Monday Quick Sniffs, part 56

I’ve been a fan of Atelier Cologne since 2010 when the brand was established. Over the years they released many fragrances that I liked and have in my collection. When Jasmin Angelique was introduced 4 years ago I got a travel spray as a freebie when swapping with someone. But I didn’t like it at that time. After spending years in purgatory drawer I found it while looking for something else. I tested it once more and to my surprise I find it pleasant now. The opening combines spicy sharpness of sichuan pepper with a brisky smell of lemon, both its juicy flesh and aromatic zest. After a few minutes angelica joins the composition and from that moment the scent will remain green until the end. Angelica introduces stem-like kind of green, quite crispy and warm at the same time. Addition of fig makes Jasmin Angelique more fruity and milky, therefore rounder and more approachable. Galbanum is a source of more sappy & resinous variety of green note, there’s something tad more dark behind it. When jasmine appears the perfume is very verdant, like a secret garden in which white flowers begin to unfold their petals. Jasmine is rich and strong, heady a bit but not indolic. In dries down revealing notes of soft and sensual tonka mixed with frankincense and amber. It’s a rather elegant and unobvious take on a green theme.

Essential Parfums is a new brand that debuted in 2018 and in the world of niche perfumery, where price increases are seen almost everywhere, it’s like a breath of fresh air. The brand works with perfumers of well-known names, their packaging is minimalistic, fragrances are totally fine and yet they charge less than 70 Euro for a 100 ml bottle. At Esxence I tried the entire range of five compositions and I liked Orange x Santal the most. Welcomed by a duet of super juicy and naturally smelling Italian orange and bitter orange, I can smell the pulp, the juice and the rind. It’s an uplifting and invigorating opening that is sure to wake you up. It’s almost as if someone served you a glass of freshly squeezed juice. A touch of basil introduces and aromatic vibe of green, Mediterranean landscape. This picture is even more visualized in my head thanks to cypress which brings forward a slightly different aspect of verdant note, more dry and shrub-like. Cypress is also like a prelude to the woodiness that Orange x Santal has to offer. Sandalwood (from Australia) in this perfume is really pretty. It’s more on a dry and rugged side rather than on creamy side and there’s something about it that makes me think of color red. It combines nicely with the juicy fruitiness of orange. Oakmoss introduces a parched, aromatic vibe that’s slightly like a chypre. It’s a nice option for summer days.

The collection of Cuirs Nomades at Memo Paris has just gotten bigger thanks to Oriental Leather that joined the family very recently. As someone who thinks that all 6 (now 7) leathers are well done, I’m quite eager to smell what new ideas Memo might bring to this range. Oriental Leather opens with a soothing scent of aromatic lavender. The smell is quite deep, relaxing, inflected with fougere elements. Geranium introduces a green-aromatic and crunchy facet. Pimento and coriander bring something spicy and dry to the scent. Very soon patchouli joins the composition and completely changes the scent. Oriental Leather becomes dark and mysterious. Patchouli is very earthy and damp here, also carrying the facet of rotting vegetation. There’s an impressive depth and multi-dimensional effect to it but the scent is specific. Finally leather appears – it’s quite bulky, rugged and still smelling slightly of the chemicals it was treated with at the workshop. It blends with patchouli making these 2 hard to separate. Later on things get more round and smooth. Cinnamon adds a nice fizziness and clove appears next bringing a spicy vibe that is more tenacious. After a few hours there’s a vanillic trace hovering in the background but it quickly gets lost under a resinous, balmy, slightly caramelized benzoin. To me it’s probably the most oriental part of Oriental Leather. Additional notes include anise and tea but I didn’t notice either of them. Some will like this one, some will like it less.  It sure is far from the one I like the most. I’m ready to forget it.

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Golden Dreams, Amouage Love Mimosa

Lazy morning. An alarm clock won’t ring today but soft rays of sunlight that are filtering through the blinds somehow manage to reach your face. Your last dream of the night just ended, it was lovely, but once you open your eyes you won’t remember any of it. But it’s ok, because tomorrow you might dream of something even better. You leave the snuggly bed, open the window & look down at the garden. The lawn is glistening from a morning dew, the air still smells of fog. The sky is clear as a crystal. One look at the mimosa and you can’t help but smile. Your little paradise is here. If you can envision an idyll like this one you’re almost there to envision how Amouage Love Mimosa smells.

Love Mimosa unveils with an aquatic, slightly ozonic manner. There’s a certain purity to it, as I inhale it I’m reminded of the scent that assists finding a crystal-clear stream of water flowing through a mountain track. Any time I found one while hiking there was a characteristic aura in the air – it was pure and moist, slightly aromatic. I even recall it having its own flavor if you inhaled the air through your mouth. Cascalone (a Calone relative) molecule provides a fresh, lightweight & watery opening that smells modern yet with a hint of nostalgia. Few minutes later violet leaves join the composition.

Violet leaf brings a pretty dewiness to Amouage Love Mimosa. It makes the perfume more crispy and fresh, with an aromatic background. It’s still dominantly watery but now with a delicate green tinge that adds appeal. When aquatic notes start to attenuate, the fragrance goes through a short phase when it feels very smooth and silky in texture. This however is just a prelude to iris, which arrives in full glamour just a little bit later. It spreads a luxuriously powdery tones that smell dusty, creamy and slightly cosmetic – all at once. This orris accord has many layers of beauty to unfold.

Among many pearlescent facets of iris I have the greatest sentiment for powdery impressions and in Love Mimosa it is exactly that smell that reigns over buttery or creamy nuances. The perfume smells incredibly smooth and tender, almost caressing with its smell. If you try to envision powdery puffs of iris changing color, from white, through pastel shades and finally into brighter and more vivid yellow tones, you’ll be able to smell the seamless way leading to the awakening of mimosa in this perfume. It’s a lazy, very peaceful change that takes time but it’s worth all the wait to enjoy it.

I believe that it’s thanks to this slow transition that allows me to appreciate Love Mimosa and its undeniable charm to the fullest. As yellow color wraps around my skin like a yellow ribbon I start to feel as if I was daydreaming. Powdery aspect of iris as if by a touch of a magic wand becomes deliciously floral & sweet, reminiscent of tiny yellow pompoms that spread their pollen, like particles of magic glitter, upon a slightest touch. A wink from Paradisone enriches the perfume with breezy scent of white flowers that are standing in the background, letting mimosa to stand out even more.

Bright and solar smell of mimosa becomes more mellow and as a note of pear joins the composition of Amouage Love Mimosa a nice fruity touch is added. It’s a fresh, fruited scent, slightly watery at that – it blends nicely with the scent of mimosa flowers, making them more sunny and richer. Eventually the scent becomes creamier, revealing a lovely ylang-ylang which only intensifies the yellowness of Love Mimosa without introducing anything tropical. Ambrox adds a sensual vibe like a sun-kissed skin while heliotrope adds some dimension, structure and depth. A summer dream.

Love Mimosa from Amouage got me charmed from the very first moment and I have absolutely no doubt that it will cast a spell on many other mimosa lovers out there. It’s very realistic and while it has a classic feel to it, it’s quite a modern interpretation of this yellow, pompom-like flower. It would wear fenomenally in spring and summertime so it’s a shame it’s launching with autumn just around the corner. It’s a great work from perfumer Elise Benat. New addition to The Secret Garden collection is housed in a bright yellow Amouage bottle that is very pleasing for the eye. Love Mimosa is not a powerhouse but it lasts well on skin. Its real beauty lies in its subtlety. Can you feel the magic?