Maria Candida Gentile - The Flight of the Bumblebee 2(2) - Leucò, Kitrea and Syconium

Picture:  A sweet bumblebee (bombus pratorum)
is flying in for nectar
Photo: Bernie, Wikimedia commons

Today review of the last one in this delicate, contemporary styled Maria Candida Gentile trio.

Syconium:

Syconium starts with a sweet fignote over a background almost similar to a not too sweet cookie, probably the sandalwood. As Syconium dries further down, it becomes pleasantly, creamy, milky and reminds like that in the rest of its development even if the sandalwood gets even more prominent and is dominating  in the basenotes. In the basenotes there some vibes from the sandalwood which reminds me of  Editions Frederic Malle Dries van Noten. In the late phase of the basenotes, an moisty, dark, earthy accord appears, taking over  from the dry  and warm sandalwood. As a whole, there are no harsh edges in Syconium and it's not the figgy-woody-fresh type as for example Diptyque  Philosykos, Syconium is more of a gourmand fig as for example the much more spicy, and more complicated in construction, Neela Vermiere Creation Ashoka. Both has the gourmand fig concept in common, wheras Ashoka is the main course and Syconium the dessert. As with the other members of the Bumblebee trio, the longevity of Syconium is very good, at least a day. Sillage is medium and the fragrance even if ecpecially suitable for warm, casual summerdays, also fits as a reminder of warmer days, year around. Syconium is also office approved, with its happy and warm character it will not offend anyone.

Rating: 4

Notes: Honey, milk, fig, sandalwood

Picture: Plate 38, Moses Harris:
An exposition of English insects (1782) Moses Harris (1731-1785)

The Flight of the Bumblebee trio is light, easy to wear fragrances, which would please most people. There is nothing of the challenge and sometimes even quirky twists, of the first six MCG fragrance. But sometime one just want something good smelling, non-deamnding and very wearable. For that purpose The Flight of the Bumblebee trio is a splendid alternative, especially for spring and summer. As the trio is avaible also in 15 ml á SEK 288/EUR 30,55 they are excellent choices as a signatures for Summer 2015. 


Thanks to Fragrance & Art of the samples to test

Maria Candida Gentile - The Flight of the Bumblebee 1 (2) - Leucò, Kitrea and Syconium

Picture: The fresh Bumblebee Collection
Photo: PR Maria Candida Gentile (c)

Italian perfumer Maria Candida Gentile "Flight of the Bumblebee" trio, inspired from the beautiful music piece of Nikolaj Andreyevich Rimskij-Korsakov, uses honey as the common theme of the three fragrances. The fragrances are light and natural, ar also inspired from the beauty and simplicity of mother nature. All three parfumes are Edp:s and has a very good longevity but in the same time feels light and transparent in texture.

Leucò: Dominated by light spices, woody and white flowery elemtents over a musky base. It's fleeting without sharp edges. The honey is not dominating, it's a supporting note adding some warmth to the composition. In other words, there is nothing of the challening honey of Serge Lutens Miel de Bois. The more Leucò dries down, the more present is the tubereuse and the light peppery,woody slight musky basenotes, which even if smooth, take some of the natural impression away but this is not at all disturbing. Probably thanks to a skillful handling of the woody musky elements (the latter not mentioned in the notelist), the longevity is tremendous for such a light and transparent fragrance, on a scarf it could be recognized, unfragmented a week after testing. As Leucò is strong but has a light texture, one have to be careful and apply sparingly.

Rating: 4

Notes: Honey, cistus, lily, tubereuse, benzoin, pepper, frankincense

Picture: Porträt des Komponisten Nikolaj Andrejewitsch
Rimskij-Korsakow (1844-1908)
Painting by Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865-1911)
Wikimedia 

Kitrea: Kitrea is the most unusual in the trio. Starts light fruity-citrusy with mixed with salty seanotes which are very refreshing. There is a pleasant hint of woody sweetness in the salt, probably the effect of the grey amber which I suppose is the same as (syntetic) ambregris. Kitrea with its seaside, salty vibes reminds me of another MCG gem, the woody-aquatic  Finisterre but Kitera is a sweeter fragrance whit is natural feeling sweetness of honey and fresh fruits. The fresh fruits is nothing like the standard ultra sweet muddled accords of  many fruity-floral fragrances, the fruitiness of Kitrea is transparent, natural and cold-clear. Another salty fragrance which Kitrea reminds me of is Laboratorio Olfattivo Salina.  Just as Leucò,  Kitrea albeit citrusy, is strong in concentration but has a light texture. Therefore  one have to be careful when applying as a little goes for a day.

Rating: 5

Notes: Honey, lemon, bergamot, fresh fruit, grey amber


Thanks to Fragrance & Art of the samples to test

Coquillete - Tan-Tan

Picture: Sahrawi tribal men performing fantasia at the
Tan-Tan (Moussem) festival, Morocco
Photo: Maxim Massalitin (c), Wikimedia commons
some rights reserved

Tan-Tan is the first masculine fragrance (also classified as unisex in some sources) by the nichehouse Coquillete. Tan-Tan is, just like the first edition of four fragrances Sulmona, Sumatera, Moramanga and Herat, inspired of warm, exotic places.

Tan-Tan starts green and balmy with a note reminding of a smooth rhubarb, not as tart and dominant as in for example Aedas by Aedas de Venustas. The tartness is present during the whole drydown and balances the milky, figgy notes as also the pine and artemisia. The figgy notes reminds me of Neela Vermeires green Ashoka even if the latter is warm and foody in texture where Tan-Tan is clean and balmy in comparasion. In the middlenotes Tan-Tan becomes more aromatic/herbal and reminds me of the classic green, moisty chypre Givenchy Gentleman. In the basenotes a oily note appears, creating a chalky-earthy-petroleum impression resembling of a lighter and smoother version of the base of Kerosene Copper Skies. This oily accord is perfectly conterbalancing the creamy figgy note.

Even if Tan-Tan, just as the other Coquillete fragrances, is subtle in its apperance, it's suprisingly distinctive and longlasting. Mr Parfumista who was performing the test thanks to a sample from Fragrance & Art, found Tan-Tan very pleasant and easy to wear while also intriguing waiting for the next step in the development of the perfume. Appropriate to wear daytime the year around, non-offensive but in the same time, interesting officescent.

Rating: 4 (November 2013)

Update February 2014: The more Mr Parfumista tests this, he is now on the 2nd sample, the better this coconutmilky fig-frag is.

Rating. 5 

Notes: Pinetree, bergamot, fruity notes, artemisia, fig, cedar, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, carnation, coconut milk, fig tree, white musk, ambergris, sandalwood, leather.

Phaedon – Verveine Figuier

Picture: Eisenkraut, Verbena officinalis, 1796,

Fig. from book Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen,

Author: Johann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm)

Wikimedia Commons

Verveine Figuier is a Pierre Guillaume creation launched under the Phaedon label, a perfume joint-venture where Pierre is involved. Some fragrances are made by Pierre and some not, but as I have found Verveine Figuier is composed by PG himself.

VF starts with a light, green fignote that have some commonalities with the light, green figginess of PG:s Jardins de Kerylos. The fignote is balanced and gets a cirusy-green sparkling effect by the leafs of verbena. The green and citric notes are interacting in a quite linear formula, grounded in a light woody, white musky base.

VF:s formula seems simple and straight forward. The blend is very light to be a PG creation, it’s almost an Eau de Cologne, on my skin anyway. VF is a scent that should be splashed on to refresh during a hot summerday, and several applications will be necessary as it fades after 3-4 hours on my skin anyway. This verbena – fig styled almost colognelike blend is a good alternative to the classical citrusdominated colognes such as Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale or the modern musky dominated such as Thierry Mugler Cologne. Other verbena fig styled fragrances tha comes to my mind testing VF is Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée and Heeley Verveine even if those,especially UJeM , is stronger and with a better longevity. Of the two the Heeley Verveine is most similar to Phaedon Verveine Figuier as it’s lighter and more citrus-green than the darker and denser almost ripe fig in UJeM. The musky, light woody part of VF has similarities with the great green, musky Eau de Lalique but EdL is more radiating and lasts for a whole day even in summer. Also PG:s new interpretation of Corps de Ames, the beautiful Corps et Ames Edt Apaisante features  verbena but the note is much more obvious in the CdA Edt than in Verveine Figuer.Maybe because the verbena note, just as the whole blend, is stronger in CdA Edt.

To summon up Verveine Figuer is the perfect stright forward, summery splash on, almost cologne for lazy days. Nice, dimmed and refreshing.

Rating: 3

Notes: Verbena leaves, fig leaves, fig wood, musk