Maison Nicolas de Barry - Louis XV

Picture: Louis XV  (1710-1774)
Painting from 1730
  by Hyacinthe Riguad (1679-1743)
Wikipedia commons

Louis XV is the masculine counterpart to Madame de Pompadour also from Maison Nicolas de Barry reviewed earlier this week. Louis XV is created by Nicolas de Barry and Eddie Blanchet and part to the line inspired of historic royalties.

Louis XV starts with a sunny blast of sweet honeyed orangeblossom contrasted with the green and a tad bitter facetts of neroli. The opening is golden, as the rays of the sunset. As the fragrance developes, a classic bouquet of  flowers emerges and acts as a solid backgrund to the orange maintheme. The texture of the fragrance is as a smooth, silky golden velvet, suitable for a royal robe, worthy Louis XV himself. From the bouquet there are certain crispy green notes fleeting around in the blend, more or less noticeable as the flowery theme varies. Overall the composition has a citric tingeThe base is warm ambery, slight musky with just a small touch of soap. Louis XV is far from as ambery as Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV is a varitaion of the usual orange-/neroli theme and a much more straight forward white floral.

Louis XV is a very good orangeblossom interpretation, there is no harsh edges or artificial feeling. It's round and warm, very flowery, without the cologne texture common among many orangeblossom fragrances and also not as soapy as many of them. Louis XV to me is unisex and could be worn in most ordianry occasions, this is a fragrancs that adds everyday comfort and casual elegance. It also draws compliments. The sillage of Louis XV is medium and longevity not as great as the Madame P, Louis on my skin lasts for a day reapplied. This is strange as Annick Goutal Les Colognes Nèroli lasts for about a day without reapplication.

Picture: Louis XV
Photo: PR Maison Nicolas de Barry (c)

Fragrances that Louis XV reminds me of are Historiae Orangerie du Roy which is fresher and more colognestyled, Annick Goutal Neroli, which is thinner and less flowery, as well as it has some similarties with the more masculine, woody neroli Eau de Cardinal also from Maison Nicolas de Barry.

Rating: 4

Notes: Neroli, orange, roses, jasmine, violet, gardenia, hyacinth, daffodil, tubereuse, amber

Thanks to Fragrance & Art  for the sample to test

Historiae - Mystic Oud

Picture: The awesome bottle of Mystic Oud
Photo: PR Historiae (c)

Mystic Oud is a contrasting fragrance in the up today classical "garden perfume" inspired line of the french niche house Historiae. Orangerie du Roy, Bouquet de Trianon, Hameau de la Reine, Rose de France and Violette Imperiale. As most of the Historiaes Mystic Oud is created by no other than the famous Bertrand Duchaufour.

Mystic Oud starts intriguing with a fruity, boozy note, probably the davana, soon followed by a pink, creamy rose which smells almost like a luxurary face creme. After a while red roses, without the creamy feel, fizzy and a bit tart the same impression as in Annick Goutal Rose Splendide (swe) but not as prounounced, joins the blend and contrasts the comfortable creamy impression. Further on the oud appears but not as the demanding note as in so many oud fragrances. In Mystic Oud it acts more as a dark, woody, contrasting note to the roses and the oud is acting balanced  together with the others in the accord. The boozy note returns darkens and intensifies in the basenotes together with a note of natural honey which lend a slight animalic character to Mystic Oud. The rosy mix is still present in the base, both the creamy pink ones and the tart red ones.

In an early stage of the developement of Mystic Oud I got strong associations to a favorite pink rose of mine, Burberry Body Edp  (swe) but overall Mystic Oud gives a rosier, cleaner and more minimalistic impression compared to Burberry Body which is more of a mixed bouquet but dominated by roses to me.  I think Mystic Oud is a proper name for this rose dominated blend as the oud is (as mentioned above) sort of hidden among the other deeper notes of the fragrance.

A welldone, and even if not the most innovative fragrance ( I find Burberry Body more innovative, maybe because it is IMHO the prototype in this contemporary rosy genre), an intriguing and in the same time comforting  rosefragrance to wear. Sillage is medium and longevity 12h +. The best of all: Mystic Oud is reasonably priced compared to most niche ouds (SEK 830, EUR 93 and USD 124) in Fragrance & Art  webshop. Mystic Oud is quity priceworthy when it comes to quality, there are far more expensive fragrances of lesser or same quality out there.

Those who like rose perfumes and ouds in the style of Ramon Monegal L'Eau de Rose, Robert Piguet Rose Perfection and  Montale Aoud Damascus (swe), I think also  will appreciate Mystic Oud.

Rating: 4

Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, orange, rose, davana, saffron, rose, peony, geranium, clove, oud, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, castoreum, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, oak moss

Van Cleef & Arpèls - Feerie Edt

Picture: April Love
Painting by Arthur Hughes ca 1855
Wikimedia Commons

Today a fragrance on the other side of the violet-scale compared to Mona di Orio Violette Fumée reviewed in the latest entry. Feerie Edt is a follower to the first violet-candy installement of Van Cleef & Arpèls Feerie Edp. Have not tested the Edp so I can't compare the two versions. Feerie Edt is created by Olivier Pescheaux, the first Edp Feerie by Antoine Maisondieu. Just as the Edp, the Edt also has a beautiful cap with a Feerie, here sitting down, flying on the Edp-cap. Also the glasssection of the bottle is a little gem.

Feerie starts fruity and sweet, too sweet to my taste, but on the other hand, my seven years old daughter likes it :-). When the topnotes fades, the whole creation calms down and the violet flower takes the centerstage, supported by its faithful companion: The Rose. The fruitiness is still there but is not as dominating as in the first stage of Feerie, here it's balanced with the flowers and the result is an enjoyable candy-floral which is airy and subtle in structure even if I also can smell some faint, cool, earthy whiffs when reaching the soft musky, woody base. Compared to the sweetness of Violette Fumée, Feerie interprets a sweetness from the violet flower leaves whereas Violette Fumées sweetness seems to appear from the resins in the base. Feerie is an example of a light, cheering and happy fragrance whereas Violette Fumée is a dark, contemplative and introspective fragrance.

Picture: The charming Feerie Edt bottle
Photo: PR Van Cleef & Arpels (c)

Feerie is balmy and chic and suits all seasons exempt from the coldest winter and this fragrance is one of those hidden gems among the "mainstream" offerings.  The sillage is medium as a average, even if the the opening is grand, (applying sparingly is to recommend) and so is also the longevity, traces are still there after 24 h.

Feerie is the perfect fragrance for those who want a fruitier take on light violetscents such as Annick Goutal La Violette and Parfums de Nicolaï Violette in Love. Those who likes Historiae Violette Imperiale will probably also appreciate Feerie.

Rating: 3

Notes: Violet leaves, lemon, grapefruit, violet, rose, jasmin, sandelwood, benzoin, musk

Historiae - Violette Imperiale

Picture: Empress Eugénie (1826-1920)
Portrait 1853 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873)

Violette Imperiale is the only of the five fragrances released so far from Historiae that is not created by the hyperactive Bertrand Duchaufour. Violette Imperiale is created by a perfumer unknown to me, Constant Michaux. Violette Imperiale is said to be inspired by Empress Eugénie, the spanish wife of Emperor Napoleon III of France. The story says her favoriteflower was violet but as the at least two other fragrances is created for her; Creed Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie /inspired of her; Histoires de Parfums 1826 Eugénie de Montijo, focuses on other flowers/herb plants as jasmin respective patchouli she probably, as a well known perfumista of her time, liked many of the scents in the perfumers palette.

Violette Imperiale starts with an airy, transparent blackcurrant note, first the berries and then followed by the tartness of the buds. After a while, the fragrances deepens as also rich, fresh fruity notes appears followed by sweet flowery notes where the violet is evident but not dominating the others. The violet is of the same sweet type as Violtabletter, a swedish jelly candy pastille which tastes as a sweetened violet flower. The berry, fruity floral theme is intensified by the white musky base but the musk is wellbalanced and counterbalanced by the light woody notes. Violette Imperiale newer goes powdery as for example Blanc Violette by Histoires de Parfums nor crisp and green as for example Annick Goutal La Violette, it stays fruity-violet-flowery during the whole dry down

Picture: Violtabletter swedish violet jelly candy
Photo: PR Fazer (c)

Violette Imperiale is a typical easy to wear fragrance, suitable especially for spring and summer, both for work and casual. I think it's contemporary in style and doesn't see some obvious connection to the era of Napoleon III. The sillage is medium and the longevity for about a day.

Rating: 3

Notes: Orange, blackcurrant, peach, violet, iris, raspberry, ylang ylang, vanilla, musk, amber, vetiver, sandalwood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Historiae - Rose de France

Picture: Francis I (1494-1547)
Painting  1530 by Jean Clouet (1475-1540)
Wikimedia Commons

Rose de France is the fourth fragrance created by Bertrand Duchaufour in the Historiae-line.It's said to be inspired of the Francis I era in the beginning of the 16th century

Rose de France starts fruity with almost raspberrylike topnotes  blended with roses. The first impression, put in a plesant way, is the smell of a coughmedicin for chlidren which I've been medicated with as a child.After this bold opening the roses steps forward in a dry, but never overwhelmimg or cloying, potpurri-like accord.
The dry roses smells very authentic but after a while the fragrance gets moistier, sweeter and the roses alive and accompanied with other fresh blooming flowers as the dewy peony. The now fresh, medium purple pink rose  is the protagonist during the rest of the dry down. The musky base with some balsamic and patchouli touches reminds me of the creamy, very pleasant, but artifical smelling white musky base of the Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries line.

To me Rose de France is a pleasant rosy fragrance perfect for office- and casualwear for spring and summer. I can't see the connection with the era of Francis I as I image the roses of this century as dangerous, dark, dirty and heavy. Sillage is medium and longevity for more than a day.

Those who like pink musky rosefragrances as for example Bulgari Rose Essentielle and Burberry Body Tender could also appreciate Rose de France.

Rating: 3

Notes: May rose, damascena rose, pear, bergamot, tagetes, rose absolute, magnolia, mock orange, clove, davana, peony, géranium, listea cubeba,  benzoin, vanilla, musc, amber

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Historiae - Hameau de la Reine

Picture:  Petit Trianon, parc de Versailles
Photo by  Urban, (cc) some rights reserved
 Wikimedia Commons

Hameau de la Reine is green floral created by Bertrand Duchaufour for the french house Historiae. The fragrance is inspired of Marie Antionette  and her "revolt" against the Versailles court ie  "Marie-Antoinette wants to have her own little village to enjoy the pleasures of the countryside with her children. Her aspiration for a rural paradise is somewhat a result of the Enlightenment. The Queen had her Hameau built in Versailles in 1783, going against the traditions of the old Royal Court".

Hameau de la Reine starts sparkling, light green with citrusy accents. The greeney is like fresh buds with a touch of tart tomatoleaves. The greenery is very natural smelling and soon Hameau de la Reine elicts the image and scent of a sunny midsummer meadow with its wild untamed grass, midsummerflowers and moisty earth  underneath. As Hameau de la Reine dries down, flowery notes gets more predominant and now we are transported from the meadow to the garden of a sweet cottage, just as in Marie Antionettes little artificial, rual, village. Wild roses, mock orange and robust peonies are present over the green backgrund that has become slightly darker and accentuated by woody notes when the fragrance reaches the balanced musky, basenotes.

Picture: Marie Antionette (1755-1793)
Painting of Louise Elisabeth Vigée  Le Brun (1755-1842)
1783

Light green, airy and delightful, Hameau de la Reine is a perfect fragrance for the coming midsummercelebrations. It's a casual fragrance but also suits for work as it can't offen anyone. The sillage is close and the longevity not for a whole day which is surprising as the others tested from the line so far, Orangerie du Roy and Bouquet du Trianon (see previous reviews) both have very good longevity. But Hameau de la Reine is that sort of light fragrance that could be reapplied during the day without causing olfactory disasters, i.e the rule that says: Never apply perfume on unclean skin. But there are some exceptions: Some light and fresh fragrances, preferably citrus, could be used even a day after the previous shower.

Those who like Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte and the new version of Balmain Vent Vert will probably also appreciate the delicate Hameau de la Reine.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Bergamot, blackcurrant bud, tomato leaf, fig leaf, rose, galbanum, peony, geranium, mock orange, ivy, vetiver, patchouli, white wood, musk, honey

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Historiae - Bouquet du Trianon

Picture: Queen Marie Antoinette of France walking in the park of Trianon
with two of her children.Painting 1785 by Adolf Fredrik Werthmüller  (!751-1811)

Bouquet du Trianon is a floral woody fragrance created for Parfums Historiae by the famous nose Bertrand Duchaufour. Historiae are using a high precentage of natural fair traded esential oils in their fine fragrances.

When it comes to the inspiration to Bouquet du Trianon the story tells: "On August 15, 1774, King Louis XVI makes a wonderful gift to his wife Marie-Antoinette: "You love flowers, I have a bunch to offer you: the Petit Trianon." At Trianon Marie-Antoinette created a haven of intimacy that allowed her to escape the etiquette. She indulged her taste for countrystyle patterns and pastel colors."

Bouquet du Trianon starts with an airy and fizzy burst of greenry, some crisp flowers and most of all blackcurrant buds. The black currant is the mainplayer in the topnotes and is still clearly recognizable during the whole dry down. There is also a light, transparant, almost incenselike note that accompanying the blackcurrentnote, maybe the mint and beewax combined with the refined and smooth sandal- and cedarwood notes creates this effect. The flowers of the blend takes the centerstage somewhere in the middlenotes and are still present in the woody base. The dominating flower is a light, transparent and fizzy tubereuse, note meety and indolic, but wellbehaved and minimalistic. There is also something reminding of a pleasant, hard caramellnote. In the top- and in the beginning of the middlenotes Bouquet du Trianon seems to be a transparent version of another recent Bertrand Duchaufour creation dominated by blackcurrant: Enchanted Forest from The Vagabond Prince. It is easy to suspect that the two fragrances where created simultaneously a transparent one and a heavier one. Of the two I personally prefer Bouquet du Trianon as it blends much better with my skinchemistry. The critical Mr Parfumista complimented Bouquet du Trianon, thought there is some1980s vibe of the perfume and even found some similarities in its apperance and style, even if Bouquet du Trianon is lighter, with the great Montana Parfum d'Peau.Personally I also find some similarities with Grossmith Floral Veil and with the spirit of Golden Chypre from the same house.

Picture: Bouquet de Trianon Edt
Photo: PR Historiae (c)

Bouquet du Trianon is a perfect fragrance for officewearing, elegant and not disturbing. Despite it's transaprant character, the sillage is medium and the longevity is for almost 24h. To me Bouquet de Trianon is a very comfortable springscent, a real wristsniffer and I'm very enthusiastic about it.

Rating: 5

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, mandarin, galbanum, mint, freesia, blackcurrant bush leaf,  tuberose absolute, ylang ylang, beeswax absolute, rose, honeysuckle, vetiver, patchouli, amber, musk, sandalwood, cedarwood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Historiae - Orangerie du Roy

Picture: Louis XIV of France (1638-1715)
oil on canvas 1701 by Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743)

Orangerie du Roy is an excellent orangeblossom dominated fragrances composed by Bertrand Duchaufour for the house of Historiae. This house creates fragrances inspired of the spirit of different eras of the french history.

Orangerie du Roy is inspired of the "Sun King" Louis XIV which adored the freshness of the orangeblossom. The King started a new era parfumevise directed to fresh, flowery perfumes, preferably orangeblossoms, after being overdosed with musk for many years.

Orange du Roy starts with a natural smelling, clean, orangeblossom, without musky or laudery details. The flower is contrasted by light, green herbal notes, somehow smooth and on the verge of soapy but the fragrance doesn't enter the soapy territory, just touches it. The orangeblossom is classic-fresh and recalls the scent of freshly pressed linen sheets in cool and shady room during a warm summerday in a luxury Mediterrian hotel. Even if Orange du Roy is linear or maybe circular in its structure it is not dull at all, it evokes images not just from Mediterrian hotels, I can also see the old Sun King in his warm whig, strolling in the gardens of Versailles a warm summerday. Orangerie du Roy is well balanced and made of fine ingredients of an impression number for a eaux styled fragrance. It's also reasonable priced ca EUR 25 for 15 ml/ ca EUR 49 for 50 ml.

Picture: Orangerie du Roy Edt
Photo: PR Historiae (c)

Orangerie du Roy is a real wristsniffer, perfect both for work and casual, especially during spring and summer. The longevity is very good for a an eaux styled edt, it lasts for more than a day.

I think those who sheer orangeblossoms as Prada Infusion Fleur d'Oranger and Hermès Cologne Orange Verte will also like Orangerie du Roy.

Rating: 4

Notes: Lemon, sweet orange, petit grain, basil, mint, bergamot, orangeblossom, ylang-ylang, honeysuckle, lavendel, thyme, mock orange, patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, musk

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Fragrance(s) of the week (18) 2013 - Perfumetreasures in the North

Picture: The City of Sundsvall, Sweden,
Engraving ca. 1690-1710, Erik Dahlberg, Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, Wikimedia Commons

In the City of Sundsvall,a coast town almost in the middle of Sweden, there is a little fragrancetreasure: Fragrance & Art - a niche-perfumeshop with some very rare nichelines carefully selected by the owner who has just an excellent nose snifffng up so many intriguing fragrances. Within niche, even if carrying different styled lines, Fragrance & Art has a special focus on reconstructed historical brands, fragrances inspired by the history and also vintagestyled fragrances.As there are genres that I truly appreciate and find intriguing, combined with the excellent taste of the owner of Fragrance & Art, I always know that samples from there will be a pleasure to test. The first screening consistent with my taste is already done and I can concentrate on the best ones.

Picture: Les Eaux de Toilettes de Historiae
Photo: Historiae (c)

This week,I have started my sniff through a line that I havn't heard of before, a french line called Historiae, focusing on fragrances that intermediate different eras of the French history. This delicate fragrances are light in style Edt:s and despite that, distinct in character and with good longevity, good choices for the coming summer. Four of five fragrances are created by the great nose Bertrand Duchaufour and taken that into account, the line is quite reasonable priced ca EUR 25 for 15 ml and ca EUR 49 for 50 ml. Reviews will follow later.

Luckily for those who want to try some unusual fragrances, Fragrance & Art has a webshop with sampleservice and shipping around the word.