L'Artisan Parfumeur - Rose Privee

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Rose Privee is the latest rosecomposition from the classical nichehouse L'Artisan Parfumeur. Rose Privee is a creation of Bertrand Duchaufour and Stephanie Bakouche. Earlier rosecentered fragrances from the L'Artisan are the dark and dramatic Voleur de Roses and the rose-violet powder Drole de Rose. Rose Privee is something in the territory in between despite the pink, rosy packaging which indicates a light and sheer pink rose.

Rose Privee has one of the strangest openings that I have smelled for years which is definitly positive in my book. When described it will probably not be perceived as positive but it is as the fragrance balancing on the edge to smell unplesant but don't turn over to the wrong side. Rose Privee starts with
the for roseoil typical rubbernote which very soon turns to the smell of warm tires and then transforms in something similar to the smell of catpee in dry, hayish grass. If separating the notes in this cat-accord I smell mandarine, hay and basil and it seems as theese notes blended evokes this fatal olfactory combination.

Picture: Rose Priveè
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

After this nose-catching and challenging start, Rose Privee in its middlenotes becomes a more ordinary, rose dominated, floral (lilac, magnolia) musky blend with both fruity and herbal accents which creates a slight schizofrenic fragrance which couldn't chose which personality to be. In the basenotes there are dark notes with a dry patchouli which smell almost like dry tobbacoleaves combined with traces of basil  and amber. The somehow messy and uncertain impression of the middle- and basenotes unfortunately offsets the edgy start of the fragrance and lowers the overall impression of Rose Privee.  In the middle and basenotes there is something that reminds me of Vero Profumo Rozy Edp, probably the rose-lilac combo. Despite its messy character and the fact it's a bit annoying (the same phenomen as in Coqullite Tudor) I think Rose Privee is better than its reputation, it has got some negative comments in the blogosphere.

Rose Privee is suitable to wear for non-casual occasions year around. Sillage is medium and longevity great, about 24h.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Basil, mandarine, hay, lilac, carnation, magnolia, may rose, violet leaves, patchouli, amber

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Téo Cabanel - Early Roses

Picture: Young woman in a rosegarden
Painting by Umberto Veruda (1868-1904)
Source: flickr.com

Early Roses is created by the inhouse perfumer of the venerable perfumehouse Téo Cabanel, Jean-Francois Latty some years ago. The Téo Cabanel house IMO create high quality, very wearable, natural smelling fragrances with timeless character, a house which should be tested by perfumelovers who likes the styles of the houses of Parfums de Nicolaî and Annick Goutal.

Early Roses starts with a perfectly balanced combination of pink dewy, heady roses and an smooth pink pepper which isn't sharp or dominating at all. There are also natural smelling, light woody notes with a smell which reminds me of some fresh cedarwood and most of all; juniperwood. The pink rose is dewy fresh without any tangy or souer nuances. This stage feels very natural and refreshing and also a bit rare as refreshing roseaccords often involves geranium which isn't the case here.

As Early Roses dries further down, a smooth, fluffy creaminess appears, also this accord is perfectly balanced, nor the musk or the touch of berries are overpowering or too sweet. It's like a clean, minimalist cream where high quality roses are melted down. The rosy creaminess is resting on a warming and golden glowing  amberbase with light woody nuances. The amber is also light, delicate and feels sort of natural, there is not the heavy ambroxstyle, which is present in many contemporary rosefragrances. There is also a pleasant, slight salty touch in the later stage of Early Roses, that creates a slight seaside impression, maybe a hint of ambergris.

Picture: Early Roses
Photo: PR Téo Cabanel

Fragrances which reminds me of Early Roses are for example Coquiliete Tudor for the rosy creaminess, where Tudor is not so well balanced and harsh and screachy in comperasion. A fragrance of high quality which comes to, my mind when wearing Early Roses in its later stages is Parfums de Nicolai Rose Oud which also has delicate ambery, woody, rosy basenotes.

Early Roses is a officefriendly fragrance for days when craving a delicate pink rose, regardless season. Sillage is medium and longevity for about a day.

Early Roses is a fragrance in the same transparent, elegant, flowery style as the latest release from the Téo Cabanel brand, the delicate white flower-tubereuse Lace Garden. Both fragrances could be equaled to olfactory Monet gardens.

Rating: 5

Notes: Jasmine, water, rose, pink pepper, musk, amber, wood

Coquillete - Tudor

Picture: Elisabeth of York, (1465-1503)
queen consort of England
Paining from ca 1500, unkonwn painter
Wikimedia commons

Tudor is said to be the last installment in the fragrance journey of french nichehouse Coquillete. There is no perfumer mentioned for Tudor.

Tudor starts with a pink,velvet rose carried by a fully ripe lemon, which create a fresh, fruity but not too sweet vibe of the fragrance. There are absolutely no harsh or sharp edges either from the lemon or from the rose. The rose smell  is the fresh petals, without the green leaves, steam and thorns.  One can imagine a noble lady relaxing a sunny, early summer day outside a heavy medival castle relieved that the "cousins war" or as we call it today, the war of roses was finally over.

As Tudor reach the middle, the rose and other notes mingles in a beautiful, creamy texture, smelling almost like the smooth rose-nailcream  (don't remember its name)   which my mother used decades ago and also told me that  her grandmother used. Going further in the drydown, Tudor suddenly becomes slight spicy and the pink velvet darkens. There are also earthy qualities apperaing, just as the moisty loam of the forestfloor  heated up by the warm sun contrasting the early summerlight and delicate green of the grass, bushes and  threes. In the basenotes Tudor continues in the light spicy, creamy style and also gets deeper and more balsamic in texture. There is a touch of amber added with light vanilla notes that together with the rest, creates a strange sort of  dark putty lipstick-accord, almost touching a smooth, dark leathery element. In this part there is someting (the dark lipstick) that reminds me of a pale version of the beautiful Rozy Edp from Vero Kern, part of the basenotes of that fragrance seems to be present also in Tudor. There is also a dark, slight herbal, medical note contrasting in the base, in this fragrance darker and ticker than in the archetype of medical roses, Parfume d'Empire Eau Suave. In the overoll context of the basenotes there is also something that reminds me of a feminie interpreatation of Frapin Nevermore, which I experience as a masculine rose. Tudor is, just like Nevermore, classified as unisex but to me it's much more feminine in style, for those who cares of genderclassifications. The longer Tudor dries down in the base the more sweet (like a deep dark frutiy retro candy note) but also, unfortunately, also indistinct and plain it becomes. The top-, middle- and early basenotes is the best and interesting parts of Tudor, in the second part of the basenotes nothing happens.

Picture: Tudor
Photo: PR Coquillete (c)

Taken as a whole, Tudor despite its shortcoming (compared to the earlier stages) in the late dry down, is an intriguing rose fragrance, developing from a innocent, creamy, pink and sunny rose to a darker variation with some not so innocent nuances. The fragrance  may actually serve as an olfactory portrait of the first Tudor queen, Elisabeth the Princess of York (the White rose) married to the Tudor (Lancaster the red rose) Henry, who bacame king Henry VII as the outcome of the civilwar and both parents to Henry VIII. Without any sharp edges and with its sort of retro sweetness, Tudor smells timeless and sort of mysterious natural, like a recipe of a brew  preserved since the days of the Tudors.

Tudor is suitable to wear year around, for any (non-sport) occasions. Sillage is medium and longevity for a day. This intriguing and timeless perfume also causing compliments to the wearer.

Rating: 3

Re rating 2018/2019: 4 + - this is a comfortable and easy to wear rose for everyday. It doesn't become boring, it has enough interesting twists. A rose suitable for fall and winter.

Notes: Rose, geranium, lily of the valley, amber, benzoin, soil, rosewood, labdanum, benzoin, grey amber, vanilla

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of Tudor

Coquillete - Tan-Tan

Picture: Sahrawi tribal men performing fantasia at the
Tan-Tan (Moussem) festival, Morocco
Photo: Maxim Massalitin (c), Wikimedia commons
some rights reserved

Tan-Tan is the first masculine fragrance (also classified as unisex in some sources) by the nichehouse Coquillete. Tan-Tan is, just like the first edition of four fragrances Sulmona, Sumatera, Moramanga and Herat, inspired of warm, exotic places.

Tan-Tan starts green and balmy with a note reminding of a smooth rhubarb, not as tart and dominant as in for example Aedas by Aedas de Venustas. The tartness is present during the whole drydown and balances the milky, figgy notes as also the pine and artemisia. The figgy notes reminds me of Neela Vermeires green Ashoka even if the latter is warm and foody in texture where Tan-Tan is clean and balmy in comparasion. In the middlenotes Tan-Tan becomes more aromatic/herbal and reminds me of the classic green, moisty chypre Givenchy Gentleman. In the basenotes a oily note appears, creating a chalky-earthy-petroleum impression resembling of a lighter and smoother version of the base of Kerosene Copper Skies. This oily accord is perfectly conterbalancing the creamy figgy note.

Even if Tan-Tan, just as the other Coquillete fragrances, is subtle in its apperance, it's suprisingly distinctive and longlasting. Mr Parfumista who was performing the test thanks to a sample from Fragrance & Art, found Tan-Tan very pleasant and easy to wear while also intriguing waiting for the next step in the development of the perfume. Appropriate to wear daytime the year around, non-offensive but in the same time, interesting officescent.

Rating: 4 (November 2013)

Update February 2014: The more Mr Parfumista tests this, he is now on the 2nd sample, the better this coconutmilky fig-frag is.

Rating. 5 

Notes: Pinetree, bergamot, fruity notes, artemisia, fig, cedar, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, carnation, coconut milk, fig tree, white musk, ambergris, sandalwood, leather.

Coquillete - Impressions of Herat & Moramanga

Picture: Coquillete minis
Photo: PR Coquillete (c)

My impressions of the fragrances of the Coquillete line is continuing today with short reviews of Herat and Moramanga:

Herat: Sort of well-behaved and fresh ELDO Jasmine & Cigarettes but without the off-putting old-cologne/dirty notes that I percieve from J&C. Herat is cigarettesmoke, jasmine, fresh tobacco-and balsamic notes, the incense and the other fumes are rather quiet to my nose. When Herat dries down it takes an unexpected twist, suddenly it smells like a less distinct and weaker Cuiron  the unfortunately discontinued contemporary Helmut Lang leather. I think Herat is a unisexfragrance but from the four Coquilletes Herat it is the most masculine offering.

Rating: 4

Notes: Tobacco, jasmine, ylang-ylang, amber, cannabis, myrrh, labdanum, incense, moss, vetiver, ambergris

Moramanga: Starts with a beautiful fleshy jasmineaccord which reminds med of the Serge Lutens jasmine classic A la Nuit. As Moramanga dries down other tropical flower appears and underscores the jasmine just as the vanilla/musk and warm resinnotes in the base. If I didn't already owned A la Nuit Moramanga would be a candiate for the lush jasmine in the perfumewardrobe.

Rating: 4

Notes: Jasmine, gardenia, iris, tolu balsam, opoponax, benzoin, tubereuse, ylang-ylang, vanilla, musk

The Coquillete fragrances are all pleasant and easy to wear with good longevity and moderate to medium projection. They are non-offensive and totaly officefriendly. The fragrances are good for summer, these are the type of fragrances that intensifies in warm weather and longevity is good about more or less a day tested in hot weather. The overall impression is that one fragrances is in the same pleasable and wearable track as the By Kilian In The Garden of Good and Evil - line (Sulmona), two gentler, not as edgy, ELD'O-styled releases (Herat, Sumatera) and one in the classic soliflore-genre (Moramanga). The line is well worth trying if searching for a comfortable, not so complicated but in the same time interesting, good smelling fragrance. A set of minibottles of 5 ml each is avaible and provides a good option for extensive testing.

Coquillete - Impressions of Sulmona & Sumatera

Picture: Sulmona
Photo: PR Coquillete (c)  

Coquillete Paris is a nichebrand started by two perfumeinterested women in creative professions. The fragrances are inspired from their travels among the world and captures the emotions and impressions from these journeys. Coquillete seems to be a  mysterious brand, I havn't found out either who the founders name nor the nose of the four first fragrances of scheduled six. Despite the "Paris" in the name the Coquillete brand seems to be based in Milan.

Sulmona: Sulmona opening like an almondcoockie paired with tropical flowers and then dries down over a vanillic base. A pleasent, warm and non-disturbtive, oriental, floral, vanilla with modest projection and good longevity. Smells straight forward good without any unexpected twists. A fragrance in the tropical vanilla family as for example Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Fleurs de Comores but without the contrasting slight dirty notes of the latter. Despite its sweetness, Sulmona is a good easy to wear fragrance for summer.

Rating: 3

Notes: Vanilla, sugar, bitter almond, orangeblossom,

Sumatera: Sumatera is said to be derived from only fresh patchoulileaves and with no use of dried leaves and this will give it a soft character. If there is the leaves or something else that gives the soft character that I percive I dont know. Sumatera is sort of soft and sweet light herbal combined with a soft cinnamon which to me is the dominating note in this fragrance. Cinnomon often tend to be a bit harsh but this is definitly not the case here. To me Sumatera is like a soft and refreshing cinnamon tea. Intriguing and special.

Rating: 4

Notes: Patchouli, jasmine, different white flowers, cinnamon, black pepper, cedarwood, musk, vanilla, jasmine

My impressions of the other two Coquillete fragrances will be posted in the next entry.

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the samples to test