Something Old And Something New – Review: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune And Lys Soleia

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Olfactoria

The Aqua Allegoria line of Guerlain is more (but unfortunately sometimes less) than a collection of starter scents. Intended for summer wear, Aqua Allegoria features light and sprightly perfumes, some are in the permanent line, some fade out after a season, depending on their market performance, I surmise. Two are released each spring, one in general distribution and one only at duty free stores.

This year’s widely launched Aqua Allegoria fragrance is called Lys Soleia and is a warm and creamy lily/ylang/vanilla scent of the beachy skin-scent variety. The second Aqua Allegoria of 2012 is Bouquet de Mai, a fresh floral that I smelled at the duty free store, it is the kind of perfume my husband loves, a clean, fresh white floral with a musky drydown.

I want to take this opportunity to take a peek at my favorite of the line as well, one of the original launches from 1999, the sparkly citrus scent Pamplelune.

Pamplelune was created by Mathilde Laurent and includes notes of grapefruit, bergamot, blackcurrant, petitgrain, patchouli and vanilla.

Pamplelune is no doubt the most famous of the Aqua Allegorias and rightly so. It is a wonderful grapefruit scent, probably the best in its category. Even though Vanessa of Bonkers about Perfume says “To put grapefruit in a perfume, one has to be a bit deluded”, I think it was a very good idea of Mathilde Laurent to do so.

Pamplelune is a bit controversial since many people smell the unfortunate stench of cat pee or body odour in it, but thankfully, although I was frightened off the perfume for a while because of these accounts, I am now happily reunited with it. I have worn it every summer for years since it came out and I’m glad that my broadened horizon and expanded perfume knowledge didn’t change that.

Pamplelune opens impossible sparkly and fresh, very true to life and stays like that for a long time. It dries down to a nice green-earthy vanilla.

Lys Soleia was created by Thierry Wasser and includes notes of bergamot, lemon, palm leaves, ylang-ylang, lily, tropical fruit, tuberose, vanilla and white musk.

The predominant notes in Lys Soleia to my nose are lily and tuberose on vanilla. Very warm, very diffusive, with a whiff of sea breeze, tuberose, lily and ylang are conspiring to make Lys Soleia distinctive, memorable and give it volume. The white florals neatly segue into a sumptuous, creamy, almost gourmand base, worthy of a Guerlain.

Lys Soleia smells like a mix of florist’s shop (standing right beside the lilies) and sunscreen on the warm skin of a person having dessert.

It is sweet, but keeps a good balance. It can be overpowering if applied too lavishly, especially in the heat and confined spaces I can imagine it triggering a headache in someone susceptible to it.

Generally I like the line, and while the florals are often a bit generic, insipid and unremarkable, those two in particular are stand-outs and very much worth your time and money.

They are coming on vacation with me this summer, that is for sure.

Image source: polyvore.com, parfumerie.nl, vintageadbrowser.com
Posted in Aquatic, Citrus, Cologne, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Fruity, Gourmand, Guerlain, Lily, Oriental, Spicy, Tuberose, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang | Tagged , , , , , , | 63 Comments

An Unofficial Rose – Review: Dior La Collection Privée Ambre Nuit Revisited

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Olfactoria

The great Iris Murdoch would hopefully forgive me for appropriating her book title (she herself lent it from Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Old Vicarage, Grantchester”) for my review, but I find it so wonderfully fitting, I started re-reading this Shakespearean comedy of errors about love’s complicated ways, swathed in Dior’s Ambre Nuit and feeling terribly pleased with myself for finding apparently disparate things and bringing them together (which is a strange, but very satisfying hobby of mine).

I have reviewed Ambre Nuit before (here), but I have had such an about-face since then that I wanted to give it the time and space to shine.

Ambre Nuit was released in 2009 and created by Francois Demachy, it includes notes of bergamot, pink pepper, spices, Turkish rose, ambergris, gaiac wood, cedar wood and patchouli.

I believe the word I assigned to Ambre Nuit in my first review, the word I found characterized it best, was: Meh.

Well, that is not true anymore. If we stick with short, but descriptive, my new word for Ambre Nuit is: Wow.

So how did I get from Meh. to Wow! in under six months?

Let me explain:

I blame the name. Name something Ambre and you are bound to raise some expectations in your audience, namely that it would be an amber scent. Am I wrong?

Ambre Nuit is NOT about amber, and while I did clock that in my first review, I guess I was also very disappointed by the fact, as I was looking for an amber, craving an amber and not getting one. Getting their hopes crushed and their cravings not met, tends to make people unhappy. Being confronted with something else instead, tends to dull the enthusiasm for that something considerably, therefore: Meh.

Six months on, I did not “need” Ambre Nuit to be about amber anymore, I could take it for what it is, a dark rose perfume and a damn good one at that.

I first re-encountered Ambre Nuit in the air at a most unlikely place, the restrooms at Heathrow airport. A woman trailed an exquisite scent in her wake and I just had to find out what it was, just before I could find the courage to approach her and ask, she passed the Dior counter that is right in the middle of the terminal – and here it was too. In a business savvy move reminiscent of Francois Coty and Estée Lauder, the salesman had sprayed the air around his counter with Ambre Nuit and it had apparently worked its magic on that woman and it started to work on me.

Although, I was still hung up on my own outdated opinion of Ambre Nuit, so I didn’t pursue it further, but I did go for Patchouli Impérial, that I had already eyed longingly at Selfridges and Harrods the previous day.

When I came home though, I couldn’t find my mini of Ambre Nuit fast enough. The reunion was a fabulous one. It smelled just as delicious on me than it had on that woman at the airport, and I almost regretted not getting this instead of the Patchouli.

What got me from the first minute (and in a bathroom no less!) is the glorious sillage of Ambre Nuit. It smells good enough up close, but where it really excels, is when you catch a whiff of yourself, when it unexpectedly bewitches you when you move, when it seduces you with its delightful rose trail.

This is a perfume for the space in between two people. Not a “come close and smell my skin” kind of scent, but a “follow me because you are enchanted” perfume.

I tried to console myself with the dark roses I already have and a frenzy of dark rose days ensued: Lyric, Ta’if, Rose Oud, Mohur, they all came out and tried to help, but while I find them gorgeous in their own way, they could not slake the thirst for Ambre Nuit that was raging inside my greedy little soul.

So I did what everyone in my situation would do – search ebay. I’m hoping for a lucky find of some amber lover’s disappointing reject to appear one of these days.

Then my moment will come…

Image source: dior.com, lolcats.com, rose-wallpapers.com
Posted in Amber, Dior, Dior La Collection Privée, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental, Patchouli, Rose, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Monday Question – Poll: How Many Perfumes Do You Own?

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Olfactoria

It is confession time, people!

This Monday Question includes a poll, so you (and I) don’t have to disclose an actual number in the comments, but can anonymously vote in the poll.

Of course you can still divulge, confess and elaborate in the comments (I hope you do!).

The Poll:

My Answer:

I won’t divulge the total number, because I don’t want to shock my immediate family members. And I include myself here.

I don’t know how many bottles I own actually and I refuse to count them, Some things better stay in a fog of uncertainty…

I can safely say I’m over ten bottles though. 😉

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , | 89 Comments

Beautiful Perfume Advertisements – Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Movie

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Olfactoria

Keira Knightley, the face of Coco Mademoiselle starrs in this 2011 commercial, as a beige-clad motorcyclist with sadistic tendencies. She drives to a photo shoot, seduces the photographer, lets him sniff her feet fresh out of leather boots, only to disappear without good reason at the end and leaving him totally puzzled as to what went wrong. Not without reapplying her Coco Mademoiselle of course.

Can you tell I’m not totally on board with the story of this movie? But that aside, Coco Mademoiselle and I have history. Almost inexplicable for me now, I used to wear this perfume for years. Now one whiff is enough to send me running and I get a major headache when I’m exposed for longer. I guess we just grew apart. I wouldn’t want the boyfriend that came with it anymore, either.

Doubtlessly Coco Mademoiselle has been a huge hit for Chanel.

What do you think about the commercial and the scent?

Posted in Chanel, Ramblings | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Guet Apens Giveaway Winner Announced!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Olfactoria

Many, many of you who participated in the giveaway stated that they would wish that Guet-Apens (or Attrape Coeur at least) would come back.This beautiful perfume is apparently missed by many, those who know and those who only read about it.

Unfortunately Guerlain won’t bring it back as long as the IFRA guidelines are what they are, since it would have to be reformulated into submission. I guess it is better having loved and lost, than to be confronted with a mutant Guet-Apens that only bears the great name of its predecessor.

One lucky winner though has the opportunity to try the original perfume in all its glory, plus a mini of Dior’s Patchouli Impérial.

Congratulations to

Olivia B.

Please contact me under olfactoria at gmail dot com as soon as possible, if I don’t hear anything within a week, I reserve the right to draw again.

Thank you all for entering, until the next time!

Posted in Dior, Giveaway, Guerlain | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Untitled Series – Chandler Burr Wants Us To Smell For Smell’s Sake

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Olfactoria

“Chandler Burr, the curator of The Department of Olfactory Art at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design, the scent editor for GQ magazine and the former scent critic for The New York Times, is creating a project on OpenSky that’s never been done before. He’s bringing scent to life online.  It’s called the Untitled Series.

On the 1st of every month Chandler will choose a perfume that’s already on the market, some famous and some from niche collections. From this scent, he will remove all marketing – no bottle, no package, no brand, no name and will put the scent in a 50ml lab bottle – allowing you to experience these scent works as scent and nothing else. He will give shoppers only the guidance of his carefully chosen words to understand each and determine if the fragrance is right for them.  His goal is to both enable and encourage shoppers to rethink perfume as a work of art, free from all visual cues and marketing techniques. Scents include those from the late 19th century to last week, in all styles and all by the greatest scent artists in the world.  

There will be only 100 bottles available in the series, each month. The first fragrance called S01E01 (Season One Episode One) and will launch today, Friday, June 1st on OpenSky and the identity of the scent as well as more about the artist who created it will be revealed to shoppers on the last day of June.  The series will continue with a new launch on the first of every month and a subsequent reveal on the last day of each month.”

– from the press release

I believe this is a great idea. No visual aids, no influence, no suggestive power of marketing and branding. Only you and your nose. I hope Chandler’s effort will be honored and many people will dare to take part in such an experiment.

My only gripe is that a 50ml bottle is whole lot to buy. (But then again that is always my problem, isn’t it?) But I think many people would be bolder and more prone to let themselves experiment with this unlabeled, untitled fragrance if it came in a smaller and therefore more affordable size.

I’m looking forward to reading Chandler’s descriptions of each perfume.

Are you interested? What do you think?

Posted in Ramblings, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , | 52 Comments

Subliminal Influence – Review: Roja Parfums Danger Eau de Parfum

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Olfactoria

Danger – is this a dangerous perfume, you ask?

It is. Unfortunately not in smell, it is actually a cosy and comforting, soft, if tenacious, powdery floral-oriental that is a safe as they come.

The danger her lies in the potential damage to your finances and the insidious way the perfume circumvents rational thought and subliminally worms its way into your subconscious where it stays, like a parasite and influences you to part with your money, no questions asked.

 “Rich soft oriental perfume. Fresh, sweet, warm, and sensual. Dare to seduce.  A sensual bouquet of jasmine and violet on a base of orris.”

– from the press release

Danger was created by Roja Dove in 2011 and includes notes of jasmine, rose, violet and orris. My nose would like to add bergamot, vanilla, tonka bean, patchouli, sandalwood and white musk to the floral bouquet.

I received a generous sample of Danger from my dear friend, who is known around the perfumed blogosphere as Lady Jane Grey. On a recent trip to London she fell for Danger hook, line and sinker and bought it – against her own and every Perfumista’s better judgement – right then and there. She came back to Vienna swooning and raving about the beauty of Danger that had captured her heart in an instant.

I cautiously sniffed, but since I was wearing something else at that time, I didn’t try it right away.  After coming home from London (after!! so stupid!) I suddenly felt the urge to wear Danger. I seriously did not expect to be blown away, because somehow I thought it inferior to my favorite Roja Dove perfume Unspoken.

It is different, but inferior it is definitely not.

Danger starts to seduce you with a soft, but persistent cloud of beautifully blended florals introduced by a blink-and-you-miss-it fresh burst of bergamot. The florals are shifting in and out of focus: a powdery violet, not too sweet; a gourmand-y rose, soft pink and delicate; that wonderful jasmine Roja Dove uses that is both fresh and sweet, not too green, not too indolic, but just right; a softening veil of iris lies over the florals unifying them into something abstract and greater than the sum of its parts.

The base is a Guerlain-inspired vanilla-tonka mélange with hints of creamy sandalwood and a mere whiff of softened, chocolate-y patchouli.

I am reminded of Dior New Look 1947, Guerlain Angelique Noire, Reminiscence Mi Fá and By Kilian Love, as they all share the texture, not necessarily the smell and sweetness, of cotton candy. Danger has a beautiful sillage and lasts very well on me.

Danger is dangerous for your senses, it bewitches and distracts. It draws you in and holds you hostage. It has a hypnotic hold over whoever dares to wear it.

Come on, it seems to whisper, you know you want me. It is only money, you don’t need it, but you need me…

Go near Danger at your own peril.

Image source: polyvore.com, quitin60minutesnow.com
Posted in Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Iris, Oriental, Roja Dove, Roja Parfums, Rose, Vanilla, Violet | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 55 Comments

A Good Friend – Review: Dior La Collection Privée Patchouli Impérial

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Olfactoria

My third Dior La Collection Privée bottle that I unexpectedly encountered at London Heathrow airport and that I gave myself for my birthday, has the pride of the place right now. Flanked by its sisters Mitzah and New Look 1947, it makes for a lovely display on my dresser (at least a temporary one, I’m too afraid of daylight hurting my precious ‘fumes to leave them out for more than a few minutes of unabashed admiring).

Patchouli Impérial was created by Francois Demachy in 2011 and includes notes of Sicilian mandarin, Calabrian bergamot, Russian coriander, Indonesian patchouli, cedarwood and sandalwood essence.

Patchouli Impérial opens with a burst of mandarin and bergamot laced with coriander, which can be a bit harsh at times, but the more often I apply it, the less sharp the top notes seem to me. Patchouli Impérial, just as the name suggests, is about patchouli and fills a patchouli shaped hole in my collection, but it is more than a simple “solinote” perfume.

Not too dry, not too sweet, it strikes a wonderful balance. The earthy and chocolate-y, but always transparent and lightweight patchouli sings a lovely tune with coriander and sandalwood, showing off both spicy and creamy aspects.

Over time the perfume sweetens and softens, the slight harshness of the beginning forgotten and replaced by a refined and elegant aroma that is never in your face, but always present.

On me Patchouli Impérial has good longevity and a beautiful sillage.

I find Patchouli Impérial to be very elegant, very lady-like without being overly feminine. It would be as wonderful on a man than on a woman.

I wore it on a few quite hot days and can honestly say that it is great to wear in summer, when I get easily overwhelmed by a perfume (sadly my beloved Beloved is not ideal in the heat of summer, I have found), but I enjoyed Patchouli Impérial because it is present and accounted for, but does not completely take over the show once temperatures rise.

Interestingly, in the course of my latest look at the Dior line, I fell in love with a perfume I had half dismissed earlier (story of my life, I know… 😉 ), Ambre Nuit. I was of the opinion that it is a somewhat half-assed amber, which it is, since it it actually all about dark rose. Since my perspective changed and I see it as a rose perfume, I’m all over it. So it seems I’m not yet done with La Collection Privée…

But back to Patchouli Impérial: I did not read any reviews beforehand, as to not be influenced, but now that I did, it seems opinions differ widely from masterpiece to disappointment. On that continuum, I would like to position my review at “very wearable, very elegant and beautiful perfume that I enjoy, but that doesn’t inspire fits of raving passion”.

I have learned on my fragrant journey so far, that those are the perfumes that get actually worn, those are the scents I go to most often, those are the perfumed equivalents of good friends, because you just can’t do great love and grand passion every day.

Posted in Dior, Dior La Collection Privée, Fragrance Reviews, Oriental, Patchouli, Rose, Spicy, Woods | Tagged , , , , , , | 38 Comments

My Preciousss – Review: Guerlain Mon Precieux Nectar

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Olfactoria

Mon Precieux Nectar has a very luxurious past. Once released in a limited edition of only 35 bottles (albeit one litre extrait fountains made of baccarat crystal) it has been the coveted object of collectors everywhere, but only a few of the wealthiest ever owned it.

In an unexpected, almost charity-esque move, Guerlain has made Mon Precieux Nectar part of the Parisiennes line. And it is still in the unchanged Parfum formula. (Cafleurebon reported it to be an Eau de Parfum strength, but my bottle (of the month June, slightly advanced) from Place Vendome unequivocally says Parfum on it). Which, hilariously, makes Mon Precieux Nectar the cheapest per ml – extrait in Guerlain history. (125ml go for 190€)

Mon Precieux Nectar includes notes of orange blossom, jasmine, bitter almond, wood, vanilla and musk. It was created by Guerlain Creative Director Sylvaine Delacourt and perfumer Randa Hammami.

Randa Hammami also created Van Cleef&Arpels Orchidée Vanille and it is that perfume Mon Precieux Nectar reminds me of. Both share that rich vanilla surrounded by a floral wreath.

Mon Precieux Nectar is very recognizably Guerlain, it is a sweet confection, a gourmand treat for the senses.

But groundbreaking it is not.

Mon Precieux Nectar is a very wearable, easy gourmand, beautiful, no doubt, but just a hint of boredom accompanies its honeyed floral heart and vanillic base. There are certainly worse ways to be bored and it makes up for it by impeccable behavior when it comes to tenacity and sillage.

Mon Precieux Nectar smells and feels rich. Fortunately you can mimic being rich without totally breaking the bank if you snap up 125ml of extrait in that gorgeous bee bottle.

I only feel sorry for those who own the baccarat fountain. They must feel just a bit cheated.

Image source: parfumo.de, tiffany.com
Posted in Amber, Floral, Fragrance Reviews, Gourmand, Guerlain, Heliotrope, Iris, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Oriental, Vanilla | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Monday Question – Do You Take Breaks From Perfumeland?

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Olfactoria

Do you sometimes take time off from being a Perfumista/fumie/perfume lover?

Are there days that are spent completely unscented?

Are you a regular “user” or does your obsession come and go?

My Answer:

I long  to take a break now and again, and today is Pentecost and a Holiday in Austria, so that is what I am doing.

Although I don’t stay unscented, taking a break from anything blog-related (testing, researching, thinking about my particular angle of how to write about a perfume, just being aware of what I smell and how at all times) is welcome now and again.

Just wearing a perfume that I want to wear, without schedules or an agenda is lovely.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love to blog, and I mostly enjoy the attendant, fragrant trial and error journey, but to be passive and let the perfume just be, is something I really enjoy as well.

I’m taking only a small number of decants to the cottage every weekend and try to enjoy and wear those without thinking about them. This weekend and for today’s Holiday, I brought Guerlain Mon Precieux Nectar, Amouage Beloved, Dior Patchouli Imperial and Guerlain Pamplelune.

Not wearing a perfume at all? There must be a major reason. Either extreme physical discomfort or a situation that doesn’t allow me to (thankfully that is not happening often).

What about your vacations from smelling? Do you take any?

Posted in Monday Question | Tagged , , | 45 Comments