Bath Rituals, Jardins d’Ecrivains Splash Cologne

Keeping yourself cool and well-hydrated is an essential thing to do, especially when temperatures outside reach 30°C or more. There are many ways to refresh – you can drink chilled beverages all day long, you can hide in the shade of trees or dip into the swimming pool for a whole day if you can. Or you can reach for a refreshing cologne that will fight with the heat of your body. It’s a great way to indulge in a bit of perfume when hot. New collection from Jardins d’Ecrivains is perfect for that.

L’Eau de Leopardi – named after Italian poet, writer & philosopher Giacomo Leopardi (1789-1837) this splash cologne is like a spritz cocktail. It startz with a fresh blast of bigarade that provides a tickle inside your nose before it almost reaches your sinuses. Follow by a prominent aroma of orange from Sicily the composition becomes much more juicy and sweet after its more tart opening. Richly fragrant lemon verbena scents the air around the wearer with a sugary citrus mist. After a while neroli joins the composition to make it more floral but still in a very summery & easy-going way. It has a little screech to it but thanks to it L’Eau de Leopardi is even more lively. Petitgrain introduces some green tones to this cologne and make it feel more crisp and refreshing.

L’Eau de Kakuzo – borrowing its name from Okakura Kakuzo (1862-1913), author of The Book of Tea this splash cologne is an homage to traditional Japanese brew. It starts with a delightful verdancy of green tea – at the beginning it’s more leafy and slightly dusted but after several minutes it becomes more watery, like an actual tea brew. Coriander introduces a hint of gentle and dry spiciness while cedarwood is responsible for adding more substance to this composition. A Hedione molecule introduces pale flowery tones of white flowers, those are additionally sprinkled with some citrus juice for a more fresh effect. L’Eau de Kakuzo also features a gyokuro accord – the finest of all Japanese teas that is specially grown in shade instead of direct sunlight. It smells delicious.

L’Eau de Marceline – a fragrance nod to Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786-1859) couldn’t be anything else but a feminine and floral take on a splash cologne. It immediately opens with a happy note of ylang-ylang that combines watery freshness with more creamy density. Soon rose joins the composition  adding the smell of its silky, pink-colored petals. Iris in L’Eau de Marceline has a delightful powdery facet that makes the whole composition feel more cosmetic and gives it a pampering vibe. Cherry water provides a fruity aspect in an optimistic shade of ripe cherry. Orange blossom and honeysuckle provide a delightful floral sweetness that glitters with different shades of green, yellow and orange. It’s a sensual concoction that will make all women feel good.

Splash Colognes from Jardins d’Ecrivains fade away from your skin within 1-2 hours but it’s not a surprise since they contain only a couple percent of fragrance oils. They come in 300 ml bottles with a trigger spray. The idea was to spray lavishly all over your body after finishing your bath, to extend the feeling of freshness. Each spray releases a generous scented cloud. I imagine how great it would feel on a hot day, especially if you kept this cologne in the fridge before applying it.

Advertisement

Behind red curtain, Jardins d’Ecrivains Marlowe

Literature and perfumery undeniably have some things in common, most important one being the fact that writing or creating a fragrance serve as output for feelings and emotions. Only the process looks slightly different. Anais Biguine, a head of Jardins d’Ecrivains knows it well. Couple of years ago she established a brand that creates scents inspired by artistic souls of writers & their words.

Just in March 2015, Anais introduced a new fragrance. This time it is a bow to Christopher Marlowe, who was considered a bad boy of Elizabethan theatre due to dark character of his plays and poetry. Anais decided to interpret a mysterious style of Marlowe’s writing into a complex and rich olfactive being. The perfume is consistent with other creations under Jardins d’Ecrivains name.

On my skin Marlowe is initiated with a lovely osmanthus accord. The first impression is slightly dusty but after a few seconds it becomes more clear and the scent starts to evoke floral tones of tiny osmanthus flowers. Just as expected of this aroma material, there is also tea undertone to it and at some point even some fruity elements of apricot come forth. This is a nice complexity to begin with but things will start to get more complicated soon. Within first 15 minutes tuberose makes an appearance. Possessing the intoxicating richness of white flowers (that by the way smell like they were generously soaked with rum) that will overwhelm you and fill your nose.

This enchanting blend of osmanthus and tuberose will last for around 1 hour before it starts fading away and before other notes start to emerge from the structure of Jardins d’Ecrivains Marlowe. When the change starts to happen you immediately notice how the density of the fragrance increases. At some point I start to smell dried flowers that immediately make me think of some expensive potpourri. It’s those dry petals and their kind of dusky facet that makes Marlowe feel more theatrical, dramatic and dark. To amplify darkness of this fragrance Anais has combined a few resins. There is some rich and balsamic myrrh that has a specific kind of sweetness to it like it has been honeyed on top. And there is that beautiful leather to die for.

Leathery accord in Marlowe is diversified. On one hand it has a mild animalic opulence that introduces a context of sexuality to the blend. On the other hand it has a soft, almost suede-like and cuddly feeling that feels very good on top of my skin. There is also some elemi that adds even more weight to the composition. Yet it doesn’t feel too heavy on me. When you give this new Jardins d’Ecrivains perfume some more time you will realize that rich floral notes from the beginning start to entwine with heavier notes of resins. The best part of that is that they feel very complimentary.

They fit together as good as glove on a hand. Finally Anais introduced labdanum, oakmoss and musk to the composition. The first one gives nice & surprisingly transparent aroma of warm incense (not reminiscent of church incense at all). Oakmoss introduces a dusty facet that transports you to one of old theatres where Marlowe’s plays were acted. The latter note, musk – it’s a little dirty but generally I don’t smell much of it. Other notes are considerably stronger and that’s good.

What do I think about Marlowe? Well, it wowed me the very first time I sampled it during Esxence 2015. I imeddiately liked the leathery facet and the fact that this perfume is so much like Anais. If you knew her personally, she’s very energetic person who rocks a bohemian chic style like no-one else I know. Anais is her brand and the perfumes are just like her, vivid and unusual on one side, more unpredictable and dark on the other side. Both combined into one make a great perfume.

Jardins d’Ecrivains Marlowe is a great perfume. Rich in floral notes it slowly reveals more dense and heavy aspects that I believe will be to the liking of many of perfume lovers out there. This fragrance lasts on me for around 8 hours while sillage is good-to-moderate. It’s available in 100ml square bottle with black cap and black & gold label. It’s made in eau de parfum concentration and is suitable for men and women. I personally advise to wear it in autumn or at least on colder day.