Il Mondo di Odore

Amber : What's in a name? Keiko Mecheri CRYSTAL D'AMBRE (2009) Keiko Mecheri places a big emphasis on smoothness and subtlety and is sometimes referred to as a poetic perfumer. That seems right to me. I have not encountered too many revolutionary creations among the many perfumes of this house which I've tested but, at the same time, nearly everything is very likeable and wearable, often beautiful, albeit subtle, and indisputably made of high-quality components. In general, you get what you'd expect from the perfumes of this house, as they often are literally named. Crystal d'Ambre is a case in point. Amber resin is well-known as the final destination of many an insect which has mistakenly stepped into the stuff and is then “trapped in amber” for the remaining short duration of its life—and forever after, since its dead little body becomes effectively petrified in what hardens to stone. People who trade in amber stones actually highlight the poor dead...

Leather of a different feather? I believe it is folks. You hear and see the term "unisex" or "shared" quite often these days, but IMO Cuir Ottoman embodies that crossover. LS list the accords as Jasmin, Leather, Iris, Balsams, Benzoin, Resins & Incense. Upon applying Cuir Ottoman, I sense a very likable leather lurking under a dash of Iris and an unidentifiable resinous aroma. The Balsams and Resin are what I enjoy most from opening to finish. There is a background incense that gradually gains volume as the life of the scent wears on. It never gets heavy or intrusive. It's simply "there" and augments the linear construction quite nicely. The leather note seems to be plugged into the incense accord and both slowly come to fruition after 15 minutes. What remains is a long wear of leathery incense and resin. It's very simplistic and very, very good. The volume of Cuir Ottoman is respectable as is the longevity of approximately 5 hours ( mode...

Upon first sampling this, I must say that Eau de Gloire falls smack in the middle of the gender barrier. This is most assuredly "shared" and  feels comfortably genderless. Eau de Gloire's volume is more subtle than Wazamba. It has a rounded feel to it supplied by the floral components. I recognize them as such, but I am at a loss as to identify the culprits. To say that Eau de Gloire has an aquatic aura would be erroneous, yet there's a watery texture underneath the everlasting flower array; not to mention a softened incense. I never get the impression of Sables or Luxe patchouli's floral rendition here. The opening I just described lasts a good while and I find EdG to be linear. To me, this is a floral-marine-incense accord that comprises the majority of the scent's life. It's pleasant and at the same time unremarkable. We can call this a " differently refreshing" scent that will not draw a tip to oneself. After an hour or so, there's ...

This is a brand new release from Parfum d'Empire. Upon applying Wazamba, I get a bracing shot of incense mingled with myrrh. Incense lovers should like this opening quite a bit. It's an exotic aroma and within a few minutes, I detect a warm apple note. It's actually quite nice and gives me the impression of east meeting west. Sweet and medicinal wood notes seemingly come and go while resting upon the incense, myrrh and an arriving current of opoponax. This is a strange and yet pleasurable incense fragrance that possesses moderate sillage but better longevity due to its EDP strength. Very nicely done by Parfum d'Empire and a worthy niche addition for those with a proclivity for this genre.