Fragrant dessert

Picture: Scent stripes
Photo: Parfumista (c)

Sometimes when we had dinner we ends up with a fragrant dessert instead of a conventional dessert loaded with calories. Sometimes there is a theme and sometimes there is just random sampling. We are testing on scentstripes in order to experience the fragrances unaffected. Here is an example from a recent fragrant dessert:

First some theme-oriented scentstrips: The intention was to compare immortelle notes which then devolved to compare immortelle and boozy notes.

Sables (Annick Goutal) The starting point was of ocurse the role model of immortelle, Sables. This rough and salty immortelle is the image of dunes, wooden boats and docks, the soggy and slaty air at seaside.

Cuir Beluga (Guerlain) Refined luxurry immortelle combined with the softest, light suedenote ever. Pure delight!

1740 Marquis de Sade (Histoires de Parfums) The immortelle is here and working together with leathery/balsamic notes makes a true dark, cognac, boozy impression appearing.

Speakeasy (Frapin) Of course 1740 MdS had to be compared with the lighter boozy immortelle Speakeasy. On scentstripe the minty note is very prominent compared to what I percieve when wearing it, worn it's more of leathery-dark rum.

After this immortelle study, we went on for a "similar in style and expression but contemporary vs old school" study when I once again complained about the discontinuing of the great contemporary chypre

Mon Parfum Cheri, par Camille (Annick Goutal) testing the less radiant and somehow denser Edp. MPCpC IMO is the best AG so far, dark, deep patchy- plummy, a contemporary Femme Fatal and as such clean compared to its (as I belive) role model:

Femme (Rochas) testing an old Edp of the 1989 version, dark, plummy and spicy, predominantly cummin which lends it just the right slight animalic skanky aura. This is perfume at its best, outdoing most of the current niche offerings.

Talking about current niche offerings, we went further to a great and at the moment hyped one:

Iris Nazarena (Aedes de Venustas) Mr Parfumista has complained this smelling "old man and Brut" on me but I suspecting he's just plotting to take over my sample of it. On the scentstripe the smooth, rooty-iris-carrot note is very pleasant and later on, maybe there is a hint of a refined Fabergé Brut. When Mr Parfumista wears Iris Nazarena the day after it smells like on the scentstripe. Maybe I let him have the sample after all...Unfortunately it seeems to be the same as with Mona di Orio Violette Fumée, I really appreciate the fragrance and want to wear it but Mr Parfumista wears it much better :-(

Finally to the antithesis of niche: My mother had handed over an interesting sample to me:

Oud (Alyssa Ashley) interesting because I'm interested to find out how a "budget-oud" is smelling and the answer is: Faint and fleeting, syntetical, dark woody fragrance with a slight almondy note. This note also appears in expensive nicheofferings but with more dept and accompained with more notes and nuances. In the Alyssa Ashley Oud interpretation it's somehow a flat soli-note. Not a bad perfume but nothing engaging either.

Best of 2013

Picture: Summer evening in Stockholm Archipelago 2013
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

2013 was another year with a flood of releases, many good and well constructed but too close to other perfumes too really catch my attention. The fragrances of the best of list are such that immidiately caught my attention and a "wow" feeling appeared.

For Her: Le Parfum Couture Denis Durand pour M.Micallef Already during my first wearing of this dark rosy, retro, skanky perfume I knew this would be the perfume of the year to me and it made it to the end.

For Him: Royal Vintage from M.Micallef fresh mangled, exquisite, linen tablecloths worthy a the Royal table. Notes of a just lit cigarette with hints of a minimalistic dry jasmine complements.

For Both: Oumma by Stéphane Lucas Humbert 777 a runner up tested the weekend before Christmas. A fragrance in a class of its own, balsamic resins, rose and a smooth expression of saffron and precious woods.

Close runner up's/ Honorable mentions: Oriza L.Legrand Chypre Mousse, Neela Vermiere Cretations Mohur Extrait, Andy Tauer PHI Rose the Kandahar, Robert Piguet Rose Perfection, Puredistance Black, By Kilian Playing with the Devil, Oliver Durbano Lapis Philosophorum and Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena.

2013 apperantly was a good year for Martine Micallef and her house nose Jean-Claude Astier, releasing special and wearable fragrances that stands out to me and make my jaded nose a bit excitetd. The sampling of Oumma was pure luck, random choosing from a sachet of Aus Liebe zum Duft samples. About all the fragranes which almost made it (I'm also almost sure I've forgot to mention some interesting releases): They are all very good and I or Mr Parfumista are delighted to wear them.

Which fragrance is your best of 2013?

Iris Nazarena & Iris Silver Mist - Short impressions

Picture: Iris Nazarena by Aedes de Venustas
Photo: PR Aedes de Venustas (c)

Short impressions from two days in a row wearing of the 2013 Iris Nazarena from Aedes de Venustas created by Ralf Schwieger and the classic Iris Silver Mist from Serge Lutens created by Maurice Roucel in 1994.

My first impression of Iris Nazarena was "not original enough" for its price probably because I recognized other perfumes in each stage of IN. The carrot and earthy opening similar to ISM and Heeley Iris de Nuit but a more intense and longer lasting carrotaccord, the next more flowery part of IN that partly reminds me of Hermès Hiris with some spicy traces. The base with the typical current tart, putty but in the same time almost slight powdery musky accord with light traces of incense, an accord present in the bases of for example Les Exclusives Chanel 1932, Grossmith Amelia, Puredistance Opardu, Oriza L Legrand Oeillet Louis XV and Parfums MDCI Chypre Palatin. But the sum of its parts puts this fragrance in a higher dimension, it is very pleasant and intriguing, I think the "recognizing other beautiful perfumes"effect during the drydown, contributes to this overall impression. This effect is also something I perceive in Kerosene Copper Skies even if this is a different fragrance. IN is concentrated and longlasting.

Picture: Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens
Photo: PR Serge Lutens (c)

When it comes to Iris Silver Mist the whole composition feels smoother, earthier, watery, like damp soil. The carrotopening is shorter and not as intense as in IN and the iris lends more to violet and leafy notes. The base is woody-musky. ISM is more harmonious, the different parts are seamless woven together, the composition is introvert, calming and meditative whereas IN is extrovert, louder with more radiance.

For lovers of  rooty irises, Iris Nazarena is well worth testing as well as the reference fragrance for this style Iris Silver Mist.

Frapin - Paradis Perdu

Photo: View of the World's Fair, Paris, France,
engraving 1889, Wikimedia Commons

Paradis Perdu the latest fragrance from the also in perfumery so successful venerable house of brandy, Frapin, is created by perfumer Amélie Bourgeois.Paradis Perdu is inspired of the temporary iron and glass palaces of the Paris World Fair 1889. The pavilions, showing their iron lacework foundations, celebrated the rise of industry and the "Art Nouveau". The Eiffel Tower was completed to the fair and its entrance arch. From this time the house of Frapin has an unique storehouse created by the master of ironconstructions, Gustave Eiffel.

Paradis Perdu opens with green, juicy notes, like long blades of grass swaying in the wind an early, warm and sunny autumnday. A distinguishable and natural grapefruitnote are present during the the first part of Paradis Perdu, a non-catpie sulfatic grapefruitnote, something that I have positivly experienced in some fragances lately. Maybe there has been some developement of the grapefruitformula lately as the grapefruit is much more pleasing today than some years ago. Later on Paradis Perdu highlights dry hayish notes, contrased with fuller notes of slightly fermented grapes, after all, Frapin is a cognacmanufactur. In this stage the overall impression of Paradis Perdu is similar to Jour d'Hermès. An almost fizzy galbanum and a bright vetiver are also evident. The best part of Paradis Perdu in my opinion is the contrasting, dark, smoky, tarry woody, mossy, resinbase with some traces of wine, a base that reminds me of a much less bomastic and smoother version of the base of Copper Skies by Kerosene. In the base, darker and lighter passages interactes, the lighter ones, dominated by a fresh vetiver. Reaching the basenotes, is like  experience the chilly and crisp autumnevening just when the sun has went down.

To me Paradis Perdu the first 2/3 are light considering it's a Frapin fragrance. The basenotes are deeper, fuller and more Frapin-styled. Paradis Perdu perfectly pictures an early autumn day, from the crisp sunny beginning, over the warmer, sunnier, fuller and sweeter middle of the day to the chilly and fast darkening evening. Two days after my full wearing day of Paradis Perdu I put on the same jacket as I worn the testingday and smelled something very familiar: Ivoire from Pierre Balmain. On fabric Paradis Perdu has transformed to a more homogeneous fragrance than I experienced it on skin.

Picture: Paradis Perdu
Photo: PR Frapin

Sillage is close and longevity 12h+. Perfect for autumn but will also be good for spring, especially the earlier stages of Paradis Perdu. Paradis Perdu catches (like some other perfumes* the latest year) parts from different parfumes/parfumstyles and could therefore please a wide range of perfumelikings.

Rating: 4

Notes: Bergamot, grapefruit, citron, mandarin, basil, spinach, vine, ravensara, galbanum, elemi, paradisamide, vetiver, hay, cedarwood, rosewood, labdanum, precious woods, moss, musk

*) Kerosene Copper Skies was the first fragrance obvious with this concept (to my nose), Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena is another one.