BrianBuchanan
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BrianBuchanan
Old Time Lavender
Over time I've come to realise the name is a bit misleading. There are other things that gently stretch this lavender in different directions.
So instead of my original metaphore of Hugo Collumbien, the skilled pruner who knows how to bring out the elegant shape of a bush, he's more like the talented gardener who brings out the best in a plant by giving it the right companions, and then manuring the soil.
A fine lavender, however it was done.
[Old formulation]
So instead of my original metaphore of Hugo Collumbien, the skilled pruner who knows how to bring out the elegant shape of a bush, he's more like the talented gardener who brings out the best in a plant by giving it the right companions, and then manuring the soil.
A fine lavender, however it was done.
[Old formulation]
Synthetic Lemon and Sweetener with your boiled Green Tea?
It's hard to make this out; it takes part of several things - but it's not really any of them: lemon, Aspartame, cedar, spicy and -yes- metallic, it's watery and wan but not weak.
It's Synthetic, and - teetering on the brink of Cheesiness- it tries to make a virtue of the fact.
Now it could be in the spirit of postmodern irony, but there's Quality here - no denying it. However, if I was forced to define it (which of course I can't) it would be less Phaedrus and more Jeff Koons.
It's Synthetic, and - teetering on the brink of Cheesiness- it tries to make a virtue of the fact.
Now it could be in the spirit of postmodern irony, but there's Quality here - no denying it. However, if I was forced to define it (which of course I can't) it would be less Phaedrus and more Jeff Koons.
Cristalle : neither Cynical nor Sentimental
Cristalle is rooted in the green chypre, and has a passing likeness to Y.
It opens on citrus, and a creamy gardenia - with its taint of mushroom.
And then, behind that, there's a rosy bouquet - which shows a different side to Cristalle.
Instead of being a bluestocking - but coloured in green and beige - there are glimmers of sweetness that counteract the dry impression. This subtle contrast saves her from two-dimensionality, and there is also powder - which increases the charm and the interest. Underneath it all is a dark chypre base.
Being unsweet and green, Cristalle is a follow up to No19, Henri Robert's personal tribute to Chanel. But this is no mere copy, Jacques Polge does it in his own special way.
Bitter and sweet, moist and dry, sensible -and- pretty; this is an excellent choice for those who take a sober view of perfume; but - at the same time - want to keep alive their vision of beauty, which shields them from cynicism on the one side, and sentimentality on the other.
[Vintage Mini]
It opens on citrus, and a creamy gardenia - with its taint of mushroom.
And then, behind that, there's a rosy bouquet - which shows a different side to Cristalle.
Instead of being a bluestocking - but coloured in green and beige - there are glimmers of sweetness that counteract the dry impression. This subtle contrast saves her from two-dimensionality, and there is also powder - which increases the charm and the interest. Underneath it all is a dark chypre base.
Being unsweet and green, Cristalle is a follow up to No19, Henri Robert's personal tribute to Chanel. But this is no mere copy, Jacques Polge does it in his own special way.
Bitter and sweet, moist and dry, sensible -and- pretty; this is an excellent choice for those who take a sober view of perfume; but - at the same time - want to keep alive their vision of beauty, which shields them from cynicism on the one side, and sentimentality on the other.
[Vintage Mini]
No5 on the Hippy Trail
Madeleine de Rauch was a lesser light of the Golden Age of French fashion. Her designs were a mix of Dior's New Look, the clean lines of Chanel and the flowing robes of the Sixties.
In the same way, Royal de Rauch shows a mixture of styles: quality sandalwood joss sticks, the animal skank of classic perfume, a remembrance of No5's aldehydes - and its rose-jasmin bouquet.
But it's not fair to call this a No5 clone.
Wth a Hippy-like darkness, the centre of gravity is deeper than the Chanel; it has a coarse and dirty feel that would barely pass muster in the 8th arrondissement - the upper class district of Paris where de Rauch lived - which is home to the Elysée Palace, important embasssies and the elite boutiques in the 'Triangle d'Or'.
Like a louche French starlet from the seventies, Royal spans the range of high -and- low society with a crude but captivating presence.
In the same way, Royal de Rauch shows a mixture of styles: quality sandalwood joss sticks, the animal skank of classic perfume, a remembrance of No5's aldehydes - and its rose-jasmin bouquet.
But it's not fair to call this a No5 clone.
Wth a Hippy-like darkness, the centre of gravity is deeper than the Chanel; it has a coarse and dirty feel that would barely pass muster in the 8th arrondissement - the upper class district of Paris where de Rauch lived - which is home to the Elysée Palace, important embasssies and the elite boutiques in the 'Triangle d'Or'.
Like a louche French starlet from the seventies, Royal spans the range of high -and- low society with a crude but captivating presence.
Le Bleu
Changes in men's perfumery happen so slowly they make glaciation look precipitous.
Eau Sauvage was king for 22 years before Cool Water stole his Fresh crown, and it was 17 years before Le Mâle replaced Azzaro pour Homme as the go-to fougère.
Bleu de Chanel has been around for thirteen years, so we may not be stuck with millimetric adjustments to its Spiky Wood formula for that much longer.
However, in the mean time; the flacon of Beau may resemble Le Mâle but the juice inside is pure Bleu.
Eau Sauvage was king for 22 years before Cool Water stole his Fresh crown, and it was 17 years before Le Mâle replaced Azzaro pour Homme as the go-to fougère.
Bleu de Chanel has been around for thirteen years, so we may not be stuck with millimetric adjustments to its Spiky Wood formula for that much longer.
However, in the mean time; the flacon of Beau may resemble Le Mâle but the juice inside is pure Bleu.
