Tour de Montale

I'm so tired of all the complaints of the multiple offerings from the house of Montale that has been common the latest years in the perfumebloggosphere. Going from beeing praised when Montale started the oud-trend in the beginning/middle of the 00-decade, suddenly (when other houses followed and started to realease easier, light oud interpretations) the common thoughts went quite the opposite. Montale is for instance accused to have to 1) many, too similar smelling offerings, 2) using a sharp, syntetichal oud and 3) to release too many fragrances per year. My reaction to 1) and 3) is that it is up to the customer to try and decide and as long it's opportunities for sale on the worldmarket it's also reasonable to continue. Regarding 2) my opinion is that most perfumelines uses syntetical oud at most so Montale isn't differently then the others and I also think that they are using real oud to some extent in some of their offerings.As to the sharp oudnote there is used more or less in the Montales I have to confess I really like it. It's a distinct antipode to the other ingredients and lends character an longevity beyond 24h for the blends. I experience this oudnote as somehow cool-earthy-refreshing and I prefer the oud-line in summer even if the ouds also fits well in the colder seasons.

The last week I devoted myself to test some Montales from the oudline foremost to try out if they are so similar as claimed to. My answer is no, the typical Montale base is present in various proportions but as a whole I can smell apparent differences between the four that was tested and I was not bored at all, on the contrary. And when it comes to typical bases, most houses has their own characteristic base and I can't see why it shouldn't Montale do the same. My impression from the tested fragrances is as follows:

Aoud Queen Roses: This one is more about medium red, fresh roses then about oud. The oud is relatively unobtrusive in the background.

Black Oud: The most famous Montale and probably, all ifs and buts weighted, also the best. Dark roses, that together with the patchouli and oud creates an almost creamy leathery effect. This one almost always attracts compliments.

Aoud Leather: Not so heavy on the dark oudnote, here the oud ist the peppery interpretation. Together with a note that reminds me of lime and a light and bright leathernote this of is refreshing a warm summerday.

Aoud Amber: Aoud Amber is perhaps the most "cold season" of the four. To me the oud note is muted in AA, there is more of a sort of skanky, oriental-chypre charachter with resiny notes combined with notes which are mossy in charachter. This is a strange but enjoyable blend.

To summon up: I percived enough variation in the oud-theme to enjoy may four days of tour de Montale.

Parfumerie Générale - Cologne Grand Siècle

Photo: André Karwath, CC - some rights reserved,

Wikipedia commons

For an english version, scroll down
Parfumerie Générales (PG:s) citruscologne Cologne Grand Siècle är gjord av en hög andel naturliga råvaror. Pierre Guilleme, husets grundare och näsa, säger sig vara inspirerad av solkungens hov (Ludvig XIV) på 1600-talet och de få och rena råvaror som då stod till parfymörernas förfogande.

CGS är en fin, om jag ska tänka mig en färg, djupgul, citrus. Den är lite söt, påminner om smaken av en hård citruspastill. Det påminner i stilen om kultklassikern Eau de Rochas men den senare är mer tvålig, har en mossig bas och är stramare i stilen. CGS är med sin trä och vetiverbas mer publiktillvänd och lättsam. En fin sommardoft som tyvärr har en stor nackdel: Den försvinner på en halvtimme, visserligen testad under tuffa soliga sommarförhållanden. CGS är något mer maskulin än feminin, även om man tycks framhäva doften något olika: På herr Parfumista framhävs de träiga noterna mer den korta stund det varar, på mig citrusnoterna.

Parfumerie Générale (PG) citrusy cologne Cologne Grand Siecle is made of a high proportion of natural ingredients. Pierre Guilleme, the house's founder and nose, says he is inspired by the court of the Sun King Louis XIV in the  seventeenth century and the few and pure ingredients which then was avaible to the  parfumer.

CGS is a nice, if I have to think of a color, deep yellow, citrus. It's a little sweet, reminiscent of the taste of a hard citruspastille. It's reminiscent of the style of the cult classic Eau de Rochas, but the latter is soapy, has a mossy base and is stricter in style. CGS, with its base of wood and vetiver is more oriented  towards the general public and more easygoing. A nice summer fragrance which unfortunately has a major drawback: It disappears in half an hour, although tested under harsh sunny conditions. CGS is a bit more masculine than feminine, even if it seems to enhance the smell somewhat different: Mr Parfumista highlights the woody notes the short time it lasts,  and for me, the citrus notes dominates.

Rating: 3

Noters Tangerine, bitter orange, cardamom, vetiver

Montale - Crystal Flowers

Bild: Bouquet de roses, Rosa sp. horticoles, marché aux fleurs, Place Monge, Paris

Foto: Jebulon, Wikipedia, (CC, some rights reserved)

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Solsken, en lätt sommarbris och ljust rosa rosor i solskenet. Det är mitt sammanfattande intryck av Crystal Flowers en doft från Montales icke-oud linje (Edp-linjen).

• En öppning och toppnoter som påminner mycket om fina Un Amour de Patou.
• Sedan följer en linjär rosa rosenbukett på myskig bas.
• Jag känner inga gröna blad som man så ofta gör i ljusa rosendofter, det här handlar bara om själva rosen, blomman.
• Elegant och klassisk doft som gjord för sommaren.
• Känns inte särskilt unik då Crystal Flowers påminner om många andra högkvalitativa dofter i den ljusa rosengenren.

En mycket användbar sommardoft.

Sunshine, a light summer breeze and light pinkcoloured roses in the bright sunshine. That's my general impression of Montales Crystal Flowers a fragrance from the non-oud line (Edp-line).

*An opening and top notes, very similar to the fine pink-rosy Un Amour de Patou.
*Then follows a linear pink bouquet of roses on musk base.
*I do not recognize any green leaves, as so often is present in light rose scents, this is all about the rose flower.
*Elegant and classic scent perfect for summer.
*Does not feel particularly unique as Crystal Flowers is reminiscent of some other high-quality scents into the bright pink rose-genre.

A very versatile summer scent.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Rose, mandarine, lily of the valley, amber, musk

XerJoff - Oud Stars Al-Khatt

Picture: Raoucha

Artist: Nasreddine Dinet, 1901, Wikimedia Commons

Al-Khatt, from the oud line of the mega luxary house XerJoff, starts with a pleasant barnyard oud followed by a refreshing, high quality, slight creamy boquet of flowers. Unfortunately the animlic oud disapperas soon and the beautiful flowery blends remains and develops as Al-Katt is drying down. Or maybe the oudnote doesn't disappears, the laotian oud is known to be gentle and flowery in it's character, an excelllent example is Mona di Orio Oud, maybe the out in Al-Khatt just going through it's normal evulation. Beside the disappering animalic oud note there is also another annoying thing with Al-Khatt: The beautiful, bergamot-jasmine dominated flowery blend is very similar to Amouages Ubar, but Al-Khatt has a cashmeran, smoot, creamy texture. As Ubar is one of my favourite Amouages this mimicry irritates me but apart from that the perfumers Sergio Momo, Sonia Espelta and Laura Santander did a good job. Al-Khatt, just as Ubar, conveys the feeling of a sunny and pleasantly warm summerday. As a XerJoff, Al-Khatt is a high quality fragrance where the best ingredients are used. The elegant flowery blend is seemless with an excellent longevity and moderate projektion, can't disturb anybody if not overapplied. The blend is concentrated and a little goes for a whole day. My 1 ml sample will thankfully last for long.

To summon up: Al-Khatt is not as oriental in style as one can expect from an oud perfume. But on the other hand, Al-Khatt as it's older sister Ubar is a pleasure to wear, it's the sort of high quality flowery fragance that makes the wearer unwilling to wear even a decent mainstream fragrance again. I'm in love!

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, jasmine sambac, cashmeran, vanilla, oakmoss, benzoin, oud from Laos

SOTD Midsummer Eve is....

Mona di Orios gentle orange-bread-with myrrh Jabu. Not a perfume associated with the brightest and lightest day of the year, for a day like this a lighter and more sparkling orangeblossom perfume is more appropriate but today I felt I needed something interesting and artful like a Mona creation. I'm so looking forward to her postum rose the Les Nombres d'Or Rose Etoile d’Hollande, Mona and rose - the Queen of Perfumery and the Queen of flowers - I know that the outcome will be majestic.

The Midsummer Fragrance

Picture: Midsummer Dance (Midsommardans).

Oil on canvas by Anders Zorn, 1897, Wikimedia Commons

Tomorrow it's midsummer eve and today it's the lightest day of the year, tomorow it turns to be darker. Every year I write an entry about proper (or maybe improper) midsummer fragrances. Last year was midsummer in Chanel Cristalle Edt as I was in a Chanel mood. This year I'm in no particular mood (except maybe Annick Goutal as I'm so appreciate Nuit Etoileé and also La Violette) so I havn't got the slightest idea of what to wear.

Today I'm wearing Etat Libre d'Orange Tom of Finland and it's leathery, coconutty smell is not especially midsummerlike. The only association to midsummer I get from ToF is Finland as Finland is our neighbour country and also celebrates the midsummer eve. I received the Tom of Finland sample from my friend Fragrantfanatic yesterday during our pleasant, monthly perfumelunch. FF then told about a perfume that has supported her in the grief of her grandfather, see her touching entry here . FF also let me test from her sample of the new, not yet released, Mito from Vero Kern. Pure, sparkling, wonderful greenness, a must have. Can't place the fragrance already, but it reminds me of some other green beauty.

I wish you a merry Midsummer weekend!

Lalique - Eau de Lalique

Picture: Anethum graveolens,

Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany, Wikimedia Commons (GFDL by Kurt Stueber)

Scroll down for a summary in english.
Den anrika franska glasdesignerfirman Lalique har som många känner till även en parfymlinje. Detta är helt logiskt då Lalique skapat vackra parfymfalkonger sedan det tidiga nittonhundratalet. Eau de Lalique är en skapelse av Jean-Claude Ellena, strax innan han blev husnäsa hos Hermès, och Emelie Coppermann.

Eau de Lalique är en i mitt tycke typisk transparant men ändå inte flyktig Ellena-komposition. Jag känner igen drag från hans klassiska och banbrytande gröna the-komposition för Bulgari, Eau Parfumee au the vert men Eau de Lalique har en lite annan inriktning, den är en mer lätt men kallt kryddig cologne. Eau de Lalique inleds med noter av bland annat dill. Dillnoten känns tydligt en mycket kort stund i inledningen men sedan blandar den upp sig med bland annat citrusfrukter, kardemumma, lätta blomnoter, kådor och trä. Eau de Lalique är en slags orientalisk cologne och mig ger den ungefär samma känsla som Diors av Indien inspirerade Escale à Pondichery, även om den senare domineras av jasmin och svarta thenoter. På mig framträder framförallt Eau de Laliques kardemumma under hela doftens nedtorkning men trä, blomma  och citrusfrukter tonar ned kardemumman till en lagom nivå. Framåt kvällen återstår en träigt, kallt kryddig, vit myskig bas med en klar orientalisk touch, hela doften känns i det avslutande skedet mycket mörkare, som om det inte varit en lättare doft under dagen. Eau de Lalique är lite av en kameleont.

Eau de Lalique är i mitt tycke en fräsch doft utan att vara aqua-kemisk i stilen. Den är perfekt sommartid och håller väldigt bra om man inte under-applicerar. Men det är också en doft som passar bra om man vill ha något fräscht för att bryta av från de tyngre dofter som jag ofta använder under höst/vinter, och fast jag inte "borde", under stor del av våren. Doften är klassad som unisex vilket jag håller med om även om den har en liten dragning åt det feminina hållet om man ska vara stockkonservativ i sin bedömning.

Sammanfattningsvis är Eau de Lalique en mycket användbar doft av bra kvalitet som är enkel och avslappnande att bära. Ingen direkt intellektuell utmaning med konstigheter eller krusiduller något som kan vara väldigt befriande ibland.

Summary: Eau de Lalique is a versatile scent, easy and relaxing to wear. An unusual opening accompanied with a dillnote, followed by a wellbalanced thenote combined with some citrus, light flowers and a cardamonnote over a wood-musky base. Unisex, leaning slightly to the feminine side. Perfect for summer with it's good longevity even when hot or humid weatherconditions. With Ellena as co-perfumer it's not surprising that Eau de Lalique has some similarities with Eau Parfumee au the vert. The flowery notes blended with cardamon also gives me associations to Dior Escale à Pondichery  I precieve the same feeling. Eau de Lalique is not directly an intellectual challenge with oddities or frills but that's is very relieving at times.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mandarine, bergamot, pimento, citron, dill, cardamom, cinnamon, hibiscus, freesia, gaiac- and sandalwood, benzoin, musk.