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Joyful peach fruity floral
The name of Oud Wood & Amyris is quite misleading, as I only briefly perceive a passing smoky note at the very beginning, which might be associated to oud or amyris but probably stems from guaiac wood and papyrus indicated above.
The fragrance then proceeds to turn fruity. During the first 30 minutes, I can detect a fresh spicy undertone of coriander and a delicate creamy touch of sandalwood. But they're eventually lost in this joyful, succulent peach, adorned by the green rosy hue of geranium, the golden warmth of ylang ylang and a pinch of the tarry sweetness of thyme.
The sillage is relatively close to skin, and the longevity is around 6 hours. Although the name surely implies a traditionally masculine woody fragrance, I can't stress enough that Oud Wood & Amyris actually wears more like a fruity floral with enough subtle nuances. As long as one is not deterred by the initial short-lived smoky woody opening, I think it would make a lovely and affordable peach fragrance.
The fragrance then proceeds to turn fruity. During the first 30 minutes, I can detect a fresh spicy undertone of coriander and a delicate creamy touch of sandalwood. But they're eventually lost in this joyful, succulent peach, adorned by the green rosy hue of geranium, the golden warmth of ylang ylang and a pinch of the tarry sweetness of thyme.
The sillage is relatively close to skin, and the longevity is around 6 hours. Although the name surely implies a traditionally masculine woody fragrance, I can't stress enough that Oud Wood & Amyris actually wears more like a fruity floral with enough subtle nuances. As long as one is not deterred by the initial short-lived smoky woody opening, I think it would make a lovely and affordable peach fragrance.
Lovely affordable introduction to rose
Bergamote & Rose Sauvage opens with the dry, slightly peppery greenness of geranium, which is soon followed by a natural redolence of rose. The rose here is not the wan, watery type, but a true, peachy rose showing its fruity, honeyed, a tad spicy and dried tea leaf nuances. Since I don't perceive the bergamot separately, I'm guessing that's where I got the citrus tea connotation.
The sillage is moderate at first, but it soon drops to close to skin after about 15 minutes. The dry down sees the rose turns drier, like dried petals, then muskier and slightly powdery, with a tad tartness of citrus fruits. The fragrance lasts around 5 hours on my skin.
Although it's arguably not as sophisticated as the many grand rose perfumes, Bergamote & Rose Sauvage is still impressive enough at its price range, in which most rose fragrances tend to be fresh to the extent of being insubstantial. If you are interested in the complex aroma of rose but would like an affordable option as a start, I think Bergamote & Rose Sauvage would be a lovely introduction.
The sillage is moderate at first, but it soon drops to close to skin after about 15 minutes. The dry down sees the rose turns drier, like dried petals, then muskier and slightly powdery, with a tad tartness of citrus fruits. The fragrance lasts around 5 hours on my skin.
Although it's arguably not as sophisticated as the many grand rose perfumes, Bergamote & Rose Sauvage is still impressive enough at its price range, in which most rose fragrances tend to be fresh to the extent of being insubstantial. If you are interested in the complex aroma of rose but would like an affordable option as a start, I think Bergamote & Rose Sauvage would be a lovely introduction.
1 Comment
Fluffy neroli and ambroxan...
Histoire d'Orangers is arguably a rather simplistic fragrance: a breeze of fresh neroli soon lifted by a fluffy, inky white musk, while ambroxan extends the fragrance further into the dry down. However, there are enough nuances to keep it pretty and natural-smelling.
The neroli in the opening is fresh and transparent, with just enough green bitterness to evoke the natural feeling, and nothing sharp or soapy at all. A delicate honey casts golden shimmers to the neroli, just enough to add a touch of sensuality and suavity, and nothing sticky or cotton candy-like, either. The musk is clean and slightly inky, luckily without any connotation of sharp laundry powder to me. Its fluffy texture complements the feathery neroli perfectly, and lends an expansive sensation. The scent as a whole, is like an ethereal white cloud of neroli and musk, shined upon by the golden sunlight of honey. These first 3 hours are my favourite part of Histoire d'Orangers.
Afterwards, ambroxan becomes more and more apparent, and eventually dominates the perfume and pushes the neroli to the edges. I usually perceive ambroxan as slightly salty, but mostly musky sweet with a vegetal/mineral nuance. Here, the vegetal facet does link with the neroli nicely at times. But once the ambroxan completely takes over, it's just ambroxan and nothing else, which eventually bores me in the end.
Histoire d'Orangers rather whispers its story close to the skin, and lasts at least 7 hours thanks to the extensive dry down of ambroxan.
Like many L'Artisan offerings, Histoire d'Orangers is very easy to appreciate and have a certain natural feeling in the opening. As an orange blossom fragrance, it's clean and fresh, but not as bitter herbal green as traditional cologne; it's fluffy and honeyed, but not as sweet as cotton candy or too indolic. It embodies the innocent nature of orange blossom perfectly. However, its overall simplicity and its extensive use of ambroxan may not jibe with everyone. I would mostly recommend it to those who happen to seek for a soft, non soapy neroli fragrance.
The neroli in the opening is fresh and transparent, with just enough green bitterness to evoke the natural feeling, and nothing sharp or soapy at all. A delicate honey casts golden shimmers to the neroli, just enough to add a touch of sensuality and suavity, and nothing sticky or cotton candy-like, either. The musk is clean and slightly inky, luckily without any connotation of sharp laundry powder to me. Its fluffy texture complements the feathery neroli perfectly, and lends an expansive sensation. The scent as a whole, is like an ethereal white cloud of neroli and musk, shined upon by the golden sunlight of honey. These first 3 hours are my favourite part of Histoire d'Orangers.
Afterwards, ambroxan becomes more and more apparent, and eventually dominates the perfume and pushes the neroli to the edges. I usually perceive ambroxan as slightly salty, but mostly musky sweet with a vegetal/mineral nuance. Here, the vegetal facet does link with the neroli nicely at times. But once the ambroxan completely takes over, it's just ambroxan and nothing else, which eventually bores me in the end.
Histoire d'Orangers rather whispers its story close to the skin, and lasts at least 7 hours thanks to the extensive dry down of ambroxan.
Like many L'Artisan offerings, Histoire d'Orangers is very easy to appreciate and have a certain natural feeling in the opening. As an orange blossom fragrance, it's clean and fresh, but not as bitter herbal green as traditional cologne; it's fluffy and honeyed, but not as sweet as cotton candy or too indolic. It embodies the innocent nature of orange blossom perfectly. However, its overall simplicity and its extensive use of ambroxan may not jibe with everyone. I would mostly recommend it to those who happen to seek for a soft, non soapy neroli fragrance.
1 Comment
Soy milk and generic vanilla tuberose...
Tubéreuse de Madras on my skin is mainly a milky tuberose. This once carnal flower is now devoid of camphor, butter, indole or anything animalic in Tubéreuse de Madras. It's so skimmed of fat that it kind of reminds me of soy milk at first, which is a surprising twist during the opening.
However, slowly but surely, the creamy sweetness of vanilla permeates every corner of the dry down. Tubéreuse de Madras eventually becomes a generic creamy musky vanilla tuberose until the end.
The fragrance mostly stays close to the skin during its 9-hour longevity.
Although the soy milk opening phase is quite interesting and the fragrance itself is mostly agreeable, the vanilla white floral dry down feels rather routine and commercial, and eventually falls flat compared to the many great tuberose perfumes before it. Considering its hight price and limited availability, I'm not sure it's special enough to worth the particular effort to track it down.
However, slowly but surely, the creamy sweetness of vanilla permeates every corner of the dry down. Tubéreuse de Madras eventually becomes a generic creamy musky vanilla tuberose until the end.
The fragrance mostly stays close to the skin during its 9-hour longevity.
Although the soy milk opening phase is quite interesting and the fragrance itself is mostly agreeable, the vanilla white floral dry down feels rather routine and commercial, and eventually falls flat compared to the many great tuberose perfumes before it. Considering its hight price and limited availability, I'm not sure it's special enough to worth the particular effort to track it down.
2 Comments
Lovely sweet velvety iris but ultimately lacks identity...
My experience with Iris de Syracuse seems to reflect that of Littlegrassstraw. The opening is ever so lovely: a tenderly sweet woody iris, with a bit of starchy yet creamy, velvety texture. I don't perceive any earthy, metallic, carroty aspects of the iris. Iris de Syracuse at this stage, embodies the olfactory equivalent of an elegant pastel purple velvet gown.
Unfortunately, once it starts to dry down after roughly 2 hours, its magic begins to wear off. A sweet ambery accord pervades the creamy iris, turning it into a candy iris with a tiny suggestion of lipstick, which reminds me of a less ambery dry down of Jacques Fath Bel Ambre. It's still lovely, but in comparison to the graceful opening, it feels rather generic and déjà-vu.
The sillage is mostly close to the skin, and the longevity is around 8 hours.
I thoroughly enjoyed Iris de Syracuse, especially that its velvety sweet woody iris opening imparts a sophisticated yet approachable elegance. The transition to the candy ambery iris is also quite subtle, making it mostly linear, easy to appreciate and versatile as well.
However, because of the intense competition of many great iris fragrances, Iris de Syracuse, as lovely as it is, ultimately feels lack in personality and identity, a problem that impacts the whole range of Boucheron La Collection. Personally, I think there are other iris fragrances able to fulfilling a similar function as Iris de Syracuse, and with more personality and creativity as well. The high price and limited availability of Iris de Syracuse also don't help.
All in all, if you love iris and would like to get hands on each and every one possible, or if you happen to be on a quest for slightly starchy and creamy sweet iris, Iris de Syracuse would be quite enjoyable to sample, even though I suspect that there are better and more affordable alternatives somewhere else.
Unfortunately, once it starts to dry down after roughly 2 hours, its magic begins to wear off. A sweet ambery accord pervades the creamy iris, turning it into a candy iris with a tiny suggestion of lipstick, which reminds me of a less ambery dry down of Jacques Fath Bel Ambre. It's still lovely, but in comparison to the graceful opening, it feels rather generic and déjà-vu.
The sillage is mostly close to the skin, and the longevity is around 8 hours.
I thoroughly enjoyed Iris de Syracuse, especially that its velvety sweet woody iris opening imparts a sophisticated yet approachable elegance. The transition to the candy ambery iris is also quite subtle, making it mostly linear, easy to appreciate and versatile as well.
However, because of the intense competition of many great iris fragrances, Iris de Syracuse, as lovely as it is, ultimately feels lack in personality and identity, a problem that impacts the whole range of Boucheron La Collection. Personally, I think there are other iris fragrances able to fulfilling a similar function as Iris de Syracuse, and with more personality and creativity as well. The high price and limited availability of Iris de Syracuse also don't help.
All in all, if you love iris and would like to get hands on each and every one possible, or if you happen to be on a quest for slightly starchy and creamy sweet iris, Iris de Syracuse would be quite enjoyable to sample, even though I suspect that there are better and more affordable alternatives somewhere else.
