Jul et Mad - Aqua Sextius

Picture: Fontaine-Albertas in Aix-en-Provence.
Photo: By Oslostudio under CC Attribution-Sharealike license
Wikipedia commons, some rights reserved

Inspired from Aix-en-Provence with its sparkling fountains, the latin name of the city gave name to Aqua Sextius, the founders of perfumehouse Jul et Mad, hired the it-perfumer Cecile Zarkoian to create a fitting blend.

Aqua Sextius starts with a concentrated limenote which reminds me of the classic Rose's limejuice. Soon an aquatic accord somewhere in between Aqua di Gio and Agua de Loewe joins  the lime together with a fresh, green, minty note. Even if not mentioned as a single note, I percieve something close to a soft cardamonnote mingling with the mint through the whole developement of the fragrance. A sort of clean and dry figgy note also appears in the middlenotes together with a slight flowery element. Some fresh, soft, woody notes together with a pleasant, clean musk anchors Aqua Sextius and the notes blends in a comforting and relaxing way.

Aqua Sextius is a perfect fragrance for relaxed casual wear but also easy to wear and not disturbing in the workplace despite its good sillage. The longevity is very good, for over a day even in warm, sunny, summertempratures. The style of Aqua Sextius is appropriate for summer but I also think it's a fragrance which is comfortable to wear in any season. A happy and easy to wear fragrance within the "mainstream niche"cathegory.

Picture: The well matched bottle of Aqua Sextius
Photo: PR Jul et Mad (c)

Those who like fresh fragrances in the style of  Parfumerie Generale Yuzu ab Iratio, Phaedon Cendres de The and Noir Marine will probably also appreciate Aqua Sextius. The fragrances doesn't smell the same but have common accords as for example the fresh cardamom smell in Cendres, the aquatic wood of Noir and the dry but juicy texture of Yuzu.

Rating: 5

Notes: Grapefruit, bergamot, mandarine, orange, the, mimosa, aquatic notes,mint, eucalypthus, white flowers, fig, pine, labdanum, amber, moss, cedar, guaiac wood, musk

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try

Jardins d'Écrivains - Wilde

Picture: Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) ca 1882
Photo by: Napoleon Sarony (1821-96)
Wikimedia Commons

Wilde, just as George reviewed latly, is inspired of another 19th century cultperson: Oscar Wilde. Wilde is  another wellcrafted creation from the french nichehouse Jardins d'Écrivains, labled as "pour homme" but I think its at least as unisex as George.

Wilde starts with an unusual, slight powdery,tea-infused, bergamot-citric, tart and in the same time smooth and almost creamy accord. As the fragrance dries down, the tea and some dark, slight balsamic herbal-spicy-green notes, which I think is derived from the carnation appears and adds even more dept to the fragrance. The base is wellblended mossy-green-woody whith the notes in  seamless interaction. When Mr Parfumista tested Wilde he also experienced a oat-like note, a softer version of a note present in Essenza di Zegna from Ermenegildo Zegna. On my skin Wilde is more about bergamot, tea and carantion. Another fragrance that Wilde reminds me of is Agua de Loewe by Loewe. That despite the latter is sharper and dominated by citrus/cardamom and the former is smoother, softer, darker and more elegant. The almost creamy smooth and comfortable texture of Wilde also reminds me of Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries Santo Domingo but SD is more spicy. In color and texture I can image Wilde as beeing creamy, moisty, mossy green and Santo Domingo as creamy but in the same time dry, terracotta.

Picture: Wilde by Jardins d'Erivains
Photo: PR Jardins d'Erivains (c)

Wilde is intriguing and in the same time pleasant to wear. The sillage is medium and longevity just as with George very good, about 24h. Perfect for spring and summer, a fragrance that will resist warm tempratures without fading away.

Rating: 4

Notes: Bergamot, grape, fig, carnation, tea, oakmoss, vetiver

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Oscar de la Renta - Live in Love

Picture:Flower of Nelumbo nucifera, bean of India
Photo by T Voelker, (CC) some rights reserved, Wikimedia commons

Live in Love is an elegant, easy to wear, daytime green floral created for Oscar de la Renta by three perfumers in colaboration: Jean-Marc Chaillan, Carlos Benaim and Ann Gottlieb.

Live in love, despite its notes of classic though green notes as bergamott, hyacinth and galbanum, starts as a modern, fresh, clean green floral but without either the detergent note or the "just climbing out from the shower"freshness. The flowers are bright but not weak in appearence and there is also a complementing, subdued fruitiness present. All together this creates a watery impression, as of waterflowers in a pond. There is similarities with ByKilian Water Calligraphy and with the overall impression of Bulgari Omina Coral even if that one is much more fruity and sharp compared to the better balanced Live in Love.

After a while a shining almost incenselike note appears and starts to interact with the wet florals and their supprting slight fruity notes. This incensenote create an interesting contrast to the fruity notes and helps to put them forward. The incense like note I think is a subdued ginger and maybe traces of soft cedarwood (if looking at the notelist anyway).A very successful ginger interpretation as ginger often is too screamy, bubbeling andspritzy, almost as an overdose of  freshly minced white pepper.This interesting and appealing interaction between the "incense" and the fruity-floral notes goes on duirng the middlenotes and as the ginger tunes down the flowery/fruity notes lands in a pleasant woody, musky base.

Live in Love with it's sort of unsweet elegant slight fruity,wet floral, green notes and the classical ingredients (galbanum, hyacinth, bergamot) interpreted in a modern way is the perfect officescent suitable year around but especially for spring, summer and the early autumn. It's present but quite close to the wearer and can't offend (almost) anyone. The longevity is great,it lasts for 24h.

Live in Love is an evidence that good "mainstream"/designerfragrances could be created today also. It's seems that Oscar de la Renta has revived some of it's former glory in perfume especially with the launch of the beautiful aldehydic composition Esprit d'Oscar but also Live in Love is a good example of what could be created if the intention is there. The coming Essential Luxuries seems also very interesting and I hope I get the opportunity to smell them later on.

Live in Love could be appreciated for the fans of the fragrances mentioned above but also for those who like Dior Escale à Pondichery, Gala de Dia (review in swedish) by Loewe and By Kilian Bamboo Harmony.

Rating: 4

Notes: Hyacinth, galbanum, bergamot, lily-of-the-valley, orchid, jasmine, orange flower, rose sandalwood, cedar, woodsy notes, amber, musk

By Kilian - Water Calligraphy

Picture: Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, 1899,

Oil on Canvas by Claude Monet (1840-1926), Wikimedia Commons

Taking a break in my spring-violet serie, reviewing the new ByKilians:

Sorry Kilian! Despite the creation Water Calligraphy by Calice Becker for ByKilian is a very nice, well executed water lily - lotus flower dominated fragrance it is a disappointment to med. This because WC :-) smells just like old (1996) Gala de Dia by Loewe rebottled.

Starts slight fruity, followed by white watery flowers which  conveys a natural, non-chemical, watery impression. It's like sitting in the shadow during a hot summerday at a small pond with water lilies and greenerys. WC is liniar in it's structure, well blended and with a great longevity and this fragarance willl cope with the hottest days during the summer. Wearable both for casual and to work. WC has similarities in style with Bulgaris watery, fruity, flowery Omnia Coral but the latter is sharper and headier than the sleeker WC.

To summon up: A nice, well blended, refreshing frag that I really like but it lacks the originality and non-copied style that I expect from a house in ByKilians pricerange.

Update April 2014: Water Calligraphy has grown to be a favorite watery, flower to me. I find it minimalistic and beautiful, it is calming and relaxing. It was in the end of last summer when Water Calligraphy suddenly "klicked" for me. I think that the minimalistic approach makes it easy to dismiss some of the Kilan fragrances at first. But the Kilian fragrances are not simple at all, on the contrary, they seems to have hidden layers that ensures the wearer will not loose interest over time. They are of god quality and easy to wear, sort of fragrance wardrobe staples. 

Rating: 5 (April 2014)
Rating: 3+ (April 2012)

Notes: Water lily, grapefruit, jasmine, magnolia, vetiver, cardamom

Loewe - Gala de Dia

Bild: Bamboo trees in Kyoto, Japan

Foto: Paul Vlaar, some rights reserved (cc) Wikimedia Commons

Ursprungligen publicerat på min tidigare blogg "Parfumistans blogg" på Damerns Världs hemsida i mars 2009.

Gala de Dia är en fruktig, vattnig floral komposition från det ärorika spanska läderhuset Loewe. GdD kom ut 1996, mitt under den aquatiska eran. Fruktigt, aquatiskt och floralt kan låta som rena skräckblandningen men faktum är att GdD ändå är riktigt bra. Visserligen typisk mainstream men den känns på något sätt inte lika kemisk som många andra i kategorin.

GdD inleds med persika och andra lite vattniga frukter, tack och lov inte melon. I mellanregistret finns mimosa, vattenjasmin, lilja och ros. I basen bambu, ambra, sandel- och cederträ.

GdD är egentligen den perfekta sommardoften men den går att använda året om dagtid. Fräsch och okomplicerad som inte kan störa någon. Med andra ord helt ofarlig, förutsägbar, linjär och på så sätt egentligen lite tråkig. Hållbarheten under dagen är bra. Men eftersom den passar så bra på mig blir det ändå ett bra betyg.

Betyg 4

Kommentar: Gala de Dia ligger nästan kvar på betygsskalan. Den är en bra doft i segmentet floral-aquatisk. Den är rund och blommig, inte så där kemiskt stickig som en del i gruppen lätt verkar bli. Betyg 2011: 3+.

Dagens doft - Acqua di Giò pour Homme

Fortsätter på temat herrdofter på dam. Idag har jag lånat Armanis Acqua di Giò pour Homme från 1996. Trodde nog den skulle passa bättre än den faktiskt gör på mig, men den är helt enkelt för maskulin. Den saknar den lite söta ton som finns i unisexdoften Agua de Loewe vilken påminner om AdG och passar jättebra på mig. Kan tänka mig att AdG passar bra på vissa damer men på mig slår en herrig, colongeliknande ton igenom.
Annars gillar jag doften mycket trots att den är en evig "top ten" doft. Men just detta att den faktiskt överlever på topplistorna efter tio år visar att det ändå är frågan om en i grunden bra doft.
Doften är inom kategorin citrus-vatten och är i första hand en sommardoft. Jag tycker ändå att man kan använda den året runt då den har en så pass bra hållbarhet för att vara en citrusdoft. Dessutom har den ett djup och fler nyanser än en "plain" citrus cologne. På mig framträder tydligt en ton av havre.
AdG inleds med idel citrus: Lime, mandarin, citron och bergamott. I mellannoterna finns vatennoter, cyklamen, freesia och coriander. I basen cederträ, patchoulli, mysk och mossa.
Sammanfattningsvis en härlig doft som tyvärr inte passar så bra på mig.

Gårdagens doft - Gala

Först nu har gårdagens doft, spanska läder/modehuset Loewes Gala från tidigt nittiotal kommit till sin rätt. Det blev milt sagt en överdosering igår. Den är en Edt men man ska inte alltid lita på att de är svaga, den här är som en Edp. Mannen är inte så förtjust i Gala även i normaldos (vad han är kinkig egentligen, han är bara ute efter de perfekta dofterna, jag efter variation!). Han anser att den är lite tantig. Igår när den var överdoserad förstod jag vad han menade men som den luktar nu så kan jag inte hålla med. Den ingrediens i Gala som går åt tanthållet är nog nejlikan som finns i mellanregistret.
Gala ingår i den lite udda gruppen gröna blomorientaler. Den har mycket värme men den är inte lika söt som de vanligen mer fruktiga blomorientalerna. De grönorienterade är snarare lite kärva eller bittra. Toppenoterna domineras av gröna noter men där finns även lite rosenträ och citrus. Bland mellannoterna, förutom nejlika, märks ros, ylang-ylanng och lite konvalj. Basnoterna är en intressant blandning mellan animaliskt/varmt, jordigt/ kärvt; vanilj och civet (sekret från ett civetkattdjuret, numera syntetiskt framställt), patchoulli  och castoreum (en slags bävergalla numera syntetiskt framställd). Egentligen en mycket intressant doft av en typ som man inte löper någon större risk att känna lukten av idag.