Les Espionnes du Tsar

The Spies of the Tsar

Roméa d'Améor 2009

The name does make sense if you read the brand's inspiration for this perfume: spy working for Peter the Great sent to the atelier of a master painter to acquire paintings for his majesty's collection (at a time when art was a meaningful way of showing status and royal courts appointed court painters). The story features lemon sorbet, travelling by carriage and stopping in a flowery meadow under a frisky morning breeze, the smell of paint in the atelier, tea at the French court, and of course the hypnotic scent trail our spy Anna left behind, which convinced the master painter to see her!

I do get lemon in the opening notes, but it's a mellow, rounded scent, not juicy or acidic as you're used to encounter in perfumes. Then there is a light patchouli which invariably gives me black tea vibes. And there is a woody, acetonic overtone which reminds you a bit of paint or lacquer. The whole composition is beautifully balanced and blended, not overpowering yet noticeable. The quality of ingredients is undeniable and incomparable to designer fragrances.

The creator of the brand worked in champagne before working in perfumery, the perfumes in this line were all created in collaboration with renowned noses (my fave is and always will be Les princesses de Venise), and I love the storytelling behind the creations. I, for one, have yet to find an equivalent to these sadly discontinued fragrances.