Tuesday 30 September 2014

Flower of Immortality Review


The problem with Flower of Immortality is that there’s no real contrast and consequently, the perfume wants for impact. 
A powdery, musky base supports a basic fruity-floral arrangement of nectarine, peach and cassis one the one hand, and vague impressions of rose and Hedione-like jasmine on the other. 

Nose: Calice Becker
House: By Kilian
Release date: 2013
Notes (per Fragrantica): white peach, carrot seeds, iris, black currant, rose, tonka bean.

Sunday 28 September 2014

Diorling Review (Vintage EdT)


Diorling, by Paul Vacher, was an exceptionally elegant floral-leather chypre; a classic coming together of bone-dry suede and a soapy-aldehydic bouquet dominated by muguet, rose and jasmine. Of course, since this is a child of the ’60s, there’s patchouli and real oakmoss aplenty in the fond, just to dirty things up some.  
While Diorling may not have caused any seismic shifts in the perfumed paradigm, to sniff it now, one can’t help but smile at its optimistic, retro charms.

Nose: Paul Vacher
House: Dior
Release date: 1963
Notes (per Fragrantica): hyacinth, bergamot; iris, jasmine, rose, lily-of-the-valley; vetiver, musk, patchouli, oak moss, leather.

Sunday 21 September 2014

Vanille Insensée Review


There’s nothing terribly ‘crazy’ (insensé) going on here: just a straightforward, creamy-(amber)sweet vanilla that has a lick of lime in the top and a pronounced (Vera)mossy shade in the base.

Nose: Ralf Schwieger
House: Atelier Cologne
Release date: 2011
Notes (per Fragrantica): coriander, lime, citron, vetiver, jasmine, oakmoss, vanilla, oak, amber

Brin de Réglisse Review


Central to Brin de Réglisse is a deliciously stylised lavender chord that incorporates both the oil from the lavandula genus itself, as well another member of the lamiaceae family: clary sage.
The sweeter aspects of this herbal complex are picked up by the titular licorice note that includes some immortelle-like, burnt caramel nuances. The effect is dark, yet characteristic of Ellena’s style, sheer.   
Longevity is however, fairly poor so all too soon the perfume reaches its vanilla- coumarin-pale wood-clean musk dominated end.

Nose: Jean-Claude Ellena
House: Hermès
Release date: 2007
Notes (per Fragrantica): hay, licorice, lavender. 

Monday 15 September 2014

Light My Fire Review


There’s something rather Tabac Blond-ish about Sidonie Lancesseur’s Light My Fire, and that’s no bad thing. Both have an ambered, nutty cedar/vetiver chord going on that fairly recalls whisky. The clove in Caron’s classic however, is here largely replaced by cumin, making Light My Fire the raunchier of the two (at least when pitted against the current iteration of Tabac Blond). Light my fire is also the sweeter, the vanillic-cherry scent of heliotropin blending with a musky, balsamic, coumarin-tonka, type Oriental base.

Nose: Sidonie Lancesseur.
House: By Kilian.
Release date: 2014.
Notes (per Fragrantica): cumin, hay, patchouli, vetiver, honey, vanila, tobacco.

Sunday 14 September 2014

Sacred Wood Review


Sacred Wood was supposedly conceived as a sandalwood base rather than a fully worked out perfume which fact would plausibly account for its rather underwhelming and linear character.
Calice Becker here chose to accent the lactonic facets of sandalwood, yeilding a creamy, musky, lightly balsamic beige-woods blend. Aside from some subtle spicy and hesperidic accents, the main counterpoint is a nose-wrinkling dill/pickle note stemming perhaps from the elemi (absolute ?). 

Nose: Calice Becker
House: By Kilian
Release date:  2014
Notes (per Fragrantica): Sandalwood, milk.

Saturday 6 September 2014

Intoxicated Review


Intoxicated sees By Kilian create a heavily Mugler-inspired gourmand, featuring a familiar coffee/cocoa/ patchouli blend that’s sweetened with enough sugary Maltol and Ambrox-type woody-ambers to turn its wearer diabetic. This is overlaid with a citrus accord that starts fresh-metallic-ozonic-grapefruit before turning aldehydic-waxy-herbal-agrestic-bergamot. Smuggled amidst it all also seems to be a pinene-y resin which idea could have been developed further.
Intoxicated is a bit like a conversation where both sides are talking yet neither is listening.

Nose: Calice Becker
House: By Kilian
Release date: 2014
Notes (per Fragrantica): cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Smoke for the Soul Review


Smoke for the Soul opens with the smouldering scent of birch tar offset by a bright citrus accord that incorporates a fresh, methyl pamplemousse-type grapefruit synth. This is infused by the camphorous, herbal vapours of eucalyptus which introduce a sweet-n-spicy green heart with vetiverish tones. As the phenolic aspects begin to recede, the perfume takes on a more familiar character of slightly damp peppery woods (Cashmeran etc) and musks, with some vanillic / benzoinic and ambery sweetness.
The publicity for the scent mentions cannabis, but truly, it smells nothing like ganja. That said, it is one of the better releases from the house in recent times.

Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin
House: By Kilian
Release date: 2014
Notes (per Fragrantica): eucalyptus, grapefruit, tobacco, mate, birch, cashmirwood, cannabis, cardamom.