One of my favorite fragrance stories of the last two years has been the slow and steady resurrection of the Lubin perfume house. I reviewed both of the more recent releases of Black Jade and the extrait version of Idole de Lubin. At the recent Elements Showcase I was reminded that there was a set of three other fragrances from back in 2010 that I also thought were pretty good, too. Inspired by either Le Vetiver or L’Eau Neuve these were more than flankers. If the press materials hadn’t bothered to point the relation out I’m not sure I ever would have presumed them to have the same olfactory DNA. I even spent some time with both the original and the derivation on side-by-side and I still don’t see it. Other than a note here and there these fragrances stand on their own and that’s the way I’m going to write about them.

Like many when I hear Figaro I think of the Beuamarchais opera “The Barber of Seville” or maybe the classic Looney Tunes episode “The Rabbit of Seville”. In any case the fragrance named Figaro neither shares the seriousness of opera or the kitschy silliness of Bugs Bunny. Instead perfumer Thomas Fontaine focused on the first three letters of the name and created a fig-centric fragrance. The early going of Figaro is all citrus zestiness courtesy of grapefruit with a pinch of pink pepper. A light application of pine and coriander transition Figaro to the heart of fig along with a tart apple note which adds both complement in its fruitiness but also contrast with the crisp aspect of apple intersecting the fleshy depth of the fig. The fig eventually dominated and carries Figaro into a creamy sandalwood and vetiver base. I’m not sure if Figaro hits all of the high notes it should, or could, have but it is a pleasant enough diversion. Perhaps more Looney Tunes than La Scala after all.

Itasca is named for the lake in the state of Minnesota. According to the press release Itasca is meant to evoke the frontier days represented by Davy Crockett and his time amongst the Native American tribes. It does a wonderful job of getting the trees right but it sort of misses the forest represented by its inspiration. Citrus, juniper, and marigold are the top notes of Itasca. The more astringent nature of juniper and marigold are on display. The heart is an inspired mix of clove, clary sage, and green geranium stitched together with a nutmeg note. The light trio of spices are excellent foils for the geranium. The base is where this all gets very pedestrian as it becomes pine and nothing else on my skin. According to the note list perfumer Lucien Ferrero was supposed to have incense, myrrh, vetiver, and amber included. They needed a search party to be sent out to find them because I never experienced them while wearing Itasca. If those notes were present Itasca might have emulated a woodsmoke infused Native American encampment. Instead it is like being lost in a pine woods. The pine is nice, Itasca is nice, but the promise could have been much more.

Bluff is my favorite of these three fragrances. Any fragrance which lists as its inspiration the cola soda has my attention. Thomas Fontaine creates a richly sweet fizzy heart that feels like the real thing. Before we get to that heart M Fontaine uses natural spice complements of cinnamon and nutmeg along with a little lime as the top notes. Clary sage begins to clear the way for the cola nut to take its place. The best move M Fontaine makes is to use iris as a floral attenuator to the cola nut. It allows the nuttier aspects of the cola note to have more prominence so the slightly sweet quality does not spiral out of control. The base is a precisely balanced mix of grassy vetiver, rooty patchouli, clean cedar and creamy sandalwood. All four of these create a nice woody harmony. There is no bluff here only aces over kings full. In other words a winning hand.

All three of these fragrances had slightly below average longevity and average sillage. I have to admit the lack of longevity is a bit of a problem for me because these feel like they shouldn’t be as fast developing on my skin as they are.

As I said these three fragrances were the warm-up acts for what would be a pretty spectacular 2011 for Lubin with Bluff being the indication of things to come. I am really looking forward to what we will find from Lubin in 2012.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Lubin.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor