By Val the Cookie Queen from APJ
As some of you may have read in my last post, I recently spent a few hours with Nathalie Vinciguerra Founder and CEO of Anima Vinci Perfumes, formerly the Creative Fragrance Director of Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan. One could say she knows her stuff. Inside out.
It was The Candy Perfume Boy that first brought Anima Vinci to my attention, and to be with both him and Nathalie in London, to sniff through the line was a privilege and a great pleasure. Both of their enthusiasm and love for the brand was infectious.
There are five fragrances in the initial Anima Vinci collection.
Wood of Life by Michel Roudnitska
Bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, mint, blue ginger, ylang ylang, rose, petitgrain, cinnamon, cloves, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, piri piri, palo santo, leather note, musk, vanilla.
Mellow, woody, smooth, soothing, quiet, but that is not to say unnoticeable. This perfume contains the material “piri piri“ seldom, if ever used before in a fragrance. The South Americans have drunk it as a tea for centuries, as a means of entering a dream like state, and for creating a calming and sedating effect. Perhaps this is what induces the feeling of tranquillity in Wood of Life. A distinctive and elegant fragrance.
Lime Spirit by Christiano Provenzano
Bergamot, orange, citrus fusion, mandarin, black pepper, neroli, ginger, lavender, hedione, pink pepper, cardamom, pepperwood fusion, amber, cedarwood, moss, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka, leather, benzoin, musk.
Opening with a stimulating and restoring burst of citrus, reminiscent of a cross between an Opal Fruit and Rose´s Lime Cordial, it is pure pleasure. Diving into the heart we find a multitude of colourful spices, enhancing the revitalizing effect of the citrus opening. Unlike the cologne you might be tricked into thinking it is, it all rests on a bed of leather, tonka, amber… Lime and leather? Absolutely.
Jasmine Yang by Thomas Fontaine
Mandarin, yuzu, pink pepper, solar flowers, water jasmine, frangipani, ylang ylang. sandalwood, ambergris, patchouli, vanilla, white musk.
This is my most worn of the five as I have a bottle in my collection. It is a white floral, but think more along the lines of a white floral for yoga and meditation. It dos not scream. The jasmine cossets your skin, sweetening your emotions, relaxing your mood. Jasmine blossom is offered to the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu faith. Opening with a mandarin and pink pepper flash, the jasmine is there from the start, enhanced in the heart with ylang-ylang and frangipani. It rests on sandalwood, ambergris, patchouli …… and is utterly delectable.
Oud Delight by Christian Provenzano
Bergamot, lemon. cinnamon, clove, ginger, saffron, coriander seed, ylang ylang, rose, olibanum, sandalwood, oud, patchouli, tonka, labdanum, vetiver, musk, amber.
As Nathalie introduced me to the Oud Delight, she commented that no collection is complete without an oud fragrance. Oud is no longer a phase, it will remain. Oud Delight opens with a strengthening bergamot and citrus accord, before smoothly going into a spicy heart, the oud apparent, but not overpowering. It is anchored into the base along with sandalwood, labdanum, amber …..Tranquil.
Rose Prana by Randa Hamami
Violets leaves, verbena, pink pepper, Centifolia rose, oak moss, woody accord, vetiver, patchouli, white musk.
It was The Candy Perfume Boy saying that Rose Prana was one of the most gorgeous roses ever that sparked my interest and the subsequent meeting of Nathalie. I love rose, but only have a couple in my collection. Rose Prana is absolutely ravishing. Rose: Sensual, love, enlightenment, calming, nourishing, rejuvenating, stimulating, restoring. Rose Prana is clear, sweet and with light notes of honey. Divine. I crave a bottle of this.
All beautifully constructed, modernistic perfumes. An absolute joy.
Anima Vinci offer a perfect discovery set. 5 x 1.5 mls, and it includes a stack of scent strips and a very informative leaflet. You also receive a fifteen pound voucher to redeem if you choose to purchase a bottle. The discovery set is ten pounds plus postage.
For more details and a lot more information on the Anima Vinci house, go check them out here.
With great thanks to Nathalie for the fantastic day that we had together, for the black cab ride, excellent tea and sunstroke.
Om Bussis
CQ
Thanks for these great mini reviews, Val. I’m relieved when a new brand launch with a collection that’s 5 perfumes or less. That means I can get a proper handle on them. I’ll be going to Les Senteurs to check these out next week. They sound really well done and very wearable.
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A very classy line. Yeah, 5 is doable. Enjoy LS, a lovely shop. Xxxx
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Nice review, I am looking forward to trying them this fall when I get back to the US, as it’s impossible to get perfume shipped into Canada. Wood of Life and Rose Prana look particularly appealing.
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Hi Tara C. I did not know Canada was so tough. That sucks. I love the Rose Prana and would be more than happy to own a bottle. So you go back to the States to live? Hope you get a chance to try them at some point, all beautifully made fumes! Nice to see you. Hugs. Val xxxx
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I’m a snowbird – I spend summers in Canada and winters in California every year. 🙂
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Right. I actually knew that. My memory ……… 🤷🏼♀️
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Good God, these all sound gorgeous. Each one has an eclectic yet accessible note list, and anything that puts me anywhere near a meditative state has my vote(!). Also glad you called the confectionery line of yore ‘Opal Fruit’. Really, really impressed by your descriptions, but the notes on their own would reel me in. I think I might spring for a discovery set – that is excellent value.
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I ordered my sample pack after discussing the brand with you – and was impressed with the nicely designed box and all. The scents were all very fleeting and light on me, the oud appeared almost sweet(ish). I quite liked the lime one, but I have lots of summer parfums of the same type already.
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Hi LJG. They last Hours on me but so do most things. I know we have different skins ….. I like the Lime a lot, and don‘t have any summery scents really. I like heavy stuff in the heat. Yep – presentation is very nice. I have lots of the Jasmine of you want any. Hope to see you before your new adventure starts. Mwah. Xxxxxxx
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Wow, she has a CV to show I had no idea, and I’m glad I know. With so many new brands popping up, it’s nice to know when someone with that kind of integrity is behind one of them.
Your descriptions are beautiful, I can absolutely imagine each perfume quite vividly.
It sounds like a new rose perfume might find a new home soon ❤️ I will definitely keep an eye out for these
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