Oriza L. Legrand Heliotrope Blanc: Sweet Innocence

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Norman Rockwell, “Mother Tucking Children Into Bed,” 1921. Source: pinterest.

Childhood pleasures and sweet innocence, captured in a bottle. Heliotrope Blanc surprised me, beguiled me, and charmed me against all odds. So many of its elements are things that I normally struggle with in perfumery, quite deeply at times, but there is something about this fragrance that is incredibly soothing and comforting for me.

It’s a cozy snuggle scent that made me think of Mary Poppins, almond milk and marshmallow cream, babies in soft blankets, a mother’s loving embrace as she puts her child to sleep, and childhood treats. Heliotrope Blanc’s sweet innocence completely blew away my longstanding issues with iris and powdery scents, leaving me coming back again and again for another sniff. In the end, I simply sprayed some on my sheets and pillows, and snuggled into them with a happy sigh. Apparently, one should never underestimate the impact of childhood comforts.

Source: mesenvies.fr

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Oriza L. Legrand Violettes du Czar: An Imperial Favorite

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Russian Imperial Coat of Arms. Source: Wikipedia.

The Tsar’s violets — the signature scent of not one but two Imperial Romanov rulers. How many fragrances can make that claim? Oriza L. Legrand‘s Violettes du Czar can — and now the imperial favorite has been brought back to life after more than 150 years to be made available to the modern man.

It’s the coolest thing imaginable for someone like me who loves history even more than perfume, but almost everything about Oriza L. Legrand (hereinafter just “Oriza“) is historically fascinating to me. For one thing, out of all the European perfume houses who created scents for royal or imperial courts (there is a difference), only Oriza was chosen as “Purveyor to the Russian Court.” Oriza made a number of fragrances for the imperial court, but their Violettes du Czar was the signature scent of two of the more significant Romanov rulers.

Chromolithography of Alexander II, coronation. Source: WikiCommons, commons.wikimedia.org

Chromolithography of Alexander II at his coronation. Source: WikiCommons, commons.wikimedia.org

In fact, it was made specifically for Alexander II or “Alexander the Liberator” who emancipated the serfs. Later, it was worn by his grandson, Nicholas II, whose actions were one of the causes that helped bring about the end of the Russian Empire and who was murdered in 1918 by the Bolsheviks. Of course, Oriza also made fragrances for other imperial courts as well, including another violet one for Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, but it is the Romanov violet that is the subject of today’s tale. It is a scent with several kinds of violet in it, from a particular variety from Nice (France), to the crunchy green of its leaves. In the ultimate symbolic parallel, the coup de gras comes in the form of Russian leather and golden amber. The end result is a scent that not only takes me back in time but, in all honesty, feels like something which a man like Alexander II would wear.

Source: Angelfire.com

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Surrender to Chance Cold Water Canyon & Surrender

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Source: wayoutwax.wordpress.com

Cold Water Canyon and Surrender are two different takes on jasmine, both by the same master of all-natural perfumery, both surprisingly sweet, fresh, and green. The two fragrances are part of the debut collection from Surrender to Chance, the American decanting service, and were created by AbdesSalaam Attar (or Dominique Dubrana) of La Via del Profumo.

He is a man who I think has a particularly masterful touch when it comes to jasmine, and the new Surrender to Chance fragrances are no exception. They both highlight a very tender side to the flower, a side that I did not expect from the perfumes’ descriptions or one that I encounter very often. At the same time, however, the tender, sweet fragility and the fresh greenness were also (and quite cleverly) given an original twist through the inclusion of unexpected notes, be it licorice with a wisp of darkness, or the aromatic sweetness of sage, pine, myrrh, and mountain plants. The end result is different, charming, and appealing, though not without its flaws.

COLD WATER CANYON:

Cold Water Canyon bottle. Source: STC and La Via del Profumo.

Cold Water Canyon is intended to replicate the aroma of a mountain canyon in summer. Surrender to Chance’s press release describes the scent and its notes as follows:

Coldwater Canyon was suggested to us by a friend and long-time customer who asked for a fragrance inspired by the scent of a summer canyon full of sage, pine and mountain plants with sweetly scented night-blooming jasmine perfuming the night air. Coldwater Canyon is a perfect balance between a green perfume and a floral.

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Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions Cologne

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Source: footage.shutterstock.com

The buzz on Couvent des Minimes‘ Eau des Missions Cologne was loud, excited, and almost uniformly insistent: it was a bargain beauty that was an exact copy of Guerlain‘s very expensive Spiritueuse Double Vanille (“SDV“.) Or so everyone said, from perfume groups to Fragrantica reviews. One major reason for all the excitement was the price. Guerlain’s boozy, smoky, dark vanilla costs $260 for 75 ml. Eau de Missions is $38 for 100 ml, with smaller bottles available for even less on eBay. By the admittedly crazy, skewed standards of the niche world, that made Eau de Missions practically “free.” So, I bought one of the eBay bottles to see what all the fuss was about. And it’s true, there are strong similarities to SDV. However, unlike everyone else, I don’t think the two fragrances are identical. Continue reading →