AromaX

Je suis un homme, what's in the name? A statement, an expostulation or an entreaty? A tough call for a daily SOTD. A bit aggressive.

A daunting mix of citrus bitterness with a chilling sharpness of metallic edge. Like a sullen look of an unbarbered face. But later on, after a sip of cognac, there is a wam and spicy woody base. It's almost furry. A great prove that there is a cuddly Teddy bear hidden in every man.

I can't smell leather there. At least not convincing enough to recreate its image. But I can easily picture a leather jacket to be the only piece of clothe in the wardrobe of this guy.

A nice illustration of this scent for me is "Je suis un homme" song performed by Maximilien Philippe (originally by Zazie).

It opens like a fresh breeze bringing the smell of rain, wet earth and an intense green scent of foliage after the rain. A light whiff of tropic flowers entwine themselves into the ozonic freshness of the air with the nuances of crushed leaves and wet wood.

A “scented image” is a good name for this collection. To me they are much more “olfactory impressions” than “perfumes”.

According to the creators Dune Road is supposed to be an illustration of:

“Summer walks.
Crisp ocean breeze. Foamy Sand.

Whispers of herbs,
wildflowers & sea grass
from a distance.

Ethereal, captivating
& hazy pleasures.”

Though I recognize the elements from this descriptions in the scent, my own perception of “Dune Road” doesn’t show me much of sea grass and creates the image of a tropical forest after the rain with it’s reach smell of wet soil and sappy green leaves. A similar feeling I get from Fleur de Liane by L'Artisan Parfumeur.

And on the skin… it’s like running back home after mowing the lawn because of the sudden rain.

The Unicorn Spell came into my path as a part of a quest for green fragrances. I was looking for a different take on a violet leaf theme from Grey Flannel and so I met The Unicorn Spell introduced by a friend. Both scents explore the theme of a floral freshness on a background of cold and almost harsh greenness. Something that reminds me of the early spring when the first flowers are coming from the ground resisting the drafts of cold wind. In The Unicorn Spell the different tints of white and green are painting an image of ? misty glade where the pearled with dew grass intersperses with little snowdrops. The glade is a part of an enchanted forest surrounded with dark trunks of ancient oak trees surrounded with a purple glow. And once you carefully look between their massive roots, you might find the violet flowers hidden there.

The Unicorn Spell is a violet fragrance with a twist. Instead of showing the fragrant floral heart or play around the candied violet leaves, this fragrance emphasizes the green nuances of a violet leave and the woody aspect of the flowers.

What can you find in a bottle:

* On a blotter it opens with a civet-like note which is almost shocking. Something rather to expect within a niche range of perfumes than in a mainstream scent. Camels, horses and cowsheds may come into the mind, though oud is not mentioned here. But on the skin it becomes less zoo-like and brings warm and sensual depth into the fragrance.
* An intimate close to skin scent what you might smell under a worn out leather jacket on a bare male skin. The jacket seems to keep the history of its wearer. Just a few nuances like mineral notes of oil and gasoline or residues of modern fougère perfumes and woody scents ingrained into leather.
* A very comforting warm and dry woody base.
* A slightly metallic aromatic vibe recognizable from many modern masculine fougère fragrances.

Some facts:

Woodleather® is a new Firmenich captive with an oud scent profile. Also used in “Original Oud” by Mizensir, the fragrance project by Alberto Morillas.

Goldenwood® is another Firmenich captive. As long as it’s under patent protection (as well as Woodleather®), not much information will be revealed.

Nootka cypress (also known as Alaskan Cedarwood) is a conifer growing in the Northwest Rainforest area. Firmenich describes the smell of Cedarwood Alaska essential oil as “sparkling with a fresh and breezy grapefruit crisp due to its Nootkatene and Nootkatone content (grapefruit odorants)”and “less camhoraceous and smoky, but stronger, longer lasting and more linear than the regular Cedarwood oil”.

What can you find inside the bottle?

- A bunch of sultry flowers like jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, rose and ylang-ylang spreading their heady and suffocating aroma between the landscapes made of honey and vanilla.
- A meadow full of yellow flowers bathing under the golden sunlight.
- Daffodils. The poisonous greenish aroma along the lines of Chloé Narcisse.
- Downy powderness that recalls the fluffy mimosa flowers.
- Warm orange blossom that plays between the seductiveness of a white flower and the powdery blossom dust.
- The poisonous Angel trompet flower or datura similar to Datura Noir by Serge Lutens.
- Blue poppies from Himalaya supposed to be there. Can’t really find them, but can easily imagine the heat of orange and red poppies.
- Abundant character combined with a very strong projection and tenacity. Beware, it can be suffocating!
- An effect of a nourished skin as if it’s moisturized with a reach luxury body cream (similar orange blossom, lily, gardenia and tuberose aroma are often used to perfume luxury nourishing creams). I had a similar effect in Twilly by Hermès.
- An ancestor (one of many) of modern floral oriental perfumes.