Layering Serge Lutens

I'm not sure about you, but I have never been a huge layerer of fragrances. I'm not sure why, but perhaps I've always been loathe to combine two fragrances that on their own are gorgeous. If it's good enough on its own, why corrupt it by coupling it with something else, no matter how beautiful that might be too? Recently however, I've been dabbling a bit with combining some of Serge Lutens' perfumes, with surprisingly good results. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but two combinations that really hit the sweet spot for me were as follows:

Ambre Sultan and Sa Majeste La Rose - I suspected this would be a good combo, and I wasn't wrong. Amber and Rose, a match made in heaven, in my opinion. There was something about this development that reminded me surprisingly (or perhaps not) of Amouage Lyric Man. I love Ambre Sultan at the best of times and combined with the dewy purity of Serge's export rose, it reached a sultry, heady height. Yum.

Chergui and A la Nuit - I originally paired  A la Nuit with Ambre Sultan and it fell flat. Combined together the amber never emerged, while the jasmine dominated. However, jasmine and tobacco is a great pairing and with Chergui thrown into the mix it was a totally different story. I was reminded a little of Nuit Noir by Mona Di Orio, but not as skanky. Surprisingly this combo was quite dry, whereas on its own I usually find Chergui to be quite sweet. It worked really well on the hot, humid summer day we were experiencing.

What I find really showed in both these cases is that layering works really well when you combine a soliflore (or a relatively simple, linear perfume) with a more complex one. In these cases both Chergui and Ambre Sultan are  complex, rich arrangements, while A la Nuit and Sa Majeste La Rose are all about jasmine and rose respectively, and quite simple (but not inferior). The result is both stunning in each case, but not stunning for some; I asked my wife to sniff my wrist with tobacco and jasmine on and she said I smelled like a woman. Well, I happen to think women smell very nice, thank you very much!

Does anyone else layer? I would certainly recommend giving Serge Lutens a go. I'm sure there are many others in the line that would work too. 


Well folks, that's the end of June. Halfway through 2010 and I wish you all very happy perfume adventures for the next six months.

Perfume inspiration?

Denyse from Grain de Musc had an interesting article today on the general malaise in the perfume industry, with complaints from people in and around the industry about too much product, uninspired launches, no originality and so forth. Her article can be found here. She ended the article by posing the following questions:

When was the last time you were enchanted by a perfume, and which one(s)?

Are you starting to suffer from launch fatigue?

And are you restricting the number of houses/perfumers you follow as a result?

Do you feel moved to seek out new voices online, or is it all just too much to keep up with?

These are interesting questions, and ones I have thought about before, although not necessarily consciously in each case. I am a relative newcomer to perfume, having only really started wearing and thinking about it since 2007, although I did wear perfume prior to that. I signed up to my perfume addiction with very few preconceived ideas, and with very little experience! Perhaps it is this lack of history that has led me to answer thus:

I am not often smitten or enchanted by a perfume, particularly when I have read too much about it prior to sampling. Perhaps it is the weight of expectation that very often leaves me asking the question: "so what is all the fuss about?". This is particularly true of newer launches; I find that stumbling across a little-talked about gem can be far more satisfying. If I had to name a perfume that charmed me, it would be Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens, and that wasn't even recently. Another that springs to mind is Amouage Lyric Woman.

It may seem strange, but I am not suffering from launch fatigue. If anything, I get excited by many launches, and wait eagerly to read reviews of the latest stuff and even more so to sample it. Having said that, I feel far less excited about most mainstream launches, particularly for men. Most times it is another yawn-inducing sports/citrus cologne. Mainstream-wise, recentish releases that inspire me include Dior Homme and Guerlain L'instant for men. Ok, so these were released almost five years ago...

I definitely don't restrict the number of houses or perfumers I follow. I am always willing to try anything by anyone; otherwise how do you know what you're missing? Also, I think only sampling or buying from one line or perfumer is restrictive and I am still at that stage where I am expanding my perfume knowledge and reference points and the only way to do that is by trying a lot of different perfumes, in my opinion.

Finally, onto blogs and other online voices. I must admit that almost all my knowledge of and desire to try perfume stem from having read numerous blogs. If it weren't for the blogs I frequent, both well known and otherwise, I would never have been inspired to start my own, and I thank each and every one of them for doing what they do. Of course there is an argument against blogs, but in my opinion the building of the online perfume world is a revelation and is good for the industry. Clearly very few (if any) of us are true perfumers or have any relevant experience, but I think constructive criticism and voicing of opinions, provided it is done so in the right spirit, can only be a good thing. 

And finally (yes, finally) a big thank you to those of you who have taken the time so far to read and follow my little blog, still in its infancy, and post comments. I do appreciate it and in part it inspires me to keep on going.

Image credit: http://travelindsey.files.wordpress.com

Black pepper blues

Why the blues you ask? Well, I love black pepper in cooking - hardly a meal I cook or eat is without this now ubiquitous, but formerly precious, spice. Yet for some reason I find it a very difficult note to deal with in perfume. Not so much when it is well-blended with other spices, but when it is the primary focus of a fragrance. Two such perfumes with a heavy use of black pepper spring to mind, Piper Nigrum by Lorenzo Villoresi and Noir Epicee by Frederic Malle. Fragrantica list the notes for Piper Nigrum as watercress(!), mint, star anise, citrus and green notes, pepper, nutmeg, olibanum, petitgrain, clove, rosemary, spices, elemi resin, styrax, amber, benzoin, myrrh, peru balsam, virginia cedar and woodsy(!) notes. That's a list of notes for you! On my skin the top notes, in particular mint and citrus, are quite clear, and there is a definite greenness to it. However, after that it is predominantly a pepper scent on my skin and a lot of the other notes are lost. In fact, if I hadn't read this list, I probably would have identified very little other than perhaps the clove, incense and perhaps a touch of amber and myrrh. Piper Nigrum was one of the first perfumes I ever sampled and I've worn it quite a few times. It is a weird fragrance, strangely compelling, and the pepper is just bearable for me.

Noire Epicee's notes include nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, pepper, orange, geranium, sandalwood and patchouli. On my skin, this is a powerhouse of a pepper fragrance, dark, austere, severe, even melancholy, I find. It may seem strange, but I always feel every so slightly depressed wearing this. The spices are very intense, but ultimately, Noir Epicee smells to me like someone has savagely pounded a mortar-full of black peppercorns and rubbed the resultant powder all over me. I may like pepper, but I don't want to smell exactly like it. I have read that Noir Epicee has a chypre-like effect and I can see where this idea comes from. There is that austere effect that I often get from a dry chypre. I find Noir Epicee a challenge to wear, I really do, but I can certainly see people either loving or hating this. Try it for yourself. One thing is for sure, you won't be bored by it!

Image credit: product-image.tradeindia.com

Perfume frustration

I'm afraid a silly post today folks. I've had one of those days that started ridiculously early and it was downhill from there. I was up at 5 am this morning, as I had to attend a business breakfast with clients, followed by an intense morning of work, a meeting that lasted my whole lunch hour, more meetings and crappy work issues the afternoon, and staff issues that took me into the evening. To top it all, I never got the chance to eat any lunch, as I had no cash and when I tried to draw money from a cash machine, my card wasn't working. Aaarrrh!!! The worst part about today though, was that I didn't even get around to trying or wearing any perfume. I know this sounds silly, particularly when we all live in a world that has so many problems and more pressing issues in our lives than a spray of perfume. However, for me perfume is a relaxation, a meditation, and an escape from my more mundane life. To go through a day without wearing any is pure frustration for me, and puts me in a bad mood. Does this seem like an extreme reaction? Probably, but I suppose we all have our vice, and perfume is mine.....

Honore des Pres - Vamp a NY

I was one of the recent participants in the project involving readers of Grain de Musc blog whereby 100 readers received a sample of Vamp a NY to try and then the option of reporting back on Denyse's blog or linking to their own blog. I've chosen the latter.

Firstly, I should say that I am probably one of the odd ones out in this project, being male. Tuberose is a notoriously difficult note for men to pull off successfully, with its diva-like status; it is heady, floral, and strongly associated with femininity, albeit often in a slightly trampy, slutty fashion. I should say from the outset that I love the smell of tuberose, but not really on me. So why did I participate in this project? Well, firstly, I am a sucker for free samples, and secondly, I am always open to trying new things in perfume and am not afraid of pushing the envelope slightly with regards to the perfume 'gender line'. Just to get the female perception out the way, I let my wife try Vamp a NY. My wife is not a perfume fanatic, but is usually willing to humour me. Her comment after half an hour was: "this smells like frangipani flowers, but God, it's cloying. I don't think I can wear this all day!". Well, as I said, she is not a perfume fanatic.

So what about me? Vamp a NY opens primarily with a sweetish hit of coconut, with a slightly fleshy, green undertone of tuberose. It feels quite tropical to me, but not particularly heavy. We're talking about Olivia Giacobetti here, after all. For some reason the overall tone of Vamp reminds me of reclining in the shade on a beach, this being the shade of lush vegetation on a sand dune. The day is hot and humid, but the scent of cool beach sand surrounds me, my skin bearing the faintest trace of suntan lotion. I know this comes across quite fanciful, but the overriding feel of Vamp to me is of cool, fragrant beach sand. The tuberose note intensifies in the heart, slightly creamy, oily even, but not as lush and heady as one might have expected. There is a tropical feel throughout, of green, fleshy coastal vegetation, not of the sap, but a slight suggestion of humidity. It's quite strange, because despite the tropical, coconut vibe, I feel cool and refreshed wearing this. As we move into the dry down the tuberose is accompanied by some dry woods - perhaps this is the secret balsams they talk about. Every now and then I detect a very slight smokiness, almost incense-like, but it is fleeting.

On paper, the opening was much sweeter, and reminded me of praline or toffee. I know there is meant to be a rum accord, but it felt less boozy to me and more gourmand initially. The creamy notes are accentuated more as well, but after a couple of hours it smelled very similar to what it had on my skin. Although Vamp is composed of entirely natural ingredients, we are told, the longevity is certainly not lacking, unlike some previous fragrances in this line. Vamp lasted through a day and an evening shower on me, which is impressive. I never found the tuberose to be excessively strong, or overbearingly feminine, although I still couldn't see myself wearing this on a regular basis - it is still firmly on the feminine side of the line, but hey, at home, I might indulge from time to time. I think it is a nice take on tuberose, not too heady, well suited to every day use and quite fun really.

Image credit: purplepaperplanes.files.wordpress

Frank No.2 by Frank Los Angeles

I first came across Frank No. 2 on the Lucky Scent site, where it is evocatively described in such a way that I could imagine sitting in an armchair in front of a roaring fire in winter, with my snifter of cognac and a fine cigar. There isn't much written about Frank No. 2 in the blogosphere, so its hard to find any in-depth reviews, but the notes include bergamot, white lavender, coriander, plum leaves, cognac, plum, fir balsam, coffee bean essence, red maplewood, teakwood and white musk. Let's face it, these notes sound gorgeous and I was salivating at the thought of getting my sample. The opening is a fairly typical citrus assault, which quickly moves into  a green, herbal phase that reminds me of a sweeter version of Eau de Iles by MPG. It's that green coffee bean accord I think. I also get a fairly boozy cognac note not too unlike that in Caravelle Epicee. The heart is a mix of woods, vetiver and something slightly resinous, which I take to be fir balsam. I have to say, I quite like Frank No. 2, but I can't help feeling that it's slightly generic, in a been-there-done-that-smelled-that sort of way. I don't mean to be disparaging, but it is a little too safe and boring for my liking, especially considering all these wonderful notes. I know I might not have the greatest nose around, but I honestly struggled to detect plum leaves, maplewood or the teakwood, although to be fair, these are slightly unusual notes (at least to me) and if I'm being honest, I couldn't tell you what plum leaves, teak or maple wood smells like. The dry down is admittedly quite smooth and suave, but ultimately I'm left feeling like Frank No. 2 could have been so much more. However, I would urge you to sample this, as this is only my impression of the fragrance and it might develop better on your skin.

Image credit: Luckyscent.com

Micallef Gaiac

I don't know all that much about the Micallef line. I have sampled Oud Homme, which is a delightful, fairly straightforward oud number, so thought I would try another from the line, Gaiac. The notes are listed as bergamot, clove, jasmin, vetiver, gaiacwood and vanilla. I think what surprised me most was how feminine Gaiac developed on my skin. Gaiacwood is not that often the focus of a fragrance; very often it plays a supporting role and in my limited experience, is used more in masculine fragrances (but please correct me if I am wrong). The opening of Gaiac is a weird citrusy and herby combination, which is surprisingly sweet. it quickly becomes peppery, which I take to be the clove, which incidentally is not my favourite note in perfume. I don't really enjoy cloves in baking and cooking either, but this is clearly a very personal perception. The vanilla note emerges soon enough to combine with the gaiacwood, which is slightly smoky, yet sour. I hate to say this, but this does not appeal to me at all. The longer I wear Gaiac, the more cloying it becomes and although I usually enjoy a pairing of woods and vanilla, it doesn't work for me in this case. I don't even know if I detect jasmin or vetiver. I hoped that Gaiac would improve into the dry down, but it just continues to develop in a very strange way on my skin. I wish I had a more succinct and elegant way of describing it, but in the end only one word comes to mind - weird. Unsatisfactory, I know, but there you have it. It's not often that I give a blatant thumbs down to a perfume, but having worn this a number of times, I eventually gave the sample away to a female friend, on whose skin hopefully Gaiac works better than on mine.