Silent Dance, Vilhelm Parfumerie Modest Mimosa

As the old saying goes, it is never too late to learn something new. I completely agree with that and I think it’s also very accurate for the perfumeland. With new brands emerging more often and with customer tastes changing faster than ever you can never say you know it all about the industry. Imagine my surprise when thanks to Ari (of Arielle Shoshana) I found out that Vilhelm Parfumerie is a house established in New York by Jan Vilhelm Ahlgren – a guy from Sweden, who now lives in Paris. Fragrances are also made in France. Such multicultural creative environment often results in broader & more open perspective. I’m discovering this new to me brand with their mimosa.

Modest Mimosa unfolds with a brisk neroli note, giving you an impression of stepping right out of the shower. It has that pleasant, clean & flowery feel that has this weird ability to cool you down by a few degrees. This neroli accord quickly adapts to the skin and transforms into much warmer self in just a couple of minutes. When that happens, I actually start to like it even more. Body temperature brings out the more fatty, slightly heavier molecules that contribute to the neroli scent. At the same time it becomes soapy & powdery on my skin. Think of taking a shower with orange blossom soap.

Just a little bit further and I start to notice the shift in this initial neroli mildness. Modest Mimosa becomes slightly greener, evoking plant leaves waving in the wind, right above the ground level. Moment later – a surprise! Orange! No, not a citrus. Orange color of a carrot sneaks into the composition. It’s obvious that it will change the character of the perfume to a one that feels more vegetal. I’m not very much into veggie notes in my fragrances as often an earthy, gardening vibe is introduced along with them. But this carrot is ripe & healthy, washed in a crystal clear water.

Carrot in Vilhelm Parfumerie Modest Mimosa even adds a sensation of freshness when it appears on the skin. That said – I’m glad that carrot didn’t bother me at all here. On the contrary, it has some charm to it. With time the fragrance reveals a crisp dewiness coming from violet flower. This transparent, watery feel, however, gradually brightens and becomes way more powdery. Finally I find myself surrounded by garlands of tiny little flowers that look like yellow pom-poms. They move with the faintest breeze and it’s like a dance in which they scatter their fragrant pollen like a magic dust.

Even though the season for mimosa comes early in the cycle of the year I associate its scent with summer months. I think I just like how happy the combination of watery, powdery and creamy facets of pollen smells like. Hints of wax or silkiness of iris in the background add elegance to it. And that’s exactly what Modest Mimosa is – an elegant perfume. In the drydown the musk tonalties have a slightly salty, mineral  feel. To me it’s the smell of the skin that’s still shiny from the sea water. Hint of white leather adds some strength & substantivity and casual mellowness to this optimistic blend.

Any time I’m introduced to a brand that I never tried before I try not to be judgemental but to approach it with an open mind. I remember looking at Vilhelm Parfumerie display at La Rinascente in Milan, in spring 2019 when together with Elena – The Plum Girl we were going to the restaurant at the mall’s top floor before saying goodbye to Esxence and flying back home. The brand is finally available in Poland and I feel captivated by Modest Mimosa. I’m happy that this particular scent is the one that got me acquainted with the brand. The nose behind Modest Mimosa is Jerome Epinette. Modest Mimosa is available in 100 ml, 50 ml flacons, as well as in 18 ml travel-friendly size.

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Monday Quick Sniffs, part 57

It took me a month to share with you my holiday trip in Austria, Northern Italy and Switzerland. I hope that you enjoyed looking at the photos and hearing about places I visited. Now comes the time to talk about perfume again, though I had a little bit of hesitation to make my break slightly longer.

New from Kilian, except of having a name that makes me roll my eyes, is one of the more interesting releases over the last few years, at least for my taste. Rolling in Love opens with a mild, vegetal amber impression created with ambrette. It’s slightly cold and austere at the beginning but then it warms up thanks to the skin and other elements of the composition. Iris joins the scent after less than 5 minutes adding a buttery texture. Orris is a bit chalky, powdery and slightly on a dry side. I also find it to be more woody, slightly incensy even. Almond accord adds a sweet & milky facet that turns nutty and caramelized later. There’s a disturbing burning quality in it and for a moment Rolling in Love smells like bread pudding to my nose. Freesia and tuberose create a flirty floral bouquet of a creamy nature that doesn’t feel diffusive but more like clinging to the skin. Tonka bean absolute gives this new Kilian an oriental vibe due to releasing a spicy and aromatic and creamy cloud that is so specific for this material. In the end the entire scent immerses in sweet vanilla that has a rum booziness in the back. Rolling in Love would have been a gourmand if it wasn’t for the floral part. It’s not bad at all, super pricy though. I like the red-inside bottle but I can live without it.

Soon after the holiday months were over, Jean-Charles Brosseau introduced Heliotrope to his Fleurs d’Ombre range. The perfume was meant to keep our summer memories alive for a little bit longer, and it does it perfectly. The beginning brings forth a floral aroma that without a doubt is a violet. It’s quite strong for a couple of minutes, combining fresh, ozonic, powdery and verdant facets. When it becomes more sheer it’s time for citrusy tones to come and play. In case of Heliotrope it’s a bitter-sweet game, as firstly we have a sweet & juicy mandarine but secondly there’s a tart & tangy grapefruit to counterpart the first. Mimosa makes the perfume powdery in a dominating part. It’s scent, sweet like a flower pollen from tiny yellow pom-poms creates a bridge to the heart of the composition. Heart is where iris continues the powdery medley but in less sweet way. But in overall feeling this perfume is like a meadow – with every step you can meet something different. There’s also a rose, pink & innocent, a glamorous gardenia and of course heliotrope, powdery yet balsamic and flowery. The drydown of Jean-Charles Brosseau Heliotrope is like a warm hug. Ambery tones wrap around your neck like a scarf while creamy sandalwood and a white musks cocktail create an imaginary blanket that covers your arms. There’s a lot going on in this perfume and few times I thought there was too much at once, a bit of chaos in it but it’s an enjoyable scent in my overall verdict.

Olivier Durbano and his fragrances named and inspired after semi-precious stones have quite a popularity, especially in Europe, and I know that Polish customers love these creations a lot. Lapis Lazuli, a 12th perfume opens with an aromatic pungence of green, slightly acrid and fatty cypress note. After a few minutes it becomes a bit more astringent and medicinal when tea tree accord kicks in. Artemisia keeps everything more grounded and earthy. Addition of clove simultaneously adds to the medicinal feel and also brings its own spiciness as a side pillar. Molecule of rose oxide adds a bit of a distant floral feel right there. Thyme gives Lapis Lazuli a herbal vibe that quickly softenes when immersed in a note described as plant milk. It smells green, sappy. Like a combination of fig milk and other things alike. Spelt and iris give this perfume an unexpected grainy texture that goes powdery after some time. Olivier Durbano fragrance wouldn’t suit his range if it wasn’t heavy on incense and other resins. That’s why you can find a thick elemi note in the base which is surrounded by parched vetiver and cedar wood with a cracked surface. It feels rigid, cold, yet there’s something melancholic there. Something that draws you deep into it. Ambergris and tolu add to the balsamic density of the composition. Musk is a hint of dirty but it gets engulfed in the incense wave.

I’ll be abroad on a business trip for half of this week and on Friday it’s All Saints’ Day & I’ll be visiting family graves. I don’t think I will be able to write another article this week. Next week for sure!