When I reviewed Sotto La Luna Gardenia, the first in the ‘under the moon’ series from Tauer Perfumes, I said that it wasn’t meant to be a realistic gardenia soliflore, and of course, it didn’t turn out to be one. The latest, Sotto La Luna Tuberose, invites you, in a similar fashion, to “revisit this white flower and rethink tuberose”. To my nose, it comes closer to the soliflore concept — it is recognizably tuberose, pretty much from beginning to end — but it’s hardly the sort of Ladies-Who-Lunch pretty white floral1 you might expect from a more conventional brand…
Maria Christofilis Fleur 09 ~ fragrance review
In 2012, Maria Christofilis (formerly of Anthousa) launched the feminine fragrance Fleur 09; it was limited to an edition of 80 bottles, and I somehow missed it both coming and going. Just this month, however, Christofilis has re-released the fragrance. Its formula remains unchanged: it is a white floral composition with notes of mandarin, bergamot, bitter orange, orange blossom, tuberose, vanilla and benzoin, originally developed privately for Christofilis by perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux.
Fleur 09 is described as “a symphonic poem, exquisitely balanced and using only the finest and rarest oils—including best of the best elements from Givaudan’s Orpur® portfolio.” The Orpur range is reportedly a top-of-the-line collection of raw materials (all of them may be natural, or not — you know how hard it can be to determine this sort of thing!). I normally take this sort of “finest and rarest” claim with a grain of salt, but Fleur09 actually smells like a high-quality perfume…
Hiram Green Moon Bloom ~ perfume review
Moon Bloom launched in 2013, as the debut fragrance from Hiram Green, formerly of the now-defunct niche house Scent Systems. Like the perfumes from that brand, Moon Bloom features all natural materials.
Moon Bloom is exactly what its official description says it is: “a lush and elegant tuberose”. Like its (synthetic) compatriot Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower, Moon Bloom plays up tuberose’s exotic aspect with coconut, jasmine, ylang ylang and plenty of greenery…
Persephenie Vetiver Attars ~ perfume reviews
Longtime readers know I’m a vetiver fiend, so I was excited when I heard about the new Vetiver Attars from Los Angeles based aromatherapist and perfumer Persephenie. They’re attars in which the florals (and other notes) are hydro-distilled into a base of vetiver oil instead of the more traditional sandalwood. And those of you who read the original announcement might remember that they’re expensive — $64 each for 4 ml — as is generally the case when a small indie brand is doing their own distilling (Strange Invisible Perfumes being another example).* I tried all five; here are brief reviews of three: Blue Lotus, Parijata and Tuberose…
Indie special ~ three quick fragrance reviews
Quick reviews of three fragrances: Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk, Ayala Moriel Treazon and The 7 Virtues Afghanistan Orange Blossom. The theme: indie fragrances I’ve added to my buy list.
Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk
I tried Forest Walk when it came out earlier this year, and I liked it right away but it didn’t match my summery mood so I set it aside. Then, of course, I lost it, and had to tear my office apart to find it again — raise your hand if your perfume samples are in desperate need of reorganization! Anyway, Forest Walk is just what it says it is: “the earthy, mossy smells of the forest floor with tree bark, tree needles, and soft floral highlights”. It’s brisk but deep, and as advertised, beautifully earthy, and it has a meditative quality that’s perfect for chilly fall evenings. It might be the cold weather version of Annick Goutal Nuit Étoilée — if you found that one a little too thin, Forest Walk might be just what you’re after. Bonus: the travel spray can be had for a song…