A Bit Of Glamour – Review: Xerjoff Casamorati Dama Bianca

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Olfactoria

Dama Bianca is a classic case of: attractive bottle drawing in shallow perfume blogger.

Aside from the eye-stabbingly dangerous looking top, this bottle and even more so the packaging are gorgeous! Or are they? The strange thing is, one moment I’m bewitched, the next I think it looks tacky and over the top. Whatever it really is, however you see it, it successfully reeled me in in any case and I’m glad I followed my eyes. And even if my aesthetic sensibilities are of two minds here, my nose couldn’t be happier.

Dama Bianca includes notes of lime, Chinese kumquats, Florentine orris, Egyptian jasmine, lily of the valley, violet, lilac, Indonesian sandalwood, cedarwood, Zanzibar vanilla beans, ambrette seed, white musk and burnt malt.

“Dama Bianca, the White Lady, is a story of a lady trapped within her dreams as high above the vistas, she gazes out into what lay beyond. Locked behind walls of jealousy and deception, her only escape is the fragrant notes of fruits and flowers outside her reach. Daily bounties are brought to her by a mysterious figure as her only sense of what the outside holds.”

-from the PR material via MiN

Um, yes. Be that as it may, Dama Bianca smells pretty good.

Opening with a quick citrus burst, it soon shows the fruitier, fleshier side of limes and kumquats before fully falling into an opulent white floral heart. The real star here is the base though. A totally sumptuous vanilla holds court for hours, artfully accompanied by woody notes and an almost treacly-chewy booze note that is probably to blame for the perfume’s addictive potential.

Dama Bianca is lush and full, sweet and rich, but not heady or cloying in the least. It is similar in style to its golden colleague in the Casamorati line, Lira, and both are reminiscent of the great vanilla-centric Guerlains like Metallica or Mon Precieux Nectar.

Dama Bianca is like a white fur stole, warm, soft, enveloping and slightly too much for going to the corner store for a pint of milk.

This Dame needs a glamorous venue, possibly even a stage, to match her own allure.

Well, a girl can dream and Dama Bianca definitely helps with that.

Image source: minnewyork.com, liveauctioneers.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Vanilla, Violet, Xerjoff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Art Of Scent Exhibition At The Museum Of Art And Design In New York November 2012

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Olfactoria

The Art Of Scent exhibition, the first of it kind, will be opening in New York’s MAD today. It is open until February 24th 2013.

12 perfumes are exhibited, the catalogue that will accompany the exhibition only features 11 though (the 12th, Chanel N°5 could not be included, I’m guessing Chanel did not cooperate?). The catalogue contains 5ml vials of the perfumes. It is limited to 1000 pieces and will be sold online (as far as I’m informed they only ship within the US though).

Here are the 11 perfumes included in the catalogue:

01 Romanticism
Jicky
1889
Aimé Guerlain
Lent by Guerlain

02 Abstract Expressionism
L’Interdit
1957
Francis Fabron
Lent by Givenchy and Givaudan

03 Early American School
Aromatics Elixir
1971
Bernard Chant
Lent by The Estée Lauder Companies and International Flavors and Fragrances

04 Industrialism
Drakkar Noir
1982
Pierre Wargnye
Lent by l’Oréal International Flavors and Fragrances

05 Surrealism
Angel
1992
Olivier Cresp
Lent by Clarins and Firmenich

06 Minimalism
L’Eau d’Issey
1992
Jacques Cavallier
Lent by BPI and Firmenich

07 Photo Realism
Pleasures
1995
Annie Buzantian, Alberto Morillas
Lent by The Estée Lauder Companies and Firmenich

08 Kinetic Sculpture
Light Blue
2001
Olivier Cresp
Lent by Dolce & Gabbana, P&G Prestige, and Firmenich

09 Neo-Romanticism
Prada Amber
2004
Carlos Benaïm, Max Gavarry, Clément Gavarry
Lent by Prada, Puig, and International Flavors & Fragrances

10 Luminism
Osmanthe Yunnan
2006
Jean-Claude Ellena
Lent by Hermès

11 Post-Brutalism
Untitled
2010
Daniela Andrier
Lent by l’Oréal and Givaudan

The catalogue will also contain a booklet, written by Chandler Burr, of 11 essays on the art historical context of each of the 11 works.

Once more reason for sighing deeply and wishing I was in New York…

NY perfume lovers, will you be going to the exhibition?

Image source: Mad Museum photo by Helene Binet, photos of vials courtesy of Chandler Burr
Posted in Chandler Burr | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Monday Question – Which Are The Most Precious Perfumes In Your Collection?

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Olfactoria

By Tara

What are the shining gems of your perfume collection?

Which beloved fragrances of yours were extremely hard to come by?

Do you own a much loved perfume that is no longer available?

Is there a perfume that you would struggle to replace when it runs out?

My Answer:

Vol de Nuit Parfum (vintage), Guerlain

Vol de Nuit has a special place in my heart and unfortunately the vintage parfum is my favourite formulation. Needless to say, this propeller bottle and its zebra case is a much loved treasure that would be tough to replace, especially at an affordable price.

Bois des Iles Parfum, Chanel

This isn’t particularly hard to come by, but it is precious to me because Chanel’s parfums are pretty special in themselves and this is the only one I love and own. The beautiful bottle with its glass stopper is pure elegance.

Shalimar Light, Guerlain

It took ages for this now discontinued version of Shalimar to come up on Ebay UK at a reasonable price so I hit “Buy It Now” immediately. It’s a beautiful mellow rendition of the iconic original and the version I wear the most.

Puredistance I, Puredistance

I was very generously gifted a partial bottle of this luxury fragrance in its fantastic “test tube” shaped flacon. It would be a stretch for me to ever replace it.

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , , , , | 77 Comments

Olfactoria’s Pre-Holiday Sale – Grab A Bargain!

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Olfactoria

I need to get my perfume closet into better shape before the new year, so this your chance to snap up a bottle for yourself or a loved one.

I ship anywhere in the world, please contact me for prices under olfactoria at gmail dot com

So here goes:

Guerlain Terracotta Eau Sous les Vents 100ml

Floris Wedding Bouquet EdP 100ml

Agent Provocateur L’Agent EdP 100ml

Dior Escale aux Marquises EdT 75ml

Parfums D’Orsay L’Intrigante EdP 50ml

Penhaligon’s Artemisia EdP 50ml

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia 75ml EdT

Lady Jane Grey’s bottles:

Parfums del Rae Bois de Paradis

CB I Hate Parfum Just Breathe 100ml

Oscar de la Renta Live in Love 30ml

Prices are very (or even more than) reasonable, so don’t be shy! 🙂

Posted in Ramblings, Shopping | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Who Needs Pink Elephants? – Review: Dior La Collection Privée Grand Bal

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Olfactoria

When I think about Dior, I don’t think of the botched new versions of great classics, of the demise of some of the most important scents in perfume history, no, strangely enough and quite contrary to my usual character, when it comes to Dior, my mind refuses to hold on to the bad news and fixates on the good news instead.

La Collection Privée is certainly good news. (The Candy Perfume Boy expresses a similar view of this phenomenon in his recent review of Grand Bal. )

I own four bottles of the collection, despite their humongous size (Dior calls the 125ml bottle their travel size! People, think! That is not even consistent with airplane regulations! Let’s talk about a 50ml size, or at least 75ml, like the Chanels, huh?) and I wear them regularly. In case you are wondering, these are: Ambre Nuit, Patchouli Impérial, New Look 1947 and Mitzah.

Grand Bal was created by Francois Demachy in 2012 and includes notes of  ylang-ylang, orange blossom, jasmine, sandalwood and tonkin musk.

Grand Bal is a lovely jasmine perfume. It is soft-spoken and intelligent, warm and inviting, pretty and easy-going.

Opening with a fresh, orange blossom-tinged jasmine, it does not develop in a spectacular manner, no hoops are jumped, this is more of a what you smell is what you get perfume. What may sound like damning it with faint praise, is my genuine appreciation of a perfume that simply strives to smell good and enhance the aura of everybody who chooses to wear it.

The drydown is a sweet and warm jasmine enhanced by woody and musky notes, a scent that never overwhelms, but has a comfortable presence throughout its four to five hour wear time.

Grand Bal is not the world’s most innovative, outrageous or unique fragrance, but as I have learned over time, sometimes a good, classic, reliable and well-made perfume does the trick for me a lot better than the equivalent of a pink elephant wearing glasses.

Other reviews of La Collection Privée on Olfactoria’s Travels:

Granville :: Bois d’Argent :: Leather Oud :: Oud Ispahan 

Image source: dior.com, pinkstoreonline.com
Posted in Dior, Dior La Collection Privée, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Jasmine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Roja Dove – An Extraordinary Englishman Part II

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Olfactoria

Here is Part II of my interview with Roja Dove at the Haute Parfumerie in Harrod’s in London. Read Part I here.

How did you come up with the names of your perfumes, what do they signify for you?

Danger, for examples is a perfume that is meant to be dangerous for those close to you, since you become irresistible. Unspoken, your favorite, was named after I made it for a friend, who I only see every few years. Many things between us go unspoken, are not explicitly said, but are understood anyway.

Tell me about the semi-bespoke perfumes, please!

At the moment there are sixteen semi-bespoke perfumes. They are not openly displayed at the perfumery, but are offered to customers who are interested. The scents are offered in aluminium bottles, 250ml go for 1000 GBP, once 50 people have purchased one perfume, the book is closed. Customers can re-purchase their scent anytime, but it is not available for new customers any longer.

What do you think about niche perfumery today and which lines are “getting it right”?

The term niche has been abused to death. What is niche today, is in 90% of cases, not niche anymore. But of course there are a few lines I enjoy, at the moment there are Profvmo Roma, Arquiste and Puredistance. And I admire Clive Christian for his sheer arrogance in saying: I don’t care whether my perfumes are affordable, I just want the best of everything, without compromise.

What is your favorite way to create with scents?

I love scenting spaces. I am often asked to perfume events, like fashion shows, or exhibitions. One of my favorite projects was creating a scented environment at the Coburg Bar.

The Coburg Bar at The Connaught Hotel in London is an oasis of calm and luxury as the team effortlessly creates the perfect environment to help us forget the realities of daily life. My philosophy has always been, ‘it will do, will never do’, one which I see reflected at every level in The Coburg Bar. So when I was asked if I would like to create the perfect befitting scent for the environment through my candles, it was easy as I know the bar so well.

I knew I wanted to create an atmosphere which reflected the bar itself – elegant, effortless, and expensive. So I decided just one of my perfumed candles would not do. I wanted something which was classical, sensual and elegant to greet you as you enter the bar, and at the other end something masculine, smoky, leathery, and refined, so that as you walk from one end of the bar to the other, the scent and the atmosphere changes to reflect the excitement of entering the bar the start of the evening, before you settle down and feel you don’t want to leave.

I only use the finest and rarest raw materials in the world, and the two candles from my collection that I have chosen are no exception. As you enter you are greeted by the fresh, sweet, sensual scent of the Neroli Candle, the peerless white blossom from the orange tree, which slowly evolves into the rarest of all Vetiver Bourbon’s in my Vetiver Candle which exudes its’ unsurpassed dry, virile, elegance. The resulting atmosphere is as gentle and enveloping as the bar itself.

Do you always recommend extrait de parfum over lesser concentrations and if so, why?

Always. I have the title of Parfumeur, not Eau de Toiletteur for a reason. Parfum in its pure form has wonderful tenacity and is at its richest and fullest, just as I intended it to smell. Parfum is not necessarily louder or stonger, but it lasts longest. It is absolutely worth the investment.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

After shooting a few photos in the Haute Parfumerie, Roja was off to other meetings and I was left happily sniffing my way though some of the treasures this boutique holds. More of that soon…

Posted in Roja Dove, Roja Parfums, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Roja Dove – An Extraordinary Englishman Part I

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Olfactoria

It is easy to fall under the charming spell of Roja Dove. Britain’s most prominent perfumer, Roja is on his way to being a legend. The most-quoted perfumer and perfume historian of our time, he lives and breathes his passion every day.

His perfume “store” (quotes are needed, as the Haute Parfumerie is more of a shrine than a mere place of business) and his own line, Roja Parfums, have been Number One on my list of things to do in London, and I visited one and sniffed my way through the other. The highlight of my visit was my conversation with the man himself though.

Roja immediately put me at ease with his friendly and (frankly surprisingly) down to earth way. I had imagined a more exalted and flamboyant man, just seeing from his pictures, but I found him very warm and kind, and seemingly enjoying to regale me with tales from his fragrant universe, despite me probably being the umpteenth person to ask him the same questions.

“You’ll find I’m an easy person to interview”, Roja assured me and he was right of course. He is a born story-teller, someone you love to listen to.

After bonding over our mutual love for Hermès scarves, we were off into the world of perfume.

What perfume are you wearing? Are you more of a signature scent type or do you prefer a perfume wardrobe for yourself?

I am wearing my own creation, something that is only for myself and not for sale. For years, for decades really, I was a devoted Mitsouko wearer, but once it was reformulated, I could no longer recognize it as “my” perfume, so I went on a search for a replacement. Not finding anything suitable and “just right”, I made it myself.

I like to experiment with scent in my house, and enjoy scenting different parts of the house differently, but on my person, I am loyal to just the one perfume.

How did the Haute Parfumerie come into being? How do you select perfumes you carry in the shop?

I was asked to open this store by George Hammer, and at first I point blank refused. We sat at the next table from where we are sitting now and he asked right away, whether I would like to open a perfumery store, and I said: No, I just like some tea, please. But in the end, I am glad he suggested it. Since its inception the Haute Parfumerie is doing very well, bringing in a big percentage of Harrod’s sales per year. And the name Haute Parfumerie itself has been taken up here and there, but it was me who used it first.

As for the selection process: I only buy what I like. I’m not bound to take on the entire line of a brand, as is customary, but only select the ones I find worthy. Our store is the only one doing that, our stock represents the best of best, the true Haute Parfumerie.

Your own line, Roja Parfums, has expanded considerably from originally three perfumes, Scandal, Unspoken (my personal favorite) and Enslaved. How do you go about designing your line? How do you decide which perfumes to make?

It all starts with a name. I once sat down on my terrace with a friend, and we started thinking about perfume names. I went ahead and checked the availability of them all, and then starting with the name, I think about what perfume it could become. My range includes perfume from all the genres. It is a complete palette of scents. It should not be possible that all perfumes are loved by everyone, but everyone should be able to find his or her special perfume in my line.

A Roja Parfums bottle, is made by hand in England. Every little detail is thought of, every part of the production process is done by hand. One bottle needs days to be completed. Which is why I only have a limited quantity to sell, this and because I want absolute control over who says what about my scents, is the reason, why I don’t want my perfumes to be sold anywhere else than a very few select places. They are available only at the Haute Parfumerie (and its online boutique) and in a store in Dubai. I personally train my salespersonnel, because a profound knowledge of my perfumes is a necessary part of selling them.

Part II of my interview will follow tomorrow, so please stay tuned!

Posted in Roja Dove, Roja Parfums, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Luxurious Bargain – Review: Hermès L’Ambre de Merveilles

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Olfactoria

Lately my perfume habits have changed dramatically.

I’ve gone from testing four of five perfumes a day, to craving and wearing a single one for a week or more at a time. That development has it’s positive and negative sides. On the one hand, I feel it is a more “normal” kind of behaviour, I’m less driven, I enjoy to stick with one for a time and really get to know this perfume, I feel more in control, less addicted. On the other hand, it impacts my blogging behaviour as well. Test five perfumes, get five reviews. Wear one, well that is only one.

But I’m fine with this, for now, this is how I want to operate and I can only hope all of you are fine with it as well, even if it means posts are going to be further apart.

So let’s see which perfume held me in thrall for the past ten days…

L’Ambre de Merveilles was created by Jean-Claude Ellena and includes notes of amber, vanilla, labdanum, and patchouli.

L’Ambre de Merveilles is a flanker to 2004’s Eau de Merveilles by Ralf Schwieger and Nathalie Feisthauer. Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena has re-interpreted the theme already twice before with Elixir de Merveilles (a gourmand angle) and Eau Claire de Merveilles (a greener, lighter version of the salty, soft, sea water-orange of the original).

In my humble opinion this third flanker is the best.

I was not immediately enamored though. The generous Lady Jane Grey let me partake in her decant and I let it sit (being occupied with other things) for a while. Until I got the flu that is. I did not feel in the mood for perfume, knowing myself though, the one sure-fire mood lifter when I’m ill is anything and everything by dear, trusty JCE. His Santal Massoia nursed me back to health the last time, so of course I turned to him again.

L’Ambre de Merveilles is very close to its mother scent, but it is like an Eau de Merveilles for winter time. The warm, snuggly aspects are turned up, the amber (labdanum-vanilla) accord warms up the salty-orange skin scent.

It is transparent, as are all later Ellena creations, but it has a definite presence and amazing lasting powers for something so diaphanous. It manages to exude warmth and a blankety cosiness, while staying light and gauzy.

L’Ambre de Merveilles is like one of these gorgeous Hermès mousseline shawls. Impossibly soft and see-through, but still warming and substantial.

Compared to such a luxurious scarf, L’Ambre de Merveilles has the added bonus of being a right bargain.
Although I sure wouldn’t mind having both…

Posted in Amber, Fragrance Reviews, Hermès, Musk | Tagged , , , , , , | 54 Comments

Monday Question – How Happy Are You With Your Perfume Collection?

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Olfactoria

By Tara

Are you happy with your collection as it is, or are there changes you’d like to make?

Do you feel that you have a good varied range of perfumes for most occasions?

Would you like to jettison a few unloved bottles?

Do you plan to move from decants to full bottles, or vice versa?

Do you still need to get round to buying a full bottle of a long-time favourite?

My Answer:

I’m a lot happier about my perfume collection since I sold a few bottles which I had been meaning to move on for some time. My collection is – currently – a manageable size and I feel that I have a good range of perfumes to suit my mood and the weather, most of the time. So I generally feel pretty good about it. I should switch to buying decants instead of full bottles, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. The only thing I am long over-due to purchase is a Hermessence travel set and after that, I definitely won’t need to buy anything else for ages…

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , | 109 Comments

Perfume Shopping Around The World – The Poland Edition

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Olfactoria

Editor’s Note: Let us welcome Lukas today, who will introduce himself below.

By Lukas:

Hello to all who travel through the perfume world along with Olfactoria!

Nice to see so many perfume enthusiasts in one place. Let me introduce myself: I’m Lucas of Chemist in the Bottle, a blog about perfume and chemistry. Thanks to our beloved Olfactoria, I’m here today as a guest writer, which is very exciting. Bows to Olfactoria for having me, you’re an amazing host. Now on to the main topic!

I became interested in perfume in 2006. I was a junior high school student living in a small town without any fancy shopping centers or movie theaters. Every now and then I jumped on a train to take an hour-long journey to Poznań, the biggest city in my region. I used to go there with my friend to see a movie, do some shopping and have lunch. As part of those little adventures we also visited Sephora. That was my first experience with perfume that sparked a passionate flame in my heart.

In 2009, I bought my first bottle of perfume. It was a gift to myself to celebrate passing my final exams in high school. That same year I was accepted at the cosmetics chemistry faculty of Adam Mickiewicz University and moved to Poznań. For many years I’ve been reading perfume blogs talking about perfume brands I’ve never heard of, thinking that bottles offered at Sephora or Douglas (a high-end perfumery store chain) were my only choice. Luckily I was wrong.

In April 2012, I accidentally discovered that there is a perfume boutique in Poznań’s Old Town district. I was going to meet a friend and decided to take a different route than usual. I passed by a window displaying perfume bottles. I recognized one of them as it looked exactly like one of those I saw on a blog. To my excitement, I realized, I discovered a niche perfume store. I returned there few days later to explore what’s inside.

The boutique I found was a small and cosy place named Quality Missala. Later I found that Quality Missala is the biggest niche perfumery in Poland and that they have few more boutiques throughout the country. At the beginning I was overwhelmed by the amount of niche brands in one place, but I quickly learned how to move in this new environment.

Excited by all those brands, I purchased my first niche perfume, Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilée, in May of this year.

Quality Missala is a family business owned by the Missala family. Through email conversations, I befriended them and we have a  good relationship now.

They offer amazing variety, a few examples are Amouage, Annick Goutal, By Kilian, Montale and Xerjoff. For the last few months they’ve been doing an extremely good job of bringing the newest releases to Poland. Olivier Durbano Heliotrope or Frapin Speakeasy were brought from Fragranze Pitti 10 in Florence, to name just a few.

Once you enter their boutique, the first thing you’ll notice is the smell of perfume floating in the air but shortly after you should take note of the interior design. Wooden tables, burgundy velvet chairs, dimmed lights. The boutique has an amazing atmosphere. Once you enter it’s not easy to turn around and leave again. The place is so inviting that you want to stay a while longer. And you’re welcome to stay in as long as you want.

What’s more, you can make an appointment for a personal fragrance consultation. You’ll be offered a comfortable seat, coffee (or tea) so that you’ll be comfortable and relaxed to find an ideal fragrance for yourself.

Personal Consultations Corner

Members of the Missala family are not only great perfume lovers, but they’re also creators. In 2011 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Quality Missala perfumeries, the family created their own perfume, Qessence, in collaboration with perfumer Jean-Claude Astier. The result of this teamwork is a magnificent woody oriental perfume containing numerous natural essences. The idea of the scent was to create something that would evoke the values that guided the Missala family through life.

In my opinion discovery is one of the best aspects of this hobby, but we all know there are many brands that don’t offer samples. Quality Missala niche perfumery has a great sampling program. You can try every single scent they have in stock and you get a 1,2ml glass spray vial with a nice label for 1,5€ – 4€. I order from them every few months to discover the latest scents or older perfumes I didn’t try yet. Oh, and the prices for some brands are really good in comparison to other retailers.

Education is an important factor for perfume lovers. We want to develop our abilities of smelling and recognizing perfume ingredients. Here at Quality Missala they know about that. Every few months they organize perfume workshops in their flagship boutique in Warsaw. Those workshops cater to perfume lovers, who want to learn more. Each meeting has a theme, for example there was a meeting in September on the topic of amber. Participants could learn about natural amber, its price, they could also see the raw ingredients and experience various perfumes with amber notes. Lessons like these are really valuable.

If you ask me about perfume shopping in Poland, I would actually have a problem giving you a short answer. Quality Missala keeps the niche standard high with their hard work that allows Polish perfume lovers to be up to date.

On the other hand many mainstream and designer releases never even appear in Poland. There’s also one more thing that bothers me – fragrances from fashion designer luxury lines are not available here. It might be hard to believe, but Les Exclusifs de Chanel, Hermessences or Dior La Collection Privée fragrances are impossible to get in Poland. Are we worse customers? Maybe…

To sum up, perfume shopping in Poland can be fun and educational at the same time, if you know what you’re looking for and where to go. Sales assistants are generally friendly and willing to help which is a plus, especially when you’re a beginner who doesn’t know where to start. Assistants (especially at Quality Missala) know their stuff and will suggest something to start with. It’s good, but there’s still plenty to do to make Poland an even more Perfumista-friendly country.

I’m sure that day will come, it’s somewhere in the future.

All photos by Quality Missala, all rights reserved.
Posted in Shopping, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments