Hiya Gang,

I have a special treat for you all today, a hunka-hunka burning love. A few weeks ago I wrote about Aleksandr by Arquiste for Perfume Posse and I thought we could look at a couple of Arquiste’s other fragrances today, the next paragraph is taken from the Posse expose.

Photo Stolen thenateshow

This is Carlos Huber, New York based, four language fluent, Mexican born architect and avant-garde preservationist, who was lucky enough to do his final study with architect and artist Jorge Otero-Pailos at Columbia where he graduated with honors in Historic Preservation, and now works all over the world fusing old and new in such amazingly braggable places as creating Ralph Lauren stores signature look in historically significant sites to restoring old Venetian Palazzos. Not just uber yummy but clearly clever, likeable and driven too.

The idea behind the Arquiste line is to recreate a moment in time with each perfume, much like Parfum d’Empire, but more a snapshot than a movie, a day rather than an era. It is an interesting idea and ties nicely with Carlos architectural work and need to know everything about his historical contexts. Carlos sees himself as a curator rather than perfumer, much like Frederic Malle, and works with perfumers/noses Rodrigo Flores-Roux and Yann Vasnier. He is like a ridiculously gorgeous, buff, manscaped, adorable, nerd or geek. Very endearing. His partner Nate Berkus is a TV design expert (hosting The Nate Show), New York Times best-selling author and regular contributor to The Oprah Show. This is a power couple if ever there was one.

Photo Stolen guestofaguest

I have stolen some of Carlos Huber’s interview with Marni Golden from TheNateShow

Marni Golden: What was that journey like for you – from conception to inception?
CH: To turn an experimental project like this into a full-fledged product is a long, rocky process that requires a lot of fine-tuning. And I call it a ‘product’ with the utmost respect, because the work that goes into a piece of work that you can share, trust and be proud of is huge. I’ve learned a lot and I can’t wait for what comes next.

MG: What makes Arquiste stand out amongst the very competitive and populated fragrance marketplace?
CH: I wanted to share something that has depth, fantasy and authenticity. To connect with the past, with history and to infuse our life with a real dose of poetry. The fragrances are incredible wearable, and modern, but retain a classical thread to them. I believe in them as masterpieces….

Photo Stolen retrovintagemodstyle

The two fragrances I have chosen to write about today are the two that Carlos himself wears most regularly, as day and night scents, according to the Marni Golden interview. If he loves them so much then we should probably investigate too.

ANIMA DULCIS: November 1695 Mexico City, we are to be transported to a nunnery where they make chili chocolate, for centuries. Well these nuns are a horny bunch, ripe, slightly aroused and lactating. This is chocolate but for the dirty bitch in us all. Yes, it starts out all sweet and gourmand but the problem is when you smell good enough to eat, someone will. He he. The main accords we are supposed to be smelling according to the blurb are Cocoa Absolute, Mexican Vanilla, Cinnamon, Chili infusion. They have kept it streamlined and simple on paper but it is anything but. The cocoa is deliciously bitter, almost burned, the vanilla is clean, fleshy and sensual like privates the day after a wax, the cinnamon and chili sizzle and the dry down is hot, healthy, sweaty humanity in a cup cakery. 4-5 hours is a lovely long wear time before it becomes skin scent and stays for a while longer lost to me but smellable by TSO Jin.

FLEUR de LOUIS: June 1660, Isle of Pheasants, Basque region, on the French-Spanish border. This must be meant to represent only Louis XIV’s side of the meeting between himself and his Spanish child bride Maria Theresa because I smell nothing childlike or innocent in this fragrance. The note list here is again brief, Orange Flower, Florentine iris, Jasmine, and White Cedar.  It is a beautiful white glamour floral given depth and dignity by its iris, which is a slightly bitter backnote along with its powdery dryness floating above and through all. The woods are slightly sharp too at the beginning of this story, like they have just been cut green and hastily erected but they soften and warm as the fragrance ages and blends with your chemistry. Fleur de Louis reminds me of something I smelled recently but can’t put a name or place to, it is familiar yet not. I swear there is some kind of citrus going on here, bright and popping in and out. Somewhere after 4 hours I have lost Fleur de Louis but it was a lovely ride, warm and cool all along. I understand why this is Carlos Huber’s day scent, it will fit all moods and (except for the absolutely repulsed by perfume people) would still be a perfectly acceptable office wear fragrance. This is my current favourite of the line so far but I still have 3 to fully review.
PS I wore Fleur de Louis for the whole day today and it lasted beautifully, there are some moments at the 5-6 hour point where I get a distinct powder puff and oil stick foundation from the 60’s that came upon me by surprise, it doesn’t last and just hits peaks, then runs to dry down at about 8 hours. Serious longevity.

Photo of Carlos Huber & Roja Dove from RojaDove

As you can see, even the power people of perfume are getting right behind the newest luxury fragrance line, Arquiste. When I did the Perfume Posse post Carlos sent me a tweet saying he was tickled that we’d written about him. It’s this kind of thoughtfulness that I hope will take the Arquiste line far and wide. Good product, reasonably priced, beautifully presented & packaged and a delicious hubba hubba of a man out the front.

You can purchase these 55ml fragrances direct from Arquiste, Anima Dulcis is $165, Fleur de Louis $175
I ordered a SurrenderToChance sampler pack of all 6 Arquiste fragrances where they start from .5ml for $29

Here’s one more photo of Carlos, just for gratuitous ogling pleasure.

Photo Stolen haroldluxuryformen

Thanks for coming along this lovely fragrant road with me today,
Have you tried the Arquiste range? Do you have a favourite? Maybe there’s another hunky perfumer out there you’d like to see more of?
Drop us a line here at APJ and we’ll see what we can do for you,
Till tomorrow,
Portia xx