Carner Barcelona - El Born

Picture: Mercat del Born (Barcelona)
Photo: Maria Rosa Ferre (cc) ,
Wikipedia commons, some rights reserved

El Born is the latest addition in the Carner Barcelona line which is inspired  from different parts/aspects/moods and of course scents from Barcelona, both from the present and the past. El Born is inspired from the streetlife, scents and views of the old, touristcrowded El Born quarters, surrounding the market place.

El Born starts with slight citrusy and tart herbal notes contrasting to sweet, edible, pastry notes, the angelicanote is not as obvious as in Guarlain Angelique Noir it's a more of a light weight interpretation. After a while a delicious smell of a dry almondcake appears, it's not the liqueur-like amarettonote, this is the note of ground almonds for a cake. The fignote is not the lush fruity one of for example Diptyque Philosykos, the fig is more of the leaves and the tree, with something dry that reminds me of a smoother and lighter version of the fig-peppery combination of Neela Vermiere Creations Ashoka. In this stage, El Born as a whole, rests in a balsamic, light spicy comfort.

In the basenotes the balsamic-resin comfort still consists and a smooth, even if a bit peppery, sandalwood emerges. There is also an unexpected twist with an accord which smells slight liquirice/anice-like (even if not present as notes) and which add a contrasting chill in the warm balsamic base. This anicelike reminds me of a similar treatment of the note; it reminds me of the base of Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli but in the latter, the anice-like aspect is interacting with patchouli instead of balsam and soft woody/spicy notes. The longer El Born dries down, the more I smell the connection to Mistral Patchouli.

Picture: El Born
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)

El Born is a very good representative of the comforting, contemporary, casual, chic style of  Carner Barcelona. To my nose El Born in style most resembles the light spicy, sort of café-atmospheric Rima XI. Just like these comforting scents, El Born is easy to like, smooth as cashmere, a true wrist sniffer with an almost calming influence on the wearer, at least if the wearer is me. The slilage is close, the longevity for over a day and its suitable both for casual (a perfect perfume for shopping, with a break at some fashionable café) and to comfort duirng a though day in the office. Even if the warm and comforting character makes it well suited for autumn and winter it also smelled great during the hot, humid summerdays when I tested El Born. To finsh the praise: The more I try El Born, the more I like it. It's not love at first sniff but this fragrance wins in the long run.

Other fragrances that reminds me od El Born in their style is The Different Company Oriental Lounge (swe) and Frederic Malle Dries van Noten but I percieve El Born as less sweet than the latter.

Rating: 5

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, angelica, honey; fig, heliotrope, benzoin, jasmine, vanilla, peru balsam, sandalwood, musk

Top summerfragrances 2014

Picture: One of the Small Towers on Frederiksborg Castle, 
ca 1834-35
Painting by Christen Köbke (1810-1848)
Wikipedia commons

The summer up here in the North was cold from late May and whole June. In July thankfully the warmth appeared and is still present in August with an intensive heat, a very warm, humid weather around 30 degree Celsius. This reflects the list of what I've liked in particular this summer ie very different styles.

Un Bateau pour Capri (Eau d'Italie): This dark, purple, velvety, aldehydic, fruity, flowery creation blooms wonderful  in the ot humid weather. My top find from my sample testing for the blog this summer.

Montecristo (Masque): During the cold first part, the spicy, dirty, animalic Montecristo was a comforting and warming choice. A very big fragrance in the old YSL Opium style. Also tried it when it was quite warm, 20-25 degree Celsius, and its sillage was tremendous and I got positive reactions (belive it or not :-)

Rosamunda (Laboratorio Olfattive) and Rose Anonyme (Atelier Cologne): Both refreshing fragrances in the cool, pink rose-patchouli-oud genre. Very close to each other where Rosamunda is a tad sweeter in its earlier stages and Rose Anonyme a bit woodier. When they have dried down on their scentstrips, I can't tell them apart. Both these fragrances smells much better when worn in the fresh sea-air of the archipelago compared with when worn in the city. Both fragrances shows more notes and another dept by the sea.

Mistral Patchouli (Atelier Cologne): A lighter, daytime, casual, herbal version of the discontinued Dior Midnight Poison. Almost the same, stripped down, dark, patchoulinote as in Midnight Poison. Fresh in a pleasant, non-laudery way. The grapefruit-anice-patchouli is suprinsingly a very good match.

Philosykos (Diptyque): This creamy, woody, fig is so refreshing and easy to wear. Was my staple during a vacation on Ibiza in June. Philosykos is the mediterranean for me, especially Greece of course, but it mixed suberb with the dry, pine infused Ibizian air.

Ciel (Amouage). I like the old Amouages best, the newer are not as "grand". Even if good fragrances, the newwr seems a bit anxious and flattened, afraid not to please an extended audience compared to some years ago. Ciel is a symphony of watery, white flowers which projects beautiful in warm and sunny weather. Easy to wear, a happy and elegant fragrance

Eau de Cologne d'Orange Verte (Hermès): A summerwardrobe staple, the most versatile of them all. Also the current formula is very good, more emphasis on the oranges than in the old (even better) mossy grounded one.

Horizon (Oriza L.Legrand): I love patch in the summer, the earthy, herbal smell is cool and refreshing. Even if Horizon is a patchouli grounded in honey and amber it developes surprisingly well in hot temparature. A beautiful, natural smelling tobbacco note is particularly present in warm tempratures.

Relique D'Amour (Oriza L.Legrand): A cold, light flowery, pine incense which performs excellent in hot and humid weather. It's refreshing and not as dark, bold and dense as for example the incensestandard Comme des Gracons Avignon which is too much for me in the summer.