JAR Shadow: Perfume Review...Sort of...

When my father's father died, he took with him the secret of his marinated tomatoes. His marinated tomatoes were, without any shadow of a doubt, the best in this galaxy, and in a couple of others. We have always thought that the secret ingredient were sliced onions, however, when we tried to pickle tomatoes that way, our version had none of the incredibly rich, spicy yet sweet taste of grandpa's preserves. The other day I put on JAR's Shadow, and realized that somehow the creators got hold of my grandfather's recipe. The perfume smells exactly like the brine of those pickled tomatoes from my childhood. I also realized that the secret of the preparation could have been cloves, and maybe even a touch of cinnamon. That would account for the sweet, delectable piquancy of the preserve. I understand that this "review" must be frustrating to read for those who want to know what Shadow smells like. After all, they have no point of reference, as they have never, sadly, experienced the mouthwatering savoriness of deda Volodya's pickled tomatoes. My best guess is that Shadow could have vetiver, wood, cloves, cinnamon and oakmoss (the latter very evident in the drydown, where the savory-gourmand quality wears off a bit). And believe me when I say that it is even more frustrating for me...almost Tantalus torture-like...to smell, to salivate and not to be able to partake. Have a frustration-free week, everybody! Image source, дневник Хозяюшки.

Eau des Iles by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier

I decided to review Eau des Iles right after the description of my hunt for a perfect coffee scent, since it was sampled during that hunt, as a fragrance that allegedly contains a coffee note. There was no coffee in it to my nose, but the scent itself is so remarkable that it must be mentioned anyway. According to Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Eau des Iles takes the wearer to “perfume islands in which coffee fragrances intermingle with stately rare woods and smooth exotic flowers that have a strange beauty of their own.” According to me, those islands are situated in restaurants specializing in (Trans) Caucasian cuisine. Never before had a perfume made me this hungry. Eau des Iles puts me in a mood for Georgian or Armenian food, for meat marinated in herbs and spices and then barbequed till it is nice and dark on the outside. Salivating yet? So was I. However I am not sure I want to smell like a juicy almost burned shashlyk. Eau des Iles is the smokiest perfume I have ever tried. The description promises “an astonishing olfactory discovery”, and for once a description does not mislead. But it does not prepare you for the fact that the “spices, wood, coffee, ylang ylang, patchouli” combine to produce an incredibly burnt smell. The smell is not unpleasant, not at all, but it is nothing I can ever imagine wearing on my skin. The fragrance is rather tenacious and the lasting power is superb. Applied at noon, the smoky aroma is still going strong six hours later. When it finally subsides, the residual scent is alike the smell that your skin, hair and clothes have when you spend some time in front of the campfire…Top marks for uniqueness. Nil pointe for wearability.