Incense rosé. Andy Tauer.

Nederlands: http://aromax-nicheparfum.blogspot.com/search/label/incense%20ros%C3%A9

If L'air du désert marocain was a hot breath of the Simoom in a desert, than Incense rosé is a fresh swallow of oasis in the same desert.

The freshness in this perfume comes from Bergamot, Clementine and Cardamom with some Rose. So, don’t expect a sip of crystal water on the grass in a green forest. No, you’d rather be served wine and sherbet on the sand under a balsamic tree.

The rose of Incense rosé is not a fresh flower, but a jelly rose candy from Turkish delight. Reminded me of recipe when you take some fresh roses and drench them with the mix of gelatine and sugar. I would add some alcohol too after smelling the Incense rosé. Dried, powdered with fine crystal sugar and sprinkled with some gelatine-sugar mix it becomes a rose candy. I just see this perfume surrounded by those jelly rose candies.

The heart of this perfume exaggerates and opiates with its Oriental charm. But as an oasis in a desert still can be a mirage so is the heart of this perfume loses its exaggerating power and leaves you with a dry out of wood and resins.

I do like the woody base in Tauer’s perfumes. As in L'air du désert marocain you smell here a real peace of smoked balsamic wood used to build the decorations. In Incense rosé it’s less dry and hot than in L'air du désert marocain.

Cabochard. Gres.

Nederlands: http://aromax-geurbeschrijving.blogspot.com/search/label/Cabochard

It’s a classic perfume and is must to be known by anyone who is interested in perfumery. Although this feminine perfume may become too old fashioned and heavy to wear by a modern woman.

I’ve got it through the perfume swap as EDT and EDP en could really enjoy its charm.

Just from the beginning it’s a heavy and dark scent. It remains close to the skin (especially EDP). It opens with citrus mossy green note, which is very characteristic for Chypre. But even in begin you can feel the low vibrations of the base notes. A veil of Vetyver, Patcouly. Leather and Amber next to Oakmoss smells dark, heavy, leather-like and even animalistic at the background. Up there you can smell a heart note made of dry metallic rose warmed by a jasmin, carnation and iris (methyl ionone actually). There is a playfull alternation between the green leather-like animalistic base and a hart note, which either smells like a metallic rose or comes with its warm and a bit spicy jasmin-orris-carnation combination. It’s multidimensional.

Smelling Cabochard means descending to an old basement of a Gothic castle. It’s dark there, but the torches give enough light and it’s not cold. You go downstairs to touch something that is taboo. Something living in the darkness, that is not allowed to be spoken about or shown in daylight. No, it’s not evil or scary, but it is very tempting. What is it? What are you going to touch in your basement?

Cabochard would be also suitable for man to wear. I shall try it on anyway. Not at work or business meeting. It remains close to the skin a gives a veil of enigma and mystery for the one who wears it. It’s a bit old fashioned, but classic, noticeable, sturdy and powerful and surely charming.

In EDP there is more alternation between the notes than in EDT. The last one likes more to be green bitter and medicinal although both of them have the same notes.

Incense extrême. Andy Tauer.

Nederlands: http://aromax-nicheparfum.blogspot.com/search/label/incense%20extreme

Again I have the same feeling while opening a Tauer perfume – the scent shoots like a firework at first. But very soon it finds a balance on the skin and settles around a core. And the core is Incense. The whole perfume is build around it. Tauer himself says he made an abstract minimalist and cubist interpretation of incense. Well, it’s like you separate all notes of incense fragrance and exaggerate each part before you put them together again. You smell the woody, balsam, spicy and citrus notes of incense each separately and all together. It may have an abstract character, but it is certainly a balanced perfume. Not for everyone – it’s exotic and a bit obtrusive. But is good for someone who is trying to find the edges between the classic and extravagant. This combination of citrus freshness and balsam wood will certainly be noticed. But it’s touching this incense is like stroking a cubus – it can appear smooth, but has its sharp edges and corners.

Envy. Gucci. Must wear green for St. Patrick's day

Nederlands: http://aromax-geurbeschrijving.blogspot.com/search/label/Envy

Yesterday it was a St. Patrick’s Day. A national Irish holiday, that is not so famous in Netherlands. You have to wear something green – something like Envy of Gucci.

Envy opens with a note that reminds me of fir needles. There is no fir mentioned in the fragrance pyramide. So, it may be just a personal association due to woody character and may be a little bit balsamic note of pepper? The fir phantom disappears quickly to make place for fresh citrus and rosewood sweetened by Vanilla, that is present on all levels – top, heart and base. Than I smell a (again sweetened with Vanilla) flowers and some spice (Rose, Jasmin and Carnation) and a soft woody note (Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli). The end is sweet woody. Spicy notes of Carnation, Pepper and Coriander give this perfume an Oriental character.

Reading the comments for Brit of Burberry I did notice that it was compared to Envy. Well, I can understand that – both are woody-oriental with fresh citrus in the top, flowers and spice in the heart and woody base. Vanilla makes Envy sweeter. Brit is drier and more reserved.

My association with Envy is not an envy man, who turns green, but a very green forest. A forest after rain, that is too sweet to be real. May be a fairy tale forest where you can even meet a gnome?

Perfume adventure with self made perfume

Nederlands: http://aromax-mijnparfum.blogspot.com/

A week ago I made a Chypre perfume. Well, actually it was a combination of two different formulae. I had a basic formula from a perfumery study book that was a bit too simple and too woody-mossy. Another formula I’ve got from a short perfumery course. It was too flowery to wear myself and I missed some distinct base note. So, I have combined two formulae and made something I would like to wear myself.

Well – I used Oakmoss absolute, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Vetiver essential oils for the base note. Jasmin and Rose bases (bases are ready to use accords) for the hart note. I did enriched the bases with essential oils and absolute of Rose and Jasmin. For the top note – obligatory for Chypre Bergamot with some Fruit and Aldehyde bases. I put some other ingredients as well. Well – I did like this a bit woody and mossy green perfume with some sweetness of flowers and green opening. It has something Oriental-spicy in it, but remains Chypre due to distinctive Oakmoss scent.

I did like what it becomes. And even it was just an exercise and not entirely my own creation I wanted a feedback. A friend of mine said this perfume reminded her of a Dior vintage perfume. It brought me to an idea…

I went to a couple of perfume stores and pretended as if I got an unknown perfume that I wanted to find out what it was. Well – the reactions was surprising.

The lady in the niche-perfumestore said that it was a very familiar fragrance she couldn’t determine. She suggested four alternatives that she was thinking of, but was sure it was not any of them. For a moment she thought it was Irisia from Creed.

The lady at another store told me it was an Aromatic Elixer from Clinique. But after smelling both she had some doubts and finally said, that it was definitely Youth Dew Amber Nude.

Well – I was very glad, that something I made, even as an exercise was mistaken for an existing perfume. There are still years for me to learn more and to gain more experience. This little adventure gives me inspiration and self-confidence to go further with perfumery.

L’air du désert marocain. Andy Tauer.

Nederlands: http://aromax-nicheparfum.blogspot.com/

Today I’ve got a package from Switzerland with perfume testers of Andy Tauer. The hand written letter was a nice finishing touch making it personal.

L’air du désert marocain opens with a kind of canon shoot of wood, incense and spices with some citrus in it. It feels heavy first, but stills down very soon. And then you discover…

A smell of wood at the end of a sunny day, what you can smell in a wooden house somewhere far away from see, where it’s always dry and hot. It can be a place where spices are stored or sold. But it can also be a temple where the incense is burning. You will never know and that is the mystery within this perfume. You can ask, but the only sound you can hear as an answer is a weeping of a hot wind…

It’s a nice reproduction of with a sun warmed wood and dry spices. The fragrance is surely oriental and gives an exotic touch to a man or a woman who wears it. This fragrance makes me thinking of Ambre Sultan and a little bit of Cédre of Serge Lutens, but it’s drier and less sweet than Cédre and it's closer to s sking than Ambre Sultan.

Burberry. Brit for men.

Nederlands: http://aromax-geurbeschrijving.blogspot.com/

Yesterday I’ve got a miniature of this fragrance. I didn’t use any Burberry fragrance before, so it what nice to give it a try. Well, this fragrance surprised me with a simplicity, timidity and elegance. It begins with a fresh citrus note – not as sour as lemon and not as sweet as mandarin – green mandarin, that Burberry uses to describe the fragrance. It’s warmed and sweetened a little bit with spice (Ginger and Cardamom). The freshness and coolness of a top note alternates with a warm and woody heart (Cedar, Nutmeg and Wild Rose). It’s like walking in a city on a cloudy day late in the morning during springtime. It’s not cold, but at one moment you get a fresh breath of wind and another time you see the sun shining through the clouds. It’s not crowdie and there is no hurry. The colours are black and white and sepia – the same colours those are used for a box.

The ingredients of Brit are simple and common for an eau de cologne (woody base, spicy flowery heart and fresh citrus top). In contrary to cologne those ingredients are lifted up to a level of elegancy in Brit. It’s not strong and long lasting, but just a finishing touch of a groomed men who doesn’t like to be noticed by his perfume. The fragrance remains very close to the skin giving a slight oriental woody aura. It’s rather intimate than sexy. Easy to overuse because of its reserved character.

When I read other comments on this fragrance I see it’s compared to Burberry London men, Armani Code and Gucci Envy men. Well – can’t say anything about it yet, but will go to a perfumery soon to try those scents too.