Eau D'Italie - Rosa Greta

Picture: The imagined colour of Rosa Greta
Photo: Parfumista (c)

Rosa Greta is a tribute to the timelessy beautiful Greta Garbo, created by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrain for italian stylish nichehouse Eau D'Italie. Eau D'Italie describes the inspiration of the fragrance as "In 1938 Greta Garbo suddenly vanished from Hollywood.  Later the paparazzi discovered her secret hideaway: a stunning villa in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast, overlooking the blue of the Mediterranean, its gardens fragrant with blooming clusters of the famous Ravello Rose.  The divine Garbo shone again all her light, having lived moments of secret happiness with her new lover.  To this tale of love and life we have dedicated Rosa Greta."

Rosa Greta starts true rosy combined with slight herbal tea notes similar to example Bvlgari Eau Parfumeé au Thé Blanc. This accord creates an almost ozonic, outdoor, by the sea accord and I can imagine bright, light red, crispy roses in an elegant Amalficostgarden. The litchi is not apperant as a detectable note by itself, probably it is there to balance the harsh aspect of the teanote and to highlight the fruity notes of the rose. The rose is very clean an natural (as Garbo herself) and it's present in that shape during the whole drydown of Rosa Greta. Somewhere in the first part of the fragrance, I can smell an element one of my favorite Eau D'Italie Un Bateau pour Capri, an element that somehow reminds me of the mediterranean air and sea from a distance, not the smell directly on the beach. The cedarnote is also bright and clean, underscored by the ambrox which gives Rosa Greta a bright radiance and a longevity for more than a day even if its a light, daytime rose in style. It's a uncomplicated, contemporary rose, very versatile and enjoyable to wear, especially for summertime. It's the counterpart rose to the dark, complicated, mysterious Eau D'Italie Pasteum Rose another favourite from the line. Rosa Greta appears a bit different in different wearings. Mostly i appears as the clean, sea-air-ish rose as described here, but in some wearings the airish notes becomes sparkling, fizzy somewhere in the middlenotes. This sparkling, fizzy apperance reminds me of Ramon Monegal Kiss My Name and Lovely Day but without the slight peppery note apperant in those. As the two mentioned Monegals, Rosa Greta is a happy fragrance.

Picture: Rosa Greta
Photo: PR Eau D'Italie (c)

Rosa Greta is a beautiful, versatile, daytime rosefragrance, with good longevity and medium silage. Suitable both for casual and at work especiall in summer. A fragrance that couldn't disturb anyone and not as intriguing as it's  muse. To me both Pasteum Rose and Un Bateau pour Capri is more Greta, but as the inspiration for Rosa Greta is the image of Greta Garbo in the context of the Ravello Garden and Gretas clean, blonde, classic look, I can see the connction.

Rating: 4

Notes: litchi, white tea, rose bud, damascus rose, ambrox, cedarwood

Making of Cannes - Quick reviews

Picture: A chic bottle of Rocher Princier
Photo: PR Making of Cannes (c)

Making of Cannes is a perfumebrand based in Grasse which creations are inspired of the Cannes Film Festival and the movie industry. Founder of the brand is Audrey Courbier who worked for Estee Lauder form many years, I havn't found who the perfumer is. Technically the fragrances are wellcrafted of a good quality and contains at least 20% perfumeoil, from a creative point of view even if beautiful nothing new or innovative. The fragrances are comforting, elegant and easy to wear.
Below some short thoughts of the five first releases from 2014:

Premier Role: This light oriental amber has a lovely vintage aura, especially in the start with something as unusual as a soft galbanum, this note often tend to appear as sharp. Taken as a whole Premier Role is a mix between two interesting perfumes from the past. Dior Dune and Balenciaga Prelude with an extra dose of smooth, restrained, moderate sweet white and yellow flowers. The first one-third is the most interesting then the fragrance get linear and smells almost the same for the rest of the dry down. Very feminine, warm, soft and comfortable to wear.

L'Amour la Monde: This is Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose crossed with a finetuned, realistic smelling leather like for example Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather. The leathernote vanishes after the topnotes and intergrates with the musky, powdery, creamy lipstick rose/violet accord. The more L'Amour la Monde dries down, the more of the powdery, musky, aldehydic character steps forward in a comfortable way. Just as with Permier Role the first one-third is the most interesting, than the fragrance stays almost the same, even if intensifying.

Invalouable: Starts very feminine as a flowery light powdery vanilla with fruity accents. The vanillic flower in its texture, not in the actual smell, is similar to the style of the angelic, powdery, flowery vanilla from Eau d'Italie Morn to Dusk. As Invalouable dries down to the middlenotes it settles in a light peppery, white flower accord  and the fragrance is close to the sparkling Ramon Monegal duo Kiss My Name and Lovely Day. As Invalouable reaches its warm and musky basenotes, the peppery sparkle steps back and the fragrance reminds of the beautiful summery white flower of Gianfranco Ferré which bears the same name as the designer.

Amazing Shooting: Listed as unisex but to my nose it's lending more to the feminine side. Starts fruity in a air of chypre. The fruits are fresh, not the spicy Mitsouko style, but combined with slight boozy notes, it becomes darker, almost creamy and much more sophisticated in apperance. Something which smells like a wellbalanced, not harsh teanote also glimpses, probably this is the metallicnote mentioned in the notelist. Amazing Shooting reminds me in style and expression of a more balanced EnJoy by Jean Patou made of much better ingredients.

Rocher Princier:  Listed as masculine or unisex the woody-spicy, to my nose dominantly incense-oudy Rocher Princier goes for both. Starts with a cold aldehydic chalky incensy which is close to Montale Full Incense. As Rocher Princier dries further down, a light smokey, confier, cold oudy aura appears and the fragrance in this stage has similaritues with Robert Piguet Oud Some light sweet spicy elements combined with balsamic notes deepens the fragrance in the basenotes. A rounded, well constructed incense-oud without any sharp edges or annoying pepper, very pleasent to wear. The smooth incense interpretation in texture is similar to the sweeter and gourmandy cosy incense Juozas Statkevicius (Josef Statkus). The favorite from the line both for me and Mr Parfumista.

Ramon Monegal - Very Private

Picture: Beneath the Lilac at Maurecourt,
Painting by Berthe Morisot, 1874,
Wikiart

Very Private is an exclusive composition created by Ramon Monegal for Bergdorf Goodman, New York. The fragrance is said to capture the hypnotic and magical impression of the Bergdorf Goodman flagship store as well as Central Park in springtime.
Very Private starts with a sunny burst of what I percieve as yellow-green fruity notes, accompanied by fizzy peppery notes. There is also a hint of alcohol in the beginning, the impression of a fruit cocktail. Soon also rose and a note that reminds me of melon appears. the fizzy, fruity first stages of the perfume reminds me of another joyful Ramon Monegal - Lovely Day. Lovely Day and Very Private also have some common notes; rose and licorice and I can also smell a similarity also in whole accords of the fragrances even if Lovely Day is more peppery and fresher where Very Private is more flowery with a golden, warm, honeyed sweetness. The melonnote is of the Galia varity, not watermelon. The lilacnote, to my nose, is recognizable in the second part of the dry down and I have to smell very close to really sort it out from the seamless blended fruity-flowery mix. The basenotes are a pleasant musky mix with oak moss and licorice adding some dept and contrasting darkness to the this bright and happy fragrance.



Picture: Very Private in its white cap,
 inkwell bottle
Photo: PR Ramon Monegal (c)

Very Private I can imagine (the test is done in cold springweather) is a durable fragrance for warm, summerdays. Also suitable for spring and wearable in most occassions, very good to cheer up in the office. Perfumesnons should not fear away as this is a genuine fruity-floral fragrance, it's not the sickingly artificial smelling sweet fruity-floral, Very Private smells almost natural in its interpreation of florals and frutis. Sílage is medium and longevity good, for a day.

Those who like Hermès Un Jardin apres la Mousson, Ramon Monegal Kiss My Name (which is in a similar style as Lovely Day) and Guerlain Idylle Duet Jasmin-Lilas will probably also like Very Private.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Citrus, fruity notes, tea rose, violet, lilac, orange blossom, oak moss, licorice, vanilla, musk

Le Galion - Tubéreuse

Picture: Le Galion Tubéreuse
Photo: PR Le Galion (c)

Tubéreuse is one of the re-issued and re-constructued fragances of the french house Le Galion (more about that in the previous post). The original Tubéreuse was created 1937 by Paul Vacher and the current interpretation is performed by Thomas Fontaine.

Tubéreuse starts with a blast of fresh cut, white flowers with some of the crispy, green leaves also clearly present. The tuberose is dominating in the first stage but as Tubéreuse dries down, the fragrance developes, on the verge to, a  voluminous white floral bouquet with some sweet, almost fruity elements. Tubéreuse is fresh and innocent in style, there is neither an indolic interpretation of the flower, like Robert Piguet Fracas, nor a cold, earthy  and green interpretation of the contemporary style like L'Artisan Parfumeur Nuit de Tubéreuse. The flowers are clean and clear, a (white) rose is another flower which steps forward in some passages, and a light spicy accords reinforces as Tubéreuse dries down. There is no powder or soap in the mix, and what it smells like is an uncomplicated, well balanced and very comfortable white bouquet composed with good ingredients. The delicious flowers rests on a musky, slight woody, ambery base balanced with an almost animalic note. The musky-animalic bases gives the fragrance a good longevity and medium silage.

Tubéreuse is very wearable white flower, suitable year around for daytime wearing. It's a bright and happy fragrance and it's reminds me in style of other white bouqet tuberoses such as Gianfranco Ferre signature fragrance with the same name, Oscar de la Renta Mi Corazon (both quite timeless in style), Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle (older and denser in style) and Ramón Monegal Kiss My Name (more contemporary in style).

Rating: 4

Notes: Mandarin, galbanum, pink pepper, pear; tuberose, rose, orange blossom, raspberry, cedar, amber, musk

Thanks to Fragance & Art for the sample to test

Jardins d'Écrivains - Gigi

Picture: Gigi by Jardins d'Écrivans
Photo: PR Jardins d'Écrivains (c) 

Gigi is the other feminine floral in the literature and garden inspired fragranceline of the house of Jardins d'Écrivains. Gigi is inspired of La Belle Époque and Colettes novel Gigi, about a parisian girl groomed to be a courtesan by her grandmother.

Gigi starts with a sunny accord of orangeblossom, tubereuse and jasmin supported by some fresh greenery and a hint of a cocos note often recognized together with tubereuse, I think it's one facet of the flowers scent. Soon also a subdued fruity note appears which deepens the fragrance just a bit, but the transparant sparkling impression is still dominating. Further in the dry down an almost nailpolish like note (but not in the chemical way) appears but in a pleasant way. I think it's the black currant paired with the, in this stage, nondescript white flowers that creates this effect. The base is moderately woody-musky and supports the other notes in a in a harmonious way.

Moderate I think is the right way to describe Gigi. It's a nice and gentle without any strange passages, a typical IFRA/EU compliant floral fragrance of today. Gigi is not in the putty/powdery/soapy floral genre which is typical for the releases of the latest year, Gigi is clean, transparant, white floral. Unfortunately it seems as my skin almost eat Gigi, and even if there is clear traces left after a day of wearing, the fragrance ends up somehow bland for me. Even the other feminine Jardins d'Écrivains the cologne La Dame aux Camélias appears much clearer, is more distinct and creates images to me, than the Edp Gigi. Gigi is very officefriendly and easy to wear.

Those who likes fragrances like Prada Infusion de Tubereuse, the original Gianfranco Ferré (with the same name) and Ramón Monegal  Kiss My Name and Lovely Day, despite the three latter are way more distinctive and have more expressed personalities, I think also could appreciate Gigi.

Rating: 3

Notes: Freshly cut grass, orangeblossom, neroli, tubereuse, jasmin, blackcurrant, sandalwood,white musk

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of  Gigi

Oscar de la Renta - Mi Corazon

Picture: Polianthes tuberosa (flowers), Plants of Hawaii
Photo: Attribution to Forest & Kim Starr (cc) Wikimedia Commons

Mi Corazon ia another nice flowery fragrance in the Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries-line. Mi Corazon is created to Oscar de la Rentas daugther Eliza, his heart, and will symbolize their shared interest for gardening and their mutual liking to the ylang-ylang flower.

To me Mi Corazon is a tubereuse dominated fragrance to that extent that I will classify it as a tubereusefragrance. Of course the other flowers are there, but more as supporters that lifts the star of the show, the tubey. Despite my writing about the tubereuse as the star of the show, the tubey of Mi Corazon is no indolic, Grand Diva a la Fracas. Instead the tubereuse is of the contemorary, sparkling, uplifting and clean version. Mi Corazon starts bright, sparkling and with the crispy light greenery that accompanies bulbflowers. In this stage Mi Corazon reminds me of the 80s bright, green and warm Gianfranco Ferré  (signature). The tubereuse is there from the start and it is present during the whole dry down. In its heart and base notes, Mi Corazon, get sweeter and deepens a bit with the caranation and ylang-ylang which adds an slight honeyed texture to the tubereuse. In the basenotes there is a passage that reminds me of a gentler interpretation the dark tubereusecentered blend of Ysatis by Givenchy. The overall impression of Mi Corazon is that it is a good example of a classical, clean floral that smells somehow natural, probably a sign of high quality ingredients and skillful composition.

Mi Corazon is a very wearable fragrance, perfect for work as there is absolutly nothing disturbing in it. Suitable year around. Even if spring and summer seems as the natural choice for a fragance like this, it's very comforting to wear in the winter as Mi Corazon is a warm fragrance even if containing these green, crispy, elements described above. To me Mi Corazon is a perfect, classy fragrance for a young girl, instead of the syntethic, musky, floral, fruitiness intended for this group from the marketing.

Those who like bright tubereuses like Kiss My Name from Ramon Monegal, La Divina Tubereuse from Antonio Visconti and  Un Air de Damas Tubereuse from Parfums Dorin will probably like Mi Corazon.

Rating: 4

Notes: Peach, narcissus absolute, carnation, tubereuse, ylang-ylang, cederwood

Ramón Monegal - Kiss My Name

Picture: Rose Champagne Bubbles

Photo by Gaetan Lee (CC-BY-2.0; CC-BY-2.5.)

Wikimedia commons some rights reserved

A fizzy, peppery tubereuse-boquet is how I percieve Ramón Monegals tubereusefragrance Kiss My Name. The initial accord reminds med of the light, sight green, tubereuse boquet of Gianfranco Ferre (the fragrance has the same name as the designer himself). But very soon a blast of light, fizzy pepper appears and takes control over the blend. This stage is close to the developement of Lovely Day and just as with that fragrance, reminds me of Un Jardin apres la Mousson by Hermès. The glimpse of something that reminds me of an almost melony note is also present in Kiss My Name as in both of the former fragrances. I don't know from which ingredient the peppery note comes from, probably there is some woody note that is not mentioned among the ingredients that produces it. To me Kiss My Name, just as Gianfranco Ferre is first of all a sort of casual-chic dry, green white flower boquet where tubereuse has a leading but not predominant role. As Kiss My Name dries down the tubereusenote gets clearer. It's a clean and nice tuby-note that never reaches the dangerous dirty, fleshy, almost putty in texture, territory. In the late drydown, Kiss My Name is very close to the fizzy,airy, peppery Un Matin d'Orage by Annick Goutal.

Kiss My Name wears well during a warm summerday and I think it's proper for daytime wear year around. As it is strong in concentration, light application is recommended. A nice, happy and easy to wear fragrance, nothing complicated even if well crafted as the whole Ramón Monegal-line.

Rating: 4
Notes: Tuberose, iris, jasmine, neroli, tolu balsam