Monday 29 June 2015

Bombay Bling Review


Bombay Bling’s opening does an incredibly convincing impression of a ripe, Bowen mango: close your eyes and you can easily think yourself tucking into that deliciously pulpy, yellow flesh, all sweetly tropical smelling and undercut by a green tang from the skin. 
It’s a cheap trick though, for the magic is short lived: first the fruity notes disappear, then the green notes, leaving behind only an excessively sweet, ambery floral accord. Or perhaps that should be an ‘expensive trick’: Bombay Bling is £150 for 60mL. 

Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
House: Neela Vermeire
Release date: 2012
Notes (per Fragrantica): labdanum, cardamom, caraway, blackcurrant, mango, litchi, jasmine, gardenia, ylang-ylang, tuberose, rose, frangipani, patchouli, woody notes, sandalwood, vanilla, tobacco. 

Sunday 28 June 2015

Coco (EdP) Review


Coco is a spicy floriental that traces its lineage back through the Youth Dew branch of the Oriental tree. Like many in the genre, the perfume is built around the so-called Mellis accord that includes patchouli, spices - here most notably clove (eugenol), and benzyl salicylate which coheres everything in a clean, balsamic embrace. The floral contrast is provided principally by rose absolute whose darker facets are emphasised with damascones, giving a suggestion of plum and even wine. 
While Coco has an undeniably ‘purple’ feel, it expresses itself with a sense of levity. This is achieved by a perfectly balanced hesperidic head accord of mandarin, lemon and bergamot that's softened by peachy lactones. An Iso E Super boosted radiance meanwhile, creates a long-lasting scent bubble around its wearer. 
A true Modern Classic. 

Nose: Jacques Polge
House: Chanel
Release date: 1984
Notes (per Fragrantica): coriander, mandarin, peach, jasmine, bulgarian rose, mimosa, cloves, orange blossom, clover, rose, labdanum, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, opoponax, civet, vanilla. 

Sunday 21 June 2015

Pichola Review



Pichola starts off with some tart citrus that’s soon lost to a metallic green accord having the penetrating waxiness of C10/11 aldehyde(s) and the ‘sucked silver spoon’ quality of Helional (as Luca Turin once described the compound). The latter shows prominent watery and ozonic facets and, given the perfume’s name, we might suppose this is intended to represent the famous lake at Pichola in Udaipur.
The dominant floral counterpart is played by jasmine, but this develops some distinct celery-salt and woody qualities suggesting there may be some cis-jasmone complementing the Hedione. Edmond Roudnitska used to advocate placing a drop of fragrance on a piece of wide card in order to observe the physical separation of components and, in a neat example of paper chromatography, the celery-salt note does indeed seem to get pulled further up the paper.  
In contrast to the others in Neela Vermeire’s line, the signature ambery fond is played down in Pichola, providing just enough sweetness to render the sharper notes palatable.
Longevity is not very impressive.

Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
House: Neela Vermeire
Release date: 2015
Notes (per Fragrantica): cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroili oil, clementine, bergamot, orange blossom, rose, tuberose, jasmine sambac, ylang-ylang, benzoin, sandalwood, driftwood, Haitian vetiver.

Friday 12 June 2015

Ashoka Review


Ashoka’s ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ approach makes it something of a challenge to classify. The perfume begins life as a sweet, fruity-floral with a big cassis accord hiding some jasmone inflected lily-of-the-valley type green notes. Quickly however, it turns into a sort of gourmandiental as coconutty lactones introduce a caramelic theme that has a spicy and resinous complexity to it. The problem is that there’s nothing to continue all this save a bare base of desiccated, Norlimbanol/Nimberol/Timberol woods and straightforward smelling musks. 
Ultimately unsatisfying. 

Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
House: Neela Vermeire 
Release date: 2013
Notes (per Fragrantica): fig leaf, leather, white lotus, pink lotus, mimosa, fig tree, osmanthus, rose, water hyacinth, vetiver, styrax, incense, sandalwood, myrrh, tonka bean, fir balsam

Tuesday 2 June 2015

6 ohne Titel Review


For Six Scents’ 6 ohne Titel Yann Vasnier comes over all Pierre Guillaume, offering up a warm, lactonic Atlas cedarwood scent. Rarely mentioned on fora and blogs, the perfume was launched in 2010 and thus prefigures the release of several similar fragrances built instead around sandalwood. The milky, musky wood accord here has a slight nutty quality, and this gourmand flavour is at once highlighted by sweet tonka/coumarin and warm cardamom whilst tamed by an impression of floral leather.
Longevity is good although it remains quite close to the skin.

Nose: Yann Vasnier
House: Six Scents
Release date:2010
Notes (per Fragrantica): cardamom, dark plum, cedar, tonka, castoreum, civet, musk, Moxalone, Cosmone.