Today we're helping Ruby, who says that if money were no object...
...I would have [perfumer] Olivia Giacobetti make me a fragrance that evokes the following: A night with a huge golden moon. A library in a very old British castle. Crumbling paper, leather bound reference tomes, wood polish, parchment and ink, a fireplace, hot tea and pear almond tart, a bit of mineral from the stones on the hearth, fresh flowers just harvested from the garden, a bit of damp earth and rain still clinging to their stems. Martin Gore is sitting in an ancient leather wing chair by the fire. (I'm guessing headspace technology will have to come into play on that one)
In real life, she can spend up to $150. Ruby is a makeup artist and photography student in her mid-30s. Here are some other details about her:
She says she is a loner by nature, and a passionate reader. She also has an acerbic wit and might come across as overly serious.
She loves going to museums and traveling.
She is a bit of an Anglophile, and says her general aesthetic is crumbling castle, not Hot Topic.
Ruby would prefer to find something not everyone else wears, and says shes "a sucker for high concept fragrances, but they need to deliver". Fragrances she has worn include:
Cacharel Anais Anais: she loves the leather and incense mixed with flowers and oakmoss.
Chanel No. 5 Parfum: too many people wear it.
L'Artisan Premier Figuier: She used to adore it, but now the coconut comes out too much.
L'Artisan Voleur de Roses: She loves the concept, but the rose was too boozy and she doesn't like patchouli.
L'Artisan Tea for Two: a little too sweet.
Comme des Garçons Incense series Avignon: she says she likes incense better as a home fragrance rather than a personal fragrance.
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey, White Jasmine and Mint: both were nice, and she likes the gentleness and the "real plants" smell, but she says she is too serious for the Jo Malone line.
Aveda Love: Ruby likes botanicals, and thus many of the Aveda scents.
CB I Hate Perfume In The Library and Burning Leaves: Reminded her more of an apple orchard.
Etro Messe de Minuit: strong potpourri.
She also loves Diptyque's Santal and Mousses candles and L'Artisan Pour des Prunes candles.
Ruby hates tuberose, vanilla, patchouli, powder, aquatic notes, anything overly sweet/gourmand and the very idea of celebrity scents. She does not like Carolina Herrera, Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise, Givenchy Amarige, Giorgio, Thierry Mugler Angel, or anything from BBW.
What say you?
Note: image is Post Box by at Living in Monrovia at flickr; some rights reserved.
Ruby, you are fun. if I were Olivia, I would create it for you, no question : D
you would also win le prix eau faux : D Martin Gore LOL, I adored him : D
ami-
YOU sound fun! as for Martin Lee, isn’t it disgusting i’m 35 and still pining for the man? gah!
Ruby: Try layering encre noir under Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia.
that sounds fab! i’ve tried mixing scents in the past but they end up muddled. i’ll give this a shot though.
Yes, do not actually spray one on top of the other….
What I do is I put the heavier scent on my chest, inside of my arms, and the lighter scent on my neck-behind my ears- wrists.
That way the smells mix but the actual fragrances don’t… and I think that is the key to layering
I think you’re right… the only thing I ever layer is SDV w/BdP, and I always have to put just a drop of the BdP alongside, not on top of, the SDV or it smells all wrong. So interesting!
Well, the two which come immediately to mind are both by Ineke: Evening Edged in Gold and Field Notes from Paris.
The former has a beautiful plum note, and the latter has a gorgeous beeswax and journal effect; both have leather notes in the base.
I’m not sure what you are looking for though — a high-concept leather scent or an unusual floral. From your scent profile, it sounds as if you might be seeking a floral too…
Field Notes is a good choice. Beauty Habit has a sampler with 7 1.5ml samples (A-G) for $25.
Santa Maria Novella Opoponax smells like an old library, ink, damp paper — if you can handle the patchouli in the base, it could work. Other suggestions: Sienne l’Hiver, and Bois D’Ombrie.
Have you tried CB’s Black March? Wild Pansy?
There is another perfume I am thinking of… something like spring rain (aargh… why can’t I remember?)
Penhaligon’s Sartorial….
Tallulahrose: you’re right, I am kind of asking for two types of scents aren’t I? i’ll order samples of both Inekes, and I love me some SMN so I’ll try their Opoponax too. I’ve tried Black March but it makes me smell like a beet salad. Is Wild Pansy powdery at all?
Not powdery…juicy and green.
Wow. I’m stumped. I assume you have tried Dzing!? Minerals always makes me think of Hermes Voyage. I would suggest Chanel Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie but the humongous vats are $200 which is over budget. I also thought about the woody, earthy dryness of VC&A Bois d’Iris but they are also over budget at $185 for a 75ml bottle.
What about something from Sonoma Scent Studio? Tabac Aurea and Winter Woods come to mind. She also has some smokier woods like Fireside Intense. Laurie’s fragrances are very concentrated (parfum/extrait strength) and they are very reasonably priced. She also offers sets of carded samples, 1ml vials, 2.5ml spray samples and 5ml ‘purse size’ sprays which more companies should do.
I was thinking of Dzing! too, but the flowery side is missing, maybe. L’air de rien (Miller Harris) is interesting for earthiness + flowers (there’s also a lighter version out now), Iris taizo (or oriental, nowadays, parfumerie generale) could be interesting.. it’s diffeicult to pinpoint one single scent with your very eclectic expectations
Yes to L’air De Rien! Furniture polish is there, for sure
Bee and Dee: I’m intrigued by L’air du Rien, but I’m scared of the “funky underwear” note that’s been mentioned in several reviews I’ve read. I like dirty, but clean dirty if that makes any sense–soil, minerals, branches, a bit of dust. If there is a warm skin smell, it has to be freshly washed! Do you find there is a funk to it?
I don’t actually find any funk at all Ruby; I might be anosmic to whatever musk people are smelling though! To me it’s a little bizarre, but not skanky in the least.
Julia, I have tried Dzing! and it was so strongly hay on me, which is not good. Hay on me does not smell of grasses drying in the sun. It smells like barnyard
I’ve sampled Bois des Iles and liked it but it wasn’t love. I’m going to check out the Sonoma Scent Studio website!
Hmm… Dzongkha for cold stone, CdG2 for ink, PG Psychotrope for high concept leather/unusual floral combined, or Shaal Nur just because it insisted on being suggested (I have no idea why). I also think she should try OJ Woman and Boudicca Wode (again, I can’t say why).
I agree that Shaal Nur, as a lovely and eclectic fragrance, needed to be suggested.
Boojum and Haunani: Shaal Nur sounds right up my alley except for the vanilla listed in the notes…do you find that it is prominent at all?
Hmmm…on me it’s a soft, subtle vanilla in there with a lot of other things. It IS there, though.
Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur comes to mind – it is a really nice soft leather with a mildly floral edge. I just got a bottle.
For the books maybe Smell Bent One.
The most eclectic scent I have tried lately is the Lush Gorilla Perfumes Breath of God. It is kind of a smoky floral with a hint of sweetness. I am completely in love with it.
Tama: SO curious about Breath of God! I’m going to go broke trying out samples of the wonderful suggestions. What a way to go though!
Tama: since you like Breath of God, have you tried Gorilla Perfume’s The Smell of Weather Turning? I’m kind of interested as I love the smell of storms and rain. For me, scents that have notes of dirt hit the mark better than ones that specifically say they smell of rain. Those always smell aquatic to me, which turns my stomach. I’ve been afraid of Lush fragrances ever since I smelled their awful Go Green, which was all alfalfa sprouts and bongwater.
Miller Harris – L’air De Rien: A fragrance made for Jane Birkin, but answers quite a few of your OG dream fragrance components.
I am going WAY out on a limb, and suggest Caron’s Nuit de Noel….and only because she and I sound so similar in personality and I love it myself. I’d recommend getting the Art Deco black splash bottle, since that is the only version I have ever used and I have heard Caron EDT’s are ghastly.
Caron’s Poivre has a gorgeous inky note, too, if you don’t mind the pepper, which I adore!
I’d also like to suggest she try two DL&Co candles that I just love…Opium Den and Dia De Los Muertos.
JolieFleurs: Nuit de Noel sounds amazing! I like pepper, so the Poivre might work…also thanks for the candle rec’s. I’m going to try both–I’m excited about Dios de las Muertos, I like the smell of marigolds as they were the first flower I planted as a child and they remind me also of India where they are a traditional wedding flower.
What about Parfumerie Generale’s Papyrus de Ciane? According to Kevin’s review here https://nstperfume.com/2010/03/03/parfumerie-generale-no-24-papyrus-de-ciane-fragrance-review/ it’s got citrus, white flowers, incense — and to my nose when I sniffed it, the most amazing paper smell ever! And it’s in the $150 for 100 ml price range.
*adds to list* thank you!
hhhhmmmm, what she likes on a fragrance sounds more like the masculine side on a feminine one….
CDG 2 is one of my recommendations, already mentioned…
then I think she could try Un Jardin en Mediterranee or Sur le Nil Hermes, in case she’s into pears. 24, Faubourg ???
Also into flowery, classics… Ysatis by Givenchy (it’s not Amarige, lol)…Coco Chanel maybe..
Hmmm….CDG2 is going on the list. I like Mark Buxton’s work.
Ruby, you’re a tough one. After thinking about this, I’m wondering if you have tried any vetiver fragrances? Perhaps a vetiver blend like the new Parfums DelRae Panache would appeal to you. It’s just wonderful! Also, the aforementioned Shaal Nur combines herbal and floral elements with incense and vetiver. Both have a wonderful earthy vetiver base, but with lots of other things going on. Check out the reviews online and see what you think!
I have tried Guerlain Vetiver and I decided I like the smell of vetiver but would like it to be a component of a scent instead of the focus. I understand that that’s hard to do with vetiver as it’s so distinct. Right now I’m burning Claus Porto’s Vetyver candle and it’s yum!
You might want to give Ormonde Jayne Woman a try. I won’t try to describe it here as there’s nothing quite like it and I’m no reviewer. It might be just the thing if you like Vet, but don’t want it to be the star…
In the same vein, maybe Ruby would like Fleurs de Sel. It has that earthy-dirty vetiver quality, and the ‘salt’ in it reads as mineral salt to me, and it is also lightly floral. Might be a bit out of the price range, but I found my bottle for $150.
Nice one!
I agree! It has an earthy, natural feel. A real celebration of the seaside and its plants!
I’ve heard so much about this one, but I’m afraid of calone and anything that could even be perceived as aquatic. I also have to admit I don’t understand what people mean about being able to smell salt. Is it like the saltiness of sweat?
This one has no calone. It’s not aquatic at all. It’s herbal, earthy, and salty. I’m not sure how they do the salt!
Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur and Cuir de Lancome are worth trying for floral leathers.
both really good—I second Monkeytoe!
Not focusing on any particular note here, but your aesthetic sounds like you might enjoy the Andy Tauer line. His scents are beautiful, well-balanced and quite distinctive, and he does nice work with roses, incense and vetiver. I find that there’s a calmness to them that might suit a self-described loner and passionate reader. Anyway, if you can, go smell a few of them to see what you like. Otherwise, he has a very nice sample set that he’ll send you.
Millicent and SmokeyToes: I’m going to order a sample set of Carillon pour en Ange, Vetiver Dance, Eau d’Epices, Incense Rose, and Lonestar Memories. Was going to get L’air du Desert Marocain, but the listed cumin is a no go for me.
Andy’s cumin notes are very well-behaved, so do not let that deter you. You will never get an “eau d’armpit” experience from one of Andy’s fragrances like say, Malle’s Bigarade. So I’d encourage you to try L’air du Desert, and his Une Rose Chypre as well (just because it is *that* beautiful!).
I just wonder though how you will react to the “Tauerade” which has no small measure of patchouli. Although he is one of my favourite perfumers (if not *the* favourite living one!), his work is the opposite of Olivia Giacobetti’s — “transparent” and “translucent” are not adjectives which could ever describe his oeuvre.
I think you should look to the work of Bertrand Duchaufour — the translucence of Olivia Giacobetti, but working in shadows. Gorgeous stuff. He’s done most of the Eau d’Italie line, including *my* signature scent, Paestum Rose. I think PR would really appeal to you, come to think…
Also, try the Annick Goutal line…
Yup, in absolute agreement with you there Tallulahrose. Duchafour does wearable, unusual, transparent yet fascinating scents! Sienne L’Hiver is a masterpiece, and I really liked Sartorial too. It was like the olfactory version of Turner painting (if he’d painted interiors!) – a hazy, impressionistic interpretation of the inside of a tailor’s workshop!!
I tried Baume du Doge and thought it was so…boozy? We had an Annick Goutal counter at my old work and the only ones I liked were Mandragore and Ce Soir Ou Jemais, and even then they weren’t me. I’m not enough of a lady to wear them!
Have you tried Ninfeo Mio? I would have thought that might appeal to you… Annick Goutal is a HUGE line, not all by the same noses.
Isabel Doyen has done most of the latest stuff; she has also done 3 of the perfumes for LezNez. L’Antimatière is another of my “signature scents” — no top notes, just base! I find it incredibly beautiful, sexy and reassuringly-me (if that makes any sense), but many as anosmatic.
Let Me Play the Lion is a beautiful soft woody and incense scent; slightly more masculine, but I bought it for my husband so that I could use it.
I mention her because she does some quite interesting work.
Also, try Onda, in both concentrations by Vero.
Oh, have to second the Eau d’Italie line!
What about YSL Nu edp? It is a floral incense but it won’t remind you of church. Quite lovely and you can get it for a song on discount sites. For a leather – perhaps Knize Ten – though I get more of a citrus leather than floral leather.
Good one! I just tried Nu and loved it!
I tried that when it first came out (I used to work in the cosmetics at a department store) and I loved how peppery it was. I used to put it on all the time, but never felt compelled to buy it for some reason. It was like finding a cute, funny, smart boy who disappointingly just does nothing for you.
I happened to be testing FM Une Fleur de Cassie today, which just might be as complex and interesting as what you describe. Definitely a serious perfume.
Aaaah! I ADORED your dream scent description, Ruby! It instantly made me beam like a loony. I really love your deeply specific whimsy. As I’m still a relative scent-naif myself, I’m not sure I can offer too many startlingly novel suggestions, but maybe these ideas will light the path to your longed-for scent.
I think, as others have said, that perhaps the solution is to layer two or more scents to achieve something close to your lovely library: one to capture the fresh, stony coolness, and another for the comforting homey warmth of fire and food.
For the cool, mineral side, I second Boojum’s suggestion of Bertrand Duchaufour’s Dzonkha (which reminds me of the beautiful crumbling Taktsang monastery, perched achingly high up in the Himalayas. Click here to get atmospheric goosebumps: http://bit.ly/fd4yxZ ). Actually, a lot of Duchaufour’s work is worth investigating: he does cool, silky shadows and ancient stones better than anybody else. I believe he’s the nose behind Avignon, which is definitely at the extreme end of wearability, but does give you some idea of his extraordinary talents. Or perhaps The Different Company’s earthy, green Bois d’Iris might be more your style? It’s got a little pepper, a little bergamot, and a little vetiver, but it’s far more peaceful than those notes usually indicate. Lovely stuff.
As for the warmth, food and firelight, have you considered Boucheron’s Jaipur? It’s wonderful. Luca Turin describes it as having the glorious golden scent of warm apricot tart, and it’s true, it does. But it’s not obviously foody or sweet, I promise. It’s simply elegant, comforting, slyly funny, and eminently worth trying. Or if you’re after some leathery warmth, you can’t do better than Chanel’s Cuir de Russie, the glowing, cognac-rich ne-plus-ultra of luxurious old world leather. Put it on and feel the years spin back to 1924.
Anyway, good luck, good luck! Keep us posted on your sniffing adventures, won’t you? I want to know when you find your castle, Ruby, because I’m coming over for tea and almond tart by the fire.
Chanterais: I bet you and would get along like gangbusters
You are of course invited over should I ever find this wonderland! As for Duchafour, I do like his fragrances alot. I love Avignon, and sometimes I put it on before I go to sleep. I love love love incense in general but I find it freaks people out. When I first wore Diptyque Essence of John Galliano roomspray and held my wrist up in glee for a friend, I got a look of disgust (DISGUST, I tell you) and one word–“church”. I never went to church so I have no emotional connection to incense, but I do like a more gentle trail–Shoyeido is a Japanese company that makes the most wonderful subtle incense. Boucheron Jaipur sounds likes something I would want to eat and not wear, but I will try it because I don’t think you and Luca would steer me wrong. I have tried Bois d’Iris and I liked it, and I think I like iris in general. That rooty, earthy smell is so evocative of gardens and in my mind gardens= sexy! Thanks for the suggestions!
PS: I can hardly believe you are a scent-naif. “cognac-rich-ne-plus-ultra of luxurious old world leather”? “cool, silky shadows and ancient stones”? You might be late to the party but you’re the one spiking the punch bowl!
If you like iris, have you tried Heeley’s Iris de Nuit? That one seems to cover all aspects of iris, from spicy/peppery to rooty/vegetal to floral.
FLoral with leather makes me think of Andy Tauer’s Carillon pour en Ange, white florals over a leather, moss & woods base, or Chanel No 22, white floral over an incense base. Both etherial and grounded.
I will third Boojum’s & eaudemale’s CdG2 & JCE’s creations may appeal…when she said mineral of course thought Terre de Hermes, perhaps l’Eau d’ Hiver(pushing the budget)?
I do enjoy the Smell Bent “One” alot but it may? be too vanilla-ish..the dusky cardamom is lovely though-not a typical vanilla. Cuir d Lancome -as mentioned an excellent floral leather (and inexpensive)..
My weird throw ins would be Demeter Mushroom, has a kinda musty/spicy feel to it, & DSH Cuir & Champignon..adding a magical mushroom to the mix to the damp earth outside the crumbling castle. I haven’t sniffed Cacharel Anais Anais somehow? It almost seems perfect in description;)
I actually really like Terre d’Hermes for the wonderful mineral note. It’s great for the first few minutes, and then I sadly lose the flint and start getting what I call “sad drugstore gift set” and I end up smelling like generic man cologne. As for Anais Anais, that is a total love hate scent for people. For those on whom the flowers dominate, it can seem overly “auntie-ish”. Luca Turin’s review of it mentions how it is actually a really dry fragrance and could be good on a guy. I totally agree as on me it is all oakmoss after the first few minutes. It’s one of the scents that make me believe in the role that skin chemistry plays in perfume.
Used to wear AnaisAnais in high school… loved it.
Hi Ruby. Coming in very late here, but wanted to ask if you’ve tired Olivia Giacobetti’s Idole de Lubin? It’s a very usual, quite sheer scent with notes of rum, black cumin, saffron, smoked ebony and leather. No vanilla to my nose (though no flowers either).
Hi Tortola! I’ve read about it, as I try to keep up with any scents OG authors, but I’m put off by the rum (I don’t like booziness in my perfume) and black cumin, since cumin is so sweaty to my nose. It’s okay that it doesn’t have flowers, as I could always layer it. I’ll put it on my list.
I really wouldn’t worry about the black cumin (also known as Nigella seeds), it’s not the regular “sweaty” cumin that I really don’t like either. As for the booze, It’s kind of the smell of the rum without the alcohol if that makes any sense. Good luck finding your perfect scent and hope one of the suggestions here helps
Leather:
Cuir Pleine Fleur, Heeley
Patchouli 24, Le Labo (not like patchouli)
Rien, Etat Libre Orange
Moon:
Timbuktu, L’Artisan
Osmanthe Yunnan, Hermessence
try also Dior Homme
Ruby, i have never tried it, but it sound like u should try Iris Silver Mist…Lutens!! Also Narcisus Noir extrait Caron. Jolie Madame and magie noir!(vintage)…Donno why, it just seems like cool/warm> For a gorgeous newer scent ormande woman!!!