discontinued: 56 posts

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

Have you ever noticed how faces are much easier to recognize in exaggerated caricatures than in photographs? For this same reason Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia might offer the truest gardenia one can find in perfume form. Certainly, there are plenty of fragrances that incorporate beautiful gardenia accords (Hermès Calèche, Dior Diorama, Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia), but to smell Velvet Gardenia is to experience a flower magnified by several degrees—smooth, waxy petals, green leaves and woody stems, animalic, dark roots. Its scent is creamy and intoxicating, smoldering and airy, floral and balsamic. What seems at first like an improbable juxtaposition of effects soon unfolds into a complex gardenia story. …

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

The story of the Helmut Lang fashion house is a testament to the transience of fashion. During the minimalist phase of the mid 1990s, Helmut Lang’s severe, deconstructed pieces were among the most coveted, showered with awards and recognition. Yet, fast forward to 2000, and the future for Helmut Lang no longer looks promising—the house has been sold, the designer is losing more and more of his rights, the popularity of his designs is starting to wane. This same year, the house introduced a line of fragrances, starting with the he/she duo Eau de Cologne and Eau de Parfum created by perfumer Maurice Roucel and then offering Cuiron composed by Françoise Caron. Even though the line was discontinued shortly after Helmut Lang left his own house, Eau de Cologne and Cuiron have managed to achieved an almost cult status. By smelling them one can understand why. …

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

“Fill the tent with a variety of different perfumes: ambergris, musk and all sorts of scents, such as rose, orange flowers, jonquils, jasmine, hyacinth, carnation and other plants. This done, have placed there several gold censers filled with green aloes, ambergris, naddah and such like.”
from the 15th century Arab book The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight.*

The house of Guerlain has been enchanted with the East for much of its history, from Persian Bouquet (1840), Shalimar (1925) to Samsara (1989). In this light, it is not surprising to discover that Garden Sensuel and Oud Sensuel Huiles de Parfum released this spring are inspired by the perfume oil tradition of the Middle and Far East. The writings of Herodotus, Theophrastus, Pliny as well as the Arabian Nights Tales attest to the opulence and sophistication of Middle Eastern perfumery. If the 18th court of Louis XV was known as le cour parfumée (perfumed court), then that of Baghdad’s Abbasid Caliphs deserved this title more than 10 centuries earlier. …

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

Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream, which is blended until a soft, melting and decadently rich texture is attained. For the newest addition to Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matiere collection, which already includes Angélique Noire, Bois d’Arménie, Rose Barbare, and Cuir Beluga, perfumer Thierry Wasser took the richness of ganache as inspiration for an iris scent. If you are a regular visitor to Bois de Jasmin’s pages, you already know of my fascination with the iris note. I find the scent derived from iris roots quite beguiling—it is half way between flower and root, vegetal matter and mineral dust. Discovering Iris Ganache was quite an interesting experience. It proved that iris, when made overly sweet, can lose its elegant character and assume quite a flamboyant demeanor.

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

The presence of orange blossom in Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Mâle is no more unexpected for a masculine perfume than the presence of Pelé in a list of world’s greatest footballers. After all, the classical eau de cologne relied on the bright sparkle of neroli (steam distilled oil of bitter orange flowers) in order to provide a fresh accent. However, while masculine blends like Yves Saint Laurent Kouros Fraîcheur and Creed Néroli Sauvage rely upon bracing citrusy and woody notes to frame the sweetness of orange blossom, Fleur du Mâle takes this radiant and bright note into a completely different realm—ornate, sensual and languorous. …

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