SOTD March 2022

Picture: An adorable sight on a walk in early March
 (wearing Putredistance No. 12) -
Shetland Ponies are the cutiest.
Photo: Parfumista (c)

March 2022 - some notes about the SOTD.

1. Chance Eau Tendre Edp (Chanel) Musky light rosy, fruity - pink with lilac nuance

2. Angel Edp (Mugler) The ultimate mulitfacetted gourmand.

3. Sheiduna Extrait (Puredistance) Glowing, golden spicy ambery like sun rays over desert dunes.

4. Sheiduna Extrait (Puredistance) on repeat, one of my top Puredistances.

5. Warszawa Extrait (Puredistance) the dark fresh moss paired with dark plum in such a elegant way.

6. Gucci Oud Edp (Gucci) raspberry and dark pink rose over patchouli and well balanced oud.

7. Puredistance No 12  Extrait (Puredistance) A seamless blend of rose, iris and an accord like cristal clerar water  with a tiny bit of exclusive soap over a velvet smooth patchouli. Blue. Another of my top Puredistances.

8. Puredistance No 12  Extrait (Puredistance) another day in this beauty.

9. Peut Etre Edp (Maison Lancome) Light pink rose over musk, very pleasant and uncomplicated.

10. Lost in the city Edp (Miller Harris) Tangy rhubarb over rose with some zing from blackberry, close to Hermes Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate, which I like better, one of my favorites from the Hermes colognes.

11. Café Tuberosa Edp (Atelier Cologne) Thick tubereuse, dark chocolade and dark coffe in a delicious blend. 

12. Café Tuberosa Edp (Atelier Cologne) Couldn't resist it for another day.

13. Essence de Patchouli Edp (Perris Monte Carlo) Soapy, sort of dusty, musky dark and cold patchouli,  with a touch of something that reminds me of  a burning mosquito coil in a positive way. Unusual.

14. Coromandel Edt (Chanel Les Exclusifs) Earthy and clean patchouli over a balanaced dry dark chocolade amber, less sweet and more structured than the current Edp. The Edp is also very good although I prefer the Edt slightly.

15. Borneo 1834 Edp (Serge Lutens) Earthy fresh slight herbal-menthol dry dark chocolate  patchouli. Not as elegant as Coromandel, outdoorsy, classy - casual 

16. Akkad Edp (Lubin) Warm, sunny, sort of desert amber, delicious, perfect for snuggling.

17 Ambre 114 (Histoires de Parfums) Dark, herbal amber, leaning to the masculine side, classic styled amber, slight "old man" style.

18. Concentre d'Orange Verte (Hermès) I like the Concentre better for colder months with it's thicker texture and a hint of a note that reminds me of licorie which is not present in the  Eau d'Orange Verte. Both variations on a unique intermpretation of the classic colognetheme.

19. After My Own Heart (Ineke) Lovely smooth lilac with fruity notes. Comforting, warmer, sweeter and with more body than En Passant (Fredric Malle).

20. Eau de Soir Edp (Sisley) Elegant and sparkling like Champagne, I think of it as colored in gold and white, cool with beautiful, light, uplifting mossy notes. Have something in common with Puredistance No 12, similar texture and mode. Referring to a batch from mid -00, before the oakmoss regulations.

21. No 5 Eau Première  (Chanel) Smoother, sunnier, warmer not as serious cold and chalky as No 5 Edt. Easier to wear, lighter with the aldehydes. Classy. Referring to the 2008 version.

22. Concentre d'Orange Verte (Hermès) Sunny and early spring outside inspires to wear the green orange again. For the evening  No 5 Eau Première  (Chanel) on repeat.

23. Gabrielle Essence Edp (Chanel) A warm floral heart with a contrasting touch of tart notes probably from the fruity topnotes. Very pleasant, the perfect inoffensive officescent. Just like the greener and colder Gabrielle Edp.

24. Gabrielle Essence Edp (Chanel) Again - It just smells so good and is so easy to wear.

25. Dune Edt (Dior) Late 1990s formula of Dune, dry, salty, sandy, warm, sunny, high blue sky with glimpses of the sea in the horizon. Still so special.

26. Dune Edt (Dior) Couldn't resist another day in Dune, it's perfect to warming up this  cold, windy Saturday.

27. Orchid Leather Edp (Van Cleef  & Arpels) Dark, plummy leather, concentrated, a bit too masculine for me.

28: Nothing sick in flu or something similar.

29:  The same

30:  The same

31: Red Roses Cologne (Jo Malone)  Feels better celebrating with a few spritzes of this wonderful natural clean and calming rose.

It seems as Puredistance and Chanel (again) are the most worn during the month.

SOTD January 2022

Picture: A shy rose
Photo: Parfumista (c)

Trying to find out if there is a pattern/ some connection between the fragrances I'm wearing during a period of time. First step is to capture data about it, then analyzing.

Day/Month January 2022
1 L'Ombre Des Merveilles (Hermès) - Worn the Elixir Des Merveiilles on New Years Eve to warm up in the grey weather, wanted a lighter follow up on the first day of the new year.

2.Sucre d'Ebene (Pierre Guillaume, Huitieme Art Collection/Black Collection) - Cosy warm woodden sugar with touches of nutty elements. Perfect for a grey and rainy/snowy day (ca 0 C) as today. Beware: Very strong, unfortunately I overdosed a little from the small sample. 

3. Pour Monsieur (Chanel)  - I read somewhere Fragrantica? Basenotes? Bois de Jasmin?  somebody's notice that ladies shouldnt't miss to try this out for themselves. And I totally agree after todays testing from my sons bottle, the light green tinted formula, I think it's reformulated recently and is not longer green. CPM is so very good in a  timeless, casual, elegant way: Starts with a classy Chanel citrus-neroli accord over fresh soft cold spices grounded in okamoss and vetiver. Lasts very well on my skin and unisex IMHO. 

4. Angéliques Sous La Pluie (Frederic Malle) - Today it was sunny and not rainy at all. As ASLP reminds me of spring and I wanted something relaxing but distinctive  and the sample ASLP just appeared, it was the obvious SOTD.  The angelica and juniper are awesome in this timeless Jean Claude Ellena creation in his typical watercolour style. ASLP somehow reminds me of spring.

5. Orangers en Fleurs (Houbigant) - Grey outside today and it's snowing, Orangers en Fleurs is the perfect moodbooster with its sunny apperance. An orangeflower/white flowers in similar style but higher on the notescale than Serge Lutens Fleurs d'Oranger and the cumin of the latter exchanged with a soft note of nutmeg. 

6. Les Eaux Paris - Riviera (Chanel) - Fresh, happy, sparkling and warm neroli/orange/citrus with its own twist, something that reminds me of the smell of orange and citrus hard candy pastilles. A contemporary orangeblossom.

7. Les Eaux Paris - Riviera (Chanel) - Can't resist Riviera.

8. Les Eaux Paris - Édimbourg (Chanel) - The best of them all in the Les Eaux Collection a contomporary interpretation of lavender but most of all; juniper berry and juniper wood.

9.  Les Eaux Paris - Riviera (Chanel) - So sunny and warming during another grey winterday.

10. Une Rose (Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle) - A semidark red rose, polite and subtle, well balanced, natural smelling combined with a slight boozy accord. Calming and a real pleasure to wear.

11. Eau des Merveilles (Hermès) - This woody, salty ambregris reminds me of the sea by spring or early autumn. Versatile and strong, more than a few small spritzes will be too much.

12. 222 (Le Galion) - Elegant sandalwood with smooth leather notes fleeting around contrasted with a balanced note of myrrh and a tiny violet. A quiet and very comfortable skinscent with great longevity.

13. Bois de Violette (Serge Lutens) - a light and transparent version of the characteristic Serge Lutens woody smell  combined with  fresh flowering purple violets. In the basenotes the violets are combined with light powdery notes wich adds a slight vintage touch. Unobtrusive and calming. 

14. Roses Musk (Montale) - A bold fragrance intense as nuclear radiation. A true rosenote combined with a syntetic woody/oud note and white musk. The result is a pepper and rosecombo which is uncomplicated and strange as it may seem, a pleasure to wear once in a while.

15. Rose de Nuit (Serge Lutens) - An vintage styled dark green mossy rose chypre with musky slight animalic notes  and some almost herbal notes which take the fragrance from the feamale boudoir style in the opening of the fragrance in a masculine direction. A demanding and intriguing fragrance.

16. La Belle Le Parfum (Jean Paul Gaultier) - Either particularly sophisticated or elegant fragrance but very delightful and cozy. La Belle Le Parfum appears as a delicsious, luxurious cake with pear infused with liqeur and a fluffy boozy vanilla. Perfect for a grey windy winterday and with great longevity.

17. Rose de Nuit (Serge Lutens) - Tried RdN not as heavy applicated  today (ca 2,5 spritzes) as two days ago (ca six spritzes) and this is the right way to enjoy RdN. The same smell, not as dense when alternated with an airiness as a consequense of the lighter application, RdN qualities comes to the fore.

18. Drôle de Rose (L'Artisan Parfumeur) -  A pink rose, violet and iris paired with  a cold dry, chalky, slight dusty accord. All summon up in some kind of putty structure. Drôle de Rose reminds me of a grey windy day in early spring with some light purple clouds on grey skies. Drôle de Rose was a lipstick, the colour would be a light transperant cold pink-purple. A beautiful fragrance, reportedly discontinued.

19. Iris des Champs (Houbigant) - An unusual iris. No powder or lipsticknotes and the carrots are just glimpsing in the early topnotes. Starts dry and cold with slight peppery notes. Woody notes with the cold freshness of cedar follows and the woody impression remains during the whole dry down. In the basenotes a pleasent musk appears, its a musk somewhere in the middle, not skanky animalic nor clean white musk. A fragrance with many interesting nuances and with excellent longevity.

20. Lux (Mona di Orio) - A  play with light and dark contrasts,  a dark lemon is the main theme through the whole drydown, appears as growing in the shadow side of the lemon tree. A contrast to a  bright citrus in the sun.  Reminds me somehow of pickled lemons. Some fresh earthiness, contrasted with smooth, almost creamy woody slight dirty musky notes. A contemplating perfume, perfect for relaxing at home.

21. Black Afgano (Nasomatto) - Distinctive woody notes with a subdued oud, some glimpses of dark green, in the dry down also some dark, smooth rounded tobacco liqeuer notes. One of the best woody perfumes IMHO, no traces of that screechy woody note that is so common in woody perfumes. Maybe because my BA is well aged, it has rested under dark and cool for 10+ years, maybe it is just as good also in current formulation.

22. Akkad (Lubin) - A comforting, warm, high pitched and radiating light spicy-herbal amberfragrance. It's like the rays of sunshine.  Underneath some darker notes appears, like a well balanced, thick patchoulinote. Perfect for grey  and chilly winterdays.

23. Rubikona (Puredistance) - Such a pleasant and elegant classic chypre made in a contemporary style. A dark moss and patchouli accord, rose and a distict note of varm an bright orangeblossom and a natural sweet fruitiness. A real pleasure to wear.

24. Warszawa (Puredistnce) -  Such an elegant way to start an ordinary week .A darker chypre than Rubikona, dark iris , violet and dark moss, some dark plum liqeur, A classic in  acontemporary interpretation. reminds me  of  elegant dark  fruity chypres as YSL Yvresse, Guerlain Mitsouko and Rochas Femme.

25. Orchid Leather (Van Cleef  & Arpels)- Dark, oppulent, slight boozy, plummy, balsmic with sparkles of  fresh cardamom. Comforting in winter, a strong formula, that lasts for long,  just two or three spritzes is enough.

26. Cristalle Eau Verte (Chanel) - A beautiful and casual chic everyday fragrance not just for summer.
It's energizing glimmering slight green citrus magnolia profile is cheering the most gloomy grey winterday up.

27. Kiss me Intense (Parfums de Nicolaï) - So comforting, clean natural smelling like easter lily and heliotrope. A sweet impression, but not sugary sweet. A sort of natural flowery gourmand. Like sitting the whole day in the yellow, sunny flowerbell on an easter lily Perfect for grey winterdays.

28. Ambre Fétiche (Annick Goutal) -  One of the best ambres ever (IMHO) wearing the original formula  from an early batch. A glowing, close, velvety, tick amber with subtle incense and a dark smooth patchouli and some dry vanilla. The texture  is sort of honeyed, natural that gives it a slight gourmand feeling, A very comforting winterfragrance. 

29. Aomassai 10 (Pierre Guillaume) - To me this is a red wood cologne,. Warm, with natural gourmand notes as nut, caramel, milk, coffee and spices in a mix, offset by contrasting a woody accord which feels like it has a cologne structure. Great and unusual.

30.  Pentachords Auburn (Andy Tauer) - From AT:s earlier exprerimental line, where each fragrance consisting of just five syntetic notes inspired of a color. Auburn is an interpretation of  cinnamon, cold and dry in apperance. Waem, sunny, orangeblossom is contrasting, blended with a blond tobbacconote over some warm sandalwood and amber. A intriguing and challenging winterfragrance in a  strong formula, maximum two - three spritzes, lasts for over a day. A must try for Tauer fans.

31. Rose Pompon Edp (Annick Goutal) - A real rose favorite, so pleasant to wear.  A medium pink rose, it smells just like the color of the juice. A rose balanced with fresh raspberry and violet vanilla, but not lipstick powdery in texture. the 2020 edition.

Conclusion: Any pattern in the fragrance wearing during the wintermonth of january?  Light Chanel fragrances is the most obvious, most worn style. Besides that maybe as a opposite, heavier  oriental-ambery frags, some strong roses and gourmands reflects the season.

Still winter....

Picture: Winter is still here...
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Last week was snowy and with  tempratures between -10 and - 15 C. In the same time the light is back and there were some sunny days which, even if cold,  indicate that spring really is around the corner. These opposites causes an ambivalence in perfumewearing, I'm craving both warm and heavy fragrances as also lighter and brighter ones. This was reflected in the fragrances worn last week:

Epidor (Lubin): Both Monday and Tuesday was cold, sunny days and Epidors  sunny, hayish and light fruity apperance was both contrasting but also somehow matching as it has something like a cold string in it. This together with a distinct tonka been make me think of the original Dolce&Gabbana pour Homme when wearing Epidor.

Opium Edt (Yves Saint Laurent): The current, more woody version. But still cinnamon is evident as also the overall, varm, velvety and oriental spicy character. Opium warmed the whole cold, windy and snowy Wednesday up.

Prada La Femme Intense (Prada): An elegant, restrained, white and tropical flowers over a well-behaved patchouli is suitable in any climate or season. Added some casual elegance to my Thursday.

Najaf  (Xerjoff): Craved for something dark and woody for Friday and a sample of Najaf caught my interest. Animalic, very woody, with the tangy, bitter but in the same time sort of fresh smell of oud.

Aromatic Elixir (Clinique): This bombastic, dry, rosy and woody chypre requires cold weather. A powerful and demanding fragrance, a classic which has stood the test of time. Unfortunately I was a bit too triggerhappy this time so I was on the verge to having headache on  Saturday. 

Jardin Blanc (Maître Parfumeur et Gantier): A beautiful white flower boquet where tubereuse is the major player flourished my Sunday. Well balanced, dense but not heavy, with chords of green and some animalic glimpses from the dept of the fragrance.

Neela Vermeire Creations - Rahele

Picture: India map
Photo: (c) FOTOLIA, MOONRISE /PR Neela Vermeire Creations

The inspiration to the latest Neela Vermeire Creations fragrance is according to the house as follows:            "Rahele (traveller) is an ode to exotic travel, an olfactory journey in the company of 17th Century French visitors to the East. Tavernier...Bernier...Thévenot...the names still resonate in the imagination of armchair travellers today, as each man left a detailed record of his adventures, showing us Mughal-ruled India through a European lens." Rahele is created by Bertrand Duchaufour as rest of the fragrances from Neela Vermeire.

The first accord reminds me of an up scale version of Lalique Flora Bella which is also creation of Bertrand Duchaufour .Then when notes of cedar and cardamom appears, I come to think of a less sweet and much more floral variation of Lubin Inedite. As Rahele dries further down it becomes more bright, floral, rose-violet is prominent at first than round, fruity flowery notes of osmanthus appears. The osmanthus note is luminous even if thick and velvet smooth in texture. Here the impression of Inedite diverges where Inedite takes a woody-spicy-gourmand and darker path. Rahele takes a different direction, it's sunny and warm, lush and juicy and in the same time calming and refreshing, in its floral-fruity glory. Raheles floral-fruity accord smells natural, there are no cloying, syntetic candysmelling sweet fruity notes. Probably most of the frutiy sweetness comes from the osmanthus which in this creation is not dilluted as in most other fragrances featuring osmanthus. As Rahele dries down, the similarities to Inedite reappears in the basenotes when the elements of cedar and cardamom steps forward again. There is also a fresh mossy element which anchors the fragrance.  

Picture: Osmanthusflower
Photo: (c) FOTOLIA, CHUNGKING/PR Neela Vermeire Creations

Rahele is not oriental as the previous Neela Vermeire fragrances, it's a beautful floral fragance with some elements of a contemporary interpretation of chypre. Rahele is a terrific fragrance for the coming late winter and early spring when looking forward for the coming brighter days. It's a joyful cretation equally perfect for a day at work or for the weekend. To me it's more but also brave men can wear this. The longevity is good, more then 12h, silage is medium. 

Picture: Rahele
Photo: (c) M. TASSY/PR Neela Vermeire Creations

Rahele is a great choice for those who like joyful, lush, luminous boquets in the style (not the same smell) of Téo Cabanel Lace Garden, Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia and Le Galion Iris and La Rose.

Rating: 5

Notes: Mandarine, cardamom, cinnamon, violet leaf, oamanthus, rose, magnolia, jasmine, iris, violet, cedarwood, sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli

Random sampling

Sometimes it feels like I'm invaded by samples they are just everywhere but of course when I want to test a particular one, it's almost always disappered. Here some impressions from some I random caught lately:

Picture: Gin Fizz
Photo: Lubin (c)

Gin Fizz (Lubin): Not as juniper accentued as Penhaligons' Juniper Sling, Gin Fizz concentrates on the citrus slice of the surface of the drink. Light, sunny and bright, a pleasant contemporary (even if originally created 1955 inspired of Grace Kelly, reconstructed 2009) citrusfragrance with a smooth hint of detergent but in a good way. Gin Fizz reminds me of a favorite in the genre, Dior Homme Cologne in the white bottle.

Picture: Au Coeur du Désert
Photo: Tauer Parfums (c)

Au Couer du Désert (Tauer): Starts like a denser L'Air du Désert Marocain then transfers to a phase which smells like a smooth and embedded version of the rough, smokey leather of Etat Libre D'Orange Rien. Later on A Couer transforms to a phase of a balsamic, glimmering, golden, velvety vetiver together with a warm, ambery, salty ambregris. An intriguing and beautiful fragrance.

Picture: Tuscan Leather
Photo: Tom Ford (c)

Tuscan Leather (Tom Ford): Impressions from Mr Parfumista who tested this and compared it to a favorite leather of him, Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather. Tuscan Leather is smokey, like a smokey but in the same time smooth as suede, vetivernote. The leathernote is very similar to Colonia Leather as also the raspberrynote. Over all Colonia Leather is drier, brisker and sort of higher (as high up in the crispy, chilly air), Tuscan Leather is darker, smoother, sweeter and sort of warm resinous.almost sort of chewing gummy.

Picture: Moonlight Patchouli
Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels (c)

Moonlight Patchouli (Van Cleef & Arpels): A velvety and in the same time cold white rose supported by a dark patchouli and earthy iris. It just like the dark, black winter sky with an almost white moon and millions of twinkling, diamondlike stars. A contemporary chypre as its best. Somehow Moonlight Patchouli featuering patchouli in a similar way as Perris Monte Carlo Essence de Patchouli, there is something similar in the dark, slivery, mysterious expression.

Brecourt - Les éphémères - Poivre Bengale

Picture: Capturing the spirit of
Poivre Bengale
Photo: PR Brecourt (c)

Brecourt is a small nichehouse founded by IPSICA pefumer Emilie Bouge in 2010. Besides the regular line, Brecourt some years ago introduced  "Les éphémères" a collection which presents exclusive natural ingredients and highlights them in fragrances dedicated to each ingredient. Poivre Bengale is the second fragrance in the Les éphémères collection.

Poivre Bengale starts peppery, a very nautral, freshly grounded pepper. The pepper is Bengal pepper which I have learnt is not rounded, instead it's oblong. This was the pepper which was first introduced in Europe during the Antiquity and it's sweeter than the usual pepper. Soon also fizzy nuances of ginger appears as also nutmeg and Poivre Bengale reminds me of another spicy favorite of mine, Montale Amber & Spices (swe) where Poivre Bengale is less sweet (despite the description of the character of the pepper above) and doesn't contain any rosy elements. The smooth sandalwood is also a note that is clearly present and common for both fragrances. Overall Amber & Spices is more "spicy gourmand" to my nose than Povre Bengale. When reaching the middlenotes, the fizzy ginger element is withdrawn and a pleasant, very well balanced clove note appears, clove in some fragrances tend to take over, which is not the case here. The spicy notes are interacting with the woody base, where the sandalwood gives it a warm impression. In the basenotes an almost leathery note contribute with a dark and just slight moisty dept. There is also something that reminds me of a very light mintnote in the second part of the fragrance, probably it appears in the combination of some of the other notes. Taken as a whole Poivre Bengale is very dry, warm and in the same time clean and, I know it sounds strange, refreshing fragrance. Wearing Poivre Bengale in sunny, dry and warm weather (ca +25 C) gives that strange clean, refreshing, effect, probably due to the lack of sweetness and the well composed dryness. Another fragrance that appears on the olfactory radar when enjoying Poivre Bengale is Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum which is airier, sort of thinner in apperance, also presents herbal and green elements and has a tangy aura, almost similar to turpentine. Edition Frederic Malle Noir Epices is also coming to my mind when wearing Poivre Bengale, where Noir Epices just as Amber & Spices, is a bit sweeter and is including some flowery elements. Also some elements from Lubin Idole Edp are present.

Picture: Poivre Bengale
Photo: PR Brecourt (c)

As mentioned above, Poivre Bengale is fab in warm weather and here is a spicy fragrance that works for all seasons, which is not common. Sillage is medium + and longevity very good, traces are left 24h after application. Poivre Bengale is unisex, leaning slight to the masculine side.

Rating: 4

Notes: Bengal pepper, ginger, clove buds absolute, nutmeg, sandalwood, leather, cashmere woods, ambergris

Thanks to ParfumMaria for the sample to try

Frapin - Caravelle Epicée

Picture: The Noord-Nieuwland in Table Bay, 1762, oil on canvas
by anonymous artist, Cape Town, South Africa

Caravelle Epicée is a fragance that I tried some years ago and liked very much but than went on sampling other frags and havn’t come to test it again than recently. And I have to say that like this beautiful spicy creation at least as much this time. Caravelle Epicée is a unisexfragrance in my book and its created for the perfumehouse of Frapin, not for the beveragesdivision J by Jeanne-Marie Faugier.

Caravelle Epicée starts with a gentle, very true, spicy accord. I can smell different shades of pepper, cummin, saffron, nutmeg and other spices in a wellblended mix where the spices are interacting and none is dominating over the rest. The accord is in the same time soft in character. After a while CE:s spicyness becomes creamy in texture, there are also woody notes which balances the spices. There are also notes of dry coconut, as the smell from the coconut shell from a unopend nut. When Caravelle Epicée reaches the basenotes there is a slight sweet woody note, putty in character, probably from sandalwood. In this stage, Caravelle Epicée reminds me of an unsweet Bois de Paradis by Parfum DelRae, without the sweetened berry and plummy notes of the latter. There is also smilarities with the basenotes of Yves Saint Laurent NU Edp and also something similar to the base of Donna Karan Black Cashmere. Caravelle Epicée has a dark, rich and vevety dept in the basenotes that triggers the imagination. Caravelle Epicée mediates something vintage. Not exactly a vintage smelling perfume but the images of times that have gone. More exactly the image of an elegant lady from the Jugendera (Art Noveau) dressed for the winter season in silkvelvet in muted colors and fur. Or the image an old sailingship “Caravelle” carrying the valuable spices over the oceans on the old spice route.

Caravelle Epicée is one of the best spicy fragrances I have tried, if not the best. It’s wellcrafted and balanced, comfortable, feels very natural, as the percieved notes where the real spices and wood. Caravelle Epicée is a fragrance which creates images and makes the wearer daydreaming of sailing ships carrying its precious cargo over the oceans or about elegant art noveau ladies. There is something in the overall impresson that reminds me of a sort of soft Opium by Yves Saint Laurent but with much more spices and without carantion and cloves. Also Idole by Lubin comes to my mind but that one is airier and somehow lighter, more of a sommer spicy fragrance.

As indicated above, Caravelle Epicée is perfect for winter, and espceially as a Christmas fragrance, with its delicious, spicy apperance. Sillage is close and longevity good, for a day at least.

Rating: 5

Notes: Nutmeg, coriander; chili pepper, pepper, caraway, guaiac wood, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, tobacco.

Lubin - Idole

Spices in Mapusa Market, Goa, India,

Foto: Judepics, cc (some rights reserved)

Wikimedia commons

Scroll down for an version in english.

Idole är en kryddigt, träig doft enligt uppgift skapad av Olivia Giacobetti 2005 i samband med uppfräschningen och moderniseringen av det gamla klassiska parfymhuset Lubin.

Idole är inspirerad av dofterna i den afrikanska, karibiska och indiska oceaniska övärlden. Jag känner kryddor, mörkt trä, lite tjära och romindränkta tunnor fraktat av ett segelfartyg. Ingredienserna till trots så är ändå Idole en transparent doft, en motsats som gör doften fascinerande. När det gäller kryddigheten så känns den speciella pepprighet som saffran ger, en not som också finns i Montales Amber & Spices och Sisleys Eau de Sisley 3. Den transparenta stilen trots en del kraftfulla ingredienser, delar Idole med Eau de Sisley 3 fast den senare är dominerad av citrus där Idole domineras av trä. Det finns också något i den känsla som Idole framkallar som påminner om Maitre Parfumeur et Gantiers Eau des Iles.

Idole är en mörk kryddoft som med fördel kan bäras även sommartid. Passar dagtid både på jobbet och som casual. Mycket bärbar och en bra basdoft men inte (längre) särskilt originell.

Idole is a spicy, woody fragrance created by Olivia Giacobetti in 2005 in connection with the refresh and modernization of the old classic perfume house Lubin. Idole is inspired by the scents of the islands of the African, Caribbean and Indian oceans. I smell lot of spices, dark wood, a little tar and the rum-soaked barrels transported by a sailing ship. Despite all these potent ingredients, Idole is still a transparent fragrance, a contrast that makes the blend fascinating. In the case with the spiciness, it smells like that special peppery note that saffron gives, a note which is also is present in  Montales Amber & Spices and Sisley Eau de Sisley 3. The transparent style despite some powerful ingredients, is the common denominator for Idole and Eau de Sisley 3, the latter is dominated by citrus where Idole instead is dominated by woody notes. There is also something in the sense that Idole conveys that is reminiscent to Maitre Parfumeur et Gantiers Eau des Iles.

To summon up Idole is a dark spicy-woody fragrance which can be worn advantageously preferable in the summer. Suitable for daytime at work as well as casual. Very versatile and a good basic in a fragrance wardeobe but not (any longer) particularly original.

Rating: 3+

Noter/notes: Bitter apelsin, mörk rom, klöver, saffran, socker, ebenholz, sandelträ, läder /bitter orange, dark rum, clover, soffron, sugar, ebony, sandalwood, leather