Franck Salzwedel (courtesy of Franck)

With ELISIRE I wanted to tell the story of my love for fragrance and painting, driven by my fascination for nature. The world, the sky, the sun, the light, the stars, and the elements. But most of all, the miracle of colors, and their impact on the sensorial and emotional spectrum. -Creative Director,  Franck Salzwedel. 

Painted Fabrics, Paper -Franck Salzwedel

Creative Director, painter and designer, Franck Salzwedel was born in France, and moved with his family to Indonesia at the age of 10, where Bali in particular enriched his senses and “became the place I cherished the most; colorful, inspiring and life changing.” He returned to France at 16 to finish his studies. He graduated from business school, but soon felt the need to reconnect with his creativity and began studying at IFM, the French Fashion Institute in Paris, working with “the most talented personalities and creators in the world.” As he was achieving great success at Armani with Aqua di Gio and Flowerbomb at Viktor & Rolf, Mr Salzwedel also gained renown as an artist in the abstract genre of color field painting.  Mr. Salzwedel combines his painterly gift with his perfumery by packaging each bottle in a reproduction of one of his color-field paintings. Each perfume has its own delicate color; the effect is lovely as each flacon is wrapped in its own unique artwork. His talents meld beautifully in Elisire, each fragrance celebrates “the infinite radiance of color and the transporting power of scent.” 

Portrait of Joan Crawford by Eve Arnold, 1959

I can personally attest to the transporting power of Poudre Desir, composed by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas of Firmenich, my personal favorite in the luxury perfume collection.  Scent is memory and immediately I was brought back to my childhood; I was fascinated by my Aunt Chloe at her dressing table, getting ready for an evening out. I watched in great awe as she sat surrounded by fancy perfume bottles and sparkling jewelry, going through the mysterious and incredibly feminine rituals of choosing the perfect scent, the jewelry best suited to that evenings’ attire, the makeup to enhance her beauty even further.  Best of all was the finishing touch of powder from that swan’s-down powder puff, which to my eight-year-old eyes seemed to be the very epitome of luxury.

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi Grandaughter of Grace Kelly via Harper's Bazaar

Poudre Desir is an incredibly elegant fragrance, which would be right at home on any woman’s vanity.  It’s rich with iris, velvety gardenia and powdery heliotrope. It opens with a fairly juicy bergamot; sometimes I get a little tickle of pink pepper, too, but Poudre Desir gets right to its iris and gardenia heart fairly quickly. The iris is neither buttery nor rooty; it makes its presence known mainly by just smelling expensive and elegant, cool and classy. The gardenia is likewise not overbearing or pushy; it adds warmth and cushiness to the iris, and makes a lovely segue for the heliotrope in the basenotes.The heliotrope in Poudre Desire leans more almond than vanilla. It‘s a Jordan almond, not a savory one, and it’s definitely lavender colored  It adds a lovely powdery, intensely feminine aspect to the composition, and is a major component of the perfume.

There are some very clean white musks in the base as well, but they struck me as an intentional addition, chosen because they blend well with the other notes, rather than just being thrown in for a focus group. I think these musks make Poudre Desir a great choice for someone entering in to niche perfumery; they lend a comforting familiarity to a fragrance that is otherwise quite vintage in feeling and considerably more sophisticated than the average department store offering. Sillage is intimate as befits an extrait de parfum and longevity is excellent, clinging to my skin over night. 

Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Pink Pepper, Iris, Egyptian Jasmin, Jasmin Petals, Gardenia, Musks, Cedarwood, Heliotrope

Disclosure: I would like to thank Mr. Salzwedel for the samples he graciously sent. My opinions were not swayed by his generosity

Tammy Schuster, Contributor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen

Editor’s Note: You can read The Nosey Artist’s review and original prose for Ambre Nomade and mini reviews of the collection here. Franck is currently at  Tranoï Exhibition in Paris. At this time,ELISIRE is available in the USA at Bergdorf Goodman New York and www.elisire.com 

Thanks to Franck we have a draw for  2 registered readers as follows:

USA 50 ml  ($290) of Poudre Desir

USA and Worldwide:A Sampler Set of all five Elisire fragrances Eau Papaguena, Poudre Desir, Jasmin Paradis, Elixir Absolu  and  Ambre Nomade. To be eligible please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Poudre Desir based on Tammy’s review, where you live and a scent memory of the dressing table of someone you love, what note do you associate with elegance and where you live. Please be specific if you are in the USA and want to win Poudre Desir and put that in your comment

If you would like your  comment to count twice please LIKE ELISIRE on Facebook. Draw closes 1/30/2016

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume