A Jubilee Weekend and Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier

Well, today was the start of the Jubilee bank holiday weekend here in the UK, which means a four-day break and lots of festivities to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee, a 60-year reign as monarch. I can't say I'm complaining. Of course, this being England, the weather has now changed from gloriously sunny to much cooler and damp, which is par for the course for any holiday on the muddy isle!

I've had a bit of a quiet time this week, perfume-wise. I've worn perfume of course, but haven't really felt too inspired to write or note much for some reason. Yesterday I wore two perfumes from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Eau des Iles and  Parfume D'Habit. The first is essentially a green coffee, herbal and woody fragrance, while the second is a woody-leather, to my nose. I find both of these MPG creations very complex, very masculine and, if I'm being honest, quite difficult to wear. If you don't like them, be warned: they both stay around a long time on skin.

I'll say one thing about all the MPG masculine fragrances I've tried, which include the two above as wells as Santal Noble and Iris Bleu Gris, and that is that they are uncompromising masculine. I don't generally like to genderise perfume, but I do find these ones very much like this.

What's interesting about Jean Laporte, the man who first founded L'Artisan before starting MPG (and now sadly no longer with us) is that I don't find much of a link, or bridge between the style of L'Artisan and MPG, in terms of actually fragrance. Aesthetically yes (both houses seem to have a quality, vision and integrity to me), but the perfumes don't seem inspired by the same person, although this could just be my personal perception.

What also interested me is I read that Jean Laporte was the founder of Sisley.

Scent of the day - Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Iris Bleu Gris

This iris offering for men from MPG is interesting, yet I think I need to wear it a few more times to form a proper opinion. The hefty iris accord is masked somewhat by florals (jasmine), citrus, musk and a herbal/vegetal accord that could come from vetiver and oakmoss.

To my nose Iris Bleu Gris does translate as a bit on the powdery side. I have it from a good source that the reason iris and violet can smell powdery in perfume is because perfumers often reconstitute the roots from a powdered form. In any event, the powderiness is not off-putting to me, but I do tend to prefer iris in a rootier, woody form. I have read some reviews that complain of the soapiness of Iris Bleu Gris. I get what they're saying - if I catch a whiff of the perfume, it does smell a bit soapy, but when I sniff really close up, I realise it is actually the iris accord and it doesn't smell soapy so much as astringent and powdery. I don't know.

The dry down shares a few similarities with a couple of other masculines in the line, in my opinion, in particular Eau Des Iles and Parfum d'habit, in the sense that one realises they share the same pedigree.

I will say that Iris Bleu Gris is complex and interesting. I'm not convinced I'm sold on it yet, but it holds enough intrigue that I will return to it.

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Parfum D'Habit

Following on from yesterday's post, today is all about Parfum D'Habit, another men's favourite over at Basenotes. I struggled to find a comprehensive list of notes for this perfume. One source listed leather, bergamot, patchouli, incense and amber, while Luckyscent listed bergamot, blackcurrant, vetiver, leather and patchouli. A lot of folk at Basenotes mention a sandalwood note too. I suspect that in reality a combination of these two lists would be reasonably accurate.

Parfum D'Habit opens with quite a potent, slightly animalic twang. This might be blackcurrant, which can smell a bit pissy, which with a good dose of patchouli, could create this impression. In a weird sort of way, there is something about this perfume that in my opinion is not miles away in feel from L'Artisan's Al Oud, without the oud and perhaps a bit more stripped down. Once the animalic note disappears, Parfum D'Habit becomes mostly a leather fragrance, kept slightly green by the vetiver, and ever so slightly powdery and earthy by the patchouli. This perfume also is a kissing cousin of Eau des Iles, I think. Not so much in the actual smell, but more in the overall gentlemanly, quite refined feel. A lot of reviewers describe Parfume D'Habit as a powerhouse fragrance, and while it is no wilting flower, it strikes me as fairly linear and subdued after the opening.

The leather is not overwhelming, being neither smoky nor tarry. Like I stated yesterday, like Eau des Iles, Parfum D'Habit is refined, sophisticated and very well done. But, it lacks something, at least for me. I find it overstays its welcome on my skin and save for the opening, is a bit too refined. I wish it would bare its teeth a bit more. While Parfum D'Habit and Eau des Iles receive a lot of the praise over at Basenotes, I personally prefer Route de Vetiver, which is a little more unpredictable and rough-and-ready, which is more to my taste.

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Eau des Iles

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier is one of those perfume houses that is often admired, but more elusive than one might think. There were rumours that they were closing down, but Luckyscent got them back in stock (albeit a fairly limited range) as did Les Senteurs in London. 

Eau des Iles is quite a strange perfume in my opinion. There is a green coffee note in it that while ingenious, is also slightly offputting for me. The notes include galbanum, coffee beans, myrtle, tarragon, ylang-ylang, incense, vetiver and patchouli. If from these notes you are thinking 'earthy', then you'd be correct, but not in a dirty, earthy way. The earthiness smells like dust and plant life to me. The opening is a very strong coffee and herbal concoction, and quite floral. The herbalness initially made me think that there was lavender in there, but this is probably myrtle. The initial phases are also very green and even a bit sour. The greenness comes from the galbanum, no doubt, of which there is a hefty dose here. The sourness might be from the vetiver.  As the opening fades the very realistic, freshly-brewed-coffee accord is replaced by what for me is the smell of the actual coffee bean. If you've ever smelled a coffee bean that is only lightly roasted, or perhaps not at all, then you'll get what I'm trying to convey. This green coffee note persists for some time, although it does soften to become green and woody, with an undertone of patchouli and what I perceive as a powderiness. Patchouli can smell a bit powdery in my experience and this is the effect I get with Eau des Iles. 

Like quite a few of the fragrances I've sampled in this line, Eau des Iles strikes me as quite gentlemanly and refined, even perhaps ever so slightly fusty. I do like this fragrance, but it seems a bit too conservative for my tastes, albeit very well done. This is highly rated on Basenotes, but for some reason I don't find it that groundbreaking - it smells quite traditional to my nose. Not that this is a bad thing, but just not what I'm really looking for in fragrance at this stage. Some might say that Eau des Iles is a bit quirky, and I do get that to an extent.

Overall though, I would certainly recommend that you sample this. While quite masculine, as ever I see no reason why a woman should not give this a go. 

Image credit - http://www.ausliebezumduft.de/

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Grain de Plaisir

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier (MPG) is one of those truly niche lines that seems seldom to attract much attention or reviews. It has its fans, to be sure, but generally it seems to stay beneath the radar somewhat. Grain de Plaisir is one of those perfumes in the line which seems even more obscure and there are very few reviews of it. It's a very masculine perfume, and I'm aware that recently I've been reviewing quite a few masculine perfumes, so I apologise for that; it's not intentional, just that this is how I've been wearing stuff recently. And who knows, perhaps there are some ladies out there who might appreciate some of these. Grain de Plaisir (I have no idea what the name means) opens with a healthy dose of citrus, what I perceive as neroli and petitgrain. There is also quite a lemon-y-ness to it, possibly verbena, and a bit of lavender as well. It has a cologne-like feel, what with the lavender and citrus, but then I detect a strong celery seed/leaf smell, which immediately lends more of a foody smell to it. However, this is not a gourmand by any means, but quite herbal and piquant. If you like celery in cooking, and enjoy its fragrance, then I think you might well like Grain de Plaisir; if not, then you might be struggling. I personally love the smell and taste of celery in every form and for some reason it is almost therapeutic to me, whets my appetite and just makes me feel good. It is no exception with this fragrance - I'm left wanting to sniff my wrist repeatedly to capture that green, herby, aromatic, almost meditative quality that celery brings. As the fragrance progresses, I detect an almost incense-like quality to it, without being really incense-y at all, if that makes any sense. There is also a strong presence of vetiver and amber, and possibly even juniper. The underlying woodiness is patchouli enhanced. I think Grain de Plaisir is actually a very good fragrance, and criminally overlooked. It won't please everyone, that's for sure, and it is quite masculine, but I could certainly recommend it to those of you who are perhaps looked for a citrus-herbal-green scent that can be worn in summer, with some substance, but could also be worn perhaps in the transitional seasons as well.

Perfume notes include celery seed, mastic, myrtle, lavender and exotic woods.