Trussardi (Vintage) Review

Trussardi’s eponymously named perfume in many ways recalls Chanel No.19, both approximating a green, floral leather Chypre. Here, the galbanum driven verdancy is rendered slightly sharper by some aromatic/coriander bitterness that comes off smelling slightly urinous. The rose-jasmine-muguet heart complex meanwhile, is accompanied by a pronounced labdanum sweetness and rests on a more classically-styled Chypre base with moss and patchouli.

A real gem.

Nose: Unknown

House: Trussardi

Release date: 1984

Notes (per Fragrantica): aldehyde, green herbs, bergamot, hyacinth, galbanum, spicy coriander, geranium, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, leather, styrax, amber, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla.

Avignon Review

Of the various incense perfumes, Avignon perhaps most convincingly captures the spirit of olibanum, whose terpy-citric-mineralic scent is vaguely redolent of Coca-Cola. Here, this association is particularly pronounced in the opening when the sweetly herbal odour of Roman chamomile is most noticeable and the fragrance has a refreshing zinginess.

If there’s a criticism to be leveled against Bertrand Duchaufour’s creation however, it’s that the timbered facet of frankincense feels somewhat over-developed by a heavy (circa 25 %) Iso E Super-driven chord of woods and woody-ambers (inc. cedramber, cedryl methyl ether ?). Still, the presence of some guaiac-type smokiness in the fond successfully contributes to the liturgical theme, and is perfectly balanced by lightly powdered musk.

Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour

House: Comme des Garçons

Release date: 2002

Notes (per Fragrantica): incense, chamomile, vanilla, patchouli, rosewood ambrette.

Orange Sanguine Review

Orange Sanguine’s top smells principally of orange terpenes and citric aldehydes; as a sparkling, effervescent rendition of the freshly-cut fruit it is both legible and attractive. Inevitably however, the effect is rather short-lived and what remains – a seemingly simple amber-musk-orange base type combo, feels flat by comparison. 

Nose: Ralf Schwieger

House: Atelier Cologne.

Release date: 2010
Notes (per Fragrantica): red orange, bitter orange, jasmine, geranium, amber, tonka bean, sandalwood.

Iris Silver Mist Review

The story of Iris Silver Mist’s conception is now firmly established in the canon of perfume myth: Maurice Roucel, it is said, plugged the organoleptic term ‘iris’ into his fragrance database and set about combining all the results returned to create this scent. Besides a very respectable amount of orris butter (4.5%), the perfume contains a high dose of Isoraldeine (methyl ionones) and the IFF base Irival.

As its name suggests, Iris Silver Mist is intended to showcase orris’ impressive vocal range, from its ringing, silvery-metallic ‘top notes’ to its damp, vegetal-earthy fond. It’s in its mid-register however, where the scent sings most sublimely, developing a delicately powdered green-floral accord of intense beauty. The natural woodsy facets of iris meanwhile, are elaborated by the addition of cedar oil that coaxes forth a distinct nuttiness in the composition. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, the perfume begins to darken in hue as the sweetly spiced, clovey odour of (Iso-)eugenol takes over, guiding the transition to a base of coumarin and plump musks.

Nose: Maurice Roucel

House: Serge Lutens

Release date: 1994

Notes (per Fragrantica): orris root, galbanum, cedar, sandalwood, clove, vetiver, musk, Chinese benzoin, incense, white amber.

Parure Extrait Review

Released in 1975, yet smelling more of 1925, Parure’s fate was arguably sealed from the outset.

A giddily dense, even chaotic Chypre, J.-P. Guerlain’s creation explores the dark, fruity facets of rose by pairing it with a deep plum note that’s bordering on the alcoholic. Unlike Nahéma, which was launched just four years later and blazed a pioneering trail with  its overdose of alpha-damascone that forever changed the representation of rose in perfumery, Parure seems contentedly retrospect, quoting the spicy-green complex of Vol de Nuit over a dry, leathery, backdrop. In the base, patchouli blends with plenty of pungent oakmoss and an amber-(styrax ?)-balsamic accord to bittersweet effect.

Nose: Jean-Paul Guerlain

House: Guerlain

Release date: 1975 (discontinued)

Notes (per Fragrantica): plum, bergamot, green notes lily of the valley, rose, iris, lilac, jasmine, narcissus, oak moss, spices, amber, rose patchouli.

Oolang Infini Review

What begins as a chord of zesty, transparent wood very soon devolves into a murky, terpy, waxy monolith that smells like a collision between all the non-citrusy parts of citrus oils. To my nose, it’s harsh and unpleasant and largely obscures the Earl Grey-like tea note that could profitably have been shifted to the fore. A half teaspoon’s worth of sweetness meanwhile, provides a bridge to a Cashmeran-type woody-musk base. 

Nose: Jérôme Epinette.

House: Atelier Cologne.

Release date: 2010.

Notes (per Fragrantica): bergamot, Tunisian neroli, oolong tea, blond leather, tobacco blossom, guaiac wood, vetiver from Haiti.

Sa Majesté la Rose Review

Sa Majesté la Rose is a peerless rose soliflore at whose heart lies an unusually high dose of Rosa damascena absolute.

Following a nostril-singeing flare of waxy citrus, there emerges an astonishing facsimile of a freshly-cut, Madame Alfred Carrière-type blossom; all pink and dewy with an unmistakable lychee fruit accent. As the perfume develops, it gains a honey-like hue that’s shaded by dark spices and yet, somehow, Sa Majesté la Rose never looses its geranium-like brightness and verdant vibrancy - no mean feat given its remarkable longevity.

Nose: Christopher Sheldrake

House: Serge Lutens
Release date: 2000

Notes (per Fragrantica): Moroccan rose, guaiac wood, clove, white honey, musk.