A perfume inspired by a poem… I’m all for that. This is a combination of two things that manages easily to tug on my heartstrings and in this case it does so incredibly beautifully and effciently. Consider me swooning.
Let us start with the poem, shall we?
Rima XI
(…)
– Yo soy un sueño, un imposible,
vano fantasma de niebla y luz;
soy incorpórea, soy intangible;
no puedo amarte.
– ¡Oh, ven, ven tú!Rhyme 11
“(…)
– I am a dream, an impossibility,
empty phantom of mist and light;
I am incorporeal, intangible I am;
I cannot love.
– Oh, come, come you!”Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
Rima XI was created by Sara Carner and Sonia Constant and includes notes of Guatemalan cardamom, Madagascan black pepper, Moroccan mint, saffron, Ceylon cinnamon, Indonesian nutmeg, coriander, Indian jasmine sambac, Virginia cedar wood, Australian sandalwood, vanilla absolute, Laotian benzoin, soft amber and musk.
Rima XI opens with a delicious roasted nuts on nougat accord that is plain, eye-rollingly gorgeous and makes me want to bite my own hand.
It doesn’t stay all gourmand all the time at all, though. Rima XI develops into a soft and tender, delicate, but still powerful spiced floral-oriental perfume that is simply adorable.
Rima XI shifts in and out, presents diaphanous spicy aspects and tender floral underpinnings, a no-nonsense woody side plays hide and seek with the nutty gourmand aspect from the beginning. I seem to smell iris from time to time, although the note is not listed, but it is iris I see before my inner eye again and again. Powdery soft, light grey and gauzy, this is a whisp of a scent worthy of poetic ghosts everywhere.
Rima XI might even have the power to break through my perfume lurch and make me keep wearing it, despite the fact that I already reviewed it.
Take a look At Vanessa’s beautiful take on Bonkers About Perfume.
Carner Barcelona is one of my favorite small houses, since they do many things right, in my opinion: small line, widely spaced releases, elegant packaging, and most importantly -gorgeous perfumes. That is what we want, isn’t it?
More Carner Barcelona reviews on OT: D600 :: Tardes
Have you tried Carner Barcelona perfumes? What do you think?
Olfactoria's Travels 
I have been waiting for this one to show up in Dubai so I can try it. You make me even more anxious as it sounds wonderful! Is there any similarity in the opening to Jeau de Peux by SL? This line recently arrived here and I enjoyed the Cuirs as a gorgeous soft leather but, thought it was a little too linear and I prefer Cuir de Lancome when looking for a nice suede scent. I do agree with you that a house that doesn’t shove endless new releases at you is defintiely worth a second look.
They are somewhat similar in that both have this roasted deliciousness going on, but Jeux de Peau veers more in the baguette/croissant direction, wheras Rima XI is more of a nutty dessert.
Cuirs is the only Carner I didn’t like so much, but maybe it is time to go back to it?
Poetry and Perfume. Great combination and a beautiful translation of Rima XI.
A wonderful combination indeed! 🙂
Hm, I thought “no puedo amarte” is not exactly “I cannot love”, but hey, it’s poetry…
Roasted nuts sound yummie 🙂
(I’m comforting myself with your Amytis sample right now, how gorgeous !)
What is it exactly? I’d like to know!
Glad you like Amytis – but then again it is really hard not to. 😉
Well, the rests of my old Spanish … I’d say “I cannot love you”…
(and yes, Amytis is mesmerizing!)
Thank you, that is a difference indeed. Maybe the translation makes sense for the entire poem, this is just one stanza.
What an amazing review. Now I want to sample Rima XI and all the others! Just have to figure out how do I get the samples without paying for them or going on a special trip to Warsaw to visit the only place in Poland that carries Carner.
Why, thank you!
The Carners are a lovely range indeed and well worth trying.
If it’s any consolation to you: I’ve had to pay for about 90% of my samples too and I’m sure so have most of us.
That’s not a consolidation for me, now now. You work, you earn money, I don’t.
have heard great things about this one and am curious about it! Had a sample of Tardes (Loved it…very almondy on me) but accidentally spilled it on my clothes and hubby got quite ill from the smell 😦 so I don’t see a full bottle in my future. Will have to check out your review! there was another sample I got…can’t remember the name but it was very citrusy…reminded me a bit of 4711…
Ah, I see. Well, there is such a thing as too much. Even of a good thing. 😉
Actually it was my pajamas which I then wore to bed… needless to say I had to launder the bed sheets the very next day!
Lol. Tardes overdose. 🙂
I have sampled both D600 and Tardes (and I think I have you to thank!), I found them both very elegant and restrained and I enjoyed the beautiful wistful softness of Tardes, but unfortunately they were too restrained for my current taste
Maybe that is why they work so well for my current taste. 😉
Intrigued by your review! I only had a sample of Tardes – it’s beautiful for sure but too perfume-like to my taste if you know what I mean 🙂
I think I know what you mean, Tardes reminds me of L’Heure Bleue – and that is surely perfume-y.
Maxbe you’d fare better with Rima XI.
Thank you for sharing a beautiful poem and a beautiful review!
Carner Barcelona really do sound like a small house that are getting it right.
Thank you for reading!
Did you try Carner Cuirs? Since you love leather it might be something for you…
Not yet, but I’ll bear that one in mind. Thanks!
You make this sound so beautiful. I must get a smell of this soon.
Le Dix-Neuf has it. 🙂
So glad you gave this one a glowing review,I fell in love with it at first sniff,but it doesn’t last on me,maybe I will try it again in spring!And Lady Jane Grey was right,no puedo amarte means I cannot love you!
Oh, that is unfortunate, Rima XI lasts the day on my skin. But I’m glad you enjoy it, is that opening gorgeous or what?!
Thanks for your Spanish input, we’ll have to put the “I cannot love” under poetic licence. 😉
Sounds divine, Birgit. I was sent a sample of Tardes and definitely liked it: I also liked the ‘thickness’ of it, the not skimping on ingredients. I will have to investigate further!
I agree, the perfumes smell rich and intricate, not your typical Iso E Super and Ambroxan cocktail. 😉
D600 is one of my favorites, but you just made this a lemming for me. Lovely review.
Thank you! I look forward to reading your take in Rima XI.
Did you tasted Paloma Picasso – Tentations? It’s exactly like Rima XI. Tooooo sweet for some of us.
No, I didn’t. There is such a thing as too sweet some days, I totally understand. 🙂
Lovely, Birgit. I think this one is probably too diaphanous for me, though I love your description of the roasted nuts on nougat opening accord. I don’t think I’ll see this out, but definitely thumbs up to Carner Barcelona! Love their D600.
It is not as insubstantial as it sounds actually, it is quite sturdy for a ghost. Lasts all day on me in any case. 😉
Very lovely and evocative review of this ethereal beauty – “diaphanous spicy aspects” is bang on, and of course very much to my taste! And it seems you are leaning more towards the gentler end of the spectrum these days. Thanks too for the mention of my own review – my other favourite from the line is D600, but Tardes was overly almondy for my somewhat almond-averse taste! And Cuirs was way too cuir-y!
Cuirs was too cuir-y for me too. 😀
We are finally on the same page again with this perfume, it’s really lovely! It was your enticing review that made me seek this out.
That one is gorgeous. It reminds me of Organza or Organza Indecence I guess. I have to check this.
It is, isn’t it? So glad you like it too!
I absolutely love Rima XI and can easily see it slipping into my collection. It just smells so deliciously different. I smelled it at the Elements Showcase and think that it was robbed of it’s award!
I agree! So glad you love it too!
I think this one is going to get a lot of love in the future 🙂
I hope so, the line deserves some recognition.
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