Teo Cabanel - Lace Garden

Picture: Lady in Flower Garden, 1891
Painting by Childe Hassam (1859-1935)
Wikiart 

The venerable french perfumehouse Téo Cabanel founded 1893 in Algeria, moved to Paris 1908, has some glorius decades then declined and almost closed down around Y2K. The house was restored by Caroline Ilacqua, a relative to the founder in 2005. Téo Cabanel produces high quality fragrances, most of them in a timeless style with some resembles to the fragrances of Annick Goutal and Parfums de Nicolai. Personally, I (and my nose) think this hidden gem of perfume house is worth much more attention among perfumecritics/ perfumewrites.

Lace Garden is a delicate, white floral bouquet which starts with accords highlighten a transparent tubereuse with its classical white flower supporters; jasmine and orangeblossom. The tubereuse is less prominent and more integrated with the rest of the bouquet than in L'Artisan La Chasse aux Papillion  or Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion which ar two classics that comes to my mind, when it comes to the tubereuse part, wearing Lace Garden. A smooth magnolia is contrasting with its pale yellow, slight lime flowery scent. The base is soft and discrete vanillic, balsamic, woody seamless blended and the overall expression, style and scent reminds me of the signaturefragrance of Gianfranco Ferré which bears the same name, of the delicate bouguet Floral Veil from Grossmith and the first fragrance from Parfums de Nicolaï Number One.

Picture: The beautiful bottle of Lace Garden
Photo: PR Téo Cabanel (c)

Lace Garden is fleeting and transaperant, the name is a perfect description of the impression which this lovely, very feminine fragrance conveys. The fragrance feels natural, there are no traces of the artifical notes smell which often are present in contemporary "high-octave" florals. Lace Garden is the perfect spring and summer fragrance but it is also suitable for winter when longing for the warmer months. It's elegant in style and suits well for festive occasions, it's a perfect bridal fragrance IMO. A must try for lovers of delicate white flowers.

Rating: 5

Notes: Ylang-ylang, lemon, tubereuse, jasmin, orangeblossom, magnolia, vanilla, wood, benzoin, powdery notes

Annick Goutal - Un Matin d'Orage EDP

Picture: Gardenia flower from the gardens at Monticello
Photo: Queerbubbles (cc) Wikipedia Commons, 
some rights reserved

Un Matin d'Orage EDP is a reinterpretation of the 2009 Un Matin d'Orage EDT (swe) by Annick Goutal. As with most current Goutals, the perfumer is Isabelle Doyen together with the late Annicks daughter, Camille Goutal.

Un Matin d'Orage EDP is a character of it's own, it's an ozonic, crispy white flowerfragrance, gardenia, tubereuse and magnolia are the mainplayers. This is not the usual interpretation of the theme  the flowers, are somehow paper-dry in their structure but in the same time they express an ozonic, slight moisty character, like the texture and light vanillic smell of old books. Un Matin d'Orage EDP is quite linear even if the flowers is dominating in the beginning and are balanced in a smooth woody-light vanillic accord, probably the sandalwood, in the base.

The main difference compared to the EDT to my nose is that the EDP is more flowery and a tad sweeter from the warm woody vanillic note. The EDT on the other hand is more radiant, bubbly, fizzy and it's maincharacteristic is a peppery note that follows through the whole dry down. If applying the EDT to liberal, the peppery note takes over and sort of unbalances the fragrance. Overall the EDT is woody in character, with support of the gardenia/tubereuse, where the EDP emphasises the flowers and the pleasant sweetness described above, the pepper playing just a discrete, supporting role.

Picture: Un Matin d'Orage EDT & EDP
Photo: PR Annick Goutal (c)

When comparing the concentrations, the EDP is a safer fragrance, closer to skin, more wellbehaved and easier to wear than the more radiant EDT and I suspect the EDP will be the best selling (and a bestseller!) concentration of the two. The EDT is more of a complicated, dominating and challenging personality which has to be handled with care. The lastingpower is for more than a day for both Un Matin d'Orage concentrations and both are perfect for summerdays, both for casual and for work.

Rating: 5 (EDP), 4 (EDT)

Notes: Tubereuse, magnolia, vanilla, myrrh, guaiac wood (and I suspect that many of the notes from the EDT version is still present as for example gardenia and a small dose of the fizzy, peppery ginger.

Van Cleef & Arpels - Un Air de First

Picture: Jasminum sambac 'Grand Duke of Tuscany'
Photo: Scott Zona (cc) some rights reserved, Wikimedia Commons

Un Air de First is a new interpretation by perfumer Nathalie Gracia-Cetto to celebrate the 35th anniversery of the first Van Cleef & Arpels fragence, the classic First created by Jean-Claude Ellena.

Un Air de First is a proper name for this fragrance, it is airier and cleaner than the original during the whole developement of the fragrance. It starts aldehydic, flowery, green but the flowers are fruity and bright compared to the soapy and heavier flowers of First. I also pervieve the flowers of Un Air de First as perdominantly clean and white (even the rose is white) wheras Firsts flowers are heavier and with a higher degree of yellow flowers. Pretty soon in the drydown, a note that almost smells like fresh tobacco appears in  Un Air de First. Galbanum is als glimpsing but not as noticable as in First. Later on the tobacco is lit and a clean note of cigarettesmoke appears accompanying the jasmine. The notemix is not at all dirty as in Etat Libre d'Orange Jasmine et Cigarettes but it's not as dry and subtle as in M.Micallef Royal Vintage, it's more round and fruity. Un Air de First continues to dry down in a lipsticky, aldehydic flowery manner and is underscored by a musky slight woody base.

Picture. Un Air de First
Photo: PR Van Cleef & Arpels (c)

Un Air de First has succeded to perserve the spirit of the original, just as Balmain with the new interpretation of Ivoire where the new version is fruitier and brighter than the original. The fact that the spirit of First is perserved is also proved by Mr Parfumistas comments about a " much too ladylike scent". I think Un Air de First is sort of contemporary ladylike and as it's very strong, one have to be careful with application, it is not airy=light. The sillage is great and as also the longevity, about 24h.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Galbanum, Peach, Fruity Notes, Jasmine, Rose, Green Notes, Vetiver, White Musk