Rickbr

I see it as a natural path that after many years behind the creative direction of Guerlain Sylvaine Delacourte decided that it's time for a brand under her name and with her ideas. And it's not a surprise for me that she decided to make her first line of 5 fragrances united by a white musk concept. The abuse of musk bases in thin fragrances created a misconception that musks give a cheap aspect to a composition. The fact is that used in the right way they are certainly a force capable of round and exalt the most precious materials and bring unity and softness to a whole composition. This seems to be the idea here and Dovana is already a good example of that.

If you expect a clean functional idea of white musk, you'll certainly be surprised (or disappointed). Dovana might have a clean component in its smell - after all it was inspired by a soap of Sylvaine's childhood. The idea in fact conveys a sensation of freshness and purity, but one which doesn't forget the chic component behind it. It makes me think as if Sylvaine was inspired or motivated to bring some of her projects for Guerlain back and rethink them. I see that the delicate musky sweetness of creations like L'Instant Magic and Mon Precieux Nectar are here, but under a different harmony.

Dovana starts with a sparkling citrus impression, which already has a floral component on it. It moves foward something more bitter and almond like and i appreciate that here, different from L'Instant Magic, the almond blossom impression is neither so bitter or plastic in its aroma. It's delicate, elegant and gives plenty of space for a powdery and discreetly sweet iris accord. Dovana ends quite simple in a coherent way, with a musky creaminess punctuated by the delicate woody aroma of sandalwood. And altough it aroma is soft, it lasts in a very pleasant way, like a second skin. It's a good choice if you appreciate Delacourte work with Guerlain perfumes where the muscinade was a major star.

Loewe 001 Man is a more interesting perfume than it may seem at first, multifaceted in its combination of what has dominated the commercial and niche perfumery. At first I had the impression that its dynamics would revolve around exotic woods, amber and with an aromatic bitter absinthe, something that briefly reminded me of Amouage Memoir Man. However, this is just one facet of 001 Man, which balances between citrus and clean touches, a note of earthy and slightly powdery iris (which some relate to Dior Homme), a dry woody scent of sandalwood and creamy vanilla and musk tones at the base. It is a complex perfume, one that deceives with a false sense of delicacy in an aroma that lasts nicely on the skin. It has notes sufficiently unisex to be shared, fitting with what the proposal says.

Loewe 001 Woman, as well as its male pair, tricks in the first few minutes or when feeling quickly on blotter or spray. Like its male counterpart, it interprets 2 olfactory tendencies that have proven strong - those of gourmands and white narcotic florals. So feeling quickly passes the impression of another super sweet floral to the La Vie Est Belle style of being. However, sprayed on the skin the sweet and sugary impression is very moderate and gives space to a shimmering citrus tone that makes a good link with the male version. The heart shows to be more floral and presents a delicate, fresh and slightly green jasmine, something half springy in its aroma. The musk and wood base of the masculine is reinterpreted to give a more gourmand connotation, with an accord of sandalwood nutty and vanilla nuances, something that softens the drier edges of the woody idea present in Loewe 001 Man. Like its pair, is delicate yet durable in its aroma and despite the gourmand connations is a scent that can be used on warmer days. The floral aspect may make it more daring for the male audience, but nothing that can not be shared or even mixed with the Loewe 001 Man to give a special and different touch.

In 1992 the Italian jewelry brand Bvlgari would make its debut in the world of perfumery with a creation that would open doors to a new theme. With a Jean Claude Ellena creation, Au The Vert showed that it was commercially possible to make a perfume of green tea in a minimalist and pleasant theme, so pleasant that what was an aroma for ambience of the Bvlgari store quickly became perfume to be sold due to the great demand. After 8 years of Au The Vert release CDG in its first themed series, Leaves, shows us a more conceptual and dark side of tea theme, a kind of yang for the Au Vert yin.

If there is any expectation regarding a green refreshment in TEA this is quickly subverted by experiencing the perfume in its initial moments in the skin. The perfumer here explores precisely the smokier and more animalic nuances of the two teas chosen as protagonists: maté tea and black tea. While the aroma of black tea is more smoky, maté tea in essential oil is interesting in its nuances ranging from the scent of leather to that of patchouli and to a mild mentholic and sweetness hint witnessed at the background of the aroma.

Although there is no mention of the perfumer responsible for TEA, it is likely that either Marx Buxton or Bertrand Douchafour were responsible, since both at that time created several compositions for the brand under a similar aesthetic, which can be observed here as well. Buxton and Douchafour created a linear and monolithic style of compositions that went beyond the enjoyable and with the correct juxtaposition of materials of impact could pass something more conceptual and daring. In Tea, soft musks and woody mineral materials are supplemented with light minty tones and a dose of what appears to be a castoreum accord, which creates the feel of the smoked and leathery aura of tea. There is still a slight suggestion of sweetness and the earthy, patchouli scent of the maté tea in the composition. Series 1 Leaves Tea shows what CDG has always been able to do better in its most classic moments: subverting a concept without leaving aside the usability of it.

It is possible to notice that from the bottle to the advertisement the jewerly brand Cartier spared no cost in what seems to be its new pillar within the male universe of fragrances - L'Envol de Cartier. It is rare to see a brand investing in this way for a public other than the female, but perhaps for the way the perfume seems to position the brand is targeting the users of the great sales success of its competitor Hermès. But the main difference is that while Terre d'Hermes was constructed as an iteration of the Declaration with a very clear woody mineral direction, L'envol is ambivalent from the target audience to the perfume itself.

The mental image that came to me as I reflected on L'Envol was that of an optical illusion figure that has several figures hidden within it, waiting to be revealed according to the perception of each one. L'Envol is both a fragrance of transparent honey and a perfume of sweet and iris or a violet scent with a light touch of leather a la Fahrenheit. Everything is within its aroma and it is curious how you can perceive each of these facets every time you apply L'Envol on the skin. They lead to a base that is also multifaceted and although harmonic is ambivalent in its nuances. Sometimes the mineral materials dominate and seem to produce a similar base between the Terre d'Hermes and the Marc Jacobs Bang. Other times, there is a slightly musky and foul musky that produces a ghostly touch of oud. Or was it perhaps a well-built use of Gaiac wood?


L'Envol just seems to want to be inconclusive, familiar enough that it is easy for its nuances to be grasped but distinct and complex enough to stand by itself. Its ambivalence certainly makes me think of perfume that has great potential to please the female audience and be a shared creation. It is a fragrance that at the very least requires a little more time to appreciate the beauty of its identity - which is both positive and negative points, depending on the expectations of each one to it.