Fragrance Junkie Central

[Mochapj]

I know there are a few of us on BT that are fragrance addicts, so I thought it would be nice to have a dedicated place where we can share our thoughts.

This is not to take away from the lovely What Are You Wearing Today, Fragrance Edition thread, but more a place to post longer reviews, chat about new brands or releases, and just shoot the breeze on anything good and smelly 🙂

For me, I recently acquired 2 new decants that I've been anxiously awaiting.  Ever since Lachaton mentioned that MMM was releasing a new scent called By The Fireplace I've been itching to get my hands on it.  My decant arrived yesterday, so I'm looking forward to marinating in it this weekend.  Secondly, I recently picked up a tiny sample of Shiseido Nombre Noir.  Supposedly it is one of the most expensive failures in perfume history - made by Serge Lutens for Shiseido back in the 80s.  Of course, with a backstory like that, I was dying to get a sniff 😄

What's new on your scent radar?  Do tell!

 

[tjffc]

@pocketvenus Love Jo Malone!

[pocketvenus]

A unisex release from Zoologist, Musk Deer.

TOP NOTES
Cardamom, Calamus Oil, Rose

HEART NOTES
Sambac Jasmin Absolute, Patchouli, Cedarwood Atlas, Labdanum Absolute

BASE NOTES
Ambrette Absolute, Orris Absolute, Laos Oud, Australia Sandalwood

The nose is Pascal Gaurin who readers here will probably know best from Kilian's Gold Knight and Rolling in Love. I am personally not a fan of these scents but the pyramid for Musk Deer is intriguing. I love Laotian oud and calamus is a very unusual note. If you've never smelled calamus, it smells a little like rotting garbage or vomit or something curdling, but it can make a blend ultra rich and creamy in texture.* I can see how this combined with leathery labdanum would make for a more musky scent. A lot of the notes here seem quite creamy - orris, Laotian oud, sandalwood so I'm going to guess this scent is going to be sweet and heavy. Rolling in Love was also super dense and creamy. Definitely curious to try this but I'm not sure it would be for me.

*I'll also add a side warning here that calamus oil is potentially toxic, depending on where it's from. This includes hepatotoxic and carcinogenic properties.

[Samtian]

@pocketvenus That sounds horrible lol.

[pocketvenus]

@Samtian A lot of notes that are really awful on their own are enhancing 🙂 Think of it as the anchovy in your Caesar salad dressing. Omit it and it's missing some depth!

[pocketvenus]

LV's latest scent is Météore, marketed to men. Nose Jacques Cavallier describes it as a scent where 

freshness is not only a starting point, it becomes a major vector, a backbone around which all the other elements orchestrate and interlace.

Notes include bergamot, mandarin, orange, neroli, cardamom, nutmeg and vetiver.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian is also releasing a men's fragrance, L'Homme a la Rose.

Notes are May rose absolute, grapefruit, amberwood, Spanish cistus, Damask rose, French sage

[Mochapj]

The Byredo makeup line

[pocketvenus]

There's an IG video at isamayaffrench of the multisticks

@Mochapj 

[tjffc]

@pocketvenus Nice colors.

[nche]

The curved packaging reminds me of Kenzo perfumes. 

Maybe it's just me but the aesthetics of this does not match the Byredo brand. It has a little bit of the neon colors they like to throw into their mainly b&w or sepia-ish ads but otherwise so different. Still can't wait to see what it's really like. 

[pocketvenus]

@nche I agree, other than the multisticks, I wouldn't have guessed these were from Byredo. And yes, definitely reminiscent of the Kenzos!

[pocketvenus]

Diptyque's Othoniel Rosa is out!

A tribute to "La Rose du Louvre," an original created by Jean-Michel Othoniel, diptyque collaborated with the artist on an exclusive eau de toilette honoring the queen of flowers. A peppery rose featuring the spicy and woody scent of vetiver, the limited edition fragrance also features the artist's work.

To be honest, I love this concept but the notes are not terribly exciting. Maybe the spices will make it interesting, a little scattershot and arresting like Othoniel's work.

Top: black pepper and spices

Heart: rose,

Base: ambrette, akigalawood, vetiver

Othoniel's painting starts with an interesting project. He first drew inspiration from paintings of flowers in the Louvre, conducting a lot of research and eventually releasing a book about them called The Secret Language of Flowers. During his research, he was taken by this rose below, a closeup from a painting by Reubens' Marie de Medici cycle. The painting is described as depicting the Florentine princess at her proxy wedding to King Henry IV (the ceremony took place in the Cathedral of Florence, with the bride’s uncle standing in for the French king, who couldn’t personally attend). On the steps of the altar, upholstered in a regal red, Rubens drew a single rose that had ostensibly fallen from the wedding wreath, its petals unfurling in vivid detail. Othoniel writes that it is a rose that is the art of painting itself, with lightning brushstrokes, shattering the colours of the canvas... Blood red, illuminated by white, symbol of passion and power, of erudition and sensuality, this rose is the rose of mystery, the flower of the Louvre. Inspired, he created a series of six paintings based on this rose.

One of Othoniel's paintings below

Another painting in the series

[Mochapj]

Fragrance house Byredo is launching a makeup line and the creative behind it is Isamaya Ffrench, who was also the one behind Tom Ford’s ‘extreme’ makeup launch.

[tjffc]

@Mochapj Amazing

[pocketvenus]

@Mochapj This reminds me of the photo they used with 1996

 

[blackkitty2014]

Giorgio Armani direct sent me this sample of their new launch last month (Sorry I could post sooner). Presentation: A. Longevity: A. Definitely feminine scent. I just not sure how I feel about it yet. It is lovely but there’s a note in it so sharp that reminds me of some cheap perfume😂

[blackkitty2014]

That’s good @Margalee . I need to give it another try.

[tjffc]

@blackkitty2014 Oh my.  Love the packaging though.  

[blackkitty2014]

It is @tjffc . I’m so impressed that they sent out this sample way before the launch. Presentation is definitely an A+

[pocketvenus]

@blackkitty2014 Thanks for sharing! From the font and model they chose, I would guess they are hoping for a Gen-Z customer or youthful vibe?

[blackkitty2014]

@pocketvenus Yes it is.  🙂