Thanks to everyone who entered, I hope those who entered but didn’t win still hunt out this fascinating line!
THE WINNERS:
Congratulations to:
Joaquin
and
Barry (Prince Barry)
Please contact me via the Contact Me page with your addresses!
Be sure to report back with your thoughts, I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of them.
Thanks for the support guys!
Falling Into The Sea starts with a gloriously sweet, (aldehydic?) floral citrus. It’s hard to pin-point the notes in the opening, but I can’t help but note the lemon as a creamy, disinfectant style linalool – thankfully paired with a slightly bitter grapefruit note so that this association isn’t too dominating. The grapefruit/lemon seems paired with a hit of sharp green apple – it’s incredibly juicy but completely translucent, and I hate to use the word synthetic, but it smells like a synthetic overload of citrus’ and juicy fruits – some completely unidentifiable floral notes sit in the background… maybe a hint of tea rose? I love it!
The relatively linear scent revolves around this everlasting citrus accord – at times I find it refreshing, cheerful and mouthwatering, and at others I find it to have the aroma of a good handwash… But, even when I get that, it has the same kind of comforting and charming quality that Antiheros by Etat Libre D’Orange has – sure it just smells like lavender soap but something about it is super comfortable and bound to a put a smile on your face – the same goes here.
White musk seems to pop up in the drydown, and I’m pretty sure I get a bit of that fig leaf, green Stemone in the drydown, and I find Falling Into The Sea to be a brighter, more citrus heavy version of The Soft Lawn by Imaginary Authors. They share their similarities for sure, and I feel like I even detect a bit of the same linden blossom in the heart of this – a slight honeyed floral adding a dash of sweetness and pollen. The floral notes I still can’t pin point, at times I feel them in full, like there’s a 0.1% drop of Manoumalia sitting under the ozonic citrus, and at others, it is solely a musky, mineralic lemon cream (the salted musk from a drop of ambergris?): both ways are good to me.
Falling Into The Sea totally isn’t my sort of fragrance, but I really like it. It’s an almost robotic citrus fragrance, cold, fresh, with little warmth or heart – instead it’s a translucent, multicoloured citrus with many layers that are hard to pin point – it comes across as something extremely simplistic as my mind can’t really place anything in it or put it into any sort of order. Whilst I describe it as linear, something about its development is pretty kaleidoscopic – it’s a little landscape of a surreal summer – an abstract, beachy scent that is completely unfamiliar but thoroughly enjoyable. I’ll definitely be getting a bottle when the summer returns 
One of a kind for sure.
Falling Into The Sea 60ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $85 http://www.imaginaryauthors.com
NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!
Ok, so the hugely generous Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors is offering 2 sample sets of the entire Imaginary Authors line
These sample sets are awesome, the presentation is fab with all the carded marketing and presented in spray vials – it’s a great way to give lots of wearings to each of these awesome fragrances.
So there’s of coures going to be 2 winners, all you need to do is drop a comment below saying that you would like to participate – and let me know which fragrance from the Imaginary Authors line you are most looking forward to trying! I have written about all but one (which I will post in a few days).
Personally, my favourite is L’Orchidee Terrible – a fun, day-time avant-garde fragrance. An aldehydic overload and abstract orchid/honey combo sitting over a metallic musk, it’s fabulous 
Anyway, so yes, I look forward to hearing from you below, and I’ll announce the lucky winners next Wednesday (14th November 2012)!!
A huge thank you to Josh, who has been great fun to chat to since discovering this line – a brilliant personality (and growing talent) in the niche fragrance industry!
Madagascan Vanilla.
I have trouble with vanilla fragrances, often finding that they fall flat on my skin in a neutral layer of sweetness that is both boring and unappetizing. The thing is, I do love the scent of vanilla, so struggle to find one that works. Although they’re not always to my taste, here are two solid vanilla’s
Vaniglia Del Madagascar opens up with a recognizable, sweet vanilla. I struggle to use the word “rich”, as I said, I just don’t get that plush feeling I crave from most vanilla fragrances. However, there is some slight depth to this, and also a bizarre citric, salty accord that rests over the vanilla in a translucent layer. The ever-so-slightly candied lemon and some quiet, almost unidentifiable floral notes (orchid?) sit on the vanilla adding a minimalistic but necessary alternate dimension.
The vanilla from start to finish is the leading player without a doubt, and it’s all down to whether you like the simple aroma of Madagascan vanilla as to whether you’ll like this. There is a subtle amber in the background adding a tiny bit of depth – but Vaniglia Del Madagascar goes on light as air, but gradually gets denser and more potent as time goes on – which is an unusual development. On the skin, the vanilla gets better and better which is one thing I find really appealing about this fragrance.
It is undoubtably comfortable to wear which is surprising for me finding most vanillas turn cloying and clammy on my skin – they gain a dense, almost clotted texture with a dirty, breathy note that I so often bring up when discussing amber and myrrh – here however, that turn never happens. Instead it keeps its light and its translucency, whilst still remaining potent with a beautiful sillage – throwing back to my nose an almost almond-biscotti aroma, so maybe there’s some heliotrope in here giving off a subtle almond vibe?
Anyway – it’s a straightforward, lovely soft vanilla that still won’t make it on my full bottle list but is nice enough to sniff.
Memoirs Of A Trespasser opens a little more bitter, a far more interesting beginning of almost soiled citrus, and a slightly diluted boozy accord. It smells like the sticky residue of a shot glass of whisky – the alcohol has evaporated but left behind is a slightly acrid but sweet vanillic liquer.
Underneath, the madagascan vanilla gets more and more prominent, showing a similar translucency to that of the Vaniglia Del Madagascar – only with a greater complexity underneath. There’s a smooth, sweet wood listed as guaiacwood (a note I have little experience with) – but it comes across as a lovely, delicately smoked support. A lightly-handled bundle of resins is grouped underneath, a slightly smoky and smooth myrrh and vanillic benzoin with an amber-y base, holds the still leading vanilla. It sounds dense, but Memoirs Of A Trespasser is completely translucent – these additional notes an extremely subtle edge.
Thanks to the resinous base notes, the vanilla is a little less sweet than Vaniglia Del Madagascar, but still – completely smooth and it doesn’t clot and congeal on my skin. The subtle trail of incense smoke throughout keeps the vanilla interesting and three-dimensional.
The vanilla that stays till the end results in the late drydown smelling extremely similar to the Farmacia fragrance, only a little de-sweetened and a little more subtle. Still, I find it the most interesting of the two, but preferring the sweeter drydown of the other (and appreciating it’s gain in strength as time goes on). However, Memoirs Of A Trespasser gets drier and dirtier as time goes on – resurrecting the slightly soiled opening of the beginning – that charred quality with a hint of smoke which I like – at this point I find it hard to decide which vanilla I prefer, and am understanding how a vanilla soliflore can have different personalities.
In honesty, I have sampled Memoirs Of A Trespasser numerous times and never thoroughly enjoyed it – or understood it. As a result, I ordered some samples of other vanilla fragrances – and as proves in this review – it made me appreciate the fragrance a lot more. The perfumer (in recent conversations) suggested I may be anosmic to the ambrette seed musk in this, and I can totally appreciate that, as I don’t detect a note-worthy muskiness in this, at least not until the late drydown. If it is a prominent accord, then it’s likely I can’t smell it – but there we go, that’s what makes these things so much more interesting!
Both vanillas I find easily wearable and comfortable, which is a rare find for me – still, I haven’t yet found the vanilla for me… Mona Di Orio’s came close – that was before it started to smell like egg shells 
Vaniglia Del Madagascar 100ml Parfum Farmacia SS. Annunziata – $160 Luckyscent
Memoirs Of A Trespasser 60ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $85 Imaginary Authors
Bull’s Blood yet again opens with that briney blast of black olive – a bitter herbal accord that brings to mind numerous fragrances by O’Driu - only here it is at a much more approachable intensity. I love it! Considering this same note was in Violet Disguise, I’m guessing there’s some plum in this one too. Quickly uprises a heated cinnamon, violently bitter and dusty - with something animalic lurking underneath it. The olives burn off and the cinnamon is left mingled with a sharp, slightly metallic patchouli and the bunch of dirty musks underneath.
Bull’s Blood, even from the opening, manages to stay relatively light on the skin, despite the intensity of all these pungent ingredients, something which I’m really grateful for – it’s construction and presentation is polite but it’s personality is bitter and twisted.
A faint rose in the background contrasts with the spice, earth and musk as it’s clean and calm, almost like a tea rose – completely buried neck-deep in a thick grease of soiling ingredients. The clarity of the note becomes clearer as you begin to recognize it and makes Bull’s Blood far more approachable each time your pull your nose in.
A smooth, sweet note that has the “breathy” quality that turns me off in so many fragrances adds a density underneath, that means it’s either vanilla, amber, myrrh or costus. My guess is all minus the myrrh, although I do get a sharp incense note in this - intermingled with the patchouli to create the metallic knife-edge through this. The rose, mystery plum, incense and patchouli brings to mind Voleur De Roses by L’Artisan Parfumeur – however the cinnamon, musk and resinous base give it a new direction (and a more solid one). The cinnamon from the opening looses a lot of weight until it is a more transparent, but still potent, heated spice laying a deep red sheen over Bull’s Blood.
As the fragrance dries down, the smokiness becomes more fragrant – tobacco. The animalic presence is lighter but still unclean due to the costus more than anything, and the patchouli/rose combo is sharp and balanced – the drydown seems amber dominated with a hint of smoke and some fecal musk. The contrast of red hues, metallic notes, the sweet but dirty resins and musk fit perfectly with the name of the fragrance, and I can’t help but think of blood and meat when I smell this – but obviously far more fragrant than literally!!
Bull’s Blood is not my favourite in the line, but my guess is it will be the most successful, it is the Oud27 of the Imaginary Authors house. A really great fragrance – filthy but light, a contrast of textures, spice, florals, musk and earth (and a tiny bit of oud in the base?). The perfumer’s signature is strong in the drydown – but is something I can’t put my finger on, it’s just… smooth. Keep your eyes and nose out for this one!
Bull’s Blood 60ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $89 www.imaginaryauthors.com
Violet Disguise opens with a sweet, fruity twist on a black olive accord. Yep, salty, briney, black olives, dripping in oil. Mouthwatering-ly savoury but spiked with rich orange, plum and apricot. A subtle spice of medicinal clove paired with the slightly clinical citrus, makes the opening almost a little festive – like a spiced orange just starting to turn – devoid of fresh juice and instead dry and brittle.
It settles quickly though, it’s weight lifting off and the association with olives vanishing completely (although this effect lasts ages on paper) – and up comes a rich balmy, resinous scent that seems to carry with it a hint of myrrh and vanilla. As the fruits begin to soften, I seem to get a little bit of breezy lavender, and a lily of the valley – a hint of greenery keeping them fresh.
The myrrh-y amber gives off that breathy vibe that I normally can’t stand, but I’m growing to love as its curdled texture gives me that kind of grossed out but can’t stop sniffing effect! This breathy, resin is relatively translucent considering the weight of it, and the sweetened fruits merge into a singular accord that is hardly recognizable, but sweet and honeyed.
The one thing that throws me off is the violet – I can barely smell it… So I won’t talk about it The fruit from the opening leaves a mere stain on the skin, the resins (mainly amber) – a warm breath of bitter-sweet air above a subtle earthiness of maybe patchouli and quiet woods. The amber isn’t plush, but instead a crumbly texture – and whilst the drydown is extremely subtle on my skin, it’s quite unlike anything else, it manages to be unusual, without there being much particularly unusual about it.
The drydown, with the remains of the opening just gripping onto the balsams, gives off an almost play-doh like vibe – slightly doughy and salty with a mystery sweetness behind it. It comes across as chemical in both it’s translucency and overtly smooth texture, but a bizarre amber with a berry-sweetness and a drop of honey. It’s proving very difficult to describe (it has left me a bit stumped!) so my assumption is that the drydown is an exploration into building around an aromachemical that I’m not at all familiar with. Simplistic in the end but very interesting, and what a cracking opening!
Violet Disguise 60ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $89 www.imaginaryauthors.com
L’Orchidee Terrible opens with aldehydes galore – the almost aquatic soapy kind that I think is Aldehyde C11? Or C10… I can’t remember
Then, the most bizarre transition occurs that seems a little displaced but enjoyable to sniff. A sweet honey comes forward which carries with it a translucent, milky chocolate aroma that reminds me of Caramac – those synthetic yellow chocolate bars that taste a little like caramel.
The floral notes are subtle and metallic. An unusual combination of lily of the valley and orchid (although the orchid I am going off both the name and the notes list – I have never smelt a pure orchid material so have no idea how it smells) mingle with the honey and still blaring aldehydes into something that smells like hot metal. At this point if I was to compare L’Orchidee Terrible to any other fragrance – it would be Odeur 71 by Comme Des Garcons. This could easily have a notes list of “dust on a hot light bulb” and “photocopier toner” and “ink in a fountain pen”… it gives off all of these to me, with a pulsating metallic note that also brings to mind the futuristic AB by Blood Concept.
As it ever so slowly begins to settle, a dry, white musk comes forward, perfectly clean and almost clinical. A little hint of jasmine sweetens the fragrance, and maybe a smidge of vanilla. The dryness I assume comes from either a trail of incense or some cedar – I can’t tell – either way it is so distorted by the chemical explosion of the opening it’s identity is shattered in the surreal, futuristic heart of the fragrance.
The thing that stumps me about L’Orchidee Terrible is that I’m not sure whether this was the intention of the perfumer? The marketing makes it seems as though it is meant to be a dated, clean, aldehydic floral – but it comes across as something avant-garde and extremely modern. Was this a mistake? Is there supposed to be this glaring metallic quality that runs throughout it? I’m not sure – of course it’s hard for me to judge this when the packaging shows me a glamorous lady on a pastel pink background… If this were packaged in a sterile test-tube style bottle with a metal plate for a logo, I’d go “Perfect!”. So for now – I’m having to make my mind up on L’Orchidee Terrible on the fragrance alone, minus what surrounds it – in this context, it’s fabulous…
As the aldehydes burn off the honey settles into something extremely translucent and uncomfortably sweet – but so hidden in the distance it is just a sharp element that makes the drydown so much more interesting. The metallic quality, paired with the musky vanilla (and I’ll say incense because I’m sure there’s some in there!), curdles slightly into something that constantly congeals, and then settles on my skin – it’s hugely enjoyable to sniff although I’m sure I’m describing it entirely with words that are putting you off! The orchid is clearly the main player, and a soapy floral almost like a lilac manages to survive the aldehydic opening. A slight earthiness underneath, paired with the musk, brings out an unexpected animal quality – but almost in a Secretions Magnifique style, and to be honest, that is the fragrance that I am most reminded of when smelling L’Orchidee Terrible.
A hugely enjoyable fragrance and one which yet again – I feel like I want a bottle of… God knows when I would wear this, but I can’t help but smile each time I sniff it. Fantastic, obscure and avant-garde; whilst in all honesty it smells a little out of balance to begin with, it manages to smush itself together into something like I have never smelt before and I like it!
L’Orchidee Terrible 60ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $89 www.imaginaryauthors.com
After discovering the launch of a new line – Imaginary Authors, I contacted the perfumer Josh Meyer saying how eager I was to sample this line. The packaging is beautifully modern, the sample presentation is fab (the sample cards to spray on are full of imagination and list a little about the fragrance), and the line generally looked lovely. So I was very keen for these to arrive. After exchanging many fascinating emails with Imaginary Authors - I couldn’t wait to get my nose on these. So, I’m taking my time with them and have been impressed with everything I’ve tried (all of which I’ll write about!), one of the first to capture me though was this…
The Soft Lawn opens with the scent of fresh-cut grass and honeyed linden blossom. I hadn’t smelt linden blossom until I tried Tauer’s Zeta (yet to review) but really love the note. It’s sweet but green, fresh but dense. More bitter greenery sits underneath but it’s not at all herbal – listed is laurel and ivy, neither of which I have much familiarity with other than Comme Des Garcons’ Laurel and Amazingreen – but this is better than both.
I think I get a little bit of bergamot/grapefruit up top, which is bizarre because the citrus doesn’t seem to come in for a couple of minutes. The juiciness of the linden and citrus cut by the bitter green leaves make up a green fragrance that is perfectly soft (hence the name) but with a gorgeous sweetness that seems rare in such a fragrance.
Whether it is the marketing swaying me or whether it’s the clever hand of the perfumer, a note listed is “Fresh Tennis Balls” – and whilst it’s not 100% accurate in the style of Christopher Brosius’ literal representations (thankfully), it’s definitely reminiscent, and I can’t help but smile and agree when I sniff The Soft Lawn. It’s a stale, rubbery note that sits in the middle, smelling like a very subtle, synthetic leather, paired with everything else giving off this impression. I love it! The bitterness underneath continues but never becomes overwhelming as a little smidge of oakmoss and a scrubbed up, clean vetiver joins in. The linden lasts longer than expected (and I think I get a little lily of the valley?).
The drydown does have quite a sharp edge though, an almost plastic-y vinyl note that covers the greenery in a bright synthetic shine. It’s not at all unpleasant though – just my type of thing! The oakmoss and vetiver is given a little light by an aquatic/calone style note that sits above it with a pretty hefty fig leaf which I guess is Stemone? – that brings to mind the drydown of Un Matin D’Orage. The fig scent is what finishes The Soft Lawn, sticking through as the dominant note until the end.
I really enjoy this, and whilst it’s clean, clear and relatively simplistic, it is wonderfully balanced and makes me smile – sometimes I need nothing more!
I’ll be sure to write about the rest of this new line in time, so keep your eyes out, this house is FRESH!
The Soft Lawn 50ml EDP Imaginary Authors – $89 www.imaginaryauthors.com
