Histoires de Parfums - 1740 Marquis de Sade

Picture: Portrait of Donatien Alphonse de Sade, "Marquis de Sade" (1740-1814).

The drawing dates to 1760, when the Sade was nearly 20 years old. Drawing by

Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo, Wikimedia commons

This review was hidden in the archives, written in ca 2012.
1740 Marquis de Sade from the for me rediscovered house of Histoires de Parfums, tested fragrances from the house cirka two years ago but it's this year I really have started to appreciate it's sometime serious and "difficult" creations. 1740 Marquis de Sade definitly belongs to the difficult category. Originally  created year 2000 by Sylvie Joudet and as I understand updated by Gérald Ghislain in 2008 it is classified as masculine but as containing some sweetness there is also women that appreciate 1740 and I will classify it as unisex but leaning to the masculine side.

1740 Marquis de Sade is a very wellblended and multifacetted fragrance on the woody-oriental-herbal-leathery theme. It's starts with boozy, slight sweet notes from the davana (artemisia) which is said to, as an ingredient, developes different on different skintypes and therefore transforms a scent to be (to some extent) personal to the wearer. There are also hints of immortelle (even if not mentioned among the ingredients) in this part of 1740. When the boozy top fades away a dray, dark chocolate note, probably a finetuned patcholuli, accented withe a minty tune, appears. There is also a pleseant spicyness from corianer and caradmom even if some dirty notes are shining through now and then. Later on, immortelle, typical housnote in several HdP creation shows up again togheter with a discrete leathernote, the woody pepper of cedar and resins, which creates a resinous and longlasting base.

1740 Marquis de Sade is very pontent and a low dose is needed to avoid smelling of an old grumpy man as Mr Parfumista accused me to do when I spritzed too much. To me four spritz is the maximum to let this well blended juice flourish. Whitin each stage of it's slow and gradually drydown, many things are happening and there is as eache of the top, middle respecitve basenotes represents an own perfume within the whole fragrance ie there is three different fragrances of the same theme whitin the 1740 Marquis de Sade. The developement is very interesting and precipitates out different by different wearings. It's not a flattering scent and as it takes some wearings to understand and appreciate 1740, it is important to don't dismissing it by the first wearing. Associations to Marquis de Sade? Not so many as 1740 reminds me of a distingued, well-behaved gentleman living in a manorhouse in the english countryside, a 19th century gentry. Maybe the chocolate note associate to de Sade as I read somewhere that he was a chocoholic. The leathernote is to gentle and polite to be associated by the games of de Sade.

Other fragrances that is partly similar to 1740 Marquis de Sade is L'Oiseau de Nuit by Parfumerie Générale especially when it comes to the sweet and boozy davananote. Also, but to a lesser extent , some of the skankiness from L'Ombre Fauve from the same house is present in 1740 Marquis de Sade.

When rating 1740 Marquis de Sade I weighs together that the wellcrafted blend (5) doesn't precipitate in the best way on me, it's a tad to masculine (3) which makes a:

Rating: 4

Notes: Artemisia  (davana), bergamot, patchouli, coriander, cardamom, cedar, labdanum, leather, elemi resin

BeuFort London - Fathom V

Picture: Paiting by Albert Bierstadt
(1830-1902)

Fathom V is one of the (to my nose) two "wearable" fragrances from the line of the niche house BeauFort London, the other is Lignum Vitae. The first three releases ( 1805 Tonnerre, Vi et Armis, Coeur de Noir) from the house are very intriguing but to my nose more of fragrance artworks or scent installations than perfumes which could be worn in public. More about the other BeauForts will follow in next week.

 Fathom V starts chilly, crispy, green with a smell similar to narcissus but a bit more flowery, lily is mentioned among the ingredients. There are also green coniferous elements, like fir and juniper. Soon also a cold, earthy smell emerges, like the just thawed earth in late winter/early spring. This accord is contrasted with a glimpse of an animalic note which slight resembles the smell of cat fur. After a while a windy element appears in Fathom V, it smells like someone is airing out an attic closet in an old house by the seaside during a cold, windy day early in the spring. Something in the concept/texture but not in smell reminds me of a outdoor variation of Parfumerie Generale L'Ombre Fauve. Further on in the drydown, the fog is rolling in over the cost from the open sea. Salty elements together with seaweeds and algaes appears in the blend, and later also a hearbal almost minty note, shows up, clearing the fragrance up from the fog. The salt and mint slightly reminds me of another Perfumerie Generale  Harmatan Noir and for the airy salty vibe also Laboratorio Olfattiva Salina but Salina is warm in texture. The icy cold and dry lily is present during the whole dry down of Fanthom V and as it settles, there is also a moisty, mossy element supporting the green herbal accord sweeping over the scent of  fresh soil.

Picture: Fathom V
Photo: PR BeauFort London (c)

Fathom V, like all the BeauForts, is very intriguing and creates vivid fantasies and pictures for the wearer, in this case more pleasant ones compared to the first fragrance trio. It's my favorite from the house and I really appreciate it's shifts in different moods and nuances. The fragrance is an outdoorfragrance in the same spirit, but not the same smell, as the also earthy, early in the spring/late in the winter, fragrance Onda from Vero Profumo. That even if Onda to my nose is describing this season in the inland and the scents of Fathom V is from the seaside.  Fathom V is unisex, maybe a tad more feminine because of the lily and that the herbal element isn't the typical, harsh aromatic type. Instead it's sort of soft and smooth herbal which is unusual and Fathom V therefore is wearable fougere for woman. The fragrance is perfect for daytime wearing in late winter and early spring but could be worn year around. Sillage is medium and longevity very good about 24h.

One of the best fragrances in 2016 IMO, if I had sampled it then, it would be among the top three.

Rating: 5

Notes: Juniper berries, tangerine, black currant, green notes, soil tincture, thyme, lily, jasmine, ylang-ylang, ginger, cumin, black pepper, mimosa, patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, salt, incense, atlas cedar, amber

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to review

Les Cocottes de Paris - La Castiglione

Picture: Virginia Oldoini
Countess of Castiglione (1837-1899)
Photo from 1865, Wikimedia commons

La Castiglione from Les Cocottes de Paris is inspired from Virginia Oldoini an italian Countess of Castiglione, who was an influential mistress of Emperor Napoleon III. She also supported the art of photography and ordered pictures to immortalizing important phases of her life and became a famous model in early photography. According to the legend, La Castiglione during the last years of her life, lived in a totally blacked apartment without mirrors in the Place Vendome. She refused to be remembered of her bygone beauty and she was just going out when it was dark outside.

The fragrance La Castglione is probably inspired from the later, dark years. It starts interesting, with an accord of pickled citron and the smell from an old attic, the old attic smell is a lighter and not as distinct as the in Parfumerie Générale L'Ombre Fauve. As L'Ombre Fauve is one of my all time favorites, this is a positive remark. Then other dark notes as a soggy patchouli and a well balanced liquorice steps forward founded in woody balsamic notes. Myrrh adds a cold and uplifting counterbalance to the dark and deep mix. There are also herbal elements that brightens which prevent the fragrance from beeing dusty and stuffy. In the basenotes La Castglione reminds me in spirit and appearance of Gucci by Gucci Edp

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

La Castiglione is a fragrance for autumn/winter good for evenings but also as a mysterious daytimefragrance. Sillage is close and longevity for a day. La Castiglione is definitly my favorite of the Cocottes.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mugwort, citron, copaiba, liquorice, patchouli, cedar, ambergris, myrrh, styrax

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try.

Oriza L.Legrand - Royal Oeillet

Picture: Study of Polly Bernard  1885 for
"Carnation, lily, lily, rose"
Painting by John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

Royal Oeillet is a composition inspired of the rich heritage of the revived french powder and perfumehouse Oriza L.Legrand. The house of Oriza recreates some of the old formulas taken the restrictions of and opportunities in to account and the result is one of the very best nichelines of today. In Royal Oeillet he interpretes the it-note of 2014: Carnation.

Royal Oeillet starts with an traditional, dense carnation note, a full carnation as in Caron Bellodgia pre year 2000. After a while, a contrasting note appears, a glimpse of the, what I call "an old attic" note appears, but much lighter, cleaner and airier than in the "old attic" gold standard L'Ombre Fauve from Parfumerie Générale. The note soon steps back and integrates with the carnationnote. The carnation is dry and papery in structure, I imagine its color as brick red. The clove which is a part of the carnationnote is very balanced and doesn't overpower the composition. Compared to Royal Oeillet, for example M.O.U.S.S.E and M.O.U.S.S.E II from Oliver & Co, spicy clovefragrances and the impression of carantion is subordinated the spices. Royal Oeillet is, despite the light spieces, in a strange way refreshing when worn a warm summerday. It's linear and minimalistic in its apperance but not at all boring. Its a meditative and calming fragrance which triggers the imagination and transports the wearer to the late 19th century and the impressionists era. The atmosphere in John Singer Sargents wonderful painting Carnation, lily, lily rose is similar to the vibes of Royal Oeillet.

Picture: Carnation, lily, lily, rose -
 the finished painting 1885-1886
 John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

Compared to the other Oriza L.Legrand carnation, Oeillet Louis XV Royal Oeillet gives the impression to be a soliflore carnation, the Louis is more of an aldehydic boquet with carnation as the leading flower. In the Mâitre Parfumer et Gantier carnation Soie Rouge, where fruit and rose are more predominat an its also less spicer. Haven't tried my sample of Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale yet but I'll compare it with Royal Oeillet when I review it.

Royal Oeillet could be worn in many situations when one need a comforting, elegant and easy to wear fragrance. The fragrance is appropriate year around, but especially for late summer/fall, the sillage is medium and longevity for almost a day.

Rating: 5

Notes: Rose, black pepper, myrrh, geranium, cloves, pink pepper, cedar, bitter orange, violet leaf, sandalwood

Rania J - Ambre Loup

Picture: Gum rockrose, Capsule and seeds, (labdanum)
Photo: Roger Culos (cc) Wikipedia Commons,
some rights reserved

Ambre Loup is as the name indicates, the ambercentered fragrance in the  Rania J:s natural perfume line. Ambre Loup is composed by Rania Jouaneh, just as all the perfumes of the house. Rania, while growing up, was livning in the Orient as well as Africa, is now living in France. She is inspired olfactory by her multicultural background.

Ambre Loup starts with relatively dark animalic notes, this part reminds me of the opening of one of my most favorite amberfragrances L'Ombre Fauve by Parfumerie Générale. But where L'Ombre Fauve goes further in investigating some weird notes, Ambre Loup suddenly turns in a lighter, very pleasant, almost bubblegum, a tad smokey, rubbery ambery accord. This accord is IMHO close to what could be smelled in the lovely bubblegum-amber fragrance Jean Paul Gaultier 2, but it is less sweet interpreted in Ambre Loup.

Ambre Loup is a fitting name for the composition as the fragrances seems to loop around, after a while the deep animalic amber is appearing again, then the lighter amber. The longer Ambre Loup dries down, the more of both the animalic and the bubblegum amber notes are blended together to a quite dark, distinct ambery, slight musky harmony which is very comfortable and relaxing. In the basenotes Ambre Loup reminds me of another excellent amber from the latest years which also contains a wellbalanced amount of oud: Ambre Doré by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, also a real wristsniffer just as Ambre Loup. The oud in Ambre Loup is also similar to the note in Oud Assam (will be reviewed in a coming post) but more subdued. In texture and spirit, Ambre Loup also reminds me a bit of another favorite, Le Labo Labdanum 18. Ambre Loup has an excellent longevity, the basenotes are left unfragmented 24h after application. The sillage is quite close and it is definitly officefriendly, if properly applied it could not disturb anybody. Ambre Loup is perfect for the colder months but also for a rainy and cold summerevening.

Picture: Glass vial containing Cistus Essential Oil (labdanum)
Photo: Itineranttrader, Wikipedia Commons

In summary Ambre Loup is a perfect basic amber, straightforward without any oddities. It never gets too vanillic sweet as some ambers, nor too herbal as others. The animalic notes are tempered and lends a dark dept to the fragrance. Could be recommended to those who are searching for a staple amber.

Rating: 4+

Notes: Peru balsam, labdanum, vanilla, oud, guaiacwood, cedarwood, musk

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Explosions D'Émotions 1(2)

The Expolsions D'Émotions trio are fragrances signed Bertrand Duchaufour for L'Artisan Parfumeur that must have been created with the intention to provoke the smell of sense. The fragrances are wellcrafted and unconventional, and seems to be almost a sort of experimental fragrances ie nothing for daily wearing but something to stuck in and analyze a day staying at home. Explosions D'Émotions are bottled in a new stylish design of the L'Artisan bottles.

Picture: Déliria
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

Déliria "exhilaration of the senses" according to L'Artisan marketing blurb and that's true. Déliria starts with a note close to sweet pinapple (BD inspired from Jean Patou Colony?)contrasted with the dry, dirty, unaired ambernote that is present in one of my favorite ambers, L'Ombre Fauve from Parfumerie Générale. After the contrasting opening, Déliria proceeds in a bubblegum note close to the classical pink, swedish bubblegum namned Bugg. Then the sweet notes are more nondescript, its more of a candystore and later the fragrance softens, like the note of candyfloss. The candy notes are darker, deeper and better blended then the regular sweet candy fragrance, a more serious interpretation of this pink-sugary genre.

To be continued in the next post.....

Fragrances for cold winter

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

After a green, rainy and green winter (with tempratures about +5-10 C) which spanned over the year end and nine days into January, the regular snowy and cold winter is now here and seems to be permanented. Even if the white snow is beautiful, everyday life gets much more tedious (all the clothes one have to wear, scraping the car windows, slippery outside, shoveling snow etc). But one thing is very positive, at last I really carve the hard core orientals. Here are some favorites at the moment.

Labdanum 18 (Le Labo): Thanks to Sigrun (Riktig Parfym) I got a sample of this and it was instant liking. Dense, warm, like dark brown, viscous, chocolate, even if not smelling of that. To me it smells of resins, a bit powdery, animalic and balsamic. Reminds me of Shalimar but not as complex and darker. Which leads to:

Shalimar (Guerlain): Cold weather is the right condition for this multifacetted beauty. I get less of the lighter notes as bergamot/citric and more of the dark, balmy, resin and animalic ones. "Shallan" is a true follower which could always be trusted.

Ambre Doré (Maître Parfumeur et Gantier): This is a dark, velvety, slight dirty amber with oud deepening the creation and givning it an interesting twist. The oud is very discrete, one doesn't think of it as oud. The dirtyness is also discrete, not as much as in another amber favorite L'Ombre Fauve from Parfumerie Générale.

Rêve d'Ossian (Oriza L.Legrand): Ossians dream has emerged to be my favorite Oriza in very hard competition as they are all so good. Amber, incense, pines, resins and some spieces are creating a comforting, warm and snuggly texture which warming up the coldest of days.

Opium (Yves Saint Laurent): As I'm saving on the little which is left of my vintage version, I'm mostly wearing the current version which I think is a very good woody-spicy oriental on its own merits. Can't understand all the complaints about it.

What is your comfort cold, winter scents?

Ramón Monegal - Ambra di Luna

Picture: Mondaufgang am Meer (Moonrise over the sea)
oil on canvas, 1822 by Caspar David Friedrich

Ambra di Luna is a true oriental (amber) fragrance from the excellent Barcelonean perfumehouse Ramon Monegal. As all the perfumes of the house, Ambra di Luna is created by the founder and owner Ramon Monegal a perfumer with more than thirty years experience from creating perfumes.

Ambra di Luna starts with an accord that resembles the dry, paperlike, amber note in Trouble by Boucheron.After a while Ambra di Luna gets sweeter and the furry, animalic note that have been taken to an extreme (in a very positive way) in one of my all time favourite ambers L’Ombre Fauve by Parfumerie Générale, is lurking in the background. This dark, dirty note is balancing the sweetness. After a while also a decadent, on the verge of withering, jasminenote comes forward and togheter with the furry note and amber it creates an almost vintage part of the fragarance.

As it dries in the later stages an accord emerges which is similar to the bubblegum, amber accord in the sweet, contemporary amber, Jean Paul Gaultier 2 but in Ambra di Luna the pink bubblegum is just an accent in the ambery accord and not at all as strong and sweet as in JPG2. There is also a slight leathery impression when indulging the basenotes.

Ambra di Luna has both classical, almost old fashioned phases, combined by contemporary, in the topnotes and in the early basenotes with the light bubblegum amber. As always with the Ramon Monegal perfumes, an interesting blend where the wearer could expect interesting twists during the whole dry down. Overall Ambra di Luna conveys the atmosphere that is present in music and paintings from the romantic era in the 19^th century.

Ambra di Luna is not as powerful as most of the Ramón Monegal fragrances, but lasts more than a day anyway. The style is subdued, close to the skin, amber-animalic-resin-powder and Ambra di Luna is most distinctive to the wearer her/himself. This is a fragrance for the colder months, suitable both for daytime and eveningwear. On the unisexscale I think Ambra di Luna is a bit more feminine. Ambra di Luna is a must try for amber lovers!

Rating: 4

Notes: Amber, labdanum, jasmine, castoreum, sandalwood

Etat Libre D'Orange - Putain des Palaces

Picture: Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, oil on canvas

painted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894.

Museum de Toulouse-Lautrec, Wikimedia commons.

The fragance with the controversial name Putain des Palaces was created by Nathalie Feisthauer for the avantagrde perfumehouse Etat Libre D'Orange in 2006. To me PdP is a fragrance that is not created to smell good or to be praised for it's masterful blending. This is one of those perfumes that are primarily created to make an artistic statement and on many wearers it of course also developes to smell good. It seems that PdP fits with my chemistry as the discerning Mr Parfumista comments "Today you also have a frag that smells good and that suits you" when sampling PdP.

The name Putain des Palaces is just right to this skanky, animalic, lipstick-putty, blend. In it's texture and partial in the lipsticknote PdP has similarities with Lipstick Rose from Frederic Malle. The similarities ends there as LR is innocent and pretty and PdP is the quite oppsite character. After applying PdP I can smell a noticeable note of cummin in the topnotes. According to the notelist there is no cummin but ginger, probably this note is the outcome of a handling of ginger that I have not perceived before. I like PdP in the topnotes, the sweaty "cummin" that for a short while mingles with a dirty, furry-animalic note that I recognize from Parfumerie Générales L'Ombre Fauve. As PdP dries down and settles in the middlenotes/beginning of the basenotes, there is a light leather or more like a suede note, a sultry violet-rose, still dirty and with hints of something that I perceive as a chalky note. The lipstick note is also there but the violet and rose dont feel clean and clear as in the luxary lipstick of Lipstick Rose. Despite some creaminess from the lipsticknote, there is a certain sharpness hiding at this stage, an at the same time round note that reminds me of a golden apple on the verge to be overripe. This note, which I belive is suede combined with flowers, I have earlier experienced in Etienne Aigners In Leather for Women and in Ava Luxes Film Noir. As the dry down get further and finally settles in the base, the violet and rose appears to brighten, get less skanky and a note similar to papyrus glimpse in the powdery musky base.

Putain de Palaces is a suggestive, haunting and alluring scent. It is not especially pleasant to wear, you have to be in mood to deal with the tragic reality this fragrance will display. In contrary to what one expects from the perfume of a Putain de Palaces, PdP is lingering close to the skin and has a medium sillage. The longevity is, as in the case with almost all ELDO fragrances I have tried, quite good and it is still there unfragmented late in the evening with traces the day after.

Rating: 5

Notes: Leather, mandarine, ginger, rose, violet, lily of the valley, amber

By Kilian - Ambre Oud

Picture: Resiny wood. Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

By Kilian latest creation in the Arabian Nights collection Ambre Oud is a well-mannered amber composed by the (almost) housenose Calice Becker.

In the topnotes Ambre Oud starts as a relatively clean amber, followed by some traces of a light powderness. As the scent drys down it becomes a little darker and also sweeter as ther is a obvious note of a fine vanilla (like vanilla pods) in the base. The vanilla reminds me of the vanilla note in Havana Vanille by L'Artisan Parfumeur. There are also woody notes in Ambre Oud but not much oud, to my nose anyway. Maybe Ambre Oud is build among the same idea as the earlier release Incense Oud, a parfume without oud that are intended to get the olfactory image of oud. But Ambre Oud doesen't even give me that oud image as Incense Oud does.

To me Ambre Oud is a good but not groundbreaking amberperfume, wearable for most occasions during the colder months. A good choice among others for customers who are searching for an elegant basic amberperfume without oddities. It's an alternative to the likes of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan or Ormonde Jaynes Tolu. Ambre Oud never gets as dry, fluffy and (gun)powdery as Mona di Orios Les Nombres d'Or Ambre nor dark, dusky and slight dirty as L'Ombre Fauve by Pafumerie Générale, my two favorite ambers.  

Rating: 4 +

First I rated this 3+ because I don't think it's original enough even if well balanced and of good quality. That rating made Mr Parfumista upset as he thinks Ambre Oud is a very good fragrance and deserves a rating at least as 4 or actually higher. As he is very picky about fragrances I had to reconsider my earlier rating and raise it a step. Mr Parfumistas own rating of Ambre Oud ís at least 4+. 

Notes: Amber, benzoin, vanille, cedar, laurel.

Isabey - L'Ambre de Carthage

Picture: Ruins of the Punic Quarter on the Byrsa hill, Carthage.

Photo: BishkekRocks, (cc) Wikimedia Commons.

From the description of L'Ambre de Carthage, it seems that the 2011 introduced fragrance  is a reworking of a Isabey oriental from 1924. The fragrance is intended to be "pour homme" but to me L'AdC is totally unisex.

When first applied L'AdC somehow reminds me of Dune by Dior. Later in the drydown there is also similarities with Scent Intense by Costume National but L'AdC is more ambery and has no special characteristics as SI:s the- and hibiscusnotes. L'AdC to me is a typical, contemporary, resiny amber, with some incense and I also think I can sniff my good friend mr Ambrox in the mixture. Nice blend but very conventional. Nothing like my favourite ambers, the two opposite interpretations of  amber: The dark, dirty, animalic  L'Ombre Fauve from Parfumerie Generale or the sparkling, crackling dry, gunpowdery Les Nombres d'Or Ambre from Mona di Orio.

L'AdC is a well-behaved and well balanced blend of good quality. It is wearable in various situations during the cold season and for evenings during the summer. L'AdC has a good sillage and the longivety is at least twelve hours. But despite all it's merits, L'AdC doesn't move me at all. Sample from good ol' Aus Liebe zum Duft

Rating: 3

Notes: Bergamot, labdanum, osmanthus, jasmin, amber, olibanum, sandalwood, patchouli

Huitième Art - Ambre Ceruleen

Bild: Chinese Crested Dog - Powderpuff

Foto: Tommy Gildseth (cc) Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved

For summary in english, scroll down. 

Känns som den gode Pierre Guillaume haft lite för bråttom är han blandat ihop Ambre Ceruleen. I och för sig en helt annan stil en hans utmanande L'Ombre Fauve (se review häromdagen) för Parfumerie Générale Private Collection men ändå. En lätt och ljus, lite retropudrig ambra som efter toppnoterna stannar kvar i samma ackord resten av dagen. Mysig och mjuk som en angoratröja att burra in sig i en kall dag men doften tillför ingenting. Tankarna går till Molinards Ambre när det gäller framtoningen, men Molinards Ambre är mer originell med sin kristalliserade, karamellnot. Även Pradas Candy dyker upp i den inre biografen, men den är i mitt tycke mer intressant som helhet. Konstigt nog anges inte ambra som ingrediens men ambra ackord tas fram av variationer på orientaliska ackord, här finns benzoin, tonkaböna och sandelträ. Labdanum och cistus är, om jag inte missminner mig, komponenter som brukar finnas med i mörkare ambraackord.

Summa sumarum: Ambre Ceruleen är en helt ok lätt ambradoft, icke påträngande och bärbar överallt, när som helst, utom när det är varmt på sommaren. Provet kommer från Fragrance & Art

Over all Ambre Ceruleen is a quite ok light amberstyled scent, non-intrusive and wearable anywhere, anytime, except when it is hot in the summer. The clean and innocent Ambre Ceruleen is the direct opposite to PG:s dirty amber L'Ombre Fauve, reviewed earlier this week. Ambre Ceruleen has some similarities with Molinards Ambre but I think that one is more interesting with it's caramelized note. Also Pradas Candy comes to my mind but as more complex and interesting than the well-adjusted, well-blended, cute, angora puffy Ambre Ceruleen. Ambre Ceruleen is a good choice to those who want at light, proper and clean amber that is comforting and doesn't disturb anyone. The sample tested comes from Fragrance & Art 

Rating: 3

Noter: Verbena, tonkabönor, sandelträ, opoponax /verbena, tonkabeen, sandalwood, opoponax

Parfumerie Générale - L'Ombre Fauve

Picture:  Old, Old Fairy Tales: "Beauty and the Beast" by Anne Anderson.

Beauty sat down to dinner with the beast...Drawing: Anne Anderson (1874-1930)

Wikimedia Commons

Scroll down for an english version.

L'Ombre Fauve "Bestens skugga" är verkligen ett passande namn åtminstone om man går efter inledningen av Parfumerie Générales ambra med rökelseträ accentuerade doft. I starten luktar den ovädrad gammal klädkammare där en eller annan gammal, lite torr, päls hänger. Det är en torr, pälsig doft som även om den nog kan verka frånstötande för en del, ger en spännande inledning av denna fint komponerade doft. Allteftersom de instängda noterna vädras ut blir L'Ombre Fauve mer konventionell även om den i sann PG anda aldrig blir en vanlig doft. L'Ombre Fauve är en doft som hela tiden kittlar min fantasi, något som för mig är ett kännetecken på en bra doft. I nästa fas inträder söta, lätt vaniljiga noter och ett stänk av den aprikosigt, fruktiga noten av artemisia som finns i L'Oiseu de Nuit, se review häromdagen. Sedan trokar L'Ombre Fauve ned i en varmt, ambrerande, torrt sandelträig doft med en fin och mycket behaglig pudrighet. Lite dammig pälsighet lurar fortfarande i bakgrunde även om L'Ombre Fauve i den här fasen känns mer lik andra fina ambradofter.

 L'Ombre Fauve är ett riktigt förvandlingsnummer, börjar som de håriga besten som kryper fram i sin håla och slutar nästan som en elegant dam. Skönheten och odjuret í samma doft. På något vis saknar jag den brutala starten när L'OF tonat ut i de bärbara stadierna när den blivit en elegant och retrolik doft. Den påminner mig i den här fasen om en modern variant av Carons Nuit de Noël. Nuit de Noël skapades ursprungligen som en pälsdoft när den kom ut 1924. Under 1920-talet var det vanligt att man parfymerade själva pälsen. Nuit de Nöel innehåller precis som L'Ombre Fauve, en diskret pälsig ton .

L'Ombre Fauve passar perfekt kyliga och mörka vinterdagar och kvällar.

L'Ombre Fauve, "The Shadow of the Beast" is really a fitting name, at least if you judge by the topnotes of this Parfumerie Générale amber, incense accented scent. It starts smelling like an old storms wardrobe in which one or another old, dusty, dry fury-coats are hanging. This dusty, dirty, dry, fury smell, even if it probably may seem repugnant to some, provides a fascinating introduction to this well constructed, interesting and fascinating fragrance. As the unaired waredrobe notes are blown out, L'Ombre Fauve becomes more conventional, although in true PG spirit it will never be an ordinary fragrance. L'Ombre Fauve tickels my imagination during it's whole drydown, and that's the ultiamte sign of a good perfume to me. The next phase begins with some hints of light vanilla notes and also a hint of apricots, which is the fruity note of artemisia, also available in L'Oiseu de Nuit, see my review earlier this week. In the basenotes L'Ombre Fauve drys down into a warm, ambery, dry woody scent with a nice and very pleasant powdery feeling of sandalwood. Some of the dusty furiness is still lurking in the background, even if L'Ombre Fauve in this phase feels more similar to other fine amber fragrances.
L'Ombre Fauve is something of a metamorphosis, in the beginning a hairy beast that crawls out of its cave and ends up almost as an elegant lady. Beauty and the Beast in the same scent. Somehow I miss the brutal start when L'Ombre Fauve has faded out in the more conventional stages as a more polished, elegant and retro fragrance, reminding me of a contemporary version of Caron Nuit de Noël. Nuit de Noël by the way, was created as a fur fragrance when it first came out 1924. During the 1920s it was quite common to perfume the fury coats, and Nuit de Noël just as L'Ombre Fauve.
provides a matching discreet furry note.

L'Ombre Fauve is perfect to wear in cold and dark winter days and nights.

Notes: Rökelseträ, patchoulli, mysk, ambra, trä /incense, patchouli, musc, amber, woody notes
Rating: 5

Current Rotation - November 2011

Foto: Herr Parfumista (c)

Kunde inte motstå att utmanas av PereDePierres lista över favoriter just nu. Listor är ju sååååå pirrigt spännande. Så här kommer en ögonblicksbild av min Current Rotation:

28 La Pausa (Chanel Exclusifs): Denna lätta, transparenta iris, blomma inte morotsaktig irisrot, på likaleds lätt träig, vetiverig bas, är elegant, lugnande och meditativ. Trots sin lätthet sitter den utmärkt på mig under hela dagen. Den perfekta doften ins Büro.

Youth Dew (Estee Lauder): Tack och lov att jag kapat åt mig en flaska igen. Efter att herr Parfumista uttalat att den luktar tant på mig sålde jag min tidigare på Tradera för att något halvår senare over by Octavian läsa att det då var hög tid att kapa åt sig en flarra YD då diverse IFRA restriktioner kommer att förstöra den kapitalt framöver. Så nu har jag en YD igen, pust! Och plötsligt anser herr Parfumista att den doftar bra...

Nuit de Cellophane (Serge Lutens): Testade några SL och NdC hann inte få plats för hudtest den första omgången utan bara på sticka. Efter något dygn viftade herr Parfumista med stickan med kommentaren "det här är nog något för dig". Testning följde och (som så ofta ska erkännas) så hade han rätt: NdC ist aber sehr Fantastisch! Vit fruktig blomma på skitig bas med prassliga träfibrer. FBW!

Cuir Fetiche (MPG): Som en feminin variant av herr Parfumistas Knize Ten, som jag är förbjuden att låna "jag måste få ha de dofter som är jag i fred". CdF är något av en lufitigare Knize med blommor och en lite mer tydlig lädernot adderad. Wunderbar!

L'Ombre Fauve (Parfumerie Générale): Ganska ofta blir jag besviken på ambradofter, de är helt enkelt för rena, linjära och tråkiga. Så inte L'Ombre Fauve som är en mörk ambra med lite patchoulli och med odjuret lurande i skuggorna med en pälsigt, animalisk not.

Cendres de The (Phaedon): Tydlig och klar kardemumma, the och pepprigt cederträ som rent schablonmässigt passar bäst den varma årstiden men faktiskt även nu under den halvvarma.

En kort analys av det hela: Jag tycker mig se att det för årstiden härligt milda vädret (rosor och tusenskönor blommar i trädgården) avspeglar sig i ögonblicksfavoriterna. Vissa dagar är lite ruggigare och då blir det tyngre "vinterdofter" men om man ska generaliera så är i stort sett hela parfymgarderoben lämplig att använda just nu. För den parfymtokige är alltså vädret det optimala, så det får gärna fortsätta så här resten av vintern.

På tal om listor så är min bruttolista över årets parfymer 2011 i det närmaste klar, några ska (kanske) sållas ut. Svårt att tänka mig att något mer utgivet 2011 ska hinna tränga sig in. Finns dock en runner up, en exklusiv liten sak som jag tänker prova på julafton. Om den här typen av väder står sig i alla fall.