Costarela Review

Launched in anticipation of the northern Summer, Costarela is Carner Barcelona’s deft take on the (already well explored) beach theme.

Bergamot dominates the opening and as the note’s evaporation curve tails off, its Linalooly- agrestic character segues neatly into a much gentler, herbal-balsamic accord of suntan lotion like salicylates. The coastal scene is completed by some nicely judged marine notes, pale woods, Ambrox(an) and musks that together, create a fine impression of driftwood afloat the warm ocean.

Overall, Costarela is less innovative than Pierre Guillaume’s recent riffs (Entre Ciel et Mer and Paris Seychelles), but it is a nicely composed perfume that’s none-too-taxing to wear.

Nose: Shyamala Maisondieu

House: Carner Barcelona

Release date: 2016

Notes (per Fragrantica): bergamot, saffron, sea notes, sand, Virginian cedar, Ambroxan, amber.

Lignum Vitae Review

To attempt an analytical evaluation of Beaufort London’s latest release would be to entirely miss the proverbial forest for the trees.

Lignum Vitae presents a singular olfactive portrait whose subject I could never have imagined judging by its name. Equally surprising is just how uncannily realistic its interpretation of this theme is.

Want a hint?

Ok: Proust.

Got it?

Yup; Lignum Vitae offers a remarkable simulacrum of the smell of petites madeleines – those small, scallop-shell shaped sponge cakes that have become a virtual by-word for involuntary reminiscence (parenthetically, it was only in Proust’s third draft of À la recherche…that he decided upon madeleines; previous drafts attest to biscotti and honey on toast). From accurately capturing the zestiness of lemon and lime drizzle to the sweet breadiness of the cake itself, the un-named perfumer (shame) has achieved something very clever indeed.

All of this though, rather leaves me scratching my head:

Firstly, I just cannot reconcile the perfume with the brand’s nautical aesthetic, nor the début trio in the ‘Come Hell or High Water’ line which Lignum Vitae apparently joins. Secondly, the name. Lignum Vitae is synonymous with Guaiacwood, and while this oil does have a sweet milky quality that can work very well in gourmands, one is here effectively led to expect a soliwood (cf. Carner Barcelona’s Palo Santo), not an afternoon accompaniment to tea. Thirdly, the mental gymnastics required to get from the brand’s own description of the perfume as being ‘inspired by the innovative use of materials that allowed 18th Century clockmakers to construct the first accurate marine chronometers’ and combining ‘elements of wood, metal and salt’ to what emerges from the bottle is just too exhausting (lignum vitae > chronomoter > time > À la recherche du temps perdu > petites madeleines). It’s almost as if the formula existed before the brief.

Nose: Unknown

House: Beaufort London

Release date: 2016

Notes (per Fragrantica): this perfume has no entry at the time of posting.

Bond-T Review

As a sub-genre, the patchocolate can be traced back to Christopher Sheldrake’s Bornéo 1834 (Serge Lutens, 2005) – a wonderfully adult oriental-gourmand built around an overdose of patchouli oil (c.57%) and Givaudan’s (ex-Quest Intl.) cocoa base Chocovan.

To compare the two, Giovanni Sammarco’s Bond-T feels less travaillé, that’s to say less polished, less complex too despite its evident heavy use of naturals. The woody, incensey and mossy elements of the former are here swapped out for a much more straightforward animalic fond, allowing the fragrance to slide into a long-lasting finish of honey and leather that’s a little too over-indulgent for my personal tastes.

Nose: Giovanni Sammarco

House: Sammarco

Release date: 2013

Notes (per Fragrantica): cacao, patchouli, castoreum, tonka, vanilla, osmanthus.

Iris Nazarena Review

Given the trend for top-loading fragrances – that is, attempting to lure customers with attractive head-notes alone, it is very gratifying to come across a modern perfume with a base as thoughtfully composed and enjoyable as Iris Nazarena’s.

Initially green, even cucumbery, Ralf Schwieger’s creation quickly takes a fruity iris turn. Far from the cold, metallic dampness of, say, Iris Silver Mist, the titular orris note here is developed into a comfortingly sweet, powdery accord that has some distinct apple/pear nuances. The woody facets of iris are then elaborated with the wonderfully soapy, floral sandalwood tones of Osyrol while an ambrette driven musk complex provides fruity continuity. 

Nose: Ralf Schweiger

House: Aedes de Venustas

Release date: 2013

Notes (per Fragrantica): Iris, ambrette, juniper berries, anise, leather, oud, cloves, rose, incense, woody notes, vetiver, amber.

Liù Review

There exist several apocryphal accounts of Liù’s genesis, and though these differ in respect to Jacques Guerlain’s impetus for creating the perfume, they agree that he took for inspiration Chanel’s No.5.

Prior to the launch of Liù in 1929, Guerlain had found great success in elaborating on other houses’ ideas, in particular those of Coty: L’Heure Bleue, for example, strongly recalls L’Origan; Mitsouko, Chypre; Shalimar, L’Emeraude. No doubt Guerlain hoped its aldehydic floral would likewise come to eclipse its forerunner.

But alas…

To judge even by modern iterations, Liù lacks both the complexity and clarity of No.5. Chanel’s classic is famously built around a floral heart of rose de mai, ylang-ylang and jasmine. There, they are blended in such a way as to be both harmonious, yet individually identifiable. In Liù, it is jasmine alone that presents itself, the additional floral notes being smothered by an overdose of powdery musks and ionones that give the composition a pastel coloured cosmetic vibe. Between the discontinued extrait and the current eau de parfum concentrations of Liù, the EdP is drier, with a more pronounced abstract woodsiness that has none of the richness provided No.5 by its sandalwood. The EdP too, is marked by a sweaty note (perhaps linked to the particular quality of jasmine oil) that I don’t perceive in the parfum which is overall sweeter, more vanillic-ambery-balsamic.  

Nose: Jacques Guerlain

House: Guerlain

Release date: 1929

Notes (per Fragrantica): aldehydes, neroli, bergamot, rosemary, jasmine, rose, iris, amber, vanilla, woody notes.

Gin and Lime Review

Self-styled cologne-type fragrances present something of a dilemma: formulate them in the mould of the traditional eau and you have a product that disappears almost before you’ve set the bottle down. Alternatively, extend the longevity of the perfume with base notes and risk losing the essential cologne character once the citrus top-mid notes have evaporated. There is, of course, no right or wrong here, but on the spectrum I’d place Gin and Lime towards the latter pole.

As its name suggests, the perfume opens with a marriage between a bright citrus accord whose limey twist provides for the addition of some crisp greenery and a gin note that, altough somewhat light on botanicals, is conveyed with a Floralozone like breeziness that captures the cool refreshment of a clear cocktail. I noted this ozonic quality in another Pell Wall perfume – Pretty in Pink, and as in that case, the material’s excellent substantivity and apparentness at all stages of development serves as a cohering factor. From there, Gin and Lime takes a slight floral turn (having some Hedione/jasmine nuances) before drying out to a long-lasting and linear fond that, in addition to the aforementioned ozonic note, is to my nose dominated by Ambrox(an) and clean musks.

Nose: Chris Bartlett

House: Pell Wall Perfumes

Release date: 2011

Notes (per Basentoes): Lime, juniper, neroli, orange, coriander, orange flower, galbanum, ambergris, civet, musk.

1805 Tonnerre Review

My least favourite of the Beaufort trio, 1805 Tonnerre jarringly juxtaposes the phenolic, smoky scent of birch tar with a sharp, ozonic-metallic-citrus accord built around Floralozone (vel.sim.), rose oxide and lime. 

Like surface cleaner sprayed on a recently used barbeque.

Nose: unkown

House: Beaufort London

Release date: 2015

Notes (per Fragrantica): lime, smoke, gun powder, blood, brandy, sea water, amber, fir balsam, cedar.