Sara Carner

I met Sara Carner, the creative director and owner of Carner Barcelona, almost two years ago. Even back then when she only was displaying her first two releases, D600 and Tardes, I felt she was going to be someone to watch. A year later she would commission one of my favorite perfumes of 2011, Cuirs. I was beginning to think 2012 might pass without a new release but as with so many things in life the best things often come towards the end of the year.

Gustavo Adolfo Becquer by Valeriano Becquer (1862)

Rima XI is the new release and its name is taken from the Spanish poem by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer of the same name, I offer it in both its original language and translated below:

-Yo soy ardiente, yo soy morena,		-I am ardent, I am brown,
yo soy el símbolo de la pasión,		I am the sign of passion,
de ansia de goces mi alma está llena.		of anxiety for pleasures is my soul full.
¿A mí me buscas?		Are you looking for me?
-No es a ti: no.		-It's not for you: no.
-Mi frente es pálida, mis trenzas de oro,		-My forehead is pale, my braids of gold,
puedo brindarte dichas sin fin.		I can give you endless happiness.
Yo de ternura guardo un tesoro.		I keep a treasure of tenderness.
¿A mí me llamas?		Are you calling me?
-No: no es a ti.		-No: it's not you.
-Yo soy un sueño, un imposible,		-I am a dream, an impossible,
vano fantasma de niebla y luz;		vain ghost of mist and light;
soy incorpórea, soy intangible:		I am bodiless, I am untouchable:
no puedo amarte.		I cannot love you.
-¡Oh, ven; ven tú!		-Oh, come, you come!

 

Lake Mist by DilekGenc

I can’t say I was familiar with Sr. Becquer but the imagery of his words were beautiful. I was especially intrigued by a perfume which might capture “an impossible vain ghost of mist and light”. Rima XI was signed by perfumer Sonia Constant and she has taken the poem and used it to create one of the softest spice-laden fragrances I have encountered. Usually when I say spice-laden you expect nose-tickling piquancy. Rima XI is the opposite of that; it is a sachet stuffed with exotic spices meant to entice one closer.

The Ghost of Harvest by Gyseltrut

Mme Constant uses a quartet of spices to open Rima XI but the two leaders are an incredibly transparent cardamom and an equally diaphanous saffron. This pairing is mesmerizing and is bolstered with the barest pinch of black pepper and a figurative sprig of mint. Both of those problematic notes are use so sparingly that they are barely noticeable. The cardamom and the saffron create “the sign of passion”. The heart uses a core of jasmine sambac but Mme Constant surrounds it in a swirl of cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg. These spices create a vortex within which the jasmine fills in the vacuum. It is here that even though all of these notes can be used with powerful intensity, Mme constant instead conjures “a treasure of tenderness”. The base notes ramp up the intensity but only a small amount. Cedar and sandalwood lay down the foundation for benzoin, amber, and vanilla to rest upon. Each of the latter three prominent in their vanity and complete the “vain ghost of mist and light”.

Rima XI has average longevity and average sillage.

Rima XI is almost 180-degrees different in tone from Mme Constant’s Cuirs but where in that fragrance she exposed leather by increasing the intensity; in Rima XI she makes the wearer almost yearn for something more intense. Thankfully it is that fine balance that makes Rima XI such a joy to wear as each time it drew me deeper under its spell. Every time I wore it Sr Becquer’s words “Oh come, you come” came to life on my skin. This makes the fourth quality addition to this line of perfume and one well worth seeking out.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample of Rima XI provided by Carner Barcelona.

Thanks to Babalu Miami we have a 50mL bottle of Rima XI to giveaway. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite Carner Barcelona fragrance or which one you think might be your favorite. The draw closes on December 9, 2012.

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.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor's Note: Cuirs was a Top Five FIFI Finalist in the Indie Category 2012.