Van Cleef and Arpels Feerie

By Beth I absolutely crave violet perfumes in the spring. Sweet and green, a good one can easily fill my little world with hope. I’ve been in love with them ever since I was a little girl and I used to sneak into my mothers velvet jewelry box to sniff the precious little bottle of Attar of Violet that was my grandmothers. I used to pick them out of my mothers garden and sprinkle them on salads or if we want to be a bit Shakespearean about it “Salats”! To me there is nothing more delicious to eat and smell than a dew kissed violet and I used to try to make perfume out of them when I was very young by sneaking out to pick them when they were still wet with rain and crushing them all over my naked little body. I still can’t walk through the garden without eating them like the finest candy and as an herbalist I learned early on that there was value to this practice as the leaves are wealthy storehouses of vitamin a and c and quite good for creating firm , healthy and fibroid free breasts! One of the finest treats that I know of are the delicious candied violets that my sister brings me from Fauchon when she’s in Paris. No more magical little sweetmeats exist than these….beautiful purple flowers dipped in egg white and crystalline sugar, they make me think of Titania, Queen of the fairies and I love to sprinkle a few of them onto the top of a silken crème brulee . Parfait d’ Amour is a French violet flavored liqueur that’s absolutely wonderful when you drizzle it over the same crème brulee or mix it into a gin fizz....sheer and sublime! I still think that one of the best experiences that one can have in life is the joy stumbling across a patch of those bright purple and white blossoms when and where you least expect them, like I did last week when I was out on the trail with my horse Henry. There they were mixed in among the wild spring ramps (another seasonal delicacy!), fragrant and glimmering in the late afternoon sun. Here today, gone tomorrow, their season is short so if you blink you’ll miss them. Consequently I’ve always tried to plant some wherever I’ve called home so I can always have them in my life! 2011 has brought a very late spring to us here in the northeast ; it rained for almost all of April and May is occurring as no exception. As you can imagine one of the great joys in my life right now is the little garden that came with the house that we bought last year. Because we moved in during the month of June last year spring came and went and I never really got to see what was nestled under all of those weeds! I’ve gone around for weeks now wondering when the blooms would arrive. Then suddenly last week I looked outside my kitchen window and gasped because overnight the back perennial bed had transformed itself into a blowsy vibrant and purple sea. I ran outside to take a look and sure enough the flower fairies had arrived and were dancing all around my yard having themselves a mighty fine time feasting upon purple and white violets, apple blossoms and sipping what I’m sure was a very fine nectar out of cups made of English Bluebells! I practically lay face down on my stomach with my face buried in those sweet purple blossoms. If you’ve never done this before please try. The fragrance of a patch of sweet sunwarmed violets is absolutely and overwhelming luscious and is imbued with an energy that’s practically mystical. It’s a tough fragrance to capture in perfumery, that effervescent blend of flora and fauna that captures the emotions of a unicorn touched spring day. I’ve tried lots of them and sadly they are mostly found wanting. I was never sure what was missing until I met Feerie”, by Van Cleef and Arpels last month in Las Vegas. Feerie is a sparkling tribute to a beautiful jewelry collection called MIdsummers Night Dream and it’s a truly beautiful fragrance dressed in one of the loveliest bottles that I’ve ever seen….cobalt blue with a silver stopper that is sculpted as a fairy who has alighted gracefully on a branch. Feerie smells like everything that I ever wanted in a violet perfume….There’s sugar drenched violet and lots of it, but there’s a twinkle of jasmine and a sprinkle of black currant and mandarin. Feerie begins like a dance along the stepping stones of a favorite childhood memory but quickly turns into a bedtime story as it settles down into its buttery base of Iris and vetiver. Feerie is very very sexy…… trust me, you’ll never mistake her for a shrinking violet. She’s a magical and mysterious “take no prisoners “sort of violet , bewitching and intoxicating and utterly surprising. You can meet this enchanting little fairy exclusively at Bergdorf’s and Neiman Marcus . Be careful though because she’ll steal your heart and bring you all kinds of exotic and wanton springtime fantasies. You know what they say about the Fairies and you’re about to meet the Queen! She’ll take anything and anyone that she wants so be sure to hold on tight.....Feerie is definitely worth the wild ride!

3 Orrises

If the Magi's gifts were strictly fragrance ingredients, and the event of gift-bearing was taking place today, there would have to be some additions, reformulations and re-interpretations. It would go something like this: amber standing in for gold as a symbol of friendship (replacing kingship as not sufficiently egalitarian) frankincense as a symbol of non-denominational spirituality (in the name of political correctness), myrrh as a symbol of eternity (can't have death, too morbid), orris as a symbol of understated luxury and oud as a symbol of jumping on the bandwagon. I will go all numerological on you, and "analyze" 3 recent orris scents on the basis of 5 super-objective and scientific criteria (in all seriousness, these are the questions which I am asking myself, when I am smelling an orris-themed perfume): 1. How strongly/recognizably orrisy does it smell? 2. Is it more iris-orrisy or violet-orrisy? 3. Is it woody or floral? 4. Is it powdery? 5. How expensive does it smell? Cartier L'Heure Promise, from the brand's exclusive collection, Les Heures du Parfum. 1. How strongly/recognizably orrisy does it smell? - At first- fairly recognizably; the orris-ness dissipates in a couple of seconds to give way to the pastel-green, powdery-translucent floralcy in feeling not unlike that of Apres L'Ondee or L'Eau d'Hiver 2. Is it more iris-orrisy or violet-orrisy? - To me, it smells more like first violets might, probably before they even unfolded their petals. 3. Is it woody or floral? - Floral more than woody, but with distinct woodiness. 4. Is it powdery? - Somewhat, in a gauzy, delicate way. 5. How expensive does it smell? - Not particularly. It has the kind of simplicity about it, which, even though it, objectively speaking, might be complex and expensive to produce, does not make one (me) feel justified to spend a lot to buy it. Conclusion: L'Heure Promise was to me the best of the Les Heures. Which is not saying that much, because, although all the scents have an elegant, quality feel, they fall rather flat for me and seem somehow like renditions of themes I've smelled many times before. Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d'Iris, from yet another exclusive series, Collection Extraordinaire. 1. How strongly/recognizably orrisy does it smell? - Not very, in a sense that, for the sake of the concept, it chooses to focus on the woody aspect of the multi-faceted orris note, thus sacrificing other qualities. 2. Is it more iris-orrisy or violet-orrisy? - Neither. It is woody. 3. Is it woody or floral? -There are no flowers. The composition is all about wood, wood, labdanum, a touch of peppery incense and more wood. 4. Is it powdery? - It has a touch of powder, made of very, very finely grated wood. 5. How expensive does it smell? - Fairly. Because it appears to be choke-full of precious wood. Have I used the word "wood" enough times? Because this thing is woody! Conclusion: I was not in any way excited by the fragrances in Collection Extraordinaire, and Bois d'Iris was no exception. Like its siblings, it is well done, but it is...boring, to me. As for the orris... if you are looking for a velvety yet dry, high quality woody perfume, go no further. If you are looking for orris, you might consider... Irisss by Xerjoff, a new to me and molto lussuoso Italian line. 1. How strongly/recognizably orrisy does it smell? - Very. It is orris from start to, eventually, couple days later, because this thing lasts... finish 2. Is it more iris-orrisy or violet-orrisy? - Definitely iris-orrisy. Not in an earthy-natural, dry-silky way, in which Iris Pallida or Hiris are irisy. This perfume is creamy, velvety, substantial, perfumey, although not as perfumey as the aldehydic Iris Poudre. 3. Is it woody or floral? - It's both. It showcases well these two sides of orris/iris, choosing not to focus on the non-refined earthy side of it. 4. Is it powdery? - Yes. But not overwhelmingly so. The creaminess of ylang (I assume) and woods balances the powderiness. 5. How expensive does it smell? - Molto! The question to ask here, quoting Pretty Woman, would be, exactly how obscene an amount of money are we talking about? Just profane, or really offensive? And the answer would be, really offensive. Borderline New Russian and/or Real Housewife of Whatever offensive. There is a certain chic about this decadently luxurious composition, something in the refined floral note, perhaps, which does not let the scent overstep the border between Elegantly Expensive and Nouveau Riche, but only just about. Irisss is hanging by a well-groomed, glossy hair over the abyss of furs, 10-carat pink diamonds, Maybachs and Louis Vuitton logos. Conclusion: Beautiful. Sumptuous. Long-lasting. Screams luxury. Costs €590.00 for 15ml or €1.625,00 in a fancy Murano flacon!.. Ouch. The price aside, however, this is the orris scent that I liked the most in the sea of orris scents from the last couple of years. Image source, Xerjoff.

Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire – And a Prize Draw

By Donna When I first heard about the pending release of six perfumes at once from the prestigious jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels I thought oh boy, another bunch of half-hearted and badly done fragrances rushed to market for the holiday season. Then I thought more about it, and they did do a great job with First and Murmure, but it’s been awhile since they did anything splashy or memorable. They don’t get a lot of publicity for their perfumes either so who knows if any of those “First” flankers and derivatives were any good? So it got my attention when Octavian Coifan gave the Collection Extraordinaire his seal of approval over on 1000 Fragrances. He is a perfumer, writer and industry insider who understands the technical aspects of perfumery better than I ever will; I just know what I like. I recommend that anyone who has not read about why he thinks they are good should do so, I certainly learned a lot and I can’t improve on his impressions. A different perfumer composed each of these fragrances, and they are all very different from each other, yet they share such a unified aesthetic that it would be easy to think that they are all the work of one person. When I received my samples I tried them all briefly and I got a good feeling about every one, which was unusual; there is generally at least one dud in the bunch in these multiple releases. I decided to wear each one by itself for a whole day and see how they held up. I began with Orchidée Vanille (by Randa Hammami), the sweetest one by far. It is indeed sweet but in the manner of the original Hanae Mori fragrance, it’s light, happy and delightfully hazy and never cloying. I happen to love vanilla anyway, and this is a clear vanilla orchid interpretation, leaving no doubt as to where vanilla really comes from. Remarkably, I did not find it to be gourmand at all, because the treatment resembles vanilla-scented flowers more than anything. I absolutely love it and I want a Jeroboam of it. Next up was Muguet Blanc (Antoine Maisondieu), and since I am a lover of lily-of-the-valley from way back, my standards are high for any interpretation of this accord. (As Octavian points out, it is impossible to extract the scent from this flower so all “muguet” perfumes are accords made up of elements that simulate its fragrance.) All I can say is that they really hit it with this version. It manages to be both traditionally chilly and uniquely abstract. Clear as a bell and so immediate that you can almost feel the cold ground against your cheek as you bend down to smell the diminutive blossoms, and at the same time cerebrally disciplined; it will not turn watery or sour on skin over time. This one joins Diorissimo and Muguet de Bonheur in my personal pantheon of muguet all-stars. More forest delights were to be found in Bois d’Iris (Emilie Coppermann), which started out with a dry woodiness that began to turn sweet rather quickly, and I wondered where it was headed, fearing the worst, until I realized that it was not going all gourmand on me but that the vegetal aspect of orris root was giving way to a delicious violet shored up with creamy woods. It never turned the corner into the powdery iris, found in so many perfumes, which I don’t really like as much as I do the more natural style. As with the Muguet Blanc, I could imagine myself sniffing violets in the cool spring air with the smell of the earth and last year’s leaves mingling with their sweetness. Another winner! Gardenia Pétale (Nathalie Feisthauer) is so sheer for a gardenia scent that I was sure it would fade in no time. Wrong again – it persisted very well, and remarkably for such a transparent rendition it really does smell like gardenias, buttery and rich, while never being heavy or going over into the dreaded bleu-cheese-over-stale-popcorn territory. There are just enough green notes and other florals, including white lily, to keep it restrained while still smelling very much like a real gardenia blossom, although one surrounded by other flowers in a paradisiacal garden. I have no idea how this was accomplished but I don’t care, I just want a bottle. At last a real-smelling gardenia perfume to wear in polite company, as it stays close to the skin while remaining true all day long. Along with Bois d’Iris, Cologne Noire (Mark Buxton) is one of the two nominally unisex fragrances in the group. It’s entirely without sweetness but I would not really call it dry either. It is done in the classic “masculine” aromatic style with a hint of florals and just enough incense to make you wonder if that’s really what you smell. This is another one that I was certain would be fleeting but it lasted about six hours, which for cologne of this type is impressive indeed. It is also blessedly without that aggressively pushy and sharp woody/amber thing that far too many masculine scents have, even though it does have benzoin and cedar in it, which makes it perfect for women to wear too. I saved Lys Carmin (Nathalie Cetto) for last because I felt that I would judge it the most rigorously. I have grown and smelled a lot of lilies, they are my favorite flower, and the scent of Oriental lilies is to me the most sensual and delicious floral aroma of all. To some people lilies are just too much, as their dizzying headiness can actually affect the mind adversely if one is exposed to them for long periods. (I guess that would explain a lot about me.) Fragrant lilies are fleshy, spicy, sweet and indolic all at the same time, and their perfume is too heavy for many. For my part I would be happy to be locked in a room with great towering bunches of them and I am always looking for a lily perfume that does them justice. Lys Carmin has somehow managed to capture the odd fleshy quality that Tania Sanchez says smells like “Easter ham” in the book Perfumes: The Guide. I laughed out loud when I read that, because it’s the best description I have come across; the spiciness, the sticky sweetness, and yet the enticing aroma of succulent flesh is there too, underneath it all. Furthermore, this perfume gets that part right with an ingenious combination of accords and still manages to be civilized about it. It’s not the cold perfection of Serge Lutens Un Lys, it’s warmer and softer and highly wearable. If I got my true wish, it would be bigger, more like those room-filling lilies I love, but then I couldn’t leave the house wearing it. For life in the real world this is the next best thing. This collection is a very pleasant surprise. It avoids the worst of today’s trends while embracing the best that modern perfume science has to offer and it uses the chosen materials exceptionally well. I commend Van Cleef & Arpels for not taking the easy road and producing fragrances that are just okay, which they could have done and still come out on top considering what passes for a decent perfume these days. The price is $185 each for 75 ml, which is not cheap but is pretty reasonable if you factor in the quality, since there are many perfumes out there costing a lot more which are not nearly as good as this group. They are quiet and refined, no overpowering sillage here, but I found lasting power to be very good for what they are, and furthermore they held their character and did not turn disappointing after fifteen minutes (or less) like virtually all the department store scents I have tried recently. As always, try before you buy, but these all get my vote of confidence. As much as it pains me to do so, I am giving away a brand new full sample set of all six perfumes, so if you are interested please say so on the comments, and I will draw a winner by random name generator the week after this post appears. Commenters posting as “Anonymous” who do not include a name in the body of their message will not be entered. (U.S.A. addresses only please, I am unable to deal with items requiring Customs paperwork because of my work schedule.) Image credit: Oriental lilies, photo © by the author. Thanks to Fragrantica.com for the names of the perfumers.

Feerie by Van Cleef & Arpels

An attack of the doldrums, and the doldrums attack back By Tom First off, I do want to write that no, I didn't go to the Sniffa this past weekend in Los Angeles. Perhaps I've been too much of a gadabout what with me snuffling my way from Venice to The Village, or perhaps the purchase a plane ticket and an iPhone in the space of a month made me want to reign in my spending. Or perhaps (with apologies to the Karens, who I think put on a great show and deserve all accolades) I just didn't feel like sitting through a Givaudan presentation. Or perhaps I'm just grumpy having watched my 401k plummet to a 1k and am facing the fond notion that I will have to work until I'm 107 to pay off Visa. I did get some happy good perfume news in the form of some samples from Roxanne Villa, but her big new release "Chapparal" was forthcoming and I want to wait to try this new fragrance, inspired by Los Angeles and preceding the ones from Le Labo and LuckyScent by months. Besides, this isn't one of those happy posts, this is grump city. And this was a grumpy week. Sometimes when one is grumpy, there is something or someone who will jump up and metaphorically wave their arms in your face yelling "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo". Usually it's some politi-whacko or Celebutart that merely makes we want to throw my remote or someone who decides that the "12 items or less/ Cash only" doesn't apply to them. Or it could be "Feerie", the new Van Cleef & Arpels scent, a sample of which apparently came with the latest Neimans Freebie. Thinking that I'd better get used to surviving on samples and cat food what with the state of the economy, I gave myself a decent spritz. Holy synthetic berries Batman! The card insert natters on about "captivating woody floral" and if you are willing to endure about an hour or two of the effect of being serve Cap'n Crunch with Crunch Berries, dry in a cheap diner on a cold morning by a waitress who thinks that her cheap rose cologne is covering up the fact she needs a shower and is sadly mistaken you sort of get there. There's a general coldness to the scent that makes the skank seem pretty far back, but still disagreeable. The end loses some of the berries and adds in some vague woods but there's nothing I find captivating. If I want the cereal thing I'll head for Lostmarc'h Laan-Ael, whose comforting milky cereal embrace makes Feerie seems like empty calories..