Shaal Nur by Etro 1997

December 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Tina G

Mid-December holds the final hurdle of the year, where everyone seems to be a little bit exhausted and holding in there just a few more weeks until the Christmas break. I’m the same. I’ve got three weeks of holiday coming up and summer is my favourite time of year, so I just can’t wait to play and chill and catch up with friends and family. December in Sydney has started out positively tropical. Bright sunny clear mornings, warm days, and massive thunderstorms rolling in around 4:00pm. So stepping out the door in the mornings I’ve been looking for something that is just simple, light and easy to wear in the heat and humidity. Three out of five days this week I’ve gravitated towards a new purchase from Etro – Shaal Nur.

Shaal Nur by Etro 1997

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, mandarin, rosewood, coriander
Heart: thyme, tarragon, rosemary, karo karoundè, rose, petit grain
Base: patchouli, nutmeg, vetiver, cedarwood, opoponax, incense, musk

Etro was established in Italy, 1968 as a prêt-a-porter and haute couture textile company. The have men and women’s fashion, a home range, and fragrances and there is a boutique located in Mosman, Sydney (so the internet tells me).

Shaal-Nur is the Indian queen of the glowing light of dawn, promises abandonment and playfully ignites the senses, calming anxiety and easing stress. (ETRO)

Photo Stolen Flickr

Shaal Nur begins with a fresh cologne-like puff of citrus on opening, a citronella-lemon & grapefruit with a hint of watery mandarin and black pepper. This wooshes through in an invigorating rush, pulling up in its wake a fresh green petitgrain along with some herbal and floral notes. Silage is good and a few quick sprays on arms and chest has me smiling and ready to get my day started.

After about half an hour, this fragrance is all about patchouli and vetiver although there is a dusting of rose in the background. The patchouli is fresh cut and verdant, and there is open, aquatic vibe to the scent with an underlying spiciness. Over a period of about 4 hours a peppery note comes through changing the dry down, preventing it from being completely linear. At 8 hours, it is totally a skin scent but is still there with a kitchenesque vanilla and subtle amber plumping up the residual green notes.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Now Smell This and Bois de Jasmin
First In Fragrance has €74/50ml and samples

A three-word summary of Shaal Nur: Uncomplicated, light, refreshing. An easy-wear summer scent and one I’m very glad I picked up.

Have you tried the Etro range of fragrances? Please let me know your thoughts on which of theirs I should try next!

Tina G xx

Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

December 1, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Tina G

A nice surprise decant from a friend! An intriguing scent – I’d not come across Miller Harris as yet, and I couldn’t begin to think of what Geranium Bourbon entailed. Was it a boozy scent? Did it really have geranium? And how did those two things work together? After a bit of research I discovered that geranium bourbon was actually a particular type of geranium. OK, sure, let’s give this a run through….

Geranium Bourbon by Miller Harris 2005

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Palmarosa, cassis, geranium
Heart: Violet, rose, black pepper
Base: Vanilla, amber, patchouli

Geranium Bourbon opens with a watery pink rose, like rain which has been cupped in a heart of a bloom and then poured across my skin. It is so refreshing and light, really wonderful. After about 10 minutes there is a peppery scent which comes through along with a lemon ‘juice’ accord. I’ve never smelt geranium bourbon plants themselves, but fresh geraniums definitely have that peppery/lemony background to their leaves. The scent deepens throughout the first half hour, gradually becoming more earthy and green.

I enjoy the dry down of Geranium Bourbon as it transitions from fresh & light, to earthy, and then some amber & smoky notes come through with a trace of vanilla in the basenotes. And then this becomes for me one of those scents which triggers some strong visual imagery – I hope you don’t mind if I indulge in the story it wove for me:

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Sitting on the cold, wet white wood of the outside furniture & wrapped up in a blanket stolen from near the inside fire, I sit watching the drips of water fall from the plants in the luscious English summer garden. The storm shower passed through quick and heavy though there is no sign of sunlight yet through the grey sky. The trellis behind me is thick with a blooming tea rose vine, the myriad of simple pink flowers releasing a pervasive but delicate fragrance into the now-still air. The earth in the flower bed has been turned recently and is damp and rich.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The bedded violet and geranium plants have been beaten by the heavy rain. There is a lemony-rose scent from the geranium flowers, mixed in with a tart herbal pepperiness from the succulent leaves. For a while I sit in the coolness just watching, listening, and breathing, until the damp starts to seep in. Snuggling down into the blanket further I can smell the sweet smoke from the lounge room hearth embedded in its fibres. From somewhere inside the house, a tendril of sweet vanilla from something delicious baking is enough to rouse me from quiet contemplation and head inside to the warmth.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and I Smell Therefore I Am
Perfumery Australia has $110/100ml
Posh Peasant has samples starting at $4/ml

What about you? Have you tried Geranium Bourbon? Any of the Miller Harris range? What did you think?

Wishing you all a lovely week.
Tina G

Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio 2011

November 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by TinaG

Whilst first wearing Mona di Orio’s Tubéreuse I must admit I was confused. It really wasn’t the “tuberose” fragrance that I had expected to find….

Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio 2011

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink pepper, green notes, bergamot
Heart: Tuberose, benzoin, heliotrope
Base: Musk, amber, coconut, milk, cashmeran

Tubéreuse opens with a flash of floral milkiness. This quickly changes to an enticing sweet pink pepper with a shadowy smoky bergamot lifting and supporting it. The scent shifts and changes rapidly in the first 10 minutes, slowly settling into a light fresh green accord. I can smell a warm and slightly waxy scent, like coconut water, translucent and milky. The greenness draws a linear thread through the life of the scent as a supporting anchor point. There is a gentle powder which joins the flow at about 1 hour and it stays this way during the dry down. So fresh, peppery, floral, clean, milky, waxy – I realised this fragrance is a study of the tuberose flower itself.

Photo Donated TinaG

I found my thoughts being drawn back to evenings where I’ve had bunches of tuberose in the house. Tuberose is “night-blooming”, in that the bloom’s fragrance intensifies during the early evening to night. The time of transition to twilight is a treasure. If I can resist switching a light on, instead maybe lighting a candle, with some quiet background tunes, and may or may not have a glass of chilled white wine – it’s lovely to sit for a while letting my thoughts ramble in whatever direction they take me.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The scent of real tuberose at this time of day is quite simply stunning. Its fragrance edges into the consciousness, bringing thoughts back to the present and reminding that it is this moment, this time, which is precious. It reminds me of the novel “Island” by Aldous Huxley – in a fictitious country where the inhabitants recognise the importance of the ‘conscious self’, taking a step back from your thoughts to be able to see more clearly. The islanders had trained mynah birds to call out “Attention”, and “Here and Now” at random intervals as a reminder to bring one’s self back to the moment. The growing intensity of tuberose scent at twilight has this same effect – the headiness is all encompassing and so beautiful, why wouldn’t you just want to breathe deeply, silently watching as the day fades to calmness, and colours start to drain away into grey-blues and blacks.

Photo Donated TinaG

It was at this point whilst wearing Tubéreuse that I realised I was experiencing the work of a master artist. Mona di Orio has captured the impression of night-blooming tuberose with a deeply profound and exquisite skill. There is an expression, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Trying to dissect and analyse Tubéreuse you could definitely identify the parts, but that’s not the story, not the whole picture, and certainly not the limit of its boundaries. The fragrance has a three-tiered connection with me now – the practical identification of notes, a reminiscence of the quiet times, and the deeper meditative space that the ‘present’ can provide. I’m grateful for that journey.

Further reading: What Men Should Smell Like and Perfume Posse
Peony Melbourne has $230/100ml with FREE shipping in Australia
Parfum1 has $230/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

How many of you have tried the MdO Tubéreuse? Or any of her scents? Did you love them or not?

Tina G

Mona di Orio Discovery Set + Tasmania Photo Essay

November 3, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

Post by Tina G

Perfume choices are, by their nature, exceedingly personal. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for fragrance with family and friends, but how to do this in a way that lets them make their own choices is tricky. What I may recommend could be abhorrent to someone else, and I don’t want to risk putting anyone off the joys of exploring new fragrances! So, while on holiday in Australia’s largest island Tasmania with some friends, I decided to set up a perfume testing session as a bit of fun and see where it led us.

Mona di Orio Discovery Set

Photo Stolen Peony Melbourne

I chose to take along Mona di Orio’s Discovery Pack, which is the set of eight Les Nombres d’Or line presented in 5ml roller ball applicators. Each of the eight fragrances – Cuir, Eau Absolue, Musc, Vanille, Ambre, Rose, Vétyver and Tubéreuse – were decanted into spray containers for travel.

Tasmania is a beautiful part of the world. The island State lies to the South-East of Australia, across the wilds of Bass Strait from Melbourne. The four of us went for a long weekend, staying on the rugged East Coast in a little stone cottage by the ocean. Yes, it was as gorgeous as it sounds! We had a great time exploring, eating, drinking, and just generally resting up. I’ve included a few photos of the trip as a taster of what we experienced, it was wonderful.

For the testing, the Discovery Set was set up with fragrance strips and I explained the way fragrance works, top, mid and base notes and how perfume evolves over time, particularly on skin. We all sat down and tried each of the line. The Cuir was the least popular, with an “Oh, God, no!!” reaction being the strongest of the day! Two friends decided on what they’d like to wear the next day and give a proper run though. One friend decided to decline, as family members are particularly sensitive to chemicals and wearing perfume on a regular basis wouldn’t work for her. The fragrances chosen were Musc, and Rose. I chose Vétyver.

We noted that all three fragrances got us through the day – at least 8 hours. The Rose was BIG on opening, a really full and rich ‘real’ rose scent. My friend was a bit worried that it would be too big, but it did settle nicely into something softer and more wearable. The Musc I had trouble smelling, but my other friend enjoyed it very much. I encouraged them both to keep sniffing through the day and see if there were any changes.

Peony Melbourne has Mona di Orio Discovery Set $145
Parfum1 has the Mona di Orio Discovery Set $145

At the end of the trip I then let them choose a small 1ml decant to take home and play with. Musc, Eau Absolue, and Vanille went to one home, Rose went to another with my encouragement of Amber, and I took back Cuir, Vétyver, and Tubéreuse – which happen to be my favourites anyway. Funny the way things work out!

Tina G

Tasmania Photo Essay

All photos donated by TinaG unless specified

Terracotta le Parfum by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

October 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 19 Comments

Post by TinaG

I have been blessed in my youth to have travelled more than the average teenager, having spent time in the tropics away from the major cities. Terracotta unexpectedly gave me a glimpse back to that time. I was lucky to gain a sample of the 2014 le Parfum, and tested it blind, so really didn’t know what to expect. It quickly laid itself bare, beckoning, and began telling me its luscious story.

Terracotta le Parfum by Thierry Wasser for Guerlain 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, coconut, tiare flower
Heart: Jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom
Base: Musk, vanilla

Terracotta le Parfum opens with the most wonderful tiare flower. Tiare has facets which could be compared to frangipani, although it is a form of pointy-petalled gardenia. It has a full bodied fragrance, but deep in its heart is the touch of a strange, slightly uncomfortable greenness, that just takes the edge off the headiness and provides a bit of breathing space. Along with the tiare, a rich jasmine bursts forth, which is beautifully balanced being neither overly indolic nor squeaky clean.

Photo Stolen Flickr

The warmth of these opening flowers is amazing, it feels like the individual blooms have been resting in the sun, to be woven into a lei and gently placed around my neck. I can feel the sunlight captured in the moist waxiness of the petals. There is a touch of orange blossom in the silage, which I don’t find close to my skin, which accentuates the impression of being surrounded by the thick heavy tropical air.

At around 2 hours I can smell a subtle, slippery coconut note with a hint of skin-generated musk in the background. It makes me feel like I’ve just applied the sheerest layer of moisturiser into sun-tinged skin at the end of a lazy day. The whole effect is intoxicating enough to gently disengage me from the normal barrage of everyday banality and just…. relax, smile, breath, and enjoy.

I have fond memories of the tropics, having spent some of my formative years in Papua New Guinea. Terracotta le Parfum particularly invokes images and memories of a visit we made to an active volcanic island off the north coast of PNG.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Next to the black sand beach are long swaths of well-manicured lawn, a residual feature of the colonial management of the copra oil plantation. This scent finds me walking bare-footed on the spongy grass past the white-washed main house, holding a lei of tiare & jasmine up to my nose and breathing deeply – although there is no need to, the humid air is filled with the smell of flowering frangipani trees and the deeper richness of the jungle spreading up the hill behind the house. Strung up between two coconut trees is an old gnarled sun-bleached rope hammock, which I wander over and roll in to. Lying in the shade, no sense of being too warm or too cold, cares being washed away by the tiny ripples of waves against the shore, breathing in the richness of the waxy blooms: there is not really any place closer to heaven on earth.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Chemist In A Bottle
Guerlain quickly sold out and I have read that Terracotta le Parfum will become regular range
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7/ml

Tina xx

Galerie de Parfum counter launch, Myer, Sydney City

October 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 15 Comments

Post by TinaG

Sydney-siders were treated to a special event on 24 September – a meet up, *and* a launch! An invitation was opened up to ten lucky dedicated scentaholics through the Australian Perfume Junkies website, to attend the launch of the new Galerie de Parfum counter at Myer, Sydney City. With such wonderful hosts as Nick Smart from Agence de Parfum / Libertine Parfumerie and none other than our very own Portia Turbo we were definitely in for a bit of a treat.

Galerie de Parfum counter launch, Myer, Sydney City

On arrival at Myer, I made a beeline for the new Agence de Parfum stand. I found myself dazzled by a wonderful display of familiar but often only internet-accessible fragrances – fantastic! We introduced ourselves to the group – some familiar faces and great to meet a bunch of new people.

Nick and Portia introduced us to Agence de Parfum, and then presented a mini-master-class of their three favourite scents each. We sniffed:

Batucada by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Black Jade by Lubin

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Rappelle-Toi by L`Artisan Parfumeur

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

21 by Costume National

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Petit Fracas by Robert Piguet

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

1270 by P Frapin & Co

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Rapelle-Toi was a hit with most people, but I think my favourite of the above was Black Jade, a spicy incense rosy kind of concoction which I need to go back and test again….

Wonderfully lavish goodie bags were available for anyone who purchased 100ml bottle of fragrance on the night, a very generous introductory offer from Galerie de Parfum although I resisted temptation. An extra bonus was the gift of a full bottle of Rappel-Toi from the L’Artisan Parfumeur: Explosions d’Emotions range, which was won by Tim! Congrats!

There were some fragrances there which I’d heard about, however to date never quite been able to get my hands on, such as the Keiko Mercheri range, and Juliette has a Gun. Oliban by Keiko Mecheri was wonderful, such a rich and true frankincense (ie: Olibanum) note. I tried two of Juliette has a Gun on my skin, both totally different kinds of rose fragrances. Mad Madam was an amazing metallic rose which I really enjoyed for the first 2 hours, but I’m glad I gave it a run through as it lost the rose and ended up just being a bitter metallic which I didn’t enjoy so much. The other was Lady Vengance, a really full-bodied luscious rose. Fab. I’d like to go back and try more of that line though, such as Midnight Oud which smelt fantastic on Scott’s skin.

A fun evening! It was absolutely lovely to meet everyone, and thanks again to Nick and Portia for such a great launch.

Tina xx

Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice by Guerlain 2001

September 15, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Tina G

Winter Delice is the secret door at the back of the cupboard from the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. A few squirts and I’ve been instantly transported into a frosty European December day, walking through a high mountain forest with a crystal blue sky above and dry crisp snow crunching under my boots.

Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice by Guerlain

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Fir
Heart: Pine, resin
Base: Opoponax, vanille, sugar

The whole opening of Winter Delice is as I’ve just brushed up against a forest pine tree, cupped a bunch of needles to my nose for a sniff, and got a bit of sticky sap on my fingers from my efforts. The pine and fir notes are fresh, bright, and uplifting. The presence of a touch of lemon may or may not be an aspect of the pine. A clear rich resin comes through after about 15 minutes when the fragrance has warmed on my skin. I’m enjoying it sooooo much I find myself respritzing during the first hour to reinvigorate & revive the experience.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Given a bit more time, the sticky piney-ness settles into an aura of dry amber and resin. There is a hint of an odd metallic note which I quite like, but quickly passes. The amber/resin combination lasts for about 2 hours, at which time I give a small disappointed sigh, as I think that’s the end of it. Just a standard amber dry down – what a shame when I was enjoying it so much.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

But wait! A little later I’m curled up doing some reading, and there is a wonderful aroma of sweet sugared almonds with a hint of vanilla, waiting shyly and oh-so-patiently to be noticed. You cheeky little fragrance! Withholding this intoxicatingly comforting skin scent for a last surprise. I’m so glad I didn’t write it off at the amber stage and miss this altogether. The vanilla sweetness is very yummy and cuddly and I find myself now snuggled down again, smiling while reading with my nose pressed firmly against my wrist.

So for the first time in a while, I’ve worn a fragrance three days in a row. Winter Delice is wonderful, but I feel like I’m running out of time to wear it as the days become progressively warmer coming into spring, perfect for Northern Hemisphere wear right now though. I do think it is a cool weather experience, but I’ll give it a run in summer to see how it fares – the pine may just be refreshing instead of cloying, who knows.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Further reading: The Non Blonde and Olfactory Obsessed
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $6/ml

I will be trying out more of the Aqua Allegoria series, but I’d be interested in some honest opinions – have you tried any of this range? What did you like? What didn’t work for you?

Tina G

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain 1933

September 1, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 17 Comments

Post by Tina G

“Too well we know a man’s failings, his cowardice and lapses, and our writers of today are all too proficient in exposing these… but we stood in need of one to tell us how a man may be lifted far above himself by his sheer force of will.” Preface – Vol de Nuit. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1931.

Vol de Nuit by Jacques Guerlain for Guerlain 1933

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, galbanum, petit grain
Heart: Jasmine, daffodil, spices
Base: Earthy woods, iris, vanilla, amber, woodsy notes.

What powers you on, to reach beyond what you thought was possible?

The heartbreakingly beautiful night-scape slides silently below. The endless shades of silver and midnight blue, white mountain peaks and low clouds reflecting the half-moonlight, the never-changing stars lost to the deep horizon. Flying feels like a time outside time, meditative, reflective, but never quite lonely as there is always that presence of the person who is so often in your thoughts, close enough to be at your shoulder but in reality so very far away.

Who brings your thoughts home?

Back in an age where air travel was in its infancy, the activity of night flight (vol de nuit) was much more immediate. Surrounded by dinky light globes, basic electrics and feeling every bump & jolt of the aircraft, night navigation was a treacherous task at best of times and drew on the absolute strength of spirit of the pilot. The 1931 novel Vol de Nuit, on which Guerlain based its fragrance by the same name, finds our heroic-hearted pilot flying through heavy clouds and raging winds of an unpredicted cyclonic storm – all distances skewed, fuel is ebbing, location is unknown and any minute all could be so easily lost.

Photo Donated Amarah Tabbah

Where does the heart’s comfort lie when the end is looming?

Spring. The rich earth of the garden bed outside the small country cottage has been recently turned, but the rebellious daffodils and irises are sprouting directly from the edges of the lawn. On the warm air is the intoxicating scent of sweet jasmine. Wandering inside, the kitchen hearth is still smouldering, bringing a warm amber glow the room. On the rustic wooden table sits an old resinous wooden bowl, holding a few oranges and bumpy skinned lemons.

But…there is a feeling that someone has just been here, the swish of an apron, a laugh, the trail of gentle vanilla – moving through the cottage, the rooms get slightly darker and mustier until the boudoir is reached. A side dresser has evidence of feminine presence. A well-worn pink powder puff lies temporarily discarded, picking it up, breathing in, that musky-powderiness is like every act of comfort and kindness in your life all rolled into one, deep, breath.

Home is where the heart is.

Our fated night pilot, surrounded by biting gale-force winds and lost to the world of men, fighting with every sinew to survive, sees the clouds break for an instant and the cold stars shine up above. This is his one impossible chance at freedom, at reaching home and the person who holds his heart. He turns the plane, up and up, and with all his might and sheer force of will aims straight for those stars….

Surrender To Chance has Vol de Nuit samples starting at $3/ml

TinaG x

DKNY Sweet Delicious – Tart Key Lime by Donna Karan 2012

August 18, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Tina G

The Be Delicious line by Donna Karan New York (DKNY) sometimes just doesn’t get its day in the sun. But honestly… to keep on top of this range would take a fair amount of dedication as it is large, with many special editions which are possibly not easy to come by. Recently I was given a sample bottle of Delicious Night (orchid and frankincense being the stand out notes) and a full bottle of Fresh Blossom Eau so Intense (an extremely sweet rose), so the range has been on my radar.

DKNY Sweet Delicious – Tart Key Lime by Donna Karan 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, bergamot, sweet notes, mandarin
Heart: Neroli, ginger, basil
Base: Violet leaf

I spotted the funky pastel packaging of the Sweet Delicious line recently, which includes three fragrances: Creamy Meringue, Pink Macaroon, and Tart Key Lime. Adorable! Although the designer of the bottle obviously has bigger hands than me – I find the standard “apple” design difficult to use and need two hands to hold the bottle and depress the spray mechanism. Awkward.

There are a few different types of limes, some you may be familiar with are kaffir lime, Persian or Tahitian lime, and Key lime. In Australia we usually are sold Tahitian lime, which are a bright green, have a certain sweetness in the juice, and are preferentially marketed because they have a thick skin (ie: easily transported). The Key lime is named after the groves in the Florida Keys, as this thin-skinned lime variation grows better in warmer climates. It is also used as an ingredient in Key Lime Pie, a zesty sweet treat, and I’m assuming is the reason it has been included in the Sweet Delicious line beside meringues and macaroons.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

Citrus notes are an absolute favourite of mine, particularly mandarin and tangerine, but lime is up there as a “wow, must try” factor. Tart Key Lime doesn’t fail to deliver. It opens with a mouth-watering burst of lime, fresh and juicy and not overly bitter as to bring tears to your eyes. Quickly the pure lime top note gives way to orange and mandarin, and at 15 minutes there is a fragrant green herbal vibe wafting in the background.

A spicy ginger and basil combo comes through as the base, but this is the limit to its development. I’m reading the notes as I’m testing and I don’t get any sense of the listed violet leaf, bergamot or neroli which is a pity as it would be nice to have a bit of depth to the base notes. There is a thread of something honeyed in the background but it is a far cry from the sweet tooth sugar-bomb that you may expect from the advertising.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime is fresh, vibrant, and uplifting, and really is perfectly wearable as a go-to every day fragrance. I’m not sure that it is the one for me, I think there are other citruses out there that are a bit more intriguing, but I like to aim for the “never say never” category when it comes to exploring, and to have a bit of fun trying new things!

Tina G xx

Ombre Indigo by Mylène Arlan @ Robertet for Olfactive Studio 2014

August 4, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Tina G

Hi APJ,

I first laid eyes on Ombre Indigo in the lead up to Esxence in Milan, March 2014. I’d just written a few articles for APJ on Olfactive Studio scents, so nearly hit the floor when I spotted that they had a new one coming out! And the colour of that juice… oh my goodness… instant, unadulterated, WANT.

So, when I was gifted with a sample I was thrilled. And I couldn’t wait to try it. But when I did, I was hit with confusion. I didn’t love it. It was cloying and heavy and hurt my head. I didn’t really know what to do from there – I was supposed to be enthralled. Look at the colour of it, how could you not be? It is soooo pretty! What I didn’t realise at the time was that I was just at the beginning of one of the worst colds I’ve had in a decade, knocked me flat for about 2 weeks. The nose knows, it seems. I’ve come back to it under more friendly circumstances, and found the love.

Ombre Indigo by Mylène Arlan @ Robertet for Olfactive Studio 2014

Ombre Indigo Photographer: Gustavo Pellizzon

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Plum, saffron, pettigrain, tuberose
Heart: Vetiver, papyrus, leather, olibanum
Base: Benzoin, musk, ambergris

The opening for me is strong incense and dry woods, the papyrus lifting and separating the incense from darker plum underlying it. Occasionally I will burn frankincense or myrrh on charcoal bricks so when I say “incense”, that’s what I’m finding here, a resin smoke. And the plums are heavy, in a sweet decay where they’ve just turned inedible by a matter of days. That smell you get when plums look OK from the top, but when you pick them up their skin is moist and splits as you touch it.

The image I get from this is walking through a neglected and overgrown orchard. The trees that fruited have dropped their baubles in the overgrown grass at their bases. Other trees have died, and their branches bare. Walking through the orchard there is a dappled autumnal light scattering through the trees, and my skin is at once cooled by the shadow and warmed by the sun.

Photo Stolen Olfactive Studio

After about 2 hours saffron joins the undertones, and a clean but fleshy tuberose comes into the middle of the notes. The fragrance then settles at around 4 hours into a musky floral, powdery amber combo, which I find quite delicious. Some of the listed notes I’ve not quite found, but my sample has now run dry so I need to decide on next steps…

I’ve read reviews on Ombre Indigo that quite happily assign this to being a summer scent, but here in Australia in the dead of winter (as much as we have one) the incense and wood is comforting. I wore the fragrance on a crisp bright sunshiny-day walk along St Kilda Beach whilst being pummelled by Antarctic winds straight out of Bass Strait. Ombre Indigo had ensconced itself thoroughly in my scarf, which allowed me nuzzle down, breathe deeply and keep a smile on my face against the howling wind.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Now Smell This and Chemist In A Bottle
Olfactive Studio has a World Page where you can order wherever you are.
First In Fragrance has €85/50ml and samples
Peony Melbourne has $145/50ml

Do you have a favourite incense fragrance? What time of year does it work best for you?

Tina G xx