Maison Francis Kurkdjian Ciel de Gum: Golden Delight

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kafkaesque

Francis Kurkdjian. Photo source: m.buro247.ru

A swirling vortex of gold and red lies at the heart of Ciel de Gum, an eau de parfum created by Francis Kurkdjian in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of Moscow’s famed G.U.M. department store. The fragrance was released in 2013, originally as a GUM exclusive but later available at other Russian retailers.

I try to avoid reviewing fragrances with extremely limited availability, but several bottles of Ciel de Gum found their way to American shores last month. The New York niche boutique, OsswaldNYC, obtained quite a few and the American decanting site, Surrender to Chance, began offering samples soon after. That’s still not the widest availability possible, particularly as OsswaldNYC only has 2 bottles left at this time, but I decided to review the fragrance after a friend told me that Ciel de Gum was available on the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website for €195 and could be shipped worldwide.

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Providence Perfume Company: Four Reviews

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Kafkaesque

Source: Parfum1.com

Mossy forests, leathery tea medleys with apricot, ginger spice blends atop soft florals, and indolic floral orientals — those are the heart of four fragrances from Providence Perfume Company that I thought we’d look at today.

Providence Perfume Company is a highly respected, American artisanal and all-natural brand founded by Charna Ethier. I really liked her Provanilla when I tried it earlier this year, a deep, dark vanilla with Caribbean rum and a surprisingly delicious splash of creamy honeydew melon. Ms. Ethier kindly sent me samples of her other creations and, today, I’ll cover Osmanthus Oolong, Ginger Lily, Hindu Honeysuckle, and Moss Gown. That’s a lot to fit into one post and I don’t want it to be ridiculously long, so I’ll try to be as brief as someone with my verboseness can manage.

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Al Haramain Mukhallath Seufi Attar (The Exclusive Collection)

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Kafkaesque

Mukhallath Seufi via alharamainexclusive.com

Sumptuously extravagant, deeply complex, and powerfully nuclear, Mukhallath Seufi opens with a feast for the senses through an explosion of roses that dazzle like three-dimensional rubies adorned with spices and amber in an opulent oriental blend. Then, the fragrance journeys from the Orient to Europe, slowly turning into a rich chypre before ending up as a dark, smoky, more masculine vetiver leather. Mukhallath Seufi is a story told mainly in three parts, but with endless twists and turns along the way. Not all of them are as grandiose, stunning, or appealing, but that first part… Good lord! It blew my mind — and I say that as someone who is not a rose lover. If you loved Amouage‘s famous Homage attar or mourned its loss, you must try Mukhallath Seufi simply for its spectacular opening, even if the fragrance subsequently transitions away from it and onto other genres.

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Tauer Perfumes Sotto La Luna Tuberose

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Kafkaesque

There are certain fragrances which I know I will have to brace myself for mentally right from the start. That was the case with Sotto La Luna Tuberose, the latest release from Andy Tauer and the second entry in his Sotto La Luna (Under the Moon) Collection. I love tuberose and it’s my favorite flower, both in nature and in perfumery, but after my experiences with Mr. Tauer’s Sotta La Luna Gardenia, I prepared myself for something that was a mere abstraction and nothing remotely like the real thing. More to the point, after that same Gardenia turned gruesome on my skin, all I hoped for this time around was for a wearable fragrance. Of any kind. Well, after trying Tuberose a few times (and scrubbing it a few times as well), all I can say is that it’s better than the Gardenia on my skin. I’m not sure that’s saying much.

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