Fragrance(s) of the week (18) 2013 - Perfumetreasures in the North

Picture: The City of Sundsvall, Sweden,
Engraving ca. 1690-1710, Erik Dahlberg, Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, Wikimedia Commons

In the City of Sundsvall,a coast town almost in the middle of Sweden, there is a little fragrancetreasure: Fragrance & Art - a niche-perfumeshop with some very rare nichelines carefully selected by the owner who has just an excellent nose snifffng up so many intriguing fragrances. Within niche, even if carrying different styled lines, Fragrance & Art has a special focus on reconstructed historical brands, fragrances inspired by the history and also vintagestyled fragrances.As there are genres that I truly appreciate and find intriguing, combined with the excellent taste of the owner of Fragrance & Art, I always know that samples from there will be a pleasure to test. The first screening consistent with my taste is already done and I can concentrate on the best ones.

Picture: Les Eaux de Toilettes de Historiae
Photo: Historiae (c)

This week,I have started my sniff through a line that I havn't heard of before, a french line called Historiae, focusing on fragrances that intermediate different eras of the French history. This delicate fragrances are light in style Edt:s and despite that, distinct in character and with good longevity, good choices for the coming summer. Four of five fragrances are created by the great nose Bertrand Duchaufour and taken that into account, the line is quite reasonable priced ca EUR 25 for 15 ml and ca EUR 49 for 50 ml. Reviews will follow later.

Luckily for those who want to try some unusual fragrances, Fragrance & Art has a webshop with sampleservice and shipping around the word.

By Kilian - Flower of Immortality

Picture: Peach Blossoms  (1878)
Oil on canvas by Winslow Homer
 Wikimedia commons

Flower of Immortality is the third installment in the By Kilian Asian Tales line. FoI is, like most of the Kilians, created by Calice Becker. The Asian Tales line is aimed to the asian market and features subtle, transparant fragrances as these type of fragrances is said to be preferred there. The first two fragrances of the line were the elegant but in the same time refreshing Water Calligraphy and Bamboo Harmony.

Flower of Immortality starts with mouthwatering topnotes of peach (the fruit) accompanied by a note that feels like peachblossom. The peachnote is very realistic and I havn't smelled peachblossoms but I can image a scent like this. This is the best peachaccord since MDCI Parfums Peche Cardinal even if that one is denser and a bit darker in its peachy loveliness. In the middlenotes the peaches calms down but is still clearly present when the contrasting, cool iris accompanied by a subtle rose appears. There is not the carrotsmelling earthy iris, which surprises me as according to the list of ingredients there is also carrotseeds in the blend, the iris is clean, powdery and polite, just as the texture of FoI in the middle and basenotes. I also think that the tonkabeen mentioned among the ingredients adds a powdery warmth to the fragrance.

Picture: By Kilian Flower of Immortality
Photo: PR By Kilian

Flower of Immortality is a polite, elegant, refreshing, officefriendly and easy to wear fragrance, perfect for spring and summer especially for days when the only wish perfumewise is to be ensured smelling very good. In some way FoI is almost too perfect, it smells so good, is so wellconstructed and is so wellbehaved that I suspect the wearer could be a bit bored if wearing this to often. The only drawback is that FoI fades away quickly and is just a too faint trail of the scent after a few hours.

Rating: 4

Notes: White peach, carrot seeds, iris, black currant, rose, tonka bean

Kerosense - Unknown Pleasures

Picture: Strand (beach) at Skagen (ca 1900)
Painting by  Peder Severin Kröyer, Wikimedia commons

Unknown Pleasures is one of the latest fragrance from the indieperfumer John Pegg, creating frags for his own brand Kerosene. Before John started to create pefumes, he worked in the Detroit automobileindustry which have inspired to the unique, by John himself, handlacquered bottles.

Unknown Pleasures starts with an accord very close to a waffle cone filled with lemon sorbet paired with vanilla icecream. Just in the beginning a citrus, slight woody classical cologne note appears creating an almost necessary contrast to the sweetness, probably this is the Earl Grey tea note mentioned in the notelist. After a while the teanote steps back and is not recognizable as a separate note but it's present as a part of the blend. When drying down to the base, the lemonsorbet-vanilla ice creme-waffle cone impression persist and the fragrance is becoming just slightly powdery. In the whole drydown but particulary in the basenotes, I can smell a sort of almost refreshing, green coconutty note which seems to be present to a greater or lesser extent in most Kerosene fragrances, probably a part of the "Kerosenade" base. This particular green coconutty accord is also present in another favourite of mine: Etat Libre d'Orange Tom of Finland which Unknown Pleasures reminds me a bit of in the basenotes.

Picture: Unknown Pleasures
Photo: PR Kerosene (c) all rights reserved

Unknown Pleasures is not the elegant, complicated and serious fragrance. Instead it is friendly, funny, sunny, warm and happy just like the pleasant feeling of eating icecream a warm and sunny summerday during the holiday. The fragrance is a great gourmand, truly delicious and it's the perfect replacement for a dessert and could therefore act as a substitute for a diet product :-). Unknown Pleaures, just as its name indicates, brings pure joy and comfort. The sillage is medium and longevity for more than a day. IMHO Unknown Pleasures is the second best fragrance of the Kerosene-line so far, and the best for me. The number one Kerosene over all is still (not for wearing myself but its suits great for Mr Parfumista) the multifaceted, boozy, dark and rough Copper Skies.

I think those who like vanillic gourmands in general and fragrances in the style of Estee Lauder Bronze Godess/Azureé Soleil would also like Unknown Pleasures.

Rating: 5

Notes: Earl Grey tea, lemon, honey, bergamot, tonka, caramel, vanilla, waffle cone

Thanks to  Fragrancefanatic at Riktig Parfym for the sample to test.

Fragrance of the week (17) 2013 - philosophical thoughts about Opium

Picture: New Opium Edp
Photo: PR Yves Saint Laurent (c)

This week has been a week in Guerlain, except Tuesday when I wore Yves Saint Laurent Opium Edp in the current version.To me it was a pleasant experience despite all complaints I have read in different blogs and forums. Yes, of course it isn't the same as earlier formulas, compared to my Y2K Opium Edt formula the new Opium is woodier, darker, less spicy-floral and for a short while it has a slight artifical vibe. But most important is that the special Opium style and aura is still there, I don't think it has lost its soul which is what is important to me. It's just an Opium adapted to a new decade, just as much older classics as Guerlain Shalimar and Chanel No 5 have done multiple times. Of course a fragrance could not smell as before as the circumstances are changing over the years and maybe also it should not as it's, at least from a Parfumista viewpoint, interesting to investigate the development of a certain fragrance between different decades and formulas. This exercise is almost as exploring different but similar in style fragrances.

Grossmith - Floral Veil

Picture: Queen Victoria in her weddingdress 1847
Painting by Franz Xavier Winterhalter (1805-1873)

Floral Veil is one of the four classy fragrances released in the Grossmith Black Label Collection so far. Floral Veil is created by another perfumer than the other three: Jean-Marie Santantonio.

Floral Veil starts with an accord somehow familiar to me, I recognize the scent from some fragrance in the past but haven't sorted out yet which on it could be. There are light and transparent green and citrus-fruity notes, not sweet but refreshing. The delicate flowers joins soon, they are smooth, transparent and seemless blended, the only flower that is detectable as an own note to me is the airy tubereuse, a tubereuse without is regular companion the orangeblossom. The beautiful sheer florals are supported by light, green and fresh notes, the geranium for instance doesn't reach its typical tarty green stage, it's subdued and just there to create an natural, green freshness.The musk is the note in the foreground in the basenotes but it's so well blended with warm amber and silky cashemrean woody notes that I don't think of it as a separate note. One fragrance that comes to my mind when testing Floral Veil is the first Gianfranco Ferré, named Gianfranco Ferré, from the 80s. As a fragrance from that bombastic decade it is of course much stronger and the tubereuse has much more body, even if light for that era. In comparisation Floral Veil is like a translucent fairy.

Floral Veil is really a perfect name for this creation. When wearing the fragrance, I almost feel the smoothness of a chiffong veil in weightless slik and I can image a young, romantic bride wearing this. Floral Veil is also the perfect first fragrane for a young girl, even if the creation is timeless and also could be worn with grace by a 90+ old lady also. Floral Veil is all about understated class and elegance, just perfect which on the other hand in the long run could be a bit dull, but that is certainly no problem for me as I almost never wears the same frag two days in a row. Floral Veil is the fragrance to reach for situations when the wearer needs confidence but when it's not when it is not appropriate to stand out from the context for example when  giving a presentation at the boardmeeting.

Rating: 4

Notes: Citruses, green notes, lemon, black currant, geranium, rose, ylang-ylang, tubereuse, vanilla orchid, musk, cashmeran (wood), amber

Thanks to Fragrances & Art for the sample to test.

Grossmith - Amelia

Picture: European peony, Paeonia lactiflora
Photo by Frances2000, Wikipedia Commons

Amelia, a part of the Grossmith Black Label Collection released in late 2012, is created in honour of the daughter of the founder of the house (originally established in 1835), Amelia. The fragrance is created by Trevor Nicholl.

Amelia starts with an accord reminding of an upscale version of Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely and Narciso Rodriguez For Her Edt. Amelia than proceed less musky and sweet than the two other mentioned, there are offsetting neroli, white flowery and green notes detectable which balances the fragrance in a delicate way. I also smell a small fraction of that special tart note which is present in many 2012 cretations, probably compliant with the coming regulations. I like this kind of dry tartness combined in one note, the tart note is more clearly presant in for example Chanel 1932. 
The star of the flowery accord is a fresh and dewy peony, a peony that manage to maintain this impression during the whole dry down and doesn't get sour and dull. The base is musky with a counterbalancing typical contemporary chypre accord containing patchouli and vetiver. In the latest stages of the development of the base, the notes seems similar to the baseaccod in Golden Chypre which was reviewed last week. As in all Black Label creation tested so far the notes are well balanced and seamlessy mixed.

Amelia is a perfect fragrance for spring. It is clean without any laudery- or ozonic notes. It fits into most environments and couldn't offend anyone, hence it's the perfect, feminine scent for work. To be a tribute to a woman of the 19th centurary, Amelia feels a bit too contemporary in style. Maybe it is also a bit too perfect, there are absolutely no dangers lurking in the background as in for example the NR For Her Edt mentioned above. Amelia wears close to the skin and the longevity is for a day. The quality is top-notch as with Grossmiths in general.

Those who like fragrances in the classical style of Annick Goutal Quel Amour and Parfums de Nicolaï Rose Pivoine will probably appreciate this modern, musky interpretation of the peony-theme.

Rating: 4

Notes: Neroli, osmanthus, rose, jasmine, peony, amber, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, cashmere musks

Thanks to Fragrances & Art for the sample to test.

Fragrance(s) of the week (16) 2013 - Perfumed thoughts...

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

Spring ha finally arrived but the mood for springfragrances has not yet appeared even if I tried with the soooo spring-/summerlike Eau de Ciel by Annick Goutal earlier this week. Overall I still want heavier and darker stuff such as my new lemming Le Parfum Couture Denis Durand for M.Micallef. I'm glad to have, even if late, tested something from the house of M.Micallef. It has not gotten around to testing them earlier, maybe because there is such a large range of perfumes that I havn't know where to start. My first experience is so promising that I'll definitly test more from M.Micallef.

Another just great one which is very suitable for the season even if floriental in style is Saffron Rose from Grossmith. Definitly the best one I have tried from the house so far, but I'll have of course not tried them all.

Fearing the coming regulations and realizing I have not much of  Guerlain Shalimar I just had to order some more this week. Despite reformulated several times during the decades, I like the formulas now avaible and I dare not take the risk not having enough of this classic if it will be deeply affected from the coming regulations.