Eris Parfums: Ma Bete, Belle de Jour & Night Flower

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Kafkaesque

Eris Parfums’ Barbara Herman (right), and perfumer, Antoine Lie (left). Source: Fragrantica. com

Eris Parfums is a new brand, founded by Barbara Herman, a vintage perfume expert who wrote the book, Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume (2013) after many years of being a blogger on her site, Yesterday’s Perfume. (Book links provided at the end in the Details section.) When she decided to launch her own line, she turned to perfumer Antoine Lie whom she’d first met as an interview source for her book. As she explains in her biography section on Eris Parfums, she wanted to “create a collection of fragrances as daring and erotic as fragrances of the past.”

Eris Parfums trio. Source: erisparfums.com

The results were three eau de parfums launched earlier this year: Ma Bete, Belle de Jour, and Night Flower. I’ll look at each one in turn. As part of my new resolution of providing a more succinct analysis whenever the perfumes permit it, I’ll give a more generalized breakdown of a perfume’s development instead of my usual detail, and also skip discussing comparative reviews.

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Serge Lutens Renard Constrictor

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Kafkaesque

Renard Constrictor via Premiere Avenue. [Photo cropped by me.]

I’ve already shared with you my feelings about the totality of the five new Serge Lutens fragrances, so I’ll skip any introduction for Renard Constrictor and get straight to the review.

Renard Constrictor is a pure parfum or extrait that was presumably created by Christopher Sheldrake, and its name translates to “Fox Constrictor” (which my mind unfortunately insists on reading as “Boa Constrictor”). The official description that is quoted on Premiere Avenue talks about furry animals, but says nothing concrete about the scent itself:

The memory is but fleeting, it refuses to remain in my conscience.
Like a timid furry creature, it retracts at a caress. It is a fear that stifles the hero.

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L’Erbolario Meharees & Le Labo Labdanum 18

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Kafkaesque

People often search for affordable facsimiles or “dupes” of famous fragrances. In the case of Frederic Malle‘s Musc Ravageur, one name that comes up is Meharees from the Italian brand, L’Erbolario Lodi. It’s been called the “Musc Ravageur killer” for a fraction of the price, and it’s also mentioned in the context of Hermès‘ Ambre Narguilé as well. A more expensive niche name that comes up in relation to Musc Ravageur is Le Labo‘s Labdanum 18. I love both Musc Ravageur and a bargain, so I bought Meharees blindly, persuaded by the rave reviews and by the company’s description of camel rides through the Sahara and legendary oases filled with undulating date trees. I thought I’d review it in conjunction with Le Labo’s Labdanum 18 to show how they compare to the Malle.

Photo: George Steinmetz/Corbis. Source: spiegel.de

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Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Source: thisoldhouse.com

Musc Ravageur is my favorite fragrance from Frederic Malle, and also the only one which drew me in from the very first time I sniffed it, perhaps because it is the spiciest, most oriental scent in his line-up. Yet, I’m not sure Monsieur Malle would approve of my reasons for loving the fragrance because it has little to do with “ravaging” musk, and everything to do with gingerbread. To be precise, gingerbread flecked lightly with vanilla and a gentle, furry musk, then festively festooned in a haze of lightly ambered, golden sweetness. It’s delicious, cozy comfort, but far from a “ravaging” torrent of “turbulent” sensuality. I don’t mind one whit.

Musc Ravageur in the 50 ml bottle. Source: Liberty London.

Musc Ravageur is an eau de parfum created by Maurice Roucel and released in 2000. The Malle website describes it as:

A sensual perfume, powerful yet perfectly controlled, dramatic and mysterious. Composed by Maurice Roucel as an “act of seduction and generosity”, Musc Ravageur is an uncompromising Oriental, which trumps current fads. Its explosive departure of bergamot, tangerine and cinnamon is set against a backdrop of vanilla, musk and amber. A sexy, turbulent perfume, in one word: ravageur.

According to that description, the notes in Musc Ravageur are:

Bergamot, tangerine, cinnamon, vanilla, musk, and amber.

Source: freehdwall.com

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