Here’s another instalment of my regular compilation of mini-reviews from Twitter, covering October to December 2014.
Nevermore from Frapin (Anne Sophie Behaghel; 2014)***
Curious mix of metallic rose, ozonic note and parched cedar. There is a sense of the Gothic, but it’s too quiet. Still, the image of whitened bones in a graveyard is quite intriguing, while it lasts.
All Good Things from Gorilla Perfume (Simon & Mark Constantine; 2014)*
Rose petals on a candy floss bonfire, with a side order of honeyed leather. Delightfully sweet throughout.
Déclaration D’Un Soir Intense from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2014)*
Markedly different from 2012’s non-intense version. The musky rose remains at the heart. But at the top, we now have strange, part-berry, part-red pepper vegetal note. Laurent continues to try to bring oddness to the mainstream.
Santal Royal from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser; 2014)**
Peachy, green apple over predictably Arabian rose and a not-terribly-smooth sandalwood. No regal crowns in sight.
Terracotta Le Parfum from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser; 2014)**
Commendably restrained sun tan lotion accord, with coconut, fizzing citrus & musks. Steam rising off hot skin.
No. 57 from Arquiste For J Crew (Rodrigo Flores-Roux & Yann Vasnier; 2014)*
A sign of more mainstream leanings for Arquiste? 57 begins with beautiful, caramelised, expensive whisky note. Real sense of walking into a wooded room the night after VERY wild party. But the whole stays too close to skin. & drydown is unremarkable.
No. 31 from Arquiste For J Crew No. 31 (Rodrigo Flores-Roux & Yann Vasnier; 2014)*
An interesting one. The sweet, grape-like, plummy opening is rather thin and pedestrian. Then a curious change occurs & the drydown settles on an elegant, spiced sandalwood. Shades of Malle’s Dries Van Noten. Worth checking out.
Pluriel Masculin from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Francis Kurkdjian; 2014)*
Fairly straightforward fougère, with abrasive woods, strident herbs and other masculine cliches. I wasn’t enamoured, but each time I wore it, I received several effusive compliments. Go figure. Maybe some folks enjoy predictable smells.
Pluriel Féminin from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Francis Kurkdjian; 2014)*
Pleasant rose-iris-lily of the valley floral with a ‘shampoo musk’ drydown. Safe and undemanding.
Black Gold from Ormonde Jayne (Geza Schoen; 2014)*
Begins with handfuls of pepper and suitably balmy, bassy wood notes. But becomes suspiciously anorexic. The synthetics try to cover up the hollow space in the middle, but they don’t quite succeed. Shame.
Narciso from Narciso Rodriguez (Aurelien Guichard; 2014)*
Well-rendered, orange blossom + gardenia landscape, with plenty of musks. Florals as seen through gauze.
Adventurer from Aramis (2014)*
The name must be ironic. As cowardly a scent as you could imagine, full of citrus, wood cliches. Stick to gutsier original.
Le Parfum L’Eau Couture from Elie Saab (Francis Kurkdjian; 2014)*
Singed candy floss peeking through pink petals. Well-judged green note. Decent, straightforward floral. That said, I did chuckle that ‘couture’ was being linked with something so calorific. Is this to help models cope with starving?
Nuit D’Issey from Issey Miyake (Dominique Ropion & Loc Dong; 2014)*
Oh dear, where has Mr Miyake’s zen gone? Overly synthetic harshness from the citruses to the sandalwood. Vile.
Liqueur Charnelle from Huitième Art (Pierre Guillaume; 2014)***
Extremely well-executed boozy, spicy wood, but nothing we haven’t had before. Easy to wear. Forgettable.
Cozé Verdé from Parfumerie Générale (Pierre Guillaume; 2012)***
Skilful combo of bitter cocoa and green, sappy figs. Clean, woody patchouli in background. A dry gourmand.
Vétiver Matale from Parfumerie Générale (Pierre Guillaume; 2012)***
A clean, attractive vetivert. As he proved in Myrrhiad, Guillaume knows how to handle tea notes. And here, they’re very well rendered, together with the smoke, honey and skin-hugging musk facets mentioned in the marketing blurb.
Arabian Horse from Parfumerie Générale (Pierre Guillaume; 2012)***
A none-too-pleasing clash of tangy leather with a ‘vegetal marine’ note. Grows quiet fairly quickly. Odd.
Persolaise
* sample provided by brand
** sample obtained by the author
*** sample provided by Bloom Perfumery
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I love concision, and I love negative reviews! Thank you. These are great.
Why do I want to hate perfumes? I don't really want that, of course, but why do I love negative reviews? Any speculations?
I believe that many many people like familiar scents, starting in infancy when that seems like an advantageous preference. My experience is that few people ever receive an olfactory education. Among those who do, it is most often in the culinary realm, where some degree of preference for the familiar is also probably advantageous. But, boy is it fun when you start learning about novel scents that cannot kill you!
Leathermountain, thanks very much for your comment. Every now and then, I like to keep things pithy and short 😉
Thanks for the quick overview. The perfume market is getting huge and one cannot spend days and days reading about every single new scent.
Also I realized that I tend to be influenced by professional reviews and I approach the scents with prejudice afterwards. To me perfume is a matter of the heart, not the mind, so now I prefer such short descriptions which just direct me to possibly interesting new scents.
No 31 sounds interesting to me, as well as All Good Things…and I like Pierre Guillaume, so I will have to try all of them anyway.
Neva, you're absolutely right about the size of the market. If my writing helps you find some interesting new scents, then I'm really pleased.