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

“The church, which stood in gloomy isolation at the outer edge of the village, was of age-blackened wood, overgrown with green moss, and surmounted by three conical cupolas. It was at once apparent that no service had been held in it for many a long year. Candles were now burning before almost every icon.” Nikolai Gogol, a Ukrainian-born Russian writer, paints such a vivid picture of the village church in his story Viy that as I continued to read, I could almost smell the decaying woods, the grey incense smoke and the peeling resinous varnish on the pillars. It was in Diptyque L’Eau Trois—notwithstanding the creators’ intent to capture the aroma of Northern Greece—that I have found the scent of that forsaken church, haunting and intoxicating.

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My recent exploration of Chanel Les Exclusifs and the love affair with 28 La Pausa inspired me to consider other irises outside of my beloved trinity: Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, Chanel No 19 and Frédéric Malle Iris Poudre. Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile was created by perfumers Francis Kurkdjian and Françoise Caron of Quest in 2004. It is an unusual iris in that it does not smell of frozen roots like the other irises I admire. Its character is soft and floral, with a delicate sprinkling of delicate ornamentations.

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The disappearance of No 22, Gardénia, Cuir de Russie, Bois des Iles testers from Chanel boutiques over the past few months has caused some consternation among the lovers of Chanel classics. The good news is that they are back, repackaged in the 200ml bottles for the Eau de Toilette and 15ml crystal flacons for the parfum. I had a chance to test them against the older EDTs and parfums I own, and if any reformulation took place, it was very respectful of the tradition. With minor exceptions, they are fairly close to the older releases, and they are still stunning. Above all, at the moment there are no plan to discontinue the Les Exclusifs parfums. In fact, I was tempted enough to add a new full bottle of Cuir de Russie EDT to my Chanel collection. The drier and more assertive EDT complements the iris heft of the parfum.

Adding: the main difference seems to concern No 22, which now has a stronger incense facet in the Eau de Toilette (I have not had a chance to try the new version of the parfum.) In fact, I much prefer it to the bottle of EDT I got less than 3 years ago.

Photo of Ernest Beaux, the genius perfumer behind Chanel No 5, No 22, Gardénia, Cuir de Russie, Bois des Iles, Bourjois Soir de Paris.

Basenotes has finally announced the winners of the 7th Annual Basenotes Awards. Bois de Jasmin has garnered a Silver Award in Best Perfume Blog category. Congratulations to Robin of Now Smell This for the Gold Award and Marina of Perfume-Smellin’ Things for the Bronze Award. They make the perfume blogging community an excellent place! I am also thrilled that my beloved house of Guerlain has won the Best House award.

The other Gold winners of the Basenotes Awards are:

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The rose is wrapped in amber and warm balsamic notes, but the start is fruity and bright. Although Rose Absolute has a classical rose character, it is  a modern flower. The roses are rendered in vivid and rich hues. Smelling the perfume on skin, I keep craving rose jam; Rose Absolute evokes crystallized petals suspended in translucent honey. The sweetness, on the other hand, is tempered by woods and patchouli. As Rose Absolute develops, it becomes darker, earthier and warmer. It never loses its sophisticated aura, but the character is lighthearted and vivacious. Wearing it is a pleasure.

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