The Painterly Palette of PK Perfumes (Part two)

By Donna Last time I reviewed the first half of the PK Perfumes line, and now I am wrapping it up with the rest of the bunch. I have really enjoyed testing the various styles of fragrance so well crafted by Paul Kiler. One that I keep coming back to experience is Velvet Curaçao, so intriguing is its dark and delicious take on orange and orange blossom. It does indeed feel like an opulent tapestry, or perhaps a heavy curtain in an opera box behind which all the grand ladies and gentlemen sit in their silken finery and flirt with slinky gloves, feathered fans and sidelong glances. It is almost candied it is so rich, but it is kept from being too sweet by its deeply burnished base of oakmoss, labdanum, ambrette seed, woods and musks. This would be a wonderful fragrance for special occasions, especially the kind where the lamps are turned down low, soft music is playing and candles are lit... Carissa is a very bright, happy and extroverted floral. It is a classic bouquet scent with rose, tuberose, green notes, jasmine, orange blossom and and the unusual and rarely used Carissa flower, an Australian bloom with which I am not familiar but which has a gardenia-like scent. (Its fruit is quite poisonous when unripe; typical for a white floral, they always seem to have something sinister in their family tree and that's one of the things I love about them.) It is entirely unapologetic about its nature so those who shun floral perfumes like this for being “old-fashioned” will miss out on its effusive charm. Carissa would be right at home in the kind of American style mid-century perfumery that produced so many overtly feminine fragrances (think of White Shoulders, for example) but that is exactly why I like it so much. It's the kind of thing I splash on with abandon when I don't have to go to the office and I can just revel in excessive girly indulgence all I want. I am always on the lookout for a good green scent, and Ere is a welcome addition to the genre. It's just grassy enough from the judicious use of galbanum but it's not chewy and dense like some fragrances that have an overdose of the stuff – mind you, I adore galbanum, but sometimes you just want to enjoy a nice soft green fragrance that reminds you of walking on dewy lawns, and this is one that fills that niche to the letter. It has a resinous (but not heavy) base that makes it linger much longer than most of its kind, and a juiciness that lets you know this grass is stemmy and freshly cut, ready for your bare feet to tread upon. I am saving the rest of my sample and I plan to trot it out the next time it's too hot to wear anything but a soothing, cooling green. After reading the description of Pentecost, how it actually smells was quite a surprise. I was expecting a fresh spring floral with roses, but how about grapes? Yes, the aroma of grape must and wine dregs, intense and pervasive, is what hit my nose first with this one. I am particularly fond of the foxy pucker of grape skin so I enjoyed this immensely. The florals and exhilarating green notes chime in shortly thereafter, and it turns out that the initial impression was an illusion, simply another facet of rose, fresh and fruity yet rich, the immediate and vivid breath of a highly scented living flower. The other surprise of Pentecost is how long it lingers; I could still smell it on my skin the next morning after applying it the day before. It's flat-out gorgeous and I recommend it highly for any fan of rose perfumes. Speaking of rose, the name says it all with Dirty Rose, a sultry black-red rose with a hefty punch of patchouli, made distinctive from others of its kind by the inclusion of just enough oud a great wallop of muskiness. If you want the overall structure of a rose/oud scent but the extreme versions from the likes of Montale are too much, this would be a great choice. Patchouli can be problematic for me, and sometimes it refuses to cooperate with my skin chemistry, but on a good day I can rock a perfume like this and feel like a femme fatale, and when that happens Dirty Rose works perfectly. On the flip side, this is easily a man's rose for those who dare. Prisoners will not be taken in either case. The final fragrance I tested was a preliminary version of a pending launch intended for men only, and it's easy to see why – Kairos is devoid of any softness or sweetness, yet it is elegantly constructed, not rough or coarse. It is a vetiver-heavy scent with an earthy muscularity which is still restrained enough for polite company. I don't know what the final product will be like but I think it's safe to say that it will require men with strong personalities to carry it off, and I eagerly await its debut. Image credit: Red rose wallpaper via wondrouspics.com. Pink roses on branch wallpaper from 4hotos.com. Disclaimer: I requested and received a sample set from PK perfumes for testing purposes.

The Painterly Palette of PK Perfumes (Part one)

By Donna The one-man show known as PK Perfumes has been quietly making inroads into the American indie perfume scene, and the small company has gained wider recognition with several prestigious industry nominations and awards in an impressively short span of time. Perfumer Paul Kiler has a unique and somewhat quirky viewpoint, and after testing the full range of fragrances and a draft of an upcoming launch, it is easy to see why this brand is gaining a loyal following. These fragrances are composed in the classic manner with a high percentage of natural materials, but the results can be quite unexpected. One of the most talked-about perfumes in the lineup is Red Leather, and when I first tried it, I really thought I hated it. The opening is blunt and tarry, and it seemed as though it was going to be one of those coarse, greasy leather and patchouli scents that only the bravest men would ever wear. Much to my surprise, this effect did not last very long, and after the smoke cleared a different animal appeared. I have never smelled leather paired with the astringency of buchu leaves, rhubarb and pink grapefruit before but this is a genius move that turns Red Leather into a streamlined modern leather like no other. Civet and castoreum in the base keep it anchored and some florals peek through on occasion, but this one is all about the contract between funk and zing, and it works wonderfully. I ended up liking it a lot with its sporty vibe that brings to mind Italian leathers such as Trussardi, and it is ideal for men (and women) who want to make a memorable impression. Gold Leather is very different from its sibling, but it also gets its character from an unusual combination of notes. To my nose the dominant impression is of “pocketbook” leather overlaid with a bitter cherry/almond accord, which happens to be one of my favorite things in perfumery (see DSH Perfumes Antiu), and softened with fruits and sumptuous white flowers – lily, tuberose, gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine and more. It is sweet but not overly so, and the leather is always in the forefront. Herbal notes and oakmoss make for an earthy yet sunny drydown that seems to last forever. This is my kind of leather scent; since I am an ardent fan of vintage Balmain Jolie Madame, who hides a huge bouquet of creamy white florals under her leather catsuit, I appreciate that Gold Leather fills a need for today's perfume lovers seeking a wearable feminine leather that will also appeal to men. This one goes on my wish list for sure. We are still not done with leather, and Zaffran is yet another original take on the theme – leather with saffron, and lots of saffron at that. Zaffran is quite somber, with no discernible sweetness, and even cardamom, clove bud, cinnamon and kaffir lime can't brighten the mood created by the leather embellished with tobacco, patchouli and costus root. It has a distinctly masculine aura, and although many women might like it I would rather smell it on a man than wear it myself. It is actually too subdued for my taste and I wish it had a little more brightness, but it's as smooth as one could want and elegantly understated. Another fragrance in the line that has a unisex appeal is Ginger Zest de Citron, which was inspired by the idea of cooling summer drinks. The concept is deceptively simple; sure, just throw in some citrus and add ginger, how hard could it be? Not so fast – this is a well composed and interesting scent that hides an undercurrent of curry spice, musk and a hint of leather, with a dry, cool and rooty character that feels just like sitting in the shade of a tree on a hot day. It also lasts a lot longer on skin than one would expect for something in this style. Guys, please oh please wear this in summertime instead of those dreadful, faceless “bug spray” sporty masculines. You will be doing yourselves and the rest of us a huge favor. Switching gears, the delightful duet of chocolate and violets provides an olfactory treat in Violet Chocolatier. It would be easy to dismiss it as a novelty but don't make that mistake. An initial burst of dew-dappled violets is quickly joined by a warm accord of gently spiced chocolate and a deliciously tangy fruit note of apricots. I can take all the apricot you can throw at me and more, and the fact that it is combined with so many of my other favorite perfume ingredients – violet, chocolate, rose, nutmeg, honey, gardenia, benzoin, jasmine and more – pretty much guarantees my thumbs-up vote on this one. As it dries down the round, juicy fruitiness sticks around accompanied by an earthy iris effect as the violet subsides, with lingering echoes of chocolate and amber, and it turns out to be a surprisingly sophisticated composition. Highly recommended. While we are in gourmand territory, let's talk about Café Diem. This is another idea that could have gone wrong in less capable hands but it really works here in a boozy, smoky blend of coffee, absinthe, whiskey, warm spices, incense and vetiver. It's less foody than it sounds and one reason for that could be because of what's not in it; Mr. Kiler dislikes vanilla and does not use it in his perfumes. (Did I mention his quirky viewpoint? I believe I did.) One of the most popular materials in all perfumery is off the menu, and it's exactly one of the ingredients most perfumers would use in this kind of fragrance, but it suffers not all from its absence. Café Diem brings back memories of my younger self and good times spent at a local French bistro that had live jazz bands playing late into the evening. Liquor flowed freely, and the bar specialized in steaming hot coffee drinks featuring the addition of Drambuie, Bailey's Irish Cream and other cozy libations. Just one of those would keep me warm all the way home on a rainy winter night, and this comforting coffee scent would make a perfect winter perfume. Next time I will review the rest of the PK Perfumes roster, so come back soon! Image credits: Gold tooled floral pattern leather via kaneva.com . Rose and Violet chocolate creams via lakeland.co.uk Disclaimer: I requested and received a sample set from PK perfumes for testing purposes.