Sumi

I find Rock River Melody (what a lovely name) to be a special and unique perfume! Vintage-inspired, yet very modern and innovative. The use of Galbanum (and in abundance) in this fragrance is very modern and unlike any vintage scent. I love Galbanum, and here with the powdery floral variant, it's simply a dream!

While all the It Girls and little forest fairies these days wear Orpheon by Diptyque, it takes a strong personality, almost a forest priestess, like Alexa Chung, the mother of all It Girls, to rock such a scent and even make it her signature fragrance!

The very first spray was quite a shock! The opening is literally a green bomb! Of everything! (Galbanum, ivy, plant sap)
Everything hits the nose simultaneously with full force. And during the first test, I thought, no, this is too intense for me! This will absolutely not work for us!
With each subsequent application, it makes me euphoric, and I wished the opening would last longer.
I have only tested the Tears from Regime des Fleurs, but even there, the opening is so much stronger than what comes after. An intentional pattern from the house?
In any case, this bombastic and very loud opening passes quickly and glides into a green-powdery phase, with rose and daffodil. Patchouli adds depth and a certain darkness, and the green notes still come through well.

That the scent is declared as a men's fragrance is incomprehensible in itself. But with this development in the heart, the fragrance is so feminine!
It simply smells "rich." Very noble, green-golden, dense, and powdery.
The insane sillage suddenly pulls back, and incredibly, from the intensity, it becomes a skin-close scent. I have never experienced that before!
In this phase, it is for me a classic women's fragrance!

The base becomes even quieter and lays down like a warm carpet of amber and musk. Patchouli gives the fragrance, even in this phase, a wonderful depth until the end.

The longevity is average to low. I reach the base in 3 hours, and then I still have the very lightly perceptible base on me for about 2-3 hours.

Regarding the house's scent description, I can only say: just as misleading as the declaration of the gender!

* A muddy ride on horseback in sparkling green Fontainebleau forest.

The only thing that could connect with the forest are the green notes. However, with the intensity with which they come through and the subsequent powderiness, it has little to do with the forest.
If forest, then a ball with "fine ladies" who are well powdered.

“When I showed up at the airport two days ago, my husband waited down the escalator with this big smile on his face. I was incredibly happy that he was there because he didn't have to come. I was not expecting him to. It was a late flight, and he gets up really early for work. So I asked him why he was smiling so much. He said, "When I saw you coming down, I wasn't sure if you were my wife or a really stylish older man." CLEARLY, I took that as a compliment. I was wearing a wool hat and an oversized grey blazer over a tee shirt, and it's always my goal to look like a stylish older man.”(findingpaola/Instagram)

I couldn't express my feelings while wearing the scent any better. A fragrance with character that immediately makes me feel noble and elegant, dandylike.

The inspiration behind Morning Chess from Vilhelm Parfumerie represents the memory of his summer youth in Falkenberg and its green, ripe lushness, where his grandfather plays chess with his sons in a wooden cabin in the morning hours. Sympathetic and relatable.
Both components are fully catered to here. The automatic connection to nature as soon as you inhale the scent, as well as the elegant dandy attitude.

In the fragrance pyramid, bergamot is listed as the sole top note. What actually happens is simply wonderful. The bergamot opens the chess game like a filter, which for a brief moment wraps around the wonderful composition of galbanum, leather, and patchouli like a refreshing veil. The associations with Aventus likely occur during this phase. And although we have a certain fruity sprightliness here, it is far removed from Aventus. Not to mention the further development of the fragrance.
I perceive the opening phase for about fifteen minutes before the bergamot completely withdraws and the main piece begins to settle on my skin to linger there for many hours. Galbanum is prominently featured here and unfolds beautifully in dark green nuances accompanied by a dry leather note with a slight fruity touch. It is herbal, but by no means scratchy. The leather component reminds me of that from Tuscan Leather combined with raspberry. Here, however, it is toned down to be a soft and rather quiet companion in the overall green composition. A very subtle soapy note also sneaks in, which lightens the otherwise quite dry scent. Overall, there is a mossy green mood, and I could swear I can distinctly smell oakmoss, even though it is not listed in the pyramid. The masculine counterpart to Miss Dior Original (1992).
The scent is spicy, aromatic green, and associated with extreme elegance. The patchouli is never independently noticeable and integrates wonderfully into the overall composition. Personally, I associate the scent more with the beginning of spring or a late autumn morning mood.
The final phase of the scent development is very quiet. The green is now very soft and almost has a vanillic creaminess.

The scent has substance. And although the sillage plays more in the middle range, the fragrance is very rich. In the base, it is very close to the skin. The longevity is very good. For me, at least ten hours.

It is the most expressive scent in the Vilhelm collection. To be precise, the only one that truly stands out in the otherwise very extensive collection. I first discovered the fragrances in New York at Barney’s last winter, where they were launched in 2015. I tested many there, and the Vilhelm scents presented to me did not strike me as anything more than average. I believe they were The Oud Affair and Fleur Burlesque.
Now, a few weeks ago, I spotted the fragrances at Kadewe in Berlin, which are presented very appealingly and stand out due to their striking color and great branding. In fact, I find the packaging and especially the bottles to be the best I have seen in a long time, and I wish I could place all the fragrances along with their boxes on my shelf. I find them that beautiful.

A graphic identity was created in this case with a yellow thread. An absolute masterpiece, the ribbed vintage crystal bottles with the yellow high-quality and contemporary cap. Responsible for the design is none other than the legendary Pierre Dinand, who has already designed the unique Opium bottles.
The titles and short stories created for each fragrance are charming and authentic, and the appeal of Jan Ahlgren, a former model, who has been praised by female editors across the board, is another plus for marketing.

In a time when the niche perfume market has developed into an ocean and every new brand is at risk of drowning, Vilhelm Parfumerie has shown how to successfully launch and market a new perfume collection with a perfectly thought-out and aggressive marketing concept.

Finally, the time has come. Elisire presents its two new fragrances. Desired and Oderose! They dance out of line. Or maybe not. When looking at the Elisire collection, it originally consisted of five prismatic fragrances presented in equally prismatic bottles. All the fragrances have this translucent aspect, as do the bottles, and they refer to the wonderful color world of nature, which serves as inspiration for Franck Salzwedel, both for his art and his perfumes. Normally, I am not very interested in the concepts of perfume houses, but this one fascinated me greatly, as it spoke to me personally and was so coherent, so natural.

Desired and Oderose are loaded fragrances, dense and thematically different from the original Elisire collection. However, they fit perfectly on the vertical level into the Elisire world. The bottles are minimalist in design, very aptly colored to match the creations.

Desire, Poudre Desir, Elisire. Word plays of sensuality. And Desire is the epitome of sensuality.
I repeatedly emphasize how much I despise amber, and I do so in most cases, where almost every amber fragrance feels the same in its cardboard-like quality, sweetness, and heaviness, threatening to suffocate you. But then there are exceptions like Ambre Nomade, which is of course quite different from Desire, but is indeed one of the special kind.

Now enough of the foreplay! Desire is pure Desire. Pure gold. A burning sunset in autumn. An elegant sexiness. Noble like a silk dress and dense like a fur stole, but not heavy. It plays with many different facets. Has a wonderful development. And you feel surrounded by a golden aura.
The opening is a dream. Very unusual. An ambered floral note that I have never smelled in this combination before. Irresistibly beautiful, unfortunately too short. What follows is amber in interplay with oud and cedarwood. You can hardly distinguish the notes individually. They are finely woven together. The whole is accompanied by a moderately sweet vanilla, which is used in such a way that it never crosses the line that pulls an amber fragrance into the sticky territory. Instead of the typical heaviness of an amber fragrance, there is a dry, woody smokiness here. Again, very fine.

And just when you expect nothing extraordinary anymore and everything is nice enough, suddenly a solo of cumin pops up. Like a solo flute performance at a concert. Unexpected but then spectacular. And while cumin can become slightly annoying in perfume compositions, just like the flute in a concert, here it is a highly interesting addition and so potent that it excites me. But just as suddenly as it appears, it disappears again.

What remains is a beautiful cozy cashmere blanket that wraps you up and makes you sigh. Quietly and for a long time surrounded by a golden aura. Those who know Iris Fauve will recognize this feeling again.
And although I have silk robes in my mind's eye, the fragrance is perfectly suitable for both genders.
The sillage is already significantly stronger than that of the previous Elisire fragrances, but it is never too loud, which I personally appreciate. Longevity is very good.

Both new fragrances were created by Philippine Courtiere, a young perfumer who is considered a rising star in the perfumer world.

Earlier this year, I discovered Elisire, and it remains my discovery of the year.

I ordered Issara blind, as I was in search of a quasi-creamy fougere.
Judging by the notes, it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Pine, herbs, vetiver in the base, musk, and described in so many international blogs as a fougere of a special kind. It was also repeatedly pointed out that there is a strong coumarin note, which in my imagination would make the fougere a bit creamy, just as I wanted it to be.
Additionally, I had previously tested two fragrances from Dusita and found them to be exceptionally well made.

And as it always is with expectations of a perfume based on words...

When the package startled me awake on Saturday morning at half past seven and I dove into it like a hungry lion, the surprise couldn't have been greater.
A GOURMAND FRAGRANCE! That really shocked me, as I hadn't expected that at all. Moreover, it is a fragrance direction that I truly despise.
Right from the first spray, it screams: Gourmand.
Okay, it’s not an ordinary gourmand. And even I, who really can't relate to this fragrance direction, must say that I have never encountered such a complex and highly interesting, yet green-speckled gourmand blend before.
The mix of pine and herbal (candy) with a very strong almond aroma (probably the tons of coumarin) opens the fragrance. A bitterness, likely coming from the vetiver, resonates in the background.
This phase is the most interesting and lasts a good one to two hours.
Then everything recedes into the background, giving the almond bomb the leading role.
In this phase, the fragrance reminds me a lot of Ambre Narguile. And this phase lasts for several hours.
The sillage is remarkable. Towards the base, it becomes quieter, and the almond note weakens but is never completely gone.

Overall, the fragrance feels very elegant. And I would love to like it. But I just don’t.
Therefore, I am also unsure how to rate it.
Objectively speaking, it deserves a nine. However, since I personally cannot enjoy the scent to that extent, I will refrain from rating it for now.

But for anyone who enjoys the gourmand direction, I can warmly recommend giving it a try.
It is certainly something very special.
But it is not a fougere!

Elisire.
I let the name linger on my tongue again and again. A versatile, innovative perfume brand with truly wonderful scents.

Poudre Desir is my personal favorite from the Elisire collection. A truly wonderful iris scent. How could it be otherwise for a die-hard iris perfume lover?

With iris fragrances, there are many directions in which the iris is interpreted as the main actor but in very different themes.
I have categorized iris fragrances into several groups for myself.
Poudre Desir falls into the lipstick scent category. It immediately evokes associations with powder or lipstick and thus with ladies' handbags and makeup tables.
In this category, there are many fragrances, well-crafted fragrances. And even though I would place Poudre Desir in a category with Malle's Lipstick Rose, Misia, Volkamaria, as well as the recently quite hyped Angel's Dust, I must place Poudre Desir on a throne above all the mentioned perfumes.
In contrast to all the mentioned fragrances, Poudre Desir has no disturbing note that has always unsettled me. And although the scent is primarily powdery, at no point does it have that penetrating quality that so often accompanies it and can cause suffocation with some fragrances.
The secret of Poudre Desir lies in its consistency and harmony. It is a complex yet very finely composed scent, and thus again simple. Easy to wear. That is ultimately what excites me so much about fragrances and makes them candidates for purchase.
Poudre Desir has the elegance of past, glamorous times, without ever appearing outdated for a second. On the contrary!

The opening of the fragrance is quite zesty, with the mandarin being the most prominent to me. The pink pepper adds a slight spiciness. The mandarin quickly becomes creamy with the popping jasmine. The same wonderful jasmine from Jasmin Paradis. The iris is present from the very beginning, initially in the background and unfolding more strongly, remaining the main actor for a long time.
The structure is formed by musk and heliotrope, which give the fragrance a bright, creamy garment until the very end.

The transitions are as seamless as the color gradient of the wonderful bottle.

Even if the wheel is not reinvented here, it is an absolute premium wheel.

The longevity for me is about 8 hours. Sillage is moderate.
Poudre Desir is offered as an extrait.

A sharing is in progress.