Medianus76

"There, look! There ahead under the old oaks not far from the clearing!" said Chris in a whispering voice to his friend Will, pointing roughly in that direction with his forefinger. Will, all nervous and uneasy as he crouched on his knees, pushed aside the thick brush hanging down from the ledge. The air shimmered in the heat of this late summer day, as suddenly this incredible and fabulous scenario manifested itself before his eyes as well...

The two had always been good friends. Always in search of new adventures, they have recently searched an old attic. In the process, this old map had fallen into their hands. Dusty and written in faded ink, this fragile parchment had marked a place they actually thought they knew. The map showed the enchanted clearing in the Bleak Forest. There were many eerie tales surrounding this forest in general and in front of the clearing in particular. That was why they had never ventured there before, even though curiosity had always lured them. But now, with this ancient map, they could no longer resist the temptation to seek out this place. For on the destination of this map was something incredible...

Will couldn't believe his eyes. "Pinch me good," he asked his buddy. "I think I'm dreaming..."
On an old gnarled stump of cedar sat a pan. Clinging to the base of the stump was a carpet of orange, summer citrus blossoms. Lovely and benevolent, they filled the surroundings with their tartly sweet, creamy scent. The Pan itself, an ancient creature of times long past, had two legs overgrown with moss and lichen, resembling a ram. On his head were two imposing curved horns, which shimmered soft and velvety in the dusky evening sun. In his hands he held a panpipe, and each time he played it, it emitted glittering bubbles of fine musk. The bubbles caught in his long woody beard, bursting and mingling with the other aromas to create an essence worthy of this figure.
What a breathtaking image and scent it was, carried gently and unassumingly by the evening breeze to the two of them. A mood as if from another world that could not have been more magical...

"Come on Will, let's go again before he spots us," Chris urged his friend. Will replied in a low voice, "Yeah, let's get out of here and keep quiet about it. Let this be our secret this summer..."

**

A Midsummer Dream was, surprisingly, an olfactory game changer for me in a long time. On the one hand, the aura of this nevertheless quite complex work has reached me and on the other hand just as convinced. Just the fact that I could immediately during the first test an imaginary bridge to Terre d'Hermes and a little bit also to The Tycoon, let me sink deeply into this composition.
The reference is, in my opinion, obvious. The orange blossoms as well as the citrusy sprinklers at the beginning, are with all their facets in Midsummer richer and more distinct than in TDH. Especially the top note scores here, although it is less dry and brittle in appearance, but expressive and present - simply beautiful.
The further course is enhanced by the velvety and soft resins, which give fullness and depth. Through the magical aura of the forest mosses it glitters all the time and every time when said soap bubbles burst and the fragrance molecules spread as a fine veil in the environment, it was done around me! The elegantly woven musk characterizes and shapes the fragrance structure significantly and represents for me an essential component in the entire spectrum. All these components make Midsummer finally to what it is:
Magical, mysterious, actually a little like from a fairy tale and one deeply in the soul touching...

Since this was the first Roja with which I have dealt more closely, I can or must correct my opinion regarding the label a little. Significantly the probably exaggerated pricing policy, so seems to me also with Midsummer the price relatively high. To what extent this is actually justified, however, I can not judge. Another small shortcoming of the fragrance would probably be the lack of corners and edges. The fragrance is always round, soft, smooth...a soul-flatterer. But that's exactly what he wants to be...a summer night's dream!

"The cheerful is the master of his soul" (William Shakespeare)

It was a great pleasure to welcome you to this dreamy summer night...

"New York" comes from the French fragrance house Parfums de Nicolaï. The owner Patricia de Nicolai is the niece of the famous perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain and has been running her own brand since 1989. Independent and free from the guidelines or ideas of the fragrance industry, she loves to implement her own ideas and therefore does not follow trends or currents. In her fragrances she combines tradition with modernity, which her creations skilfully express. Not least through the use of exclusive and natural ingredients, expressive and intense concentrations of the highest quality are created. The fragrance "New York" is considered a pioneer of their own line and is already a classic today...

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Equally a classic and pioneer of its genre is the film "Once Upon a Time in America". Stylistically undisputed a milestone in film history, Sergio Leone has captured in his time a compelling story on celluloid, which has its beginning in New York in the 1920s at the time of Prohibition. At the center of the story are the friends Noodles and Max, who, through the illegal business with alcohol and other criminal machinations, entangle themselves deeper and deeper in the swamp of violence and crime.
Would you want to underline this cinematic experience olfactory, so the fragrance New York would be the perfect little water...
New York has on the one hand the potential of a classic, coupled with a certain portion of nostalgia, on the other hand, its cosmopolitan nature and charming characteristics offers a still functioning and timeless fragrance DNA.

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In the wild 1920s, one went chic and elegant to one of the many jazz clubs in Harlem or Manhattan. Dressed in a casual tuxedo, the determined man of the world generously applies the fragrance. After all, you want to be noticed to be able to celebrate exuberantly and debauched...
The prelude inspires with a wonderfully refreshing citrus note and dresses its wearer appropriately. The citrus is not at all overloaded, it is held as equal in check by a certain spice and subliminal lavender note, cinnamon and clove. This creates a touch of fougère - Très chic!
When the gentleman then makes his way to a "Speakeasy", which were the so-called "whispering pubs" or "moonlight pubs" at the time, the tart moss has already taken over with its mild herbaceousness. In these "moonshine pubs" high-proof alcohol and beer was served at the time of alcohol prohibition in the USA. This was the basis of the roaring atmosphere of the 1920s...along with cocaine and other intoxicants.
The oak moss plays a supporting role further, fixes the molecules and makes the wearer a distinguished gentleman. At the same time, New York never appears too edgy or harshly polished, it gets a noble frame and soft-seeming elegance through fine woods.
Basically subordinate, but still accentuating chords of musk, beaver and Co. give the projection a certain "wild" facet, to also be able to experience an intense party night.

*

New York but also fits fantastically into the present and represents by no means a stale, but rather contemporary oldschool fragrance. The finely coordinated aromas act light-footed and complementary with each other. Playful and informal, the fragrance can be worn on almost any occasion, creating a consistently pleasant aura without overpowering or overwhelming its environment. A good durability distinguishes him as well as an appropriate projection.

*

"I've been to Paris, I've been to London, I've been to Rome, and I have to say there's no place like New York. It's the most exciting city in the world" (Robert De Niro)

Thanks for reading, stay tuned as always, and another big thank you to Gentilhomme for the fine sample...

Torroella de Montgri is a Spanish municipality in the province of Girona, Catalonia, and also the headquarters and home of the Spanish label Santi Burgas. As a tribute to the city and this enchanting stretch of land, another part of the Primal Waters series - TDM. was created
The species-rich landscape, blooming with vegetation and richly decorated with plants and herb groves, served as an inspiring template. The goal was to create a reminiscence of their own homeland. Extracted from powerful herbal blends of traditional medicinal plants, an olfactory portrait of this beautiful landscape should arise.

It all sounds enormously exciting, albeit very ambitious. Because it is certainly not an easy undertaking to conserve authentic and typical flavors of the country, and to transform into fragrant impressions. But it works - more than successfully and as if by a master hand. So much is already betrayed.

TDM offers at the beginning of a refreshing carpet of tart-smelling herbs, embedded in a Mediterranean late summer landscape. If you close your eyes, Torroella de Montgri spends a short vacation in the sunny south to get a little distance and recovery from the demanding everyday life ...
Wide and hilly fields, lined with lush vegetation, are surrounded by rugged and barren rocks. Everything shimmers under the shimmering heat of the scorching sun. The scent of thyme and sage mingles with the spicy air, and a balmy wind blows the slightly sweet aromas of chamomile and lavender fields from nearby. The wild rosemary entwining on the rocks, blends with the other aromas to create a beautifully fragrant melange, giving us a sense of carefree freedom and boundless lightness.
In order not to languish too much in the sun that is high in the sky, a few cypress trees located in the surrounding area offer their cone-shaped shade to linger in. This completes the olfactory portrait, and the herbal spirit is flanked by elegant and beautifully scented woods, tart and ethereal nature.
The fragrance spectrum is thereby at no time intrusive or even seems imposed. TDM enchants through the fluid interplay of the various ingredients, everything is woven together cleanly and authentically, and it creates a charismatic and very suitable for everyday use fragrance. Even though I have never been to this region of Spain, the fragrance certainly suggests in its own way the flavours of this region in a believable and comprehensible way.

The durability and the sillage are consistently in the solid midfield. From my fragrance horizon Torroella de Montgri creates a very unique and multi-faceted veil, and certainly also proves a certain unique selling point in relation to similarly conceived fragrances.

**

Don't run after the past and get lost in the future
The past is no more
The future has not yet come
Life is here and now
(Buddha)

Thanks again for the samples to Gentilhomme and Scentennial

Olfactory moping and sending meaningless compositions into the vastness of the perfume universe was certainly anything but what Santi Burgas wanted to show with the release of the Primal Waters series. Primal, unadulterated and using natural raw materials are all qualities Rodrigo Flores-Roux wanted to convey to his range as a guiding principle. That he has succeeded in a very extraordinary way, Aroma de Hormiguero conveys through its purist, sustainable and light-footed appearance.
The goal here was, as the name suggests, the aura of an anthill, so anthill, to conserve and olfactory reproduce. This idea of course immediately awakens certain associations with forest, earth and nature, as well as cleanliness and order, after all, the ants are known as the environmental police.
But how does one conceive such a project? On the one hand, the choice of natural ingredients is certainly superficial, on the other hand, and this is what makes the fragrance so authentic, you need a typical aroma! Stylishly, and like a fist on the eye, formic acid is indeed used. Of course, no ants are sacrificed for this, but rather naturally occurring derivatives of formic acid. Thus, through their use can manifest the formic in liquid form, and caught in this beautiful bottle, he is always ready to invite into the depths of the ant settlement...

Already the prelude betrays as immediately in which direction it goes. A tart fresh opening chord signals the purity, and gives a first impression of how "clean" this dwelling is.
To my sensation, the fragrance associates all the time with a certain mineral facet. This makes the anthill literally shine, and gives the concept the necessary emphasis to be ethereally pure.
Somewhere or sometime in between, acidity comes into play. It creates the aromatic pungency, but without being acrid or even corrosive. Not in the least, but provides exactly this well-dosed use for the indescribable aroma of the anthill...
So that all this does not remain too clean, and we are on top of that in the forest, woody forest aspects complement the mood. In the further course, it is especially the fir which embellishes immensely, and everything again lifts on a completely different, mild resinous level. The interpretation is given a lot of leeway, whereby earthy and slightly mushroomy veils can certainly be detected. Viewed as a whole, however, the olfactory offer is thereby only rounded off or upgraded!

A trip to the burrow of the ants is definitely worthwhile, and is recommended without reservation. I could not even say here, what could not like or disturbing about the fragrance. The durability and projection are adequate, but could turn out a little better in my opinion. This is just often the downer, if the ingredients are of natural origin, and not the full synthetic board is offered.

**

It is the nature of us humans not to trip over a mountain, but to trip over an ant hill...

Many thanks for the samples to Gentilhomme and Scentennial

The setting sun was already close over the horizon as the last stale light of the day filtered unpromisingly through the dirty windshield of his car. It was not a good day for Tellus. One of those ominous days that would have been better off never happening. If only he had behaved differently just this once. Blinded by the sun, his last shred of hope melted away. His fondest wish to be able to turn the clocks backwards was denied him, of course, for there was no way back! What seemed forever and ever was, at that very moment, long faded past. Farewell is a soft word!

To recharge his batteries and clear his senses, he sought shelter and refuge in the forest. From time immemorial, forests have been places of inspiration for Tellus. When he was at a loss in his life, he went there to ground himself and become one with nature.
He dug his hands deep into the steaming damp forest floor. The powerful aromas rose as the same, enveloping him in a cloud of comfort. He inhaled in deep and rhythmic puffs, feeling his lungs fill with the earthy air. With each successive breath, a bit of the burden of the departing day fell from him, and every cell of his shattered soul was ensnared by the soft warming moss of the ground. A waft of sweetly wilted leaves, united with the mycelium branching deep underground, wafted from the forest, wrapping around him like a protective cloak. On the majestic fir tree in front of him, dozens of resinous-scented beads sprouted from the bark. It was almost as if the tree was shedding the tears of this sad day for him. In the evening sun, the countless aromatic pine needles of the tree glistened, raining down on Tellus, giving him strength and confidence for a new hope...All will be well!

* * *

Liquides Imaginaires reveals greatness here. The creations of the label are not easy in stretches, want to be worked out and understood a bit. So also Tellus. Who feels overwhelmed by the harsh and intense opening, probably associates peaty, musty earth with it. The whole thing garnished with mushroomy subtle animalism. Extremely authentic, but special. Nevertheless, those who allow themselves to be guided with an open mind will experience the true beauty and uniqueness of this underrated phenomenon. Thus, Tellus creates through the totality of its components a human-like aura or projection, which seems incredibly familiar to us, and ultimately springs from our nature.

A heartfelt thank you for the generous sample to Gentilhomme