Quo Vadis? Mendittorosa Sirio

Everyone in their life goes through a couple of those important, life-changing moments when we’re being asked or we ask ourselves… What now? What do I want to do? Who do I want to be? Their importance is great as they influence our future and things that a newly chosen path may bring. Through a new composition of her brand – Mendittorossa, Stefania Squeglia asks questions of humanity level. Where do we come from? Where are we going? But there are thousands of answers.

When smelling Sirio for the first time you cannot escape the impression that this perfume has a Biblical reference. I think so because immediately after spraying some on my skin I smell a lovely, crisp apple note that combines juiciness and tartness at the same time. From the olfactive point of view this is a green apple, slightly unripe and very crunchy – like Granny Smith apple I think. Apple in this perfume could be a nod to forbidden fruit that grew in the Garden of Eden. Following shortly is a realistic rhubarb accord that enhances the overall feeling of tartness and low bitterness.

Interesting move in the structure of Sirio is the use of white musk as a top note. Once apple and rhubarb dissipate, a sweetened fluffy cloud becomes more detectable. It softens everything in a significant way, even blurrs things a bit. Now it feels as if it was a cushion on top of which these 2 fruit are placed. A cotton candy cushion that doesn’t feel over-sugared. It seamlessly leads to Sirio’s heart that with a grace of ballerina dancers unveils flowers of rose and peony. Both seem very lightweight, almost transparent but they they add character and a gentle color to the composition.

Actually at first an apple-flavored sugary fluff of musk overpowers the flowers but later on they become more pronounced. Well, if you can use such description for floral tones that have pastel colors, silky petals and bring to mind delicacy and innocence. It surely is the most feminine part of Sirio but considering the perfume as a whole it’s pretty versatile. There’s also a little bit of plum for a fruity nuance. After some time apple note returns to me in a different form. This time it smells like a sparkling apple cider. I like the way Sirio changes and surprises over the course of the day.

Vanilla is the most important feature when it comes to Sirio and its drydown. This note is very much out there and in my opinion it has a ‘smart’ sweetness to it. It’s not sticky or like a pudding, more like a raw vanilla pod. It’s slightly sweet but also has a rum-like backnote that I like. Gaiac wood and cashmeran provide depth and dimension to the scent, at the same time they make it feel more solid, lightly woody. I didn’t smell oud that is listed in the notes. Finally amberwood molecule appears. It’s like an ambery cuddle that wraps everything together and then hugs you softly & gently.

Mendittorosa Sirio, named after a Sirius star, is a part of Talismans collection (sometimes refered to as separate brand) I don’t know if it manages to answer the eternal questions but I know for sure that it does smell pretty fabulous and like nothing else available on the market right now. It’s unique. And even though it doesn’t use many ingredients it develops a good complexity. Perfumer behind this fragrance is Amelie Bourgeois. It’s an extrait in 100 ml bottle with a hand made cap and pendant.

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Molecular flower, Aether Rose Alcane

Perfume enthusiasts often highlight how much they love natural ingredients in their fragrance. At the same time many of them express their negative attitude towards synthetic materials. They admit that they loathe, despise them. I don’t understand these people. And not just because I’m a chemist. If I like the perfume I don’t really care which part was harvested from the field and which was harvested in a process of lab synthesis. It’s the final effect that matters to me.

In last years we could observe the appearance of few new conceptual brands that were happy to admit their perfume is entirely made of synthetic ingredients – such as Nomenclature or Aether. And of course there was Escentric Molecules before them. Even if the concept is odd, the perfume is a perfume, is a perfume, is a perfume… and I want to try it. Aether debuted in 2016 as a new brand from Nicolas Chabot who revived Le Galion. I liked those scents, it’s not forbidden.

Among 6 fragrances I liked Rose Alcane the most. In the line each composition is dedicated to one iconic fragrance molecule & as you probably guessed already – Rose Alcane is a tribute to rose oxide. On my skin this perfume is opening with a tart & zesty smell of grapefruit that becomes watered down quite quickly and is followed by a gentle scent of rose. Aroma of rose had a sparkling, bubbly feeling to it and instantly it gave me an impression of smelling some champagne rosé.

The smell is uplifting, invigorating. It reminded me of Liquides Imaginaires Dom Rosa. After some time my nose was struck by a sudden metallic vibe. It was cold, tingly and surrealistic. As if someone threw an ice-cold cube of metal into your flute of champagne. Very strange feeling but at the same time Rose Alcane kept my attention awake. Metallic vibe subsides just as suddenly as it appeared. After that happened I was left with a dewy smell of flowers and greenery.

Rose continues to go on until the perfume fades to nothing. It is very pale and sheer. Dewy is a suitable word to describe it as it smells watery on my skin. It also blends with the smell of watered grass or some other water plant, like a bamboo or something. Rose Alcane lasts in this form for some time and before it releases its final breath, it smells to me of dewy apples & pears. It’s very gentle and transparent composition, a rather minimalistic one.

This offering from Aether would probably serve well to those of you who are not yet convinced if rose belongs to their perfumed fairytale or not. If someone is a rose fan, Rose Alcane might not be enough. It’s a good candidate for a perfume refreshment in the summer though, since it’s so light & airy. Shame the only size is 50 ml. A travel, pocket-size spray would be useful from time to time. Rose Alcane was composed by 2 perfumers: Amelie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel.