Lunar hug, Van Cleef & Arpels Moonlight Patchouli

I’m not an owl type of person. I never spend long hours at night doing some productive things. I would pick a good night sleep over any other night-time activity. But at the same time I find evenings or nights to be a fascinating time. It feels magical when you can observe the stars but most of all I always liked looking at the moon. I like comparing it to a pearl of the night sky. Its glow is soft, soothing. It’s also such a gracious motif for a perfume. I’m a big fan of at least 3 fragrances with moon in their name. Lately I’ve been lusting over new Van Cleef & Arpels release.

Moonlight Patchouli begins in one of the softest and most delicate ways I experienced. Once I spray the perfume on my skin, it immediately melts into it and slowly starts to effuse a gentle fragrant aura. First I am welcomed by a magnificent suede accord. It warms up on the skin to a very pleasant temperature. It’s unbelievably soft and delicate. This suede note is so fluffy that the only good comparison for it is a huge teddy bear. Its plush fur is so cuddly and embracing that you could spend the whole day just hugging it. And I have the same feeling with new Van Cleef & Arpels. It’s this kind of softness that makes me feel cosy & safe. I can really feel its embrace.

Within 15-20 minutes this soft leathery aroma starts to enrich with a precious essence of Bulgarian rose. Its floral nuances are sheer and they entwine with suede, so that rose itself doesn’t make a large manifest of its presence. It’s subdued but actually it’s a big plus of Moonlight Patchouli. It would feel wrong if this perfume had any loud notes. Moving on from leathery rose – the perfume starts to sweeten. Cocoa notes gives it a lovely portion of sweetness that is not as obvious as it sounds. For it doesn’t smell like chocolate. Cocoa in this fragrances is a combination of powdery, gourmand-ish and oily facets that beautifully highlight the elegance of this creation.

When I noticed this cocoa note I was even reminded a little bit of hot chocolate with a pinch of chilli, because this new addition to Collection Extraordinaire feels so warm. Afterwards a perfume develops a delicate fruity note. These are mostly dried fruit without a hint of smoke. In my opinion a handful of to me it would include dried apricots mostly. The longer I wear Van Cleef & Arpels Moonlight Patchouli the more I notice how it develops a lovely powdery vibe that after some time crystallizes into an iris. It’s a slow process during which this initially blurry note becomes more defined. Afterwards iris becomes more velvety thanks to its gorgeous purple petals.

Few hours later the drydown starts to come in a lazy manner. The base is pleasantly woody, even official notes structure doesn’t mention more. And as it says, woodiness of Moonlight Patchouli is hard to define because it doesn’t simply smell of sandalwood, cedar or other species of wood. At some point also a bit of patchouli appears to provide more structure to the composition and give it more dimension. Actually I think it’s thanks to patchouli that drydown has a nicely highlighted iris – this time more silky and suede – which is just as cuddly as before. Even though the final stage of development arrives within 4-5 hours I wasn’t bored because even the drydown undergoes some changes instead of being monotonous. This perfume put a spell on me. And I let it do it.

I had a chance to try Moonlight Patchouli thanks to a sample that came from Germany together with a perfume I bought to self to celebrate my birthday. It was a love at first sight, love at first sniff. I followed with a full bottle purchase within a week after I tried it. Van Cleef & Arpels together with perfumer Sonia Constant did an amazing job with this new release. I especially love the warmth and embrace this perfume offers to anyone who wears it. It might sound a bit funny to say but overall character of it matches the style of La La Land musical in my opinion. Sensuality of Moonlight Patchouli is addictive and seductive in its innocence. I’m sure you’ll love it too.

[note] photo – my own; all rights reserved

6 roses for golden Autumn & rainy Autumn

October has brought golden Autumn filled with colorful leaves in shades of brown, orange, yellow and red that gradually fall from trees turning into vivid and rustling carpets on top of the park pavements. Autumn like that is pretty and can be enjoyable even at times when a chilly wind is blowing behind our backs. On the other hand there are days when the sky is completely grey and it looks as if it was about to start to fall on your heads. Days filled with gloom and rain are definitely less enjoyable but at least they give you a good reason to stay at home as you wrap yourself with a fluffy blanket with a big cup of your favorite tea or coffee in hands, watching some movies.

I bet many of you have already done that or are in the process of deciding if its the high time to push back all the light, airy and summery fragrances and bring forward heavier scents with resins, spices and incense. To me rose is one of these materials that are pretty versatile no matter it’s spring, summer, autumn or winter. Among rose perfumes there are some that seem especially suitable for this transition period when it’s not summer anymore and it’s not winter yet. They can be glamorous, nostalgic, relaxing or uplifting – so here they are, my 6 roses for Autumn.

• Let’s hit it off with a perfume that belongs to the noble category of all-natural fragrances – Rose L’Orange by April Aromatics. Perfumer Tanja Bochnig blended a precious rose essence that is very rich in aroma, with the smell of orange blossom and neroli. These two essences sourced from orange tree flowers add a juicy, citric tenderness that is very uplifting and optimistic. When it blends with rose and a pinch of sweetness from vanilla the entire perfume evolves into a cuddly goodness that to me smells like a delicious rose confiture with candied orange peel. Very appropriate for chilly Autumn evenings.
• Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme is a rose of hundred faces. Ever since 2012 when I discovered this fragrance and fell in love with it, it still smells to me like a blend of fresh dark red roses with dry ones, sprinkled with rose-water. Papyrus adds a lovely vibe of rose potpourri. Rose Anonyme is sensual and seductive, at the same time being more dark and mysterious thanks to a little portion of oud. Patchouli adds depth to it while benzoin makes it feel a bit more balsamic. And that extra sparkle from ginger is a nice final touch.
• Third fragrance that I decided that should be included in this list and without which it would be incomplete is Rose Velours by Van Cleef & Arpels. My scent twin Hajusuuri and I really like it. This perfume is not an obvious choice for Autumn because it’s a more subtle and lightweight rose. What makes it worthy wearing in this season are notes of honey, benzoin and ambroxan which are nicely blended and balanced, giving you this luxurious feeling that I’d like to compare with liquid gold. Rose Velours is classy in more than one way.
• I bet many of you are familiar with Voleur de Roses launched by L’Artisan Parfumeur in 1993. This unusual perfume is a perfect option for fall due to its complexity and undeniable character. On my skin the opening gives a sparkly rose which then becomes more earthy, muddy, with a hefty dose of spices and dirty patchouli. The latter one is probably the only dirty patchouli I can wear. Voleur de Roses probably smells like a rose garden in the middle of an autumnal rain. This will be probably a bolder choice compared to other roses in this list.
• We love creative art work of perfumer Mandy Aftel. She has that undeniable talent of turning her creations into little gems that often have this old-fashioned, retro vibe style without overdoing it & making them mostly suitable for our grandmas. Aftelier liquid perfume of Wild Roses smells great, no matter if it rains or it’s a nice October day. In this perfume roses, included ta’if rose have been put together with apricot for a light and powdery sweetness that later evolves into more warm and spicy being thanks to pimento. Vanilla makes it milder on skin while geranium adds a lovely crispness that immediately makes me think of crisp mornings of Autumn. You won’t say “no” to this fragrance once you try it.
• Finally I’d like to spread some love for the fragrance that I discovered in my early perfumistahood. I fell in love with it years ago but for no reason I kept hesitating to purchase it… until few days ago when I finally bought it, reminded how beautiful it smells when I was writing this post. Histoires de Parfums Rosam is a perfect and rich rose for Autumn. Here ta’if rose blends with other rose species and citrusy top notes that quickly become sensual elixir made of saffron, a bit of oud, incense and sandalwood. It’s super cuddly and it always boosts my confidence. Plus a little goes a long way since it’s absolu eau de parfum concentrated. And bottle is covered in a silver veil. Rosam is sensually seductive.

Which one out of these 6 would you go with? Or maybe you have another option? Do tell!