Anatole Lebreton - Bois Lumière

Picture: Bois Lumière

Photo: PR Anatole Lebreton (c)

Bois Lumière is the third fragrance in the Lebreton line starts very honeyed, sweet and rough animalic, in an almost an unpleasant accord. But as almost always with strange beginnings of a fragrance, the rest is so much better.  Even if still dominating, the honeyed sweetness is toned down in the rest of the dry down, balanced with warm woody/resin notes, immortelle, hay and orange. A warm, glowing, sparkling and cosy fragrance, very special and comforting for grey days. In the base there is also a musky feeling wish sweeps through the overall warm impression as a refreshing, chilly, gust. A friend of mine finds that there is something in Bois Lumière that oddly enough is resembling accords of a fragrance in a quite different style, Chanel Cristalle Edt but with a thicker and denser texture.

Honey dominated perfumes are not common and the one I think of when wearing Bois Lumière is (of course) Serge Lutens Miel de Bois which I precieve as a more elegant alternative. Bois Lumiere is rougher and sort of rual in appearance, the bewitched forest shows another dimension. Bois Lumière is a fragrance which attracts compliments.

Bois Lumière is the perfect autumn, winter and early springfragrance. The sillage is medium and longevity outstanding, 24h. It's neutral unisex.

Rating: 5

Notes: Juniper, clary sage, mandarin orange, fir balsam, honey, rose, carnation, immortelle, beeswax, cedar, benzoin

Boucheron - Place Vendôme

Picture: Place Vendôme
Photo: PR Boucheron (c)

Place Vendôme is created to capture the spirit of the venerable jewellery house Boucheron, situated at the epicentrum of luxury. Place Vendôme is created as a collaboration between perfumers Olivier Cresp and Nathalie Lorson.

Place Vendôme starts sparkling, citric with traces of fruit and light, white flowers. The initial accord reminds me of a rounded and fruity version of Dior Escale à Pondichéry, without the teanote. As PV dries down the blended flowery impression intensifies and is somehow wrapped in gentle, not too sweet, notes. The flowery notes are light as a veil in texture and impression. The sweetness discrete, the honeynote involved is not of the animalic kind as in Serge Lutens Miel de Bois, this is a stripped down version, with just some elements of the honey extracted. The base is light and woody, with a sweet resin quality and the honeyed florals are still pleasant, deeper in expression as in the middlenotes. On my skin, the base is blooming 12h+ after application, I woke up in the middle of the night wondering "What is smelling so good"? The basenotes is the best part of PV for me.

The impression and expression of Place Vendôme is sort of a mainstream Grossmith Floral Veil. Nondescript light, ariy flowers are fleeting in and out in the accords, just as a fleeting light silk veil. Place Vendôme is also a bit "mainstream" rugged in texture compared to Floral Veil but on the other hand, the fragrances are in different priceranges. Another fragrance that comes to my mind when wearing Place Vendôme is Versace Vanitas, even if Vanitas is cold, a bit watery and crispy in texture, where PV is on the verge to creamy.

Picture: The stylish bottle of Place Vendôme
Photo: PR Boucheron (c)

Place Vendôme is a modern interpreation of the classical Boucheron floral-oriental theme. It's fleeting (as many contemporary fragrances after all the IFRA regulations have been effective) and lighter compared to classic Boucherons but elements of the elegant, a bit sweet, classic Boucheron base could be found also in PV. PV is feminine, elegant and suitable both for office and dressed up occasions. It is utterly well behaved, almost annoying in its perfection and it is hard to catch and analyze. Even if PV has no distinct characteristics it's pleasant and easy to wear. The longevity is very good, traces are left after almost 24h. Altogether a fragrance which fits most women, smells nice, is comforting and doesn't offend anybody.

Rating: 4

Notes: Pink pepper, rose, orangeblossom, mandarine, jasmine, honey, peony, praline, benzoin, cedarwood

Seven years of perfumeblogging!

Picture: Maple leaves, end of October 2013.
Photo: Mr Parfumista

Today Parfumistans Blogg is celebrating seven years. Celebrating is of course a slight exaggeration, when becoming of a certain age, one more or less just notice "birthday again" and don't want to realize another year has flying away.

Autumn is IMO the best season for perfume, almost every fragrance family could be considered as some days are warm and in other there are wintertempratures. The latest week has been
predominantly warm but in the same time dark and windy i.e time fore a wide range of fragrances. I suddenly craved Annick Goutal Eau de Ciel despite this one is almost always described as a spring fragrance. To me Eau de Ciel has some floral notes in common with a more proper fragrance for this season, Serge Lutens Miel de Bois, I think it's the linden/hawthorn notes that are the connection. SL Rahat Loukoum was a very positive surprise and if  I havn't got a sample from Fragrantfanatic, I have never got the idea of testing this true comfortscent. Autumn also mean revival of some of my greatest discoveries this year: The perfumes from the incredible house Oriza L. Legrand, the problem is that the four I have tested so far Rêve de Ossian, Relique d'Amour, Oeillet Louis XV and Déjà le Printemps are all so great that I can't decide which one to invest in the day when my samples runs out, which unfortunately will be soon. Which one I like the most changes with each wearing. Now Relique d'Amour, which I liked the least (everything is relative :-) when testing these in the beginning of the year is a runner up with its smooth and refined fir balm and incense notes. And four new fragrances have been/will be launched from this genuine perfumehouse.....will be hard to handle :-)