Parfums de Nicolaï - Musc Monoï

Picture: Musc Monoï
Photo: PR Parfums de Nicolaï (c)

In the current tidewave of new nichehouses with strange or copy-cat fragrances, I'm even more grteful for the old, stable houses in this genre. The 25 years jubilee Parfums de Nicolaï is a true mainstay, creating high quality, elegant and in the same time effortless fragrances which also often are innovative even if the PdN house doesn't make any fuss about it. Such a fragrance is the latest release, Musc Monoï,as usual created by Patricia herself.

Musc Monoï is said to be inspired by summer, beach and the suntan oil Ambre Solarie and as I havn't tried the oil, I can't refer to if Musc Monoï is close to it or not. But when I refer to suntan oils in general, Musc Monoï is not smelling as the regular, coconut, big tiare overdosed ones. Musc Monoï in comparison is restraind and casual chic in the same time it's warm and highlights the sweet ylang-ylang backed up with a deeper jasmine and is brightend of the flowery-lemony qualities of magnolia in a beautiful way. There is also something aldehydic in its style, like a carefree, tropical island Chanel No 5 Eau Premièrè. It could also be a bohemic-chic cousin (draped in a 140x140 Hermès parero) to the classic aldehyde Hermès Calèche personality.Probably it's the warmth, the yellowness and carefree apperance of both fragrances that gives me these assosciations
.

Picture: Hermès "Jungle Love",
cashmere and silk  (140x140)
Photo: PR Hermès (c)

After the flowery beginning, Musc Monoï reach a more musky stage which deepens the apperance of the flowers. I can smell a salty quality as also some stripped down, dry coconut and the same with the, in general almost narcotic, tiareflower. It's like a minimalistic, domesticated accord of the nut/tiare and here I for the first time can smell some light traces of a sunscreen of my childhood, Snik an old austrian classic (mostly worn during the winterholidays in the swedish mountains), sadly I havn't seen in the shops in this millennium. As Musc Monoï dries down further, a slight juicy, but not fruity, quality shows up. Probably this is the dreaded note of calone, handled in the right, cautious way. The musk in Musc Monoï is not dominating as a note, to my nose it's more of a carrier of the floral and light salty notes and the musk is probably the component that lends the good longevity to Musc Monoï, it lasts for almost a day, off beach.

When it comes to the salty notes, such sometimes could be almost intrusive, I'm thinking of Laboratorio Olfattive Salina which I think is a ok smelling fragrance but it has to be handled carefully as it has a grand sillage and longevity for days. Salty notes lightly done like in Musc Monoï or Parfumerie Générales perfect summerfragrance Bois Naufrage doesn't require such considerations when applying and is therefore relaxing and uncomplicated.

Musc Monoï is easy to like but not at all simple. It's definitly a charming campanion for summer and it could easily also be worn in the tiresome summerdays in the office.Musc Monoï is avaible in the (new) Nicolaï standardbottles 30 & 100 ml from the PdN website.

Rating: 4+

Notes: Neroli, lemon, petitgrain,  ylang-ylang, jasmine, coconut, calone, magnolia, ylang-ylang, sandalwood musk

Thanks to Parfums de Nicolï for the sample to test 

Midsummer (and some concerns about Caron)

Picture: Midsummerflower
Photo: Mr Parfumista (c)

So here we are, already the magic summersolstice with the shortest night of the year i.e not dark at all, just more or less light outside. But when it comes to the temprature one could suspect it's the wintersolstice we are celebrating. Yesterday was the coldest Midsummereve in decades and perfumewise I felt to put on some spicy-woody YSL Opium instead of something traditional midsummer flowery or green grassy. It all came to a compromise, I chose a flower but not at light pretty summerflowery one.

Instead I went for a classical, dramatic, elegant and restrained soliflore, Caron Tubéreuse which has intrigued me lately, inspired from the great review on Suzannes Perfume Journal as well as a post on The Scented Salamander and the fact that I suspect (don't know from any official source) that Tubereuse is discontinued. At least as a fragrance widly avaible in a bottle and not only as an urn/fountain-extrait. Can't find it on the Caron website which is also the case with for example Bellodgia (there is a new release called Più Bellodgia) and I suppose the old, cranation dominated one is replaced with a new interpretation of the fragrance as last years regulations hardly affected the substances which creates the smell of carantion.

Definitly Caron Tubereuse should have more attention. It's not the bombastic, flowery, tuberose as Robert Piguet Fracas, nor the green, crisp, leafy, sunny tuberose as Frederic Malle Carnal Flower. Caron Tubereuse starts with a honeyed nectarnote like in Annick Goutal Tubereuse but not rounded and warm in texture as the latter. Caron Tubereuse on the contrary is cold, slight bitter-green and strangly enough at first dry but later dark-green slight mossy, a bit moisty in texture. It's a dark and restraind fragrance and even if not smelling close, I think Caron Tubereuse expressing a similar mood as Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Tubéreuse which is a lighter in texture tuberose compared to the Caron.

Summer

Picture: The entry of Gustav Vasa,
the future king Gustav I of Sweden
to Stockholm in Midsummer Eve 1523
Painting by Johan Gustav Sandberg (1782-1854)

This year I'm taking a break for summer. June is the the brightest month up here in the North with the cresendo in Midsummer. Even if vacation is far away, one really have to take care of these rare summerevenings when coming home from work. Of course I'll chime in with one or another entry, but it will not be on a regular basis.

I wish you a great summer!

Rania J - Lavande 44

Picture: King Henry VIII,  (1491-1547)
Painting ca 1537 by Hans Holbein (1498-1543)
Wikipedia commons 

Lavande 44 is the lavenderinterpretation of Rania Jouaneh, perfumer with her own house, Rania J.
Lavande 44 starts with a natural smelling sparkling lavender highlighted by slight bitter, aromatic citrusnotes. After a while some spritzy green, almost like geranium appears, probably traces from the vetiver mixed with lavender and others. When moving further there is also an almost gourmand vibe in the fragrance, maybe the powdery, sweet tonka gives that effect. In the basenotes, Lavande 44 is considerably darker in character and texture then most lavender fragrances. The combined notes, creates a very pleasant leathery note and ther is also a pleasant almost sour note that contrasts the sweetness of the tonka been. The lavender is still present in the basenotes but not as herbal as in the beginning of the fragrance. In this stage it's much more intergrated with the other notes and harder to pick out as a separate one. In the basenotes Lavande 44 reminds me of a more straightforward Vero Profumo Kiki Extrait or Kiki Voile d'Extrait, the Kikis to my nose are a bit more complicated with some more layers in the compositions. As a great Kiki devotee I of course also like Lavande 44. Just like most of the other Rania J fragrances, Lavande 44 is in the same time contemporary and timeless, which seems to be a feature of the Rania J. line. Lavande 44 is, just as Rose Isthar, a fragrance that I can imagine whiffing by in the Tudor court, the pleasant smell of lavender but with something dark and dangerous underneath. Would have been perfect as a shared fragrance between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Picture: Lavande 44
Photo: PR Rania J. (c)

Lavande 44 is a lavender also for autumn and winter. It's close to the wearer and perfectly officefriendly. Longevity is good for a lavenderfragrance, over a day.

Even if Lavande 44 is darker and more dramatic, I think that fans of natural smelling lavenderfragrances on the higher end of the fragrance notescale, such as Maria Candida Gentile  Luberon  and Caldey Abbey Perfumes Caldey Island Lavendel (swe) would appreciate Lavande 44.

Rating: 4+

Notes: Bergamot, petit grain, lavender, patchouli, tonka been, oud, labdanum, vetiver, musk

Thanks to Rania J for the samples to try.

Rania J - Rose Ishtar

Picture: Queen Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes,
patterned with Tudor roses and trimmed with ermine.
She wears her hair loose, as traditional for the coronation of a queen,
 perhaps also as a symbol of virginity. The painting, by an unknown artist,
dates to the first decade of the seventeenth century (c.1600)
 and is based on a lost original also by an unknown artist.
Wikimpedia Commons

Beware Rose Ishtar from Rania J is nothing of the usual roseinterpretation, either the modern or the classic take. Rose Ishtar is a special and intriguing rose. It's really a rose of its own.

Rose Ishtar starts with a blast of harsh almost sour notes. There is a herbal wibe, dry, dark, tick and dense, sharp without any rounding sweet, fruity notes. There is also something soft spicy about Rose Ishtar. As longer Rose Ishtar dries down, the more of the rose is apparent. The rose is unsweet, tangy but in the same time dry and it's a natural smelling rose with no artificial/cosmetic notes at all. This is the most unsweet rose I have tried. When I image Rose Ishtar in this stage I think of it as a powdery mauve taupe rose if there are roses in this color.When reaching the basenotes, soft patchouli combined with a well balanced sandalwood is deepening and darkening the scent further. Here there are strings of purple in the mauve. Some discrete sweet powdery notes of vanilla and heliotrophine appears and balances the edgy aspects in a pleasant way.

Rose Ishtar is a concentrated fragrance, one has to be careful when applying, it could easily be overpowering. If properly applied, Rose Ishtar has a medium sillage and longevity for more than a day. I think Rose Ishtar is a perfect fragrance for autumn, the imagened color range, texture and tonality of the fragrance is that of the autumn. There is also something eternal over this somehow insidious powerful perfume, I can imagine the glorious Queen Elisabeth I of England, a Tudor rose, wearing a fragrance smelling like Rose Ishtar.

Rose Ishtar is a unisexfragrance but to me it's a manly rose, at least in the top and middlenotes, with its powerful, harsh edges, in the base it's more feminine. Nevertheless I like to wear it but have to be in mood for a demanding perfume that day. Because Rose Ishtar is truly demanding, special and intriguing, a rose of its own

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, cassis, rose damascena, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, heliotrophine, musk

Rania J - Jasmin Kâma

Picture: Kâmadeva, 18c engraving
Wikipedia Commons 

Jasmin Kâma is the jasmine interpretation in the Rania J natural perfumeline. As with all Rania J:s the smell, in this case of jasmine, also is very natural an unartificial. Jasmin Kâma is named after Kâmadeva, the indian god of Kâma; love, wish and desire.

Jasmin Kâma starts with a plush frutiy jasminenote in full bloom. The fruity jasmine reminds me a bit of the great opening of Montale Jasmin Full. Soon the animalic aspect shines trough but never takes over the fragrance and turns it "full skanky". This part makes me think of the skanky jasmineperfumes from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Jasmine and La Reine Margot (from the subline Les Parfumes Historiques) but in Jasmin Kâma the animalic part is milder. The interplay between the beautiful fruity side of the jasmine and its animalic counterpart is what makes this fragrance interesting, even if quite linear in structure. In the basenotes, Jasmin Kâma is a bit darker and the a soft combination of musk and patchoul deepens the jasmine and creates a velvet like texture.

Jasmin Kâma is a straight forward, casual jasmine that is perfect for spring and summer. I think it will perfect fit a white casual outfit in cotton or linen. The sillage is close and the longevity almost for a day. Even if casual in style, Jasmin Kâma is perfect for officewear, it's notable but not at all overpowering.

Even if not an original jasmine fragrance, there are plenty in the same style, Jasmin Kâma should definitly be tried by those who are searching for a jasmine soliflore.

Rating: 4

Notes: Bergamot, Rose Damascena, jasmin absolute, patchouli, musc, vanilla, wood, heliotropine

Rania J - Oud Assam

Picture: Before the race,
Painting, oil on panel, ca 1882-84
 Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Wikipedia Commons

Oud Assam is the oud fragrance in Rania J:s natural perfume line.Oud Assam is created by Rania Jouaneh.

Oud Assam starts with a burst of dirty, animalic notes contrasted by a discrete offsetting glimpse of dense orangenotes. The orange is not of the sparkling, light character, the impression is more like orange combined with dark chocolade, but in this case, orange combined with animalic notes. As Oud Assam dries down further, a very well interpreted leather establishes and Oud Assam is an intriguing interaction between barnyard, leather and woody notes, even if it gets more polite later in the basenotes with a note similar to dark, dry chocolade or maybe a dry tobacconote. and it's almost as the orange glimpses through together with some musc and in this stage a very pleasant, almost pure, part appears. Despite the demanding notes especially in the first part of Oud Assam, the fragrance is smooth and comforting in texture and it feels natural and very wellbalanced  in style. There are non of the harsh or peppery notes which are so common in synthetic ouds. Oud Assam is very special and a pleasant surprise, one of the very best ouds both I and Mr Parfumista has tested so far. The comforting oudnote in Oud Assam reminds me of the oud in the amber-oud fragrance from Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Ambre Doré but drier and smoother. The first part of Oud Assam is maybe not the best officefragrance but the second part would be no problem. Anyway, Oud Assam is perfect for cozy days at home or for walks in the forest during autumn and winter. Sillage is medium and longevity for almost a day.

Oud Assam is totally unisex. When Mr Parfumista wears Oud Assam less of the animalic notes appears and more of the polished ones. In the later stages Oud Assam is a gentle, woody perfume which smells pure and natural. Mr Parfumista find something in the pure notes in Oud Assam that reminds him of vintage Cartier Santos and I agree when smelling them side by side. On my skin Oud Assam takes another route, the animalic-dirty. I can still smell the stablenots in the late drydown.

Overall Oud Assam is an intriguing and very special oud that takes many twists during its drydown. Oud Assam should be smelled on skin, it's fine on the scentstrip but warmed up and mixed with ones own chemistry something almost magical heppens and Oud Assam reaches a higher level. It's a very personal fragrance as almost different perfumes are appearing depending on who is wearing Oud Assam. Mr Parfumista also want to add that he truly appreciate the lack of pepper in this oud as he is so fed up with all the bombastic, peppery oudnotes out there.

Oud Assam is a real gem and should be tested by those who like oud and wellcrafted woody perfumes. Even if not smelling the same, Oud Assam has the natural feeling of delicate and comforting oud just as Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Oud and The Different Company Oud Shamash. Oud Assam is also a priceworthy alternative to those fragrances.

Rating: 5

Notes: Bergamot, sweet and bitter orange, oud, cedarwood, vetiver, incense, pepper, tonka bean, musc