Morning Harvest, Two from Perris Monte Carlo

At Chemist in the Bottle there’s a certain pool of fragrances that are rarely being spoken of. Like soliflores or perfume with a specific level of oddity. Simple reason for that is the fact that I like to talk to you about the fragrances that speak to me, about the notes I love, scents I want to encourage you to explore. Hence no flourishing reviews on animalics or heady florals on my blog. But from time to time the rules can be broken when you find a perfume that is worth recommending even it it’s not your usual cup of tea. So here I have for you 2 classic compositions from Perris Monte Carlo.

Rose de Mai is a tribute to may rose that grows in the valleys surrounding Grasse. This perfume begins with lush bouquet of rose which feels much more airy and fragile than rich & opulent compositions associated with the Orient. This is a rose with pink petals that are delicate, as soft as silk fabric. In the opening Rose de Mai is undeniably feminine as rose absolute steals all the spotlight. After some time it becomes more mellow and develops some unisex qualities. Handful of geranium brings a wave of freshness to this perfume. It’s crisp, almost dewy scent paints an impression of an early morning in the French countryside.

Geranium effuses its green scent around the rose bushes, turning the scenery into a magic garden. On my skin there’s a moment when it becomes almost minty in character, adding an aromatic twist to this minimalistic yet pretty perfume. At the later stage of development Rose de Mai becomes just a tiny bit spicy – when immortelle joins, it adds that specific herbaceous-spicy nuance with a hint of curry. It’s really well-behaved and enhances the rose tones. Musk gives a soft, pillow-like base to the composition. It’s a pretty interpretation of a rose theme. Sometimes it’s all you need to feel happy.

Jasmin de Pays is a straight up jasmine served on a silver platter with perfumer initials engraved on its edge. This grand bouquet is made of thousands of white flowers that intoxicate the air with their heady fragrance. There’s no doubt about the presence of indolic molecules as the perfume effuses the scent that cannot be mistaken! It’s big and demanding attention but at least this jasmine doesn’t become beasty or overly animalic after a short time. The composition of Jasmin de Pays also lists clove but it really takes some time before jasmine becomes lighter and lets a little bit of that spiciness to peek through and be noticed.

One thing about Perris Monte Carlo Jasmin de Pays I could easily notice is that similarly to Rose de Mai the perfume feels relatively green, but that verdancy smells completely different. In jasmine one it’s more of a leafy type of green, like petitgrain… mixed with the smell of crushed stems of unripe flowers. Later on the scent becomes quite creamy, as if some frangipani joined jasmine for this performance, adding a hint of something exotic. For a soliflore Jasmin de Pays is very potent and lasts through a big part of the day. When it dries down it becomes soft and fluffy thanks to musk.

Both these fragrances are really well done and I appreciate their artistry and the way they try to convey the purity of the smell of rose and jasmine. Still I don’t think I’d wear any of these on regular basis. Perris Monte Carlo made a wise, strategic decision by teaming up with perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena to evoke Grasse flowers in Rose de Mai and Jasmin de Pays. You can clearly see his hand in these fragrances, the style that is light, minimalistic, even ascetic. Both fragrances are concentrated at eau de parfum level and they are available in 100 ml bottles.

Red Sun, Perris Monte Carlo Arancia di Sicilia

Year ago in September I departed for my summer holidays. I flew all the way to the South of Italy to spend a week in Sicily. Little did I know that it’s going to be one of my most memorable vacations. Waking up at 5 AM almost every day wasn’t my best idea for dolce vita but the weather and all the sights compensated shorter sleep. It was also a naturally fragrant time as ripe fruit, orange granita and freshly pressed orange juice were available at almost every corner, first announced by their scent. Iconic blood orange from Sicily deserves a perfume. Perris Monte Carlo just did one!

Arancia di Sicilia welcomes you with a great bounty only a Mediterranean country like Italy could offer. First impression – a refreshing, full-bodied and photorealistic scent of blood orange. Zesty aroma of the peel and sweetness of the ruby-tinted fruit light up the senses, wake you up and create a craving for the juiciest & most delightful bite ever that will drip down from your chin onto a t-shirt that you’re wearing. It’s this kind of scent that feels lustful and mouth-watering at the same time. There’s a beautiful complexity and dimension to this inconspicuously simple Sicilian orange opening. This effect has been achieved by using two varieties of Sanguinella Orange essential oils.

Brown essential oil comes just from the rind while Sfuma Torchio oil comes from a full fruit pressing followed by separation of the oil from the juice. Right from the beginning Arancia di Sicilia is a very sunny perfume but after a little while it really starts to warm up. This warmth gradually evolves into a sweet smoothness of almond. This new facet intrigues me because initially it smells to me like limoncello, I swear, but then after a couple minutes more it becomes more like an amaretto, with a fine liqueur smell to it and some booziness. Don’t expect something very alcoholic here as it’s only just a hint. But this hint is exactly what this perfume needs to be different among citrus fragrances.

Following after this liquory almond trail is a small portion of cinnamon. Just a small bit is enough to spark a delicate tingle of spiciness in one’s nose and to give Arancia di Sicilia a twist nobody would expect from a perfume dedicated to blood orange. It’s not a prominent element of this fragrances but is noticeable among other ingredients. Shortly after vanilla joins the composition, only this one smells quite unusual too. It’s got some airiness to it and volume, like a creme chantilly which combines whipped cream, sugar and vanilla. Like a more sophisticated way of presenting a perfume note to the wearer, if you know what I mean. It’s delicious but you can still eat some more.

Drydown of Arancia di Sicilia is a toned down combination of notes that via their olfactive profiles evoke the ending of a long and sunny day in paradise. Labdanum enriches the perfume with balsamic, slightly gooey smokiness. It has elegance and charm. When I inhale the perfume on my skin I can still pick the scent of orange and how well it combines with cistus. Then there’s some powdery iris, not much but it still grabs my heart, an absolute of coffee that adds a little bit of darkness. Last but not least there are some ambery tones that add delicate oriental touch to new Perris Monte Carlo scent. Fluffy musky sensuality is what brings the perfume to its finale.

Perris Monte Carlo surely deserve praise for creating Arancia di Sicilia. You simply cannot be indifferent to something so delightful and mouth-watering. It’s a citrus elevated to a new level due to unusual use of ingredients like almond, cinnamon or labdanum that are normally not associated with fresh perfume for summer. Arancia di Sicilia is a beautiful and honest homage to the Island of Sicily and its iconic Sanguinella Orange. It brought back memories from year ago when I visited Etna, Lipari Islands and Palermo among other places. Perfumer Gian Luca Perris did a great job sharing a part of Italy with us. This eau de parfum has nice longevity and sillage. Available in 100 ml bottles.