Parfumerie Generale has launched two new limited edition fragrances, Praliné de Santal and Tonkamande…
Huitieme Art Parfums ~ new fragrances
Pierre Guillaume of niche line Parfumerie Generale has launched Huitième Art Parfums, a new line of fragrances. The name comes from Octavian Coifan of fragrance blog 1000 Fragrances, who says that perfume is the 8th art. There are 8 fragrances: Ambre Céruléen, Aube Pashmina, Ciel d’Airain, Fareb, Manguier Métisse, Naïviris, Sucre d’Ébène and Vohina…
Parfumerie Generale Bois Naufrage ~ fragrance review
One of perfumer Pierre Guillaume’s inspirations for the new limited edition Parfumerie Generale Bois Naufragé was a photograph by Lucien Clergue — Le Nu au Bois Flotté [Ed note: the image is NSFW]. Taking into consideration the photo (showing a naked woman lying on a huge piece of driftwood) and the fragrance’s name (“shipwrecked wood”), I was imagining a salty perfume (salt of the ocean, salty skin), a perfume with a silky, sun-dried, and yes, salty, wood note combining with the scents of seaweed and sand. I was preparing myself for a summer sea breeze in a bottle, and Bois Naufragé’s fragrance notes gave me hope: carob tree, fleur de sel and ambergris.
Bois Naufragé starts with a sweet-milky accord that reminds me of candied figs stuffed with coconut: NOT what I was expecting. The ‘fig’ note loses a bit of its sweetness during the initial dry-down as a touch of mild, “green” musk emerges. I don’t find Bois Naufragé particularly “salty” but the fleur in fleur de sel is apparent in a sheer floral note, smelling a bit like “flat” jasmine mixed with tonka bean/vanilla. Most of Bois Naufragé’s “wood” must have been washed back out to sea…
Parfumerie Generale Gardenia Grand Soir & Bois Naufrage ~ new fragrances
Parfumerie Generale has launched two new limited edition fragrances, Gardenia Grand Soir and Bois Naufragé:
Gardenia Grand Soir (shown) ~ “In Gardénia Grand Soir, Pierre Guillaume has captured the flower at its most natural…”
Parfumerie Generale No. 24, Papyrus de Ciane ~ fragrance review
Bring on the stems, leaves, grasses — I’m always in the mood for ‘green’ fragrances. Green-tinged perfumes are refreshing and often “cool” in tone; they convey the idea of “growth,” especially new growth of plants. Spring is the perfect time for a green cologne to debut, and I’ve been looking forward to smelling Parfumerie Generale Papyrus de Ciane (No. 24).
Perfumer Pierre Guillaume has gotten a lot of online media coverage for Papyrus de Ciane and much of it references his use of a legendary component of early 20th century fragrances: Mousse de Saxe. I’ll let others discuss the chemical composition of Mousse de Saxe and its reconfiguration for Papyrus de Ciane; my only “concern” is: How does Papyrus de Ciane smell on me?
Papyrus de Ciane’s “published” list of notes is varied (online at Parfumerie Generale only five components are mentioned: galbanum, broom, mild plant note, Mousse de Saxe, Silvanone® Supra (musk); in interviews, Guillaume has also mentioned bergamot, neroli, mugwort, cistus labdanum, lavender, clove, vetiver, incense and hedione.
Papyrus de Ciane begins with a mix of citrus, “white flowers” and delicious and strong galbanum (the galbanum crystallizes and turns soft and powdery fast); Papyrus de Ciane’s green notes are not wild and sharp…