Serenissima

A look back shows: It was not only the "ladies of the world" (or the "demimonde") who dressed in fragrances early on and for a long time, classic women's perfume consisted mainly of flowers, with violets, lilacs, roses of course, and jasmine always at the forefront and sometimes also spreading a slightly "wicked" scent: here especially the jasmine.
The "good wife", on the other hand, was content with a little lavender water, usually from her husband's supplies.

And it is still impossible to imagine purely feminine fragrance creations without these floral notes.

I particularly love - and this is no secret by now - the scent of jasmine; it and that of lily of the valley share one of the top places in my personal scent popularity scale: both are chameleons and can be pure white, as if freshly washed and almost virginal as well as sensually warm, tempting and even dirty and sultry and wicked.
This depends on the respective "degree of ripeness" of the flowers, so I have plenty of choice with these two fragrances alone, depending on my mood on the day.

"Jasmin Sambac" from ID Parfums and still distributed by Dr. Pierre Ricaud (whose skin care I like to use from time to time) somehow belongs for me between the "female era": no longer suitable for the young woman and also not yet "lived in" enough to stand as a pure and erotic temptation of mature temptation.

The light effervescence of the velvety-skinned apricots, whose fine fruit acidity is clearly evident and is made even more bizarre by a little pink pepper, offers a summery, cheerful prelude and is reminiscent for a moment of a glass of Prosecco with fruity apricot pulp (Marc d'Abricot), without becoming too sweet or too sticky.
White cascades of jasmine blossoms generously spray their sun-warmed aroma; in this composition, they have just the right degree of fragrance maturity to flatter the senses in full bloom, to awaken them with a soft smile and to promise them a great deal more.
This fragrance promise culminates in a classically feminine base of warm musk and rich, creamy white vanilla, which are given a subtle, soft animalic quality by the addition of a few sandalwood accents, thus preventing this creation from becoming too cuddly white-apricot-colored fragrance boredom.

Here the apricot, also called "golden apples" in Greek mythology because of its color and velvety skin, while the Persians gave it the name "sun eggs", is a charming and fruity invigorating addition to the white jasmine sensuality with a warm vanilla-musk aroma.

this makes "Jasmin Sambac" an easy-to-wear summer companion, as it is more fruity and floral than sweet and overpowering.
This fragrance takes you on a journey to Indian gardens at sunset and their incomparable fragrance secrets, which caress and whisper tenderly.
"Jasmin Sambac" snuggles softly against the skin to linger there for an average amount of time, lolling, spreading out and finally saying goodbye elegantly and quietly.

As always, the perfumers at ID Parfum have created a well-crafted fragrance that is easy to wear, albeit without any great claim to particular originality.
They dress us in an apricot-colored light summer dress with rich white jasmine flower applications: pretty and dressy is this fragrance, infused with grace, cheerfulness and sunshine.

i like "Jasmin Sambac" and what more could you want from a summery, light fragrance than this feeling of being well and suitably dressed?

Another warm day; the sun is beating down on the small fruit and vegetable market in the center of the old town, the white and yellow striped awnings above the stalls can't keep out the heat; if anything, they store it above the summery, fruity produce.
Everything that was freshly harvested and ready for sale in the morning has lost its taut, plump freshness and many a trader is very happy if he can still get rid of his goods for little money: It's the time of the "bargain hunters" at the weekly markets!
Housewives who make jam know this!

Strawberries in particular have suffered and instead of red, sweet and aromatic fruit, it now smells very intensely of strawberry puree - freshly made and with a certain amount of synthetics.

This is how Xerjoff's "La Capitale" could be described in a few words.
But it wouldn't be this brand if they didn't try to make something fragrant out of mere, slightly fermented-smelling fruit.
Here I am reminded very much of the newer, mostly pink Snake compositions by Stéphane Humbert Lucas, in which I cannot recognize the fragrance designer I am so familiar with, who offers his "magic potions" there.

If "Erba Pura" offers a fruit cocktail whose ingredients are still easily recognizable, "La Capitale" seems to be a sweet puree of strawberries and very ripe peaches, mixed with caramel and a labdanum-resinous smoky note
This creamy fruit mixture is given a certain stability by quite strong dark brown leather nuances, together with oriental spiced roses (already a classic) and it is no longer surprising that a well-measured dose of oud appears; following my fragrance experience, this melange also lent itself: Rose oud with leather accompanied by strawberry puree ...
With the addition of resinated vanilla, Xerjoff's "La Capitale" is now definitely reminiscent of grandma's laundry room, where she cooked strawberry jam in a large tub and the sweet vapors filled the room.

You have to love fruit-heavy fragrance compositions if you are prepared to choose them as an accompaniment; although "La Capitale" still has the longevity that Xerjoff is known for.
Who would want to smell like my beloved grandmother when she stood in the doorway of the courtyard with the last jar of jam sealed and surrounded by the aromatic scent of strawberries in her smock apron (one of those no longer immaculate ones that was only worn for fruit processing) and rejoiced at the work she had done?

"La Capitale" makes me smile and travel back to my strawberry-pink childhood summer vacations, or else it transports me to one of the many small bar tables that surround the summer farmers' market bustle that is the focal point of many Italian towns, where I have taken a break with something cool and sparkling in my glass for a casual chat with passers-by.

"La Capitale" = sprayed pink strawberry summer nostalgia

The sun dispels the remnants of the night with delicate fingers of rays, caressingly awakening the early morning: who wouldn't want to be woken up like this?

Silence lies over the forest, only the crunching of footsteps on the dry pine needles covering the springy ground can be heard: It accompanies the distant song of the birds.
Coolness and silence - what a rare commodity - are the main components of "In a northern Wood" by Alkemia.
(Don't worry, it doesn't go on so monotonously: it's the last fragrance from this brand that I received for testing and will review here.
Too bad, but I am grateful that I was able to get to know these natural beauties sealed in vials.)

The forest is silent, the morning sky is wide, the dew, as a curtain of night, still lies over everything and its droplets glitter in rich facets under the incidence of light like polished gemstones.
They embellish the hats of the mushrooms, so at home at the side of the paths, and lay their very own lace pattern over the fern fronds that guard my walk.
Spicy, damp, sometimes a little loamy and musty green accompanies my hike and only gives me a hint of how broad the color, the term "green" is.
The aromatic spicy green is joined by the balsamic pine needle green, which becomes softer and softer over time; protective and caressing to the senses.
A gray barrier of oak moss wants to be overcome in order to immerse oneself in a smoky environment:
It seems as if a multitude of milers line the paths; natural wood smoke and resinous variants fill the air with their dancing swathes, whereby the aromatic resins almost predominate, were it not for a good dose of oud: opoponax and elemi resins and the silky-silky cedarwood pay homage to it, but are ultimately admitted as equal fragrance partners: the result is beautiful!
The nature of the awakening morning shown here has its own, originally strong and at the same time supple fragrance, which invigorates the senses and thus arouses curiosity and yet protects.

This skillfully composed Nordic opus releases all of its fragrance tones and unfolds in its very own rhythm in the course of this spicy, aromatic and green symphony.
The tones play around in a cool way, making "In a northern Wood" perhaps even a counterpart to the citrusy world of summer fragrances: it transports us into a bright forest of shadows with lots of light and darker fragrance secrets, which reveal themselves step by step and thus become a harmonious sounding whole.

Sillage and longevity are typical of the brand; although too much of it could perhaps cause a headache: This clear coolness could also be quite exhausting for sensitive senses.

Now this fragrant walk is certainly not for every day.
But I could well imagine "In a northern Wood" as a time-out from a stressful day:
Close your eyes and just take a deep breath and enjoy the fresh cool morning air up there in Nordic purity and silence.

And again the question arises: Is this already perfume or is it still aromatherapy?
Let everyone who has had the chance to experience "In a northern Wood" answer this for themselves.
Doesn't it really matter under which term fragrant calm and silence influence our rhythm of life for a certain time?

For years, I wandered through our botanical garden in Dahlem every season and got to know not only the most diverse plants, but also the cycle of nature.
So of course I also know where to find which trees, bushes and flowers, where the magnolias bloom earliest and most beautifully, where the delicately colored, filigree and full fruit tree blossoms turn into plump, ripe fruits over time and that just now, when the days are finally getting longer again, the dreamlike colorful splendor of the azaleas and camellias beckons in one of the large glass houses.
I also spent time outdoors, knowing full well that the subsequent stay in the greenhouses would quickly warm me up again, and was delighted every year at the end of winter to see the witch hazel in bloom, of which there are several bushes at the end of the beech avenue at the entrance to Königin-Luise-Platz.
Witch hazel in bloom, even when the snow is still heavy, means: "Spring is on its way; winter can slowly pack its bags: So let's go, good grief!"

This feeling of the approaching, much longed-for spring, of winter soon coming to an end, is conveyed by "Dust of Snow", one of Alkemia's fragrances that is both interesting and wearable from time to time.
These fragrance compositions are not daily companions; for me they are impressions, fragrances that have become inclusions of a moment that should be enjoyed as such.

"Dust of Snow" is cool and refreshing, if only because of the essential oils it contains: citrusy ginger spiciness provides cool, invigorating moments that seem to become richer and warmer through balsamic fir and light resin smoke accents and something foreign to my nose, conveying the brightness and shy warmth of the winter sun:
Welcome winter sun warmth on my back and dancing facets of light on the snow, as I greet with annual joy and gratitude the multitude of fragile yellow and rather rusty-red witch hazel blossoms on still bare woodland.
It is unimaginable that the healing, anti-inflammatory ointments and tinctures are made from this: Nature and its treasures!

If I manage to survive the first, fragrance-opening ginger spiciness ("nipping at my nose") of "Dust of Snow" without sneezing and watery eyes, I settle comfortably into the balsamic calm of this fragrance, feeling warmly embraced, as if I were wearing a thick, cozy wool sweater (perhaps with a little ginger scratchiness after all?).

for me, "Dust of Snow" is a fragrant symbol of the end of winter and the awakening of spring; the two are very close together here.
As mentioned: Not a fragrance for everyday life, but a flattering excursion for the senses, a pleasant escape from it.
Sillage and durability are within the normal average range.
All in all, a pleasant companion for a walk through expectant silence and cold, the face turned towards the first caress of the still pale sun.

Alkemia's "Green Witch" is wonderfully green, wonderfully spicy and surprisingly (apart from the mock hazel) not a hay fever/allergy candidate!
The longer you wear it, the more relaxing and fragrant a walk through an aromatic, later rather balsamic, light forest develops, in which you could easily meet a herb woman with her pannier on her back: "The Green Witch"!

Despite the strong dark spice, rays of sunlight seem to play through the greenery. Light-hungry ground cover plants, such as lemon verbena, would otherwise not be able to thrive: and they emphasize light and sun in this fragrance composition - the warm light in the dark!

A variety of aromas from different woods, long-stored and freshly cut, slightly bitter rowan bark (it's been a long time since I cooked mush from the fruits of the trees!), and the spicy juice of freshly cut sage meet with that of the "great witch's herb":
Not only externally and internally healing; the inherent plant spirit is said to connect the soul of the wearer with the "other world" - or so the legend goes.
Witchcraft stuff? Old wives' tale? Who knows!
Rather a rich, spicy blend of fragrances, in the shade of which a few rare forest orchids (also known as "lady's slipper", so beautiful to look at) still find their home, quietly seducing us with their sensual scent and caressing our senses, and whose charm even greets the always somewhat grumpy oakmoss in a friendly manner.

Is this fragrance composition really already perfume or is it still aromatherapy?
I don't know; maybe "both - and"!
For me, "Green Witch" is simply well-being: a spicy, relaxing break in the countryside - born of the moment (opening the bottle and spraying) and quickly accessible without long journeys or hikes.

"Alkemia" fragrance compositions are not commonplace; they all follow their own path and probably also like to puzzle us.
But is that wrong?
A moment of reflection, of pondering, of introspection wrapped in a sprayed veil of fragrance - why not?

"Green Witch" touches with a particularly spicy magic, even without the belief in witchcraft and dark myths.
This still youthful "green witch" accompanies you for some time in a pleasant way; it is worth tracing her charisma and feeling relaxation through this alone.