Posted by Robin
on
11 October 2012
Quick reviews of three fragrances: Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk, Ayala Moriel Treazon and The 7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom. The theme: indie fragrances I’ve added to my buy list.
Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk
I tried Forest Walk when it came out earlier this year, and I liked it right away but it didn’t match my summery mood so I set it aside. Then, of course, I lost it, and had to tear my office apart to find it again — raise your hand if your perfume samples are in desperate need of reorganization! Anyway, Forest Walk is just what it says it is: “the earthy, mossy smells of the forest floor with tree bark, tree needles, and soft floral highlights”. It’s brisk but deep, and as advertised, beautifully earthy, and it has a meditative quality that’s perfect for chilly fall evenings. It might be the cold weather version of Annick Goutal Nuit Étoilée — if you found that one a little too thin, Forest Walk might be just what you’re after. Bonus: the travel spray can be had for a song…
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Posted by Robin
on
25 September 2012
Lush visits Nabeul, Tunisia to watch the harvesting and distilling of orange blossoms into neroli and orange blossom absolute.
See also: lavender version 1 + immortelle, lavender version 2, monoi, vetiver, sandalwood, ylang.
Posted by Jessica
on
24 August 2012
We tend to complain that many fragrance houses offer a surfeit of new releases, season after season, without any apparent concern for quality or aesthetic consistency. Houbigant is one house we can’t blame for taking that approach: although it certainly has a “heritage” that would turn newcomer niche lines green with envy, its complicated recent history has resulted in a pared-down catalogue of offerings, which is somehow refreshing these days.
I do remember Chantilly from my teen years, but it’s now owned by Dana Classic Fragrances (and probably doesn’t smell much like it used to in my Seventeen-reading era). And, just a few years ago, I had a co-worker who wore the venerable Quelques Fleurs (1912!) as her signature scent; I loved catching a whiff of it when she passed me in the corridor. On the other hand, I’ve cordially loathed Quelques Fleurs Royales since its release in 2004 — the last news I’d heard about Houbigant until this summer’s launch of Orangers en Fleurs….
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Posted by Robin
on
31 July 2012
Séville à l’Aube is the latest from French niche line L’Artisan Parfumeur. Over the years, I’ve reviewed a fair number of their fragrances — yes, I’m a fan. This, however, is not a proper review. I’ve never met blogger Denyse Beaulieu of Grain de Musc, who worked with perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour to develop Séville à l’Aube (and who wrote a book about the process: The Perfume Lover). But I’ve corresponded with her, and I utterly fail the test for any sort of objective review: would I be completely honest if I thought it was dreck? No, I really wouldn’t. I’m quite sure I would just keep my mouth shut and review something else. As it happens, I love Séville à l’Aube, enough so that I want to say something about it. So, consider this a review with a major disclaimer.
The scent’s inspiration and development was detailed in Denyse’s book, and has been repeated elsewhere, so I’ll just quote her own quick summary from Grain de Musc:
[Séville à l’aube] was inspired by one of the most beautiful nights in my life, in Seville during the Holy Week under an orange tree in full blossom, wrapped in incense smoke and the arms of a Spanish boy…
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Posted by Jessica
on
13 August 2011
Perfumes cling closely to your flesh
As incense to a censer; bright
And dusky nymph, you are all Night,
Secret and passionate and fresh!
— Charles Baudelaire (trans. Jacques LeClercq)
This is the end / beautiful friend
— Jim Morrison
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stop myself from using those images and quotations. What else can one do, when faced with promotional copy stating that a fragrance is “inspired on one hand by Baudelaire’s homage to sweet and deep fragrances, yet on the other hand by the dark and mysterious poetry of Jim Morrison as he seemingly forebode his own demise”? The fragrance in question is Sweet Redemption (The End), the tenth and final release in By Kilian’s L’Oeuvre Noire series. It was developed by perfumer Calice Becker and the notes for this sweet powdery woods fragrance include orange blossom, vanilla, myrrh, opopanax, benzoin and incense.
Overwrought prose aside, what do we have here? Sweet Redemption opens with a top note of orange blossom cocooned in spun sugar. It’s feminine and quite pretty, and I thought for a moment that this would turn out to be one of the simpler By Kilian compositions…
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