Top Fall Fragrances 2012

Picture: Maple leaves

Photo: Mr Parfumista 

As I read the toplists of some of the major perfumeblogs yesterday, I was inspired and couldn’t resist putting together an own list. Autumn to me is the best season for wearing perfume, the darker, warmer, heavier ones is suddenly suitable together with the intense or heavy floral fragrancs from the late summer. Here are some fragrances that I’m longing for at the moment (even if they are rarely worn as I’m in a intensive samplingmood):

Coco Noir (Chanel): Contrary to most of the perfume bloggosphere I was instantly fallen for this elegant, dark, slight spicy, musky, patchouli. Chic and wearble at the same time.

Ambre Gris (Balmain): This sweet and in the same time salty gourmand is like slipping in to a smooth and soft cashmerejumper. Perfect for warming up in grey and rainy days.

Lyric Woman (Amouage): Only recently, after years of recurrant testins, I understood this dark, red, cinnamon spicy, resin and incense grounded beauty. Mysterious and eternal. Maybe I will understand this years dissapointment Interlude Woman in a couple of years too.

Cuirelle (Ramón Monegal): This delicate suede with some boozy undertunes is elegant, smooth and with some interesting twists in it’s dry down..

Belle en Rykiel (Sonia Rykiel): This warm and comforting and in the same time interesting lavendel-coffe and milk – incense over a vanillic base, is a recurring favourite for fall.

Rochas Femme Edp (Rochas): Starts almost like a plummy liquer in the top notes, dark, mellow plums and spices over a woody, chypre base. The Edp is velvety, rounder and closer in sillage compared to the more radiant, sharper, heavy upon cummin Edt which is also good.

Seville à l’Aube (L’Artisan Parfumeur): Not as original or sensational as expected after months of hype in Perfumeland. But it’s a very good and wellcrafted very wearble orangeblossom fragrance, warm and comforting, reminding of warm summer evenings.  

Opardu (Puredistance): This elegant, lilac, powdery, slight musky fragrance, transports me hundered years back in time, to the era just before WWI. True elegance and beauty.

Kiki Edp (Vero Profumo): Intense and original passionflower, lavendel blend over a dark, patchouli base. This is just delicious.

Auburn (Andy Tauer): The intense and warm tobbacoaccord is amazing in Auburn. Auburn is like the essence of autumn, sparkling, maple leaves, high chilly air and an intense blue sky on a sunny autumnday.

Poudre de Riz (Huiteme Art): Elegant interpretation of rose combined with some tropical flowers grounded in a powdery, musk-vanillic base. In texture and expression almost like a clean variation of  ELDO Putain des Palaces.

Which fragrances are your favourites for this Fall?

Ramón Monegal - Cuirelle

 The Ramón Monegal testing is continuing....

Photo: Parfumista (c)

Cuirelle is an interesting and beautiful soft suede/leather fragrance from the Barcelonabased parfumer Ramón Monegal whose perfumehouse also bears his name.

As Cuirelle starts it’s a bit sweet and almost fruity with a rounding delicate suede accord. In the topnotes, Cuirelle reminds me of a smoother and less sweet and flowery In Leather Woman by Etienne Aigner (in swedish). As Ramón Monegal has created some fragrances for Etienne Aigner (don’t know if In Leather Woman in on of them) there is maybe a connection between the two fragrances. Another fragrance that comes to my mind in this stage is Ava Luxe Film Noir even if Film Noirs slight fruity suede note is tougher, rougher and more than a bit dirty.

When Cuirelle reaches the middlenotes it takes another direction than In Leather Woman. Where the latter highlighten fruity notes almost like applepie the former transforms to an almost chalky soapy accord, reminiscent to the accord in Vanille Tonka by Parfums de Nicolaï but less green and less distinctive. Later on a slight spicy, warm, honeyd  boozy note appears, similar to the interpretation in Mon Patchouly but without the cocoapowder feeling. In Cuirelle there are some light woody-patchouli notes that accompanying the delicate suedenote that depens as more the fragrance dries down. 

The basenotes is a beautiful accord of gentle and delicate, honeyed, clean leathery booziness with traces of cinnamon. The natural sweetness is just right balanced to create an aura of comfortable smothness. In this stage Cuirelle reminds me of a softer, warmer and sweeter relative to the discontinued contemporary cult leather Cuiron by Helmut Lang. In the base Cuirelle almost has transformed it’s suede to a smooth elegant leathernote, but just almost as the fragrances seems to be fleeting between soft sude and soft leather.

Just as most of the other Monegal perfumes I have tested, Cuirelle takes the wearer on an interesting journey during a day of wearing. Cuirelle is very well balanced, the notes mixes in each other in a very subtle way. It’s also like many of the other from the house of Ramón Monegal a thrilling blend where you can’t predict how the fragrance will end from just smelling the initial topnotes. That’s something that I really appreciate from a fragrance and one of all aspects that makes the perfumehobby so exiting.

Cuirelle is great to wear during the colder months, suitable both for daytime and eveningwear. The sillage is medium and the longevity is at least for 12h.

Rating: 5

Notes: Olibanum, patchouli, honey, cinnamon, vetiver, cedarwood, incense