In 2007 the fragrance company Mane released a fragrance under their own imprimatur called Yu (Mandarin Chinese for rain). It was a limited edition of 500 bottles for an eye-popping $5,000. I finally was able to get a small sample of Mane Yu to try for myself. What I found was a fragrance more interesting for the pieces instead of the whole.
Mme Gentile has once again helped me to sharpen my vision and remember creativity has no borders and the only hindrance to experiencing these artists is the price of the postage. In the case of Maria Candida Gentile pay the price I don’t think you will be disappointed.
I think as an American perfume reviewer it becomes very easy for me to keep my eyes trained on the bounty of independent perfumers that abound close to home. The latest perfumer to help cure me of my myopia is Maria Candida Gentile. . I soon ended up with the six fragrances which make up Mme Gentile’s Classic Collection in front of me and over the course of a couple of weeks let them impose their will and Mme Gentile’s vision upon me. A couple of them have left indelible imprints.
When there is a limited edition fragrance exclusive to a store hundreds of miles away, or on another continent, we believe this mysterious elixir to be THE ONE
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, Figaro, Itasca, and Bluff from back in 2010 that I also thought were pretty good.
I just got to try Mary Greenwell Plum. Mary Greenwell Plum was an exclusive release to the House of Fraser in the UK. It was released there in October of 2010. It was described as a “contemporary chypre”. It was the first fragrance by “Award winning makeup artist Mary Greenwell”. It was being composed by Francois Robert of Les Parfums de Rosine fame. It was unobtainable and most everyone that encountered it waxed rhapsodically about this is how it is done. Then in December of 2011 it became available in the US, and to me. Is it the second coming of chypre for the twenty-first century?
