UNUM Ennui Noir (+ Symphonie Passion)

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Kafkaesque

Source: zby.ly.com

Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a field in Provence. Fresh lavender stretches out in an aromatic purple expanse as far as the eye can see. Slashes of white are interspersed throughout, heliotrope whose delicate blooms launch a powerful cascade of vanilla, marzipan, fresh anise, and powdered meringue. Running through the heart of field is a river of vanilla, silky and creamy, coiling its way around the purple and white flowers to create the scent of lavender ice-cream dusted with meringue and anise. The earth below them is made of patchouli, its spiciness complemented by something a little extra that smells of cinnamon, cloves, and chili-pepper. All around, encircling the field like a dark wall, is a forest filled with myrtle, wafting its unique aromas of spicy herbs, fruity sap, herbal flowers, and green woods. Cedar grows there, too, along with green vetiver that first smells mineralized, mossy, and minty, and then, later, smoky and woody.

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Stephane Humbert Lucas Harrods

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Kafkaesque

Harrods Exclusive. Photo: Roberto Greco.

Sometimes, things don’t work no matter how much you try. That was the case for me with the fragrance that Stephane Humbert Lucas as a Harrods’ exclusive. It is simply called “Harrods,” and it was the second release last year in his new Snake Collection.

This review will be slightly different from my usual ones because I fear I have to start with more explanations than concrete, official details about the scent. One reason is because the background to the fragrance is a bit confusing in the context of names. Another is because there isn’t much information about the scent out there. And, lastly, there is the issue of friendship. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first a brief explanation is needed about how the Harrods exclusive fits into the wider context of Monsieur Lucas’ brand.

SHL Harrods. Photo: my own.

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AJ Arabia Black IV

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Kafkaesque

AJ Arabia Black Collection. Source: Taizo.fr

It’s difficult to create truly original fragrances after more than a hundred years of modern perfumery, but some brands still make the attempt nonetheless, particularly in the niche world. AJ Arabia does not appear to be one of those companies. It sticks to the tried-and-true, to the well-worn path — which would be perfectly fine except for the fact that the path is too well-worn in the case of Black IV, and also falls squarely into mainstream territory as well. We’re talking about a Sephora or department store style fragrance with only a barely elevated quality differential but for a significantly higher price.

Black IV in its box via Luckyscent.

AJ Arabia is a Middle Eastern niche and semi-luxury brand that was founded by Ali Aljaberi in Abu Dhabi in 2014. There are five fragrances in The Black Collection, and they are all pure parfums. According to the official copy quoted by many retail sites, their bottle and packaging design was “inspired by the grandiose architecture of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.” The Middle Eastern inspiration allegedly extends to the scents as well: AJ Arabia’s website states that they are a “splendid example of contemporary Arab spirit, modern, but at the same time, traditional perfumes.” Yet, despite that claim of an Arabian aesthetic, all the fragrances were created by a French nose who is the senior perfumer for M. Micallef, Jean-Claude Astier. And it shows. Everything that I’ve smelt so far from AJ Arabia feels decidedly more European or French in my opinion than anything Middle Eastern in style. It’s disappointing, but not as disappointing as the fact that they also smell excessively commercial or mainstream in character.

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2015 in Review: Best New Releases & Personal Favourites

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Kafkaesque

Source: World in a Bottle Facebook page. Photographer unknown.

As another year draws to a close, it’s time to look back at the best of 2015. For me, this was an iffy year for brand new releases because there weren’t a huge number of fragrances that stood out from start to finish. The exceptions to the rule were impressive or lovely but, when I went back over all the fragrances that I covered, I found the vast majority fell woefully short.

One reason stems from the hot new trends of the year. Leather was a major compositional note in 2015 or, to be more precise, the tarry, woody, forest-fire smokiness that purports to recreate the sense of “leather.” Another hot trend seemed to be a deluge of black pepper. Neither one is appealing to me, particularly since their chemical nature was usually so intrusive as to be front-and-center. Yet, that sort of excessive darkness was, in and of itself, the most common stylistic approach, one that was frequently juxtaposed next to shapeless white florals, amorphous spiciness, or some sort of limp “freshness.” The end result was that a lot of new releases smelt far too similar for me to find them distinctive, interesting, or compelling. In addition, many of them lacked the quality to warrant the higher prices that we’ve been seeing across the board.

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