Fragrance(s) of the week (7) 2013

Tired of all the fleeting, almost spooky, watered down, similar smelling  IFRA/EU compliant fragrances of the latest year(s) my appreciation of the oldies or semi oldies has increased. Have been drawn to my samples    of two very different but both distinct characteristic (as always with) Maître Parfumeur et Gantier fragrances: The dirty jasmin/neroli La Reine Margot from the MPG sub-line Les Parfumes Historiques and the sunny, very uplifting but at the same time a bit weird herbal, floral, tea fragrance Eau de Camelia Chinois. Both are great stuff, which stands out from the pale crowd of today.

Pictures of the beautiful LPH/MPG falcons borrowed from the net

(c) Maître Parfumers et Gantier

Maria Candida Gentile – Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon is another beautiful fragrance in the complex and characterful Maria Candida Gentile spirit. But this time in a fragrance family that may not represent the typical dark and suggestive MCG style as Sideris and Cinabre beeing reviewed earlier this week.

Picture; Calluna Vulgaris (heather)

Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz,

 1885, Gera, Germany

Barry Lyndon is an aromatic-herbal-light leathery fragrance that perfectly suits the 18^th century irish adventurer, Barry Lyndon who has lend his name to this creation. I get images from a fox hunt an early autumn morning in the English countyside. The nature waking up, the chilly and crisp greenery, the smell from the leather in the saddles and and well-polished  ridingboots. Another image I get from Barry Lyndon is an Alpenwiese, a meadow in the alps a sunny day with it’s grass, heather and herbal plants.

To me Barry Lyndon starts with a dry and light almost dusty leathernote. Shortly it transfers to the pleasent “dust on a just ligthed bulb” note. Then the herbals gets more distinct I smell thyme and fresh minty notes but also an almost honeyed roundness, probably from the heather. As Barry Lyndon reaches the basenotes there is an almost suede-like note, combined accompanied with vanillic touches. There is also a fresh earty feeling present in the basenotes. A fragrance that comes to my mind when wearing Barry Lyndon is Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Eau de Camelia Chinois but that one is much less herbal.

Despite of beeing aromatic-herbal, Barry Lyndon is a full bodied fragrance, thick and complex in its contruction. It’s not thin, transparent and fleeting. As in the other MCG fragrances I have tried, much is going on during the whole dry down and Barry Lyndon doesn’t let it’s wearer rest. Unisex in style, leaning at bit to the masculine side. Proper for summer, this one will last also during the hot summerdays, and to the office.

Rating: 4

Notes: Aromatic herbs, artemisia, arnica, heather, leather, vetiver, vanilla

Later on I will certainly come back to review more from Maria Candida Gentile

as I highly appreciate this line.

Serge Lutens - L'Eau Froide

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

L'Eau Froide is the second release in the controversial Eau-line of Serge Lutens. Controversial as SL is famous for its distinctive contemporary oriental style even if the house haven't been totally faithful to the initial theme during the receant years. L'Eau Froide is inspired of the smell of the snow and the frozen ground just about when it starts to melt in the late winter.

L'Eau Froide starts with an evident citrus detergentnote followed by an infusion of a crispy, icy incensenot. The citrusnote (even if citrus is not listed) is more pronounced than the opening of the first creation of the Eau-line, L'Eau Serge Lutens. The citrusnote is similar to the one in DoubleYou Norvége  and MPG Eau de Camelia Chinois and I have started to wonder if this is a new note, created to be complinat to the IFRA citrusrestrictions. After a while a fresh pinenote comes forward, pine seems to be fashionable this days. The note is evident also in Annic Goutals Nuit Etoliée , but contrary to the cold L'Eau Froide, I precive Nuit Etolieé as a warm fragrance. At the pine-phase of L'Eau Froide I can recognize a similarity to the pine and incense in Olivier Durbanos Black Tourmaline but both notes are more pronounced and according to my opinion better executed in Black Tourmaline.

When L'Eau Froide reaches the basenotes something very familiar appears after a while: The vegetal base of the particular flowery SL Nuit de Cellophane. This vegetal baseaccord are deepen as L'Eau Froide drys down and it's mainly accompanied by the opening citrus and with some pale wiffs of the cold incense.

L'Eau Froide smells good but I prefer the vegetal base paired with flower as in Nuit de Cellophane. I percieve the scent as a mix of distinctive elements from L'Eau de Serge and Nuit de Cellophane paired with incense. L'Eau Froide is an ideal officescent wearable year around but preferably for spring and summer.

Rating: 3

Notes: Olibanum, seawater, mint, incense, musk, vetiver

DoubleYou - Norvége

Picture: Lodalen, a valley in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway

Photo: Aqwis (cc), some rights reserved, Wikimedia commons.

Norvége is the other of the two first fragrances from the Norwegian perfumehouse DoubleYou which I briefly descriped in the previous post. founded by Catherine Rösseland 2010. Norvège is inspired of Norway and Catherines origin on her mothers side. Norvége is intended to be worn separate or layered with Zanzibar (previous post). Just as Zanzibar, Norvége is created in colaboration with perfumer Barnabe Fillion. The fragrances are said to contain only natural ingredients, but I think that the most accurate description is that they contain a large proportion naturals.

Norvége opens up with notes reminding me of a citrusy, not to sweet, icy lemonade sipped in a sunny summerday. The lemony note remains during the whole drydown of Norvége and are accompanied by herbs, light flowers and some vanilla. Norvége has much less of the, for natural perfumes, typical dense, slight sour note, even if there are whiffs from it now and then. Even if Norvége doesn't give me the impression of the beautiful scenerys in our neighboring country, it's a nice and at the same time unusual fragrance for daytime that fits best for casual wearing. The longevity is very good to be a natural perfume, Norvége is still on my skin twelve hours from application. Norvége is a unusual perfume but it partly reminds me of Maître Perfumeur et Gantiers Eau de Camélia Chinois but the latter is less sweet and airier in it's impression than Norvége.

To sum up I think that the DoubleYou fragrances is interesting to try especially for fans of natural perfumes.
The two perfumes I tested is quite as good as most of them with Norvége in the better half of the league.

Rating: 3

Notes: Grass, coriander, magnolia, vanilla, thyme, lavendel, opoponax, lemon, dry wood, amber, sandalwood

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier - Eau de Camélia Chinois

Picture: Lemon - fleur et fruit. Photo: Elena Chochkova (cc)

Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved

...or just Camélia Chinois, it has been re-named in recent years, is a Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier creation from 1997. As Jean Laporte transferred the ownership of MPG to Jean-Paul Millet Lage that year I'm not sure who is the creator but I suppose Jean Laporte as Jean-Paul Millet Lage was trained several years by Laporte as a part of the deal. Given the weirdness and peculiarity of this perfume, is suppose the nose is Laporte.

Camélia Chinois is definitly NOT a crowdpleaser. When I first put it on i thought, "Oh now do I have to suffer through a whole day with this". The opening is a sharp burst of lemony cleaner combined with a note that is similar to something that according to Mr Parfumista is similar to lily of the vally. This observation was independently confirmed by the kids who told me "You smell like grandmother", a faithful wearer of Diorissimo and Jessica McClintock. But according to the notelist there is no lily of the vally, but who knows. There are also some green and fresh herbal notes playing around.

When lived through the topnotes with conflicting emotions suddenly the CC transforms to a creamy, slight soapy, well balanced, light flowery, still lemony but now in a soft texture, green, soft herbal (preferably basil) blend. The mixture is somehow airy, bright and light even if it is very potent (on my skin at least). I read in a comment at Fragrantica that Camélia Chinois is a french name of a teaplant and probably it's the teanote that cause that airy note and maybe also the detergent note that lurking in the background. But on the other hand, the teanote is not as distinguishable and harsh as in the Bulgari perfumes, it's of another kind and so well blended with the oter notes. The lemony notes in Camélia Chinois have some similarities with the natural perfume Norvége from DoubleYou, a fragrance I will review in a month or two.

In spite of it's strangeness, Camélia Chinois is perfect for casual wearing during a day at work. It's a sunny and happy fragrance that lightens up a gloomy day. The sillage is moderate and the longivity is great.

To summon up I have found another MPG favorite but this time in another style than the musky, dirty, jasmine ones that I usually appreciate from the house. MPG is, according to my opinion, an underrated perfumhouse that usually offers surprises, good or bad. But their fragrances almost never leaves me unaffected.

Rating: 4

Notes: Grapefruit, bergamot, tea, basil, resins, sandalwood, musk