Bois d'Ascèse Review

Earlier this year, fast-food giant Burger King announced they were releasing a limited edition ‘Flame-Grilled Fragrance’. Said to evoke the scent of a cooked patty, it promised customers the experience of ‘feel[ing] like they’re in a restaurant any time’. The fragrance was only sold in Japan, and there only for one day (April 1^st, natch.). How it smelt, I’ll probably never know, but should I ever be struck by the urge to appropriate the odour of barbequed meat, Naomi Goodsir’s Bois d’Ascèse presents as a very viable solution.

The composition is built around a massively smoky, phenolic cade/birchtar complex with some additional sweet woody accents coming from Iso E and perhaps guaiac. At such high concentration, this accord is unapologetic in its grilled meatiness. The top includes some terpy citrus notes that introduce an incense contrast. The latter however, only really becomes apparent in the deep dry-down when much of the smoke has cleared. What remains then is actually quite sensual and animalic, being a soft mix of incense, musks, resins and moss (replacer).

House: Naomi Goodsir

Perfumer: Julien Rasquinet

Release date: 2012

Notes (per Fragrantica): whisky, tobacco, cinnamon, amber, labdanum, oakmoss, cedar, incense.

Cuir Velours Review

Despite its name, Cuir Velours is far from being a headspace type reconstruction of leather, napped or otherwise. The titular suedey base here gets buried amidst a sticky oriental mass of dark spices and balsams, together with a big immortelle note that holds the composition in a maple-syrupy embrace.

When the latter eventually tapers off, what remains smells remarkably like cut tobacco, being a mix of dry wood, clean musk and a hint of spicy sweetness.

Nose: Julien Rasquinet

House: Naomi Goodsir

Release date: 2012

Notes (per Fragrantica): suede, immortelle, rum, labdanum, incense.

Or du Sérail Review

The basic theme for Or du Sérail recalls in many ways the earlier works of Lutens / Sheldrake: a dark and densely packed mélange of dry cedar/woods, sweetly animalic honey and labdanum and slightly bitter tobacco. Here is integrated a boozy, tropical fruit and coconut chord that, although very well blended, takes the overall sweetness to excess. Duchaufour is, of course, well known for his use of incense and there does seem to be a trace here, providing levity to the dry, woody base. It's far more apparent on blotter however, than skin. 

Nose: Betrand Duchaufour

House: Naomi Goodsir

Release date: 2014

Notes (per Fragrantica): apple, red berries, mango, sweet orange, rum, artemesia, sage, coconut, geranium, ylang-ylang, labdanum, beeswax, honey, tobacco, amber, oak, cedar, musk, vanilla.