Pierre Balmain - Extatic

Pictures: All pictures above and below:
PR Pierre Balmain (c)

Extatic is the latest release from the venerable house of Pierre Balmain. Extatic is created by Emelie Copperman.

Extatic starts with soft flowery, slight fruity notes accompanied by a light woody smell which induces a note that almost smells like something I image as light tobaccoflowers. There is nothing of the annoying candy like sweetness of many mainstream fragrance, the sweetness is well balanced. The rest of the flowery impression is nondescript and there is hard to sort out any of the individual notes. The woody notes are soft, with the musky cashmeran dominating probably infused with some clean patchouli. Overall a pleasant, polite, easy to wear and non-extatic fragrance, without own identity or specific features. Extatic is suitable both for day and night and it's not a heavy partyfragrance. The longevity is very good as often with woody-musky fragrances, more then 12h.

To be honest I'm a bit confused about Extatic. It's IMO a let down from the good releases of Balmain the latest decade such as the very well reformulated Ivoire and Vent Vert as well as the contemporary creations Ambre Gris and Carbone. I hope this is a temporary incident and not a trend reversal in the Balmain perfumeline. This doesn't mean there is something wrong with Extatic, quite the contrary, it's a good mainstream perfume that many will like. The issue is that I have higher expectations on Balmain than just to be likable and pleasing.

Those who like easy to wear, pleasant, contemporary, woody florals will probably like Extatic. I can't put my nose on which fragrances Extatic resembles but I smell the likes when walking around in the public. Anyway, Extatic is worth trying, remember my medium rated perfume could be your top rated :-)

Rating: 3

Notes: Rose, osmanthus, pear, orchid, iris, jasmine, amyris, sandalwood, cashmeran, leather

Parfums MDCI - Nuit Andalouse

Picture: Innenhof der Alhambra, 1892Painting by Adolf Seel (1829-1907)
Wikimedia commons

Nuit Andalouse is the other of the two latest launches from Parfums MDCI, Cuir Garamante was reviewed in the prior post. Nuit Andalouse is created by the risning star in the perfumers Pantheon: ISIPCA graduated perfumer Cecile Zarokian which created (together with Daniel Maurel) the epic Epic Woman for Amouage when she still was a trainee at Robertet!

Nuit Andalouse starts with a sort of stripped down, elegant gardenia and cool violet, green notes contrasted with a zesty orange. This is not the usual big white floral burst which is the start of  most orange, this is more elegant and muted. As Nuit Andalouse developes, the flowery notes gets sweeter and deeper, but not as sweet and liqueur-ish as in By Kilian Sweet Redemption, this is a natural, floral, nectar sweetness. A restrained and almost dry in texture musk is present in during the whole drydown, contributing with a slight hay-ish impression. The whole impression of Nuit Andalouse is that of a transparant but not at all cologne-ish orangeblossom fragrance.

Picture: The Deluxe falcons of Parfums MDCI,
there is also a plain version
Photo: PR Parfums MDCI (c)

Nuit Andalouse is a beautiful, well-made, elegant and very wearable orangeblossom fragrance. Maybe not that innovative or avantgarde but a high-quality, classic fragrance in a style that is timeless. Perfect to wear year around, both for office and dressed up. This is a fragrance that really cheers up a grey, chilly winterday and blooms a hot summerday. Sillage is medium and longevity for 12h+.

Those who like lovely and uplifting orangeblossoms such as L'Artisan Parfumeurs Seville à l'Aube, Robert Piguet Blossom, Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM Femme and Oscar de la Renta Granada will probably also like Nuit Anadalouse.

Rating: 4

Updated rating November 2015: 5 

After more wearings since the review this one has grown and I have to adjust the rating as it's a very versatile and beautiful orangeblossom with excellent longevity, on fabric for weeks.

Notes: Orange, violet, green notes, gardenia, ylang-ylang, rose, orange blossom, vanilla, sandalwood, musk, amyl salicylate (light flower/cutted gras musk note)

PS: Parfums MDCI offers generous 12 ml bottles in the samplesets on their website 

Parfums MDCI - Cuir Garamante

Picture: Foggara (water chanell) in the
old Garamantes territory in Libya
Photo: Tagelmoust (cc) Wikipedia,
some rights reserved 

Parfums MDCI is a french niche house, founded by Claude Marchal, which offers high quality fragrances in collaboration with both experienced established perfumers and the coming perfumer generation.Cuir Garamante is one of the two latest launches from the house. The fragrance is created by Richard Ibanez, an experinted senior perfumer, creator of for example the special, before its time, dark, woody Sonia Rykiel Le Parfum.

Cuir Garamante is inspired by the ancient saharian berbers who was constructors of water channels for irrigaton and therefore dominated the traderoute from Tchad to the Mediterranean ca 500 B.C. As inspired from the desert, Cuir Garamante starts very dry, hot and spicy. Pepper, saffron and the likes creates a fizzy almost transparant, warm, desert-windy impression.As CG deepens there is also a pleasant slight sweaty note, like a soft touch of cummin glimpsing through. The oud is of the smoother variation and it's contributing with a dark, luxury, boozy, woody impression in the same way as in Puredistance Black.On my skin the rose in Cuir Gramante is not detectable as it is when testing it on the scentstripe, probably as the rose is light.On the teststripe the oud-rose (medium pink rose) smells very balanced and restrained, this is not the traditional rose-saffran-oud combo of  Montale and the crowd of followers of this, in those days avantgarde house. The Cuir Garamante rose-oud combo is more of (even if the fragrances are different in style) the gentle second oud genaration rose-oud accord, as in Parfums de Nicolaï Rose Oud. In the basenotes the boozy quality is still present, but in a slighter sweeter context than earlier, probably the resins, smooth sandalwood and discrete, dry vanilla (pod) notes, absolutely not the gourmand, dessert vanilla. In the basenotes there is also a fine leather, which interacts seamless with the other notes.

Picture: Cuir Garamante in Parfums MDCI Deluxe Falcon
There is also a plain version bottle
Photo: PR Parfums MDCI (c) 

Cuir Garamante is marketed towards men but I think it's an unisex creation which leans to the masculine side, contrary to Puredistance Black which is a more feminine unisex IMO. But this is just nuances, one have to test on oneself. Cuir Garamante is suitable both for office and dressed up occasions, for all seasons except for the warmest summerdays. The longevity is about a day.

Cuir Garamante is a well crafted fragence, well balanced and made of high quality ingredients. It's not original or avantgarde, an increasing number of niche lines includes a fragrance of this dark-woody- spicy- oud- booze-leather character (even if emphasizing a bit different among the notes) in their catalouge. Beside a spicier version of Puredistance Black, Cuir Garamante also resembles Robert Piguet Casbah (the dry spices) and partly Huitième Art Monsieur (the niche standard woody impression).

Rating:. 5

Notes: Pink pepper, nutmeg, saffron, rose, oud, papyrus, leather, vanilla, labdanum, frankincense, sandalwood

Boucheron - Place Vendôme

Picture: Place Vendôme
Photo: PR Boucheron (c)

Place Vendôme is created to capture the spirit of the venerable jewellery house Boucheron, situated at the epicentrum of luxury. Place Vendôme is created as a collaboration between perfumers Olivier Cresp and Nathalie Lorson.

Place Vendôme starts sparkling, citric with traces of fruit and light, white flowers. The initial accord reminds me of a rounded and fruity version of Dior Escale à Pondichéry, without the teanote. As PV dries down the blended flowery impression intensifies and is somehow wrapped in gentle, not too sweet, notes. The flowery notes are light as a veil in texture and impression. The sweetness discrete, the honeynote involved is not of the animalic kind as in Serge Lutens Miel de Bois, this is a stripped down version, with just some elements of the honey extracted. The base is light and woody, with a sweet resin quality and the honeyed florals are still pleasant, deeper in expression as in the middlenotes. On my skin, the base is blooming 12h+ after application, I woke up in the middle of the night wondering "What is smelling so good"? The basenotes is the best part of PV for me.

The impression and expression of Place Vendôme is sort of a mainstream Grossmith Floral Veil. Nondescript light, ariy flowers are fleeting in and out in the accords, just as a fleeting light silk veil. Place Vendôme is also a bit "mainstream" rugged in texture compared to Floral Veil but on the other hand, the fragrances are in different priceranges. Another fragrance that comes to my mind when wearing Place Vendôme is Versace Vanitas, even if Vanitas is cold, a bit watery and crispy in texture, where PV is on the verge to creamy.

Picture: The stylish bottle of Place Vendôme
Photo: PR Boucheron (c)

Place Vendôme is a modern interpreation of the classical Boucheron floral-oriental theme. It's fleeting (as many contemporary fragrances after all the IFRA regulations have been effective) and lighter compared to classic Boucherons but elements of the elegant, a bit sweet, classic Boucheron base could be found also in PV. PV is feminine, elegant and suitable both for office and dressed up occasions. It is utterly well behaved, almost annoying in its perfection and it is hard to catch and analyze. Even if PV has no distinct characteristics it's pleasant and easy to wear. The longevity is very good, traces are left after almost 24h. Altogether a fragrance which fits most women, smells nice, is comforting and doesn't offend anybody.

Rating: 4

Notes: Pink pepper, rose, orangeblossom, mandarine, jasmine, honey, peony, praline, benzoin, cedarwood

Fragrances for cold winter

Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

After a green, rainy and green winter (with tempratures about +5-10 C) which spanned over the year end and nine days into January, the regular snowy and cold winter is now here and seems to be permanented. Even if the white snow is beautiful, everyday life gets much more tedious (all the clothes one have to wear, scraping the car windows, slippery outside, shoveling snow etc). But one thing is very positive, at last I really carve the hard core orientals. Here are some favorites at the moment.

Labdanum 18 (Le Labo): Thanks to Sigrun (Riktig Parfym) I got a sample of this and it was instant liking. Dense, warm, like dark brown, viscous, chocolate, even if not smelling of that. To me it smells of resins, a bit powdery, animalic and balsamic. Reminds me of Shalimar but not as complex and darker. Which leads to:

Shalimar (Guerlain): Cold weather is the right condition for this multifacetted beauty. I get less of the lighter notes as bergamot/citric and more of the dark, balmy, resin and animalic ones. "Shallan" is a true follower which could always be trusted.

Ambre Doré (Maître Parfumeur et Gantier): This is a dark, velvety, slight dirty amber with oud deepening the creation and givning it an interesting twist. The oud is very discrete, one doesn't think of it as oud. The dirtyness is also discrete, not as much as in another amber favorite L'Ombre Fauve from Parfumerie Générale.

Rêve d'Ossian (Oriza L.Legrand): Ossians dream has emerged to be my favorite Oriza in very hard competition as they are all so good. Amber, incense, pines, resins and some spieces are creating a comforting, warm and snuggly texture which warming up the coldest of days.

Opium (Yves Saint Laurent): As I'm saving on the little which is left of my vintage version, I'm mostly wearing the current version which I think is a very good woody-spicy oriental on its own merits. Can't understand all the complaints about it.

What is your comfort cold, winter scents?

Olivier Durbano - Citrine

Picture: Citrin geschliffen 58 Carat
Photo: Wela49 (cc) Wikimedia Commons,
some rights reserved

Citrine is just like Lapis Philosophorum earlier this week a part of the Olivier Durbano line dedicated to semiprecious stones. Citrine to the yellow to brown rare gemstone (most "citrines" are in fact heat treated smoky quartzes or amethysts).

Citrine starts with warm and lemony, accompanied with slight pepper/incense notes. After a while a flowery accord sweetens Citrine and the yellow mimosa shines through as does a balancing note of rosewood. The mimosa is not as distinct as the mimosa in Annick Goutal Le Mimosa and the rosewood is nota as notable as the rosewood in Comme des Garcons Palisander. Resins and slight honeyd waxy notes are lending an unusual sweetness without any vanillic notes and the fragrance is very comforting. In the basenotes the warm and glowing, resin sweetness of myrrh and ambery notes completes Citrine in deeper facets. Traces of the peppery/ginger/elemi accord from the beginning of the fragrance is present in the background as also the soft note of mimosa.

Citirine is a pleasant and thanks to the mimosa unusual resin/incense fragrance. It's soft and discrete, a deliberated fragrance that doesn't intrude to the personal space of others ie a good fragrance for the workplace. With it's sunny apperance it's suitable for summer but also for autumn and winter to remember the warm days. Longevity is for a day.

I think those who like one of my all time incense favorites Comme des Garcons Zagorsk would also appreciate Citrine. Even if Zagorsk is stronger and more distinct with its pine and incense, both fragrancses has a flowery quality but whereas the Zagorsk flower is icy and cold, the yellow mimosa of Citrine is sunny and warm.

Rating: 4

Notes: Citron, orange, elemi, ginger, pink pepper,carrot seed, mimosa, rosewood, linguum vitae (sort of gaiac wood), musk, myrrh, grey amber, beeswax

Olivier Durbano - Lapis Philosophorum

Picture: From the world of alchemistry
Photo: PR Olivier Durbano (c)

Lapis Philosophorum is the 2013 release from Olivier Durbano who is an architect and a jewelry designer, His perfumes are inspired by his collection of semi-precious stones, Bijoux de Pierres Poèmes (Perfumes of Stones Poems).A common trait in his perfumeline is the involvement of different types of incense. Lapis Philosophorum is inspired from how the ancient alchemists was searching for the Philosopher’s stone that would change base metals into pure gold. 

Lapis Philosophorum starts with soft balsamic notes with over a gentle, winey backgrouond, the winey accord is reminiscent of the winey expression in Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Une Rose. After a while a soft note of incense appears, balancing the tangy winey notes in a sort of meditative harmony. The winey soft incense accord stays through the whole dry down of LP and lasts also in  the contrasting base of the fragrance. The base is very original, a clear menthol note which adds an almost sea-salty impression, is blended with warm, balsamic notes of opoponax and myrrh with oakmoss contributing with its mysterious, dark, velvety green dept. There is something with LP in this phase that reminds me of a darker, warmer and  incense infused sibling to the salty, aquatic, herbal  Finisterre by Maria Candida Gentile.In the later stage of the basenotes, LP turns dark blue in its expression as an inky note appears on an almost metallic background. 

Picture: Lapis Philosophorum
Photo: PR Olivier Durbano (c)

Lapis Philosophorum evokes the image of medieval alchemist working in the secret, hidden somewhere in the a dark moisty cave with lichens on the rough and cold walls. The overall impression of Lapis Philosophorum is, despite the odd combination of notes, a well balanced, soft, calming and relaxing fragrance of high quality and with (even to my jaded nose) intriguing twists in each phase of the dry down. This is a fragrance that catches my attention from the first dab to the final notes 12h+ later, something I really appreciate from a perfume.

Rating: 5

Notes: Calamus, juniper, rum, truffle, grapefruit, wine sediment, frankincense, mesquite, ambergris, menthol

opoponax, myrrh, musk, oak moss

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test.