by | March 20, 2016 · 7:00 am
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The Wonderful World of Colognes – Perfume Lovers London, 17th March 2016

 

This was the last Perfume Lovers London event to be organised and presented by the fantastic Lila Das Gupta after starting the group back in January 2012.  Lila has done an amazing job and provided us with so many evenings of fragrant fun, we will be forever grateful.

But the good news is that the lovely Odette Toilette/Lizzie Ostrom will be taking over and Lila will continue to attend along with the rest of us, as a member. Yay!

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Lzzie and Lila

It was a great turn out (50 or more) with lots of familiar faces and a kind of a leaving party vibe. Though Lila led proceedings, it was a sort of Show and Tell.

Lila introduced the evening by saying we weren’t going to do a historical trip through colognes and in any case, as Michael Edwards says, there’s a lot of myths surrounding the origin of Eau de Cologne. So we tried a diverse group of fragrances from the genre and a good time was had by all.

Jean Marie Farina Eau de Cologne by Roger & Gallet

Notes: Bergamot, lemon, neroli, petitgrain, rosemary, cedarwood, sandalwood, myrtle, cedar, vetiver, musk and white amber.

Lila described this as classic cologne (it dates back to 1806) with no doubts as to what it is. That’s indeed how it came across – lots of zingy citrus and easy to recognise as an Eau de Cologne. Lila said it wasn’t her favourite and I think most of us prefer something with a twist.

Florida Water by Lenman & Kemp Barclay

Notes: Citrus, sweet orange, lavender and clove.

florida water

The fabulous Katie Puckrik told us some of the background to Florida Water. It originates from 1808 and is an American version of Eau de Cologne with more of an emphasis on sweet orange as opposed to zesty citrus and with the addition of spice.

It was seen as suitable for young ladies in the Victorian era as it was deemed “nice”. It was marketed as an all-purpose feel-good aroma which could be added to your bath water and laundry. Lila commented that it smelt like Cola. KP agreed but qualified that with “cheap Cola”as it’s not terribly effervescent.

Interestingly, Katie told us that Florida Water had a second life which continues to this day as an item used in witchcraft. It has been used in purification rituals practiced by the Santeria religion and you can buy it in magic shops in New Orleans.

She read us some of the possible uses which included helping those in a “possession trance” (we’ve all been there) and attracting love by adding a few drops to a bowl of water and lighting a “red attraction candle”. Florida Water soap is also recommended for use after dealing with negative people. Katie quipped that she needed it after arriving via London Underground.

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The always entertaining Katie Puckrik

Agua Lavanda by Antonio Puig

Notes: Bergamot, lavender, rosemary, nutmeg, geranium, cedar, oakmoss, musk and tonka bean.

Lila said Agua Lavanda reminds her of her childhood in Spain. For her it’s the smell of sitting in church where incense merged with the lavender scented oil men used to slick back their hair.  Lila reckons the stuff sold in the plastic bottle is better, but the version in the glass bottle lasts longer.

She can’t understand why British people are generally adverse to lavender fragrances but as someone in the audience mentioned, here it’s associated with the older generation as well as men’s grooming products.

agua

Mugler Cologne by Thierry Mugler

Notes: Bergamot, neroli, petitgrain, orange blossom, S molecule and white musk.

Lila categorises colognes as scents at a high pitch (lacking base notes) and a lower concentration. She finds Mugler Cologne to be uplifting and well priced while not relying on citrus. Perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek, who was in the audience, commented that it smelt like lime to her. Others got grapefruit while Lila found it slightly green as well.

Drinkable Eau de Cologne

Lizzie told us she is a fan of a blog called Diseases of Modern Life which has an article entitled “Lady perfume drinkers of the late 19th century”. It explains that because well-to-do Victorian women couldn’t be seen drinking alcohol in public, they’d pour a little of their respectable Eau de Cologne onto a cube of loaf sugar and eat it.

So in this spirit, Lizzie had infused a bottle of vodka with rosemary, food grade bergamot oil, orange, lemon and some orange blossom water as a substitute for neroli (which is pricey stuff). We each put a sugar cube in an empty class and she poured a little of the vodka cologne over it, which was then topped up with Prosecco. I have to say it smelt amazing and tasted pretty good too.

 

Bergamote Soleil by Atelier Cologne

Notes: Bergamot, bigarade, ambrette, jasmine, lavender, cardamom, vetiver, oak moss and white amber.

Lila sees Atelier Cologne as a very interesting line. Bergaamote Soleil is a new release from them and it got a rather mixed reaction. While some focused on a grapefruit aspect quite a few got a “cat pee” note which was hard for them to miss once recognised.

Tea Tonique by Miller Harris

Notes: Bergamot, petit grain, lemon, smokey tea, nutmeg, mate abs, birch tar and musk

tea t

Ever since Bulgari’s Eau Perfumée Eau Thé Vert people realised you could play around with colognes and put tea accords in them. Lila bought Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden when she first came across it in the States. CK One also contained a tea note.

Tea Tonique is a favourite of Lila’s from the Miller Harris line and we tried it on paper. It generally got a very good reception from the room. It reminds Lila of scent of the dry leaves when you poke your nose in the tea tin or the moment hot water hits the leaves. A member of the audience thought it had a rubbery facet. I liked Tea Tonique a lot.

Cologne Reloaded by Bogue Profumo

Antonio Gardoni, the man behind Bogue, took centre-stage to tell us the story behind his Cologne Reloaded which was a limited edition and unfortunately no longer available.

It all started when fifty vintage bottles of bases used by pharmacists to make up colognes came into his possession. He found out they dated back to the 1950s and got the original recipe from the manufacturer. After making up the bases at the intended 4% concentration he started to experiment.

To create Cologne Reloaded he mixed together all 5 bases (light to dark) and made them up to 15%. He added citrus, spices and herbs and a flowery heart. There’s also roasted vetiver and roasted patchouli in the base but what really stood out to me was the white birch tar. A leathery cologne!

Antonio had also brought along his own homemade cologne cocktail of gin, soda, rosemary, lavender, orange blossom water, vanilla and citrus peels with yellow food colouring to make it look like cologne. Hmm, this may become a trend…

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The very engaging Antonio Gardoni

 

Pell Wall Perfumes

Chris Bartlett of Pell Wall Perfumes introduced us to a perfume he is working on for release this summer. He came across a wild orange oil he really liked and created the fragrance to showcase it. It’s 15% orange oil, with an aldehydic top and though it lasts longer than most citrus colognes, it’s still relatively short-lived. Chris said “it’s a big hit and then it’s gone” but he believes if it’s long-lasting then it’s not really a cologne. It doesn’t have a name yet but someone suggested he call it “Lila” and I couldn’t agree more 🙂

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Thanks once again to Lila for all her hard work and enthusiasm in running the Perfume Lovers London group for the past 4 years. It’s been an absolute blast and this evening was one of the very best.

 

 

 

 

35 Comments

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35 responses to “The Wonderful World of Colognes – Perfume Lovers London, 17th March 2016”

  1. Lady Jane Grey
    March 20, 2016 at 9:41 am

    I wish I could have been there ! You know I’m very much a cologne person, so I enjoyed your report a lot. And with all those lovely people present – a.o. Katie Puckrik and Antonio Gordoni – it was for sure a perfect party (not to mention all the cologne tipples, oh dear … 😉)

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  2. Vanessa
    March 20, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    “‘Possession trance’ (we’ve all been there)”- hilarious! I have a little sample of Florida Water somewhere and will see it now in a whole new light. 😉 Loved this account and what august company to be in for the last event under Lila’s auspices. And I do hope Chris’s upcoming orange cologne bears her name. What a fitting tribute that would be.

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    • Tara
      March 20, 2016 at 2:08 pm

      V, I was talking to one of the retreat ladies last night and it and she had actually used Florida Water in a ritual. What’s the chances of that?! Despite us all having been in a possession trance at one time or another, ha ha, she used it to cleanse herself from negative people. Amazing. I’m tempted to get some now just out of curiosity.

      Yes, it was a fabulous send off for Lila and a great atmosphere as well as great company.

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  3. australianperfumejunkies
    March 20, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    I love your event stories Tara, you tell them so well.
    Katie Puckrik was there! How I wish to meet her, and to see all you London folk again too.
    Portia xx

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  4. Sandra
    March 20, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    Wonderful post Tara. Oh how I wish I could enjoy colognes. Perhaps my tastes will expand one of these days. Have a great Sunday. Sandra xo

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    • Tara
      March 20, 2016 at 2:12 pm

      You’re not alone, Sandra. Two of my pals there can’t stand colognes and they still felt the same by the end of it 🙂
      Miss you. Please tell Sean I said hi.

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  5. cookie queen
    March 20, 2016 at 5:42 pm

    Brilliant write up. I have a bottle of the Florida Water. Antonio gave it to me a couple of years ago when we met up in London. (A very thoughtful gift as I was travelling Ryan Air. Hahahahaha. I got it back.). Judith is on her second bottle of Cologne Reloaded, which I love. I have a small amount.
    The Miller Harris sounds worth a sniff. I am not a cologne person but find the genre very interesting. Hugs. xxxxx

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  6. Sabine
    March 20, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    I assume that is my hand in the pic, holding the cocktail? Never far away from the booze, me 🙂
    I loved the evening, never mind my dislike for colognes. But it was such fun!
    I have a nice pic of you wearing an Antonio mask, I’ll send it over pronto.

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    • Tara
      March 20, 2016 at 7:56 pm

      It’s actually mine! I was surprised how good that vodka cologne was.
      Yes, whether you like colognes or not it was such a great night.
      Would love that mask pic, thanks!

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  7. thinkingmagpie
    March 20, 2016 at 6:43 pm

    Lovely post, Tara! Sounds like everyone had a great fun. Love to join one day! I quite like Miller Harris line.I’ll put Tea Tonique on my must try list. 😉

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  8. Lila Das Gupta
    March 20, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    Thanks Tara on your excellent reporting! It was indeed a fun and unpredictable evening. The lovely Callum squeezed out samples all evening, so I actually got to have fun! I missed Portia and half expected him to be there. It was lovely to have all our other guests though, I had a blast! See you at the next one lovely Tara and thank for the wonderful gift of perfume that you gave me. What a treat. xx

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. Asali
    March 20, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    Perfumes and cocktails, AGAIN! I’m starting to get more than a little jealous 😉 Honestly, it sounds like you had great fun, and thanks for sharing. I’m not the huge cologne girl, I own a vintage Jean Maria Farina by R&G, but haven’t opened it, since I’m unlikely to give it much wear. The only true cologne in my collection is Thierry Wasser’s Cologne du Parfumeur, which is gorgeous with its nutty orange flower.

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  10. Undina
    March 22, 2016 at 1:55 am

    As always, extremely enjoyable post – the next best thing after actually attending such events 🙂 Thank you!

    I do not mind colognes but never really wear anything in that genre. Out of all that you’ve mentioned I’m familiar only with Mugler’s Cologne (and like it but never wear). But I would love to try that cocktail!

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    • Tara
      March 22, 2016 at 9:32 am

      See reply below for the recipe, Undina!

      I know what you mean about colognes. It would have to be super hot for me to bother wearing one, so hardly worth investing in a bottle over here 🙂

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  11. poodle
    March 22, 2016 at 9:19 am

    A perfume I could drink? Now that’s an idea that I love. I’ve never been big on colognes but that could change my mind. Actually a few non-drinkable ones you mentioned caught my attention as well so maybe I need to revisit colognes.

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    • Tara
      March 22, 2016 at 9:28 am

      It’s always worth a re-visit poodle, you never know.

      Just for you, here’s Lizzie’s drinkable cologne recipe –

      – Get a 750ml bottle of vodka (plain as poss. ).
      – Pour out about 100ml.
      – Peel zest from 3 lemons, 3 oranges and 3 bergamot if available. Otherwise get hold of some food grade bergamot essential oil and add 10 ish drops (I got mine from the website Sous Chef).
      – Add an espresso cup or to taste of orange blossom water.
      – And 2-3 stalks of rosemary. Shake about and macerate for anywhere from 24 hours to a week (though I’d remove the rosemary after a day as it can overpower). To serve, pour/strain a splash over a sugarcube and top up with champagne. Or use as the basis for a vodka tonic etc.

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