Source: vk.com
The Kremlin in the snow, warm ambered light shining into the darkness of incense from a cathedral, and a dry wind that carries the faintest hints of pine trees on the Siberian steppes. That is one aspect of Benjoin 19, an incense and amber duet from Le Labo that I sometimes enjoyed to the point of surprise, though the perfume also ended up presenting a very different version of itself as well, one that was significantly less appealing.
Source: Profumum website.
Death by vanilla. Or, in my case, death after a diabetic coma from sugar overload. Vanitas by Profumum Roma is a fragrance that should come with an advisory label that warns: “For hardcore gourmands and sugar fiends only!” For everyone else, I would advise serious caution. If you’re like me, you should avoid it entirely.
Vanitas is a concentrated eau de parfum that was released in 2008. The notes provided by Profumum on its website are:
Vanilla, Myrrh, Orange flowers, Sandalwood.
Vanitas opens on my skin with burnt sugar vanilla, times a hundred. To be precise, it’s a caramelized vanilla with burnt brown sugar, burnt candy floss vanilla, and a strong dash of orange syrup. Thanks to the myrrh, there are hints of something that is both dark and a tiny bit musty lurking at the edges, but it is a very small undertone that is completely overwhelmed by the burnt sugar. (Please be prepared for the word “sugar” to be used ad nauseam in this review.)
In my perpetual hunt for the perfect vanilla, I decided to try Guerlain‘s Shalimar Ode à La Vanille Sur La Route De Mexique. The very first “Shalimar Ode à La Vanille” was released in 2010, and was a gourmand, vanilla-centric flanker to the great Shalimar that was subsequently followed by another limited-edition gourmand version in 2012 called Ode à La Vanille Sur La Route De Madagascar. In 2013, the Mexique version was released, also in limited-edition, but this one is still easily found on a number of online retailers for a great, discounted price. It’s not my perfect vanilla by any means, but I can see why some people like the fragrance, especially those who struggle with the 1925 Shalimar original and dislike its dark, smoky, leathery, and animalic undertones.
Ode à La Vanille, Mexique Version bottle and box. Source: tatler.ru
Corsica. Photo: http://photo.speedresa.com/ via ailleurs.com
Corsica Furiosa is the latest fragrance from Parfum d’Empire, the always refined, interesting French niche brand founded and run by Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. It is an eau de parfum that seeks to capture the essence of Mr. Corticchiato’s native home, Corsica, and one that I was extremely excited to try.
I was in Corsica about 5 years ago, and went around the island, but my friends and I stayed mostly at a place called Domaine de Murtoli. It is a large 2,500 hectare estate with luxury villas near Figari, Corsica, which has everything from private beaches and forests, to shrub-covered “maquis” (small mountains), a farm, horse-back riding, and more. I very much enjoyed the island’s wild, untamed nature, whether it was Corsica’s mountainous plains of herbaceous greenness with a floral touch, its dusty paths, its pristine (slightly rocky) beaches, and its sunny warmth. From fragrant immortelle growing on high cliff-tops over azure waters, to an ancient wood that the Druids would have loved, beachside lunches of oursin (sea urchin) and langoustine (small lobsters) that had been caught just hours before, and a superlative restaurant located in a series of large, prehistoric caves inside a mountain, Corsica was a magical experience for me. Continue reading