Hi there A Bottled Rosers. Thanks again Tara for letting me infiltrate you inner sanctum.
I come from Australian Perfume Junkies and would like to share some of my all-time favourite fragrances. Each season, according to your Northern Hemisphere weather, I’ll tell you what I have that gets quite a bit of wear. So Portia’s Winter List will be like an all-star list.
Here’s a pic of Tara and me on our 2018 holidays in the Australian Outback at Uluru with TinaG.
Filed under Perfume Reviews
Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Birch, Cassie, Labdanum, Vanilla and Oakmoss
I only drift off easily at night these days when listening to recordings of turbulent weather, such as squally winds, heavy rain or a rumbling thunderstorm. It may seem odd that these restless sounds soothe me to sleep, but I find something calming about the wildness of nature when I’m safe inside. Wearing Hyde, the new EdP release by indie perfumer Hiram Green, gives me the same feeling.
The fragrance opens a little medicinal and those citrus top notes don’t hang around as we leap headlong into the warming arms of leather.
Most fragrances in this category smell like molten tar but this is much more of a bonfire on the breeze. It has that quality of smoke in the air that regularly occurs here in autumn/winter, which I love and look forward to at the end of every summer.
Hyde is not as heavy as many leathers. It possesses all of the atmosphere with only half of the weight. It doesn’t have that same level of dense meatiness you often find in similarly themed scents either. It has real presence but exhibits a lightness of touch, and it’s that sinuousness in a normally rugged style, that really captivates me.
There is a savoury and moreish aspect to Hyde, although it’s not in the least bit edible. It’s also considerably more parched than a lot of birch leather fragrances, with the feel of charred wood rather than sticky tar. I picture it as deepest brown rather than inky black.
I find myself breathing it in deeply. I like the burnt facet that hits the back of my throat at the end of the inhale. Bois d’Ascese by Naomi Goodsir is a conflagration but Hyde is a smouldering slow burn. Where Cuir de Lancôme is plush, Hyde is unworldly. The fragrance wraps itself like smoke rings around the body and the sense of intimacy is alluring. The lasting power – particularly for a natural perfume – is superb.
The soft malt vanilla in the drydown can only be enjoyed through the lingering wisps of woodsmoke and I like it all the more for that. In common with a lot of base-heavy fragrances, Hyde is best experienced at one remove.
I’ve been thinking about how, when the shadows lengthen or the internal darkness falls, it makes sense to step down a couple of gears to ease the pressure. It’s time to take some respite from the rat-race, either with your loved ones or alone. Hyde is the perfect perfume to hibernate with. It is as reassuring as it is addictive and would make a wonderful shared scent.
It is a must-try if you like burning/smoky scents. It’s not going to appeal to everyone but the best fragrances often don’t. Hyde isn’t trying to please the crowd. It walks its own path, leaving a trail of smoking footprints scorched into the moss-covered earth.
How do you feel about smoky perfumes? Will you be seeking out Hyde?
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Notes: Grapefruit Zest, Black Pepper, Sage, Atlas Cedar, Patchouli, Ginger Lily, Pistachio, Olibanum, Massoia Wood, Vetiver and Musk
I first met my friend Anna Maria on holiday with Portia in Venice a couple of years ago, then in Paris, and in her home town of Austral, Sydney last July. She very generously gave me a bag of beauty products and jewellery, plus a bottle of her latest fragrant discovery, Stash by Sarah Jessica Parker. Anna Maria said she was really impressed by it and was interested in my thoughts – so here we are.
I had been curious about Stash partly because I like SJP but also because I had heard good things about it when it was released in late 2016. I had also thoroughly enjoyed reading The Perfect Scent in which Chandler Burr charts the development of Sarah Jessica Parker’s first fragrance. What we learn during the book is that while Lovely is the first perfume that was released, she actually wanted what we find in Stash: something decidedly darker.
It couldn’t be much further from the pink ballet slippers of Lovely, coming across as positively niche in character. I had tried Stash on paper once but the difference on skin is considerable. It’s grimy and musky in the best way but wears close, like a greasy leather glove. I was happy to discover that despite the connotation of its name, Stash smells nothing like weed.
I’ve occasionally found grapefruit reminiscent of body odour but here in the opening it’s perfectly pulpy and zesty. Stash‘s heart is cedar of the dense variety found in Tam Dao by Diptyque, but there are also the nutty, milky woods of massoia and a nice base of mineralised vetiver. The incense of olibanum is what marks this fragrance out for me. That spike of burning joss sticks gives it a twist and saves it from smelling like a run-of-the-mill masculine.
The musks make it feel a little oily rather than skanky. It’s attractive in an undone, dirt-smeared kind of way. Stash is much more intimate than I expected and I like the fact it feels slick. If you prefer more throw, you’ll have to lean heavy on the sprayer. Now we’ve reached the depths of autumn, it feels just right for “sweater weather” and ideal for spritzing on a scarf.
While it’s much better than I imagined, I still need to layer something floral over the top to make it suit my style. The incense-flecked orange blossom of Seville a L’Aube by L’Artisan Parfumeur works fantastically well.
It’s pleasing that there is a niche-style perfume like Stash on the high street for a bargain price. It may be unlikely to revive the fortunes of celebrity fragrances but at the very least it offers an alternative to the candy dross that passes for a lot of mainstream output these days.
SJP may have had to wait just over 10 years to launch her dream perfume but I have no doubt she feels it was worth the wait.
Do you admire Stash or do you prefer another SJP fragrance? Are celebrity perfumes really over?
Photo © Alex Buts/Alamy
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Notes: Peony, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, velvet woods, oakmoss and musk.
I love the whole aroma M perfumes aesthetic from the Yuzen paper used to decorate the bottles to the American indie brand’s Atelier (pictured below).
Perfumer and style maven Maria McElroy regularly posts pictures full of beauty on social media, including Japanese fine art and her cat Tama chan. When it comes to the fragrances themselves, they are equally captivating. There has to be a perfume among the varied Geisha collection for just about everyone.
Geisha Botan (botan being peony in Japanese) is the latest addition.
Maria first encountered a peony garden when she moved to Tokyo in the 1980s and sees them as a quintessentially Asian flower. The peony derived its name from Paeon, a physician to the Greek gods. For centuries the roots, bark, seeds and flowers of peonies have been used for medicinal purposes and are purported to ward off evil chi. They have a joyous, carefree quality and are a popular motif in traditional Japanese tattoos, denoting a devil-may-care attitude.
The peonies do not allow
The rain-clouds a hundred leagues round
To approach them.
– Buson
I was predisposed to like Geisha Botan because I knew it was inspired by the uplifting, rosy scent of peonies, but they are the overarching theme rather than the whole story. It is a much more nuanced and full-bodied fragrance than I expected it to be. I was imagining a breezy and innocent scent but it possesses presence and depth right from the beginning.
I was pleasantly surprised by the mossy facet and its juxtaposition with the fresh flower works well. The peony and accentuating presence of rose, lie like a bolt of vivid pink satin over the forest floor. The contrast between the bright, blowsy blooms and the lichen covered earth makes what could have been a pretty but simple scent, into something rich and compelling. It mirrors Aroma M’s eclectic feel, where Japanese influences are filtered through a New York state of mind.
The composition is filled out by a substantial though airy vanilla, similar to the variety found in Geisha Vanilla Hinoki, softening the overall effect and adding comfort. If you like vanilla but tire of perfumes where it’s overpowering and overly sweet, this could be a good option for you. The base compromises musky woods with a velvety feel, as advertised in the notes.
Geisha Botan is a versatile fragrance – relaxed enough to wear during the day but also intriguing enough to wear at night. It’s a sophisticated floral vanilla, the likes of which we don’t see often enough.
Do you like peonies? Do you like the sound of Geisha Botan?
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“A drug is a substance which, if injected into a rabbit, produces a paper.” Otto Loewi
HOW?
After my LSD post several people asked me how I had got into that world. I have psychoanalysed myself on many occasions; there is no single answer.
Not everyone who gets into the drug scene has suffered a trauma, but in my case I do think a part of my childhood may have put me onto the road to the sphere of mind altering substances.
Everyone has the potential for addiction, but some people are more predisposed to addiction than others.
CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS
I was living in the Azores, 1969. My father was in the USAF and we were stationed on the island of Terceira.
I think I was nine or ten years old. I was out biking around with a girlfriend, we were sharing her bike. It was one of those chopper bicycles. It was my turn and I jumped onto it and went down a steep hill. I have no memory of it. I came to in the hospital, with someone putting a needle through my lip. Funnily enough I can remember that, and one of my parents telling me to stay still, the doctor was going to sew my lip up.
I had fallen off of my bike, and as I lay unconscious, the pedals kept turning and hitting me in my mouth. They found a complete tooth, with root, in the street, one of six upper teeth that were badly damaged. I had a hole in my lip you could put three fingers through. I was so incredibly lucky though. On the day that this happened, a plastic surgeon had flown onto the island, to visit with his family. He came to the hospital and repaired my lip for me.
When I think of that now I cry, and wish I could thank him for fixing my face. I still have a small lump and scarring on the inside of my lower lip. I did not look in a mirror for many weeks. I would go on my hands and knees into the bathroom to avoid even passing one. It took eight years until my mouth had matured enough to finally have my teeth permanently fixed. By then I was already smoking weed.
My parents’ marriage had been in difficulty for a while but as a kid I did not know that. Perhaps subconsciously. One day, three or four month after my accident, Mum packed us up, my two siblings and myself, and we boarded an Iranian C130 to London Heathrow. My Dad waving us off at the airport. I did not know I would never see him again. I remember the flight really well, I shared my Enid Blyton book with one of the military men on board, and he showed me his book, which I had to look at back to front, and with letters I did not recognise.
We went to live with my grandmother over the next few months, might have been nearly a year. I cannot remember clearly. My father left the island and went back to California, where I do believe he hoped to take steps to repair the marriage. Daddy suffered from alcoholism, maybe partly due to his days when he was stationed in Korea.
We eventually moved into our own flat with Mum. One morning, December 10, 1971 as we got up to go to school, Mum told us that Daddy had died suddenly, the day before. Diabetic complications; but I now know that you can add a broken heart to that. She then sent us off to school. That was it. Honestly, as I write this I have no idea how we ever began to process this. I wonder if we ever did. I did not recognize how desperately sad this was until many years later.
I neither accuse nor judge my parents.
AN AVERAGE FAMILY
I do feel that these two traumas in my formative years might have played a role in my going down the drugs and rock’n’roll path. And the death of my father affected all three of us kids. No one talked about stuff like that in the seventies, you just didn’t.
My brother got into extreme sports before they were called extreme sports. Bungee jumping using cave harnesses and elastic, cave diving and cliff jumping. We talk daily.
My sister climbed out of her bedroom window and ran away and became a polygamist, a plural wife. Passed away at 43 with breast cancer.
Just an average family.
I still love music of all kinds, and am at my happiest in the gym with the tunes up loud in my ears. Perfume is my drug now. Which is how I ended up here. And we have a bike shop. A strange tale indeed.
I regret nothing.
CQ of APJ.
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Hi there A Bottled Rosers. Thanks Tara for letting me infiltrate you inner sanctum.
I thought it might be nice to introduce myself to those of you unfamiliar with me and Australian Perfume Junkies through some of my all-time favourite fragrances. If this works and Tara continues to enjoy my presence here, I think it might be a seasonal concept. So each season, according to your Northern Hemisphere weather, I’ll tell you what I have that gets quite a bit of wear. So Portia’s Autumn List will be like an all-star list.
Here’s a pic of Tara and I on holidays earlier this year in the Whitsunday Islands, Australia.
Autumn is my favourite time of year. The blistering heat of summer recedes and the nights turn cool. I love the breadth of the temperature variation from day to day too. Here in Sydney we have quite a long Indian Summer so temps may range over a week from 11-30C during the days. That gives quite a good variety of fragrances that I can choose and still feel like I’m fitting into the Autumn spectrum. That’s not to say I always choose something Autumnal particularly, but that is the parameter we are working within here. Get it?
Ambre Céruléen by Huitième Art
You want a sweet, refined, thick yet light amber that will enfold you in its arms and sweep you away? Ambre Céruléen is the answer. Simple, comfortable, warm and inviting. I love the way I smell when wearing it.
Aromatics Elixir, Clinique
Yes, the one and only. Long-term love and long-time department store beauty, Aromatics Elixir has been pumping out its spicy, herbal, smoky woods vibe since 1971. You have probably smelt it wafting by in the street and shopping malls for years. The brighter sister of Aramis, Azuree and Cabochard, all created by Bernard Chant. Particularly fitting for Autumnal blustery days.
Cuir Beluga, Guerlain
Cuir Beluga is a strange beast. The sweetness and patchouli override the leather for much of my wear. It isn’t till almost the very last gasp that leather becomes the defining note. I wear it all year round but when Autumn hits I feel it fits the mood perfectly.
Equistrius by Parfum d’Empire
This is by far my most worn iris-centric fragrance. Though to say it is only an iris fragrance is doing Equistrius a major disservice. I also find it so perfectly blended that most of the notes I’m supposed to be smelling have all combined to become Equistrius alone. The chocolate, leather and amber are significant bit players. A very pretty choice for the warmer days of autumn and can happily segue to evening wear.
Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations
My rose above all others. Thick and ropey gouts of Bulgarian and Damascene roses all mixed up with an Indian spice shop and the resins from a souk. Mohair is a big fragrance that happily crosses the divide between French perfumery and subcontinental attars. More going on than you can poke a stick at Mohur is the queen for me.
Olympic Amber by Olympic Orchids
You want a simple, straight up amber with a little bit of a growl, burnt caramel and a warm cocooning presence? Olympic Amber is an excellent choice from indie perfumer Ellen Covey. Particularly fabulous after soaking in a bath of her Amber/Labdanum Bath Oil. Sweet perfection.
So, what are you guys wearing this Autumn?
Portia xx
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You know what it’s like, you read all these rave reviews for perfumes that seem to be super popular with the cognoscenti or are venerated as classics. You go out of your way to try one with eager anticipation but after lifting your wrist to your nose you think “Nope”.
It’s a feeling of disappointment mixed with a touch of confusion as to why it didn’t work for you.
I don’t have the taste of most hardcore perfumistas so this tends to happen to me a fair bit. I’m not one for typically niche-style scents which are characteristically dark and heavy. I was gutted at the beginning of my perfume career because I wanted to be one of the cool kids and like the edgy stuff. Since then I’ve become fine with it but there are still some perfumes mismatches that stick.
So today, we – the Mood Scent 4 – are sharing those fragrances that feel as if everyone gets them but us.
Feminite du Bois by Serge Lutens
I might as well start with the big one. Feminite du Bois with its rich cedar and stewed plum, represents all those Serge Lutens perfumes that I am far too fey to carry-off. They are the ones full of warm fruit and resinous woods that must be wonderful in cooler weather and give the wearer an air of chic with a touch of edge. Sadly that will never be me. I can only wear Uncle Serge’s more transparent and non-woody compositions such as the rooty Iris Silver Mist and the rose-violet veil of La Fille de Berlin. It’s not you FdB, it’s me.
Chanel No.5
It was a ground-breaker when released in 1921 and manages to retain its position as the most famous perfume in the world. No.5 is synonymous with class and effortless elegance. On me it is just too soapy and well, nondescript. I have a vintage parfum from Portia to give our mutual friend, Val the Cookie Queen and I imagine that is another experience entirely. She didn’t always love it so maybe one day it will click with me too. There is always hope. Apart from anything else, who doesn’t want to own that iconic bottle?
Nahema by Guerlain
On paper this one should be perfect for me. I love Guerlain, I love rose, so why don’t I love Nahema? Each time I’ve tried it I’ve got an acidic green, metallic rose, which is not to my taste at all. I love roses which have a touch of sweetness but this is just plain sour on me. I have heard that it is one of those perfumes that is different on different people so I suspect my skin chemistry is the culprit. Shame.
Avignon by Comme des Garcons
Oh how I wanted to love the ultimate incense perfume by those proto-hipsters at CdG. I sprayed Avignon – probably too generously – on the back of my hand and inhaled. Jeez that thing was powerful. It nearly knocked me sideways. Straight-up, full-force Catholic frankincense clearly wasn’t for me. This led me to discover that I like my incense more subdued and preferably combined with another contrasting accord. The muted, woody incense of Passage d’Enfer with its waxy white lilies was the version that worked for me.
Knize Ten
Released in the 1920s and lauded as one of the best leathers of all time, Knize Ten sounded fantastic. Unfortunately it was oily, tough and scratchy on me. The good thing that came out of this less than positive experience was that once again, I found out what kind of leathers do work for me: those smoky, birch tar based leathers and softer suedes such as my holy grail Cuir de Lancôme.
This is a fun one so hop on over to my blogging partners to see which notable scents missed the mark for Megan In Sainte Maxime, L’Esperessence and I Scent You A Day.
Now it’s over to you. Which perfumes that fell flat did you expect to love because everyone else did? Let me know in the comments.
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My Aussie friends gave me so many wonderful gifts when I visited in July. These included sweets, skincare, earrings, boots (2 pairs!) and of course, perfume.
The lovely Scott is a pal of Portia’s and a fragrance fiend like the rest of us. At my last evening attending Turbo Trivia he very sweetly presented me with a selection of decants from his collection which all feature rose to some extent. This was incredibly thoughtful, given my obvious love of the note. They were all perfumes that I didn’t know well – if at all – and I was excited to try them.
Portia, Jin, me and Scott
There were five decants in all but I’ve decided to focus on the three that impressed me the most. (The other two being Voleur de Roses by L’Artisan Parfumeur and Parfum de Peau by Montana).
Bal a Versailles Vintage EDC, Jean Desprez
Rosemary, orange blossom, mandarin orange, cassia, jasmine, rose, neroli, bergamot, Bulgarian rose, lemon, sandalwood, patchouli, lilac, orris root, vetiver, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, leather, Tolu balsam, amber, musk, benzoin, civet, vanilla, cedar, resins
Bal a Versailles is a busty oriental from the days when you could find animalic perfumes on the high street. I thought it would be a real ball-buster: loud and skanky. On me however, it radiates a warm and furry hum that is suggestive rather than obscene. I’m not at ease in pornographic perfume but on me, this is lightly draped curves and candle-lit seduction. I actually find it rather comforting in small amounts, though I have little doubt spraying liberally from the bottle gives you a decidedly different effect.
The musks are silky, fuzzy, moreish and of course, sensual. The powder is pitched just right. It’s the kind of perfume that I imagine being dabbed on the décolleté and mingling with the wearer’s skin chemistry. It positively blooms with body heat. The musky base is embellished with flowers and gilded with aromatics, woods and sweet resins. Bal a Versailles is enticingly intimate and gloriously lavish.
Paris Vintage EDT, YSL
Bergamot, orange blossom, rose, mimosa, cassia, hawthorn, nasturtium, violet, hyacinth, geranium, violet leaves, jasmine, orris, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, lily, linden, sandalwood, amber, musk, moss, heliotrope, cedar and ambergris
I flip over good powdery rose/violet perfumes. They tend to be feminine, glamourous and often reminiscent of vintage cosmetics. In short, they give me my pin-up girl moment.
I imagined vintage Paris would overwhelm me with chilly and jagged aldehydes, but it is surprisingly warm and velvety. That’s not to say it is a quiet perfume – quite the opposite. A full spray from the bottle must envelop you in a dazzling pink cloud. Its personality is charmingly optimistic, carefree and elegant. The only thing that puts me off seeking out more juice, is the tell-tale Playdoh effect caused by heliotrope. For some reason the dominant presence of that almond-tinged note gives me a headache.
Although I may not be able to wear it, Paris is still a standout fragrance.
Magie Noire Vintage EDT, Lancome
Bulgarian rose, blackcurrant buds, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, amber and patchouli
I remember sniffing this at the very, very beginning of my slip into perfumania. I didn’t get it. It seemed too sour and austere.
Now I’m ready for it.
This sophisticated virago brings to mind black and white movie femme fatales like Bette Davis. Maybe not conventionally beautiful but absolutely magnetic. The individual elements shouldn’t work but the overall effect is compelling. As time wears on, I find myself constantly bringing my wrist to my nose. This potion is bewitchingly good.
There are hissing blackcurrant buds and dark, bitter greens tempered by white flower petals. It’s like escaping to an enchanted hideaway, concealed by a curtain of moss. Originally released in 1971, I can’t envisage Lancôme launching something like this today (more’s the pity). Vintage Magie Noire is magnificent.
Huge thanks to Scott for sharing these fabulous decants with me. I know these perfumes are dear to his heart and in short supply, which makes it all the more special. It’s been a real education and filled a lacuna in my knowledge. An added bonus is that I’ve found more fragrances to covet.
Do you know and love any of these treasures?
Filed under Perfume Friends, Perfume Reviews
Shut out any distractions and put your feet up for a scroll through the perfumes that the Mood Scent 4 turn to when they want to kick back. I’ve chosen four very difference fragrances that all induce a feeling of calm in me. Not everyone uses fragrance for mood-altering purposes but I find it particularly useful for this and regularly choose my Scent of the Day based on how I feel that day, or how I’d like to feel.
Slowdive by Hiram Green
Neroli, Orange Flower, Tobacco Flower, Dried Fruit, Beeswax, Tuberose and Resins.
Imagine floating in a warm pool of honey while watching a beautiful orange-tinted sunset. That is the blissed-out feeling you get when wearing Slowdive. This tobacco/honey fragrance is full of the mellow fruitiness and hazy sunlight of early autumn. The languid feeling of summer still lingers but without that season’s oppressiveness. Walk through the orchard at harvest time and look ahead to an evening cosying-up with the comforting scent of woodsmoke in the air. The hint of floral creaminess from tuberose adds to the languor.
Passage d’Enfer by L’Artisan Parfumeur
White Lily, Frankincense, Aloe Wood, Benzoin and White Musk
I associate quiet incense perfumes, such as this, with peace and a kind of meditative tranquillity. Instead of being restricted to the room where you’ve lit that stick of Nag Champa, you can take that soothing incense with you. Not all incense fragrances are relaxing though. Avignon by Comme des Garcons is an exemplar of the genre but it’s too powerful to enable me to unwind. Passage d’Enfer is a low-key, woody incense with the soft, waxy petals of lily to aid its gentility. You’re entering a cool, musty church and taking a moment to soak up the mystical atmosphere. I wear it on days when I’m feeling the need for a bit of centring.
Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens
Iris Pallida, Galbanum, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Clove, Incense, Vetiver, Labdanum, Musk, Benzoin and White Amber
This is the fragrance that descends on me like a calming fog; obliterating all annoyances. It is the one I turn to when life is feeling just a little too harsh and I need something to buffer me from the world. The rooty iris is grounding, beautiful and supremely relaxing to the point of anathesatic. The stark, breath=taking beauty of it is enough to make the earth stop turning for a brief moment. It’s a fragrant form of respite and an escape route to another place where is all is well.
Rahele by Neela Vermeire Creations
Green Mandarin, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Violet Leaf, Osmanthus, Rose, Magnolia, Jasmine, Iris, Violet, Cedar, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Patchouli and Leather.
I’ve always found osmanthus to be a dreamy floral scent. Its the aroma of ripe apricots caught on a cool breeze. Rahele is a composition based on osmanthus, accented with other muted florals to create a perfume with the same meditative quality you sometimes get when spending time in nature. It possesses space and air, giving the wearer lots of room to breathe.
While you’re taking time out to do a bit of reading, carry on at Megan In Sainte Maxime, I Scent You A Day and L’Esperessence to see their laid-back perfume choices.
Is there a perfume in your collection that you find relaxing?
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When a gaggle of us from around the globe met up for bunch in London ahead of the Art and Olfaction Awards, a highlight was that Val the Cookie Queen shared with us the PR set of five recent Hermessence creations by their in-house perfumer, Christine Nagel.
Read Val’s ravishing review of the two Essences de Parfums here.
I tried Musc Pallida, Myrrhe Eglantine and Cedre Sambac on skin. I didn’t smear enough of the beautiful iris oil, so it was Cedre Sambac that I fell for that day. I was still breathing it in with a sigh at 10pm that night as we sat chatting in the bar of The Tabernacle.
Fast forward a couple of months and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The only jasmine perfume I owned was a 10ml travel spray of Superstitious by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums, which I only find suitable for special occasions because it’s so bold and glamorous. I had a gap in my collection for an everyday jasmine that would be lovely in the summer.
Vanessa of Bonkers About Perfume mentioned that there was someone on a Facebook group who was selling the travel sprays individually (officially only available in a set of three). I contacted him on impulse and a few days later, the 15ml bottle arrived.
These five new releases were inspired by the Middle East. however this is Christine Nagel and Hermes we’re talking about so there are no clanking clichés. The theme is executed with a light hand and style to spare.
I normally avoid perfumes with spice or at the very least, approach them with caution, but the soft spice in Cedre Sambac is what makes it so unique and addictive. The creamy, spiced cedar is much more like malleable Indian sandalwood.
While I said I had room for an easy-to-wear jasmine in my collection, the name Cedre Sambac is pertinent here – this is a cedar base richly embellished with climbing jasmine. This is probably in large part why it suits me so well. Time and time again, I’ve found jasmine soliflores to be too indolic, too clean or too loud. I also tend to find straight-up florals rather dull. Cedre Sambac keeps me on my toes and glued to my wrist. The jasmine used is absolutely exquisite and doubtless high quality. It’s warm and silky as opposed to fresh and blousy.
I’m always banging on about how I’m drawn to contrast in perfumery and I find this marriage of strength and gentleness incredibly attractive. The composition is so expertly blended that the two are inextricably wrapped around each other in a tight embrace.
It may be an Eau de Toilette but Cedre Sambac lasts well on me at a low volume and becomes the most seductive of skin scents after a few hours.
There is a sensual, mildly animalic facet that I only pick up clearly when I get close. I like that this touch of filth is kept intimate and not on display to the whole world. It’s much sexier that way. I believe it’s this dirty little secret tucked into the folds of its cascading rosettes that elevates Cedre Sambac from pleasingly pretty to utterly beguiling.
Have you tried any of the five new Hermessences? If not, do any appeal?
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A Bottled Rose 