Last month, I walked into my local Sephora, smelled Atelier Cologne’s latest, Iris Rebelle, and had a travel spray packaged and paid for within about 5 minutes. Must have been fantastic stuff, you say? Well, it’s decent, but I wouldn’t go so far as fantastic. If I’d had a sample at home and spent some time with it, it wouldn’t even have made my buy list — which, by the way, is a looooong list. There are an awful lot of perfumes I’d much rather own than Iris Rebelle. So why did I buy it…
The backstory: Like the other fragrances from indie brand Imaginary Authors, O, Unknown! was inspired by an imaginary book by an imaginary author. Here’s the book blurb:
At age 65, when famed explorer and author Philip Sava was given less than a year to live, he set off from his home in Madagascar for parts unknown. Leaving all his belongings behind, he set off on foot, hopped a freighter across the Indian Ocean, and wandered into the Bangladesh wilderness….
As September draws to a close — where has this year gone? — I’m trying to catch up on the year’s releases. Here are two more, and look for more multi-scent reviews over the coming month.
Secret fire of the alchemists: the elusive scent of iris root smolders with spice, cedar and smoke in a transformative hidden fire. Bright, joyful, ardent.
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My goal with Feu Secret was to allow a sort of hidden warmth to shine through the cool surface of orris butter and to stay true to the rooty-woody aspects that I find so compelling.1
Feu Secret is from artist and indie perfumer Bruno Fazzolari, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen more mention of it in the comments here…
A short film from International Flavors & Fragrances' in-house naturals facility, Laboratoire Monique Rémy, on the French orris harvest. Almost 8 minutes; perfumer Alexis Dadier appears at about the 6:40 mark (do check out his flower pen). If you ever wondered why real iris in perfume costs so much, here is your answer!
Usually in autumn I’m drawn toward woodsy, smoky, leathery fragrances. Not this autumn. Go figure. Despite the rain and falling leaves, it’s the floral, “girly” perfumes that have pulled me in lately. When I came across a full set of Masque Milano testers last week, I had to ask for sample vials of the line’s floral scents, Romanza and L’Attesa.
First, a quick word on the Masque Milano line. The fragrances are grouped into four “acts” that make up the “opera of life.” The acts are: experiences, places, discoveries, and journeys (no, that’s not all four acts, just one); interior monologues, emotions, deep thoughts and inner reflections, lights and shadows of human nature; sentimental relationships, romance and love, affections and betrayals; and dreams. Romanza and L’Attesa are part of Act III, the one about sentimental relationships.
Perfumer Cristiano Canali developed Romanza, a complex narcissus…