Perfume curiosities, part 3

My third perfume curiosity is an oddity I only smelled today for the first time. It shot to the top of the oddity charts, at least in my book, because it smells like soap. The most realistic soapy note I've smelled in perfume.

I'm talking about Stephen Jones by Comme des Garcons. The soap is Dove. Yes. I can't do this perfume justice by writing about it in detail after one wearing, but when I first sprayed it on I was flabbergasted. Ostensibly this turns out to be a fresh, green floral, I suppose, with some incense. But it isn't fresh really, and it has some serious lasting power I might add.

Another visit to Liberty

I have been away for a few days again seeing a client down in Bournemouth. For those of you not familiar with the UK, Bournemouth is a previously genteel seaside resort in Dorset, which is a county sandwiched between Hampshire to the east and Devon to the west. Probably not the information you were anxious to read, but there you have it. I usually travel there by train, which necessitates a change in London. It's a long journey from where I live, but it does mean I can, if I wish, stop in London on the return trip and visit some perfume haunts. You may recall a post last month where I visited Liberty, the department store just off Oxford Circus, and pictured above left. It's a lovely building, but don't be fooled: as quaint as it looks, it isn't a period Tudor building at all, but was actually built in 1924 using the timber of ships. Nevertheless, it is a quirky store full of little rooms and antiquated chambers, a gorgeous wooden staircase and a lovely gallery at the top. It's worth a visit just for the architecture and curiously old-fashioned feel of it. One thing that is certain is that its merchandise is not out of date or old-fashioned; and the perfume selection is excellent. What I also like about Liberty is that its sales staff do not hassle you. They are quite content to leave you to browse, but if you require assistance they are more than willing to help. I can't say that it is very easy to come by samples though; I've only ever had success at the Diptyque counter. 

I tried quite a few perfumes this past Friday, almost all on paper, so any opinion I've formed is very much a first impression. I'll list them briefly.

Diptyque Vetyverio - this is ok, but has that typically light and understated feel that I find very common in the line. There is vetiver in this, but it is quite subdued and a little nutty/sweet. If you are looking for hard-core vetiver I would suggest moving on to the Frederic Malle counter to try Vetiver Extraordinaire.

L'Artisan Dzhongha - I tried this one on skin. Many of the line have less-than-impressive longevity, but Dzhongha lasted through two showers on my skin and was rather tenacious. It is an incense and tea fragrance, a little smoky and even floral. I was surprised by how sweet it wore on my skin too. In a way I kind of prefer it to Timbuktu but that sweetness does leave me feeling a little unsure.

Escentric 01 by Escentric Molecules - I'm sorry, I can't believe this is actually a perfume. Are they really selling water instead? I don't often say this, but this is a waste of shelf space. I think I have a relatively decent nose but I could not smell this one at all. It was literally fresh air on my skin. Honestly. If any of you have tried this, I'd love to get your take on it. Astounding, not in a good way.

Etro Shaal Nur - I quite liked this. A fairly approachable incense fragrance, perhaps a little sweeter than I would have liked but much easy to cope with than the gothic rising-damp monster that is Messe de Minuit, by the same line.

Comme de Garcon Ouarzazate - another incense, which I'm sure is no stranger to some of you, being one of the five in the incense series. It's not as severe and churchy as Avignon, and again, I quite liked this. It wasn't too sweet, and had a bit of a spice and tea accord which with the incense is contemplative and calming.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Cologne Pour le Soir - I haven't been a huge fan of Kurkdjian in the past, even though I do acknowledge his brilliance, but this is the second in this line that I've tried and it is good. It's a sort of rose-and-light-spice-with-amber/vanilla cologne, not too light but at the same time not at all heavy. It's been composed with a deft touch and is quite interesting for a cologne.

Parfums D'Empire Iskander - it's been quite a while since I tried one from this line, having sampled Ambre Russe and Cuit Ottoman in the past. Iskander is pretty much a slightly aromatic fougere, with predominantly citrus and moss and musk. It's very much in the style of De Nicolai's New York, I think, without the lavender. 

Parfumes D'Empire Equistrius - this is apparently an iris-based fragrance, which it may well be, but iris wasn't particularly evident on a scent strip. The opening was very similar to Ambre Russe I thought, with an alcoholic vodka-like note. Later on it smelled quite ambery to me. It is different and I wouldn't mind trying this on skin next time.

Well, that's about it, I think. Not proper reviews I suppose, and like I said, most of these were only sprayed on paper, so perhaps development on skin would be quite different. I think one thing this blog post hopefully shows is how good a range of perfumes Liberty stocks. I have listed the main players in my previous Liberty post, which can be read here.

   

Friday Bits and Bobs Edition 1

Today's post is a hodge podge of Friday musings. I paid a visit to my local Fenwick department store and randomly sprayed a few scent strips with whatever took my fancy or something I hadn't seen before. Therefore, any opinions I have on the following are merely first impressions and may not do the fragrances any justice, but hey ho.

First up, the new limited summer addition splashes by Marc Jacobs. I was astounded by the size of these - 300ml! By gosh, these make the Chanel Exclusives look positively diminutive by comparion... They are huge, but as the sales assistant admitted, they are good value for money, if you like bathing in a vat of juice. I only tried Biscotti and Pomegranate, not the Apple.

To be honest, I couldn't smell much of the Biscotti, just a vague, slightly fruity accord and then something slightly musky, while Pomegranate smelled like, well, pomegranate. It was the better of two, I thought; there is a sour/sweet note at the top which is quite nice, but fleeting and then an accord that turns quite citrusy and grapefruit-like. Initial impression - nice to wear on a hot summer's day, uncomplicated and so sheer and weak that I'm not surprised they are packaged in 300ml bottles. They aren't really my style, but I think they will prove popular and for the price (£45 a bottle, or 15 pence a millilitre) you can't really go wrong.

Next up, Equipage by Hermes. I've tried this one quite a few times. Sometimes it strikes me as quite old fashioned, but it is a classic men's fragrance, a spicy fougere/chypre really. The opening is strong and spicy, mixed with citrus and spice, then moves to a spicy cumin accord that reminds me a bit of Declaration by Cartier. It is sort of sweet/spicy/dirty, all at the same time. The drydown is mostly oakmoss and patchouli. I've seen this listed as a fougere, but to me (in my limited experience) it straddles the line of what I perceive as a fougere and a chypre. It has elements of both I think. It is quite complex, having elements of citrus, woods, spices, herbs and a sweet smokiness that keeps you guessing as to its mood as you go along.

Being in a Hermes state of mind, I spritzed on D'Orange Verte. This is a wonderful citrusy, orangey, slightly mossy cologne that is a summer staple. One drawback is that it lasts for less than an hour on my skin, so reapplication is necessary, but worth it, just for that initial blast of bitter and sweet orange. Since this one, they've released a concentrated version, but this is still the best, in my opinion.

Last one for the day was Amaranthine, by Penhaligons, the classic English perfumers. This was created by Bertrand Duchafour and represents a departure for him from his usual incenses and spices into a more floral realm. I've seen some very favourable reviews of this one, but I must be honest and say that it is not really my cup of tea. It is meant to smell like the inside of a woman's thigh. I'm no expert, but I have smelled the inside of a woman's thigh (incidentally, how far up the inside of said woman's thigh are you meant to smell?) and this doesn't really capture that scene for me. It smells of powder, violets and mimosa flowers to me, slightly creamy and almost vanillic in a way. There is something about it that reminds me of Un Fleur de Cassie by Frederic Malle, which did not appeal to me either. I'm not saying that this isn't a good fragrance; lots of people with better perfume pedigree than I have praised it, but it just doesn't speak to me.

Oh well, that's it for my first Friday bits and bobs edition. Happy smelling everyone.

Spring is sprung - my daily dose of green

Spring is finally on its way here in the UK. After a long and cold winter, the daffodils are in full bloom, my cherry tree is about to burst into blossom and the leaves of trees are just budding. Today I'm wearing two perfumes that conjure up for me the spirit (if not entirely the smell) of spring. They are Comme de Garcon Monocle Scent 2 Laurel and Parfumerie Generale's Papyrus de Ciane.

Now, spring scents are often described as green, the sort of green that brings to mind fresh, dewy buds, sappy growth and that fragrant verdancy so often associated with April. The two scents I'm wearing today are not green in this sense. Papyrus is quite mossy, while Laurel is more herbal and aromatic. Yet both invoke in me that sense of spring, of a restless breeze, warming gradually as it shifts from the south, heralding a change.

Monocle Scent 2 - Laurel

This opens with a green (not sappy) blast that immediately smells familiar to me. I can't quite place it, possibly a smell from my childhood. The bay and olive soon assert themselves and the feeling is of walking through a wood on a dry, warm spring day. There is a hint of warmth, but this is no humid, damp walk. The scent sweetens slightly but overall remains dry and vaguely dusty - I think this might be the combination of subtle incense and pepper. As it moves into the heart, the scent intensifies, but is slightly creamy, which might be the olive note. I am suddenly struck, all for about a minute, of a resemblance to Yatagan, but this soon passes. Perhaps I am being fanciful but the overall feel of this scent is to me like taking a walk in a wood in Croatia (where I've holidayed) comprising mostly bay trees. Heated by the midday sun, the oils are released and the air becomes mildly fragrant, but deep in the undergrowth, I don't feel hot, but comfortable. The fragrance then becomes fairly linear, retaining the bay note and olive creaminess, which perhaps accounts for that slightly soapy note others have mentioned in reviews. Into the dry down the spiciness has faded mostly but it retains a hint of an edge. I find Laurel to be quite a comforting scent. It isn't loud and wears quite close to the skin, but has good longevity. Laurel is perfectly unisex, although I suspect (and having read favourable reviews, mostly by men) it will find a stronger following by men. It isn't really a sexy scent, but a comforting, reassuring one. I find this to be impeccably composed - it is well constructed and tasteful. Kevin, at Now Smell this, has written a very good review here.

Papyrus De Ciane by Parfumerie Generale
There are some technically in-depth reviews of this fragrance, particularly of Pierre Guillaume's use of an old base called Mousse de Saxe. See here for Octavian's very good review of the history of Mousse de Saxe. Papyrus opens more obviously green than Laurel, with a sweeter accord that is both floral and mossy. I'm not sure, but I think I get Lily of the Valley and Violet, but if so, both are quite muted and not particularly feminine. As the top notes fade there is still an undercurrent of sweetness and a bit of soapiness. Into the heart and the scent also starts to become quite linear, but again, like Laurel it is comforting and herbal enough not to be cloying. Its not miles apart from Laurel at this point; sweeter, yes, and mossy, whereas Laurel is herbier and dry, but in essence, both crystallise in my mind the feel of spring, of being in woods, although in Papyrus' case, the woods are damper and mossier, while Laurel's woods are dry and warming up in the midday sun. In the dry down the scent settles into a green, mossy accord, quite happy, but not frivolous. I'm not quite sure how to describe the use of Mousse de Saxe. I suspect it is the first time I've encountered it in a fragrance. It does smell mossy, but not in the classic Chypre style one might associate with say, Chanel no 19.  It is not as distinct or strong and feels more like smelling moss that has dried out in the sun, but not in a dusty way; it still retains a certain humid feel to it. Like Laurel, I find Papyrus to be quite sophisticated and understated. I think Papyrus might be more popular with females, as the slight sweetness lends it less austerity than Laurel, but it can easily be worn by a man too.


In summary, I think both are intellectual, refined fragrances. They appear quite simple in construction, almost pared down, but on closer examination they reveal their true identity in layers, subtle, but evident. Both come highly recommended. I wouldn't necessarily wear either daily, but when I'm in the mood for some quiet spring contemplation, I could do worse than reach for these two.