Fragrances for Christmas 2015 2(2) - Nichefragrances

In the second post about fragrances which could attract especially in Christmastime some appropriate gems from the niche segment will be commented.

Picture: Un Crime Exotique
Photo: PR Parfumerie Générale (c)

Un Crime Exotique (Parfumerie Générale): This is similar to the traditional sweet mulled wine called Glögg which swedes are drinking the in Advent and during the Christmas holiday. Un Crime Exotique is not as sweet as Glögg, the fragrance smells like Glögg mixed with an refreshing the like for example Oolong.

Picture: Loretta
Photo: PR Tableau de Parfums (c)

Loretta (Tableau de Parfums): A dark fruity, spicy, slight dirty, animalic tuberose which compared to for example Marc Jacobs Decadence really is decadent. A fragrance in the classic dark, style of Rochas Femme. One of Andy Tauers best fragrances IMO.

Picture: Mon Numero 10
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

Mon Numero 10 (L'Artisan Parfumeur): This one is a sort of merged fragrance with traces from Christmas appropriate classics as Fendi (original), Coco (Chanel) and also Un Crime Exotique (above) + some incense. Embracing and comforting to wear in cold and grey weather.

Picture: M.O.U.S.S.E
Photo: PR Oliver & Co (c)

M.O.U.S.S.E (Oliver & Co): This is the most similar fragrance to mimic real clove that I've tested so far. A sort of fresh, airy but in the same time intense, almost cold, spicy fragrance. Some incense also seems to be involved in a supporting role.

Picture: Wazamba (new bottle)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c)

Wazamba (Parfum d'Empire): A warm, a bit sweet and spicy incense, not the traditional cold, midnight mass churchy type as Comme des Garcons Avignon which is also a beautiful fragrance suitable for Christmas.

Tableau de Parfums (Andy Tauer) - Loretta

Picture: Loretta, the protagonist from the Brian Pera
"Womans Picture" movie Loretta

Loretta is a dark fruity floral oriental created by Andy Tauer for his line Tableau de Parfums. The parfumes in this line are created to match the characters in a serie of movies "Womans Picture" created by the filmmaker Brian Pera. Before Loretta the aldehydic Miriam has been released as also the very limited edition Dark Passage.

The story of the film is described as: "Loretta is a young woman who works as a maid at a motel. She is shy and withdrawn, but creates her own life in a fantasy world where she danced and falls in love with a man. She is sensual, sexy and seductive, but she has a secretive dark side."

Loretta starts with an accord dominated by sweet, almost jammy, dark ripe fruits where the plum is the prominent note. There are also  notes that reminds me of the scent of warm, dry and dusty leather accuented with a dry, dark and dusty touch of rose. As drying down, the dark plum takes even more the centerstage and further into the middlenotes the white flowers kicks in. First the orangeblossom dominates alterned by the tubereuse. The  farther in the dry down, the more the tubereuse becomes prominent to my nose. The tubereuse in Loretta is velvety, dark and thick, not transparent and light as a veil as in Jimmy Choo Flash reviewed earlier this week, the two fragrances are on the opposite sides on the scale. The tubereuse and the white flowers are sweetened by resins and by the dark jammy overripe plum even in the basenotes. There is also a hint of the typical  Andy Tauer labdanum-resin accord. 

Picture:Loretta in its unusual bottle.
Photo: PR  picture Tableau de Parfums

Loretta reminds me of fragrances like Rochas Femme (in swedish) with its dark plummy notes and dark flowers. The dusty and dry rose makes me think of Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Rose Etoile de Hollande as also the warm dusty note "dust on a lighted bulb" in Mona di Orio Carnation (short impressions in swedish). The dark, sweet, jammy notes of Loretta reminds me of another Tauer favorite Une Rose Vermeille (in swedish) a wonderful, sweet, bright lipstick red rose. To conclude, Loretta is a fragrance in the contemporary retro style, intriguing to wear, especially the earlier dry, dusty, plummy accords, comfortable but in the same time inspiring in the dark resinious basenotes. Loretta i suitable for the colder months but I'm convinced it will bloom beautiful also during warm and humid summerdays, as before and also after a thunderstorm.

Loretta is the perfect fragrance for those who like dark, mysterious and challenging flowers and as I'm among those, wearing Loretta was a real pleasure for me.

Rating: 5

Notes: Dark plum, fruit, aldehydes, rose, tubereuse, jasmine, orangeblossom, carnation, cinnamon, patchouli, ambergris, leather, sweetened orris root , woody/resinous notes, labdanum

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of Loretta.