Olivia Giacobetti: 18 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Passage d’Enfer’s interpretation of incense is like a gentle swirl of smoke rising from hot ashes. Created by Olivia Giacobetti in 1999, it is an incense fragrance marked by soft haziness that is strikingly noticeable in most of her creations. Unlike dark and mysterious Armani Privé Bois d’Encens—a fragrance truly in place before somber blackened images of Orthodox saints, Passage d’Enfer takes austere darkness out of frankincense and infuses it with fresh floral softness.

The composition has a panoramic quality, with the notes being layered one on top of another, instead of progressing sequentially. However, after a couple of hours, one notices a reverse movement as the fragrance begins to gain more transparency and to fade slowly. Myrrh with its note of medicinal anise is classically paired with sharp resinous frankincense. Transparent darkness of the accord is ornamented with the green balsamic notes, which amplify its soaring quality.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

If it is possible to envision a dark smoky composition done in watercolours, which would preserve both the vibrancy of hues and the lucidity, Olivia Giacobetti is the perfumer would be able to execute such an arrangement. L’Artisan Tea for Two (2000) is a fragrance that bears that beautiful Giacobetti-esque fingerprint. It is ethereal without being limpid and sensual without resorting to the tired tricks, a difficult feat indeed. Tea for Two is stunning on both men and women, with its smoky spiciness crossing all barriers and divisions.

Tea for Two is amazing in terms of its ability to change dramatically. The process resembles the development of photos–at first, one sees bare outlines, and then recognizable shapes begin to form. Soaring translucent notes of bergamot and orange blossom fade into the surge of smokiness. The rich tarry sweetness of lapsang souchong is like a vapor rising from a tea cup, hot and expansive.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Cinq Mondes is a line of spa products inspired by traditional beauty treatments. Eau Égyptienne was created by Olivia Giacobetti in 2005. The light fragrance is intended as a mist that can also be used on hair.

Olivia Giacobetti’s fragrances have a remarkable translucence paired with complexity, and this fragrance certainly bears Giacobetti’s fingerprint. The serene and quiet composition undulates slowly, as the top notes of verdant mint and silky geranium meld into the incense smoke swirling gently. Resinous and balsamic notes are blended to create a perfectly smooth arrangement. It is reminiscent of the layers of multicolored silks that allow a glimpse of certain hues, while presenting a unified and unusual whole. Under the sheer veil of luxurious incense and spices, the patterns formed of flowers begin to emerge. While the florals are not very distinct, other than a hint of tea rose laced with myrrh and a few scattered white blossoms touched by ginger, they lend an opulent softness that is a perfect counterpoint to the wooded notes.

The drydown is a subtle smokiness of incense ashes falling over a fragrant lotus blossom. Unlike Iunx waters, Eau Égyptienne is much longer lasting. In fact, its tenacity is what I hoped Iunx waters would be—it remains perceptible, yet stays close to the skin. It is a fragrance to wear for yourself and a few lucky ones who are close enough (or allowed to lean in enough) to notice its ashes over flower petals character.

Notes include lotus flower, rose, mint, lentiscus (which is an evergreen tree), incense, myrrh, papyrus, jasmine, juniper, geranium and cumin. Blue water lily like the one depicted above was an essential part of the ancient Egyptian culture. More information on this topic can be found here, as well as a list of other fragrances containing lotus and water lily.

Available at Beautyhabit.

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The scent pervading the pomegranate red interior of Hôtel Costes, located at 239 rue St-Honoré in Paris, is what made me want to enter its lobby, despite the intimidatingly posh interior. The mysterious and alluring scent possessed richness of Mysore sandalwood ornamented with sheer shimmering spices. The fragrance created by Olivia Giacobetti in collaboration with Rami Mekdachi in 2004 is an attempt to capture the dark elegance of Hôtel Costes inside a garnet bottle. …

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If anyone could make an animalic fragrance radiant and dream-like, it would be Olivia Giacobetti. Originally called Désir de Cirque, Circus Desire, when it debuted in 1999, Dzing ! is a fragrance inspired by the circus ring, the smell of the talcum, animal fur and candy apples. As if by a crack of a whip, tarry and balsamic notes spring forth, creating a leather accord against which rose suddenly appears. The effect is simply bizarre, but memorable, setting a perfect stage for a more tranquil undulation of sweet and resinous notes that combine into multifaceted chords, one moment of hammy lapsang souchong and cinnamon, next vanillic sweetness of benzoin and balmy complexity of musks.

A vaguely familiar note keeps hiding underneath, teasing my memory and conjuring visions of stage. I have not been to the circus in ages, but a rosin box in the corner of my ballet studio is a fresh enough recollection. Rosin is used by musicians on bows to produce a better sound and by dancers to prevent satin pointe shoes from slipping on the floor. The scent of this brittle grey resin, a by-product of turpentine distillation, is what lurks underneath animalic notes, lending a strangely ethereal quality to the base. Like Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings of seedy Montmartre corners, Dzing! has a certain juxtaposition of oddity and fascination. It would be daring and arresting on a woman, and wonderfully sensual on a man.

Painting: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Trick rider at the Fernando Circus. 1887-8. The Art Institute of Chicago.