Fragrance(s) of the week (10) 2013

Picture:Lilac Syringa Vulgaris in bloom
Photo: Author Marisa deMeglio from NYC, USA
(cc) Wikimedia Commons

This late winterweek, even if chilly, is showing signs of the coming spring. The light is here, the sun is warm in the middle of the day and the snow is melting. Inspired of that I have enjoyed my lighter Frederic Malle samples: L'Eau d'Hiver, what could be more appropriate than a fragrance inspired of melting snow, Angeliques sous la Pluie, I like the hay-ish note and the herbalflower touch and my favorite among the three En Passant, the most true lilac scent I have tested so far, even truer than the beautiful After My Own Heart by Ineke.

These three light Malles are well constructed and very easy to wear. Nothing extreme but timeless and minimalistic, the archetypes of spring staplefragrances.

Fragrance of the week (9) 2013

Is the reworked Habanita Edp from Molinard. Vetiver, geranium and tobacconotes, dark flowers over the deep mossy, ambery, patchouli base. True to the Edt version but smoother and somehow more contemporary in style even if the vintage 1920s Flappers impression is still there. And the retrostyled bottle is just gorgeous.....

Picture: Molinard Habanita Edp
Photo: PR  Molinard (c) 

Fragrance of the week (8)

Photo:Parfumista (c)

I never thought I would fall almost completely for a certain fragrance which I will review on Monday. Since testing it (two full wearings) I have been drawn to take some sniffs of the sample almost every day. They have to have trown in some addictive substances in the blend. Stay tuned.....

Fragrance(s) of the week (7) 2013

Tired of all the fleeting, almost spooky, watered down, similar smelling  IFRA/EU compliant fragrances of the latest year(s) my appreciation of the oldies or semi oldies has increased. Have been drawn to my samples    of two very different but both distinct characteristic (as always with) Maître Parfumeur et Gantier fragrances: The dirty jasmin/neroli La Reine Margot from the MPG sub-line Les Parfumes Historiques and the sunny, very uplifting but at the same time a bit weird herbal, floral, tea fragrance Eau de Camelia Chinois. Both are great stuff, which stands out from the pale crowd of today.

Pictures of the beautiful LPH/MPG falcons borrowed from the net

(c) Maître Parfumers et Gantier

Fragrance of the week (5) 2013

Picture: Haversting pepper, Illustration from Le livre des merveilles de Marco Polo
 ("The Adventures of Marco Polo"), date unknown, Wikimedia Commons.

Rushing  through my Fredric Malle samples to figure out if there is any FB I "have to" buy before the perfumemarauder regalutions eventually takes effect this summer.  Read an interview somewhere (Basenotes?) where Malle stated that his perfumeportfoilo would be heavely affected if the rules are implemented. As my samples are a few years old (2009) some reformulations probably are already implemented, if I remember correctly 2010 was a year of though IFRA selfregulation, but anyway...
To my surprise the a bit strange creature Noir Epices by Michel Roudnitska, attracted compliments and that without me asking for an opinion. To me Noir Epices is both attractive and repulsive in the same time. I really like the dry spicy hot notes and the orange and rosewater. But there is also an overall impression of an old mans cologne worn on unwashed skin in some stages of the dry down. All these together makes Noir Epices challenging and interesting to wear, something that I appreciate very much when it comes to perfume.
PS: When going through the Frederic Malle consultation form on their website serveral years ago, the two recommended frags where Carnal Flower, which I, as a tubereuselover of course had to have, and Noir Epices

Fragrance of the week (4) 2013

Photo: Parfumista (c)

Is Musc Tonkin from Parfume d'Empire. Earlier this week there was something as unusual as a Perfumenerd AW here in Stockholm. Many beautiful fragrances where displayed (and sprayed) such as some from Roja Dove, Mona di Orio, Amouage, Parfum d'Empire, exclusive Guerlains and Chanels, but also most interesting of all, extraordinary beauties from a vintage collection. The vintage collector, who so generously exposed those treasures to our noses, also owned the brand new Musc Tonkin, animalic,dirty and vintage in style. Among all the wonderful fragrances, Musc Tonkin was the one that made the lasting impression to me. Of course the vintage  Guerlains, Givenchys, Chanels and others, with their dept, richness, high-quality ingredients and individual characters were outstanding and gorgeous. But as a specific fragrance, Musc Tonkin is the one!

Fragrance(s) of the week (3) 2013

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

This week I had new experiences with two fragrances which until now have been a bit hard for me:

* Old Mitsi - Mitsouko. It seems as after almost ten years of experimenting I finally found the right dosage and right climat conditions etc as Mitsi now seems to fit quite well. Or at least I imagine so, as every true parfumista of course want this classic to fit. As I lunched with Fragrantfanatic that day, I got a professional opinion; the peaches over the moss was the main impression and that Mitsi smelled good.

* Today  (snowy as usual, - 20 C  :-) I percieved Douglas Hannant by Robert Piguet in a quite different way than when worn in the spring and summer. In the warmer months the pearnote takes the centerstage and DH becames fruity-floral in apperance with a touch of detergent. Today it performs as a bright, clearly tubereusedominated, white floral with just a light supporting pearnote and no laundry vibes. Delicious!

Fragrance of the week (2) 2013

Picture:Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky (Вацлав Фомич Нижинский) (1890-1950), 

in the ballet Afternoon of a Faun

Painting by Leon Bakst (1866-1924), Wikimedia Commons

Fragrance of the week is definitly the intriguing The Afternoon of a Faun from Etat Libre D'Orange. Like the moisten smell of a mossy forestfloor, in the shadow of the forest of confier,  a late summerday. The Faun also has the delicate smell of an antique, precious wooden box, very vintage in style. I have already been complimented when wearing The Faun, so he is really something special... If I had tested this fragrance two weeks ago, it had been included in my best of 2012 list. I also have to admit that I couldn't resist The Faun and a bottle from the Escentual 20% sale last week has just arrived. A  fragrance with this special character is a must have to me

Many thanks to Fragrantfanatic for the sample that introduced me to this new favourite :-).

Fragrance(s) of the week (1) 2013

Photo: Parfumista (c)

Almost every week there is a fragrance or fragrancestyle that I particulary crave. Maybe I wear the fragrance some day that particular week, just sniff it, tray it or just let the longing persist as I'm often totally off-season when it comes to what I crave and the season current. To examplify: The week before Christmas I suddenly started to long after the sparkling, grassy and green springlike Chanel No 19 Edt, this in the middle of the cold and darkest winter, with lot of snowing. The same phenomena, but in the opposite fragrancedirection, is happening in the middle of the summer, some years as early as around Midsummers Eve. Than in the warmth and brightness of the Nordic summer, I start longing for dark and deep fragrances as ambers, dark roses, ouds, patchouli. Another observation when it comes to my perfumecraving during the latest half year is an increasing need and appreciation for the classics as the classic Chanels, Guerlains, Rochas or Diors. When it comes tocontemporary perfumes, I prefer perfumes created in the classic style as the offerings of Puredistance, Parfums de Nicolï and Parfums MDCI or more complicated contemporary perfumes with many dimensions as the perfumes of Ramón Monegal, Amouage or Mona di Orio.

To conclude this philosophising: 1) Fragrancewise I'm often in the reverse season 2) Fragrancestylish the circle is completed, I'm back where it all started, with the classics or  classic styled, well-crafted fragrances.

For 2013 I will start to notice (and post) if there is a/some special weekly cravings. Here are my observations for the first week of January 2013:

- The longing for springfragrances has intensified. Today (chilly and grey outside) I'm wearing  the Guerlain iris/violet/mimosa/guerlinade classic Apres l'Ondee Edt and I'm constantly sniffing my wrists.

- The other perfume that influenced me this week and I really liked to wear at New Years Eve was a perfume that not belongs to any of the categories mentioned above: Miss Dior Le Parfum which IMHO is a well crafted, contemporary mainstream with some dept and body to it. Features that is becoming more and more rare these days,  both within mainstream and niche.