Posted by Kevin
on
18 June 2008
I love the richness and unabashed potency of Middle Eastern and Indian fragrances. One of my first ‘exotic’ fragrance purchases was a tiny jar of waxy sandalwood-amber paste from India; a few dabs of that dense perfume paste on my collar bone scented me all day long. The perfume paste also came in the scents of orange blossom, rose, lotus and jasmine, and the entire line was advertised using the image of a turbaned man applying the perfume paste to his throat. Slowly and, unfortunately, turban-less, I ventured into floral territory with my fragrance purchases. The simple, inexpensive Indian perfumes opened up a new world to me: I started reading about the history of perfumery, I created “to-smell lists” of individual plant and animal perfume notes, and I started burning incense and wearing fragrances from India, Nepal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Both Montale Red Aoud and Agallocha Tedallal Homme were inspired by Middle Eastern perfumery…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Kevin
on
17 April 2008
I’ve been called a fruitcake and I’ve been called a fruit — but not because I smell fruity. Men’s and unisex fragrances rarely feature a sustained stream of natural-smelling (non-citrus) fruit aromas, so my perfume cabinet has always had an empty space where I could lodge a FRUIT FRAGRANCE or two — but that situation may soon change.
Last weekend, there was an unseasonably hot (over 75 degrees Fahrenheit!) day here in the Northwest and I stayed outside to feel the warm sun, to smell the saucer magnolias, wallflowers, hyacinths and clematis that are in bloom, and to enjoy the fragrant sea breeze blowing in from the west. The beautiful day made me think of the coming summer and I felt ‘summery’ myself; I reached for an untried perfume sample that sounded perfect for such a glorious day: Montale’s Fruits of the Musk…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
12 July 2007
Continuing with the jasmine fest, here are a few more worthy of consideration…
Jasmin Eau de Parfum by L’Orientaliste took me by surprise — I don’t know much about this line, but now I’d like to try more. Jasmin is a sort of middle-of-the-road soliflore, not so heavy and rich as Serge Lutens A La Nuit or Bruno Acampora Jasmin, nor so light and summery as the Chantecaille under consideration yesterday. The base is woody and warm and has a nice earthy finish, and a hint of spice in the dry down gives it a sultry feel after an hour or so. It is not a terribly complex fragrance, and I wouldn’t call it a powerhouse in terms of lasting power, but it is very nicely done and reasonably priced at $56 for 50 ml. If you’ve tried anything else by L’Orientaliste, do comment…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
15 June 2007
I had originally meant to include White Aoud in yesterday's review of Black Aoud, but ran out of time. Today's post is thus something of a postscript, and if you aren't already familiar with Montale's oudh line, you might want to start by reading the Black Aoud review. White Aoud features notes of rose, saffron, oudh, cardamom, jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood, precious wood, amber, vetiver, vanilla and labdanum.
White Aoud starts out sweet. It probably only counts as very sweet in comparison to the bone-dry Black Aoud, but still, the sweetness masks most of the medicinal notes in the opening…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by Robin
on
14 June 2007
I love deep wood fragrances, the deeper the better. I’m trying to think of a fragrance with too much wood for my taste, and probably one exists but offhand I can’t think of what it would be. You can pile on the cedar or the redwoods or the sandalwood: bring it on, I’m happy. Few woods are deeper and richer than agarwood (aka aloeswood, and sometimes called oudh). Agarwood is now threatened in the wild due to overharvesting, and scarcity and high prices mean that much of the “oudh” used in incense and perfumery today is synthetic or adulterated to one degree or another.
The French niche line Montale specializes in oudh perfumes, and their Aoud Roses Petals is a favorite of mine. Aoud Roses Petals is a study in contrasts — a light, dewy rose brightens deeper wood notes of agarwood, teak and cedar. It is rich and spicy but not at all overwhelming, and the later dry down is beautifully soft and enveloping.
Black Aoud also features rose and oudh, but the notes are handled quite differently here. As with many agarwood perfumes, a bitter medicinal haze (rather like medicated bandages) seems to float over the top notes; here, the medicinal notes are joined by heavy leather. Unless you adore leather, and the more of it the better, you may find that the first 10 minutes are rather hard to take. The blend softens considerably as the opening notes dissipate and are joined by sandalwood and rose. In keeping with the general noir atmosphere, the rose here is a dark, murky rose, nothing at all like the fresh, rosewater-ish rose of Aoud Roses Petals…
Read the rest of this article »
