New Fragrance Review: Olivier Durbano Citrine + Jewelry for Your Nose Draw

 

Perfumer Olivier Durbano is a real rock star. Literally. Over the past five years he has created both perfume and jewelery based on seven gemstones. I have tested each of the six preceding Citrine, and my favorite is Amethyst (Olivier also creates magnificent jewelery that correspond to each).

Thank you to Dimi aka Sorcery of Scent to send me  this fom Olivier

Olivier believes in the vibrational power of color, scent, and chakra energy. Each perfume is named for a semi precious gem stone known for healing and correcting imbalances. Citrine is the only stone that doesn't need any purification and as such absorbs and dissipates any negative energies.It is linked to the solar plexus chakra which is the seat of self-confidence and intelligence.

Since I feel CaFleureBon has covered the subjects of healing powers of crystals aromatherapy, Synesthesia, etc subject many times, I want to concentrate on the poetry, the perfumed story of Citrine; Olivier names his collection Bijoux de Pierres Poemes (roughly translated as Jewelry of 'stone' poems).Citrine will be the finale, the 7th in his series (which will continue through extraits) and as such is the culmination of his collection(Olivier's 6th was Pink Tourmaline reviewed by Mark Behnke).

 

Thank you to Dimi aka Sorcery of Scent to send me this fom Olivier

Citrine is an amber woody spice fragrance… bright and mysterious.(aptly named as citrine stones range from sunny yellow to deep sienna). All the nuances of the gem are represented in this fragrance.The fragrance opens with  a startling duality- wild orange and Sicilian lemon sparkle  but the top notes  include incense and pink pepper. The heart notes of carrot seeds, and mimosa appear briefly; the dry down on my skin is mostly the smoky myrrh, and  the elemi incense. Just before I’m about to dismiss it as a beautiful scent for incense lovers, a burst of ginger, amber and mimosa reappear; I sniff my skin and can smell a golden shimmer peeking through the resinous smoke.

In Mexico, Nahuatl legends relate that 7 is a very important number…seven tribes lived in Chicomoztoc, or "the place of the seven caves".

Since this perfume  evokes burnished Aztec Gold and incense burning in Montezuma's palace, I turn to one of the greatest Mexican Poets in history:

Entre ce que je vois et ce que je dis
Entre ce que je dis et ce que je me tais
Entre ce que je garde le silence et ce que je rêve
Entre ce que je rêve et que j'oublierai: Poésie
Octavian Paz, (Poète Mexicain )

 Between what I see and what I say

 Between what I say and what I keep silent

 

Between what I keep silent and what I dream

Between what I dream and what I will forget: Poetry

Octavian Paz, (Mexican poet and Nobel Prize winner)

Michelyn Camen, Editor-in- Chief

 (T

This fragrance is not available as of yet in the USA, and was sent to me be by Olivier. For one Commentor I will be offereing a 5ml decant of Cittrine. Be creative and enter a comment about your favorite Durbano fragance, anything you found interesting in the review or create your own rock poemDraw closes October 5, 2011 EST 

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26 comments

  • My Favorite Olivier Durbano fragrance is Turquoise, the color reminds of the beautiful blue ocean and the gorgeous blue summer sky. Citrine sounds amazing and as always right up my alley, will definitely seek out a bottle of this fragrance. The notes sound wonderful and exactly to my liking. Looking forward to this one. Great review and love the provocative picture…gorgeous.

  • speaking of stone poems and octavio paz
    here is a line from his piedra de sol (sunstone)
    which i have loved (the line) for decades:

    (…) у por todos los siglos de los siglos
    cierra el paso al futuro un par de ojos (…)
    — octavio paz: piedra de sol / sunstone

    (and until the end of all eternity
    the future is sealed by a pair of eyes…)

  • I have only briefly sampled Turquoise from the line, though I’d love to explore the line sometime.

    I love Citrine (though my birthstone is Amethyst, which attacts me for different reasons). I own a small, lovely chunk of it and I’m handling it now, admiring it in the lamplight. Yellow is absolutely my favorite color. Something about it is so lifegiving to me — like the sun, most obviously, I suppose. My bedroom walls are yellow. I just love it, and now I’m so curious about this fragrance, and all the subsequent extraits. Thanks for the draw opportunity!

  • I have not had the pleasure of trying ANY Durbano fragrances.

    Perfume, jewelry and gemstones…. 3 loves of mine. I love to make beaded jewelry with natural gemstones and mix them with glass and metals. Citrine happens to be a favorite stone/color that I use in my pieces quite regularly. It coordinates so nicely with amethyst, garnet and others. I love the idea of a fragrance based on a gemstone, this one being citrine. The notes listed above certainly do mirror the varying shades of the beautiful citrine stone.

    Would love to sample this!

  • Dimi and Harper

    7 is a significent number in Mexico Nahuatl legends relate that seven tribes lived in Chicomoztoc, or “the place of the seven caves”. So staying with a poetry theme the greatest Mexican poet is Octavio Paz
    Plus it was easier to translate from French than his Piedra del sol/Sun Stone Which I associate with Michel Roudnitdka… but Harper the full poem of piedra del sol includes a spectrum of all Olivier’s colors!
    Joe my birthstone is turquoise but the fruitiness of rose quartz is best on me
    If you click on the link to luckyscent it would be comparably priced at 175.00 usd
    The new extraits will probably be more intense and pricier using more raw materials

  • I have never tried any of Olivier’s compositions. Of course I would like to have a chance. The picture is fantastic, the mixture of elements, it suggests the warm and light. Thank you for the opportunity.

  • Tourbillion says:

    I was interested that Citrine is said to dispel negativity. I think I may have to go back to wearing my citrine pendant so that I can stay positive. I don’t think I have a single scent with an incense note at the moment, so I would love to try this one.

  • I have heard of Olivier’s compositions.They intrigued me but were a bit out of my price range (especially unsniffed). I knew that they were based on the color of gemstones but I did not know that they were also linked to the chakras. The picture at the top is gorgeous! Where do you find these great graphics? It is a perfect compliment to the perfume and review. I also loved the poem! Thanks for the draw!

  • I am so loving this article. It’s good to hear the inspirations of perfumers I admire. My fave is Black Tourmaline (with special intentions to Pink Quartz:) I’ll admit that Citrine didn’t peek my interest until I saw the notes-such a ‘me’ perfume from the notes.

  • chayaruchama says:

    What a beautiful review !
    Anything anthropological garners my interest immediately; ancient civilizations have fascinated me , ever since I could walk.

    I love the color and warmth of citrine.

  • michelyn —

    i have to re-read that poem in full (a quest, shall we say 😀

    oh, to be able to read and speak french — i envy you!

    as for the durbano perfumes — i’ve never tried them!

    but like ida, i really like the citrine color — and have a lovely and stunning HUGE old citrine cocktail ring my mother used to wear…

    xox
    hh

  • I haven’t tried Durbano fragrances but according to the notes listed I think I would love Citrine, Jade and Rock Crystal the most.
    The review of Citrine makes me want to try it: incense, pink pepper, mimosa, ginger, resins… I have to love it 🙂

    By the way, according to my horoscope my stone would be rose quartz. I have a pair of stones, a pendant, hearings and a bracelet of rose quartz. I think it is very relaxing in some way.

    Thanks on the draw!

  • Love the article and the images. I have a citrine ring from my godmother, and I cherish it. I would love to try this fragrance. My sign is Taurus, so my main stone would be Emerald. I’m not sure what other stones may correspond with Taurus, but the citrine sure looks comfortable there on my left hand. Thanks for the draw!

  • Every single one of Durbano’s fragrances are excellent. Not a single “weak link” amongst the seven. And I luv the way the scents are infused with little spheres of their respective crystals.
    ~ Black Tourmaline to me is just like black velvet set in stone and has remained my favourite. It’s supposedly a healing crystal used for protection against negativity, and is said to create a relaxed yet safe environment. And oddly enough that’s exactly how BT’s scent makes me feel.
    However, from the sounds of things, I now highly suspect Citrine might very well vie for that fave spot. And will probably at very least become a close second. It sounds totally scrumptious !
    He always chooses the most perfectly fitting notes for the respective stones. And with Citrine once again perfectly fitting and evocative choices. ~ Bravo Monsieur Durbano for a gorgeous set !!
    ~ (Although, I must admit, I’m still a little sad there’ll be no “eighth”, and no “Garnet”. :o( ~ Thanx for the draw !)

  • I don’t know why, but after looking at these perfumes inspired by rocks and crystals, it brings to mind one of my favorite childhood vacation treasures. We used to go to Colorado for a couple of weeks every year in the summer. At some point during the trip my sister and I would beg my parents for a souvenir, and we had to be careful because we knew there would only be one. One year mine was this box with 12 rocks and crystals, labeled. I don’t know why, but I loved it, and when I had to cull through my childhood possessions it was one of the few things that made the cut. It is now framed and hangs above my guest toilet, where there should always be something interesting and unexpected, in my humble opinion.
    So I’ve always had this fascination with the polished stones and rough cut crystals. But my favorite was always the rock crystals, which looked like rock sugar candies,, and had such an interesting shape and rough planes. Therefore, my pick to try would have to be rock crystal. The description of the scent sounds heavenly, like something I want to be embalmed in. 🙂

  • I have never tried Olivier Durbano perfumes, but I’d love to try Citrine. I will explain why in a rock poem.

    Gentle rain.
    Mama, what does it mean when they say, “The rain set in”?
    Oh. It is October and I already know.

    Horisontal rain.
    Thirty-one days without a single ray of Sun this January.
    Oh. And February is ahead.

    Windy Spring.
    Do you think the Summer comes any time soon?
    Oh, how I long for May.

    Coastal fog.
    It fogs in the morning and it’s windy in the afternoon.
    Oh. It is cold in June.

    This is why Oregon’s State Gem is the Sun stone:
    A stone takes all you want and lack
    So that you can clutch it in your palm in one ball
    as a ball of dreams unfulfilled that tightens in your throat.

  • Hey, Cynthia – me too. My parents bought me one of those boxes in Colorado when I was a kid. When I went back there with my son, I bought him one, too.

    My wife loves citrine, and has a citrine ring. I would love Citrine for her, but I would love Turquoise for myself. I’ve worn silver and turquoise my entire life, since my parents bought me my first Navajo jewelry as a child. I would simply love to see how Olivier embodies either stone in a fragrance.

    Citrine and Turquoise
    Yellow and Blue become Green
    Where East touches West

  • I have only smelled one Olivier Durbano fragrance and that was Turquoise. I was a bit put off by the marine notes, and I gave it away. It has haunted me ever since. I have to try it again, because even though my nose disagreed, my heart was in love.

    I have a lot of colored stone jewelry but very little citrine. One ring, and a pair of earrings combined with smoky quartz. I love the color, but it does not work well with my skin. The perfume, however sounds like it would be brilliant. No color clash there….

    I love that picture of Olivier.

  • Pink Quartz is my favourite in the range (of those I”ve smelled). I like the idea of the range and am sad to hear Citrine is to be the last.

  • I love the idea of scents based on gemstones! I did not know about Citrine’s powers of absorbing negative energy. I think I need more of this gemstone (and this fragrance) in my life!

  • I adore amethysts, possibly also because purple is my favourite colour. So I’m not sure if perhaps my attraction to these have directly influenced my attraction to Durbano’s Amethyst, but I do luv it best. (Closely followed by his rich gorgeous Black Tourmaline).
    However, Citrine sounds really amazing, and I have an inkling that it might very well become my favourite overall. Can’t wait to sniff it !

  • Black Tourmaline is the only one I’ve tried, and I think it’s great! I have wanted to sample Cristal de Roche ever since it was released, and I’d love to try Citrine. But secretly, I am wondering what Olivier Durbano’s interpretation of Pearl would smell like.

  • Scentual healing says:

    I love the concept of stone poetry
    The Octavian Paz poem really finished the review beautifully
    Please enter me into the draw
    My favorite is black tourmaline but citrine sounds appealing

  • I’ve always believed in the healing properties of stones. Through massage and tigers eye to ward off evil. This article intrudes me as do all stones. Im not feeling the part of the poet today. But I’m an opal by birthstone milky, soft, and multi hued. Thanks. Xo