L'Artisan Parfumeur - Mon Numéro 9

Picture: Citrus x limon,
Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (1897)
Wikimedia commons

Mon Numéro 9 is a contempoary styled but in the same time classic cologne in one of the sub-lines of L'Artisan, the numbered Collection. See also my earlier review of the directe opposite to Mon Numéro 9, the boozy oriental Mon Numéro 10.  Both No 9 and No 10 are composed of superperfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, nowadays active in most wellestablished, older nichhouses and of courese also in some newcomers as BD seems to be a safe bet.

Mon Numéro 9 starts with a smooth, juicy and round lemon over green notes, on a light flowery carpet. The lemon is not sharp like the smell of chemical detergent which sometimes is present when lemon is dominating nor harsh-herbal as in some old styled mens colognes. The lemon-green-flowery accords are grounded in and contrasted by a typical contemporary vetiver, patchouli, woody, musky base. The musk is quite present but is not taking over the composition but assure that the longevity is very good for a citrus cologne. As described above, Mon Numéro No 9 goes on until it last traces fades away about twelve hours after application.

Mon Numéro 9 is a perfect, safe officefragence, fresh without the ordinary annoying, chemical freshness. Even if colognes traditionally are imagined as summerfragrances I think No 9 has enough body and tenacity to be worn also to bring some sunshine into autumn and winter. An versatile and well made fragrance even if nothing new in style.

Mon Numéro 9 reminds me to some extent of Sisleys Eau de Sisley 3 despite the latter is more uncommon and a bit more interesting as it also features a fizzy gingernote. Also Parfums de Nicolaï Cedrat Intense comes to my mind even if that one is heavier on the woody/patchouli notes.

Rating: 4

Notes: Citron, lime, petitgrain, lavender, coriander, rhubarb, cyclamen, shiso, rose, myrrh, vetiver, musk, patchouli, amber, wood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try.

Aedes de Venustas - Copal Azur

Picture: Views of the South Seas, a set of four,
HMS Resolution and Discovery in Tahiti
Watercolour by James Cleveley (1747-1786),
Wikipedia commons
 

New York based perfumstore and also perfume house Aedes de Venustas has, like so many others, also accelerated their launch rate the latest year. Copal Azur realeased in late 2014 is their second latest one. Copal Azur is composed by Bertrand Duchaufour.

Copal Azur starts with an accord dominated by a sort of smooth, rounded but in the same time distinct incensenote. The incense is not as heavy or sharp as in the traditional church insence personified by the classic  Commes des Garcons Avignon. Further on an accompanyng accord appears. This accord reminds me of a something woody, coconutty in a airy, humid, salty surrunding, there is also a slight woody-green note present. I get an image of a palm-tree situated on a beach, the weather is becoming worse, grey skies are appearing over the sea and the wind is increasing and with flurries. From the still sunwarmed palm-tree trunk, one can smell the tree resin, balsamic-woody with hints of coconut. As Copal Azur dries down further down, the resin qualities strengthens as also the spicy ones and in the same time the fragrance also becomes  ambery sweet. Maybe, at least when it comes to my nose, a bit too sweet when compared to the intitial airy-incense phase of the fragrance. Even if a different incensesmell, the airy pine-incense Oriza L.Legrand Relique D'Amour comes to my mind as it's also the airy incense concept but sutiated in the North whereas Copal Azur is the airy incense of the shores in the countries around the equator.
Recently I watched a documentary on television about Captain James Cook and I can imagine the smell of Copal Azur when the ship anchored by the islands in the South Pacific.

Picture: The beautiful Copal Azur bottle.
Photo: PR Aedes de Venustas (c)

Copal Azur is refreshing and pleasant to wear especially in spring and summer but could also be suitable in autumn and winter when in the right mood for this type of high and airy incense. It's a daytime fragrance, perfect for both work and casual. Silllage is medium and longevity for a day. Copal Azur is totally unisex.

Those who likes different kinds of airy incense fragrances as for example the dry, woody, high Incense Extreme by Andy Tauer, the light slight flowery incense Encens d'Ange by Autour de Parfums as well as the airy-aldehydic "Chanelesque" incense of Montale Full Incense could also like Copal Azur.

Rating: 4

Notes: Incense, salt, ozonic notes, patchouli, cardamom, tonkabeen, amber, myrrh

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try

Maria Candida Gentile - The Flight of the Bumblebee 2(2) - Leucò, Kitrea and Syconium

Picture:  A sweet bumblebee (bombus pratorum)
is flying in for nectar
Photo: Bernie, Wikimedia commons

Today review of the last one in this delicate, contemporary styled Maria Candida Gentile trio.

Syconium:

Syconium starts with a sweet fignote over a background almost similar to a not too sweet cookie, probably the sandalwood. As Syconium dries further down, it becomes pleasantly, creamy, milky and reminds like that in the rest of its development even if the sandalwood gets even more prominent and is dominating  in the basenotes. In the basenotes there some vibes from the sandalwood which reminds me of  Editions Frederic Malle Dries van Noten. In the late phase of the basenotes, an moisty, dark, earthy accord appears, taking over  from the dry  and warm sandalwood. As a whole, there are no harsh edges in Syconium and it's not the figgy-woody-fresh type as for example Diptyque  Philosykos, Syconium is more of a gourmand fig as for example the much more spicy, and more complicated in construction, Neela Vermiere Creation Ashoka. Both has the gourmand fig concept in common, wheras Ashoka is the main course and Syconium the dessert. As with the other members of the Bumblebee trio, the longevity of Syconium is very good, at least a day. Sillage is medium and the fragrance even if ecpecially suitable for warm, casual summerdays, also fits as a reminder of warmer days, year around. Syconium is also office approved, with its happy and warm character it will not offend anyone.

Rating: 4

Notes: Honey, milk, fig, sandalwood

Picture: Plate 38, Moses Harris:
An exposition of English insects (1782) Moses Harris (1731-1785)

The Flight of the Bumblebee trio is light, easy to wear fragrances, which would please most people. There is nothing of the challenge and sometimes even quirky twists, of the first six MCG fragrance. But sometime one just want something good smelling, non-deamnding and very wearable. For that purpose The Flight of the Bumblebee trio is a splendid alternative, especially for spring and summer. As the trio is avaible also in 15 ml á SEK 288/EUR 30,55 they are excellent choices as a signatures for Summer 2015. 


Thanks to Fragrance & Art of the samples to test

Maria Candida Gentile - The Flight of the Bumblebee 1 (2) - Leucò, Kitrea and Syconium

Picture: The fresh Bumblebee Collection
Photo: PR Maria Candida Gentile (c)

Italian perfumer Maria Candida Gentile "Flight of the Bumblebee" trio, inspired from the beautiful music piece of Nikolaj Andreyevich Rimskij-Korsakov, uses honey as the common theme of the three fragrances. The fragrances are light and natural, ar also inspired from the beauty and simplicity of mother nature. All three parfumes are Edp:s and has a very good longevity but in the same time feels light and transparent in texture.

Leucò: Dominated by light spices, woody and white flowery elemtents over a musky base. It's fleeting without sharp edges. The honey is not dominating, it's a supporting note adding some warmth to the composition. In other words, there is nothing of the challening honey of Serge Lutens Miel de Bois. The more Leucò dries down, the more present is the tubereuse and the light peppery,woody slight musky basenotes, which even if smooth, take some of the natural impression away but this is not at all disturbing. Probably thanks to a skillful handling of the woody musky elements (the latter not mentioned in the notelist), the longevity is tremendous for such a light and transparent fragrance, on a scarf it could be recognized, unfragmented a week after testing. As Leucò is strong but has a light texture, one have to be careful and apply sparingly.

Rating: 4

Notes: Honey, cistus, lily, tubereuse, benzoin, pepper, frankincense

Picture: Porträt des Komponisten Nikolaj Andrejewitsch
Rimskij-Korsakow (1844-1908)
Painting by Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865-1911)
Wikimedia 

Kitrea: Kitrea is the most unusual in the trio. Starts light fruity-citrusy with mixed with salty seanotes which are very refreshing. There is a pleasant hint of woody sweetness in the salt, probably the effect of the grey amber which I suppose is the same as (syntetic) ambregris. Kitrea with its seaside, salty vibes reminds me of another MCG gem, the woody-aquatic  Finisterre but Kitera is a sweeter fragrance whit is natural feeling sweetness of honey and fresh fruits. The fresh fruits is nothing like the standard ultra sweet muddled accords of  many fruity-floral fragrances, the fruitiness of Kitrea is transparent, natural and cold-clear. Another salty fragrance which Kitrea reminds me of is Laboratorio Olfattivo Salina.  Just as Leucò,  Kitrea albeit citrusy, is strong in concentration but has a light texture. Therefore  one have to be careful when applying as a little goes for a day.

Rating: 5

Notes: Honey, lemon, bergamot, fresh fruit, grey amber


Thanks to Fragrance & Art of the samples to test

Ramon Monegal - Moonbloom

Picture: Moonflower before opening for the nightblooming
Photo: The Moonlight garden circle com (c)

Moonbloom  is created by spansh perfumer Ramon Monegal. Moonbloom is another Ramon Monegal exclusive for Bloomingdales in Dubai, see also Dubai Next To Me  for Bloomingdales in Dubai.

Moonbloom starts starts with sweet, creamy, white flowers where tuberose supported by orangeblossom dominates in a delicate mix,I don't know if there is any moonbloom within as I don't know how it's smelling. The opeing reminds me slightly of the old gem Versace Blonde, but more bright, clean and innocent. Moonbloom is quite linear in its construction and when Moonbloom has settled, it smells of sweet, honeyed white flowers inteacting with an light ambery smooth woody base during rest of its lifespan. The ambery, flowery aura of the fragrance, reminds me of the similar, but more classic in style, impression of Maison Nicolas de Barry Madame de Pompadour. Some darker passages are swirling up to the surface in the second part of the dry down, this passages remins me of the special almost inky rose, spieces, sandalwoody combination in Vero Profumos beautiful Rozy Edp. Another fragrance that comes to my mind is Robert Piguet Mademoiselle Piguet but without the pleasant slight decaying greenery accord of the latter

To summon up Moonbloom, it's not an original fragrance as there are many in the same thick, almost tropical white flower style.The archetype for this style is to me a fragrance as Annick Goutal Songes even if there of course where other before that one in this group. On the other hand Moonbloom is very beautiful  and very pleasant to wear, smells wonderful. Even the picky Mr Parfumista commented in a very postive way on Moonbloom, and thats not happen very often when I'm testing new fragrances.

Moonbloom is an easy to wear fragrance, perfect for most occasions and is the type of fragrance which blooms and unfolds as best a very warm summerday. Longevity is for a day when tested under spring conditions ca 10+ C, silage is medium.

Rating: 5

Notes: Havn't found any notepyramid but I guess tubereuse, orangeblossom, rose, sandalwood, amber, vanilla. musk  are involved

Måns did it!

Picture: The ESC winner 2015
Photo: K.Joensson Expressen (c)

The wonderful Måns "Yum-Yum" Zelmerlöw of course  did it. He is the winner of ESC 2015 in Vienna  after the most exciting voting in years :-) A well deserved victory for this well excperiensed artist. Congratulations!!!

Scented thoughts - May 2015

Picture: Swedens face (and voice :-) in 2015 ESC,
Måns Zelmerlöw
Photo: TT (c), PR SVT

Times flies and even if many fragrant thoughts are going on, there is so short of time to write them down.

* Now I also have a busy summer ahead, sniffwise at least.  Yesterday a lovely letter with samples form the best assorted nicheboutique in Sweden, Fragrance & Art. was waiting in the letterbox. As mentioned before, the ovner has an incredible talent for selecting good and unusual perfumelines. In the letter there were samples from a just introduced line, Franck Boclet, which I havn't recoginized until now. From sniffing from some of the samples, these seems very promisíng. And there were other exciting things in that letter too, stay tuned for comming reviews.
* To day is the Evening of the Grand Spectacle, final in Vienna of the  Eurovision Song Contest which is very fun to look at (an comment :-) together with friends and family. Sweden has a great chance to win it all with the very professional artist Måns Zelmerlöw, also nick-named Yum-Yum. It not just Måns handsome look and good artistery, the melody Heroes and animated light show are also great. I'll be dissapointed if Måns don't make it, this will be an exciting evening.
* Which fragrances are in rotation when not testing new samples, i.e what has been worn during the workdays lately? In the transition between spring and summer I crave both for lighter fragrances and darker. Favorites lately are some Hermèses as the tangy, fruity, almost composting smelling, slight rosy Un Jardin Sur le Toit.  Also the flanker to one of my all time favorites Amazone, Rose Amazone is worn relatively much. Even if I like the original better, at least in my 1990s version, I also like Rose Amazone very much, more easy to wear, not as deep  as the original, fruity, rosy, tangy (this one too :-). In the light category, my Puredistance sample of  the wonderful flowery WHITE is a great favorite. Elegant but in the same time so comfortable to wear, my vintage Hermès  Les Voitures a Transformation  (in blue) worn yesterday together with this gem is now soaked in Whites beautiful aura. When passing it, I can't resist to sniff the silk.
* When it comes to the darker ones, I have rediscoverd some great Parfumerie Gènèrales which I was not so found of some years ago but now find are great: The smoky, woody, sweet, caramelized, wheat of Cedre Sandarque is delicious. The vetiver accented, inscrutable, slight soapy, contemporary chypre Querelle is also fab, if lightly applied. If too heavy handed, it appears as a mens Cologne.