Italian niche house Maria Candida Gentile's latest release, Lankaran Forest, was originally developed as the "bespoke fragrance" for the 2nd Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Arts, held in London in 2015. For that event, set designer Francisco Rodriguez-Weil created a scene inside the Royal Academy of Arts (see above) recalling forests near the Azerbaijan city of Lankaran. Maria Candida Gentile based her fragrance on a tour of Azerbaijan, including those forests (known for their ironwood trees), as well as the Yanar Dag fire mountain, the Absheron peninsula, and the tea and citrus plantations near Lankaran. At the festival, the scent was diffused in the "forest", and was presented in two concentrations in Lalique bottles.
For the 2016 commercial release under the Maria Candida Gentile label, Lankaran Forest moved into the regular brand packaging (see below) — not Lalique, but presumably easier on the purse. If you were expecting the sort of heavy wood and earth notes often found in "forest" perfumes, you will need to rethink.* The opening is soft but bright, and will recall your favorite lemon tea fragrance more than anything else. A pale floral note — dewy verging on saltwatery — weaves through the middle. In the dry down, the tea turns mildly smoky, and joins with middling-pale woods, and dusky, ginger-y spices.
Verdict: Lankaran Forest is a sleeper sort of scent, and not likely to impress in the first five minutes on a blotter. I wore it several times before it really captured my affections, or maybe before I was able to slow down and really notice it. It has a contemplative feel, but there is also lots of movement: to my mind, it starts you off on a spring morning and takes you through an autumn evening. It is quiet enough that it would work for office wear, but I put it into the "quiet reading slash de-stressing" category. Very much worth a try.
Maria Candida Gentile Lankaran Forest is available in 15 or 100 ml Eau de Parfum. For buying information, see the listing for Maria Candida Gentile under Perfume Houses.
* I love forest perfumes too, this is just not that. If you want that, do try Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk (or please, add your own favorites in the comments).
I love that it comes in a 15ml size…
and I second you on the Forest Walk.
15 ml is best 🙂
My most used “forest fragrance” is probably the wetness of Zagorsk by Cdg -wet and smoky forest. I’m not familiar with the M C Gentile brand (yet). Contemplative is perfect for me
The brand is really worth exploring, they have some great scents!
And Zagorsk is a nice pick.
That would be my pick as well. Love Zagorsk.
Nice review, Robin – thanks! From your description of the scent, it sounds a lot like my Guerlain Secret Intentions, a limited edition from several years ago now that was here today and gone tomorrow.
I remember Secret Intention, but probably not perfectly. Going on memory, this one is more natural smelling, and more forest / less floral, and the tea note is much longer lasting in the LF. Or, she’s done something with the woods that is smoky and that makes me think the tea note is more central / lasting than it is, if that makes sense.
Adding, IIRC, Secret Intention was essentially feminine after the top note went. This one is more unisex.
Ah, thanks for the comparison. This one does sound good!
Yay! I’ve been waiting to hear about this one. I’m a fan of MCGs fragrances. I think I like literal forest scents in theory more than in practice, and I almost always have the holiday candle association with them, but not in a good way. But your description makes it sound like something I’d enjoy since it doesn’t sound like the usual fir+berries+wood. A mellow warm weather scent, maybe? Where’d you get the sample? I’ve noticed that the usual sites who carried her stuff are phasing them out. I guess they weren’t selling enough. I think Idiescents is the only one with the full line (except this new one).
Twisted Lily has it in stock in both sizes, and that is also where I got my sample. Indigo Perfumery seems to still have some MCG, but not this one yet.
Parfum1 also has it in both sizes, with a 20% off “Holidays Savings” coupon that’s still valid.
Thanks — they’re the same store basically, but a coupon is good!
Le Labo’s Pin candle has the most amazing forest scent – you smell moss, understory shrubs, and wildflowers as well trees. But I’ve only sniffed it in the can (yes, they package it in an artfully distressed can); don’t know how it burns.
Not likely I will ever pay that much, so good to hear it smells nice!
Well, the price isn’t terrible. The small Pin candle (50-hour burn time) in the “vintage” tin is $65. The paint can style lid seals up completely when not in use, so it should last well. I am tempted.
You’re right that it isn’t terrible, but I’ve entirely stopped spending even that much on candles because I always end up disappointed. I tend to end up happier with the cheaper ones than the more expensive ones. The candle that has made me happiest so far is a mid-priced one from Papier d’Armenie — I paid over $30 only because I had to have it shipped from the UK.
Wow! Your description makes Lankaran Forest sound really great. When I pull the trigger on a large sample, you and ElisaP will share the enabler pin. Now off to see when my Twisted Lily coupon expires!
Hope you will like it! But it really is a sleeper sort of scent, & would not expect to say ‘wow’ when you smell it!
I WANT those Lalique bottles. But I love MCG for making those small sizes.
I still don’t really understand what happened with those editions — I guess they sold them only at the opening?? The black EdP bottle is particularly stunning.
It sounds as if they were swag:
“The new luxury fragrance was exclusively presented to VIP guests at the Royal Academy of Arts on March 20, 2015, within the second Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Arts.”
Thanks!
SAME! Those bottles are absolutely gorgeous, they’re honestly more forest themed than the perfume.
hahhaa VIP guests and a few random perfumistas who lucked in after Jo Fairley got some tickets through her perfume website. It was a great evening – loads of fizz and fancy canapés and the forest scene was magical. MCG did a Q&A session with Ms Fairley and there was traditional music and dancing. The swag bag contained a mini candle of the fragrance and a small sample of the scent itself.
But not the full size fragrance? Was that for sale?
I remember seeing the bottle but it didn’t seem to be for sale. My impression was that the perfume was something of a sideshow – the main event was the party!
Thanks!