Yves Rocher Pur Desir de Gardenia: fragrance review

 

The now discontinued Yves Rocher Pur Desir de Gardenia (i.e. pure desire for gardenia) is perhaps the most lamented true gardenia discontinuation in perfumery, barring the one by Estee Lauder (Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia). 

                               via pinterest 

Tom Ford's Velvet Gardenia comes up a close second or third maybe, representing the browned ripe gardenia that is just starting to deteriorate beyond salvation. It has been discontinued and brought back in the Reserve Collection. "Lushest, wettest, freshest, creamiest jungle gardenia. White petals and thick green leaves. That's it and it's all there. This is the most realistic gardenia fragrance." Thus writes about Pur Desir de Gardenia a reader and I can totally back this up. 

  Pur Desir de Gardenia is the essence of gardenia, built on jasmolactones and with a touch of styrallyl acetate maybe for the green part, in a sort of old-school-technique that perfumers used to do so well and then abandoned. The creamy and the lush elements are freshened up with the intensity of the green in Pur Desir de Gardenia, giving me the illusion of a budding gardenia, one which unfurls its petals in continuous orgasmic fervour. A marvel and at the same time a romantic elegy. The folly of not stocking up when one could... 

It's a puzzle why Yves Rocher stopped making this, as their Pur Desir line of soliflores was excellent to begin with, and this one was the jewel of the crown. The perfect embodiment of a single flower, that of the gardenia, is this vintage fragrance which those who recall it love with the unbridled passion reserved for true gems.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Aegea: fragrance review

 

Estée Lauder just launched a new limited edition flanker to its popular 2008 fragrance Bronze Goddess named Bronze Goddess Aegea. The name suggests inspiration from the feeling of an island escape on an island in the Aegean Sea. Following last year's Bronze Goddess Flora Verde, the new version differs from the tropical suntan lotion of coconut and ylang that most summer flankers of that sort of genre have to offer.

The allusion of the Aegean with its rich history and specific references is hard to do justice in a perfume, nevertheless. And yet Bronze Goddess Aegea is not amiss. It has a dry feeling of dried hay that perfectly recalls one feeling that is prevalent in Greece: the dust from the ground, the soil, which sits on everything till the gust of wild winds of the Aegean redistributes it anew.

Lauder has again invested in the tourist interest for Greek island-hopping, launching Aegean Blossom for the Aerin brand. The images were breathtaking, the minimalist luxury of a veranda over the sea and pottery with big, fragrant flowers flanking the easy living of summer. A dreamlike sequence.

The coconut is discreet in Bronze Goddess Aegea, more of an idea of suntan oil than of actual suntan formula, or tropical fruity, and the so-called bougainvillea note manages to give that dusty feeling to the proceedings. It's as if one lays down on a stack of dry hay to rest when the sun rises to its apex and tourists are advised to lay low, wear their hats, and take little to no action apart from taking a swim. It's a silent hour, the hour of siesta, of the moment when the upcoming transport is almost liquified at the end of the horizon. Then rises the fig — inviting, green, and very delectable — a very characteristic note of Greek summer, beloved in perfumery ever since Premier Figuier (L' Artisan Parfumeur) and Philosykos (Diptyque), whose Hellenic-inspired background makes my heart warm. It's a lovely fig note, delicate, smooth and mouth-watering, which elevates Bronze Goddess Aegea beyond the usual summer concoction. 

The clean musk at the base makes it last and become skin-scent-like after several hours, melting with the green-milky-soft ambiance. It makes this limited edition a must-add to any Lauder collector, but more importantly, a must-have for anyone dreaming of catching a whiff of the glorious Greek summer while cooped up in an office somewhere urban and stifled. Enjoy wisely as Bronze Goddess Aegea is a limited edition! 

NOTES for Bronze Goddess Aegea
Top: Italian bergamot, ylang-ylang, violet leaf
Heart: fig nectar, pink bougainvillea, jasmine sambac absolute
Base: sandalwood, coconut milk, musk

More PerfumeShrine articles to read: Beauty and the Beach, beachy scents for summer

Perfume Photography: Dior Dioressence

photo copyright by Elena Vosnaki

 

Annick Goutal Paris Folie d'un Soir: fragrance review & photography

 

If Halfeti (Penhaligon's) and Encens Mythique (Guerlain) were to have a hypothetical child, it would inherit facets apparent in Folie d'un Soir by Goutal Paris. It is the bittersweet myrrh, the hidden but omnipresent rose oil with its most oriental notes, and a patchouli aftertaste like that of Coromandel by Chanel. 

photo by Elena Vosnaki

 In short, a fragrance that pleases, attracts, and easily creates shivers. A cool or even cold evening brings out the tender fluffy boa that accompanies Folie d'un Soir like a cat's tail wrapped around you ready for caresses. 

photo by Elena Vosnaki

 

There is something very feminine and ladylike about Annick Goutal perfumes, however, in the classic French tradition, the lady in question can also forget about her prim manners in the bedroom. 

 Folie d'un Soir is now part of the collection Les Parfums de Geraldine (formely Les Oiseaux de Nuit)

Histoires de Parfums 1826: fragrance review

 Spicy stuff is usually reserved for wintertime because it so often appears in heavier compositions such as spicy oriental fragrances, a genre many of us love but that people around us find a bit retro and therefore not always pleasant. Rejoice then for a spicy citrus and oriental musk blend from a very worthwhile niche company that has retained its integrity and pedigree in an era of easy cash grab. 1826 by Histoires de Parfums is inspired by Eugénie de Montijo, the last French empress who was born in Granada, the jewel of Andalusia. 

photo Deborah Turbeville - Models in Valentino, VOGUE Italia borrowed via Pinterest

A sparkling beauty, her seductive nature and temperamental elegance delighted Napoleon the Third. It was for her that Guerlain made to measure his famous Eau de Cologne Imperiale Guerlain. It was those famous historical people, like her, as well as characters from novels, that inspired the first collection by venerable French niche brand Histoires de Parfums, the brainchild of Gerarl Ghislain. 

 Powdery violet is allied to spicy cinnamon and piquant ginger notes in the heart of 1826, but not before this is first refreshed with a rush of hesperidia—happy and aromatic, almost aggressive citrus notes that tumble out of the bottle in song. A honeyed ambience like a ripe orchard is present, they're never sour or sharp. Then the synergy with the prolonged musky drydown makes it appear woody, orientalised, dry, yet restrained. There is the elegance of sipping earl grey tea while reading an old book with violets dried inside its pages by the window overlooking a beautiful citrus grove...

Beautifully balanced, 1826  by Histoires de Parfums always welcome in any season, but especially when the weather warms up. 

Launch date: 2001

The older bottles have a retro label with a crest and a chiseled bronze-gold cap. The newer bottles are sparse with a rectangle shaped bottle that is visually cut in half, thus making the cap seem off, and they fit into their boxes like in a cardboard drawer, as if meant to display unto the shelves of a library. Very cute idea! 

The perfumer behind 1826 by Histoires de Parfums is Sylvie Jourdet. 

Top notes are Tangerine and Bergamot;
middle notes are Violet, White Flowers, Cinnamon and Ginger;
base notes are Patchouli, Amber, Woody Notes, Incense, Musk and Vanilla.