Etat Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes: fragrance review

Despite allusions to Messianic status and references to a Far Asian dish full of endemic ingredients, Fils de Dieu is neither incense-based, nor is it foody in smell. Instead it shoots clarity, modernity and prized complexity into an age-old structure, the classic oriental perfume, making it shed its abundant sunshine like a golden ray shimmering onto yellow butterflies flying over the spring blooms in the balcony. Forget the controversy factor and scare-the-horses impact of the niche brand's infamous Sécrétions Magnifiques. This one is instantly (and easily) likeable stuff you will get serious milleage off; which I'd think defeats the brand's "perfume is dead, long live perfume" manifesto, but there you have it: they need to make wearable stuff too I suppose. Fils de Dieu is among their most approachable. 

Biko rice cupcakes from the Philippines

Etat Libre d'Orange describes its latest fragrance Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes (its full name meaning “Son of God of rice and citrus”) as "the one who brings on the light, the sunshine", drawing from the Philippines lore (its alternative name was Philippine Houseboy). Perfumer Ralf Schwieger (of Lipstick Rose fame), set to task by the brand's head Etienne De Swardt, took the basic structure of a classical oriental built on tart citrus and creamy ambery and vanillic notes (see Shalimar or even better the more legible Shalimar Light) and renovated it into a modern creation that registers as totally urban, totally effarvescent, totally wearable. But that's not to mean it wears thin or minimalist: the projection of the mouilletes on my library is reaching me, diffusing with gusto, in the bedroom and the sillage trailing off my chiffon blouse is enough to entice the neighbour meeting me round the corner to ask what I am wearing. "It's Fils de Dieu", I reply rather self-consious. "Oooh, sounds like one of those delectable things only you carry around here!" she replies with a resigned sigh. I oblige and write the name down along with intrstructions on where to get some.

That is the effect the new Etat Libre d'Orange fragrance has: uplifting, inviting, alluring, radiant. Despite the lack of heft its vanilla background has (forget thick, "burnt" too foody vanillas, this is nuanced and sophisticated), the tenacity of musk, the crushed flower petals and the profusion of leathery castoreum (reminiscent of a FarEast massage parlour) accounts for a composition that will get you noticed throughout the day. If the equally inviting Etat Libre d'Orange Archives 69 and their universally liked Like This is any indication, the French brand is following a certain kind of compositions quite purposefully lately. 

But the interesting thing about Fils de Dieu is the masterful playing of contrast and the injection of herbal into the classic oriental motif: the ginger (in itself having a citrusy facet) pairs with other hesperidic notes, notably sharp lime, starting with bracing, mouthwatering freshness (not unlike the bergamot-rich head note of Cologne Bigarade in the F.Malle line). There's the subtle and brief fennel-like note of shiso and then the perfume swims confidently into plush comfort through the milky-rice note of coconut-milk steamed rice. The zen-like effect of savoury rice cooking on the stove was perhaps most famously explored by niche brand Ormonde Jayne in Champaca: there's something home-bound and soothing about that smell and Linda Pilkington had revealed to me in an interview that she had envisioned it inspired by her Chinese neighbours cooking rice at their appartment every evening. Etat Libre had injected a rice note as a hint in their previous Putain de Palaces. But in Fils de Dieu the progression melds effortlessly into an intimate, gourmand aftertaste with lots of coriander (orange-saffron like, almost), a metallic nuance and suede, sultry leathery notes which retain the fragrance deliciously on both skin and cloth.

Etat Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu, du Riz et des Agrumes is available from Henri Bendels, MiN New York and online from Luckyscent and Les Senteurs.


Notes for Etat Libre d'Orange Fils de Dieu:
Ginger, coriander leaves, lime, shiso, bergamot, Jungle Essence coconut, rice note, Jungle Essence cardamom, jasmine, cinnamon, French May rose, tonka bean, vetiver, musk, amber, leather, castoreum.

photo via cupcakeproject.com

Rochas Moustache: fragrance review & history

Smooth-cheeked chaps have been the norm for more than half a century now and facial hair on men in the western world is considered either intello-boho or "tough guy, three day stubble, get in line missy!" But once upon a time when men fought in the Great War or assimilated la toilette in -perhaps less excruciatingly soignée- the manner of Hercules Poirot and his own profuse moustaches, facial hair stood for distinction. Moustache by Rochas is a scent that could make you grow such a virtual moustache if you belong to the modern clique of smoothly-cheeked guys and actually feel proud enough to admit wearing such a funnily named perfume.

The house of Marcel Rochas issued Moustache in 1948, as one of the select few fragrant specimens bearing the handiwork of that elusive (but talented) personality Thérèse Roudnitska, the wife of trismegistus Edmond (who also had his skillful hand in this) and the muse to her husband's Le Parfum de Thérèse (now in the Frederic Malle line). Thérèse, a student of l’Ecole de Chimie in Paris (she gratuated in 1941) apprenticied at the De Laire company at the laboratories of which she met her future husband. A romance blossomed, peppered with scented gifts: Edmond presented her with his eloquent composition It's You which he had composed for Elizabeth Arden. After romantic courtship they found Art et Parfum, a society dedicated to the art of perfumery in 1946. At the time Edmond Roudnitska was working with Rochas, having cemented both their fragrant notoriety with Femme, a masterpiece conceived in the most perilous and ravaged of occassions, Paris being occupied by the Nazis (1944) and right when Edmond had his hands in more prosaic tasks, such as finding a sufficient butter-taste substitute. According to his son, Michel Roudnitska (who gives the date of issue of Moustache as 1948, while some guides claim 1949 as the launch) "Moustache foreshadows Roudnitska's philosophy of creation - clear, simple and restrained". I couldn't have said it more succinctly.

Perfume history wants Thérèse to have instigated the spermatic idea and Edmond to have followed. At any rate the end result pleased him so much that he was put on record considering it a benchmark in masculine scents [Edmond Roudnitska, Que sais-je? "Le Parfum", Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 6th edition (2000)]. Roudnitska continued to produce scents for Rochas: Mouselline (formely Chiffon), Mouche (which means fly in French and was playfully named after the couple's cat), and La Rose; a collection of which sadly only Femme and Moustache subsist today.

The academic interest in Moustache is that it takes all the elements that have formed the repertoire of Roudnitska (the fermented fruits, like his beloved peach-scented base Persicol with aldehydes C14 and C18; the urinous aroma of animalic notes that recalls horses' sweat; the mossy yet fresh coolness in the background) and rearranges them in a masculine composition that pre-empties his work for both Dior (Eau Sauvage, Diorella, Dior-Dior) and Hermès (Eau d'Hermès). The aesthetic interest is that it smells old-fashioned in the best possible sense, distinguished in its unique use of lime on top (perhaps the best rendition of that note) and yet not like an antique that gets dusted once in a blue moon tucked inside the curios cabinet the rest of the time.
After the citrusy opening, the characteristic faintly floral and hay-ish powdery heart slowly gives way to the funk of the base notes with their sweaty, urinous and pungent leather impression which lingers quietly, intimately for a long time. Despite it being ,marketed as a masculine scent, women who find citrusy or "hazy" suede compositions to their taste should definitely give it a try.

Notes for Rochas Moustache: Lime, bergamot, pine, fruits, vetiver, moss.

The flacon of Moustache was initially produced in the curvaceous shape of Femme but was later substituted with the classic columnal bottle of Rochas fragrances with the brand name embossed on top the gold cap. A very recent redesigning made it square-shouldered in chrome tones.
The modern re-issue of Moustache is a bit more sharply citric to suit modern preferences for more refreshing top notes and less urinous, more polite, but it remains at its core an old-fashioned and proper scent that was well ahead of its time and still relevant after all those years. The older version circulates for reasonable prices on etailers.
You can get Moustache at Fragrancenet.com for the amazing price of $32.49 for 3.4oz. Also, using code LBRDY09 at checkout you get a further $10 off orders of $70 or more (on any products), valid through 09.11.09.

Pic of Moustache bottle by Rochas by Elena Vosnaki, of Therese Roudnitska via Michel Roudnitska's tribute Art-et-Parfum, vintage ad via trungtamnuochoa.com, modern flacon via fragrancefactory.com

Kings & Queens

Perfume Shrine likes to look at new things and when a favourite brand branches out, here we are following the trail like a scenthound. Korres, the Greek skincare and makeup line that has taken the world by storm has launched a separate new body care line, named "For Kings and Queens".The idea behind it is to link specific royal persons with scents associated with their life and beliefs. Naturally, Perfume Shrine's interest was piqued!

Perusing the line there is a wealth of famous people inspiring shower gels and body creams. Beginning back in antiquity, Caspar is associated with Myrrh (it smells somptuous!), the fragrant gift of the Magi to baby Jesus, while Nefertiti takes her bath in Honey. Her name means "beautiful woman who has arrived" and it is inferred that her beauty rituals were complimentary to her loveliness.
Queen of Sheba inspired Pistachio (an unusual choice, don't you agree!) because she was so mad about its taste and aroma that she ordered the country's crops to be solely distributed to her Court.
King Solomon gave the inspiration for Cedar (a very smooth, austere yet sensual smell). The king of Israel, responsible for building the first Temple of Jerusalem used almost only cedar for its amazing properties of resisting decay and smelling fragrantly pious.

The exotics are well taken care of: King of Ceylon has a penchant for Cinnamon, a product accountable for the antagonism of the Dutch, British and Portuguese fighting over control of the island.
Indian Maharajas opt for Mahogany, a woody fragrance inspired by the reddish timber. The King of Sumatra is tied to Pepper and Bergamot : pepper was the most highly prized spice till well into the Middle Ages due to its admirable hot aroma that helped fight bacteria and repel insects which might tamper with food. In Sumatra black pepper has become the stuff of legend with pirates and colonialists fighting over loads of the black gem in merchant ships. The composition is complimented with a classical Mediterranean citrusy tang of bergamot.
Pre-Colombian Aztek Kings are catered for by a spicy Vanilla Pear blend which derives its popularity from its purpoted aphrodisiac properties, accounting for its extensive use among the kings and their wives (along with cocoa). The composition is complimented with a tinge of fresh pear.

Some unidentified Princess of China goes for Jasmine: that one predictably did have me sniffing and resniffing and the association is a particularly dreamy one: since jasmine is such a potent love potion for the mind that awakens feelings of love and passion, she had ordered her gardens to be solely planted with jasmine so that her lover would never forget his vows. A wonderful choice for spring and summer!

Reverting to Europe, I really liked the aroma of Tobacco, associated with Tsar Peter the Great, who actually did favour the habit of smoking himself and encouraged it during his reign, despite the laws against it, since its introduction to Western Europe. The scent is deep with a hint of sweetness and a very subtle citrusy top. I bought this one on the spot, to layer with my leathery scents.
George the III, another European king is associated with Lime: the obscure reason is not tied to his particular preference for the fruit, but rather to his orders for sailors of the Royal Navy to consume lime juice along with their booze to help fight the most dangerous disease of sailors of the past: scurvy, a deficiency in vitamin C due to shortage of fresh produce in ships.
Orange quickly became the fruit of the aristocracy when it was brought back to Europe by Portuguese colonialists travelling to Southeast Asia, but there was no tester for me to get an idea how successful the rendition was.
Queen Isabella of Spain inspired the Cinnamon Orange shower gel and lotion, which marries the spicy taste of cinnamon to fresh orange blossom.
I really liked the Lemon Flower of the Sultans Nasrid of Granada: it reminded me of a warm summer walking in the city full of lemon trees and the cool evening breeze bringing the heavenly smell while passing by the Mauritanic Palace walls. This is my next buy, to layer with Fleurs de Citronnier by Serge Lutens!

The texture of Tobacco is more like liquid caramel and quite dark blackish brown (which is interesting!), somehow coming out in diaphanous big blobs out of the bottle. I don't know if this is characteristic of each and everyone of them though. Nevertheless, to their credit, they are all manufactured without mineral oil nor parabens.
The body butters and lotions come in 9 scents so far, with plans to include more. Some of them are shimmering lotions, such as Caspar Murrh and Chinese Princess Jasmine. While others are thicker, in a texture of body butter, such as Nefertiti Honey; or more runny like a body milk, such as George III Lime. All the products are enriched with Pomegranate, Blue Egyptian Lotus and Malachite (!) extracts.
The bottles are all enrobed in swirly pattenrs of contrasting colours with a different font for each one complimenting the historical trivia.
The prices are more than reasonable, making the line an everyday indulgence.


The official site is really well made with lots of wonderful trivia, a breakdown of the psychological types of everyday royalty (like the Scene Stealer, the Natural Performer or the City Nomad), cult personalities making a cameo appearence and everyday people asnwering questions about their personal kingdoms.

For our friends in the UK, some of them are available at Asos.com

You can email them with querries at: Atyourservice@forkingsandqueens.com

NEXT: a fun feature!! Check back shortly to see ;-)

Pics from Beautycom.gr

Anya's Garden Kaffir and Temple

We have dabbled in Anya's Garden, an artisan natural perfumery stationed in Miami Shores, Florida USA before, here at the Shrine. We were really taken with her wild-hearted Fairchild and consider Pan to be one of the most unique things to ever grace the market. {click on the names to read reviews} Tincturing goat's hair itself is indeed a great way of rendering an animalistic note. So when she announced she has issued two new perfumes, Kaffir and Temple, we simply had to sniff!

The perfumes feature new-to-the-market citruses, paired in unexpected ways.
Kaffir lime peel - which is also known as Thai Lime Leaf, or Makrud lime (ghost lime or funny lime) - sparkles in the topnotes of the eponymous scent. Kaffir lime made a rather more subdued appearence in Armani's Sensi, but it wasn't allowed to steal the show. Here it is taking center stage.
On another note, Kaffir might sound like an ethnic slur, but the intention is far from such. Inspired by an ingredient that is actually starring in South East Asian cuisine, whose leaves have a natural aldehydic character, the term is sparkling some controversy.

But none is necessary. The word kaffir or kahfir derives from Arabic for "non-Muslim". Therefore it is used in some Muslim countries as a totally non-offensive, descriptive term for people of other faiths. Much like the ancient Greeks used the term "barbarians" for people who didn't speek Greek but with no intention of demeaning them; the term was not derogatory then. In many cases, such as those mentioned in Herodotus Historiae (where there are great examples of respect and admiration for the Persian empire), the contrary is true!
However long after the Arabs who came to South Africa applied it to the natives, it was picked up by the South Africans of European descent for black South Africans as an ethnic slur. {it has been brought to my attention -initially by our reader Samira, but I looked it up myself as well- that although this sounds like the arabic word, in fact it might not be the same; spelled "kaffer", it is derived from "cafard", meaning cockroach in French. The afrikaans people translated it to kaffer,because the french phonetic for cafard sound like kaffer (ka`fa:r)}.
It's high irony that Christians calling people "non-Muslims" became such a controversial term. But history is full of those...


Back to fragrant parlance, two different agarwoods were used to anchor the citruses. Anya explained that the agarwood for Kaffir is much lighter, golden and spicy with nuances of leather and freshy-sawn wood. While in Temple there is a blend of Laotian and Vietnamese dark, deep, hypnotic Ouds, a specialty grade of agarwood that is very expensive. That last part necessitated the lack of available samples for this scent due to limited amount of the perfume produced. If one is interested in good, real oud, they have to order it.

However in a generous gesture Temple samples will be gifted to those who need them and write up to Anya's Garden to claim them. Let's see what Anya Mc Coy has to say about it:

For the Survivors: Special offer for Temple Perfume

Blended along both Ayurvedic and Buddhist systems, Temple is a limited-edition perfume that is specially made for all of the survivors of the many physical disasters that have wrecked communities in the USA. It is hoped it will give courage in the face of post-traumatic stress - I know, because I am one of them. I have lived in Florida since 1985 and my first hurricane was Elena in Tampa, and the last - hopefully for some time - was Wilma.[...] Temple is also being offered to anyone who has been the victim of domestic abuse, poor health or other challenges that have caused trauma and ongoing stress.


The first 100 readers that write me at Anya's Garden will receive a sample for free. Fifty percent of the profits from Temple will be donated to various charities that assist people and animals via their rescue efforts. The offer will end when all of the samples have have been claimed.

And how do the scents smell, you ask.

Kaffir

Fragrance Family: Citrus-FloraLeather-Wood

Kaffir is really a drop of sunshine in the gloom of November. The juiciness of hesperidia, the lime nectar and the aroma of snapped leaves is almost tangible as you spray the fragrance on you and you instantly get happy thoughts. It's playful, with a verdancy that grabs you by the nose and gets your attention. The green touch of galbanum, that striking note in vintage Vent Vert of which Anya herself is a fan, makes for an arresting beginning.
Flowery with the indolic loveliness of jasmine and what seemed to me like orange blossom (but in fact is not)it take you places: you are in a mirage of summery pleasures that spin around you. Jasmime is a favourite note of mine of course and when one is using natural essences and absolutes, it is even more of an indulgence. It's a sensuous experience to be cherished.
As the scent of Kaffir dries down you realise just how good it is: there is a woody edge, some pungency that lingers seductively, a lived-in feeling. Leather is not usually combined with citrus and here it is a touch that sets it apart.
I think anyone would feel a little brighter for experiencing Kaffir. And that's a blessing in its own way.


Official notes:
Top: Kaffir Thai lime leaf, galbanum, French and Tropical tarragon accord
Middle: tinctures of eight jasmines, heritage oak extract, Grasse jasmine
Base: sustainable golden agarwood, musk seed, leather accord


Temple
Fragrance Family: Citrus-Incense-Spiced Wood


I have to admit that agarwood/oud is like a lumberjack of death to me and I usually cannot wear it on my skin. Some of the Montale ouds which receive so much accolades have proven to be simply unpalatable. And the irony is, they're not even that "real", since Perfume Shrine has indeed dabbled in smelling real oud thanks to the generosity of a friend who wanted to read my thoughts on some arabic essences from Yemen.
In Temple we have real, expensive, precious oud that would make lovers of this love-it-or-hate-it note jump with joy. The heart is truly like Zuko, the Japanese ritual powder, we found out. This exotic reference is further aiding in the centering and relaxation that oud would produce to those who love it. There is also warmth and roundness to the scent which is due to cassie and spices (some of which smell like star anise and cinnamon to me): it is as if it's tied to images of earth goddesses.

On Anya's coaxing, nevertheless, I tried putting a drop of Temple in a bowl of hot water to scent my home. And trully it subtly produced a serene mood and pleasant meditative ambience that was very welcome. This alternative use enthralled me and I plan on beginning to test more of my more "difficult" scents that way.
For the rest of you that find oud mannah from heaven, this is not to be missed.

Official notes:
Top : distilled orange juice, borneol crystals
Middle : aglaia flower, cassia, Ayurvedic herbs and spices
Base : sustainable Laotian and Vietnamese Oud agarwood, earth tincture




There is also a special voucher on Anya's Garden site for all perfumes and essences:

Through December 1st, type in the world natural in the voucher at checkout, and receive 10% off all purchases.

Sounds good!

Artwork by illustrator Rafal Olbinski courtesy of allposters.com. Pic with sitting woman from Anya's Garden site