Short impressions of some new fragrances

Picture: Stockholm Sergels Square,
between  NK and Åhléns,
the two major departmentstores
Photo: Borrowed from the  KTH website

I have speed sniffed some relatively new arrivals this weekend. Below some short impressions:

Hermessence Agar Ebene (Hermès): A beautiful, high quality leather, first impressions of another Hermessence; Cuir d'Ange where Agar Ebene is fuller and more mature in its texture. Somehow I come to think of a nice and anxious leather, more "simple" in construction , not as complex and charcteristic as for example Chanel Cuir de Russie with its dry gunpowdery and light flowery notes. Unisex.

Hermessence Cedre Sambac (Hermès): A full and fruity, jasmine contrasted by the fresh, slight peppery cleanness of cedarwood. An intersting combination where the jasminenote reminds me about of the jasminedominated, white floral accord of Cacharel Scarlett but less sweet. Cedre Sambac is unisex, leaning to the feminine side.

Eau de Citron Noir (Hermès): Lemon with accompaning dry, smokey teanotes and slight peppery woody notes. Refreshing, without beeing clean in style, longlasting and with a good sillage taken ion consideration it's classified as an Eau de Cologne. Unisex leaning slightly to the masculine side.

Café Tuberosa (Atelier Cologne): Starts with thick tuberose, bergamot, blended with dry cacao and maybe a hint of coffee. It's a thick blend, vintage in style reminding me in texture and style of Vero Profumo Rozy. Later there are traces of the colognestyle with hints of citric notes.

Coco Mademoiselle Intense (Chanel): As a lover of Coco (Coco Noir) in all its incarnations, the Intense Mad inerpretation is just was I expected: A darker, denser, lower on the fragrance note scale then the regular Coco Mad. The patchouli is also more pronounced and the flowers subdued compared to the original. Even if similar to each other I need both variations....

Love Chanel

Picture: Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel
Photo from the blog The Encanted Manor

Chanel is a house with an aesthetics to love (just as Hermès). The chic aesthetics  also affects, or maybe more correct, inspires the fragrances from the house. The fragrances are well made and even if not in love with every subline, my craving for Chanel fragrances is enough to qualify Chanel as one of my favorite perfumehouses. I think many of the Chanels in the regular line is as good as Les Exclusifs, the difference is more in price and distribution, not the quality of the production.

I very much appreciate the aldehydic classics like No 5 in its difierent versions, as also the mossy citrus of Cristalle and the greenery of No 19 in the different interpretations of those classics. Also the modern classics as the incredible spicy oriental Coco and the not as much talked about gem Allure Sensuelle are favorites as also the mega hit, the contemporary fruity-floral chypre Coco Mademoiselle and its balsamic, spicy follower Coco Noir.

When it comes to Les Exclusifs there are also plenty to love. The green and clean woody vetiver Sycomore, the putty, slight dirty aldehyde No 22, the strange amberette No 18, the elegant flowers of Beige and best of them all the smooth, light flower touched, gunpowder leather of Cuir de Russie.

I'm now curious to try the new Gabrielle and find out if the new Chanel pillar fragrance will qualify among my favourites.

Oriza L.Legrand - Cuir de l'Aigle Russe

Picture: Cuir de l'Aigle Russe
Photo: PR Oriza L.Legrand

Following my Oriza theme last week on twitter, here comes my review of their latest one.
Cuir de l'Aigle Russe is the latest creation of the great house of vintagestyled perfumes - Oriza L.Legrand.
Cuir de l'Aigle Russe has a note list longer than the pedrigree of the Tsars, and that combined with leather and the fact there is finally a new Oriza, it's over a year since the latest realeases, sets the hopes high.

Cuir de l'Aigle Russe (CdlAR) starts with a beautiful with soft powdery flowery accord in the comforting vintage, Oriza-style. It is high in the octaves on the notescale and it smells almost angelic. Soon a equally beautiful "blond"leathernote arrives, it is like leather in a very fine pair of gloves, very clear in smell and texture, there are no soft suedenotes. After a while the leather and flowery elements step backwards and a beautiful (every new note/accord arriving presents it self as very beautiful in this blend) bergamot/laveder combo appears taken the lead for a while, then the leather take some steps forward again. Also the balsamic, woody and musky notes later on seems very well.behaved, smooth, no harsh edges and again - beautiful. Some powdery notes in the Oriza tradition is present in almost the whole dry down in a very unobtrusive manner. The clear leathernote is also present in a subtle but clearly detectable way. The notes are so well blended and the accords are swirling around in a behaved but in the same time, intriguing way.

CdlAR is a classical bergamot-leather-lavender fragrance interpreted in a subtle and transparent way, it never becomes dense, cloying or "old fashion" smelling. It's like a very successful contemporary version, but still vintage in style, of this classic genre. The fragrance is classy, discrete and oozes of confidence, a perfect fragrance for negoations and other situations when the wearer needs to an authoritarian and in the same time comfortable, supporting and not disturbing perfume.

CdlAR belongs to a traditional masculine perfume category but in this version, it's lending slightly more to the feminine side. It's wearable year around, for daytime both for work and non-sporting casual. Sillage is medium and longevity for a day.

Those who like polished light leathers with flowery additions as Chanel Cuir de Russe Edt, Cuir de Lancome and Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Cuir Fetiche will certainly also like CdlAR.

Rating: 5

Notes: Coriander, lavender, wormwood, bergamot, juniper, styrax, geranium, rose, immortelle, cardamom, styrax, patchouli leaf, labdanum, incense, musk, tonka bean, sandalwood, amber, benzoin, vetiver

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

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

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.

Fragrance(s) of the week (45) - Jaded but enchanted

Picture: Fall is almost already over.
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

The more fragrances I sniff and/or test, of course just a dimunitive part of the steadily increasing flood of new launches and new houses, the more jaded.Even if a good fragrance as such, there is not so often a fragrance really moves me, even if I can apprediate its composition and good ingredients etc. I see myself more and more longing for the classics (even if reformulated) both older and contemporary classics. Also old reaible houses which have been around for a while, don't overdo and mess the fragrances up, or is just too much in appearance, gets my appreciation. Such houses as Guerlain, Chanel, Hermès, Annick Goutal, Robert Piguet, Parfums de Nicolaï, Serge Lutens some Diors, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier. From newer, but today well established houses, Puredistance, Andy Tauer, Ramon Monegal and By Kilian seldom dissapoint.

To wear the classics, if gentle reformulated with the spirit of the fragrance perserved, is enchanted and never boring. Each fragrance has its own individual profile and it's not one in a dozen (at least) of the similar smelling crowd. When writing this I'm craving classic Guerlains; Shalimar, Liu and Mitsouko,classic Chanels as No 22, Cuir de Russie and the contemporary classic No 5 Eau Premiere and the also contemporary Hermès classic Eau de Merveilles. But honestly I seldom wear them as I'm too curious to resist sampling new frags :-).

Ramón Monegal - Mon Cuir

Picture: La Debacle by Theodore Robinson (1892)
Wikimedia commons

Mon Cuir is one of two leather inspired creations in the spanish perfumeline who bears the name of it's founder the very long experienced (over thirty years) perfurmer Ramón Monegal.

Mon Cuir starts with one of the most realistic leather accords that I have experienced in perfume. It's far away from the rough and tough, smoky leather of for example Mona di Orio Cuir but it's also a bit away from the smooth, elegant leather of a a pair of long evening gloves as the light leather in such different frags as the contemporary Hermès Kelly Caleché or the classic Chanel Cuir de Russie. Instead the leather of Mon Cuir is somewhere in between, the opening gives the impression of a well-kept two coloured ( brown and mossy green) weekendbag in leather. Just as the leathery accord mellows into the middlenotes with the traditional orangeblossom accord, a glimpse of an almost minty note appears for a short while. This intermidiates a streak of something chilly in a otherwise warm and comforting fragrance and it reminds me a bit of Parfum d'Empires Cuir Ottoman. This is an example of one of those unexpected moments which are typical for the perfumes of Ramón Monegal. In the rest of the middlestage the flowery-leather accord becomes almost creamy and at the same time cocoapowdery.

Mon Cuir dries down in a tonka been powdery,slight musky, resin base with a light flowery impression still lingering. In the this stage Mon Cuir reminds me of a smoother and gentler version of one of the floral oriental icons of the 80s, the ingenious Joop Femme.

My impression of Mon Cuir is that of a soft and a bit sweet "feminine leather" (for someone who cares about division in gender when it comes to perfume) unobtrusive and "officeproper". Mon Cuir lingering close to the skin but giving away some inscrutable whiffs now and then. Mon Cuir is great for the autumn and winter months but also for chilly summerevenings. And of course for a relaxing weekend at the countryside, with the luggage carried in that perfect leather, weekend bag.

Rating: 4

Notes: Leather, orange blossom, labdanum, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, nutmeg