Olivier Durbano - Pink Quartz

Picture: An elephant carved in rose quartz
Wikimedia commons

Pink Quartz from Olivier Durbano Parfums de Pierre Poemes dedicated to semiprecious stones starts pink/grey velvety rosy paired with a sort of dry, opaque stoney note. In the topnotes, Pink Quartz is uplifting and a bit sparkling and the rose is very natural smelling and true to the real rose scent. When the fragrance dries down, a small trace of incense, spice, balsamic and musky notes deepens and darkens the unconventional rose/stone combo. This combo is the core of the fragrance and apperant in all stages of the dry down. In the basenotes there is also a tangy, slight fizzy note which I so appreciate in rosefragrances and which gives them a touch of chypre. There is also a subtle smoky nuance in the base and a very light sweetness from the resins. If Pink Quartz had a color it's definitly the almost opaque, pale pink/grey of the pink quartz mineral. If it was a fabric, it would be a pale, powdery, pink quartz colored velvet.

Pink Quartz is very intriguing, probably (as the notelist indicate) all the wellbalanced ingredients creates this impression. Pink Quartz is a true unisexfragrance and IMO it lending to the masculine side, here is a rose (without oud) for men. Despite this, it's pleasant also for a woman to wear, an  exception when it comes to pink roses as it is not as sweet as most pink fragrances.. Sillage is close and longevity for 12h+, an exellent choice for the early spring.

Picture: The tempting Pink Quartz
Photo: PR Olivier Durbano (c)

Pink Quartz could be appreciated by those who likes pink roses with some deept and without the conventional sweetness fragrances such as Parfum d'Empire Eau Suave even if that one is a tad fruity. To me pink Quartz is sort of the masculine counterpart of Eau Suave. Just as the latter (on of my alltime favorite pink roses) Pink Quartz is a little gem.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, pink grapefruit, olibanum, saffron, ginger; palmarosa, damask rose, palisander rosewood, rose, amber, patchouli, myrrh, benzoin, white musk

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample 

Histoires de Parfums - 1876 Mata Hari

Photo: Margaretha Geertruida "Grietje" Zelle, known as Mata Hari (1876-1917)

Unidentified photographer, public domain, Wikimedia commons

I have hard to belive that a famous femme fatale as the first world war suspected spy Mata Hari was smelling like a sweet, almost caramelized, rose on a base of cookies. But what do I know? The HdP fragrance 1876 Mata Hari is tribute to or just inspired of Mata (or both). 1876 Mata Hari is as almost all HdP:s created by the HdP founder, perfumer Gérald Ghislain in colloboration with perfumer Magali Senequie.

The pink sweet, rose is present from start to end in 1876. In the topnotes it has a slight transparent vibe and something that is similar to a green tea-note passing by. Then the blend sweetens in the cookie notes. I recoginze these kind of dry buttery notes from the backgroundnotes of perfumes such as Agent Provocateur aldehydic Maitresse and the jasmine/honeysuckle Burberry London for Woman. To me this note is similar to the smell when opening an enclosed cookie jar. There is also the smell of pink rose as in Parfums MDCI Rose de Siwa but the RdS rose is fresh and dewy compared to the gourmand rose in 1876 Mata Hari.  As a whole the Mata Hari blend also reminds me of Andy Tauers Une Rose Vermeille, maybe 1876 Mata Hari was one of the scents that has influented Andy when he created URV? But 1876 Mata Hari is paler and not as distinctint in character as URV and 1876 also lacks the jam and incense notes of URV. As Mata Hari reaches the basenotes the blend is almost creamy and fleeting, supported by a well balanced sandalwood. An gentle and calm earthy note also apperars  among the basenotes and makes the end of Marta Hari less sweet and more serious. Ironically just as the tragic story of her life.

1876 Mata Hari is a nice variation of the sweet-rose theme and it is as well as URV, Rose de Siwa and so on. Which fragrance to choose is of course up to the personal references when it coming to details. Personally I have hard to choose between URV and 1876 Mata Hari as both speeks to me in different ways despite the same theme: URV joyful and happy and 1876 Mata Hari dramatic and mysterious.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, mandarine, litchi, rose, iris, violet, carnation, caraway, cinnamon, vetiver, sandalwood, guaiac wood.