SMELLYTHOUGHTS’ 1 Year Anniversary + Freddie’s Best of 2012

Hello!
Ok, I’m gonna crack straight on with this.

First of all: Happy New Year
Now that’s out the way – here’s what I loved and discovered in 2012.

My Favourite 3 Fragrances in 2012:

Haute Claire (far too closely followed by Secret Garden) by Aftelier Perfumes. Both of these fragrances are a tie for me, completely different, but absolutely beautiful. The richest, most naturally grand florals I have smelt – truly beautiful, wearable and classic – timeless fragrances that will be with me for a long time. Outstanding!

Rubj EDP by Vero Profumo is simply awesome. A sexy, volumptuous floral with an unexpected, almost tropical/sour “fresh” slice of green passionfruit smothering it. Mouthwatering, huge, and an absolute necessity. Exceptional.

Miriam by Tableau De Parfums is a modern classic. It combines so many elements of fragrances I love into something seamless – the aldehydic resins of La Myrrhe, the aldehydic white floral/incense combo of No.22, various fragmented particles of classic Tauer’s such as the bay of Un Rose Chypree, the violet/iris of Pentachord White… I can go on… but it is its own being – Miriam is gorgeous.

Most Unexpected Beauty:

M/Mink by Byredo completely took me by surprise. After months of thinking I hated it (after trying it only twice on paper) – I found it’s evolution on the skin absolutely captivating. Whilst I still struggle to wear it, when I finally accept that it’s a beeswax/incense/patchouli and not the fishy atrocity that my mind conjurs up – I love it.

New Talent:

Mangetic Scent is an awesome line. Indigo was one of my sampling highlights of the year and I can’t wait to get my hands on a full bottle. The packaging is beautiful, the fragrances are truly brilliant and I can’t wait to see what this guy comes out with next

Best Marketing and Packaging:

In all honesty, O’Driu is pretty pompous and poncy (a little cringeworthy at times)… but judging the brand through it’s products, marketing and advertising – it owns. Not only have they kicked off massively solely from threads on Basenotes, the gorgeous sample packages were handed out extremely generously, and the packaging is fantastic. I love the boxes stuffed with feathers and hessian, the advertising images are beautiful, the bottles are solid (although a bit wierd, when you buy 50ml, you get 50ml in a 100ml bottle…), and I like the atomizers (but wouldn’t use it – evapouration and all that shit). All in all, kudos to you O’Driu.

Oh and just in the category of advertising, Lady Gaga’s Fame commercial was brilliant (there, I said it)… as we all know, the fragrance was piss poor.

Sad To See Go:

Eau D’Epices got discontinued this year – which gave me a little heartache… but it’ll be back next year I believe so no big deal I guess it’s removal from the market re-trigged my admiration for this challenging composition. I will get it when it returns!

A list of other fragrances I loved in 2012:

Iris Silver Mist
Sepia
Bosque
Chypre Rouge
Musc Maori
Putain Des Palaces
Ambra Nera
CDG EDP 2011
Bolt Of Lightning/Fermes Tes Yeux/Jarling
Tawaf

Ok so you might be wondering where all the hate is here? In all honesty – there’s too many to write about and compile into neat categories, so I’m just gonna real some off and get the dirty stuff over with…

Crap of the year:

Seville A L’Aube (loved smelling the ingredients that went in it… didn’t like ‘em all together…)
Serge Noire/L’Eau/L’Eau Froide/Nuit De Cellophane (obvious reasons)
BEX (the write ups that started the trouble)
Sentifique (words can’t describe these fragrances… so I won’t try) 
Jean-Claude Ellena’s Dreary Diary (and most of his work)
Seven Veils (I still re-live the nightmare of when it hit my skin)
Jovoy (the line, not the shop)
Blah blah blah – I have a terrible memory and the list could go on forever, trust me. That’ll do for now

So yes – every bloggers doing these in far more detail so there’s my little two cents. Thanks for the support everyone <3<3<3

Freddie x

Oh, and some perfect music… just because

Loretta – Tableau De Parfums

The second fragrance in the Tableau De Parfums line – created by Andy Tauer of Tauer Perfumes…

Loretta opens with candied grape soda and a hit of heated spice – giving off a very subtle candied cinnamon dusting paired with some green herbs that brings to mind the merest smidge of Eau D’Epices hidden underneath the syrupy florals. The grape soda from the start is something I first came across when smelling Cuir Venenum by Parfumerie Generale – an overloaded, obscure treatment of orange blossom and it’s lovely!

A clear rose comes into Loretta as the spices slowly begin to vanish, leaving behind a green, herbal smidge underneath. The rose and orange blossom are the leads, with a subtly lactonic tuberose creeping up from below – the green accords snapping to the tuberose to make it smell like the stem has been removed with the flower. The combination of bitter greenery and the tang of grape juice from the orange blossom and jasmine, create a bizarre, metallic and oily quality – which gets stronger as a worn leather note comes in. I’m glad I’m not the only one who picks up on this oily metallic quality as The Candy Perfume Boy entitled this The Steampunk Tuberose – and that totally makes sense!

The culinary herbal notes and the bitter leather notes bring to mind dated classics such as Bandit – but where that fragrance is solely about these notes, Loretta overloads them with a more modern candied floral accord that releases something almost avant-garde – a dominating, modern-day fruity floral with greater maturity.
The grape soda image never disappears for me, morphing into stewed fruits at times (plum), and hard PEZ candy at others. The orange blossom for me is the lead, sweet and playful, lacking the deep resinous aspects I expected. The tuberose slumps on the bottom, a green, decaying floral releasing oil and metallic notes that remind me slightly of (the opening to) Bolt Of Lightning by JAR, only more in control.

The rough leather stays tame, as some dry cedar becomes more potent – releasing a trail of smoke throughout Loretta that I initially mistook for incense. The burnt, charred aspect of the wood further splits Loretta into two halves – the fizzy candied florals and the smoky woods and leather (and a growing presence of green earth – vetiver? – that brings the return of the peppered spice from the opening), similarly to how Miriam split the bright aldehydic floral from the deep resinous base.

Whilst personally Miriam appeals more to me, Loretta is a fabulous fragrance. It does smell slightly familiar, I’m reminded of Cuir Venenum with its grape-y orange blossom and smoky leather, Love by By Kilian with its marshmallow like jasmine, orange blossom and candied white floral overload – only with a smear of Comme Des Garcons’ Garage muddled in the mix. I’m not saying the Loretta is un-original, it combines all these fragrances I really like and manages to elegantly smush them into something charming and ladylike. It has a dark heart, but puts on a beautiful smile – a complicated fragrance full of little nuances and unexpected textures that makes me discover something new each time I try it. As with all Tauer’s – recommended!

Loretta 50ml EDP Tableau De Parfums - $160 Luckyscent

Youtube Video: Favourite Tuberose Fragrances

x

Miriam – Tableau De Parfums

I had been wanting to try this for so, so long. Tableau De Parfums is a new line that encorporates film, and fragrance. A short film is created (surrounding a female character) – and the brilliant Andy Tauer creates a fragrance to match.

Miriam opens fizzy and aldehyde heavy. A beautiful candied citrus up top of bergamot, orange and lemon have a sherbert quality, sharp and tangy – almost mouth-watering. The first floral to hit me is a powdery violet, cut underneath by a bitter green bay leaf. At this point it reminds me of Une Rose Chypree - where the rose is replaced by violets and an aldehydic opening.

A rich ylang ylang comes in next, that slight banana hint made richer and more effervescent by the still fizzing aldehydes and the scattering of powder. The bay leaf still drifting along strong, with a clove note maybe from a mere hint of carnation – and a herbaceous lavender which adds a medicinal edge. That’s where Miriam becomes distinctive as a modern fragrance with a vintage feel, rather than just a vintage fragrance – the huge contrast of textures and unexpected additions. The lavender/clove camphorous quality undercuts the “pretty” floral notes to create something that almost feels like two separate fragrances, but it just about holds together – it’s a great play on the skin.

A rich rose and jasmine in the distance add to the bouquet and fill the spaces which I appreciate (them not being the leading role) – for me it’s the violet, carnation, ylang ylang, and maybe even a lily of the valley? It’s a complicated arrangement but similarly to the recently reviewed Ubar by Amouage – works harmoniously.

The vanilla from the base begins to creep in after about 20 minutes or so, the lavender and sweet vanilla remind me of a tamer Kiki by Vero Profumo, only heavily overlaid with a classic floral arrangement. The bitter greenery quietens quickly as the vanilla smooths out the sharper edges. Similarly, a sandalwood and amber adds a resinous, woody base – smooth and creamy paired with the vanilla, rounding out Miriam into a languid drydown. The powder from the heart turns into a more prominent orris note, dragging the almost lipstick like quality into the base. At this point the iris, violet and wood combo bring to mind Pentachord White by Tauer, only Miriam is softer, without the intensely sharp rosewood.

Tauer’s signature is subtle but recognizable for those familiar with his work – it results in Miriam having a really unexpected, sweet/woody/resinous almost oriental base that feels a touch out of place – but all the better for that. It turns slightly musky as it lives on the skin, and I think there’s a smidge of ambergris that keeps Miriam ethereal and bright – the density of the base never overwhelming the buzz of the fizzy florals.
Miriam is a truly lovely fragrance. It has the same feel to it as La Myrrhe by Serge Lutens - that contrast of textures paired with aldehydes – resins and florals given new life. I find it fascinating and beautiful, and without a doubt one of the best feminine fragrances I have smelt in ages – a modern classic.

Miriam 50ml EDP Tableau De Parfums - $160 Luckyscent