UntermWert

Belles Rives is for me like a beautiful ambient piece - spherical, gentle, subtle, without a striking rhythm or restless course, but with carrying power, accompanying, perhaps hypnotic. And above all: despite supposed "monotony" or linear course of the fragrance far from triviality.

After testing many "powdery" iris fragrances, which came to me either too flowery or too tuffig-sweet and then ultimately somehow seemed boring to me, I have now found the third in the bunch for me: after the rather dark Iris Fauve with its earthy patchouli note and Frosted Moon, where the combination of iris and angelica root makes me think of the cool dampness of fruit mist, Belles Rives shows up as a dry breeze, quiet and serious, yet deeply peaceful, gentle and cool. Frankincense and myrrh lie like a veil over iris and the other flowers, creating a very soft murmur. Cedar and vetiver lie very discreetly underneath, keeping the scent from floating away or becoming too powdery.
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At this point, I do not want to talk in depth about Ambient, because there I am far from being an expert. Here's just a Wikipedia excerpt on the origin of this music genre - Brian Eno, Ambient 1: Music for Airports:
"The release was actually intended as music for public buildings such as airports. It aspired to be enjoyable and interesting for both people passing through and people waiting, even if the wait is so long that the album is played several times in a row."

And that's how the scent is: consistently skin-deep, pleasant, and interesting. Though I would locate it more in a gentle natural scene - perhaps by a softly babbling brook - not an airport.
Belle Rives is, for me, a beautifully composed, mind-expanding iris understatement.

Profumo's statement is equally spot on ;-)

The pyramid doesn't really stick to the order for me. Tentatively smelling the spray button (I do that sometimes) a rather cool creamy iris winks out for a nano-moment and promises me not to get too powdery. "Oh nice." I hear myself thinking, as tangy citrusy and nerolino notes cheer me first and whoop loudly "Sidolin!".... Huh? How now? Have I missed something?

Oh, now I see it, how unsophisticated of me... when I take a close look, I realize it: this is not a bergamot window cleaner, but a champagne note! Prickly, bright and very chic. Immediately, a pool party of the rich and beautiful is created in my mind's eye, everyone is beaming - the teeth at the same time - and the conversations ripple lightly, just like the champagne fountain. A melancholic iris, as I prefer it, would certainly be a bit out of place here. Instead, it slowly comes to the fore in a creamy, powdery way, not too sweet as both iris absolute and iris root are included, giving the impression of an expensive makeup or cream. The other florals also behave in a present-decent way: a touch, an understatement of the wearer - suntanned appearance, linen dress and buttery soft leather handbag. Beautiful, uncomplicated and stylish. Even a bit in slow motion she shines.

The base notes round off the fragrance very elegantly, give it a gentle spiciness and ensure that the iris does not powder away.

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As can probably be guessed, you won't actually find me at parties like this, and I hardly ever drink champagne. I feel similarly out of place under this fragrance (especially because of the top notes) - as nice as it is.


Gray-dusty or indolic I do not perceive, by the way.

(with thanks to Notausgang)

In search of a sweet-woody-resinous autumn fragrance I wanted to test a few Bianchis. Somehow I had expected a sugary gourmand with the name of this fragrance, which is why I have long left him...
I could now lecture on why he reminds me neither of the Stones nor curry sauce, but actually I'm glad that by chance a sample came to me, while I was actually curious about The Dark Side. I would have begrudged the fragrance being called that, because I think it stages a dreamy, mystical iris patchouli darkness in precious indigo velvet. This particular combination takes away the tuffy powderiness of the iris and prevents the patchouli from rushing off into the base. There is also almost a note of fruit just before fermentation and together with castoreum, fine leather and tobacco notes, I experience an earthy, magical ephemeral nature connection, but not too derived into the animalic...
(although Mr. UntermWert meant "come', admit it, there's somehow something in it")

The fragrance strikes me as a wonderful blend of Iris Fauve (Atelier des Ors) and Precipice (Gather) with an elegant side and a share of natural scent. Maybe that sounds a bit weird, but that was actually my first association, and I experience the fragrance at the same time very sophisticated, classy and dark, but also frivolous-animalic and earthy with its spicy, herbaceous notes and castoreum (also in case I repeat myself, I find the name of this perfume inappropriate). It could be a witch as well as an evening fragrance, with its warm, deep sweetness, rather personal in its sillage, not lush, although it comes across as anything but light, and it adds a special touch to any wardrobe in my opinion. In fact, with its particular staging of patchouli, it strikes me as very balanced and somewhat quieter than the other Bianchis I've encountered. To my delight, I wouldn't think of biting into it and fortunately I don't have the curry sauce effect described by some here.

With very kind thanks to Violet - I wanted to know The Dark Side and got Sticky Fingers to go with it - the scent won... I wish you could swap the names.


Addendum 5 months later: something prevented me at the time to include it in my collection; today I understood that in recent weeks then but the leather notes have crept secretly into my heart ... not all of them, but this one too. Thanks to the dear Vinyldates I can test it again extensively - and this time it convinced me! And today it's also a 10 for me.... ;-)

Cruella DeVille, glamorous and wrapped in lots of animal fur. Surrounded by a cloud of the most lavish and expensive perfumes, a bit wacky but still upper class. Expensive bling, red lipstick. Unscrupulous, she takes what she wants and seems shameless, transgressive, greedy.

Who do you think was her fur stole?
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Doraphilia opens as a lush, aldehydic bouquet of lilacs, briefly giving the impression of violets, but they're not actually in there.... Slowly the animalic notes, moss and patchouli assert themselves - leathery, hairy and herbaceous - while the other flowers form a wildly colourful bouquet. I can smell out ylang-ylang most clearly, the rose is not particularly present (fortunately for me). Everything is intense, alert and wild. Later on, the flowers retreat more and more - at last, a very soft iris soothes the beast and the scent of warm fur remains. For me, it's definitely not a dog smell (because I have my difficulties with that), but present throughout are costus and castoreum, which expressively evoke an impression of a predator's enclosure. I don't experience the scent as stale or pebbly, as the civet tends to stay in the background during my test. Instead, there is a very distinct impression of furry-animalic, as many reviewers have described here. One could perhaps also experience the scent as humanizing, with some "unwashed skin", but (just) not yet malodorous. Doraphilia definitely treads a boundary line with this. So if you found Ambilux too spicy-animalic, for example, you'll definitely turn up your nose at this scent. I'm surprised at how well I get along with the overall composition, however, this scent seems much more unruly. When it wafts at me from the periphery of my wrist, I find it thoroughly enjoyable, but the homeliness of Ambilux is missing.
There's no denying a wild animal here. Familiar and dangerous.
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Doraphilia is a very exciting and artfully composed fragrance, with an untamed predatory animalism that first hides in an elegant vintage floral bouquet and then allows that bouquet itself to become a backdrop of border crossings. I recommend Foxear's review, "whose beast" is a werewolf. That sums it up excellently.

(with dear thanks to 4sonicyouth for this extraordinary fragrance experience - quite great cinema ;-)

I can't generate pictures and stories for this wonderful scent right now. But the first time I wore it, I was sitting on a bench on a hilltop in the low mountains on a cool morning (much too early for my recreational needs) watching paragliders take off. This is a bystander-inducing deep calm and relaxation, almost silent, peaceful sporting activity. In the gentle breeze of the summer morning, the scent of the air rose in soft waves to my nostrils as I shivered slightly and connected with the air and the mountains. It had at the same time something of protection and freedom, of clarity, naturalness and dignity (the name could not be more appropriate, even if it actually means a whole fragrance line).

Eutopie No. 3 opens dry spicy-woody, the juniper berry once very briefly shouts "Gin!", to then wrap in a medicinal-tart, yet gentle veil of saffron and bright, soft oud. Cedar and frankincense carry light, almost airy, patchouli also very undunkel, rather delicately sweet.
The fragrance could seem almost unearthly clean by the bitter-medicinal prelude, but the discreetly interwoven cumin, which here also comes along almost sweetly sweet (in no way sweaty), provides the cuddly element, gives the fragrance a latent ethereal animalic and gives the wearer a fine aureole ;-)
In this subtlety and restraint, with which the oud is thematized here, the fragrance could tend to feminine effect, but actually I experience it basically unisex and - even if it is thematically dedicated to a fragrance journey to the Orient - not "typically oriental".

Since I can not smell out and describe other components so decidedly, I refer here once again to the wonderful review of Cravache, through which I first became aware of the fragrance. And I thank you very much to DeVulgares that I was then also soon allowed to get to know him.
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It is still important to note: even if I sometimes feel surrounded by a spherical delicate touch of nothing - a concept with which many of my perfumes have often won me over - the environment seems to perceive the fragrance very clearly. Otherwise I can not explain the tight walk of Mr. UntermWert to the window, when he comes home about an hour after I have drizzled myself with my new Souk-Errungenschaft...