Smile! – Review: Ormonde Jayne Champaca

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Olfactoria

Are you looking for something that makes you feel good? That effortlessly takes you to the feeling of a summer day, no matter what the temperatures outside?

Are you looking for something that equals wearing a white cotton dress, no shoes, hair flying loose? That sounds like laughter and bird song?

Are you looking for something that spells blue skies, white clouds and warm sunshine? That smells like freedom and simple happiness?

Look no further than Sloane Square – Ormonde Jayne Champaca is bottled summery wellbeing.

A tiny pale orange flower from India. Related to the magnolia and deemed sacred in the Indus Valley, Champaca flower absolute is a heavenly, creamy floral scent – both elegant and intimate. Blended with neroli and bamboo and underscored with fragrant rice and green tea notes, this is a distinguished perfume of rare beauty.

-from the Ormonde Jayne Website

Notes include neroli, pink pepper, bamboo, champaca and freesia absolutes, basmati notes, myrrh, green tea notes and musk.

Champaca is off to a sparkly start with lots of pepper and crisp neroli. When they have worn off, a soft, almost milky note emerges (must be the basmati, although it is not “Ah, rice!” for me) that wraps itself around the floral notes of champaca and freesia. After that milky state a very clean and pure green tea note takes precedence and remains in the foreground for the rest of the development. The base is soft, creamy, a little indistinct and smells like green tea with a woody touch.

Champaca is unusual and not easily found elsewhere. It is light, but not fleeting at all. It is transparent and airy, but has substance and presence.

Sometimes the drydown has a tendency to go a bit soapy on me, it is not off-putting, but it is there.

Champaca is a great feel-good perfume, one of the most smile-inducing perfumes I ever encountered.

Champaca dares you to keep a straight face.

Other Ormonde Jayne reviews: Tolu, Orris Noir, Osmanthus;

Image source: harrods.com, Magnolia Champaca via wikimedia.commons.com

Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Ormonde Jayne | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

The Circle Of Life – Review: Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Olfactoria

The first of the Jardin series by Hermes’ in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena was launched in 2003. After Un Jardin sur le Nil and Un Jardin aprés la Mousson I am concluding the reviews of this series today.

The wait for Un Jardin sur le Toit can begin. 🙂

Un Jardin en Mediterranée includes notes of mandarin orange, bergamot, lemon, fig woods and leaves, orange blossom, white oleander, cedar, cypress, juniper and musk.

Almost considered a summer classic by now, Jardin en Mediterranée has many fans.

It opens with rather sharp, almost too sharp for my liking top notes, that go away in ten minutes or so, which is when this gets much more friendly.

Jardin en Mediteranée is not your typical fig fragrance though. There is fig, along with the entire tree and surrounding garden, but there is also a discernible element of something dirty, a little compost-y (is that a legitimate word?). I like that Mediteranée is not your usual pretty-pretty scent. It is courageous in a way. It delivers the entire garden, not only the lovely parts the public wants to see, but also the decay that is always a part of nature. Flowers bloom and wilt, trees grow and decay all at the same time.

It makes me think of the concept of Apoptosis, the programmed death of cells. It is not necrosis, the “unnatural” death of a living cell through damage, but the natural dying process that is as necessary to life as the birth of new ones.

I think it is amazing of Ellena to integrate those necessary and perfectly natural “dark side” of nature, of a garden, be it as beautiful and well tended as any, into his creation.

Life is only complete when you see both sides, light and dark, good and bad, growth and decay, life and death.

Only there are not really two sides to it, this dualistic stance is something deeply ingrained in our western culture and how we perceive things. Heaven and Hell, anyone?

Instead of two sides it is rather a whole, a circle, a sphere. Everything is part of a whole.

I think, in a small way, Jardin en Mediteranée stands for that truth.

Image source: rayting.pixnet.net, Globe in Psace courtesy of Photo8.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Citrus, Fragrance Reviews, Hermès | Tagged , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Shopping at Saint Charles Cosmothecary In Vienna

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Olfactoria

We already took virtual trips to Le Parfum and Duft&Kultur in Vienna.

This time I am going to take you to an interesting spot in the sixth district called Saint Charles. It is a pharmacy that includes a boutique for organic, natural skincare, cosmetics and perfume – the Cosmothecary, a day spa called Hideaway and The Alimentary, a small organic restaurant where you can eat or take away delicious and healthy meals made from 100% organic sources. The approach of the founder Alexander Ehrmann seems to be to provide an all-approaches-covered feel-good service to his customers.

The Saint Charles Cosmothecary is a charming little shop all done in white that projects a clean and elegant aura. They offer organic and all-natural brands like Korres, Ren, Dr. Hauschka, The Organic Pharmacy, Weleda and Florame. They also carry their own phyto-therapy product range called Saint.

The Perfumista in me was exited to try the Organic Glam Perfumes, four of the existing five were reviewed by me last Saturday on Perfume Smellin’ Things.

The Hideaway offers the very best in luxury, organic face and body treatments. From the U.K.’s Organic Pharmacy and Neom, to Dr. Hauschka and Saint Cosmetics, to Shiatsu. As if that wasn’t enough, there is also a mini Hammam fitted with mood enhancing Chromatherapy lights, as well as a relaxation & reading room.
Another wonderful feature of the Hideaway is that it is available for “Bespoke Bookings”. Brides to-be, friends, mothers & daughters, or partners, can book simultaneous treatments, or the entire space, including therapists, for the day.
Complimentary refreshments from the Alimentary and a Saint Charles “Goodie-bag” complete the treatments; making the Hideaway, the urban retreat for organic devotees.

-from the website of Saint Charles

I have my eye on the Hideaway to do exactly that – hiding away for some time to re-charge my batteries that seem to be running on low these days.

If I get the chance to go there I will report back of course.

I want to thank a dear friend and faithful Olfactoria’s Travels reader with good connections ( 😉 ) who was kind enough to procure generous samples of the Organic Glam line for me. He is a very talented jewellery designer, check out his work here.

Image source: all photos from the Saint Charles website
Posted in Shopping | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Monday Question: What Is Your Perfume Nemesis?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Olfactoria

Is there a fragrance you are afraid of?

Do you struggle with one particular scent?

Is there one perfume you  love to hate?

My Answer:

A few days ago my answer would still have been Ambre Fétiche, although due to a mislabeled sample not the real perfume as it turned out. Now I would really like to know what was really in that sample???

My perfume nemesis, the one thing I love to hate and fear more than life itself now?

There are some tussling for that spot, but Enemy Number One is still Serge Lutens Miel de Bois. I see no reconciliation in the future. While I still harbor hopes for Muscs Kublai Khan, Kurkdjian’s Absolue pour le Soir or other dirty musks, that I will come around one day, I am dead certain the urine-rich monster sillage of Miel de Bois and I will never see eye to watering eye.

Image source: gomonews.de
Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Last Week In Perfumeland – Weekend Link Love

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Olfactoria

Spring has sprung this past week in Austria. The temperatures are up to comfortable, the trees are starting to bloom, the grass in the parks is green and the children can go outside and frolic.

Good weather makes things easier.

Last week Perfumeland was abuzz, because Robin of NST, one of the oldest and most accomplished as well as comprehensive blogs ranted about the influx of “too much” in the perfume world. Too many brands, too many launches, too many blogs, too many venues for conversation. It is no longer possible to follow the entire conversation.

Like it is no longer possible to read every book in the library or know every painting ever made.

There is indeed a lot going on, we cannot follow every brand, we cannot smell every perfume, we cannot be exited for every launch and we cannot read every blog post, or every blog even. Choices must be made. The good thing is – choices CAN be made. More also means more variety. Of course there is such a thing as too much. But it lies with us to decide if we take on too much.

Last Sunday I wrote here: Tempus fugit. And it does. We have no choice but to go with it.

Here is a list of posts I found entertaining and worth your time last week! Enjoy!

Tarleisio of Scentless Sensibilities sings about Amouage Lyric Woman. (here is my review)

Dee of Beauty on the Outside steals a topic. 😉

Ines of All I Am – A Redhead found her spring scent – Le Labo Vetiver 46.

Victoria of Bois de Jasmin reviews an Aftelier perfume that speaks of spring (so did I this week).

Olenska of parfümieren is still going strong on the Lutens front and reviews Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist (here is my take).

Ellena of Perfume Shrine takes a look at the new Amouage Opus V. Count me curious!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Image source: flowerpicturegallery.com, some rights reserved thank you!
Posted in Weekend Link Love | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Olfactoria On Perfume Smellin’ Things

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Olfactoria

This Saturday I am exploring a new organic fragrance line on PST.

I hope to see you over there! 🙂

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Belle Of The Ball – Review: Frapin 1270

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Olfactoria

After the sheer adoration that the most recent Duchaufour creation 1697 for Frapin unleashed in me, I wanted to further explore the line of fragrances this house primarily known for Cognac, produces.

I tried Terre de Sarment, Fruits Boisée and 1270, as those were the only three available in Vienna.

1270 impressed me enough to beg for a sample.

Frapin 1270 is named after the year the Frapin family established itself in the Cognac region of France as distillers. The perfume was created by Beatrice Cointreau, the great granddaughter of Pierre Frapin. Notes include exotic woods, spice, raisin, vine flowers, pepper, candied orange, nut, hazelnut, prune, cocoa, coffee, leather, woods, white honey and vanilla. (source Luckyscent)

“Together with Frapin’s Cellar Master, Beatrice Cointreau sought to create a noble fragrance full of the scents surrounding the creation of cognac. 1270 is dry, rich, velvety and smooth. The flowers of the once-proud Folle Blanche (a grape nearly extinct from the region), the vineyard grass, the wine warehouse, the rich smell of damp earth in the cellars, the wood of new casks, the loamy smell of humus where the ancestral cognacs are stored- all these notes can be detected in 1270.”

-excerpt from First in Fragrance

Frapin 1270 starts out very (and I mean very!) fruity, a basket of sweet, dried fruit blooms before my nose, almost too much, since I do not suffer sweetness gladly, but it manages to stay this side of too much just barely.

After a few minutes I start to get really on board. The sweetness recedes in favor of a rich woody, spicy, a bit leathery, powdery and simply gorgeous mélange of scents that are an extremely harmonious whole. This is a perfume that doesn’t make me hunt for notes, that refuses to give them up anyway, and that is fine, here I feel no urge to dissect it. I am presented with a smooth blend that is seamless and complete.

I feel transported to an evening soirée, a ball at the Hofburg (the castle of the Austrian Kaiser in Vienna) maybe. I am waltzing in a red gown to the music of Johann Strauss, I can hear the laughter of people around me, the clinking of champagne glasses. The world is a colorful whirl around me and the only thing in focus is my dance partners smiling face. And what I smell is Frapin 1270.

The longer I wear it the more I like it. While I do not wholeheartedly love the top notes in their fruity glory, I like how it progresses into a smooth, yet complex oriental gourmand.

It is more elegant than its younger sibling 1697, more reserved, less sensual and erotically charged, but still very inviting in its way. It wears close to the skin, but is impressive in its longevity.

Your dance partner will have to lean in close to smell it, but he won’t want to leave then.

Image source: luckyscent.com, hofburg.com, stadt-wien.at, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Fragrance Reviews, Frapin, Fruity, Gourmand, Oriental, Powdery | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Cheerleader – Review: Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Olfactoria

I purchased my Ormonde Jayne Discovery Kit sometime last fall. The first perfume I fell in love with was Tolu, the second Orris Noir. Then I got distracted by other fragrant things, so only now did I have the pleasure to encounter the more spring-appropriate floral scents in the set.

Osmanthus flower, a is a note I recently learned to appreciate and love in Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan and Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau, that is the reason I went looking for this one. And once more Ormonde Jayne did not dissapoint.

Osmanthus is a lovely and cheery spring perfume that brightens those dreary last days of winter.

Notes include Pomello, davana (sweet Egyptian herb), pimento, Osmanthus absolute, water lily,  sambac (Indian jasmine), Cedarwood, labdanum resin, musk and vetiver.

A fruity floral white flower from Japan and China. Like a deliciously crisp spring day, this uplifting creation with Japanese Osmanthus absolute is a beautifully composed bouquet of flowers, embellished with golden citrus notes. Layered on a bed of Egyptian sweet herbs, it is intense, fresh and yet uncomplicated.

-excerpt from the Ormonde Jayne website.

Osmanthus starts out with a lot of invigorating citrus along with a slightly herbal-spicy edge that makes the pomello crisp and green, like it is freshly plucked from the tree.

The top notes are followed by the loveliest rendering of osmanthus I have yet encountered. The sweet apricot scent of the flower is tempered by the woody, somehow grassy (looking at you, vetiver) base. It is quite a linear fragrance, after the initial citrus festival, the perfume stays the same for its wear time of about three hours on my skin. I love that the green grapefruit scent of pomello stays – muted of course, and intertwined with the osmanthus – until the end.

Osmanthus is not the most complicated of perfumes, not does it pretend to be. It is just right as a summer fragrance, I expect the citrus notes to sparkle and shine even more in warm weather. I look forward to wearing this on lovely summer days and as long as they are not here yet, Osmanthus gives me a preview.

A peek of carefree summer days and nights. A happiness-inducing, uplifting and invigorating perfume that acts as a cheerleader for summertime. Perfectly lovely, indeed.

Image source: http://www.ormondejayne.com, adorn-london.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Ormonde Jayne | Tagged , , , , , , | 34 Comments

A Little Bit Of Everything – Review: Dior La Collection Privée Mitzah

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Olfactoria

Mitzah is another sample the generous and lovely Dee sent me.

I comes at an opportune time, since I am into exploring amber fragrances right now, since my fortunate reconciliation with THE amber, Ambre Fétiche.

I am not enchanted with the Dior exclusive line for several reasons. First, there is no Dior boutique in Vienna. Second, the huge 250ml bottles make me cranky. There is no need to elaborate, I think you all get my drift.

Mitzah was named after Mitzah Bricard, a stylish Grand Dame who acted as Christian Dior’s muse throughout his career.

When I first applied Mitzah I thought – I know this. It has an instant familiarity about it, as if it is an old aquaintance. It smells like every amber fragrance I ever smelled. There is L’Eau d’Ambre, there is Ambre Fétiche, a little Alahine, there is even a little Ambre Sultan and a pinch of Epic, all served with Chanel-esque elegance with a nice Guerlinade-like softness.

Dior cannot re-invent the wheel of course, but there is too little of an independent soul in Mitzah to make it unique, too many references come to mind, too much instant recognizability for elements the credits of which must finally go to other perfumes.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like Mitzah, it is beautiful, wearable, has good sillage and lasts for a good while. I would be happy with a bottle, but I would not buy that big vat Dior offers. So many perfumes are so very similar.

It might be a great choice if your collection lacks that type of perfume totally, then you have it all in one (big) bottle. For better sorted collections, Mitzah just turns out to be a bit redundant.

On the other hand, Mitzah has really grown on me, I have drained my decant in record time. It is exactly that familiarity that is both detrimental AND at the same time what makes it so alluring.

Lovely, no doubt, but not only a little unoriginal. I somehow doubt Madame Bricard would have approved.

I, for one, cannot make up my mind about Mitzah. What do you think?

Image source: eloisehairmakeup.blogspot.com, pearlicious.onsugar.com, some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Amber, Dior, Dior La Collection Privée, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

A Lily By Another Name – Review: Aftelier Perfumes Orchid Solid Perfume

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Olfactoria

When I first tried Aftelier solids I was struck by their wonderfully soft consistency and their skin-caring smoothness. Wildflowers had me swooning, so of course I wanted more.

Orchid was the next solid perfume I tested.

What a surprise upon first sniff – Orchid was not what it proclaimed to be, but it was a lily I smelled.

I love lilies. These are the flowers I love to have at home, because they are capable of scenting a large room and are so beautiful to look at.

Orchids as well as lilies produce no extractable essential oil, so their perfume has to be recreated from other elements. It has to be faked by the perfumer. Mandy Aftel, of course, is a master forger of nature.

Orchid transports me into a hothouse. Glass walls, lush greens everywhere, air so damp, beads of moisture start building on your skin, and in the center stands a perfect white orchid, or is it a lily? I can’t see it clearly, but it does not matter. It is its scent that lures me in. Its pull is inexorable, I feel like a bee that is compelled to fly to this flower.

Orchid is spicy, almost hot, cinnamon and cloves. Then orange blossom unfolds, pure and clean and true to life. There is a green, almost herbal undercurrent that is hard to place for me, but that evokes the verdant atmosphere of the hothouse perfectly.

The conservatory in Schönbrunn Castle, Vienna

In the base I detect vanilla that completes the perfume to make it a rounded, soft and warm creation that, whenever I smell it, makes me involuntarily roll my eyes heavenwards and smile. It is that original, unique and plain good.

I wish such a flower existed, I would fill my house with it.

It lies in the nature of solids that they wear close to the body, in this instance I sometimes wish for a little more presence, mainly because keeping my hand close to my nose at all times does not exactly help in lending me a sophisticated air in public. But it is hard to refrain from doing so, I dare you to try.

I also wish the perfume lasted longer than the approximate two hours it lives and breathes on my skin, mainly because I only have a sample that is dwindling rapidly.

I even started to wonder whether a silver compact filled with Orchid solid would not present a loophole in my full bottle embargo, it is no bottle after all! 🙂

So I end up with another Aftelier creation that has put its spell on me. The alchemist Mandy Aftel knows how to enthrall and captivate us with her creations that summon the spirits of nature and sublimate them into something intangible, ultimately greater than the sum of its parts.

This Orchid is a pretender, but it is easy to forgive deception when it is done so utterly charmingly.

Image source: aftelier.com, waagner-biro.at,some rights reserved, thank you!
Posted in Aftelier, Floral, Fragrance Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments