Tempus Vitae Parfums Carpe Diem, artwork from the brand
Have you ever been to an old concert venue, such as London’s Wigmore Hall or the Boston Symphony? Vienna’s Musikverein? These musical grande dames have a distinctive olfactory sheen that smells like burnished gold to me: whiffs of polished mahogany, dusty velvet, the golden aroma of the footlights heating the stage and mingling with the warm skin of theatregoers. It is the smell of the orchestra tuning, the bubbling murmur of the audience, the reflected glitter of the chandeliers. It is not unlike the perfume of old libraries, with their pencil shaving-and-cracked wood parch, vanillic whiffs of old paper, and animalic tangs of vellum and binding. But above all, these are the fragrances of something remembered and loved, of yearning and yesteryear.
Covent Garden Theatre, from Microcosm of London by R Ackermann, 1808
Tempus Vitae Parfums distills these scent memories in Carpe Diem, a woody chypre with a warm, resinous heart. It is one of the Texas-brand’s initial three fragrances along with Elixir de Vie, a Yuzu-laced citrus, and Fete D’ Ambre, a boozy gourmand. The brand’s ethos, to evoke “memories, milestones, and achievements throughout one’s life,” is beautifully realized in Carpe Diem, whose inspiration comes from a “love and fascination with venerable concert halls and well archived libraries with wooden shelves containing mankind’s chronicled history and tales of times long forgotten.”
Kyle Mott-Kannenberg, photo via American Perfumer
Tempus Vitae Parfums Carpe Diem opens with contrasts: a soaring, sparkly bergamot and the milky, woody smell of parched paper. Aromatic bursts of marigold and fruity pink pepper add zest and dimension, and for the first few minutes, Carpe Diem teeters between flowery chypre and woody fragrance. Linden blossom is listed in the notes, and I while I don’t initially detect it as itself, it lends its honeyed sweetness to the perfume as it develops. It intrigues me that Carpe Diem apparently has no vanilla or tonka, which are often used to evoke aged paper. Instead, perfumer Kyle Mott-Kannenberg lets sandalwood and labdanum combine early in the fragrance’s development to create its central, old book odor. And it hooks me. The longer I wear this fragrance, the more I want to scent my whole apartment with it, light a few logs in the fireplace and snuggle up with a well-loved novel.
Trinity College Library, Dublin, image via common stock
What really takes me by surprise is how textural Tempus Vitae Parfums Carpe Diem becomes as it wears. After its first few minutes, a velvety quality comes through, and I almost expect to touch the plush of a theatre seat when I reapply perfume to my wrist. About an hour later, I test Carpe Diem again. Heading towards the perfume’s intermezzo, I start to smell the linden blossom and some jasmine, mildly indolic and girlish. The sense of contrast I got in the initial moments is still there though different in accent; bitter dabs of oakmoss and loamy patchouli peek through the labdanum and flowery aspects. In concert with the marigold, these classic chypre base notes temper the sweeter florals and, like lights lowering just before the curtain rises, add momentary touches of darkness.
At drydown, labdanum glimmers softly and marigold and bergamot hum in the background. In its final stages, Carpe Diem takes on a slightly mournful, serene quality, like the sounds of low strings echoing in the quiet of the concert hall. The bergamot fades, at is does, and the labdanum and oakmoss curl up together in the corner. While Carpe Diem doesn’t smell exactly like my teenage memories of Carnegie Hall or the Royal Albert – mine have a bit of wood polish and candlewax, even though they are probably imaginary – there’s enough sense of them here to makes me feel wistful for the scratchy twang of the strings and pops of flute and piccolo as the orchestra warms up, the lights lower, and music spirals into the darkness
Notes: bergamot, pink pepper, linden blossom, jasmine, marigold, sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli, labdanum.
Disclaimer: Sample of Tempus Vitae ™ Parfums Carpe Diem kindly provided by the brand. My opinions, as always, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Tempus Vitae Carpe Diem, artwork by the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Tempus Vitae ™ Parfums, we have a 50 ml bottle for one registered reader in the U.S. only. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Tempus Vitae Carpe Diem and confirm you live in the USA. Draw closes 1/11/2023 and the winner will be announced within two weeks
Editor’s Note: Deputy Editor Ida Meister was the evaluator for Tempus Vitae Parfums
Tempus Vitae Parfums Fete d’Ambre received Michelyn’s “Best Fragrance You Never Heard Of” 2022
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