Amouage Epic 56 Woman Review (Cecile Zarokian) 2021 + An exceptional extrait Draw

December 17, 2021December 17, 2021

Comparing the original Amouage Epic Woman (2009) to Amouage Epic 56 Woman 56 (2021), it is immediately evident the extrait has enhanced the depth and richness of the entire fragrance, with an emphasis on the base notes. Cecile Zarokian did an wonderful job of keeping the scent from becoming harsh or dark as may have been the case in the hands of a less experienced perfumer. Amouage Epic 56 Woman has succeeded in not only bridging the world of Arabic and Western perfumery but also in creating a sense of continuity between what was created in the past and what is yet to come.

Parfumeurs Du Monde Makeda Review (Alexandre Isaie Helwani) 2021 + Queen’s Nectar Draw

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021

In Parfumeurs Du Monde Makeda, Alexandre Isaie Helwani wanted to express not so much the dynamic aspect of the powerful Queen, as the tender side of the woman (strongly inspired by the “Song of Songs”). His initial idea was to construct the fragrance upon a combination of orris butter, sandalwood and vanilla, thus reflecting the idea of “gold and ivory” that Queen Makeda brought as gifts to Jerusalem.

Jo Malone Silver Birch and Lavender Review (Yann Vasnier) 2021 “Scintilla of Silver For the Solstice”

December 12, 2021December 12, 2021

Jo Malone Silver Birch & Lavender personifies Coco Chanel’s opinion that simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance – pristine in an argentine fashion, all shimmer and sleek freshness. A well-tailored item retains its value, and in the skilled hands of senior perfumer Yann Vasnier of Givaudan, this cologne not only mirrors the crispness of the season, it will work perfectly well year ‘round: tonic in spring, refreshing in summer, and elegiac in the autumn.

Aether Arts Perfume Black Hole Review (Amber Jobin) 2021 + Falling Weightless Draw

December 11, 2021December 11, 2021

Aether Arts Perfume Black Hole, by Amber Jobin, (the third in the Pandemic series which includes The Space Between and Contact) poses an inherent contradiction: turning an exploration of the unknowable into fragrance. But Black Hole is more than an intellectual exercise of creating something out of the ultimate nothing; it is also a sly olfactory rendering of “all the craziness that was/is 2020-2021.”

Aedes de Venustas 16a Orchard Review (Frank Voekl) 2021 + A Time of Reinvention Draw

December 5, 2021December 5, 2021

The experience of Aedes de Venustas 16a Orchard is a bit like getting lost in a modern art gallery where all the exhibits are watercolour. The notes shimmer individually then merge, separating and joining in a continuous loop that makes me think of Calder’s elegantly kinetic pieces. Frank Voelkl has created a perfectly pitched composition in which is bright and scintillant one moment, dreamy and hazy the next. Its feel is neither urban nor nature but both.

Aftelier Perfumes Joie de Vert (Mandy Aftel) 2021 + The Voice of Joy Draw

December 3, 2021December 19, 2021

Aftelier Perfumes Joie de Vert is akin to being lured into the forest initially by the song of the woodthrush, only to discover that it has flown and now you are being serenaded by the owl as daylight retires.