Mona di Orio - Myrrh Casati

Picture: Marchesa Luisa Casati, (1881-1957)
Painting  1908 by Giovanni Boldino (1842-1931)
Wikimedia commons

Myrrh Casati is the first fragrance from nichehouse Mona di Orio created by another perfumer than Mona. After Monas untimely death in December 2011, the fragrances that was in line for release Rose Etoile de Hollande and Eau Absolue or the personal fragrance for Monas business partner Jeroen Oude Sogtoen Violette Fumeé, were launched. This difficult mission to compose the first non-Mona fragrance for the house of di Orio was given to perfumer Melanie Leroux. The new perfumes are launched in a subline called the Monogram Collection which also introduce new bottles and a new logotype for the Mona di Orio brand.

Myrrh Casati is inspired of the very wealthy eccentric italian early 20th century active Marchesa Luisa Casati, a musa for fashion and art. Myrrh is a timeless, dramatic and mysterious ingredient with ancient origins and therfore also maybe a tad eccentric.

Myrrh Casati starts transparent and in the higher octaves of the scale, a similar context as Serge Lutens beautiful La Myrrhe but with a slight spicy, smoky almost leathery addition. La Myrrhe is more of a pure myrrh perfume with the pronounced refreshing mushroomnote which lasts for a considerable time of the dry down, in Myrrh Casati the mushroomnotes last just for a while. In the middlenotes the licorice contribute to a sweet contrast to the very dry myrrhinterpretation of Myrrh Casati. There is also a smell of fresh loam and a quick glimpse of a drak green moisy moss and a quick passing note similar to pine needles. The licorienote is very well balanced and not as prominent as in Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires or Huiteme Art Myrrhiad. In the basenotes Myrrh Casati is deeper and the myrrh is surrounded by perfectly balanced spices, the cardamom and saffron are note detectable as separte notes, as also not the incense and patchouli. Everything is somehow perfectly balanced, restrained, elegant and wellbehaved.

Picture: Myrrh Casati in the new Mona di Orio flacon
Photo: PR Parfums Mona di Orio (c)

To me Myrrh Casati is calming and soothing, not recalling one of the Marchesas wild parties. The darker, denser and heavier Huiteme Art Myrrhiad would be more suitable in this context IMO. Insted it's recalling the same as Serge Lutens La Myrrhe a medival stonechapel, cold a bit moisty and mossy stone, with traces of the smell of balmy incense, myrrh and soft spices in the air.

Even if not original or not particularly distinctive from the other myrrhs mentioned in the post, the soothing and in the same time elegant qualities makes Myrrh Casati very attractive and wearable for many occasions year around. It's undoubtedly appropriate in style to join the perfumes created by Mona. Sillage is close and longevity over night. Not that I'm a specialist in perfume construction but to me, Myrrh Casati is better balanced then both Myrrhe et Delires and Myrrhiad. Finally I perceive it Myrrh Casati as a more restrained alternative to La Myrrhe.

Rating: 5

Notes: Red berries, pink pepper, cardamom, saffron, licorice, benzoin, myrrh, incense, patchouli, nagarmotha, guaiac wood

Coquillete - Tudor

Picture: Elisabeth of York, (1465-1503)
queen consort of England
Paining from ca 1500, unkonwn painter
Wikimedia commons

Tudor is said to be the last installment in the fragrance journey of french nichehouse Coquillete. There is no perfumer mentioned for Tudor.

Tudor starts with a pink,velvet rose carried by a fully ripe lemon, which create a fresh, fruity but not too sweet vibe of the fragrance. There are absolutely no harsh or sharp edges either from the lemon or from the rose. The rose smell  is the fresh petals, without the green leaves, steam and thorns.  One can imagine a noble lady relaxing a sunny, early summer day outside a heavy medival castle relieved that the "cousins war" or as we call it today, the war of roses was finally over.

As Tudor reach the middle, the rose and other notes mingles in a beautiful, creamy texture, smelling almost like the smooth rose-nailcream  (don't remember its name)   which my mother used decades ago and also told me that  her grandmother used. Going further in the drydown, Tudor suddenly becomes slight spicy and the pink velvet darkens. There are also earthy qualities apperaing, just as the moisty loam of the forestfloor  heated up by the warm sun contrasting the early summerlight and delicate green of the grass, bushes and  threes. In the basenotes Tudor continues in the light spicy, creamy style and also gets deeper and more balsamic in texture. There is a touch of amber added with light vanilla notes that together with the rest, creates a strange sort of  dark putty lipstick-accord, almost touching a smooth, dark leathery element. In this part there is someting (the dark lipstick) that reminds me of a pale version of the beautiful Rozy Edp from Vero Kern, part of the basenotes of that fragrance seems to be present also in Tudor. There is also a dark, slight herbal, medical note contrasting in the base, in this fragrance darker and ticker than in the archetype of medical roses, Parfume d'Empire Eau Suave. In the overoll context of the basenotes there is also something that reminds me of a feminie interpreatation of Frapin Nevermore, which I experience as a masculine rose. Tudor is, just like Nevermore, classified as unisex but to me it's much more feminine in style, for those who cares of genderclassifications. The longer Tudor dries down in the base the more sweet (like a deep dark frutiy retro candy note) but also, unfortunately, also indistinct and plain it becomes. The top-, middle- and early basenotes is the best and interesting parts of Tudor, in the second part of the basenotes nothing happens.

Picture: Tudor
Photo: PR Coquillete (c)

Taken as a whole, Tudor despite its shortcoming (compared to the earlier stages) in the late dry down, is an intriguing rose fragrance, developing from a innocent, creamy, pink and sunny rose to a darker variation with some not so innocent nuances. The fragrance  may actually serve as an olfactory portrait of the first Tudor queen, Elisabeth the Princess of York (the White rose) married to the Tudor (Lancaster the red rose) Henry, who bacame king Henry VII as the outcome of the civilwar and both parents to Henry VIII. Without any sharp edges and with its sort of retro sweetness, Tudor smells timeless and sort of mysterious natural, like a recipe of a brew  preserved since the days of the Tudors.

Tudor is suitable to wear year around, for any (non-sport) occasions. Sillage is medium and longevity for a day. This intriguing and timeless perfume also causing compliments to the wearer.

Rating: 3

Re rating 2018/2019: 4 + - this is a comfortable and easy to wear rose for everyday. It doesn't become boring, it has enough interesting twists. A rose suitable for fall and winter.

Notes: Rose, geranium, lily of the valley, amber, benzoin, soil, rosewood, labdanum, benzoin, grey amber, vanilla

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of Tudor

Naomi Goodsir - Or du Serail

Picture: The Reception (1873)
Painting by John Frederick Lewis (1805-1875)
Wikipedia commons

Or du Serail is the third fragrance in the perfumelinfe of australian fashiondesigner Naomi Goodsir. Or du Serail is created by the famous nose Bertrand Duchaufour.

Or du Serail starts with a wonderful blast of balsamic, resin notes, supported by cocos and  pickled fruits in boozy, rum-liqueur. This accord are present during the whole dry down but in different strengths in different parts of the fragrance. Soon a balancing almost aromatic note appears and adding some slight spritzy green texture to the fragrance. Combined with the other notes, an accord similar to the smell of almondcake appears for a while. I recognize this accord from Carner Barcelona Rima XI. Then Or du Serail goes on in a darker, fruity-rum phase, with some hardwood, the fizzy herbal green still present but more subdued. In this stege there is something that reminds me of a less spicier Frapin Caravelle Epicée with its woody rum and warmth crossed with  the dark, boosy, woody fruits of Parfum DelRae Bois de Paradise. In the basenotes a light gunpowdernote also appears balancing the boozy fruit, the resins and balsams with some dryness. In the late basenotes, the fruits somehow gets more noticeable again and has a slight flowery twist.

Picture: Or du Serail
Photo: PR Naomi Goodsir (c)

I can think of Or du Serail as suitable as a daytime perfume in the harem as I imagine heavier and much darker elixirs  was used for the night. For most of the public in todays Western World, Or du Serail is sufficiently full and exotic for evening wear, even if Parfumistas easily wears it for daytime during autumn and winter. Or du Serail will be the perfect fragrance for the coming Christmas holidays, despite celebrating at home/away or working. It's a unisex fragrance but IMO it lends a bit more to the feminine side. The sillage is medium and longevity for 24h.

Or du Serail is another oriental-fouerge I have tested lately. It seems as a genre with rising popularity at the moment, see also my reviews of By Kilian Intoxicated and Light My Fire. The aromatic notes in those fragrances makes them lighter, less sweet and probably attract a broder group of potential customer then the classical heavy orientels.

Rating: 4

Notes: Apple, red berries, mango, sweet orange, rum, artemisia, sage, coconut, geranium, ylang-ylang, mate, labdanum, beeswax, honey, tobacco, amber, oak tree, cedar, musk, vanilla

Thanks for Fragrance & Art for the sample to try

By Kilian - Intoxicated

Picture: In Cafe at Hotel Sacher, Wien
Photo: Deror avi (cc) Wikimedia commons,
some rights reserved

Intoxicated is the third tested fragrance in the new By Kilian subline Addicted State of Mind. The fragrance is created by the almost By Kilian inhouse nose Calice Becker.

Opens delicious with something which smells as a very dry lavendel note combined with coffe, cream and cardamom. Instantly the coffe-cream-lavendel  Belle en Rykiel  from Sonia Rykiel  comes to my mind but Belle is sweeter and more gourmand in style, Intoxicated is like an ariy, subtle version. After a while Intoxicated moves a step further compared with Belle and Intoxicated  is further warmed up with more light, sort of airy interpreted spices with an offsetting fizzy accord/note which is present from now on.

During the whole drydown, Intoxicated seems to be injected with some special almost fizzy aromatic notes but  the notes are not of the full herbal quality. Instead the impression is as some parts of some aromatic notes have been separated and then mixed to a new version of an aromatic note. Anyway, that note or accord  perfectly counterbalances  the sweetness from coffe,cream and the warmth of the spices.
Finally, in  the basenotes, Intoxicated ends up in a  pleasant mix of fresh cardamon in a caffe latte, suported by the rest of  the spices. very cozy and awesome to wear a grey, rainy autumnday. There is also the  fizzy, woody quality  (described above) in the base that brightens it up and avoid that Intoxicated ends up too dense and sweet which is always a risk with "café-inspired" fragrances. There are also traces of something dark, similar to patchouli.

Intoxicated is IMO the stand out (at least when it comes to what's pleasant for me to wear, when it comes to originality Smoke for the Soul takes the prize) in the Addicted State of Mind-trio. Wearing this well balanced blend gives the image of visitning a cosily café and stay there for hours a gloomy autumn afternoon. It's a pleasure to wear, makes the wearer happy and it is suitable for daytime wear during the cold season. The sillage is close, and there is overnight longevity. Even if not a groundbreaking composition Intoxicated is so delicious, nice to wear and comfortable that it deserves:

Rating: 5

Notes: Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee

By Kilian - Light My Fire

Picture: The Doors -
personalizing "Light My Fire"
Photo: PR from 1968, Wikipedia commons

Light My Fire is the second fragrance I have tested in the new Addicted state of Mind trio from french nichehouse By Kilian. Pefumer is Sidonie Lancesseur.

Light My Fire starts with boozy tobacco executed in the higher octaves of the fragrancenotes scale. Despite that booze/tobacco traditionally is dark, deep and warm notes, here they are somehow high-pitched and almost cold. After a while a pleasant bubblegumnote, similar to that note in Jean Paul Gaultier 2 but more subtle, appears and softens the tobaccoleaves. A bit sharp, green note, paste-like in texture shows up as a contrast. This note reminds me of the spicy green, foody note in Etat Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Argumes. In the early dry down this note is slight metallic and in some stages Light My Fire reminds me of a softer version of the original Gianfranco Ferre Homme with its special, metallic, oriental, tobacco and spicy notes. There are also something familiar with the old Fendi Uomo but lighter in texture. As Light My Fire dries further down the green note becomes almost fizzy and with fresh vibes and smells almost like like geranium for a. When Light My Fire settles in the basenotes a harmonius blend of tbbacco, hay, light patchouli and some supporting vetiver are dominating. The green, spicy note still there but not as not as clear as before. In this stage I smell some similarities with the tobacco of Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque but in Light My Fire the note is thinner and lighter. The basenotes is the most pleasant phase of the perfume and the patchouli interacting with the tobacco, adds a welcomed depth to the fragrance. In the basenotes there is a similarity in expression with Frapin Speakeasy.

Compared to THE tobacco perfume of By Kilian Back to Black, Light My Fire may be likened with blond, fresh tobacco suitable for a light cigarette and Back to Black to ripe, deep, dark pipe tobacco.
Light My Fire is a pleasant and wearable perfume, nothing groundbreaking but good. It suits best for autumn and winter as for most occasions. Sillage is close and longevity for more than a day.

Rating: 4

Notes: Cumin, hay, patchouli, vetiver, honey, vanila, tobacco

By Kilian - Smoke for the Soul

Picture: Kilian himself personify
his new line - Addicted State of Mind
Smoke for the Soul
Photo: PR By Kilian (c)

Smoke for the Soul is one of three fragrances that constitutes the start of a new By Kilian subline called "The addicted state of mind.  Smoke for the Soule is created by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin.

Smoke for the Soul starts cold and slight mentholic, probably from the eucalyptus, soon a bitter citric note appears,  followed by a note close to dry, unsweet liquorice. After a while the smoke appears, a smoke similar to the smell of a forest fire. When the smoke subsides, the cold green mentholic accord comes forward again, accompanied by a natural smelling cardamon note. There is also something that smells similar to wet tobaccoleaves glimpsing in the background. The overall structure is sharp, woody, cold spicy/herbal.

Picture: Smoke for the Soul
Photo: PR By Kilian (c)

Overall Smoke for the Soul is a weird perfume. At first it's easy to be confused and condemn it as a high-end but easy going fragrance, likable for most people. But soon I become aware of my mistake, Smoke of the Soule is alternately repulsive and likeable, feels alternately refreshing and depressing. It has something familiar but overall it's a strange composition. It's lighter and more fleeting than some other fragrances with "drug" elements such as Nasomatto Black Afgano ticker, a bit sweeter and fullbodied compared with SftS and Parfumerie Generale Cozë also sweeter,denser and more spicy/herbal. When the fresher sides of SftS shines through, there is something (the chilly herbal quality) in the overall apperance that reminds med of
De Bachmakow from The Different Company.

Smoke for the Soul is suitable (in small doses) for daytime wear but not in too warm or too cold temperatures, perhaps autumn and spring is the best seasons for this fragrance. Overnight longevity and sillage is close. It's classified as unisex and I agree with that, it's totally genderless.

Not my favorite By Kilian but as always with the Kilians a wellcrafted, high quality fragrance that at least creates a reaction, which is not common among the current releases.

Rating: 4

Notes: Eucalyptus, grapefruit, tobacco, mate, birch, cashmirwood, cannabis, cardamom

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Mon Numero 10

Picture:  Cover of the pulp magazine Oriental Stories
(Spring 1932, vol. 2, no. 2)  featuring Scented Gardens by Dorothy Quick.Cover art by Margaret Brundage, Wikimedia commons

Mon Numero 10 is created by  the highly productive perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour for the well known, pioneer, nichehouse L'Artisan Parfumeur.

Mon Numero 10 starts with a very special accord which smell almost like stewed fruits in  liqueur. Soon a clean airy incenseote appears, similar to the clean incense in Andy Tauers Incense Extreme. The incense is followed by a very well mixed note of cedar which smells like smooth pencil shavings, the note of pencil shavings I sometimes percieve as too sharp. Leather is another note which slowly evolve and becoming clearer in the middle of Mon Numero 10 and together with the other notes the fragrance adopts an almost furry texture. From here on, Mon Numero 10 smells similar to the iconic Fendi  Femme (original) but thinner and sweeter, like a contemporary, slight gourmand adaption to the classical Fendi theme. I could also detect Chanel Coco. This pleasant phase goes on until the later stages where suddenly the sweet, cinnaber infused, glüwein accord found in Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique appears.

Picture: L'Artisan Parfumeur Mon Numero 10
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur

Mon Numero 10 is a perfect oriental for fall and winter, comforting and with  interesting twists as described above. The longevity is good, for a day and with traces left the following morning, it's especially these remaining notes which are very close to Un Crime Exotique. As Mon Numero 10 appears as an intresting mix of other attractive perfumes it somehow feels like Duchaufour was not especially inspired when he composed this blend, it's like this fragrance was created by routine. Despite this Mon Numero 10 is a good, multifacetted and wearable oriental. If I had not been familiar with the other perfumes which I detect in this fragrance and also liked each of them better than the "merged" fragrance, I would have considered more than a sample of Mon Numero 10.

Rating: 4 (November 2014)

Rating: 5 (Re-rated in June 2015 as I liked No 10 even more when tested after the review. It turned to be a fragrance which I couldn't get out of my mind = FBW)

Notes: Fennel, bergamot, aldehydes, pink pepper, cardamon, cinnamon, cabreuva, leather, incense, rose, geranium, jasmine, cedar, musk, vanilla, benzoin, hyrax, heliotrophe, tonka been, styrax, ambregris

Thanks to Fragrance & Art  for the sample