Foustie
Reviews
Foustie
Transparent, cool, contemporary.
I know Sel Marin. I've had it since around the time that it was launched and I'm on my second bottle. Sel Marin smells fresh. It smells simple. It smells great. It smells like you have just been hit in the face by seaspray.
You know, I have seen several comments about Sel Marin smelling "fishy". I can honestly say that I have no idea what people are talking about. Maybe some other people's noses can detect something that I can't detect? But in this case, well I'm not sure about that. Here is the thing.......Sel Marin is an airy accord of Lemon, Bergamot, Cedar, Birch and the lightest Vetiver, with salty nuances. It smells fresh and ozonic. The published notes do list "Algae" and I don't know whether some people interpret that as fishy, but it is not to me. Sel Marin is actually a light and unusual accord of citrus and wood.
The style of Sel Marin is really important in describing it's character. It is contemporary, and spare. The structure of Sel Marin is very "clean". It is sheer and light and airy. Another matter you may have heard debated is the longevity. No, it's not great but Sel Marin wouldn't be what it is if it were heavily grounded. The whole joy of it is that initial whoosh of fresh sea air. Apply generously and often, and enjoy!
You know, I have seen several comments about Sel Marin smelling "fishy". I can honestly say that I have no idea what people are talking about. Maybe some other people's noses can detect something that I can't detect? But in this case, well I'm not sure about that. Here is the thing.......Sel Marin is an airy accord of Lemon, Bergamot, Cedar, Birch and the lightest Vetiver, with salty nuances. It smells fresh and ozonic. The published notes do list "Algae" and I don't know whether some people interpret that as fishy, but it is not to me. Sel Marin is actually a light and unusual accord of citrus and wood.
The style of Sel Marin is really important in describing it's character. It is contemporary, and spare. The structure of Sel Marin is very "clean". It is sheer and light and airy. Another matter you may have heard debated is the longevity. No, it's not great but Sel Marin wouldn't be what it is if it were heavily grounded. The whole joy of it is that initial whoosh of fresh sea air. Apply generously and often, and enjoy!
Rich and compelling. Terrific!
A rich and compelling fragrance. Classical with a pinch of weird. Terrific!
When I first smelled the opening notes of Montecristo I didn't think that I liked it. Now, having worn it several times I don't know why I ever thought that. I could see that some other folk could find the opening challenging too. But just wait........
Montecristo opens with very boozy notes, and there is something that I personally perceive as over ripe fruit. To me it suggests the peachy bourbon of Southern Comfort rather than rum. There is a strong animalic presence and something herbal too. It is very manly. After a time, fruity tobacco and woody notes gain ground and the the fragrance dries. It is this transformation from the boozy opening to the dry tobacco/woody accords which captivates me. Then Montecristo develops the most beautiful woody fougere type character. Classical but with a pinch of weird.
This woody/tobacco fougeresque accord lasts throughout the development, and I find it utterly compelling. It is deep, rich and mature. I actually find Montecristo to be really sexy and I don't usually find fragrance sexy. It has confidence and solidity. It is the most masculine fragrance that I have smelled in a while, but I have been wearing it and I really enjoy it.
When I first smelled the opening notes of Montecristo I didn't think that I liked it. Now, having worn it several times I don't know why I ever thought that. I could see that some other folk could find the opening challenging too. But just wait........
Montecristo opens with very boozy notes, and there is something that I personally perceive as over ripe fruit. To me it suggests the peachy bourbon of Southern Comfort rather than rum. There is a strong animalic presence and something herbal too. It is very manly. After a time, fruity tobacco and woody notes gain ground and the the fragrance dries. It is this transformation from the boozy opening to the dry tobacco/woody accords which captivates me. Then Montecristo develops the most beautiful woody fougere type character. Classical but with a pinch of weird.
This woody/tobacco fougeresque accord lasts throughout the development, and I find it utterly compelling. It is deep, rich and mature. I actually find Montecristo to be really sexy and I don't usually find fragrance sexy. It has confidence and solidity. It is the most masculine fragrance that I have smelled in a while, but I have been wearing it and I really enjoy it.
Feel the love.....
Do you want to have fun? Amnesia is easy, carefree, optimistic. With Amnesia, Ray Burns and Ralf Swieger have managed to produce something that stands apart from almost anything else that is around just now. It is so unashamedly upbeat, so unselfconscious, that it shines, brightly, above the gloom of the avant garde.
Amnesia shimmers like the sun on a swimming pool, gleams like the sun on oiled bodies. The notes are said to include waterlily, seaweed, sea salt, ambergris, sandalwood and ambrette but who cares! Amnesia is musk and sunshine and blue, blue sky, and sea and beaches and bare feet and laughter and carefree times, and I love it.
Edit; Amnesia is not a thin aquatic. and it has no hard edges. It's solid and rounded and satisfying. To me, it opens with soapy/salty/musky slightly floral notes, and it continues through a very pleasant musky mid development to a soft creamy sandalwoody drydown. It just smells great, and fun, and I find it really appealling.
Amnesia shimmers like the sun on a swimming pool, gleams like the sun on oiled bodies. The notes are said to include waterlily, seaweed, sea salt, ambergris, sandalwood and ambrette but who cares! Amnesia is musk and sunshine and blue, blue sky, and sea and beaches and bare feet and laughter and carefree times, and I love it.
Edit; Amnesia is not a thin aquatic. and it has no hard edges. It's solid and rounded and satisfying. To me, it opens with soapy/salty/musky slightly floral notes, and it continues through a very pleasant musky mid development to a soft creamy sandalwoody drydown. It just smells great, and fun, and I find it really appealling.
2 Comments
Crisp and refreshing with deep body.
Are you sure that you know the scent of black leaf tea?
Russian Tea is a bold rendition of black leaf tea. Not green tea, not herb tea, definitely not chai, and certainly not tea bags. In fact I just smelled tea bags for the sake of it and I realised that they smell of paper, not tea.
Smell some good black leaf tea, of whatever type, and you will see that it has a complex fragrance of it's own. You might smell citrus notes, hay, tobacco, barnyard or cowshed notes, tarry notes, herbal notes, liquorice, smoky notes, and yes, I suppose, leather. It is no wonder that it translates so well to perfumery.
If you live in a nation of black tea drinkers you will know, or you will remember this smell, or if you use proper leaf tea you will know it. In the days before tea bags, leaf tea was kept in a caddy. The smell when the caddy was opened to make tea was really intense, darkly fragrant. Where I come from some of the older people used to like "stewed" tea, so the pot of tea was left to simmer gently on the stove top for a long time, with the tea getting richer and more concentrated as the day went on. The fragrance could permeate the house.
The black tea is present right from the beginning of Russian Tea but the first note you will smell is a lovely dry herbal mint. It is quite fleeting but it sets the scene wonderfully. For me, from there on in it is tea all the way. I don't smell the raspberry note as such, or the magnolia. It just all adds up to the most wonderful black tea accord, but because of the complexity, the mystery, the possibilities, of that accord, it continues to hold interest all the way through, and it has very good longevity. In the longer development there are woody and birchtar notes and in the deepest drydown, (being the next morning!) a little immortelle lingers on the skin.
The fragrance has a dry character and it is very refreshing. It is crisp but it has deep, deep notes too. It is modern but the central accord has a timeless, elegant quality. It will be lovely, quite special, anywhere, anytime and on anyone.
Russian Tea is a bold rendition of black leaf tea. Not green tea, not herb tea, definitely not chai, and certainly not tea bags. In fact I just smelled tea bags for the sake of it and I realised that they smell of paper, not tea.
Smell some good black leaf tea, of whatever type, and you will see that it has a complex fragrance of it's own. You might smell citrus notes, hay, tobacco, barnyard or cowshed notes, tarry notes, herbal notes, liquorice, smoky notes, and yes, I suppose, leather. It is no wonder that it translates so well to perfumery.
If you live in a nation of black tea drinkers you will know, or you will remember this smell, or if you use proper leaf tea you will know it. In the days before tea bags, leaf tea was kept in a caddy. The smell when the caddy was opened to make tea was really intense, darkly fragrant. Where I come from some of the older people used to like "stewed" tea, so the pot of tea was left to simmer gently on the stove top for a long time, with the tea getting richer and more concentrated as the day went on. The fragrance could permeate the house.
The black tea is present right from the beginning of Russian Tea but the first note you will smell is a lovely dry herbal mint. It is quite fleeting but it sets the scene wonderfully. For me, from there on in it is tea all the way. I don't smell the raspberry note as such, or the magnolia. It just all adds up to the most wonderful black tea accord, but because of the complexity, the mystery, the possibilities, of that accord, it continues to hold interest all the way through, and it has very good longevity. In the longer development there are woody and birchtar notes and in the deepest drydown, (being the next morning!) a little immortelle lingers on the skin.
The fragrance has a dry character and it is very refreshing. It is crisp but it has deep, deep notes too. It is modern but the central accord has a timeless, elegant quality. It will be lovely, quite special, anywhere, anytime and on anyone.
Dragées on the dressing table.
Jardins D'Armide;
What a joy this is! I defy any fragrance lover not to react when they smell Jardins D'Armide, even if it is not to one's personal taste. I can't imagine that anyone would find it uninteresting.
The opening of this fragrance immediately brings to mind sugared almond dragees, every time! That's a bit odd maybe because I don't think that those particular confections have much of a smell actually, but that is the first image that pops up and floats around.
In fact, if you can imagine sweet sugared almonds, and those tiny candied violets which can be found in Madrid, add some orange flower water, some sweetly aromatic dried rose petals, some geranium soap, old fashioned iris powder, and some soft, billowy (and strangely not sweet) nutty vanilla, then you would be with me on this one. It is so gloriously old fashioned! Underscoring this feast of sweetmeats is a sweetly nostalgic floral accord, built around that lovely old fashioned aromatic rose. In time the fragrance settles into an aromatic accord of rose/violet/iris/geranium.
Jardins D'Armide is certainly sweet and powdery but of course that is it's charm. There is a little brightness too which provides a perfect foil. It is delighful, charming, nostalgic. It strikes me that it was made with unrestrained pleasure and perhaps even a little humour.
Official notes; (from the OLL website)
Top notes: Old Rose, Orange Blossom and Iris Powder.
Heart notes: Florentine iris, Violet Wild, Glycine and Carnation India.
Base notes: Honey, Almond, Tonka and Musk.
I am sure that this fragrance will have it's detractors. It won't be to everyones taste. It is very old fashioned after all, and it will be perceived by some as overtly feminine, too sweet, too powdery. But I also think that it will melt the hearts of many. It presents itself as an homage to fragrances past, with little or no compromise to suit current tastes, and in my view it should be respected for that alone.
Dare I say that it could be utterly intriguing on a man.
What a joy this is! I defy any fragrance lover not to react when they smell Jardins D'Armide, even if it is not to one's personal taste. I can't imagine that anyone would find it uninteresting.
The opening of this fragrance immediately brings to mind sugared almond dragees, every time! That's a bit odd maybe because I don't think that those particular confections have much of a smell actually, but that is the first image that pops up and floats around.
In fact, if you can imagine sweet sugared almonds, and those tiny candied violets which can be found in Madrid, add some orange flower water, some sweetly aromatic dried rose petals, some geranium soap, old fashioned iris powder, and some soft, billowy (and strangely not sweet) nutty vanilla, then you would be with me on this one. It is so gloriously old fashioned! Underscoring this feast of sweetmeats is a sweetly nostalgic floral accord, built around that lovely old fashioned aromatic rose. In time the fragrance settles into an aromatic accord of rose/violet/iris/geranium.
Jardins D'Armide is certainly sweet and powdery but of course that is it's charm. There is a little brightness too which provides a perfect foil. It is delighful, charming, nostalgic. It strikes me that it was made with unrestrained pleasure and perhaps even a little humour.
Official notes; (from the OLL website)
Top notes: Old Rose, Orange Blossom and Iris Powder.
Heart notes: Florentine iris, Violet Wild, Glycine and Carnation India.
Base notes: Honey, Almond, Tonka and Musk.
I am sure that this fragrance will have it's detractors. It won't be to everyones taste. It is very old fashioned after all, and it will be perceived by some as overtly feminine, too sweet, too powdery. But I also think that it will melt the hearts of many. It presents itself as an homage to fragrances past, with little or no compromise to suit current tastes, and in my view it should be respected for that alone.
Dare I say that it could be utterly intriguing on a man.
