Skip to main content

Olympia by Histoires de Parfums

Image
By
Orange, Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, Pink Berries, Black Pepper, Saffron, Rose, Freesia, Lilac, Peony, Blond Wood, Patchouli, Frankincense, Styrax, Suede, Vanilla, Chocolate, Licorice, White Musk.

Olympia "Music Hall" is a rather easy concept to grasp. Gerald Ghislain envisions the aromas wafting around the legendary Parisian venue L'Olympia. The attempt to capture the musicality of smell emanating from skin and-or environment is not such an easy task. I believe that, more than mimicking memories of a "place", Ghislain endeavors to duplicate the flow of seamless, musical phrases. What my skin informs me is that this particular music is mellow, rich and without seam or ripple. I know not if Ghislain succeeded in putting the genie in the bottle, but Olympia certainly is very suitable to don in such a scenario.

The citric opening of Olympia is akin to a musical score beginning at volume 3 and then slowly rising to 5 to coincide with the chiming in of peppery berries. To underscore the spicy, citric fruit is a placid rendition of incense. It's not your normal smoky version, but evident enough to augment an already balanced accord.

The floral heart is a chorus of stealth. Seamless, it arrives with no fanfare like a well placed harmony. What realizes on me is a duo of soft, dry Rose and Freesia. The opening is still ongoing, making room for the floral addition. The totality of volume never rises, but Olympia becomes more expansive as the life of the scent marches on. The Pink Berries, Pepper and Freesia are appointed as well mannered sopranos during the heart and base, cutting through the mix just enough to be heard above the subtle smokiness and slowly rising balsam. These smooth stages of transition lean smack in the middle of the gender line.

The base and drydown of Olympia is more understated than the beginning and middle. There's a gradual sensuality coming to life during the outro. A suggestion of soft leather, coupled with an even milder confection quality merges with sheer musk. The balsam is still in the mix, as is the fading floral-berry.

Sillage is spot on and longevity is approximately 5 hours on my skin. Olympia remains ( at least on me ) a shared scent worthy to be sampled. Thumbs up from Aromi for Olympia by Histoires de Parfums.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Aadam RobinsonFebruary 23, 2013 at 11:06 PM

    This is very nice image, I like this a lot. One of the best news at all. Really I need this kind of information’s click here

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Black Suede by Avon

By
Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...
1 comment
Read more

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

By
Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...
4 comments
Read more

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

By
                      Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...
Post a Comment
Read more