Etat Libre D'Orange - Putain des Palaces

Picture: Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, oil on canvas

painted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894.

Museum de Toulouse-Lautrec, Wikimedia commons.

The fragance with the controversial name Putain des Palaces was created by Nathalie Feisthauer for the avantagrde perfumehouse Etat Libre D'Orange in 2006. To me PdP is a fragrance that is not created to smell good or to be praised for it's masterful blending. This is one of those perfumes that are primarily created to make an artistic statement and on many wearers it of course also developes to smell good. It seems that PdP fits with my chemistry as the discerning Mr Parfumista comments "Today you also have a frag that smells good and that suits you" when sampling PdP.

The name Putain des Palaces is just right to this skanky, animalic, lipstick-putty, blend. In it's texture and partial in the lipsticknote PdP has similarities with Lipstick Rose from Frederic Malle. The similarities ends there as LR is innocent and pretty and PdP is the quite oppsite character. After applying PdP I can smell a noticeable note of cummin in the topnotes. According to the notelist there is no cummin but ginger, probably this note is the outcome of a handling of ginger that I have not perceived before. I like PdP in the topnotes, the sweaty "cummin" that for a short while mingles with a dirty, furry-animalic note that I recognize from Parfumerie Générales L'Ombre Fauve. As PdP dries down and settles in the middlenotes/beginning of the basenotes, there is a light leather or more like a suede note, a sultry violet-rose, still dirty and with hints of something that I perceive as a chalky note. The lipstick note is also there but the violet and rose dont feel clean and clear as in the luxary lipstick of Lipstick Rose. Despite some creaminess from the lipsticknote, there is a certain sharpness hiding at this stage, an at the same time round note that reminds me of a golden apple on the verge to be overripe. This note, which I belive is suede combined with flowers, I have earlier experienced in Etienne Aigners In Leather for Women and in Ava Luxes Film Noir. As the dry down get further and finally settles in the base, the violet and rose appears to brighten, get less skanky and a note similar to papyrus glimpse in the powdery musky base.

Putain de Palaces is a suggestive, haunting and alluring scent. It is not especially pleasant to wear, you have to be in mood to deal with the tragic reality this fragrance will display. In contrary to what one expects from the perfume of a Putain de Palaces, PdP is lingering close to the skin and has a medium sillage. The longevity is, as in the case with almost all ELDO fragrances I have tried, quite good and it is still there unfragmented late in the evening with traces the day after.

Rating: 5

Notes: Leather, mandarine, ginger, rose, violet, lily of the valley, amber

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle - Lipstick Rose

Picture: Viola Riviniana and Viola Canina

Nordens flora, picture painted between 1917and 1926 by

swedish botanist Carl Axel Magnus Lidman

Wikimedia commons

Lipstick Rose is created by perfumer Ralf Schwieger for Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle year 2000 and was released with a bunch of other fragrances in the earliest edition of the house.

To me Lipstick Rose smells very innocent, well behaved and girl next door-ish. Even so (of course the girl next door wears a little pink lipstick on special occasions) Lipstick Rose is a appropriate name of this violety, rosy, slight powdery and slight earthy blend. The top- and middlenotes definitely conveys the picture and smell of a lipstick of high quality. There is a creamy and slight powdery note, dominated by violets. The rose is the second player and disappears on my skin as the scent drys down to the basenotes. In the basenotes there is still a trace of the powdery violet but the notes of vetiver and musk anchor it in a slight earthy base. On my skin those notes blended together also create a tealike note.

The powdery note present during the whole dry down reminds me of a polished version of the gunpowdernote that I appreciate in Lorenzo Villoresis Teint de Neige. In it's earlier stages Lipstick Rose is somehow a well-behaved violet-version of the, in comparison, wild and eccentric TdN. But Lipstick Rose don't goes the whole hog as TdN, neither by the gunpowdernot or by the soapiness as the Lipstick Rose powder never passes in to the great soapiness of TdN. Other fragrances that have similarities with LR is Andy Tauers beautiful Une Rose Vermeille a jammy, fruity rose with hints of violets and with the texture of Etat Libre D'Oranges Putain de Palaces. Even as also it's name indicates, this scent with it's dirty animalic heft is the direct opposite to the girl next door-ish Lipstick Rose, but the style,violets and the rose are in common. 

Lipstic Rose is a well executed, almost linear fragrance that is easy to wear for many non-casual occasions in autumn, winter and spring. It's a tad too sweet and powdery to feel appropriate for summerwearing.

Rating: 3

Notes: Rose, violet, musk, vanilla, vetiver, amber

Reassessements May 2012

Yesterday a lovely, sunny May 1th, we made the first boat trip for this season ( this years boatlaunch was this weekend) together with some friends. Cruising around on the  water in the heart of Stockholm is something I really will recommend. But nevertheless no idleness when it comes to me and fragtesting, during the cruise I have reassessed two fragrances that havn't left my mind since I tested and reviewed them. Havn't left my mind is generally a good sign when it comes to fragrances and proved to be the case concerning both the re-tested fragrances. I smell quite different aspects than when I reviewed Elie Saab Le Parfum back in grey November and Opus VI in March. I have updated the reviews with my new findings.

Histoire de Parfums – Blanc Violette

Picture: A Violet, viola sororia. Photo by: Hoodedwarbler12 (cc),

Wikimedia commons, some rights reserved

Blanc Violette is one of the fragrances in the Histoire de Parfums underline Soliloquies based on some of the classical notes. Blanc Violette is created by the HdP founder Gerald Ghislain and Magali Senequier

Blanc Violette starts with a powdery, aldehydic, retro accord that highlights the violets in the the lipstick-like way as seen in Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose and Etat Libre D'Orange Putain the Palace. But in Blanc Violette the violetnote is clearer compared to the other two and supported by other flowery notes of iris and ylang-ylang. In the middlenotes a lot of the powderness is toned down and a light, dry, white-peppery note appears, probably an element of the sandalwood in the base. Blanc Violette will continue as a rather shy but dominating violet supported by the other flowers and with a well-established contrast of anise and rice powder over a musky base with some light traces of vanilla. The anisenote never takes over the scent, as in many cases with this distinctive note, it's well interwoven, balances the other notes and gives the fragrance a special character. In style, not particulary in smell, there is a similarity with the chilly elegance of Jolie Madame by Pierre Balmain.

Blanc Violette is a chilly, yet soft scent that's perfect wearing during daytime in winter-spring and spring. It smells just like I imagine that the color light purple would smell. Both Lipstick Rose and Putain the Palace is warmer and more extrovert in style than the cool, understated elegant, yet comfortable Blanc Violette. Longevity of the day is so-so, just fragments remain in the evening.

Rating: 3 +

Notes: Violet, bergamot, iris, ylang-ylang, anise, sandalwood, ricepowder, musk, vanilla

Pierre Balmain - Jolie Madame

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Scroll down for an english version.

Ursprungligen publicerat på min tidigare blogg "Parfumistans blogg" på Damerns Världs hemsida i januari 2008 

Germaine Cellier skapade Jolie Madame för Pierre Balmain 1952. Germaine Cellier var något av en husnäsa och hade 1947 skapat förebilden för alla gröna dofter, Vent Vert också för Balmain. Jolie Madame togs fram som signaturdoft för en konfektionskollektion från Pierre Balmain med namnet, just det: Jolie Madame.

Jolie Madame är en blommig chypre med ett visst läder/animaliskt inslag. Den är först grön och violig på mig och i inledningen tycker jag den är lite småtråkig. Sedan djupnar doften och det lädriga förenar sig med de torra blommorna. Luktar jag på tröjan dagen efter dominerar de animaliska tonerna. Doften är strikt och korrekt. Det är doften för en ordningsam och duktig flicka i ljusgrå cool wool-dräkt och bländvit stärkt krage på skjortan.

I Jolie Madame faller för en gångs de animaliska notern ut på ett bra sätt på mig. Annars blir de (i klassiska dofter) ofta för tunga och gammaldags på min hud. I Jolie Madame pågår väldigt mycket och man måste ta sig tiden att låta den utvecklas i lugn och ro över dagen. Jag tycker mest om den när den nått läderstadiet. Lädret är lätt och fint som en glacéhandske. Jolie Madame är en lite kylig doft som är en befrielse jämför med allt fruktigt, sötblommigt som dominerar blomsegmentet för närvarande. Passar mycket bra på våren och sommaren men är också en fin höstdoft, den matchar de bruna, multnande löven med sin doft. Perfekt för kontoret, diskret, koncentrerad och effektiv.

Trots att Jolie Madame är över femtio år är den tidlös. Tråkigt att den knappt används, men den kräver som sagt tålamod och dagens konsument gör ofta sitt val på de första minuternas upplevelse av toppnoterna.

Betyg 4

Noter: Neroli, koriander, gardenia, artemisia, jasmin, viol, apelsinblomma, ros,  tuberose, ekmossa, patchouli, vetvier, tokak, civet och castoreum.

Kommantar 2012: Betyget 4 dvs mycket bra kvarstår även om jag gillar den alltmer. Kanske beror det på min ökade dragning till vackra, klassiska dofter.

Summary

Pierre Balmains Jolie Madame, originally created by the great nose Germaine Cellier in 1953, is a classical, very wearable, light leathery, violet chypre, underscored by some touches of neroli. I'm referring to some of the latest formulations in Edt, my bottle is about seven to eight years. Jolie Madame is cool but in the same time strangely enough warm. It's the perfect officescent to the efficient clever woman in a light grey cool wool well tailored suit combined by a sharp, crisp white shirt. Jolie Madame starts almost a bit dull to me with a little to weak flowers dominated by violet and neroli combined with hints of green. But soon the blend is deepened and the leathery notes reveals themselves. The animalic notes that occurs a bit later are not dense or strong. Jolie Madame is a uplifting, elegant creation, uplifting for spring but fits also during the fall. If fragrances like this where offered in the stores instead of the typical fresh and clean detergentlike fragrances which are the norm of today, our olfactory environment would be of a definitly higher standard.

Rating: 4:

Notes: Artemisia, coriander, gardenia, neroli, bergamot, tuberose, narcissus, orris root, jasmine, rose, leather, patchouli, musk, coconut, civet, oakmoss, vetiver

By Kilian - Bamboo Harmony

Bamboo Harmony is the other of the two Calice Becker fragrances released 2012 in the ByKilian Asian Tales line.The line is planned to continue at least five fragrances which will be launched during the next three years.

As with Water Calligraphy earlier this week, I've recognize another fragrance immediately when spraying BH. This time I recognize a smoother Escale à Pondichéry by Dior in the earlier stages of the dry down infused with some hints of Keiko Mecheris Les Nuits D'Izu. After a while BH is back on the smoother EsP trail, with less spices, tea and jasmine than EsP BH is a nicer and more polite version on the citrus-tea-aromatic-flowery theme. Nice, pleasant, refreshing and harmless, this is the perfect officescent for summer. Also as well suited for casual wear.

Well blended and polished, no harsh or sharp notes but unoriginal and somehow dull to be an expensive By Kilian frag.

Rating: 3

Notes: Bergamot, neroli, bigaride, tea, mimosa, spices, oakmoss, holly, figleaves

By Kilian - Water Calligraphy

Picture: Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, 1899,

Oil on Canvas by Claude Monet (1840-1926), Wikimedia Commons

Taking a break in my spring-violet serie, reviewing the new ByKilians:

Sorry Kilian! Despite the creation Water Calligraphy by Calice Becker for ByKilian is a very nice, well executed water lily - lotus flower dominated fragrance it is a disappointment to med. This because WC :-) smells just like old (1996) Gala de Dia by Loewe rebottled.

Starts slight fruity, followed by white watery flowers which  conveys a natural, non-chemical, watery impression. It's like sitting in the shadow during a hot summerday at a small pond with water lilies and greenerys. WC is liniar in it's structure, well blended and with a great longevity and this fragarance willl cope with the hottest days during the summer. Wearable both for casual and to work. WC has similarities in style with Bulgaris watery, fruity, flowery Omnia Coral but the latter is sharper and headier than the sleeker WC.

To summon up: A nice, well blended, refreshing frag that I really like but it lacks the originality and non-copied style that I expect from a house in ByKilians pricerange.

Update April 2014: Water Calligraphy has grown to be a favorite watery, flower to me. I find it minimalistic and beautiful, it is calming and relaxing. It was in the end of last summer when Water Calligraphy suddenly "klicked" for me. I think that the minimalistic approach makes it easy to dismiss some of the Kilan fragrances at first. But the Kilian fragrances are not simple at all, on the contrary, they seems to have hidden layers that ensures the wearer will not loose interest over time. They are of god quality and easy to wear, sort of fragrance wardrobe staples. 

Rating: 5 (April 2014)
Rating: 3+ (April 2012)

Notes: Water lily, grapefruit, jasmine, magnolia, vetiver, cardamom