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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Mistral Patchouli Review

One to win over the patchophobes, Mistral Patchouli fronts a ‘cœur’-type patchouli oil fractionation that’s high in desired patchoulol. The smell is exceptionally smooth, clean and ambered, with additional musky-floral and cedar nuances.

The bright, lemony-grapefruit top helps pick up some incensey inflections, while a prominent anise note in the head and heart blends well with patchouli’s darker aspects.

Nose: Jérôme Epinette

House: Atelier Cologne

Release date: 2013

Notes (per Fragrantica): star anise, geranium, iris, patchouli.

Daisy Review

Daisy for Marc Jacobs has at its heart a metallic, green-violet accord constructed around Helional and ionones that’s given a slight nectarine-type fruity accent and rendered transparent with Hedione. This is underscored by an assertive, dry wood and musks base. 
Overall, Daisy smells quite a lot like shampoo. 

Nose: Alberto Morillas

House: Marc Jacobs

Release date: 2007

Notes (per Fragrantica): fruity strawberry notes, violet leaf, pink grapefruit, gardenia, violet, jasmine, white woods,vanilla, musk.