Monday Quick Sniffs, part 63

At times of global pandemic what’s normal had to be defined anew. Instead of launching the perfume properly at an international fragrance fair, new fragrances launch online these days, with or without special events on Skype or Teams. In these conditions being up to date with everything is difficult.

I often learn about something with a few months delay until. This wasn’t exactly the case with two new Perris Monte Carlo scents. I read about them before, I was truly excited to try them but the opportunity didn’t come until late summer or early autumn. Mimosa Tanneron is a stunning, minimalistic perfume from perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena himself. Dominated by a pure joy of mimosa absolute, the radiant aura of it consists of pollen-like powdery notes that are entwined with more fatty, waxy nuances of tiny pom-pomps colored intense yellow. On skin Mimosa Tanneron is elegantly floral, very tender and with just right amount of sweetness. This yellow bouquet of flowers is enriched with roses but their presence isn’t obvious – more like a faint scent of a tea rose or a watery rose, it blends in. I suppose hawthorn introduces the element of green foliage to the composition. It creates an apt background to the star of this perfume – mimosa. In the drydown the perfume becomes even softer, more fluffy and powdery thanks to the white musk. At the final stage the smell is pure, harmonious and dreamy. Mimosa Tanneron is not a complicated perfume that manages to do the justice to the Grasse famous flower. It doesn’t beat my favorite Amouage Love Mimosa but it could become my firm 2nd choice. A must-try for mimosa lovers.

So-called “exclusive lines” from the designer brands are something that I rarely actively seek, mostly because they are hardly available in Poland (if they are, it’s usually only 1 place in Warsaw) and I also find their price to be quite steep. Sometimes I’d make an exception, like when I read about Iris Torrefie (eng. roasted iris) to join Guerlain L’Art et la Matiere collection. Combination of iris and coffee instantly made me think it will be either super good or the very opposite. Turns out I was wrong. Iris Torrefie starts on my skin with a silky, slightly green-tinted iris note that quickly takes a turn towards powdery, slightly chalky variation. After a couple of minutes I can picka coffee note. Not very strong, not a freshly ground bean, more like a leftover ‘coffee was here’ impression you could smell after opening a kitchen cupboard. It’s spiced with a bit of cardamom that adds a grainy texture to the perfume. Everything is mellow and smooth thanks to ambrette. In the drydown a creamy sandalwood is blended with some opoponax (it has raisins-like sweetness) and a touch of vanilla to brighten the fragrance. I can’t get rid of the feeling that Iris Torrefie is a bit bland and to me it lacks the wow factor that was so obvious for Iris Ganache (2007). The new Guerlain iris doesn’t live up to the fame of its older sibiling. I also had longevity issues, after an hour I could barely smell the perfume on my skin.

Lavande Romaine another new fragrance introduced by Perris Monte Carlo in 2020, along the aforementioned Mimosa Tanneron. As you know, I love me some lavender for that was one of the first perfumery notes that I fell for. Composed also by Jean-Claude Ellena this fragrance manages to capture the true nature of these small purple blossoms. Lavande Romaine starts very floral and it has a lovely transparency to the note, letting it shine as a soliflore for some time. Couple minutes later it gets more clean but not in a soapy manner but more like lightly scented bedsheets or a shirt. The scent is crisp, relaxing and elegant. When blackcurrant bud joins the composition it adds a fruity flavor to Lavande Romaine. Currant adds an acidic tartness, it suggests something that is juicy but surprised with bittersweet taste. This perfume will surely wake up your taste buds. Overally Lavande Romaine has a light feel to it, but it has a blue cedar accord in the heart that helps the composition to be more grounded and lasting on skin. The woody aspect is not very pronounced, it surely doesn’t interfere with lavender + blackcurrant key notes. Similarly to the Perris Mimosa, this perfume also is finished with white musk that makes it soft, fluffy and cuddly. Lavande Romaine is a well-executed lavender fragrance, worth a shot should you look for an easy lavender.

Smell you soon (I hope)

Under normal circumstances two weeks ago I would have travelled to the West and above the Alps to spend a magnificent weekend in Florence, Italy. There, during Pitti Fragranze, I would’ve had a chance to smell my way through a few dozens, if not a hundret of new perfume releases. We all know why it just didn’t come to be this year and why I had to stay at home, just like many other people who love frangrances as much as you or me. I miss Esxence and Pitti for obvious reasons – I can’t try as many new scents as I’d like to, I can’t meet my friends, both writers and brand owners, perfumers. Finally I can’t be in Italy, even if it were just for 2-3 days, to enjoy their delicious cuisine along with a glass of prosecco or aperol spritz. But those good days will come back, won’t they?

At times of global pandemy one can wonder how niche perfumery will deal with this new and very difficult state. I was thinking that brands might postpone their new launches & wait for better times since without these exhibitions it must be harder to bring same level of buzz & attention to the new compositions. And while I have an impression that niche brands have slowed down due to Covid-19, many have already adapted and present the fruit of their work to the public with the help of social media platforms. Of course it has less splendour than a special spotlight at the stand in Milan or Florence but curiosity of ‘hungry’ perfume fans eventually wins. I’m thankful to any brand who reached out to me during these difficult times. Without them I would write even less…

There’s a bunch of new or soon-to-be-released fragrances that I’m really looking forward to trying. Let me share a couple of them with you – maybe we’ll be together in the feeling of excitement?

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Over the years we all got accustomed to a slow-paced creation process at Puredistance and that our waiting will be rewarded with something luxurious and of highest quality. Announced for October please be introduced to Rubikona – this perfume, with a name resulting from the junction of words ruby and icon, will be an 11th composition in brand’s portfolio. For a second time Jan Ewoud Vos invited Cecile Zarokian (Sheiduna, 2016) to collaborate. This will be a spicy floral, 28% perfume.

I like Gallivant but I know some of you don’t. However there’s always a but to a but. Have you ever heard of the city of Bukhara? Worry not, neither have it. It’s somewhere in Uzbekistan and Nick Steward decided this will be another location to pinpoint on the map of his fragrant journeys. My way to convince you to try it? It’s an iris. Orris! Hello! By perfumer Ralf Schwieger at that. I love Iris Nazarena he composed for Aedes. I know Gallivant has different easthetics but I think it’ll be fab.

In my opinion Perris Monte Carlo is one of those brands that aren’t very much spoken of which is totally unfair because they make great perfume. Some time ago I was captivated by Mimosa Tanneron which I long to try. I know it’s the first day of astronomical autumn today but why can’t I have some yellow cheer all year round? Dedicated to pom-pom flowers that grow around Grasse, this watercolor-like flower is now interpreted by Jean-Claude Ellena, a master of watery scents.

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More iris? But of course! Is there such thing as enough iris for me? To be honest I rarely get excited by the releases in the mainstream perfume segment these days. Same goes for the more exclusive boutique lines from big brands. This time my interest was tickled when I read about Iris Torrefie from Guerlain, joining Art et la Matiere line. Orris with coffee? This could either go super right or super wrong. I signed up for a decant so I hope to make my own judgements soon.

Listen, I know what you might think but I’m not a real devotee of Memo. It just happens that I like a few fragrances from the brand. I actually find Italian Leather and Winter Palace to be the only 2 that would fit in my collection. New in Art Land collection is Odeon, named after Parisian theatre. Blend of rose, candied date, tonka and sandalwood sounds promising. There’s also Sintra, also new, with a Morrocan tiles motif on the bottle – but it’s supposed to smell like marshmallow, so not for me.

Are there any fragrances you’re waiting for to smell? Or maybe any of these 5 sounds interesting?