UPDATED With A Full Bottle Draw-New Niche Fragrance Review: Olfactive Studio Flashback -Through A Lens Brightly

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I think many perfumistas feel the words “fresh and clean”, to describe a fragrance, are synonymous with “wan and boring”. I mostly agree with that but that is also because that is where the majority of the masstige and lower end fragrances tend to ply their wares. The question I’ve often asked myself is what would happen if one of the perfumers responsible for many of those fresh and clean fragrances found on the department store counter was given the chance to take that style and refocus it through a niche lens. With the new fragrance from Olfactive Studio, Flashback, I think I have my answer.

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Celine Verleure

For those who have not experienced an Olfactive Studio fragrance before, Creative Director Celine Verleure uses a photograph as her brief to a perfumer. For Flashback the photographer was Laurent Segretier who digitally manipulates his photographs so they seem recognizable but there is just enough distortion to perhaps doubt you know what you are looking at. Perfumer Olivier Cresp does the same thing with the common fresh and clean fragrance. By using a different palette of notes and allowing their character to extend into areas where they aren’t so very fresh and very clean he has also distorted what we think we know and has created something recognizable but refreshingly different.

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The Photographic Brief for Flashback by Laurent Segretier

Flashback behaves much like an olfactory version of M. Segretier’s inspiration. From the first moments you recognize a familiar citrus freshness but it is then distorted with rhubarb. With a tart fruity transition which carries you to a familiar woody cleanliness but that is also made into something less delineated and softened by the presence of some less clean notes.

olivier cresp

Olivier Cresp

The opening of Flashback is a very familiar grapefruit and orange pairing the tart and sweet which are found in many fragrances. M. Cresp’s choice of rhubarb as his distorting element is perfect as in the early going the tart quality of the rhubarb complements the citrus duo. As the rhubarb lingers, and develops, the greener more vegetal character begins to blur the lines around the citrus and now the rind is more evident than the fruit inside. The whole opening becomes something wonderfully different. It gets better as the heart notes are deceptively simple as green apple and pink pepper turn the rhubarb into that sweetened tart rhubarb you find in a harvest time pie. I became particularly fond of this transition as it is so fresh and never boring. Eventually, but not too quickly, vetiver and cedar try to return you to familiar clean woody ground. Just as in the top notes M. Cresp is ready with amber and musk to keep the clean a little dirty. The amber in particular adds a rich warmth while the musk adds a drop of humanity.

Flashback has average longevity and average sillage.

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Laurent Segretier

Flashback is the fifth fragrance from Olfactive Studio and I have to commend Mme Verleure for her vision and for how varied the five fragrances under this brand are. Flashback smells like nothing else in the line but it shares a creativity and quality with the others which is becoming imprinted into the Olfactive Studio DNA. M. Cresp interprets M. Segretier’s ability of looking at the mundane, and by stretching one’s experiential frame, transforming it into something magically different. Flashback is fresh and clean for anyone who wants to have their idea of what that means stretched in a fascinating way.

Disclosure: This review was based on a preview bottle provided by Olfactive Studio.

Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

UPDATED: Celine Verleure has kindly offered to giveaway a 100mL bottle of Flashback to one reader. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite Olfactive Studio fragrance or your favroite piece of photographic art. The draw ends March 18, 2013.

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.

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63 comments

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i am a huge musk fan but very few musks have impressed me.. Kiehl’s Musk remains the benchmark for me though i am waiting for my Musc Tonkin to arrive.

  • I have not tried any from Olfactive Studio, but Autoportrait seems right up my alley. Many thanks!

  • My favourite Olfactive Studio scent is the leathery and gorgeous, Chambre Noire.

    Thanks for the draw!

  • I like both Lumiere Blanche and Chambre Noire, with CN having a slight lead over LB. I really like the photographic brief for Flashback!

  • Hoodedvillan says:

    My favourite from OS is Lumiere Blanche. My girlfriend and I both wear it and find it to be so uplifting!Thank you for the draw!

  • GregorySop says:

    Chambre Noir is excellent, have not had experience with any others. Flashback sounds fascinating with its musk/vetiver inclusive base.

  • Wow! What a nice draw! Autoportrait, Still Life, and Lumiere Blanche are my favorites. So elegant and well done! Unfortunately, amber is not my thing, so Chambre Noire didn’t work for me. But the others are wonderful!!! Thank you for the draw!

  • My favorite scent from Olfactive Studio is Chambre Noire. Deep, rich and sensual leather scent wiht a touch of animalic nuance, I love it!!:)Thanks for the draw!

  • I love rhubarb as a note, and I’ve really enjoyed every perfume by this house. They are thoughtful, quirky, high quality, and very wearable. My favorite is Chambre Noire, but Lumiere Blanche is a close second.

  • I have not had the chance to try and Olfactive Studios offerings yet, but I’ve always been thinking about Autoportrait and, since your piece on it, Lumiere Blanche. Very interesting line!

  • d3m0lici0n says:

    My favorite Olfactive Studios is definitely Chambre Noire . Thanks for another great article and awesome draw.

  • My favorite photographic art is by
    Clyde Butcher. His black & white photos
    are compelling!
    Flashback sounds intriguing…
    Thanks for the draw!

  • My favorite Olfactive Studio is Chambre Noire and thanks for the draw! This was a great article that I really enjoyed!

  • Congratulations OS on the newest release! So hard for me to pick a favorite from this line, as I have and love them all. If I a m forced to choose I would have to say…Still Life… Thanks for the review and to OS and Celine for the Draw.

  • Did someone Say Fresh and Clean ? !!! Can’t wait to try to new release OS ! My favorite is Still Life !!! Thank you for the draw.

  • Not only do I love Lumiere Blanche, but I also own a photo by Massimo Vitali! I’d love to try this latest fragrance.

  • I have not tried any olfactive studio fragrance, but Chambre noire sounds just right up my alley!

  • Hmm! All of the OS frags are really great, but I wore out my my tester of Chambre Noire first, so that’s probably an indication of my favourite. 🙂

    Very interested in this Flashback! Thanks to OS and CaFleureBon for the draw.

  • My favorite piece of photographic art is actually one my aunt did, of a street market in Sarajevo, back in the 80s. I doubt it’s been displayed anywhere, but she has remarkable talent, and it inspired in me a great desire to travel.

  • I have never had the opportunity to try a Olfactive Studio scent but think Autoportrait sounds like the one I would like best. I am a fan of nature portraits and landscape photography but am ashamed to say that my favorites are probably shots I have taken as they have strong memories attached of travels and my mother’s garden.

  • I have never tried an Olfactive Studio perfume. Maybe Lumière Blanche could be my favorite.
    I love photos of animals (especially birds), full color, high definition. But one of my favorite photos of all times is Robert Doisneau’s The Kiss.

  • Haven’t tried OS yet, but think Chambre Noir would be perfect for me – I’m a sucker for leather ^)
    Favorite piece of photographic art .. well.. maybe Naomi’s pics by Herb Ritts?

  • My favorite Olfactive Studio fragrance is Lumiere Blanche. But I like rhubarb so this new one is in the running. Thank you Celine for hosting another generous draw!

  • “The photo is staged…but the kiss is real.” I’ve long loved Doisneau’s Kiss by the Hotel de Ville, a photograph that, more than anything, makes me want to be in the City of Light with someone I want to kiss. (See a link to the story behind the picture below.) I also want to know more about Olfactive Studio! Thanks to Celine Verleure for the generous opportunity.

  • wefadetogray says:

    I got the sampler from Olfactive Studio and by far my favorite is Lumière Blanche. I love milky woody perfumes. My favorite being Frédéric Malle L’Eau d’Hiver. I have read somewhere else that Paul & Joe Blanc falls into this white creamy category; I think I need to try that!

  • I have not sampled this line but am very interested in doing so as I have heard wonderful things about these fragrances.
    A friend of mine has been wearing this scent for the past two months because he is so enamoured with it! must tell him to send me a sample 🙂 !
    My favorite photo is one taken by my daughter – a close up of autumn leaves in varying shades of yellow.

  • I was lucky to sample all four of Olfactive Studio’s fragrances…I liked all of them, but I loved Chambre Noire. This sounds like a nice fragrance for Spring/Summer. I would love to be entered for this…thanks for the draw.

  • Such a lovely review
    Flash back sounds perfect for spring
    I love still life
    Thank you for this draw

  • I look forward to trying Flashback, it sounds perfect for the milder days ahead. My favorite is Autoportrait (the perfume) and I like the photo for Lumiere Blanche the best of all the photos. Thanks for the draw!

  • just breathe says:

    I love the photo that goes with Lumiere Blanche and would love to try this fragrance.
    thanks for the draw!

  • I think that Lumiere Blanche is my favorite OS scent, although I do like them all quite a lot. This sounds like another great one!

  • By far Chambre Noire is my fav. I absolutely love it. I think Celine had me in mind when she launched it. Love every twist and turn and note !

    Great draw and great review!

  • I love black and white photos of cities and lights!! Chambre Noir is my favorite – so far- Olfative studio!!! Thank you for the draw!!

  • My favorite Olfactive Studio fragrance is Lumiere Blanche. I really love this line. Thank you for the draw!

  • My favorite OS is Chambre Noir
    The concept is beautiful and the photos , very suggestive
    thanks for the draw

  • I haven’t tried any of the Olfactive Studio scents yet, but Autoportrait sounds like a scent I could really enjoy.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    my favorite is AutoPortrait which i smell from a sample and second is Still Life of which I have a full bottle

  • My favourite Olfactive Studio creation is Lumiere Blanche- milky, sensual and brilliant play between warm abd cold spices against an almondy background- pure genius! Flashback seems superb!
    Thank you for the draw!

  • My favorite as got to be Lumiere Blanche as well, it is perfect for any occasion =)

  • My favorite fragrance from this line is probably still life followed by Lumiere Blanche. I love the effervescence of the first and the milkiness of the second.Thanks for the draw!

  • Olfactive Studio Chambre Noir sounds fantastic to me. As far as photography goes, I’ve always had a thing for Nan Goldin’s portraits. Thanks for the draw!

  • Charlestongirl says:

    My favorite piece of photographic art is a flower photo I took. That pride of authorship is powerful!

  • I love fashion shoots from this fashion photographer called Zhang Jingna! Can check her out if interested 🙂 and i like Chambre Noir 🙂

  • lumpkinluv says:

    I really enjoyed the previous reviews Olfactive Studio. This line is developing into a force to be reckoned with. My top favorite is Lumière Blanche.

  • susie frankel says:

    Amont many favorites one is Bert Stern’s Marilyn Monroe photos and Richard Avedon’s photo of Dovima and the elephant. Great…hope I get a chance to try some OS.

  • My favorite CV is Chambre Noir and my favorite photo is a Rod Cook palladium print “He Kisses Her Hip” (dumb title, gorgeous photo)

    xoxoA

  • Lumiere Blanche might be my favorite.
    My favorite photographic art is probably several pieces my sister had in her thesis show, of young soldiers and a starry starry night.

  • “Keeping the clean a little dirty” is brilliant.

    Favorite photo: “Liquid Forest” by Irene Suchocki.