Fragrant news and reviews: new scents by The Different Company
And now three new offerings that promise the world and then some. The new lineup called ‘Explorations sensorielles’ (=sensory explorations) is inspired by the original trio of fragrances composed by Jean Claude himself.
The line, visualised and mastered by his daughter Céline, alludes to a series of scents inspired by an imaginary garden.
The first one, called ‘Un parfum d'Ailleurs & Fleurs’ (=a perfume of flowers and beyond) immerses itself in the waters of the baptistery of orange blosoom and tuberose soliflores, a most feminine genre of fragrances. The freshness of neroli and linden is evident in the top, with their happy and uplifting qualities, rendering this a perfume ravishingly fit for a summer afternoon. The addition of citric, sour and dry notes reminds us of the famous father whose penchant for the spartan sparse of dry, acerbic notes has brought on such masterpieces as Cologne Bigarade for Frederic Malle or Déclaration for Cartier. Tuberose, the carnal lady of the night, takes on afterwards, sweetening and rounding the composition with its alluring properties. It is funny, but at one point in the Victorian era, young girls were discouraged from smelling these flowers in case they experienced a spontaneous orgasm, something much frowned upon then. The highly erotic nature of indolic flowers, that is flowers that contain indoles, aromatic matter that is also present in human feces, has a peculiar attraction and repulsion stigma attached. The intellectualisation of such matters is too high brow for what our own nose can abide, however, so this is a highly personal preference, evident in people who cannot do white florals whatsoever. In this perfume the tuberose is not a predator but instead allegedly allied to hazelnut flower (which I remember sniffing as a kid and feeling it greener and softer than expected) and juicy plums. The subtle result rests on the familiar cradle of musks, finishing off on a note of gentility and subtle seduction.
The whole is inspired by a French style garden which if you know anything about gardening you will know is about submitting nature to man's will; although the moniker of the company is talking about an ode to the virginal purity and the tentative voluptuousness of nature.
The perfume is markedly feminine and is encased in the solid, heavy crystal bottles of The Different Company with a rose tint. The official notes are : bigarade, petitgrain, neroli, mandarin, sambucus extract, star anise, linden, tuberose, hazelnut flower, plum, musks.
The second new fragrance ‘Un parfum de Charmes & Feuilles’(=a perfume of leaves and charm) is more mystical, trying to evoke a bucollic, secretive garden of a different style, that of a secluded place near Monmarte in Paris, an urban escape out of the ordinary world, a place where aromatic bushes and roots, woods and trees give off a primeval vibe. The verdancy of such an offering is a welcome sensual accessory for either man or woman and I can imagine it being fit for autumn as well as other seasons, thanks to the inviting touch of its base. The initial burst of marjoram, mint and thyme married to the succulent citrus notes of grapefruit and sweet clementine is akin to driving in the greek (or mediterranean in general) countryside, windows down and sniffing the aromatic richness floating in the air. An experience that is not particularly tied to perfume in the conventional sense, as it includes some bittery, angular notes but something not to be missed at any rate. The aromatic pungent burst subsides pretty soon, with the help of a floral honeyed note and the patchouli base reigns with a velvety smooth touch of hay. It adds a little swetness to the otherwise dry aroma of this particular perfume and makes it a very interesting light woody which has piqued my interest.
The bottle is the same as above and has a greenish tint.
Official notes are: marjoram, clementine, grapefruit (pomelo), mint, jasmin, sage, thyme, artemisia, patchouli.
Last but not least comes ‘Un parfum des Sens & Bois’ (=a perfume of woods and the senses), a spicy woody fragrance inspired by a music piece by Debussy based on a poem by french poet french poet Mallarmι. . So we know it has something poetic going for it (wink!). It has struck me as a good smokey fragrance as well, as it instills subtle leathery pungency to smoke and wood, making the whole the equivalent of smoke rings on a sacrificial pyre, the tambourins of the natives echoing in the distance. I wouldn't know if the imaginary garden of that particular scent includes such exotic images, but the memory of our ancestors has a reign over us, especially in the gloom days of winter when such fragrances are brought out and cherished in the cool ringing air. In typical Ellena-light-mode however the whole remains just the echo of the tambourins and never the threat of anything sinister. The green piquant notes, out of which violet leaves seem to play a big role, marry with the acerbic lemongrass and ginger spice and the freshness of black pepper, like a demitasse of sacred tisane. The finish off is woody with the dominating note of chinese cedar (which I am not sure how it differs from Virginian or Atlas) and the combination with incense and patchouli leaves me with the impression that I am sipping an ancient brew besides the embers of an extinguished fire, dressed in a leather cape, the winter air in my hair. Man or woman would want to partake of this spicy, light incensy elixir.
The official notes are: bergamot, verveine, black pepper, violet, elemi, ginger, wintergreen note, chinese cedar, incense, patchouli.
It comes in the best bottle out of the three in my opinion: tinted in deep indigo like the clothes of the Touareg of the dessert.
All the new scents come in Eau de toilette concentration in either 50 or 90ml bottles. The coffret of three new scents can be ordered byThe Different Company website directly (10ml bottles of each for 39 euros) or you can order the complete pack of 2ml samples of each of their 12 fragrances for 15 euros. (that's a steal!)
The new perfumes are on Beautyhabit site already and bound to surface later on at Aedes, Luscious Cargo, Luckyscent and First in Fragrance.
There is also a new boutique in Paris: 3 Rue Chabanais 75002, tel.01 42 601274.
Pic "Growing different from the rest" originally uploaded by Isolano on Flickr nine comments
Guess who's gone for the 2ml samples?
Leopoldo - 26 11 06
Someone cute? Goooood.
perfumeshrine - 26 11 06
Hi there!
The ‘Un parfum d'Ailleurs & Fleurs’ is one I really need to try now and my second choice will go to ‘Un parfum des Sens & Bois’.
I'm off to order the samples you spoke of. :)
Your review on these 3 fragrances was as tantalizing as usual.
Have a wonderful day.
Dawn () - 26 11 06
Thank you dear.
They all are sample worthy, I think they have a certain lucidity and sparseness. I also like a sense of stylistic vision in perfume lines, evident in this one.
Hope you find something to enjoy!
perfumeshrine - 26 11 06
I had trouble on their website figuring out if they shipped to the US or not... anyone else know? I do want to order some samples... thanks in advance!
Joanna () - 04 12 06
Hi and welcome to my blog!
They do not specify whether they do ship or not, they have the "pays" (that's country)left with no resctrictions so I am guessing they do.(I am in Europe, but Dawn above is in the US and has ordered I gather)
However I am sure you can get them at Beautyhabit or later on at Aedes? (they have a sampling program)
Hope that helps.
perfumeshrine - 05 12 06
PLEASE SEND ME A CATALOG OF YOUR PURCHASES OR HOW CAN WE PURCHASE THIS THANK YOU LADONA
LADONA LEWIS () - 09 05 08
"finishing off on a note of gentility and subtle seduction"
Word for word, exactly how I remember 'Un parfum d'Ailleurs & Fleurs' This is what resonates in your mind when you smell this perfume.
Right on!
Osh - 06 11 09
nice blog....I like all the perfume posted in this blog.....
by http://www.perfumeinside.com
Nasir () - 29 12 09
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