Ineke Gilded Lily: fragrance review

Ineke Rühland follows a nifty idea concerning her niche brand: an ABC of fragrance so to speak, each new scent named after the next-in-line initial letter. So after some of her earlier work (reviewed here) and last year's Field Notes from Paris (click here for review), the latest fragrance is called “Gilded Lily” after G.

According to the press info which we had announced a while back: "When Ineke read about the scent of the Goldband Lily of Japan (lilium auratum), she felt compelled to order a few for her garden to study their fragrance. This note became the heart of Gilded Lily.[...] Gilded Lily’s "fruity chypre" structure opens with sparkling top notes of pineapple and rhubarb followed by the goldband lily, and closes with patchouli, oakmoss and amber".

I admit that as far as I'm concerned, Gilded Lily doesn't conjure a fruity chypre in the manner of classic Femme, Diorama, or Mitsouko to my mind (or even a contemporary fruity chypre like Esteban's Modern Chypre, YSL Yvresse or Chypre Rouge by Lutens), but rather a rather unisex floral demi-fougère. The former are peachy-plummy symphonies of creamy millefeuilles and golden light getting deflected from a window pane at the 6th arrondissement on a bright autumn afternoon when chic tailleurs are thrown in haste on a heap on the parqueted floor and ties are used as impromptu blindfolds... Gilded Lily is a cool blonde walking the streets towards the museum of Modern Art in New York City, her arms getting goosebumbs from the cool air holding a white lily with frothings of retro greenish shaving cream on its heavy petals in a papier-mâché vase, a Magritte-worthy scene.

What I mean: Although advertised as a lily chypre fragrance, I get no big lily bouquet, the kind of thing that I was used to receiving while giving piano recitals in my university days. Those were engulfing, very floral-spicy affairs and ~if inhaled too much~ they tended to give a migraine, despite their uncontested beauty. Nor do I get the dark mossy autumnal forest floor that I associate most with chypres. Gilded Lily needs no gilding in fact, nor is it particularly embellished. It's neither sweet nor too floral, but rather after a short floral-fruity top note (which is NOT like most of the mainstream swill at stores right now, thank heavens!) goes straight for a woody liqueur-like clean patchouli drydown of modern proclivities which would have men notice it and claiming as their own, even though it's touted as a feminine.
After seven fragrances Ineke emerges as possessing a distinct style of her own, a sort of "signature", which one either loves or dislikes; there's no in-between. Gilded Lily is certainly very much within that style and shares elements with other creations of hers. Fans will be pleased and the rest would know what to expect.

Gilded Lily is available as Eau de Parfum and along with the rest of Ineke's line (After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, Derring-Do, Evening Edged in Gold and Field Notes from Paris) are sold worldwide at the stores listed on her website, http://www.ineke.com/

Painting Les Amants by René Magritte

Create Your Own Signature Perfume: NYC opportunity

Internationally renowned Italian Handbag, Shoe and Accessories Brand, FURLA, invites you to Create Your Own Signature Perfume with The Perfume Studio presented by Scenterprises Ltd.
Join them at their Madison Avenue Boutique for a 'scent-ertaining' evening. Take a 'Fragrance Journey' with Fragrance Expert, Sue Phillips, to learn about the mystery and magic of fragrance. The interactive, creative, fun workshop begins with a discovery of 18 exquisite blends from which you select 3 or 4 as your custom formula. You name your signature perfume and it will be decanted into a lovely designer-color spray of your choice packaged in a gift box along with a Certificate of Registration. Gift Certificates will also be available.
Sue Phillips, President of Scenterprises Ltd. and distributor of The Perfume Studio, is known for creating TIFFANY fragrance for their 150th Anniversary as well as fragrances for Burberrys, Trish McEvoy and many others.
When:
Thursday December 16, 2010 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Where:
The FURLA Boutique
598 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Map on this link.

The winners of the draw...

...for the Sartorial sample it is Isa while for the Anya's Garden bottles are Lavanya and Carrie Meredith. Congrats and please email me with a shipping address using the email contact in Profile or About page, stating the relevant perfume prize in the title of your email. I will personally send the Penhaligon's sample to the winner and will forward your data to the perfumer for the other perfumes.

Thanks everyone for the participation and prepare yourselves for a BIG giveaway of a full bottle of niche fragrance by a beloved brand tomorrow! (Stay tuned!)

Chanel No.19 Eau de Parfum Lands Stateside

The elusive concentration of the venerable Chanel No.19 perfume, the Eau de Parfum, had been widely available in Europe for years now, but for some unfathomable reason escaped regular Chanel perfume counters in the US. The Eau de Parfum is a different animal than the Eau de Toilette and parfum versions, displaying a distinct rosiness which pairs with the vetiver in a novel way and has a smoother leather note. Now our American friends can stock up, as the Eau de Parfum of No.19 and some body products in the range (bath gel and deodorant) arrive at the online venue of Chanel, their official site on this link. Alongside some masculine Antaeus ancillary products, a No.5 Eau Premiere coffret and some makeup products.

Careful though: the No.19 Eau de Parfum is marked as a limited edition! (Which probably means you won't get a second chance anytime soon)
Complimentary standard shipping through midnight December 16th EST applies on the official site.

Read our review of Chanel No.19 and of Chanel Antaeus on these links. And watch some retro commercials of Chanel No.19 below.

Korres White tea Bergamot Freesia, Vetiver root Green tea Cedarwood, & Vanilla Freesia Lychee: fragrance reviews

It was only a few days ago that I broke the news of the new line of fragrances by Korres on these pages, offering a cursory glance to the new scents as a whole and short reviews on three of them: Heliotrope Ylang Ylang Citron (the most impressive of them all and from the looks of it, the one Greek exclusive, as it doesn't appear on the International site at all), Iris Lily of the Valley Cotton (the most cooly subtle and refined skin-like) and Paeonia Vanilla Amber Pear (the weakest, as it seemed to me as if riding on the coat-tails of a well-known by now "trend", the fruitchouli).

I also announced one discontinuation from the original trio: that of Rose Blackcurrant Cyclamen. I stand behind that announcement and have since supplemented the post with a screenshot which showcases that indeed that's the one shot down (the other two appear featured on the International site normally alongside the new ones). Today I return with reviews on the remaining three fragrances in the newest line-up which is available in Greece as we speak and will be exported soon to the USA and everywhere where Korres is available: White tea Bergamot Freesia, Vetiver root Green tea Cedarwood, & Vanilla Freesia Lyche.

Contrary to the Korres fragrances I reviewed the other day, the remaining three are more or less faithful to their name, and -what's more- specifically to the first "note" announced in it. Thus they uncomplicate things for the weary consumer who doesn't want to have to spell everything out to the chemist behind the counter ("Please give me the Vanilla one") as well as the dazed chemist who is standing in his or her feet all day long catering to customers. The compositions are straightforward without appearing contrived and they possess excellent staying power. and projection Whereas that might have been a sort of given for Heliotrope Ylang Ylang Citron or Paeonia Vanilla Amber Pear by nature (the notes themselves veering into the lasting floriental genre), it is delightful to find it's also so for scents which are lighter and subtler in character, such as the remaining three we're reviewing today. They lasted well and were perceptibly audible on both skin and blotter: In fact I have a couple of blotters on my desk right now, wafting their effluvium as I type.

White Tea Bergamot Freesia is a crisp citrusy floral in the school that Jean Claude Ellena established as light "tea" notes (actually cool citrusy florals) and should lend itself to endless days of sunshine and sunny clothing to match. It's totally easy to wear and enjoy, undemanding like a sip from a pitcher of icy water on a hot day. The fragrance oscillates between a coolish white musk with floral notes and a fruity tonality with a bit of an apricoty lactonic scent. Very nice. The bottle is immediately recognisable as it's white to reflect the concept and name.

Vetiver root Green tea Cedarwood is redolent of earthy freshness and re-interprets a mainstay of masculine perfumery: the succulence of vetiver! Anyone who caught our Vetiver Series knows just how much I like this exotic grass in perfumes. So which take does the Korres fragrance take? The straight, the sweet or the strange? It seems it's a cross between the classic fresh (with its underscoring of an hesperidic, injected here through the "green tea" note which is a small crisp/floral segment, see above) and the sweet. If I'm not greatly mistaken the latter should be attributed to a little patchouli, lending a facet like licorice alongside the woodiness. The bottle is in dark green hues and the company recommends this scent for men, alongside the previous (and gorgeous) Saffron Amber Cardamom. I say it's eminently fit for both sexes and everything in-between.

Vanilla Lychee Freesia, true to its name, is a fruity vanilla with calorific tendencies. It's quite delectable, with great tenacity and a monochrome radiating all around, staying almost exactly the same from beginning to end: The vanilla scent is removed from the cookie-cutter board and takes on the caramelised nuance of a good flan. There is a kinship with some of the better Comptoir Sud Pacifique fragrances, perhaps Vanille Abricot; the fruity note leans towards a peachy-apricoty tone and plummy note which also reminds me a bit of Flowerbomb Extrême with its osmanthus and benzoin (i.e. vanillic) core. It's not very foody and it's not sickly sweet, which is a nice change of pace amidst most current gourmand fragrances on shelves.

The formulae do not contain phtalates, polycyclic musk compounds, nor nitro-musks of course. Korres is using Rosmarinus officinalis in the formula as a natural anti-oxidant. The new bottles come at 50ml/1.7oz and are presented at an advantageous price point (below 30 euros) that belies their quality.