5 fragrances for a cold May

May, the month of spring has been very cold so far with tempratures beyond zero in the morning an and just some + degrees Celsius during the days. The crave for sheer and delicate fragrances which normally appears in spring hasn't arrived yet. As my longing for flowers remains unchanged my choices of fragrances are from the stronger and heavier cathegory this May.

Picture: Tubereuse Indiana
Photo: PR Creed (c)

Tubereuse Indiana (Creed): My boss nailed it when entering the room where I was working: "Oh here is the scent of the fine world". That´s Tubereuse Indiana in a nutshell, smooth, velvety, elegant tubereuse and mostly white flowers over the signature Creed ambergrisbase. Retrostyled, yet timeless elegance.

Picture: Honour Woman
Photo: PR Amouage (c)

Honour Woman (Amouage): Another beautiful white floral, this one is on the chillier side, accompanied with watery flowers. Elegant, versatile and comforting, contemporary yet timeless in style. In my book a runner up among the Amouages, it has grown to be one of my top favourites from this house.

Picture: Rose Ishtar
Photo: PR Rania J. (c)

Rose Ishtar (Rania J.): A cold, very dark and dry rose with a herbal/spicy contrast. Gives almost ancient vibes and it's androgynous, sometimes it leans to the masculine side and then suddenly it's strangely feminine. Maybe more of a autumnfragrance but anyway perfect for the moment.

Picture: Marni
Photo: PR Marni (c)

Marni (Marni): Another cold rose, but this time pink and bright with contrasting woody (cedar) and slight peppery notes, just perfect for accompaning a cold, frosty spring like this years. 

Picture: Graine de Joie
Picture: PR Eau d'Italie (c)

Graine de Joie (Eau d'Italie): A lush, fruity, berry floral which has become better the more I have tested it. Nothing chemical or sickenly sweet, just a warm red juicy nectar, giving hope of a coming summer after all. Delicious!

Les Cocottes de Paris - Melle Cléo

Picture: Cleo de Merode (1874-1966)
Photo: Unknown photographer 1903
Wikimedia commons

Melle Cléo is the last in the trio of courtesans in the Les Cocottes de Paris line. The fragrance is inspired from Cleopatra de Mérode a famous ballet dancer in the Paris Opera who was linked to the king of Belgium, Leopold II. Cléo was also a trendsetter and considered as the most beautiful women in the world during the latest years of the 19th century.

Melle Cléo starts very sweet, it smells like a jammy rose together with a fresh, just baked, vanilla bread which is wrapped in a white, crispy, cotton kitchen towel. After a while a the juicy note of litchi arrives and adds a fruity vibe to the fragrance as also sweet flowers. The rare perfumenote of night blooming cersus which (according to Fragranticas database of notes) is a  tropical cactus plant with flowers which smell like vanilla, is probably responsible for the special smelling vanillic accord in Melle Cléo. Probably the cotton flower also is responsible for the fabric texture mentioned above. In the basenotes, Melle Cléo becomes less sweet, even if still almost edible. The just baked bread texture returns in the musky basenotes. There is also something that similar to a lighter version of the blurred biscuitnote which is a present undertone in some flower fragrances from ca 2006 such as Burberry London for her and Agent Provocateur Maitresse. As the basenotes dries down, Mello Cléo smells almost the same but an octave darker, it's also a note that is close to light fresh tobacco present in the late stage of the fragrance.

Picture: Melle Cléo
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

The notelist of Melle Cléo truly mirrors how the fragrance really smells which is not very  common. Melle Cléo could by the first glimpse be taken as a mainstream, sweet, fruity floral but when sniffing it thoroughly the very special notes described above comes through, announcing that Melle Cléo is a very special creature after all.

Melle Cléo is appropriate year around and I can imagine it will bloom beautifully during warm, humid summerevenings. Sillage is medium and longevity very good, it lasts for longer than a day.

Those who likes fruity floral fragances as for example Eau d'Italie Graine de Joie and Robert Piguet Jeunesse will probably also like Melle Cléo.

Rating: 3

Notes: Rosewood, bergamot, litchee, night blooming cereus, ylang-ylang, rose, cotton flower, lichen

Les Cocottes de Paris - La Belle Otero

Picture: Agustina Otero Iglesias (1868-1965)
"La Belle Otero"
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

Les Cocottes de Paris is a brand started by Anaïs Biguine who also started the Jardins d'Ecrivains brand, inspired by litterature and gardens, some years ago. In the new brand, the inspiration comes from some famous nineteenth century courtesans who were active in the french capital. La Belle Otero is the first of three fragrances to be tested, inspired of a spanish artist, Agustina Otero Iglesias, who is said to have "devoted her life to dancing, men, precious stones, gambling, parties and all above freedom". The fragrance is said to be an invitation to misbehave and I can agree with that when testing La Belle Otero.

La Belle Otero starts sharp, fruity, boozy, chemical, almost as something that could be a sweet fruity floral celebrity fragrance but less sugary. Than the fragrance becomes more flowery, the violet accentuated by a crispy narcissus takes the center. There is almost a lipsticknote present but without the characteristic powdery-creamy smell that is the lipstick standard. The fruity note is still present in the basenotes, balanced by sandalwood and with musk which reinforces the blend. There is something vaugly dirty and decadant glimpsing through the floral-fruity facade, like dirty underwear hiding under a brand new amazing haute couture gown.

Picture: La Belle Otero
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

Strong syntetical violet and narcissus over a light sandalwood infused by fizzy. musky, fruity elements is the synthesis of La Belle Otero. It's a demanding fragrance with rough edeges but in the same time a somehow pleasant fragrance to wear. It's a dangeroues fruity floral, something dark and beastly are lurking in the background. I think the syntetic smell is a bit too much in La Belle Otero but leaving that a aside, this is a intriguing and in the same time happy and taken as a whole, nice to wear fragrance.

Those who likes fragrances as Rober Piguet Jeunesse, Eau d'Italie Graine de Joie, Parfums MDCI Cio Cio San and By Kilian Playing with the Devil (which is much darker) could probably appreciate La Belle Otero.

Rating: 3

Notes: Neroli, pepper, absinthe, ginger, fig, violet, musk, lavender, narcissus, buchu, lavender, iris, frankincense, sandalwood 

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Jul et Mad - Les White - Nin-Shar, Néa & Garuda

Les White is a separate collection of three oriental inspiered Extraits de parfum from Jul et Mad. Nin-Shar is created by Sidonie Lancesseur, Néa and Garuda by Luca Maffei. 

Picture: Nin-Shar
Photo: PR Jul et Mad (c)

Nin-Shar starts fruity-rosy with boozy elements. Soon woody, balsamic, incense notes joins where a wellbalanced oud and most of all, a distinct note of nagarmotha is present. As the boozy note steps back, the rose becomes sweeter and jammy. The nagarmotha accord softens in the basenote but taken as a whole, this together with the fruity, later jammy rose is the lasting impression of Nin-Shar. To me Nin-Shar is very close to a sweeter, fruitier version of the beautiful L'eau de Mumtaz i Mahal by Maison Nicolas de Barry which I personally slightly prefer. Nin-Shar is reported to be the bestseller in the trio.

Picture: Néa
Photo: PR Jul et Mad (c)

Néa Oriental-fruity-gourmand, the fruit in the heavy oriental style with  boozy dates, ripe peach, mango but also berries. Green notes balances the fruit as also a beautiful rose. The basenotes with resins, balsamic notes and musk creates a dept to the perfume. Even if intense with many powerful ingredients I percieve Néa as a perfume in the higher ocataves in the notescale. Néa is not at all cloying or heavy to wear, it is sparkling in some passages of its development, sometimes some green fizz break through with a note that smells something that I can imagine fresh harvested cardamom smells like. There is nothing chemical or sickenly sweet to Néa. it's a delicious pleasure to wear, comforting and relaxing. For those who likes the style of Eau d'Italie Graine de Joie and By Kilian Playing with the Devil.

Picture: Garuda
Photo: PR Jul et Mad (c)

Garuda Light fruity/nutty accentuated of a light smokey oud-wood with some behaved barnyard elements glimpsing through. The oudy - woody note is high and bright in the octaves compared with for example Perris Monte Carlo Bois d'Oud and Acqua di Parma Colonia Oud. This accord gets more woody in general and less oudy as Garuda developes. There are also a herbal. minty element that sparkels and adds almost a freshenss to the fragrance. I suspect there is also sandalwood involved, probably the warm, nutty elements comes from there. In the basenotes there is also a tangy, floral alomst mossy quality which has a resemblance to a green classical chypre accord but with a soapy twist. Garuda with its compexity and different faces is my favorite from the line.

Les White are perfect fragrances for the colder months, they envelope the wearer in warmth and smells delightful. Their style is ornamental, warm, golden and all will fit perfectly for the coming Christmas and New Years Holidays. All three fragrances are of very good quality, with close to medium sillage and good longevity. To my nose predominantly feminine in style.

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the samples to test

Parfums MDCI - Cio Cio San

Picture: Poster for Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini,
Author: Alberto Hohenstein (1854-1928), Wikimedia commons

Cio Cio San is the latest addition to the high quality Parfums MDCI line. Just as the intriguing Nuit de Andalouse from 2013, Cio Cio San is created by one of the brightest shining stars on the perfume heaven in the latest years: Cecile Zarokian. Cecile seems to have good hand (and nose) with oriental styled parfumes, she has created some of my favorites in the genre; Masque Tango, Laboratorio Olfattivo Kashnoir and Amouage Epic Woman.

Cio Cio San is also oriental styled but a floral oriental with intriguing, supporting fruity notes which are lightened up with skillfull handled teanotes which are note sharp or chemical at all. Cio Cio San starts sparkling with pink, lush floral notes, accentuated with fruits, with litchi as the leading star. I can't say that I can distinguish the cherry blossoms but I suppose they are involved in the sparkling, pink flowery opening.
From the very beginning Cio Cio San reminds me of a sort of reversed and less sweet Graine de Joie from Eau d'Italie. Where the fruits are the protagonists, supported by flowers in Graine de Joie, the flowers takes the central position in Cio Cio San even if distinctly supported by the fruits. Soon also deeper nuances appears in Cio Cio San which shows a wider spectrum of accords than in Graine de Joie. After a whlie a dark, rubbery note, similar to the rubber note of rose oil appears and as rose isn't mentioned I guess it comes from the peony. There is also a light glimpse of a fresh almost petrollike note in this stage. Soon also a dark woody note appears, it's similar to a light touch of oud (also not mentioned among the notes) and there is also something almost boozy lurking in the woody musky depths of Cio Cio San. Even in the deeper and darker dimensions of the fragrance, the loveliness of the flowers and fruits are clearly present. The teanote is perfectly intergrated and creates an airy and almost light impression also in the basenotes. There is also a pleasant sort of  tingling (maybe the ginger) tartness present during most of the dry down. The notes of Cio Cio San doesn't smell chemical which could be a problem in some fruity-florals and tea fragrances, respectively.

Picture: The "bust bottle" of Cio Cio San, there
is also a version with a plain cap.
Photo: PR Parfums MDCI (c) 

Just as Cio Cio San herself aka Madame Butterfly, the fragrance Cio Cio San is a fragrance with at least two faces: The happy one just as in the very beginning of the opera, then the melancolic and sad expression just as the way to, and the end of, this tragic drama. Another beautiful flower fragrance which honors Madame Butterfly is Amouage Honour Woman (swe) which is a creamy, well blended, but less original white floral which plays in a less dramatic scale and in higher octaves than Cio Cio San.

Cio Cio San is a intriguing fragrance where different ascpects/facetts are highlighted in different wearings depending for example from how much of the scent is applicated. I'm looking forward to test Cio Cio San also in cold weather as I suspect it will wears nice then too. For summer it's great. Cio Cio San is appropriate for many occasions, both for work and casual, but not for sports, it's too complex for that.
Sillage is somewhere between close to medium, longevity for at least a day with traces on skin the morning after.

Those who like good quality fruity florals as Neela Vermeire Creations Bombay Bling, By Kilian Playing With The Devil and Robert Piguet Jeunesse I suspect will also appreciate Cio Cio San.

Rating: 5

Notes: Yuzu, lemon, ginger, grapefruit, cherry blossom, peony, litchi, tea, guaiac wood, cedar, mus

Eau d'Italie - Graine de Joie

Picture: HRH Prince Carl Philip and his fiancee Sofia Hellqvist
on their engagementday June 27th, 2014.
Photo: Expressen Sven Lindvall (c)

Graine de Joie from italian nichehouse Eau d'Italie is a red berry boost raised to ten. Graine de Joie is created by Daphne Bugey. The fragrance is said to be inspired by the idea of love and according to the marketing blurb "we have decided to celebrate love, and to create a fragrance that conjures up the irresistible light-headedness of when you fall in love." Graine de Joie would have been the olfactory background for the great royal news of last Friday: The handsome HRH Prince Carl Philips engagement with his charity working, from a small village, middle class background, girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist. Another Cinderella story following the one of HRH Prince Daniel. The color and expression of Graine de Joie is exactly the red color of Sofias elegant dress.

Graine de Joie starts very uplifting with ripe redberries and pomegranate, red, lush and mouthwatering delicious. The berry-pomegranate combo goes through the whole fragrance supported by a fizzy freesia who is contrasting and lighten up the fragrance. There are also a contrasting, tart note, maybe some redcurrant leaves is added to the mix or the note just picturing the tartness present in the berries themselves. Not unexpected, the berry-bowl is grounded in a well balanced musky, light woody base.

Picture: The sunny spirit of Graine de Joie
Photo: PR Eau d'Italie (c)

Beside the royal engagement, Graine de Joie gives me the image of a bowl with ripe red berries and fruits avaible when relaxing in a sunny mediterrian garden in the peak of the summer.Graine de Joie is a perfect fragrance for the season, something that departs from the usual fresh aquatics or citrus scents. The fragrance is much richer than the usual sommerfragrances and despite its full blown berry sweetness, it doesn't becames sickly sweet or smells chemical. It's an uncomplicated happy and easy to wear fragrance, appropriate both for work or casual wearing. Graine de Joie is a good composition in the floral-fruity genre. I find it more ordinary in style than the intriguing and demanding earlier Eau d'Italie compositions such as the burnt, spicy, woody Bois d'Ombrie, the green, rough, woody Sienne l'Hiver, the dramatic rose Pasteum Rose and the special cologne styled first fragrance Eau d'Italie which I personally prefer.

When it comes to similar fragrances, first of all Robert Piguet Jeunesse comes to my mind, though that one has more dept and contrasting non-berry/fruity notes. Also the fragrances in By Kilians subline In the Garden of Good and Evil are in the same style, reviews of In the City of Sin, Good Girl Gone Bad, Forbidden Games and Playing with The Devil.

Rating: 4

Notes: Red berries, red currant, pomegranate, freesia, flowers, praline, musk,cedar