Red Poppy and the Queen Akbar

Russian version: http://aromax.livejournal.com/5229.html

Recently I’ve been to the garden centre to buy some new flowers for my balcony. And they had a poppy – a nice red bunch of fire on a hairy stalk. A simple, but very attractive flower. I couldn’t resist its charm.

The perfume I am wearing today is a Queen Akbar. Please, don’t grasp for the Turin&Sanchez guide to find it there. It's a perfume I made following the formula and using fleuressencesb (ready to use perfume bases) from the ABC-kit of the perfumersworld (http://www.perfumersworld.com/).

Top notes: fresh citrus

Middle notes: jasmine with a touch of orchid and spice

Base notes: wood, amber, vanilla

A nice blend reminding me of Opium pour homme by YSL. Mostly based on heavy dark jasmine with spice notes just breaking through. Amber is a combination of Benzoin based balsam and vanilla. Dry out – vanilla. It’s a heavy, oriental, spicy, sweet fragrance.

There is a green note in this perfume that seems to “be looking for its place” on the skin making the scent a bit soapy for a while, but disappearing later. May need some more maturation – it’s only a week ago I’ve made an alcohol dilution.

Arpège - a classic french floral aldehydic.

Russian version: http://aromax.livejournal.com/5064.html

Arpège is a perfume that can be referred as floral aldehydic together with Chanel N5, Madame Rochas, Calandre, Rive Gauche and White Linen. The base of this perfume consists of woody notes of Sandalwood and Vetiver in combination with sweet Vanilla, Coumarin and Musk. In its heart there is a classic combination of Rose, Jasmin and Lilly-of-the-valley together with Tuberose and Iris warmed with spices like Clove bud and Coriander. The top notes consist of Bergamot, Aldehydes and Neroli sweetened with Peach. Well, with another words it's a very classic French flowery perfume – elegant, stylish and very suitable for a special occasion like an evening in the theater or an reception.

Very special of this perfume is that originally it was made of a high-quality flower bases. There are finest naturals used, like huge amount of Sandalwood next to Bulgarian Rose, Jasmin absolute, Ylang-Ylang and Neroli. It gives this perfume a sumptuous character. The recent reformulation in 90’s was performed with all respect to the original attempting to keep the spirit of the perfume unchanged.

The slightly spicy floral part Arpège is less spicy than Madame Rochas or L’Air du Temps and has more natural floral character than Rive Gauche. Compared to Chanel N 5 Arpège has less striking aldehydic character. Therefore it's a nice perfume for someone who find Chanel N5 too sharp, but loves classic French style flowery perfumes. The difference between Arpège and Chanel N5 is easy to understand when you look to the main purpose of the both perfume houses. The goal of Chanel was emancipation – liberating of woman that you can smell in a defiant character of Chanel N5. Lanvin’s goal was to embellish a woman.

The embellishing quality of Arpège reminds me of The Necklace (La Parure) by Guy de Maupassant. Mathilde Loisel who is not content with her middle-class state and dreams about luxuary life is invited to an official ball at the Ministery. She has got a dress already but is very desperate because she doesn’t have any jewel to embellish her dress. Finally she borrows a necklace from a friend of her. She steals the evening completely. Arpège is such a necklace to me – a nice finishing touch of class and elegancy for a formal reception. A potion for a young middle-class girl to become a noble lady for one night.

This perfume is made in 1927 by a perfumer André Fraysse by order of Jeanne Lanvin who intended this as a gift for the 30st birthday of her very beloved daughter Marie-Blanche. The strong connection between mother and daughter you can see in a golden logotype of Lanvin. It’s a stylized picture of Jeanne giving an embrace to Marie-Blanche. Mother wanted only the best ingredients in the most precious gift for her daughter. The name is chosen for the perfume, because Marie-Blanche liked music as much as perfume and could see the affinity between both arts.

Rive Gauche pour homme by YSL

Russian version: http://aromax.livejournal.com/4734.html

Rive Gauche pour homme by YSL – a tough man's perfume.

Well – I’ve noticed a couple of excited comments about this fragrance on basenotes and it was enough to make me curious. Not really a “wow” feeling for me, but still a good aromatic fougère. Later I’ve got a chance to buy it for a half of price and I couldn’t resist the temptation. It’s also nice to have a bitter herbal scent next to my mostly sweet opiating Serge Lutens fragrances.

What is Rive Gauche? A green opening of fresh citrusy bergamot. Later bitter herbal heart of lavender, geranium, spices and herbs. All supported by Vetiver – Patchouli combination finishing the typical picture of a fougère. Vetiver and Patchouli combination gives often a kind of dark leather note – neither a smoky one, nor soft suede, but a bitter sharp army boot. A combination of vetiver, geranium, lavender and herbs gives a kind of soapy note (also sensed as barbershop effect) – is also very common in fougères. Like Paco Rabanne pour homme – it has a very clean soapy note to my nose.

It becomes softer later – the bitter leathery note settles down revealing some sweetness and spiciness of clove and star anise. I can’t recognize yet what’s in vanillic background of this sweetness, but it’s probably coumarine from tonka beans.

On my skin the leathery bitterness is less prominent, but not absent at all. It makes more place for warm spicy and even creamy sweetness from the beginning.

It’s long lasting classic elegant scent. The herbal lavender scents are often associated with something velvety, nostalgic and reliable to me. This one may be not velvety, but definitely classic and reliable.

What kind of man is Rive Gauche? Well – he is a good mannered elegant man, wearing a suit at work. You can trust him, you can rely on him. He has definitely his macho side – you can see it. But he can keep it under control without suppressing it. Yes, he is – composed. Rive Gauche completes his image, but what’s about his personality? Well – in a weekend, when his suit stays in a closet he can be very different from shown above. But in a weekend he wears another fragrance ;-)

Rive Gauche pour homme is very close to Azzaro pour homme. The same aromatic fougère, same herbal spicy lavender. But basil of Azzaro is very unique making this fragrance very distinguished.