MarieLaVie

EDIT 11.10.2020: 8 years after my old review, I tested the fragrance again and I barely recognize it. I now mainly smell saffron and a bit of wood, resembling the Saffron Troublant by L'Artisan. Not a bad scent, but it cannot connect to my old impressions. I suspect it has been reformulated.

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Trayee and the other two Neela Vermeire fragrances have been the talk of the town for a few weeks now and have already been admired and praised in the highest terms on several perfume blogs. And rightly so, because after a dear friend lent me her samples, I can fully agree with that.

Trayee is my favorite among the Créations. While "Bombay Bling!" represents modern India (keyword: Bollywood films) and Mohur reflects the English colonial era (of course with roses), Bertrand Duchaufour has captured traditional India with Trayee. Frankincense is an essential component of the perfume, and many might mistake Trayee for an outsourced edition of the Comme des Garcons incense fragrances. To explain why this is not the case and why even frankincense-averse people like me can enjoy Trayee, one should take a closer look at the CdG Incense series and Trayee side by side.

In my view, the Comme des Garcons fragrances are very puristic: incense scents that focus on different places and their spiritual incense traditions. They convey local and temporal impressions (in the sense of "traditional"), while personal emotions and sensations play no role.

Trayee is similarly structured, but here the personal component comes into play: Trayee offers not only frankincense but also many spices (especially saffron and cardamom) and blackcurrant. The latter makes Trayee appear not dry, but almost juicy and dark fruity-sweet. Almost velvety. It is the spices and the fruit that give the fragrance this Indian feeling of life. Without them, it would probably have been (similar to Comme des Garcons) about pure temple impressions.
The fragrance thus encompasses more than "just" religious ceremonies in ancient India. I think more of festive ceremonies where the scent of frankincense mingles with that of the festively prepared food and the laughter and dancing of the people.

It is this feeling that makes Trayee incredibly complex yet wearable. I can truly recommend the sample set of the three Vermeire fragrances to everyone (frankincense fan or not). A 3 x 10ml set (with 10ml each of Trayee, Mohur, and Bombay Bling!) is also available.
The only downside: If someone falls in love with just one of the three fragrances, the 3 x 10ml set is not worth it. However, the 55ml bottles are worth a small fortune (around 220 EUR)...

I just passed my bottle of Flower by Kenzo to a friend and took this farewell as an opportunity to revisit the fragrance.

In short: Flower is the scent I desperately tried to figure out as a teenager. I was inexperienced with perfumes and never thought that it could be a perfume that all those girls were wearing. I assumed they used a certain deodorant (yes, I now see that as naive).

I have always associated scents with colors and shapes, and back then, Flower was white and cloud-shaped for me. Innocent, young, pure, and clean. Not a speck of dirt clings to this fragrance. Today, it is precisely this bit of dirt that makes a scent interesting to me. It must have edges and corners! - But not Flower. Flower is soft like cotton and sweet. At 14, I was not only into Flower but also into cotton candy (no fair without cotton candy!). This sweet, fluffy, airy preference with a synthetic touch perfectly aligns with my search for Flower back then.

At some point (a few years later), I discovered Flower in a perfume shop. I knew that I would probably hardly wear the scent, but for nostalgic reasons, it found its way into my possession.

I still associate the fragrance with youthful girls, but unlike all the ordinary fruity floral scents that are released by the hundreds every year at Douglas & Co., Flower remains special to me. With its almost old-fashioned floral concentration, it has made a statement among perfumes for young girls, and I still feel joy when I catch a whiff of this scent on the street.

Hm, Mr. Apicius's 50% rating is practically begging for my assessment of "Blond Woods" from the house of Guillaume. :)

I have previously viewed the Parfumerie Generale fragrances as largely uncomplicated. There are some beautiful works among them, but many are designed to be very gourmand and therefore not necessarily suitable for everyone.

Bois Blond can also be a challenge for some, but for different reasons. The fragrance initially belonged to the limited PG Collection before it was moved (after dozens of requests from the fragrance community) to the permanent Private Collection. Thank goodness, I can only say, because this little masterpiece will be with us longer.
Nevertheless, it is clear that Pierre Guillaume has taken a slightly more experimental approach here (as is usual with his limited fragrances). Instead of his usual spicy or amber-sweet blends, a different note comes into play: hay.

Hay is significantly under-represented in the perfume world and therefore somewhat takes getting used to when first testing Bois Blond. It smells dry and green. Anyone who has ever spent holidays on a farm knows how dry hay and straw smell. It is herbaceous, spicy, and somewhat smoky.
Pierre Guillaume has wonderfully captured this holiday scent experience in Bois Blond by also using tobacco. Tobacco thematically complements the fragrance well, considering that it too is dried herb.

The first 10 minutes might be classified as too masculine by many women, but I recommend everyone to endure the start. Because although Bois Blond has an average longevity of about 6 hours, it is not too strong and in no way unpleasant for those who come close to the wearer.
Bois Blond becomes softer and creamier over time. In the end, it is unmistakably a Parfumerie Generale fragrance with a woody amber finish that is by no means boring after this short trip back to school holiday times and farms.

Wazamba was an "unsniffed swap" and I wasn't sure until the last moment if I had been a bit hasty. The often-mentioned similarity to Serge Lutens' Fille en Aiguilles spoke in its favor, which I would love if it only lasted longer than 3 hours on my skin.
On the other hand, there was the incense note. Incense has never worked for me. It doesn't suit me; I can appreciate fragrances with a strong incense component, but I can't wear them.

To avoid making the story unnecessarily long and exciting: Parfums d'Empire has achieved what no other brand has - I am an absolute Wazamba fan despite the incense component!

The scent is sweeter and not quite as dry as the Comme des Garcons Incense series. Incense and pine are the stars in this fragrance. In my imagination, they sit together in a wooden cabin preparing baked apples. A fire burns, its scent mingling with that of the warm apples. Instead of vanilla sauce, incense and pine have opted for a topping of dried fruits and a hint of dark chocolate sauce, giving the blend just the right amount of balsamic, bittersweet depth.

Wazamba is not a gourmand (as it might sound), but a wonderful, complex incense fragrance that also lets other notes speak.

My first comment naturally goes to my first niche fragrance: Nuit de Tubereuse by L'Artisan Parfumeur.

During my first test, I didn’t know yet that I was a “flower girl.” White flowers like tuberose greatly repelled me at the time (thanks to traumatic experiences with A la Nuit and Fracas). Accordingly, I cautiously dabbed Nuit de Tubereuse on and ... was enchanted!
It smelled spicy and fresh, almost fruity, yet incredibly feminine and floral. I am still fascinated by the composition and perfect combination of all the fragrance notes. Nuit de Tubereuse has a slightly exotic and tropical scent due to the spices and mango at the beginning. However, in the heart note, the green, floral note dominates along with an earthy impression that prevents the fragrance from appearing too playful or too young.

In my opinion, the fragrance is suitable for both young and older women and is perfect for going out. I even wear it exclusively in the evenings, and it is one of the few fragrances that spontaneously brings me compliments from various people.

Tuberose lovers often complain that Nuit de Tubereuse is not a “real” representation of tuberose. When comparing the fragrance to Fracas, Beyond Love, Carnal Flower, or Estee Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, I have to agree. The tuberose content is clearly lower here.
But: If you look at the fragrance not solely through the tuberose lens, you discover a beautiful floral oriental perfume that the perfumer, Bertrand Duchaufourd, initially wanted to call “Belle de Nuit” (but unfortunately could not for legal reasons).