Amouage Jubilation 25: fragrance review

My tumultuous love affair with chypres has always been like flipping through the pages of an old family album; grudgingly recognising familiar features reflected on my own visage and looking quizzically yet with admiration on fashions past. Jubilation 25 by Amouage comes as the crowning glory of an introspection in sepia, ascertaining its place as one of my core favourites ever since its launch. In my ever expanding collection it is competing for stage space with the beautiful bell jars of the Parisian exclusives of Serge Lutens, to which it feels like kin.

The comparison with the olfactory seraglio of Lutens comes naturally, Arabia the Felix being at the DNA-helix of both. But whereas Lutens’s elixirs speak beneath dark-kholed lids assuming nevertheless a Japonesque apocryphal coyness, Jubilation 25 flaunts its proud breast in the fabled manner of perpulchra Eleanor of Aquitane astride her horse on the Second Crusade while facing the gates of Damascus.

The Omani uber-luxe brand Amouage released Jubilation 25 in 2007 to celebrate its 25th anniversary with their customary brief: spare no expense! To that effect let’s remind ourselves of the free reign legendary perfumer Guy Robert (Hermès Equipage, the buttery soft Doblis and Calèche, Christian Dior Dioressence, Madame Rochas) received upon the commission of creating the introductory fragrance of the house of Amouage when it was established in 1983 by the Sultan of Oman. Now named Amouage Gold, along with Amouage Dia, for men and women, the scents help prove that opulence acts as a constant in the direction of the venerable and genuinely exotic house.

Composed by Lucas Sieuzac, (Fashion Group International's Rising Star award receiver in 2004), Jubilation 25’s resolutely noble lineage can be traced to the succulent and confidently sexy fruity chypres of yore, like Rochas Femme, hold the exuberance, and Guerlain Mitsouko, hold the wistfulness. Pointedly the antecedent accord in the heart of Jubilation 25 is that of Edmond Roudnitska’s enigmatic Diorella, minus the melon freshness and flanked by a generous side helping of amber and resins. Yet in many ways the Amouage fragrance is a seasoned grand dame whereas Diorella is a budding ingénue of aristocratic pedigree. The intense hedonic character of the fruity nectar is not far removed from the legendary Colony by Jean Patou.

Smelling Jubilation 25, soft billowing layers of rose reveal themselves one after the other as if testing a rich millefeuille, while the sumptuous sensation of liqueur-like essences such as davana compliment the fruitier facets of the floral accord. The beguiling austerity of liturgical essences (frankincense, myrrh) is contrapuntist to the nectarous tonalities and the unmistakably mossy-woody base foiling them ~which makes the chypre accord so complex and intensely memorable. In comparison to Rochas Femme (and especially the 80s reformulated version), Jubilation 25 comes off as more lemony and delicately ambery, less spicy but with a discreet leathery aftertaste. Surprisingly, it exhibits a more cultivated Gallic air than the French-born themselves! Its amazing lasting power is testament to its firm grip on your heartstrings, if you are even remotely attracted by the genre of fruity chypres, of which it is a stellar example.

Amouage Jubilation 25 notes:
Top: tarragon, rose, lemon, and ylang ylang
Heart: davana, labdanum, rose, and frankincense
Base: amber, musk, vetiver, myrrh, and patchouli.

Amouage Jubilation 25 Eau de Parfum comes in 50ml/1.7oz and 100ml/3.4oz bottles and sometimes it’s available in 25ml starter bottles which are excellent value for money considering the high quality of the juice.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Chypre scents, Chypre series.


Pic via wickedhalo.blogspot.com
Clip of The Lion in Winter originally uploaded by Moviemonologues on Youtube.

Mythology Series: the Oak Tree

On occasion of the celtic lunar calendar day of the oak which is on the 10th of June, today I am grabbing this chance to introduce a new feature, the Mythology Series, which will fuse folklore, poetry and some of the most prevalent myths concerning aromatic plants.

The oak tree with its bittersweet timbre has been a symbol of stability and silent might ever since antiquity. It therefore comes as little surprise that it was attributed to Zeus, the mightiest of Gods. In Dodona, the sacred place of Zeus’s worship, where every summer ancient Greek tragedies and comedies are performed anew in its open-air amphitheater, oak trees that seem like they have been growing since the dawn of time reign supreme. Their leaves were crowning the winners of the drama competitions and the chariot races in the glorious past. Today they cast their welcome shade to the weary traveler who has been up the creek towards the ancient oracle, the second in importance in the whole Mediterranean after that of Thebes in Egypt. Legend wants it that two eagles, hatched out of the same egg, flew over the sea; one of them descended in Thebes, the other in Dodona, thus affirming the regal choice of these places of worship.

Contemplating the oak tree, one is transfixed by its hefty circumference, the long-extending branches full of wide leaves, the rough texture of the bark and the lichen that attracts itself on it (Evernia Prunastria or simply oakmoss), of which perfumery has justifiably occupied itself for long. It suffices to catch a hint of that mossiness in famous chypre perfumes like Dior’s Miss Dior, Cabochard by Gres, Carven’s Ma Griffe and Chanel No.19 to realize how the grandeur of the oak tree is lending a facet of that characteristic to the ambrosial parasite.

Conversely it is the fruit of the oak tree, βαλανίδι, which has been fed to swine for centuries as cheap supplement to their diet, and even the divinely favoured Ulysses had to witness his companions feed upon them when they were transformed by Circe into said domestic animals. The fuzzy green balls crack open under the nail with a surprising bitter herbal scent to later reveal the more familiar nutty aspects. And the association with might must not have escaped those who onomatized the inner edge of a male organ as βάλανος/balanos (etymologically derived from βαλανίδι)!

In celtic mythology oak stands as a gateway between worlds, or alternatively the vantage point where portals could be erected, while in Norse mythology it is connected to the warlike god Thor. But even in modern lore, oak has never lost its symbolic resonance that ties it with quiet power and mighty dominion. In Gone with the Wind, the tranquil, gentile mansion of Ashley Wilkes and his bride-to-be Melanie, where Scarlett is turned down thus catapulting the plot, is fittingly named Twelve Oaks. Throughout the novel it acts as the idealized place of refuge from the constant turmoil that the war has brought into the lives of the heroes and contrasts with the more cheerful Tara; the latter plantation like the female protagonist comes through thanks to its adaptive powers. When the old and majestic Twelve Oaks crumbles, it takes forever with it the dreams of the old, secure way of life for Ashley and Melanie...

In perfumery oak wood extract can be used to bring aspects of the imposing feeling of the oak tree into woody fragrances for men or women. with dry, liqueur-like accents. Now that oakmoss essence has been heavily rationed and synhetic approximations like Evernyl do not give an adequate substitute, oak wood extract, although less green and mossy, or even fougère-tinged is increasingly used, coupling especially well with wine accents, fruity scents and reinforces vanilla notes. This is how Serge Lutens used it in his Paris exclusive Chêne (French for oak) and in Miel de Bois. Baldessarini Ambré for men is another scent which exploits those facets to good effect. Oak also makes an ilusionary appearence as a top note, interestingly enough, in Eau de Merveilles by Hermès!

A fragrance which plays upon all aspects of the oak tree is Roxana Villa’s Q, a botanical artisanal scent by Roxana Illuminated Perfume, that is dedicated to the endemic oak population of the Californian woods with Q standing for Quercus, the botany name for oak tree (quercus robur). From root to kernel and from branch to bark, Q is anchoring and centering like only an afternoon below the shade of an imposing oak can be. But most importantly, part of the profits goes into the California Oak Foundation preserving that oak population, so that future generations can be ensured of a comparable experience. (You can find Q for sale here).
And when I try to recreate the austere atmosphere of the holy oaks at Dodona, I fall back on burning the old reliable Oak/Chêne candle by Diptyque, whose scent transports my spirit into a land of forever-living lore.

Pic of River Kalamas in Ioannina perfecture, Greece, via ellopos.org

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver: fragrance review

~by Mike Perez

Has it really been 18 months since the last Tom Ford masculine scent (Tom Ford Extreme) was released? In the rapid-fire release schedule for fragrances, it seems like Mr. Ford took his time releasing a new masculine (unlike the 4 unisex Private Blends he launched in less than a year and his new feminine, White Patchouli).

Our patience has been rewarded: his newest masculine, Grey Vetiver, is slated for a fall 2009 release and Perfume Shrine was able to obtain an exclusive pre-release sample.

It is easy to love the fougère-oriented top notes – reminiscent of violet leaf, angelica and something slightly watery and pungent. Imagine holding your breath in an outdoor pool, under the surface, and then once reaching the surface to fill your lungs the air smells of grasses, plants and leaves…mixing with the scent of dripping water. Not an aquatic fragrance (thank goodness, the men’s fragrance counter has more than its share of this kind of scent), yet the smell of wet and thriving plant life clearly define the beginning notes of Grey Vetiver.

The vetiver note seems as if it has been genetically spliced – all of the dirty and soiled bits have been removed leaving a shiny, metallic and distinct vetiver accord that increasingly gets richer, smoother and softer as it dries on skin. Grey Vetiver belongs to the clean vetiver family, of which Encre Noire by Lalique and Series 3: Cologne Vettiveru by Comme des Garcons belong – yet it also leans a bit towards the theme that Frédéric Malle and Dominique Ropion strove for in Vetiver Extraordinaire (loads of vetiver, crisp, no sweetness). Ever so often, I got a whiff of acidic lemon.
My first thought, after I enjoyed wearing this scent was: do I need another new vetiver scent? The answer is, no! Yet, there’s something entirely unique about this one.

It’s barbershop-oriented top notes will make it easy for men to love this on first sniff (my hunch is, this will be a big hit for Tom Ford Beauty), but the modern salty vetiver and spiced woods should appeal to those who like to mix it up a bit (think KenzoAir, minus the anise-headspace radiance). Even though Ford is releasing this as a masculine fragrance, it has a delightful fresh-as-a-summer-breeze manner which defies being categorized as only for men.

The only official notes we were able to get from Tom Ford Beauty are: vetiver blended w/ sun drenched citrus, refined spices and rich woods. The 1.7 oz bottle (a frosted glass version of the iconic TF men’s fluted bottle) will be $85.00 and is set to be released September 2009.

Tom Ford will be in person, at Selfridges (Oxford Street) UK department store on Wednesday, June 10th 2009 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm to sign bottles from his Private Blend collection and to introduce the newest in the line up, Bois Marocain. {click for review}

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Tom Ford scents, Vetiver Series

Pic of a bunch of vetiver roots that are reinforcing a wall in Australia, from Vetiver World Wide. Pic of Tom Ford found by Mike Perez

Zoa Night Perfume by Parfums Regine: new fragrance

For those of you who are not familiar with Régine, a Parisian constant in the nightclubs scene, suffice to say that she was involved in launching eponymous perfumes for 20 years now (After all, we've already discussed how the celebrity scent phenomenon is not that recent here).

Now comes Zoa, Night Perfume, a new launch inspired by a 1966 song, encased in a striking black bottle meant to represent a dancing figure of the night. The audacious floriental powdery-ambery composition was developed by Emilie Coppermann encompassing notes of peony, spicy rose and orchid.
Zoa by parfums Régine is exclusively available at the French concept store Colette this June and will launch widely in autumn.
Bottles of 30ml, 50ml, 100ml, from 27 to 60 euros.



Pic via fashionmag

How to Smell of the Cricket Lawn while Stuck behind your Mac

The smell of cricket (and I mean the game, not the little critter) is apparently more appealing than you might have thought, according to two articles that occupy themselves with efforts of perfumers and scientists to find fragrances that mimic the outdoors so that people (men in particular) stuck behind their desks all day in the corporate environment can smell of the great outdoors. And oh, in case we forget about the aspirational airs of fragrance, not just any outdoors, but the frightfully British (and considered posh) sport of cricket: "In Britain, we have a national therapy, we call it cricket. Unlike other sports, it doesn't involve anxieties or pressures. It's leisurely and lyrical. It's the song of willow on leather". (if you're wondering click to find out the quote source) What's next, I wonder? Ersatz "I'm working my ass off and deserve a raise" spray? Don't knock it, it might not be far behind!

The first article announces the introduction of outdoors replicating odours

"Perfume makers have now captured scents from cricket grounds, including the changing rooms, cricket bats and kit, as well as from the cabins of ocean-going yachts"

and is clearly taking its cue from the longer and more detailed second article which highlights the whys and hows.

“We are looking for modern smells that have never been used in fragrances before but which have strong associations with activities that people enjoy or respect,” said Will Andrews, a fragrance scientist at Procter & Gamble (P&G), which makes perfumes by Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana and Lacoste. His aim is not to recreate the sweaty smell of a cricket pavilion or yacht cabin but to find “notes” within the odours found in such places that evoke positive emotions associated with sporty activities.[...] Harvey Prince, an American manufacturer, recently claimed that its Ageless Fantasy scent had captured the smell of youth, so that women wearing it would be perceived as around eight years younger than they were. Independent tests suggested, however, that the benefits were unclear.[...]P&G’s research has shown that there are many smells that have acquired a modern appeal. Even the “electronic” smell of a warm computer is attractive to some people – and P&G is trying to bottle that too".

Read the whole article here which makes also some interesting points about how some scents become obsolete through association and the passage of time.

Now you know why your new perfume is having notes named "waterfall accord" and "deck sea spray" accord!

Pic via oldthorntoniansclapham.org.uk