New at luckyscent: Holy Champa (bottle shown), a fragrance created by perfumer Marc Buxton for the Parisian chain Antoine & Lili, with notes of neroli, magnolia, nag champa, jasmine, amber, incense and gurjum. Also new: Agatha Pamplemousse, Thé a la Mure (both by perfumer Francis Camail) and Caramel; AromaM Geisha Violet; L'Artisan Safran Troublant; and the Monyette Paris candle.
This year Comme des Garçons will launch two fragrances to tie in with their “Guerilla store” concept…
Comme des Garçons released Series 4: Cologne in 2002. Each of the three fragrances is a variation on the classic citrus-based cologne theme.
Anbar is the Arabic word for amber, and the fragrance has notes of amber, mandarin, orange blossom, lavender, clove and musk. It starts with bright citrus notes, and settles quickly into a mild blend with a whisper of dry orange blossom over pale amber undertones. It has a touch of spice, but overall, it is more bright than dark. The lasting power is fine considering the strength, and it is nicely done, but for the moment I am not captivated so I am setting my sample aside for another try in the summer…
The last fragrance (alphabetically) in the Incense series by Comme des Garçons is Zagorsk. If you are not familiar with this series, see Monday’s review of Avignon & Jaisalmer and yesterday’s review of Kyoto & Ouarzazate for an introduction.
Zagorsk was the Soviet-era name for the town of Sergiyev Posad. The town, which is not far from Moscow, is home to the Holy Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, often called the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. The symbolism of incense in the liturgy is essentially the same as it is in the Catholic Church: it represents purification, an offering, and the rising of prayers to heaven…
Kyoto & Ouarzazate are two of the five fragrances in the Incense series by Comme des Garçons, which was released in 2002. If you are not familiar with this series, see yesterday’s review of Avignon & Jaisalmer for an introduction.
Kyoto pays tribute to the incense culture in Japan, where incense is a traditional part of both Shinto and Buddhist practices, and in earlier times was also used a time measuring device. Kodo, the Japanese incense ceremony, originated in Kyoto. Like the better known tea ceremony, it is a combination of social gathering and art form. During the ceremony, the incense woods are heated at a low temperature, so that the aroma is released with little or no smoke…
Comme des Garçons launched Series 3: Incense in 2002 with five unisex fragrances, each one painting an “olfactory portrait of a particular milieu” in the incense tradition (via Women’s Wear Daily, 1/4/2002). It is easily my favorite series from this house. All five of the fragrances are interesting but also very wearable, and several of them are downright gorgeous.
Avignon in the south of France was historically an important center of religious activity within the Catholic Church, and was the Papal seat for part of the 14th century. The use of incense in the liturgy has its roots in ancient Hebrew practices, and is traditionally a symbol of purification and of the rising of prayers to heaven. The fragrance has notes of Roman camomile, myrrh, cistus oil, elemi, incense, patchouli and vanilla…