course these classics have been reformulated many times since they first appeared but as I have understand from reading the experts as Octavian and Elena at  Perfumeshrine the new regulations will almost completely ruin many of the greats. So the latest half year I have neglected  investments in current perfumereleases, of course I have tested as many as always from samples, but as FB investments I have given the classics the total priority. And even there are some very nice stuff in the current releases tested, overall I get a greater experience with these by this operation salvaged classics as Dior Miss Dior (orginale but the version before the Orignale was added to the name) back-up bottle and Dolce Vita, back-up bottles of Thierry Mugler Angel, Guerlain Shalimar, Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleue and also the 2010 version of Yves Saint Laurent Opium to spare my ca 25 ml left of the vintage Edt-version.

Today, it's only 61 days left, so hurry up if you want to be sure to secure some of the perfumelegacy for your collection.........

Picture: Guerlain Mitsouko
Photo: PR Guerlain (c)

Burberry Body Edt vs Burberry Body Tender Edt

Picture: The Absinthe Drinker, 
painting  by Viktor Oliva 1901, in the Café Slavia, Prague
Wikimedia commons

There is no secret I'm a fan of the original Burberry Body Edp, IMO a very well executed mainstream fragrance with the  tangy absinthenote contrasting the heavy but somehow bright, flourishing, flowers. Since Body was released in 2011 there has been some flankers/formulas/concentrations of the fragrance. In this post I will compare two of them: The Edt version from summer 2012 and the Tendre version from this spring. Both, just as the original Body fragrance, are created by Michel Almairac.

The Burberry Body Edt starts with a sparkling appledominated accord which is fresh and inviting, not too sweet. The typical Body absinth accord is present but very subdued comparing to the original and Tendre.
But soon, on my skin anyway, Edt becomes week and I it's mostly about some pleasant but quite indistinct contemporary musky floral with some crispy applenote. After a while, my favoured absintenote comes back in the game but just as subdued as in the topnotes. In this stage it smells like it's embedded with powder, which is pleasant but not interesting enough to my critical nose. The Edt continues like that, nice and pleasant, during the rest of the dry down, adding some nice chalky notes in the base.

The Burberry Body Tender Edt is another story. It starts up with heavy on my favourite absinthe-flower accord, this time featuring a medium pink rose. There is a pleasant tartness from the absinthe and there is also like the steams and leaves of the rose have been blended with the absinthe and this further strengthens the tartness. As Body Tender dries down some of the appelnote from Body Edt appears as a contrasting, sparkling effect to the rose and absinthe. The by me favoured tart note continues during the whole drydown and deepens and get darker in the moderate musky base.

Overall the Edt version is more polite, fruitier, more powdery, weaker and the absinthenote is much tuned down compared to the Tender-version. I prefer the latter and would happily wear it as a summerBody if a bottle fell from the sky.

Rating: Burberry Body Edt : 3,  Burberry Body Tender: 4

Notes: Burberry Body Edt: Green apple, peach, absinthe, rose, sandalwood, tea, musk, cashmere woods, amber, vanilla

Burberry Body Tender: Lemon, apple, peach, absinthe, rose, tea leaves, jasmine, sandalwood, cashmere woody accords, vanilla, musk, amber

Rosenotes in a haste

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Recently I have been hit by a sort of roseobsession and when reviewing Grossmith Saffron Rose I felt the urge to sniff some fragrances in the same category ie orientel styled or inspired roses and also clean rosesoliflores. Here are the impressions from what I smelled from the teststripes:

Rose Absolue (Annick Goutal): The truest and cleanest rose, mixed of rose absolues from six different rosetypes. This is like diving in an ocean of rosepetals, experience all the different facets of the scent of roses:  Fresh, green and steamy,dewy, smooth, spicy and velvety. Natural, elegant and relaxing. The reference rosesoliflore.

Taif Roses (Montale):The house of oriental styled roses is of course Montale.There are countless variations where the rose are more or less prominent compared to the other notes, usually oud. Taif Roses is a rosesoliflore, where the rose is supported with some of the leaves and steams which creates a slight rubbery note and a very light lemony note in the top.

Highness Rose (Montale): Dark, velvety, intense, lush and fresh red roses. This is THE rosesoliflore, grand in its "simple" apperance. A regal perfume.

Roses Musk (Montale): A crispy and peppery red rose blended with musk. Radiant and with a great sillage. This one has to be sparely applied.

Aoud Rose Petals (Montale): Saffron and a bright medium pink rose mixed in a delicious creamy combination refreshed by green cool geranium and anchored in a proper dose of oud and other precious woody notes.

Aoud Queen Roses (Montale): The most "perfumery" like rose fragrance in the group. Here there is a red rose which is darker, smoother and the oud  is more pronounced than in Aoud Rose Petals. A slight leathery note is also appearing, almost integrated with the dark rose.

When sniffing side by side on scentstripes there is very evident  how different the scents really are despite the common denominator the rose, and some cases also the oud. And this seems to be a general observation: Fragrances from the same family that seems to be similar when first smelled, mostly appears to be quite different when investigated more in detail.

Fragrance(s) of the week (18) 2013 - Perfumetreasures in the North

Picture: The City of Sundsvall, Sweden,
Engraving ca. 1690-1710, Erik Dahlberg, Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, Wikimedia Commons

In the City of Sundsvall,a coast town almost in the middle of Sweden, there is a little fragrancetreasure: Fragrance & Art - a niche-perfumeshop with some very rare nichelines carefully selected by the owner who has just an excellent nose snifffng up so many intriguing fragrances. Within niche, even if carrying different styled lines, Fragrance & Art has a special focus on reconstructed historical brands, fragrances inspired by the history and also vintagestyled fragrances.As there are genres that I truly appreciate and find intriguing, combined with the excellent taste of the owner of Fragrance & Art, I always know that samples from there will be a pleasure to test. The first screening consistent with my taste is already done and I can concentrate on the best ones.

Picture: Les Eaux de Toilettes de Historiae
Photo: Historiae (c)

This week,I have started my sniff through a line that I havn't heard of before, a french line called Historiae, focusing on fragrances that intermediate different eras of the French history. This delicate fragrances are light in style Edt:s and despite that, distinct in character and with good longevity, good choices for the coming summer. Four of five fragrances are created by the great nose Bertrand Duchaufour and taken that into account, the line is quite reasonable priced ca EUR 25 for 15 ml and ca EUR 49 for 50 ml. Reviews will follow later.

Luckily for those who want to try some unusual fragrances, Fragrance & Art has a webshop with sampleservice and shipping around the word.

By Kilian - Flower of Immortality

Picture: Peach Blossoms  (1878)
Oil on canvas by Winslow Homer
 Wikimedia commons

Flower of Immortality is the third installment in the By Kilian Asian Tales line. FoI is, like most of the Kilians, created by Calice Becker. The Asian Tales line is aimed to the asian market and features subtle, transparant fragrances as these type of fragrances is said to be preferred there. The first two fragrances of the line were the elegant but in the same time refreshing Water Calligraphy and Bamboo Harmony.

Flower of Immortality starts with mouthwatering topnotes of peach (the fruit) accompanied by a note that feels like peachblossom. The peachnote is very realistic and I havn't smelled peachblossoms but I can image a scent like this. This is the best peachaccord since MDCI Parfums Peche Cardinal even if that one is denser and a bit darker in its peachy loveliness. In the middlenotes the peaches calms down but is still clearly present when the contrasting, cool iris accompanied by a subtle rose appears. There is not the carrotsmelling earthy iris, which surprises me as according to the list of ingredients there is also carrotseeds in the blend, the iris is clean, powdery and polite, just as the texture of FoI in the middle and basenotes. I also think that the tonkabeen mentioned among the ingredients adds a powdery warmth to the fragrance.

Picture: By Kilian Flower of Immortality
Photo: PR By Kilian

Flower of Immortality is a polite, elegant, refreshing, officefriendly and easy to wear fragrance, perfect for spring and summer especially for days when the only wish perfumewise is to be ensured smelling very good. In some way FoI is almost too perfect, it smells so good, is so wellconstructed and is so wellbehaved that I suspect the wearer could be a bit bored if wearing this to often. The only drawback is that FoI fades away quickly and is just a too faint trail of the scent after a few hours.

Rating: 4

Notes: White peach, carrot seeds, iris, black currant, rose, tonka bean