Puente Perfumes Vespertine and Puente Perfumes Iris Doux courtesy of the perfumer collage by Michelyn
My word. Some perfumes leave you breathless, and it becomes immaterial what you may have thought your preferences were beforehand. So it is with the fragrant compositions of Eliam Puente of Puente Perfumes, who made his aromatic debut last year with the exquisite Medusa, one of my top 10 scents of 2022. How does one follow in those footsteps? You create two more swoony potions named Vespertine and Iris Doux. Many perfumers have composed memorable fragrances which swirl around tuberose and iris like a whirling dervish – but the two newest Puente Perfumes reinforce one’s conclusion that they are being held captive by a bona fide voluptuary.
Eliam Puente of Puente Perfumes
Years ago, if anyone inquired as to whether or not I was a floral girl, I’d have said NO. Ironic that, in that I relish so many perfumes which are predominantly floral – but as I cut my milk teeth on chypres, leathers, and fougères, this is how I envisioned myself. WRONG. In masterful hands, I’m rendered helpless by the power of the flower, especially when it is portrayed in a slithery, sensual light. This is what happened last week, when my samples from Eliam arrived. I deliberately prolonged my anticipated pleasure in an effort to demonstrate self-discipline – and not waste a single drop until I was ready to review them. That time is now.
Collage of Puente Perfumes Vespertine and tuberose by Michelyn images via the perfumer
Let us begin with Puente Perfumes Vespertine, whose name refers to dusk (it means “of the night”.). Tuberose is a night-blooming flower: potent, bewitching, intoxicating. Tuberose personifies Lady Caroline Lamb’s assertion regarding her lover, Lord Byron: it is “mad, bad, and dangerous to know”. Our treasured Elise Pearlstine is very clear when she reminds us that young women during the Renaissance were to be discouraged from traipsing through the gardens after dark, lest they fall under the blossom’s aphrodisiacal spell. Unwed maidens in France were similarly cautioned – and the Victorians (bless their hearts) associated tuberose with unbridled sensuality and yes, even death itself; how very like them. Perfumer Eliam Puente plays upon this to extraordinary lengths, and quite shamelessly: imagine five wildly indolic blooms conspiring to woo you – namely, tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom and narcissus. Eliam then beds these hussies in a velvety sandalwood and vetiver duvet embroidered with ambery, musky threads. Resistance is futile. I ran off to purchase a bottle before I finished writing about it. Vespertine Notes: Tuberose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Orange Blossom, Narcissus, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Amber Notes, Cashmeran® (IFF, aka musk indanone)
Puente Perfumes Iris Doux collage by Michelyn using iris image via unsplash and bottle image by perfumer
Puente Perfumes Iris Doux (gentle, tender, or soft iris) is equally beautiful in an entirely different vein. Aptly named, Iris Doux is supremely tender and cossetting. Its delicacy is both elegant and delicious, as iris transforms into an intricate buttery floral pastry flavored with tonka and a woody vanilla. Here mimosa, ylang-ylang, and jasmine display their sympathetic sweet nature, with little of the animalic underbelly which one often experiences; a modicum of floral/herbal geranium contributes its sunny disposition and a shaft of light. A kiss of cedar, the mellowness of sandalwood provide a soft landing. Sometimes, in the drydown – Iris Doux echoes Caron’s lovely Farnesiana by Michael Morsetti, sans opoponax or heliotropin (or muguet and lilac notes) – and that’s high praise indeed. This is not a baby powder perfume, but an adult one – confirming that brash isn’t one’s only option in the art of seduction. Iris Doux Notes: Iris Pallida, Ylang Ylang, Mimosa, Geranium, Frangipani, Jasmine, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla
Samples kindly provided by the perfumer – many thanks! I love them! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Fragrance Editor
Puente Perfumes Vespertine and Iris Doux collage by Michelyn using images from the perfumer
Thanks to the largesse of perfumer Eliam Puente we have a 12.5 ml flacon of EITHER Puente Perfumes Vespertine or Puente Perfumes Iris Doux for one registered reader in the EU, USA, UK or Canada. You must register of your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment regarding what appealed to you in Ida’s review of Puente Perfumes Vespertine and Iris Doux, where you live, and which of the two you would prefer should you win. Giveaway closes 2/25/2023 and the winner will be announced within 10 days later.
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