Lubin L'eau Neuve Figaro

I have samples of all the (fairly) recent releases by Lubin. Confusingly, they are all called L'eau Neuve, but each ends with its own name. Two of the releases, Bluff and Itasca, are fairly typical masculines, and not hugely interesting, in my opinion. Inedite is meant to be the most feminine in the lineup but didn't strike me as such. It turns out that I liked it the most.

Figaro, the fourth, is loosely based on fig and strikes me as the most original of the group, albeit not entirely my cup of tea. The blurb from my carded sample states: "Bold and seductive like Figaro from Beaumarchais's plays, Figaro by Lubin takes liberties with conventions much like the character who inspired it. The heart is a counterpoint of vetiver and fig brightened by notes of apple, clover and plum. Cilantro (Coriander) evokes the green of nature and seaside pines, mingling with ocean breezes. These woody, amber tones finally give way to vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean and benzoin balm base notes."

There are two things I can say about Figaro. Firstly, if you are expecting a fig fragrance in a similar vein to Philosykos, for example, you will not find it. In fact, if I hadn't known this was a fig scent I would never have guessed it. To be fair, from the notes above it is clear that there is a lot of other stuff going on, rather than fig as the main player. Secondly, Figaro is woody. Very woody. But I don't mean a big, bold masculine wood. When I think about it in more detail, it came to me that actually, if you had to chop down a fig tree and smell the cut wood, this is what it might smell like. So there is a kind of figginess to it, in that sense.

I'm not sure if I detect clover, apple or plum, but there is an oceanic-ness about Figaro that luckily does not paint a scene of water or freshness. In feel it is more like a salt-laden breeze, without much salt, if that makes any sense. This is by no means a fresh fragrance, nor is it light. Yet at the same time it is not a heavy, rich scent either. Although vetiver is mentioned quite a bit, I never really detect much of it either. I do find the woodiness smells slightly creamy or milky, like fig can do, but I suspect this could be the combination of sandalwood, tonka and benzoin.

So I said earlier that Figaro is not entirely my cup of tea. That is true, but this is by no means a boring fragrance. In fact, it is rather quirky and interesting and like I stated, by far the most original of the four new releases by Lubin. I would certainly suggest at least sampling it. You could even be pleasantly surprised.

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

Weekly roundup and post numero 200

It's been a bit of a funny old week for me, personally and perfume-wise. I've had the last two days off from work, just like last week. I haven't done anything particularly special - it's more a case of trying to use up all my holidays before my firm's year-end, as we aren't allowed to carry leave over. Having said that, any time I get to spend with my children is special, so don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed it.

Less enjoyable are the colds my wife and I have come down with. I won't bore you with the details but it's hard to appreciate and enjoy perfume as much as I usually do with a sore throat, cough and the chills. Sob.

I have worn some perfume. I can't exactly remember when, but its mostly been a case of revisiting some old favourites, including L'Artisan's Al Oud and 10 Corso Como and some new faves, like Dior's Leather Oud and Caron's Secret Oud. I can't believe that I've just typed Oud three times in a row (four times now...). What is it with oud lately (five)? Every other blog I've visited in the last month has had a post or more about it. I happen to like the note, but I guess if you don't you're probably thinking enough already.

On the samples front, I still haven't ordered any. Call it perfume constipation, impotence, whatever, but it's getting on my nerves.

My local department stores are still frustratingly devoid of any new releases or perfume lines. I've seen some Daisy flankers or something knocking about, but I'm still waiting for the latest from Uncle Serge. One of my friends in the know tells me that the Etro line is coming to Fenwicks. It's not a line I've tried very often, so if this is true I'll be quite happy.

Oh, and lastly, if I'm correct, I think this is my 200th post. When I reached the century mark I made a big sing and dance about it. This time I'll just say that a further 100 on, I still feel as enthused and excited by blogging as before, which I'm happy about. I honestly wouldn't be doing this if I didn't enjoy it. A big thank you to you who visit my little blog, particularly those regulars who take the time to comment and partake in a bit of perfume banter and chat. I do enjoy these online relationships and community. Honestly!

Have a good weekend everyone. 

Christian Dior Leather Oud

I suspect that I might be slightly late to the Leather Oud party, but what a celebration it is! As I sample and try more and more perfumes, it seems the more special a perfume has to be to impress me. Of late there are only a handful that have had this immediate 'wow' effect on me. A couple that spring to mind are Absolue Pour Le Soir by Francis Kurkdjian and to a lesser extent Secret Oud by Caron.

Now I can add a third to the list - Leather Oud. Like with all my favourites, it is often very difficult to pinpoint why it is so good. It's much easier to point out the negatives in perfume, I find. The notes from Now Smell This include leather notes and oud, Gaiac wood, cedar, sandalwood,  cardamom and clove. I'm sure there is more to Leather Oud than that. For example there is an exquisitely rendered civet note - a skankiness that just hums beneath the surface, warm and unctuous. Leather Oud starts with a massive whiff of intensely sweet, almost burnt/caramelised sugar, which lasts but seconds. As this note fades, a smoldering, smoky oud and leather accord emerges, and this sets the tone for the rest of development. Although not listed, I think I detect a rose note that seems almost honeyed, and the leather becomes thick and buttery, for want of a more suitable description. As the fragrance develops, the leather becomes smokier and combined with what I think is civet, a brilliant 'dirty' smell arises. On my skin it feels like a wonderful combination of leather, oud, honey, light florals just here and there and that slightly dirty civet feel - all good.

There is something about Leather Oud that has a a similar vibe to Absolue Pour le Soir. They are by no means the same, but while Absolue has no oud or leather, its incense note creates a similar feel to the smokiness in Leather Oud, and both have that fabulously dirty undertone. The top and heart of Leather Oud are my favourite - I find that the base, while still very good, loses a bit of that warmth and sensuousness that thrills me so much earlier on. While the oud is lovely in this composition, this is by no means an over-the-top oud perfume. It is very well balanced, with an equally stunning leather accord.

I think what I love so much about Leather Oud is that it is such a complex and multi-faceted perfume. I've worn it quite a lot over the last three weeks (thanks to a very kind swop by Persolaise) and while it still feels mostly the same each time, there are subtle variations and the range of smells is so great. Leather Oud oozes sophistication and in my opinion, originality. While the notes themselves and in isolation are well known, its their combination that makes the sum of this perfume so much greater than its parts. Highly recommended. One thing though - why does this need to be sold in a 250ml bottle? No matter how good it is it, I do not need that much of it. I wish they could sell it in 30ml or 50ml...

Image credit - http://fimgs.net/images/perfume/

L'eau Serge Lutens

The marketing blurb for Serge Luten's L'eau was as ever, slightly fanciful. All this guff about an anti-perfume, with the emphasis on wanting to smell like a crisp, freshly laundered white shirt.

The notes, from Luckyscent, include aldehydes, citrus, magnolia, white mint, clary sage, ozonic notes and musk.

I have to admit, there is a ring of truth to the above. If I were to attribute a colour to L'eau, it would be white. And the fabric would be a linen, smartly-pressed shirt, well-tailored, not too smart, not raspy but not silky either. So what does that tell you about L'eau? Well, honestly, this style of perfume is not me at all, irrespective of who the house is or the perfumer. Having said that, L'eau is in my opinion actually very well done. I know there have been quite a number of negative reviews of L'eau, but as far as fresh and ozonic go, one could do a lot worse than try this little number. 

Usually when I read notes like ozonic and descriptions about crisp and fresh, I run a mile. But this is Lutens after all, and no matter what one says of L'eau, it certainly is not generic and manages to avoid the usual cliches, without smelling like  a synthetic mess in the process. This perfume is full of musk, from start to finish, but there is nothing skanky about it. The musk and aldehydes, with that touch of light herbs, citrus and just a hint of mint, give this perfume a feel of the laundry room, the air redolent with the fading heat and humidity of the iron. In fact, the smell mostly reminds me of that metallic, slightly ionic smell caused by a hot and steamy iron on fabric, so I think in this respect Lutens has been very successful with L'eau. 

The first half of L'eau is far more appealing to me, when the feel is most like that of cool, fresh laundry. In the dry down particularly, it all starts to smell a bit stale, when I wish the fragrance would change direction somewhat. Laundry musks only hold so much appeal for me after all.

As I said earlier, L'eau is not something I would consider wearing too often, but for what it is, it is quite impressive. If you enjoy this sort of perfume, L'eau will provide you with something bordering on fresh, with an intellectual twist to it and you could do far worse. Typically for Lutens, longevity is above average. This is one of the lighter and shorter-lived Lutens, but compared to other perfumes of its type, this lasts very well, at least 6-8 hours on my skin.

Image credit - http://www.punmiris.com/images/

Peanuts!

Everyone loves peanuts, right? Well, perhaps not everyone. For example, those with a peanut allergy might disagree. For me, peanuts are so-so. I actually prefer a lot of other nuts (peanuts are not even nuts are they, rather legumes?). In any event, I prefer peanuts in some forms to others. I am not mad-crazy about peanut butter (chunky or smooth) but I do like a roasted and salted peanut. Raw peanuts are not my favourite - if they're slightly old they get very bitter and leave a dryness on my tongue.  I'm not even a huge fan of peanuts in cooking, such as satay sauce. I'm sure many others would disagree, which is cool. 

What I have fallen in love with recently though are peanut butter cookies. My wife bought a book called The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook a few months ago (I can highly recommend it) and included in there is this cookie recipe. I'm obviously not going to list the recipe here, but it is a lovely cookie that includes peanut butter, a little chocolate, and many of the usual biscuit ingredients. They are simple to make but taste absolutely delicious! They are very well balanced, being neither too sweet nor too bland, and the peanut butter, while clearly the star ingredient, never overpowers.

While I was eating a couple of these with a coffee earlier, I started thinking about perfume and whether peanuts or peanut butter ever feature in perfumes, and if they do, what they would smell like. I can't think of any perfumes that do mention peanuts as an accord, but if you can think of one, please let me know. I'd love to try it! In theory, with my limited knowledge, I can't think why it wouldn't make a good perfume note. After all, peanuts feature in both sweet and savoury cooking, they can be rich and oily and the taste can range from sweet-nutty to green-salty. Who knows?

Image credit - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/137312156_02365e285d.jpg

Time out

I have a couple of days off this week (Today and Friday) and it couldn't have come sooner. At the risk of moaning, it's been one of those working weeks that shouldn't have happened, at least for me! I won't bore you with the detail, suffice to say that it involved an irate client, a neurotic (possibly psychopathic) bookkeeper and me. Hoorah! In those sort of awkward circumstances I almost wish that I was out picking apples or something. Or being a monk  holed away in an abbey obeying a vow of silence. Oh the melodrama!

I also didn't wear any perfume today, which always leaves me feeling ever so slightly out of sorts, but I did get a few samples from one of my local department stores. Annick Goutal's Duel, Ancens Flamboyant (Yes, Josephine!) and Ambre Fetiche as well as Uncle Serge's L'Eau. Yes, that one... I've tried all of these a number of times, but for some reason when I see samples lying around for the taking, like a moth to a flame I grab! Duel never fails to baffle me. It smells so weird, and yet compelling. I never quite know if I like it or not, but funnily enough, I think it is literally the only perfume that has ever got me a viscerally favourable comment from a lady. Bizarre.

I mentioned some holiday ideas a couple of days ago. I'm increasingly gravitating towards Mallorca, particularly the north-west of the island. If I can only find a favourable deal that doesn't involve staying next to lager louts or a fish and chip shop, we'll be off in a flash!

Wednesday scent of the day

I continue to work through my recently acquired samples from Les Senteurs and today I tried Cedre Sandaraque by Parfumerie Generale and Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle. 

For some reason I was expecting to like the PG and find the Malle a bit of a letdown. Don't ask me why. Instead it panned out the other way round. While I didn't mind Cedre Sandaraque, it didn't wow me. I know perfumes can be slow burners and win one over in the long run, but initially I find it a bit bland. It has that PG touch of course - woods, slightly gourmand without being cloying and a strange berry/fruity note which while not department store fruity, is just a bit off putting, at least to me. Maybe it's the Sandarac note, which apparently is a resin obtained from a tree that grows in north-west Africa and has a slightly fruity, balsamic, warm aroma.

Angeliques sous la Pluie was created by Jean-Claude Ellena, but for some reason, while quite light and sheer, a J-C hallmark, this did not really smell to me like the work he has done at Hermes for example. It's a simple perfume, with a bit of pink pepper, angelica and cedar, but it smells lovely. I've read a lot of reviews that describe it as a very fleeting perfume, but on my skin it lasted all day. Yes, it was very much a skin scent, but gorgeous at that, and perfectly unisex. In the past I have steered clear of it, as it's name sounds so feminine to me. I wish I had tried it earlier!