Just the Sea & Me, Parfum d’Empire Acqua di Scandola

Going back to the ocean of perfume, you might notice how many different creatures dwell in this submarine world of scent. They come in different shapes and sizes and behave quite differently. Many fish swim in schools and they go with the current, seldom some swim against it. Only a handful follow their own path. A bit like Parfum d’Empire – not the biggest one, not the most flashy and colorful of them all, moving at its own pace. But it’s exactly those brands that have a vision and creativity, that in the end is the most memorable thanks to the fragrances they offer.

Acqua di Scandola invites you to its Mediterranean world with a satisfying and wholesome citrus note that to my nose is an orange. (though some sources say lemon) A perectly round orange with a slightly grainy peel. It’s not completely ripe, still having a delicate green blush in some places. It smells photorealistic, just as if you could grab the fruit by reaching up with your hand. The scent it exudes is complex, made up of several citrus elements. There’s a zest of peel, sweetness of the pulp and juiciness of the flesh. Hints of orange tree leaf and twigs too. It simply is a whole fruit.

There’s also something dry-ish humming in the distance, like hay or tarragon. Whatever it is, it immediately lights up the ‘it smells familiar’ button in my head. The opening of Acqua di Scandola brings the idea of our old friend, Azemour – a perfume that is widely loved and considered a role model for the family of citrus fragrances. But the fragrance gradually evolves, developing its own identity instead of relying on its predecessor. Juniper berries with a thin layer of aldehydes underneath create a cold impression of metallic freshness, like gin & tonic served at the beach.

Even though I said that juniper introduced a cold element, orange gives enough of a Mediterranean sunlight to Acqua di Scandola, so that the perfume feels warm and embracing. Over time we take a dive into tourquoise waters. A charming accord of seaweed emerges, giving a new quality to this scent. It’s green and fresh in a very unique way and there’s something quite elegant yet carefree about the saline smell of the sea spray. On my skin this algae & salt phase never feels overpowering. It’s quite the contrary, its a perfect harmony of well-handled ingredients.

Over the next hours the smell becomes lighter, airier, blending with the skin. Acqua di Scandola is, simply said, a summer charm, a promise of a lazy day at the beach. In its later development stage it becomes more mineral, crystalline – just imagine droplets of the seawater drying in the sun and leaving some white marks of the salt that crystallized. There’s also a nice, moist facet evoking wet rocks, and the smell of green – a little bit of basil, geranium and oakmoss, an emerald blanket on top of the rock. The picturesque imagine is now complete, inviting you to visit the very place.

Acqua di Scandola was developed by Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, owner & perfumer at Parfum d’Empire. Among other novel marine compositions, like Acquasala (Gabriella Chieffo), Un Air de Bretagne (L’Artisan Parfumeur), Acqua di Scandola sits perfectly in this theme, at the same time offering a little bit of something else than the rest. It’s a beautiful perfume, a very dreamy one. And it comes from one of my favourite brands which is quite a recommendation already. The perfume is a part of L’Heritage Corse collection and comes in 50 ml bottles of eau de parfum.

 

Golden Tutu, Les Parfums de Rosine Ballerina No.5

There are many thing that can inspire a perfumer to create. There are common themes like travelling, history, famous personas. There is also music but this one can apply to so many different genre. Not just music types as they are but also other things that directly connect to music. Theatre or opera are among ideas of some of the fragrances that are currently on the market. In case of Les Parfums de Rosine, their Ballerina line explores the art of ballet – synergy of music and dance, through scent. Newest addition to this range, Ballerina No.5 was inspired by La Bayadere (1877).

Ballerina No.5 begins with a pleasantly sweet juiciness of mandarin, which gives this perfume not only a citrusy sweetness but also a bit of tang. Orange blossom adds a beige swirl of floral nuances that make the scent more interesting and alive on the skin. After a couple of minutes a candied fruit facet emerges and I wonder if it’s the prickly pear listed as one of the top notes. Rose is very important for all Rosine fragrances and in Ballerina No.5 it plays a role of a leading dancer.

Rose petals in this perfume are inflected with shiny golden threads of gourmand. The rose itself is quite fragrant, aromatic & jammy. The smell of Ballerina No.5 is like a jam made by crushing fresh rose petals with sugar crystals for a very long time. The texture is a bit grainy but the smell itself is smooth. If you like fragrances like L’Artisan Safran Troublant, Lush Rose Jam or even to some extend Phi from Andy Tauer, you might notice a connection between them when it comes to rose.

Heart of Ballerina No.5 still has a lot of plushy rose but candied fruitiness becomes much stronger at this point. My nose picks a particularly standing out, syrupy vibe of lychee – which gives a bit of a tropical vibe to this Rosine creation. Violet petals add a bit of a purple tinge to the scent, introducing more crisp and ozonic feel to the bouquet. The brand lists almond blossom – my only experience ever was with almond blossom face cream from Korres and it has a nice but specific smell, clean and bit aldehydic. Heliotrope gives a nice powdery sensation, with hints of tonka and almonds.

Gourmand element of this perfume smells like caramel in my opinion. It’s more liquid and viscous at first but later on it becomes more buttery & toffee-like. It’s an evident sweetness of Ballerina No.5 that makes it more adult and elegant. Benzoin adds a nice balsamic and resinous quality that also fits in the idea of toffee candy. Gaiac wood provides more substantivity to the perfume but also is responsible for giving some mysterious darkness. It’s a nice effect. Tonka makes the scent more velvety, patchouli and cedarwood make the scent deeper and more dimensional thanks to it.

Thanks to the vanillic, toffee undertone that slowly oozes from this perfume, Ballerina No.5 from Les Parfums de Rosine is more floriental than simply floral. I also liked the word ‘fleurmand’ Jessica used in her review. Perfumer Delphine Labeau created a fragrance that is feminine (it’s actually a bit hard to imagine a men wearing it) but it’s femininity is grown up. It represents a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. It’s a nice choice if you crave something sweet.