Anatole Lebreton - Incarnata

Picture: Incarnata
Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

Incarnata which is the latest Anatole Lebreton creation starts with a very true, dry, dusty,  powdery, not so sweet lipsticknote, that sort of vintage lipstcknote, a scent I'm remember since childhood. Cosmetic notes is also the theme for this intriguing, retroinspired perfume. It has a putty lipstick texture but is not as violet-rosy as Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose or sweet and dirty as Etat Libre D'Orange Putain des Palaces. After a while, there is a note appearing which smells close to cummin, but not the sharp varity, this is sort of a smooth versio. There is also hints of something similar to cough syrup but in a positive way. As Incarnata dries down, a smell that resembling the image of the texture of a thick, transparent, cold fluid appears: A splendid, deep myrrh, not as dark as in Huitième Art Myrrhiad but also not as airy as in Serge Lutens La Myrrhe, here it's almost the myrrh from Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires. The result of the myhrr mingling with the powdery notes is brilliant; the cosmetic notes becomes enlighted and almost refreshing.

Incarnata is a suitable perfume for a evening out in the opera or in the theatre. It's sort of sophisticated, robust with hidden secrets, like an untidy apartment hiding behind the perfect facade of a buildning on a posh street. It's an intriguing perfume which shifts during its development and evokes different images. The sillage is medium and longevity is very good with clear traces remaining after 24h. To me Incarnata is a very feminine perfume.

Like the other Anatole Lebreton fragrances I have tested, Incaranta is intriguing, well made and stands out in the flood of niche releases. I would like to own a bottle of each and thankfully those fragrances are quite reasonable priced to be niche, 90 EUR/50 ml.

Rating: 4

Notes: Raspberry, violet, rhododendron, orris root, myrrh, rose, powdery notes, amber, suede, benzoin vanilla

Anatole Lebreton - Bois Lumière

Picture: Bois Lumière

Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

Bois Lumière is the third fragrance in the Lebreton line starts very honeyed, sweet and rough animalic, in an almost an unpleasant accord. But as almost always with strange beginnings of a fragrance, the rest is so much better.  Even if still dominating, the honeyed sweetness is toned down in the rest of the dry down, balanced with warm woody/resin notes, immortelle, hay and orange. A warm, glowing, sparkling and cosy fragrance, very special and comforting for grey days. In the base there is also a musky feeling wish sweeps through the overall warm impression as a refreshing, chilly, gust. A friend of mine finds that there is something in Bois Lumière that oddly enough is resembling accords of a fragrance in a quite different style, Chanel Cristalle Edt but with a thicker and denser texture.

Honey dominated perfumes are not common and the one I think of when wearing Bois Lumière is (of course) Serge Lutens Miel de Bois which I precieve as a more elegant alternative. Bois Lumiere is rougher and sort of rual in appearance, the bewitched forest shows another dimension. Bois Lumière is a fragrance which attracts compliments.

Bois Lumière is the perfect autumn, winter and early springfragrance. The sillage is medium and longevity outstanding, 24h. It's neutral unisex.

Rating: 5

Notes: Juniper, clary sage, mandarin orange, fir balsam, honey, rose, carnation, immortelle, beeswax, cedar, benzoin

Anatole Lebreton - L'Eau Scandaleause

Picture: L'eau Scandaleuse

Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

L'Eau Scandaleause is the second in the interesting perfumeline of Anatole Lebreton. L'Eau Scandaleuse starts with a dry, minimalistic, cold tubereuse not at all the big, lush, tropical varity, this is a windswept tubey of the north. The tubereuse is mingeling with a fresh, just tanned leather, with clear animalic, sort  of tart and tangy smell. The leather has not the rubbery, smokey structure as is common in many niche leathers, the leather in L'Eau Scandaleuse is clear, somehow clean and refreshing despite the animalic touch. On my skin the leather is the dominating note, well supported by the tubereuse. The interpretation of the leather is splendid, one of the most natural smelling leathernote I've experienced in a perfume. Every lover of leather perfumes has to test this one. L'Eau Scandaleuse is an excellent fragrance in the style and expression of Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse 3 Animale even if not smelling similar, the HdP is a warm immortelle tubereuse. The coldness of the leather reminds me of the almost stone-leather note of Etat Libre D'Orange Rien and the fluid coolness of Helmut Lang Cuiron in the old formula, havn't smelled the reissue.

L'Eau Scandaleuse is suitable to wear year around but not in the hottest day of the summer. It's an outdoor perfume, proper for the stable and riding out, with its powerful apperance. One has to be careful in applying before entering office. Longevity is, as all the Lebreton fragrances very good, about 24h and sillage is grand. L'Eau Scandaleuse is an amazing, intriguing perfume which triggers my imagination during the days of testing.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, peach, artemisia, tuberose, ylang-ylang, leather, castoreum, nagarmotha, oakmoss

Anatole Lebreton - L'Eau de Merzhin

Anatole Lebreton has founded his own fragrancehouse in his native part of France, Brittany. His perfumes are gathered under the slogan "Parfums de Liberté" and exudes a natural, carefree, sort of rual charm. Anatole is a collector of vintage perfumes, a perfume blogger and has also selling rare teas and fine chocolates.

Picture: L'eau Merzhin

Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

L'Eau de Merzhin is the first composition of Anatole Lebreton and the initial accords of this green, slight dirty perfume are just amazing: Smelling like a well managed, well maintained horsestable with the smell from the horeses themselves, combined by a very true  haynote, all emphasized by a light flowery breeze blowing into the open door of the stable a warm summerday. In the middlenotes the animalic impression decreases and green, grassy, galbanum, leafy and light flowery notes dominates with hints of fresh, humid moss and  tangy green notes in the base.  L'Eau de Merzhin smells like a sunny summerday in the forest, the bewitched forest of Merlin. A fullbodied spring and summer fragrance which make me think of the older version of Pierre Balmain Vent Vert, Parfumerie Generale Papyrus de Ciane, and the two Parfums de Nicolaï: Le Temps d'une Fête (for the tangy, green, flowers) crossed with Vie de Chateau (for the breezy haynotes).

Even if it seems to be dedicated for spring and summer, L'Eau de Merzhin is a strong fragrance with a solid texture which also make it appropriate for colder months. It's longevity is very good, unfragmented traces are left on skin after 24h. Sillage is big. L'Eau de Merzhin is unisex but leaning a step to the feminine side IMO.

Rating: 4

Notes: Galbanum, angelica, violet leaf, cassie, hawthorn, flouve, hay, tonka bean, orris, oakmoss.

5 favorites for spring 2016

Picture: Springtime, the first anemones
Painting of H.A Brendekilde (1857-1942)
Source: Blog of an art admier

It's May and full spring at last. This time of the year I always come to think about the romantic Heinrich Heine poem (from Dichterliebe) when I have to stay inside the office during the beautiful, ephemeral May days.

"Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
Als alle Knospen sprangen,
Da ist in meinem Herzen
Die Liebe aufgegangen.

Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
Als alle Vögel sangen,
Da hab' ich ihr gestanden
Mein Sehnen und Verlangen."

And now to the serious stuff: What to wear in this intense season:

Fleurs d'Oranger (Serge Lutens): The spring nights are often chilly and the days sunny and (quite) warm. Warm and sunny as the fullbodied Serge Lutens classic Fleurs d'Oranger. It's a staple neroli with deep, rounded flowers, some spices contrasted by a pleasant tnagy note.

Eau de Néroli Doré (Hermès): A splendid, neroli in the cologne style. Retro nostalgic but somehow contemporary, a touch of soapy with a very light metallic touch. I think it's inspiration from the first Hermès fragrance Eau d'Hermès. I can detect traces of the characteristic cumminnote but soft and wrapped in neroli. Maybe this is Jean Claude Ellenas tribute to the great Edmond Roudnitska, which I read somewhere was a mentor to JCE and also created Eau d'Hermès. Good longevity and sillage to be a cologne.

Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate (Hermès):  Good longevity and sillage to be a cologne. Tart, green/red like the steam of the rhubarb combined with a sort of fresh, wet, slight earthy note. I also sense a touch of what I think is a pink, crisp, light musky rose, but I'm not sure. This fragrance mingles very well with my skin and I recieve compliments. As with the neroli, good longevity and sillage to be a cologne.

Week End à Deauville (Parfums de Nicolaï): The salty sea meat the windswept forests near the coast. Green, mossy, minty, herbal and airy/watery/sandy with a crispy, white carillon of the small but sturdy Lily of the Valley. A wonderful interpretation of spring.

Déjè le Printemps (Oriza L.Legrand): The ulitmate springfragrance with crispy bulbflowers and galbanum. There is also a very light nectar-powder like note interacting with the sharper green notes which makes this to a delicous, sparkling, green almost springtime fragrance, a perfume for hte green fairy. A perfume for Tinkerbell.