L'Artisan Parfumeur Eau de l'Artisan: fragrance review

Twenty three years after its introduction to the line of L'Artisan Parfumeur, Olivia Giacobetti's take on the pleasures of a Mediterranean herb garden L'Eau de l'Artisan is still relevant in what concerns a fragrance that replicates its dewy herbaceousness. (I hear Jo Malone launches a whole line devoted to such things as parsley or fennel and carrot blossoms).

via pinterest

The "jardin potager" as it's called in French is usually a patch that features culinary verdant herbs meant to be picked and plucked spontaneously to season a salad here and a pot roast there alongside blossoming plants and vegetables in an aesthetically pleasing way. And personally? I prefer it even to the glories of the roses's beds and the petunias's designs blooming in feisty colors down the path...

L'Eau de l'Artisan beautifully replicates the bunch of them with basil and marjoram being the delectable and quite prominent aromatic heroes. They both give piquancy and a certain earthy bite which is not miles apart from what they offer to a dish.The tension is built between the lemony verbena and the mossy backgrounds which - not unlike the seminal Eau de Campagne by Sisley - translate as a very fresh and very subtle chypre.

I also seem to discern thyme: another popular Med choice, the scorched stems of which dot the hills in summer; the herb often garlands a roasted leg of lamb. Credit to L'Artisan for creating a fragrance that is not meant for mutton dressed as lamb then, as so many mainstream fragrances are, but goes for a little joyful introspection into the memories of our summers spent in the countryside.

Hilde Soliani Ciocospezissimo & Ciocorosissimo: fragrance reviews

It was with delight that I had introduced perfume audiences outside Italy to the cosmos of Hilde Soliani niche Italian scents and it is with immense joy that I can continue to feed your appetite for her pleasing wares: Her two latest fragrances, Ciocospezissimo and Ciocorosissimo, which we have the exclusive preview of here on Perfume Shrine, are part of her Profumo e Gusto in Libertà lineup [click for more reviews]. They're totally scrumptious and every lover of good gourmands should try to get hold of samples.

The names are Italian superlatives of their respective chords: chocolate and spice for Ciocospezissimo, chocolate and rose for Ciocorosissimo and have been inspired by Hilde's love for Italian gelato (which comes in the most sophisticated flavours imaginable, such as Boccalone Prosciutto or Carrot Cake).

Ciocospezissimo starts with a whirlwind of a delicious gingery zing which twirls around the note of dry cocoa. The two are perceptible at all times, in reality however the peppery bright buzz is really basil, that green curly-looking little bushy herb that we usually use in our pasta with pesto al Genovese. Or with our lime sorbet. In perfumery basil is often wrapped around grapefuit, complimenting and contrasting the sulfur elements of the citrus peel aroma. Well, guess what, like another green hot-cool herb, mint(I bet it would really go well after a decadent bath in Mint Chocolate bath), basil has the green pepperiness that goes really well with chocolate. Generally chocolate performs well with peppery-biting stuff, for instance try milk chocolate with black peppercorns, it's utterly magnificent! In that vein people with a desire to find a little zing, a little edge in their chocolate will find Ciocospezissimo easy to like and easy to wear.

Ciocorosissimo took me by total surprise. I usually don't like obvious roses in fragrances because they can evoke too closely for comfort those aged, wilted pot-pouris that hide into really old aunts' closets or the cleansers that are put besides the Porcelain Goddess...Not exactly my idea of sexy! And we've mentioned this here before. But in Ciocorosissimo, Hilde Soliani had clear instructions which paid off: The rose is delicious, rich, melodious; three varieties from Bulgaria, Morocco and England conspire along with pure absolute of cocoa and toasted chocolate to produce a mouth-watering yet also fresh scent! If I had to put a classification on it I'd opt for woody floral, never mind the gourmand associations of chocolate.
The process of creation is rather fascinating: The finished perfume is kept in an oak barrel, just like a good wine, so it gains in complexity, mingling with that lovely woody aroma and it comes out unfiltered and ready to seduce you. like it did to me. The ritual of picking fresh rose petals from the garden, dusting them with cocoa from Indonesia and then using them in desserts is finding its apotheosis in this trully lovely fragrance. The notes pop in and out, always discernible, yet at the same time in synergy, like those changeant fabrics which take on a different hue where the light hits them. If you like those patchouli-shaded roses like Voleur de Roses or Lady Vengeance, don't miss a chance to try Ciocorosissimo as well.

Both Ciocospezissimo and Ciocorosissimo come in Eau de Parfum concentration with 10% essence and they last quite well. Available through Lyckyscent soon they were launched on the 26th of November at the Suendhaft Press Conference event.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Hilde Soliani reviews (click the links below):
1) Il Mio Daisy/Ti Amo Line (Tulipano, Iris, Margerita, Anemone, Ortensia),
2) Teatro Olfactiva line (Bell'Antonio, Vecchi Rosetti, Stecca, Mangiamo dopo Teatro, Sipario),
3)Acquiilsssssima, Doolciiisssimo, Freschiiissimo, Saaaliiisssiimo.

Pic via sexylingerie10/photobucket.
In the interests of ful disclosure I gained access to two samples via the manufacturer<./span>.