MartialScent

With the latest Zoologist, a truly special creature has been chosen this time. The Portuguese Man O' War. This is not just any living being, but one that stands alone as its own kind due to its unique characteristics and cannot be classified under any other species. One might think the Portuguese Man O' War is a jellyfish because of its appearance, but it is actually a symbiotic assembly of several organisms/polyps that act as a unit, with each taking on a different role.

Just as peculiar as the creature is the scent. Here, one finds an almost chemically influenced blend of fragrance impressions. I think the focus here was on the gas bladder, which is part of the jellyfish and floats on the surface of the sea. This is filled with a gas mixture that provides buoyancy and simultaneously acts like a sail. One could also say it smells like gases in a laboratory, but not synthetic, rather natural. The whole is complemented by the scent of the sea and the gel-like skin of such marine creatures.

Undoubtedly, I must say that this scent is certainly more suitable for impression than for wearing, unless you work in an aquarium or are a marine biologist.
Opinions will likely be very varied again. Particularly if one expects something pleasing from Zoologist, it might be wise to temper one's impressions a bit instead of immediately rating the scent poorly. The Zoologist fragrances are often not for those who can only tolerate sweet scents.

For my part, I believe that this peculiar creature has been dedicated a scent that wonderfully reflects its uniqueness, and I am curious to see how others will perceive this unusual fragrance.

PS: The sting of a Portuguese Man O' War is extremely painful, so if you encounter one, whether in the sea or on land, be careful not to come into contact with its tentacles.

For a long time, I wanted to write this review about a perfume, a brand, and a collection that is particularly close to my heart. Very few people know the brand Quartana Perfumes here in Europe, and that is not entirely surprising, considering that the brand comes from the USA and is only very sparsely available here.

After completing his previous collection Les Potions Fatales, which dealt with death and the 9 most poisonous flowers in the world, in 2016, a completely new collection called "Forest of the Golden Dream" was launched, named "Les Potions D'Entéléchie," dedicated to healing and life. He worked on this for a full 8 years with Celine Barel.

The development also had another reason why it played a special role for Joseph Quartana.

In 2017, Joseph Quartana almost died due to a severe gallbladder inflammation and had to undergo several major surgeries. Since his healing prospects did not look very good afterwards, he began to explore alternative healing methods and perfume as a supportive therapy/healing remedy.

They decided that the perfume would be finished when it was finished, and in the end, it took those 8 years.

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Now, however, to the perfume itself and what exactly it is meant to convey.

The idea was that the perfume should convey a state of inner bliss. This means a mental state in which one feels content and happy. He gathered ideas for implementation primarily through the experiences he discovered during his own healing process.

For the perfumes of "Les Potions D'Entéléchie," primarily natural, highly concentrated oils are used, which are characterized by health-promoting properties. Forest of the Golden Dream is meant to convey the healing effect of sun-drenched pine forests.

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My own impressions of the scent:

Upon spraying, you immediately feel like you are in a pine forest. Sun-like hesperides, like distant lemon trees that enchant the region with their scent. The full richness of a sunny Mediterranean forest rises to your nose. The scent lingers in the nose like a memory, stimulates deep breathing, and brings sunshine to the mind. It is like a walk on a beautiful day.

As expected with a high proportion of natural oils, the scent lasts extremely long with completely sufficient radiance to envelop oneself in a fragrance of well-being. A perfume like this is for oneself and does not aim for the entire surroundings to perceive it.

I particularly enjoy using this perfume to lift my mood and relax.

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Final word:

According to Joseph, the first 3 scents of this new collection are already finished and will be released gradually to give each scent the necessary space to be experienced. The 2nd scent of this collection, Soleil Invisible, is now also available. On a suitable occasion, I will write a text about this one as well to give the curious a good impression of the scent. I am already extremely curious about what the 3rd scent will bring!

Thank you for reading, and I hope I could introduce you to this exciting brand and especially this wonderful new fragrance collection a little closer.

I can highly recommend this to lovers of natural perfumes.

Recently, the brand Obvious Perfumes launched a new line.
“High Standarts” is what it’s called. Does this also come with a higher quality? So far, I found many of the brand's fragrances rather disappointing, although sometimes very interesting ("Scoville | Obvious," for example).

Three fragrances kicked things off, each dedicated to a specific theme and location.

One is from the town of Malfa in Sicily, one is inspired by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (who endured much suffering in her life), and one is dedicated to the remote regions of the Himalayas.

As someone with a personal connection to Buddhism and the magic of the Himalayas, “Himalayan Spell” immediately caught my eye.

Raspberry, leather, oud... hmm, a well-known fragrance from England immediately came to mind. What intrigued me more was how this familiar fragrance DNA would be connected to Nargamotha, which has a very complex scent profile, in relation to the Himalayas.

Now, onto the actual perfume and the impressions it left on me:

Right after spraying, you can indeed tell that it has a raspberry-leather-oud DNA. However, this typical impression quickly gives way to one that truly represents the theme wonderfully: Tibetan incense, which is suggested here through the blend of oud and Nargamotha.

What particularly impressed me was how beautifully Julien Rasquinet wove this in. Autumn in Lhoka and The Holy Mountain Eau de Parfum came to mind. While I found the incense in both of those to become a bit overwhelming after a while, Julien managed to incorporate it here in such a way that it plays a clear role as a note without being too dominating. Since Nargamotha and oud both have a similar character, this works surprisingly well. The fragrance retains its niche character, yet is still extremely wearable for me.

Hats off, Mr. Rasquinet.

He has succeeded in linking a pleasing fragrance DNA with the special character of Tibetan magic, and he has done this wonderfully.

Iris has always been a highly valued raw material in perfumery. Who better to dedicate such a precious ingredient to than family?

Célia Lerouge-Bénard, the current head of the Molinard family in its 5th generation and the Molinard perfume house, has dedicated this fragrance to her daughter.

Previously, Célia had dedicated fragrances to various family members, both with the Private Collection and the perfume Bambou, and now Iris.

Iris is a very sensitive and delicate scent with iris at its core. Most of the magic lies in the top note, which is truly enchanting.

Overall, I can confirm that this fragrance would suit a young woman well. A bit more strength would certainly have benefited the scent, but perhaps that was the goal. A fragrance that represents a young woman in her growth, delicate and lovely but with the potential to surpass herself.

I find it really beautiful and a wonderful love letter to her daughter.

Very noble high society leather harmoniously balanced. Filling, shimmering animalistic musk lingers in the air as if detached from the fragrance. Gentle resins of the wilderness like golden blood. Sweet-warm incense with fine sage leaf and a pinch of saffron threads. Lightly dosed friendly oud brings dry tobacco leaves warmed by the sun.

I could smell almost all the fragrance notes, and they seemed to have their place. Like many from Pana Dora, it is definitely pleasingly designed, although one should like leather and rather deeper scents in this case. In my opinion, the fragrance tends to lean more towards a male clientele, but it will certainly also appeal to women who enjoy this type of fragrance notes.

As an everyday scent, it is rather unsuitable. More something for special occasions where one dresses up and wears a suit (opera visits, fine restaurants, parties with dress codes, weddings, vernissages). Given the price, it’s better that way.

All in all, a very beautiful, high-quality, strong-elegant but not overpowering fragrance, with rather masculine aspects, that fits well with the theme that was intended to be implemented.

Whether the price is justified is probably something everyone must decide for themselves in the end. The fragrance is definitely very high quality and beautiful, but in my opinion, 110 € less would have sufficed.