Chypre Rouge – Serge Lutens

Yay! It feels like ages since I’ve written about a Lutens. I love them

Ok so before I go into that, I will start uploading more reviews more regularly soon, I really want to crack on with the Aftelier’s, but every time I try them, they’re just blowing my little mind and I go a bit gobbledygook. If I may say so myself, my Cepes & Tuberose review is my favourite fragrant writing so far. But anyway! Yes, so, lots of exciting new passion filled reviews to come… and here’s another.

Chypre Rouge is a fragrance I have always overlooked, to be honest I completely forgot it was part of the Lutens’ line up. Having said that, it was actually the first Lutens’ I ever tried. I remember walking into House of Fraser when I discovered they stocked Serge Lutens, at the time I was just beginning my niche exploration. It was very excited and completely intimidated. I sniffed a few of the lids and must have pulled a million faces, but being the nerdy bargain hunter I can be, I picked up one bottle that was on clearance – Chypre Rouge. By picked up I mean physically, I didn’t buy it! I wasn’t that outrageous yet hahaha. I sprayed it all over myself and really quickly left. All I thought at the time was – strawberry jelly, I really liked it but was a little confused about what I was missing.

I found Chypre Rouge online in the original spray bottle (as it has now been moved to the Non-Export line of bell jar only fragrances), discounted, and I suddenly craved it again. I read up lots on it and discovered what I was missing and felt a real need to have it in my collection. Having completely forgot about its existence, and having currently been on the hunt for a fruity fragrance with a twist, this was a pretty much obvious buy.

So, at my door today, it arrived and I instantly fell in love with it again… for the first time.

My slowly growing Serge Lutens’ collection….

Chypre Rouge slips out the bottle with muted top notes. It isn’t at all bright and nose-invading like so many others in the line, instead it takes on a more restrained approach, but in a traditional Lutens’ style.
Instantly there is a beautiful flurry of immortelle - an unusual flower which takes on both the scent of maple syrup, and curry spices. It can be used both ways and is instantly recognizable. Here, the immortelle falls in between – a perfect balance of traditionally Lutens’ syrupy sweetness, with a delicate spice to it.

Along side the immortelle is a tame, dense pine needle scent, similar to that used in Fille En Aiguilles (which I can’t say I enjoy that much). Here it adds a wonderful almost resinous smell, soft, ever so slightly green and I’ll even say “dusty”.
So the sweet but spicy maple syrup, alongside a resinous pine, intermingles with the fruit notes here. I get a little bit of blackcurrant actually, which is absolutely fantastic, a note which never seems to pop up in perfumery, alongside maybe raspberries? Red berries I think… and it almost has the feel of jelly (relating back to my initial thoughts a long time back). The reason jelly pops into my head is because it has that slightly synthetic, almost rubbery quality to it, that remains delicate and never overpowering. It isn’t a fresh fruit, there is no juice, yet it doesn’t quite take on Serge’s usual stewed/dried fruit style.

As time goes on, the fruit notes do dry out slightly. The pine turns more into an atmosphere, and the spices broaden but quieten. Alongside the spicy floral I think is cumin? It has a lot of warmth to it and I love how cumin mingles with the skin (I miss my beloved Kingdom by McQueen).
Chypre Rouge is sweet, and it doesn’t only come from the syrup. There is an extra dose of honey in here, deep and dark like Miel De Bois’, only with far less heat and intensity (and the urine soaked clothing). It literally honey-coats the base notes which gradually begin to rise from here on.

Deep down in Chypre Rouge is a big tearing of patchouli, and oakmoss of course (to make this a Chypre). Combined, these add that bitter green edge, but with a brilliant soft touch, making the otherwise playful accords of fruit jelly and spices a more mature and wearable fragrance.
Some amber warms up the composition even more and gives it a glistening hue – sparking a bit of light through the forest floor.
Also listed is jasmine, but to be honest, I don’t really pick it up like many other reviewers seem to. Maybe it’ll come to me soon - but for now I just lie back and enjoy the warm, heat that radiates from the sticky, syrupy spicy fruit goodness!

So there you have it. Chypre Rouge. My point is – it’s pretty great. I keep going to say “a highly overlooked fragrance” but, I disregarded it for so long aswell, I just forgot about it. I’m really not understanding the drastically hit and miss reviews over this either, but then again I forget that pretty much every Serge Lutens creation is 50/50 with the reviews.
I will say though: Don’t be put off by the listed curry spices; I personally find them in perfect balance and not at all dominating – and I am not a spicy fragrance fan at all.

So guys – Chypre Rouge. I may be a bit late to the party (again), but definitely not one to overlook. If Arabie is a bit too close for comfort with its cooking goods, and Feminite Du Bois just didn’t kick it enough for you (or the woods were not to your taking), then this may just be a smash hit for you.
As for me, I’ll be thoroughly enjoying this throughout summer smelling like a hot pack of fruit gums! Yum

Juxtapositions: Etat Libre D’Orange – Fat Electrician & S-Perfume – S-ex

I have a lot of samples I really want to review, but I actually don’t like, and am worried I won’t have enough to say about them. So, this is my piss poor attempt to group them together I actually think I could have got away with this one a bit sneaky without mentioning… but anyway:

My micro-theme of juxtapositions, joins these two fragrances together. Basically, the themes of both of these fragrances shouldn’t really go – but they do… (to some people at least).
I don’t want to go into detail about their personalities just yet or I will have nothing to write about and my plan will have failed before it’s even started. So I’ll just start …

I love Etat Libre D’Orange, but I’ve said before with a murmured slur that I actually don’t like that many of their fragrances (considering how big their line is). But I do love the brand, the marketing etc etc. I really don’t want to be one of those people who say “their fragrances don’t match the marketing”, but at times, this is undeniable.

Anyway – Fat Electrician… I love the name let me start with that, and I reallllllyyyyyy wanted to love the fragrance. I want a bottle, I want people to ask what I’m wearing and say “Oh it’s Fat Electrician” :’)
I knew all along this was a vetiver, and my experience with vetiver before my blog was minimal, actually no, it was non-existent. I have since tried some fantastic vetiver’s… but I haven’t bought one yet, none have caught me enough – but I have a much greater understanding of it.
So I read that this is supposed to be a vetiver to capture the hearts of even those who don’t like the note, so even though I probably should have tried this a little earlier on, I thought “It’s never too late”

Fat Electrician is quiet, I can literally pour half my sample over my arm and I have to lift my arm up to smell it. But, that’s not really an issue of mine, I have found that with most vetivers.

Ok, so it opens with an instantly recognizable vetiver note, slightly salty, a bit skanky (I find vetiver to have quite a nasty odour if used correctly if that makes sense – I like it grubby!), green and rooty and pleasant in that muted way that makes vetiver so recognizable. However, in perfect balance with it, actually maybe even swaying in the favour of, is vanilla. A creamy, smooth vanilla that isn’t sickly sweet, and instead has the bizarrely repulsive “eggy” quality that I constantly seem to pick up in vanilla’s (mostly in Mona Di Orio’s eggfest Vanille). It’s a very interesting combination and somehow it all kind of works… for about five minutes.

After the five minutes, the metallic edge of the vetiver (and ELdO’s metallic signature), and the sheer blandness of the not-quite-sweet-not-quite-anything vanilla, all distorts into a sharp, yet lactonic tea-leaf sort of smell. It’s interesting but obviously simple. It is the matter of balance that makes Fat Electrician interesting, constantly wondering whether the fragrance will fall on the vanilla side or the vetiver side… to be honest, I don’t care what side it falls on, it’s uncomfortable for me either way.

Oh and if it couldn’t get much worse, there’s a nice blob of myrrh in the base, the breathy kind. The myrrh and vanilla with the metallic edge, create a similar sensation to Jasmin et Cigarette’s unappetizing “bad breath” stench that remains muted, unsettling and a little too close for comfort.

An interesting fragrance, but it doesn’t work for me I’m afraid.

I should love S-ex I really should, it is everything that I should hunt for in a fragrance – a juxtaposing combination, an attempt at an artistic name, and an avant-garde feel, all wrapped up in a bottle that looks like medical equipment and a brand name to match.

I was going to just write this review without explaining the juxtaposition beforehand, but I will. The reason I will is because without my knowledge of this prior to me testing this fragrance, I’d have had no clue that there was much unique about this.
So, S-ex is meant to be an almost animalic leather, overlaid with contrasting notes of aquatic Calone. If that makes sense you’ll understand why it shouldn’t really work…

S-ex opens with a real musky note laid over a true to life plastic accord. It is the type of plastic accord that I desperately craved in Comme Des Garcons’ Skai, only it is toned down here, and is blended with a whole bunch of other notes to make it not so important and exciting.

You know what, I have to take back my words a little bit, I did dismiss this the first few times I tried it, but I’m kind of understanding it now. So, if you’re familiar with “Calone”, it is basically an aroma-chemical that has an aquatic/melon type of vibe, you can smell it in numerous designer fragrances along with some niches who focus on the note, such as Humiecki & Graef’s Skarb (at least I think that’s what it is). Calone is really prominent here, but just like the marketing promises (and I’m really getting for the first time), underneath this is – dare I say – a fecal leathery musk. It is like a perfect poop wrapped in cling film (the plastic accord is still going strong).

I also get some notes not listed – a metallic accord (not that they have any need to list that), and berries? Like, red berries, which give it a futuristic jammy note.
As it wears, this jammy plastic note comes forward, and the melon notes of the Calone die down – as does the fecal musk. It becomes a lot cleaner relatively quickly, and instead it becomes a recognizable, almost cheap smelling aquatic fragrance, plasticky undertones smother some subtle red berries and clean white musk. If you didn’t know what this fragrance was, and sniffed it at this point (half an hour later?) it wouldn’t be something you would have thought an avant-garde niche creation.

To be honest, I was just captivated by the first ten minutes and I thought I’d embarrassed myself and was quickly falling in love with this! But no, the drydown has let me down, but the first half hour is great fun, if you’re in with the joke – if you’re not it’s a pretty unappetizing and nondescript fragrance.
The leather actually keeps popping out which is nice, it is a complete contrast to everything else going on but it does work. S-ex doesn’t ever blend into a seamless fragrance, little shards jut out here and there of leather, musk, plastic, fruit, melon; All together however, it creates a fragrance fuzz not too dissimilar in feel to Comme Des Garcons’ Odeur 72 for example.

Definitely worth a sniff, and a very interesting fragrance if you explore it in-depth (as I have just learnt). But I’d still pick 100% Love over this any day.

And may I say, that post turned out much larger than expected :’) I enjoyed that!

Etat Libre D’Orange Fat Electrician 50ml - £52.50 Les Senteurs
S-Perfume S-ex 50ml EDT – $110 Luckyscent

Vero Profumo – Kiki EDP, Kiki Parfum

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long break in posting yet again, my regularity will return over the next week and I have lots planned to write about.
I decided to return back to my Vero Profumo sample pack  (thanks again to Campomarzio70) as I feel that if I don’t review them now, I will use up all my samples and have nothing as immediate reference to review them!

After my hugely successful encounter with Onda, in both EDP and Parfum form, I decided it was time to write about Kiki. I have lived with Kiki and Rubj a little longer than I did with Onda – I was too keen to try it there and then! These are still semi-initial reviews, and I’m just gonna get straight on with them …

Kiki Eau De Parfum opens at once sparkling, fresh, soapy, clean with a tart aldehydic citrus, Vero’s passion fruit signature much more up front and appealing.  The acidic fruit salad is gorgeously inviting, not in the least bit a “tired citrus opening”, it has the same captivating citrus fruit kick as Tauer’s Orange Star which I am head over heels for.

The citrus allows a little hole to peak through, where the leading lavender comes into play. It starts out with its almost medicated/camphorous type of scent pushing forward, but quickly cools down into a calming breeze. Similarly to Lutens’ Gris Clair, the lavender almost takes on its own density, bringing out this unknown creaminess to the flower, which here is supported by some caramel. The smooth sweetness never becomes sticky and immature, but doesn’t become obnoxious with a burnt, de-sweetened aspect: instead it works with the lavender and citrus to turn down the pungency and up the solid density of the natural scents.

A musky/patchouli base which only becomes apparent a fair while later, gives stability, without pushing aside the citrus and lavender. Instead, the lavender and citrus morph into an almost soapy, yet again, disinfectant like scent, similar to Onda but without the dirtiness underneath. I don’t mean the term “disinfectant” in a bad way, although really it should, instead it smells familiar and somehow comfortable – undoubtably clean and slightly industrial. This trait seems to be a thread throughout the Vero EDP’s and my only guess is that it comes from the passion fruit.

Kiki is bright, delicious but completely inedible, and really playful. It is extremely mature despite the mention of sparkling citrus and caramel – Vero’s magic touch makes this almost industrial, almost avante garde, yet extremely classy. Great fun

Kiki Parfum opens with the same citrus burst although I detect a lovely green blast of lime in there. Without the sparkling, soapy aldehydic opening of the EDP, the citrus falls instantly to the depth of the notes, and the lavender quickly merges to the foreground. Yet again, here the brighter, sharp herbal aspects of the lavender are gone, and the creamy, almost moist density comes forth. Similarly again to Gris Clair only here even more so, the almost ashy quality of lavender scatters in the foreground with a much less playful approach.

Unlike Gris Clair with its vanillic, burnt wood base, here there is the caramel from the EDP – thick, syrupy and a little more prominent. It provides a lovely rich sweetness to it again, without being candy coloured and immature – instead a fresh almost fudgey quality provides a thick richness to the lavender, without any forced lactonic creamy notes.

The Kiki Parfum has a tropical vibe, but more in the feel of L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Batucada, than Les Nez’s Manoumalia. What I mean is, it has this tropical feel of a crushed lime and sugar accord, and maybe it does, but unlike the almost sad attempt of Batucada, here the lavender, rich caramel and musk, turn this into something much more complete and enjoyable. Kiki Parfum is Gris Clair on holiday with a Caipirinha.

Comparing this now to the EDP, similarly to Onda’s, it is much brighter, with that industrial passionfruit forceful up top, whereas the Parfum retains it’s depth and has much greater substance and identity, yet both remain together through the similar threads presented differently.

All in all, another absolutely wonderful fragrance duo. I love this recognizable Vero signature which I imagine will definitely not be to everyone’s taste. The EDP’s are always utterly captivating and so far – “fresh” in the best possible use of the word, whilst the extraits are a much more obvious portrayal of the named fragrance’s identity, hand in hand they go absolutely perfectly together and neither one is better than the other.

Yet again I feel late to the party, but Vero Profumo is an extremely exciting brand, and right up my alley. Classic and charming, but playful with an unintentional sense of humour. I love these

Vero Profumo Kiki EDP 50ml – $165 Luckyscent
Vero Profumo Kiki Parfum 7.5ml – $185 Luckyscent

The Different Company – Un Parfum Des Sens & Bois, Un Parfum De Charmes & Feuilles, De Bachmakov

More generously gifted fragrances from The Different Company here. Hopefully bringing some success after the disappointment of the last reviewed samples

Sens & Bois opens with a sprinkling of pepper, a delicate, watery shard of ginger, and a faint whisp of incense. This is mainly an incense fragrance, the pepper and ginger providing a very slight spice, with an almost aquatic like accord smoothing out the edges, like, a huge dose of Iso E Super or something.

There’s a nondescript ”floral” aspect to it, that makes the combination a little more delicate (if it needed to be!), and from the very start, Sens & Bois remains close to the skin.

After a short while, the cedar comes forward which is nice enough – dry, slightly sharp, but not let loose to full power because of this smooth aquatic emptiness that rounds out the entire composition.
From here on it remains relatively linear, quiet, almost nondescript. 

Not quite dry, not quite floral, not quite spicy, not quite… well, not very interesting

Charms & Feuilles is an ever so slightly more interesting combination of notes. It opens with some muted cooking spices (the green herbaceous kind rather than the spicy kind), of listed marjoram and sage. A cool peppermint freshens it up more so, and underneath, a nice accord of “wet leaves” without any of the interesting soil solidifies it.

A zesty fruit accord is just about detectable, along with the palest of florals yet again. As with Sens & Bois, the fragrance seems rounded out with a big watery, smoothing chemical, to blend the nondescript notes together.

A bitter-ish tea leaf note comes in created a kind of Earl Grey tea accord with a little less bergamot. This may simply come from some lifeless patchouli, which does grow in strength over time.

The fragrance then drags on in a muted, slightly herbaceous style. Cool peppermint still suprisingly shows its face, an un-pleasant jasmine-tea grows a little stronger and plays in the foreground, and the patchouli just about gives Charms & Feuilles some substance.

I actually wasn’t gifted this one, and it was part of the sample pack I ordered of The Different Company scents I WANTED to like.
I thought I’d cram this on the end of this review simply because it’s clogging up my sample set and I may as well write about it.

De Bachmakov is thankfully, one of the most interesting in the otherwise dire lineup of The Different Company. It’s opens with an almost doughy-bready accord, similar to L’Artisan Parfumeur’s beautiful Bois Farine, only this has a slight citric twang to it of bergamot, making it less edible, and a very green accord underneath.

The fragrance is often said to feel “cold” and I can agree with that. It has a very cool feel to it, and I think that’s due to the shisho leaves which I believe has a mint like scent? There’s some other green leaves in here and a dose of cedar wood giving the base some security, much more so than that of the previous two fragrances just reviewed.

Also there is no aquatic style here, it is much more solid. But it still has that translucency. The bergamot actually feels a little too pungent for the other subdued notes and it comes across as a little obtrusive.
A watery jasmine makes it’s appearance again – and I’ve mentioned before how I prefer my jasmine’s richer and more indolic, rather than this pale, un-appetizing jasmine. It instead seems to create a fragrant floral haze over the fragrance, and I don’t really see the point of jasmine used like this.

Anyway – the bready notes stay persistent which I would only have thought would be iris, but listed is a “chalk accord” so I’m guessing this is it, it does feel chalky, but also pale and doughy, and pretty much the only note bulking up the otherwise airy herbaceous greenery.

All in all, this is without a doubt the best of the bunch, but still, looking at the price – it’s just horrendous for what you are getting. Fair enough if you fall in love with this, but nothing about these compositions to me are exciting or even wearable. I wouldn’t give these a second thought if I sprayed them out of a designer bottle in a drug store.
I’m sure I sound like I have it in for The Different Company – I don’t at all. I really wanted to like their fragrances, and I was impressed with their polite customer service. Unfortunately however, I’m not going to lie on this blog.

To me, this is without a doubt my least favourite fragrance house, the scents just do not work for me and I’m completely underwhelmed by them. I have however gave them fair reviews and I hope no one takes anything I’ve said to heart if I’ve slated one of your beloved TDC fragrances - enjoy it! I’m envious that you can appreciate this style of perfumery better than myself

The Different Company -
De Bachmakov 90ml $230
Sens & Bois 90ml $215
Charmes & Feuilles 90ml $215

What We Do In Paris Is Secret – A Lab On Fire

What We Do In Paris Is Secret or “Paris” as I will call it from now on, is in one word: Yummy! Now, whether that is a good or a bad thing is pretty much up to you. Not everyone likes this almost edible/ slightly immature style of fragrance. But before I get into this, let me tell you how it smells…

Paris opens with a powder puff of almonds, delicately fragrant heliotrope, with a subtle, almost aquatic fruit note that turns out is lychee So yes, lychee is the fruit note, so don’t hold onto the word “aquatic” and let your heart sink, I don’t mean it in any way cologne-y/transparent/ocean ozonic blah blah, it is instead a delicate watery fruit (which disappears after a few minutes), over a rich full powder of almond nuttiness.

The fragrance soon settles securely into a linear type structure, of creamy vanilla and benzoin, the slightest hint of creamy woods and up top a powdery, honeyed almond. Following along the line of Rahat Loukhoum, Louve, Luctor et Emergo and even Amour by Kenzo, Paris has a literal Play-Doh feel: dense, with the same heliotrope delicate sweetness with the tiniest hint of salt.

So, I described earlier how Paris is slightly immature, maybe that’s a little unfair. The thing is, it’s almost like a cheap thrill. It’s every lovely, cuddly ingredient wacked into one niche concoction. The Play-Doh note has been done before over and over, and yes, fair-do’s that this may be one of the much better examples, but piled on top of creamy vanilla, musk and delicate floral rose, this becomes an all round predictable fragrance. Whilst when I first sniffed this I thought “Yes, very nice” – that’s literally it, no surprises here, nothing slapping you sideways in the drydown, nothing leaping out and tearing at your nostrils with a joyous shock – Paris is about as safe and predictable as a niche gourmand can get. It would be a perfect blind buy for someone who just likes to smell good but doesn’t care of what in particular.

All in all, a pleasant, “hard not to enjoy”-Play-doh/almond fragrance, feminine and playful. A good example of something there is many of, and you don’t really need.

What We Do In Paris Is Secret 60ml EDP A Lab On Fire – £110 Luckyscent

Cuir Venenum – Parfumerie Generale

Cuir Venenum opens with the most ridiculous combination of super tart orange blossom, citrus and honey, that it instantly morphs into an almost futuristic, robotic grape soda scent. Yes, the opening is so reminiscent of grape soda it’s like cracking open a fresh can of pop under your nose.

Spiraling upwards from the base is a long stream of smoke. The smoke isn’t from incense, and is instead an almost stale cigarette cloud – the exact accord that should have been in Jasmin et Cigarette but wasn’t. It’s dirty, ashy and true to life. It’s extremely playful and almost “naughty” smelling.

Some coconut and myrrh round the fragrance completely, turning these harsh opposites into a smoother scent – that of a stale “left on from last night” kind of scent. What started as ridiculously fun and potent, does settle down slightly, but the composition never truly sorts itself out.
At the base, along with the stale scent of cigarette smoke, is a potent leather. The leather is often described as creamy and plush, but I think that’s due to all the hyper sweet synthetic notes on top and the dash of coconut. The base to me feels bitter and dirty, with a slighty skanky musk providing a scattering of powder.

The fragrance is far from clean, despite the usual soapy nature of orange blossom and citrus. The top is super sweet and synthetic, with a real syrupy feel to it. The powder is dusty and similarly to Dark Aoud by Montale, feels old and very well worn in. The leather, musk and myrrh add that skanky breathy-ness to the base, and the fragrance feels as full of contrasts as it sounds. I personally would have great trouble wearing it and feeling comfortable, and whilst I initially found it my favourite amongst my recent batch of samples, it has slowly shuffled its way back down a bit. I am fascinated by it, but my mother was completely bowled over and a bottle is soon to be on order for her. She describes it as “the smell after a messy night out”. I agree, it has that trashiness of fragrances like Boudoir and Putain Des Palaces, only I feel even they have a more delicate refinement, Cuir Venenum is much more literal.

If this sounds like your sort of thing, it’s definitely worth a try! Another oustanding, creative and challenging composition by the brilliant Pierre Guillaume, but not something I would enjoy smelling of all day.

Cuir Venenum Parfumerie Generale 50ml EDP – $95 Luckyscent

Cepes & Tuberose – Aftelier Perfumes

I read Mandy Aftelier’s book Essence & Alchemy in two days, shortly after I heard that I was given the opportunity to try her fragrances.
The book captivated me completely – exciting, informative, and really opened my eyes to understanding natural perfumery, an area which I have never explored before. By the time I finished the book, I was desperately eager for these to arrive!

I have been recommended Aftelier Perfumes for ages now – over and over again I have popped on the website just to glance at the almost intimidating compositions and felt as though I would be delving into something way out of my depth.
Brief things I had read about Oud Luban, and Olfactoria’s recent review of Sepia just plunged me into a nervous, desperate contact with Mandy regarding my excitement to try her line.

So, a week or so later, this wonderful gift arrived in my letterbox:

Beautiful presentation, glorious looking fragrances, colourful and exciting A few I hadn’t heard of (and as you will find out in further reviews I was hugely appreciative of as there are some new favourites amongst them), along with ones that I had been desperate to try, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Now, I felt like I had to try these before I reviewed them, so the last few days I have been slowly working my way through them, I haven’t understood them all yet, but I’m slowly getting there.

I thought I would start with Cepes & Tuberose. I don’t know why I haven’t tried this earlier, as I love mushroom notes, and I love tuberose, surprisingly this isn’t what I tried first, and I actually only first wore this the other night. As it so often happens with me, I don’t understand a fragrance until I wear it and write about it whilst I’m sniffing, which is how I have come to love a lot of fragrances. This is my attempt at understanding this fragrance.

Cepes & Tuberose opens with a dank, but warm fragrant cloud of earth, and rose. The earth isn’t the realistically damp soil of say, Christopher Brosius’ scents, but instead something almost human and soft. The rose (which I couldn’t figure out at first) becomes incredibly potent once you recognise it. It is pure, delicate, and literally blooms a pastel shade – lightly powdered with what I thought was (and may be) amber? I’m not one to normally relate a fragrance to a colour, but maybe I’m mistaking the amber as a colour instead? Cepes & Tuberose is a warm orange hue, it literally radiates and heats off the skin.

As it warms, a wonderful resinous, vanillic benzoin rises to the surface and woody undertones provide a hollow support. At this point, if I had to compare Cepes & Tuberose to another fragrance, the closest I could think of is (bizarrely) Jeux de Peau… I have no idea where this comes from, but somehow in this mix, a warm, buttery note comes forward. No where near as, dare I say, cheaply gourmand as Jeux De Peau - here I can only guess it comes from the tuberose.

So I’ve only just mentioned the tuberose. The first time I wore this fragrance, I couldn’t find either the mushrooms (cepes) or the white floral itself, and it completely baffled me. I’m beginning to figure it out now. This tuberose is unlike any I’ve ever smelt – it isn’t paired with some overtly creamy notes like coconut, pumping up a suntan lotion vibe, nor are the uncomfortable mentholated notes pushed forward as in some of my favourite fragrances (Tubereuse Criminelle). There is no overdose of narcotic Methyl Benzoate amping up the sexuality, no, instead – the most voluptuous almost tropical white floral, becomes a delicate and barely recognisable addition to this wonderful fragrance. A completely natural creaminess rounds this creation – filling it out in an almost alien bouquet.

Before I go on even more so about this complicated floral – the cepes? Where are they? Are they providing this bizarrely animalic warmth? The almost fur like quality which paired with the vanillic woods becomes almost edible? To be honest – I’m not sure. At times I catch glimpses of them, but maybe it’s because they are so perfectly paired with the florals, they have almost became them – the earthiness which they leave behind in the process of turning them into scent. I’m trying to explain it to myself here, not attempt to be poetic :’)

Cepes & Tuberose to me is not about Cepes & Tuberose, it is instead about the outstanding natural pairing of flowers and the earth, from a completely unexpected viewpoint. The outcome is challenging for me (and I’m sure for anyone else who gets to experience this fragrance), but not because the fragrance is a challenge – at all! It is incredibly easy to wear. It melts into the skin and feels as though I have worn it a million times before when I sniff it, not because it resembles anything, but because it is human, warm, and subconsciously familiar.

I seem to have lost my track with how this fragrance actually smells so I apologise for the more visual review, but it is to be expected in a realm I am completely new too. After around an hour on the skin: a warm, amber hue of vanillic resins, the most delicate wood shards, a beautifully translucent array of rose and a tuberose ghost, pairs with the most human, furry earth.
It is a beautiful fragrance, and I have fallen in love with it even more after writing this – as expected!

I look forward to REALLY trying the rest of my samples and understanding them more. I still feel completely out of my depth with these, but it is going to be a big learning curve for me and I am extremely grateful of the opportunity to explore this work. From what I have tried of them so far, I can tell this is one of the most exciting discoveries for me in a long time!

Cepes & Tuberose Aftelier Perfumes 30ml EDP – $150 aftelier.com

Vero Profumo – Onda EDP, Onda Parfum

Let me start by saying, the people at Campomarzio70 have the best customer service I have ever experienced. My recent discussions with Serena Bonfatti have been easy, complimentary, and thoughtful. Not only did they previously gift me with the huge, visually impressive O’Driu sample pack, now they have sent me a boatload of Vero Profumo samples in all forms, and some scents I have never heard of! Wonderful stuff.
And thanks of course to Vero Kern, who sent me in the direction of Campomarzio70, I’m extremely excited by the opportunity to try your fragrances!
So, thank you for being so supportive to small time bloggers like myself, and helping me to explore this exciting, niche artwork more so

So, with that aside, here I will begin with Onda. I have wanted to try this fragrance for ages! I have heard nothing but exceptional things about it and have been recommended it numerous times.

However, I am not getting my hopes up too much. This apparently is very vetiver prominent, not a favourite note of mine, so I am not getting too excited. But here we go, initial impression are probably not the best way to do this, but it’s my favourite way to review and explore, and I enjoy reading them back and updating. So, before I ramble on and on…

Onda EDP opens absolutely wonderful, with a pronounced vetiver note upfront - I love the vetiver already, it is that dank, dirty salty vetiver which is the only type I seem to really enjoy. There’s a real spice overlaying this, a harsh twang of sharp ginger, and some pungent citrus and bergamot.

From a distance, the spice is more toned down, and gleaming in a bright surrounding aura, is a wonderful honey – a dirty, sweet density.
Diving back into my hand for a close up the whole composition is toning down and re-arranging itself more comfortable. The citrus has mellowed and smells more candied lemon, with that ginger still pronounced.

There’s some bizarre fruit accords in this, and an unusual one listed is passion fruit… I love passion fruit but it’s not really what I’m smelling. To me it’s more the feel of an over-ripe banana, in the similar way that Christopher Brosius used this over-ripe quality in In The Summer Kitchen. An almost dustbin like vegetal effect that is bizarrely compelling.

The honey becomes undoubtably urinous, and considering I can douse myself in Miel De Bois with ease, yet can detect the sulphorous notes in this, should let you know how potent it comes off. However, it is blended with the spice, citrus, and over-ripe fruit notes so well, it becomes merely another appealing, complicated piece to this Onda puzzle.
Whilst hovering on the side of extremely dirty, it also borders on overtly clean, with the citrus and spice providing an almost cleaning fluid-like soapiness, industrial and synthetic, whilst smelling completely familiar. That is exactly what Onda becomes 15 minutes on – familiar. Similar to how Traversee Du Bosphore reminds me of toilets (yet remains completely appetizing), Onda is doing it more literally for me, and I can’t help but feel comletely captivated by it…

First impressions? I love this. At first, and for the first ten minutes, I thought “Hmmm…. interesting I guess”, but then attempting to work this thing out, it gets complicated. I feel like I’ve solved it now, 20 minutes later, and I love the outcome. Already I can see this becoming a full bottle purchase, it’s completely unique - a blend of animalic honey, candied ginger and citrus, salty vetiver (which becomes nothing more than a wonderful base rather than a lead) and softened fruit. Outstanding

Onda Parfum opens with much greater density than the EDP, with an almost O’Driu herbal opening, only tamer, smoother, and more refined.
A dark and bitter herbal opening tumbles into a bitter, honeyed leather. And how does it smell? It is absolutely stunning.

At first yet again, I wasn’t sure. Once I realised that the herbal opening, wasn’t actually a herbal opening, and was instead a leather: everything changed. It reminds me right now of Vierges et Toreros, with that smoky birch tar and mentholated tuberose, only this is much deeper and richer (and without the white florals of course). There is definitely that smoky, head-spinning leather, with an unusual mentholated accord that I’m guessing is the listed “mace”? I’m not sure what mace is supposed to smell like so this is a guess…

Please excuse my amateur guesses, I’m taking huge breaks in between these sentences with my nose glued to my hand. Sniffing this compared to the Onda Eau De Parfum on the other hand, I’m amazed by the difference. I thought the EDP was dark and complicated, then going back to this and I’m plunged into a black hole!

I really don’t know what I can say about this, it’s just beautiful. A super smoky leather, honeyed, slightly herbal, some dark shrivelled citrus peel buried underneath dank, salty vetiver. As it begins to dry down, a waft of powder creeps in and turns Onda  a whole lot more fragrant, with an almost vegetal floral – maybe an iris, very delicately dusted on top. Onda Parfum has the feel of a stale, dirty scent that somehow remains bright and transcending – utterly uplifting and very sexy.

Before I continue my stream of adjectives and amateurish descriptives, I will just say that, I can’t try – and don’t want to – break Onda Parfum down any further. It is what it is and it must be sniffed. To me it actually appears as more straightforward than the EDP, the few bold accords stand tall and proud – but so perfectly blended, the create something quite extraordinary. This doesn’t appear to come initially, and it may take some longer to appreciate. I can imagine becoming more and more attached to this scent, but the instant connection has left me head over heels.

A wonderful start to an exciting journey of discovery with the Vero Profumo brand. I can’t wait to try the rest of the line!

Onda Eau De Parfum Vero Profumo 50ml - $165 Luckyscent
Onda Parfum Vero Profumo 7.5ml – $185 Luckyscent

Papyrus De Ciane – Parfumerie Generale

I have grown extremely fond of the Parfumerie Generale line. They constantly impressive me, and the openings are always something truly captivating and exciting.
I only own one, but have samples of many, and am torn between what to go for next. To be honest, I have been paying more attention recently to the Huitieme Art line, but after a tad of disappointment, I have crept my way back over to these originals.

Green fragrances are something that I don’t go for due to cravings or excitement like I do with leathers, avant-garde fragrances or controversial scents. No, instead, green fragrances are something I am forcing myself to enjoy, and thankfully I feel I have got to a point where I can now appreciate a “good one”, even if it is not really to my taste. However the aim of my green exploration is to find one that IS to my taste but I’m still not sure what I’m looking for… So this one was a good start

Papyrus De Ciane to me is a bit of a stinker to begin with! It is the most bitter green that reminds me of old 80′s powerhouse fragrances, true macho masculines. Now, I’m crap with naming greenery, but if I’d have to take a shot… actually you know what, I’m not going to guess here: Galbanum, neroli, mugwort are just some of the notes listed in the top. So if that helps you, then so be it To me, it is almost a typically bitter green masculine that I would imagine sniffing in a Polo or Aramis fragrance, not that I’m familiar with either of them!

Unusually, there is something underneath this greenery, and it slowly begins to take a turn towards the sweet and powdery. It’s completely different to what I expected (a further tumble into vetiver and dry woods), instead it becomes soapy, delicately floral with the green notes more transparent but still adding that bitter edge, and a wonderful smoke of incense.

So it sounds complicated: Basically after a bitter green opening, the almost dirty dank scent of grass, reeds, leaves and herbs, thoroughly mellows into a soapy greenery, a very faint incense and a surprisingly pleasant vetiver. It’s clean, smooth, has a gentle muskiness to it adding a touch of delicate sweetness and a little bit of powder.
Apparently there’s a famous base in this called “Mousse de Saxe”, I’m not familiar with it, but if it’s there, it smells good

I actually wasn’t planning on giving this such a positive review – initially I felt it had a great (not to my personal taste) opening, followed by a disappointing, mellow drydown, but instead I’ve began to realise the drydown is my favourite part. Wearing it on my skin whilst reviewing this I’m starting to think “Yehhh…. I could happily wear this in the summer “

It starts aggressively masculine and turns thoroughly unisex - with a little bit of green leather (Isobutyl Quinolin, which I really enjoy) providing a dose of grassy, slightly animalic support on a soapy, floral heart. Unusual, and maybe even a future purchase! Recommended.

Papyrus De Ciane Parfumerie Generale 50ml EDP – $95 Luckyscent

The Different Company – Osmanthus, Bergamote

I haven’t had that much luck with The Different Company so far. Well, to be honest I’m slightly over-exaggerating. As far as you guys know from my reviews, I have only sampled Sel De Vetiver, which was ok, but nothing that amazed me as it does others. Despite this I ordered some more of their samples in a recent Luckyscent order, these which I have tried, but haven’t yet reviewed.

Anyway, I’m convinced I want to find something from this brand I enjoy. But it’s going to take a learning curve for me to get there. I’ve gathered the “feel” from this brand is “slightly minimalistic, ethereal and transparent”, not the themes I am usually fond of… at all. This seems to be down to the perfumers: Jean-Claude Ellena and his daughter Celine Ellena, who are renowned for having their own distinctive style of modern, translucent perfumery. I’m sure this sounds amateurish and maybe even slightly unfair, I’m following along with what others say, as I haven’t experienced THAT many Ellena fragrances. From what I’ve sniffed personally and understood from others, this is what the fragrances aim for, and flourish at that.

So, as mentioned, I’m not the biggest fan of this style of perfumery but I hope to discover and understand it more so, and the very kind people of The Different Company have helped me do that by sending a batch of fragrance samples for me to try. So, I’m starting with these two soliflores in hope they may be an easy place for me to start…

I haven’t smelt osmanthus in a fragrance before, not centre stage at least, but if this is an accurate representation, it is nice.
Osmanthus opens with a very clean, soapy white floral note, with a sprinkling of pollen.

There’s a bright citrus bergamot/orange up top, and I get a boat load of Geraniol. Now, I feel like I’m trying to be a right show-off by naming aroma-chemicals – but after attending the perfumery course in April, I studied a whole load of aroma-chemicals as homework prior to the course. Osmanthus instantly reminded me of one of these chemicals – Geraniol.

I described Geraniol as – “…subtle sushi like smell initially. Green, leafy, increases in strength as time goes on. A green rose blossoms out and is almost salty/ozonic - an aquatic rose”. I smell this in Osmanthus, and the fragrance to me is more about rose than osmanthus (I think. Maybe if I had sniffed pure osmanthus I’d have a greater understanding of it).

A clean white musk sits underneath this, along with a grassy note reminiscent more of dried/meadow grass than fresh-cut. It’s fresh, clean, denser then I thought it would be but definitely light. Osmanthus is pleasant and safe – a combination of green rose, white flowering osmanthus, grass and musk…

Bergamote starts with a fresh scratching of orange peel, like the smell on your fingers once you peel one. It’s not actually as juicy and edible as it sounds, due to a floral note which comes in really quickly – a white orange blossom.

A very fine grate of ginger spices up the orange, and the combination smells a little bit like a delicately flavoured cough drop. Oranges, lemons, ginger and the fragrant floral of orange blossom, and this is how it remains throughout the drydown.

At the base, an almost non-descript green woodiness supports the citrus (which lasts for a good while for such a cologne-type fragrance), and that’s all. If you like this sort of thing, then yes, it’s a nice quality straightforward citrus. But for me, I’d much rather pay less and get some Tauer Orange Star – the juiciest most delicious orange opening and complicated drydown.

Bergamote is a straightforward citrus fragrance of nice quality.

Honestly, I’m not impressed at all
I was expecting something different from a house named The Different Company, but these are about as safe and plain as they get. Light, simple, and un-inspiring, which is a real shame! I hope I have more success with the rest of the line, I’d like to thoroughly understand the point of fragrances like this, but I’ve tried to give them a fair review – these would normally be a sniff and dismiss.

Osmanthus 90ml EDT The Different Company – $210 thedifferentcompany.com
Bergamote 90ml EDT The Different Company – $215 the different company.com