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Osmanthus Red

Osmanthus Red by Rebel & Mercury paints osmanthus in broad strokes of magenta, red and gold. While most mainstream osmanthus scents are painted in faint, washed-out watercolours, Nikki Sherritt prefers to paint hers in full-bodied oils that give a thick, almost syrupy texture to this rare absolute.

Osmanthus Red pairs the plum-like and "violet meets blackberry jam" quality of osmanthus, as the perfumer described she perceives it in our previous conversation - with juicy blood orange, and the golden hues of marigold (aka tagetes - pronounce tah-jet), a modest garden flower that keeps hungry caterpillars at bay, and gets little attention if at all from perfumers. Marigold on its own has a slightly citrus opening reminiscent of bitter orange zest; but it is most significant for its overripe Golden Delicious apple-like notes and almost-disturbing green bit of leafy overtones; yet ends with a soft, very natural, herbaceous-sweet grassy, hay-like finish. It's a little like tomato-leaf: you'll either love it or hate it. And who besided Nikki would have imagined that such a strong-minded note will get along so well with the elusive and distinctive osmanthus?
Another prominent note in Osmanthus Red seem to give a nod to the Asian culture from which this plant originates: ginger CO2, which is full-bodied and as golden as could be, almost candy-like. Tuberose gives it an animalic edge, yet with a feminine softness, which leads us to the most alluring, voluptuous amber base, lingering for hours on end. It's honeyed, a tad powdery and very long lasting, as a good amber should be.

This is the Eau de Parfum I'm writing about. It is also made in an oil base. Other sizes are also available from the Rebel & Mercury online shop.

Cocoa Tuberose

cacao by prima_stella
cacao, a photo by prima_stella on Flickr.
Not too many know it, but both tuberose and cacao originated in Mexico. Two raw materials that are of unparalleled, inimitable quality. Addictive and almost maddening substances. And Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Co. have made the bold step of melding them to create something new and unique.

Cocoa Tuberose opens with tuberose as the main note, paired with juicy grapefruit for an uplifting effect of otherwise very dark, dense composition. If you're not familiar with pure, natural tuberose absolute, you might not find it to be as floral as expected. Tuberose absolute has an almost green, waxy feel to it underlined by a buttery sweetness. It's not as flowery as, say, jasmine or ylang ylang. And in this perfume in particular - tuberose is used in an original way, where its grassy and butter qualities balance the heavy, seductive gourmand notes of chocolate.

But the story does not end here: the chocolate is used very subtly as in the expert hand of a chef who just wants an accent of cacao in a savoury dish. Nutty vetiver comes forth, and plays a duet with powdery, caramel-like tonka bean. Despite the depth and complexity of these distinctive, opposing notes are seamlessly blended in such way that not only do they not overpower one another, but also create a new harmony that is unexpectedly savoury rather than decadent.

Cocoa Tuberose is one of the sexiest perfumes I've tried in a while, and although the name might imply a very girly scent - I know it would smell fantastic on both men and women. It appeals to a very grown-up, refined taste and is well-balanced and satisfying, like a square of smooth woody-floral dark chocolate.

Top notes: Grapefruit, Wormwood
Heart notes: Tuberose
Base notes: Cacao Absolute, Vetiver, Tobacco Absolute

Burning Tobacco, Sans the Smoke


Un jour d'août au champs de tabac, originally uploaded by pfala.

Burning tobacco without the smoke is made possible via Bohem, Gabriel's Aunt scented soywax candle. While it isn't in the least smoky, it has the unique effect of tobacco absolute, smelling simultaneously fresh and deep, warm and woody. It's a rather simple candle yet smells sophisticated because of the unusual choice of notes: tabac blond absolute, patchouli, vetiver and davana, which adds a curiously fruity and herbaceous-freshness to the mix.

Bohem reminds me of a gypsy or a voodoo dance rather than a bohemian smoking den. The raw and unrefined qualities of the materials and the relative simplicity of their orchestration creates an unfamiliar experience that is curiously appealing.

But Bohem is not only a candle. It began as a perfume, and it is the first of Nikki Sherrit's candles to reflect her natural perfume collection. The perfume is more sophisticated, with the fruitiness of the davana even more pronounced. It plays on the contrast between that wine-like fruitiness and the dryness of tobacco, amplified with the other woody notes which later on evolve into a smooth, chocolatey tobacco dry down. Both the candle and the perfume represent the cured tobacco leaf rather than any tobacco product (i.e.: cigars, cigarettes or pipe tobacco); a choice that makes Bohem stand out in this genre. While there are leathery qualities, an inevitable aspect of the tobacco leaf, there is none of the smokiness or imposed sweetness that happens when you light a match to flavoured tobacco.

Notes: Vetiver, Virginia Cedarwood, Patchouli, Tobacco, Allspice, Cassie and Davana.

Rose Curry


Emo, originally uploaded by Prithaz.

Rose grabs you by the prick of a thorn. “I'm here! Notice me!”. It’s rosier than possible in real life, bigger and greener and sharp with overtly fruit-like a peach punch - to the point that it stops being a rose, and becomes an Indian curry. Or perhaps, an English take on what an Indian curry is all about. Meaning, a pinwheel curried chicken sandwich nibbled in a dark tea lounge while dreaming of an English rose garden in summertime.

The overripe fruit is intensified with rubbery, boozy opoponax only to be claimed by an earthy undercurrent. Vetiver, patchouli and turmeric are to blame for that effect; and while the imaginary roses shed their petals one by one, earth and curry take over like the sleepiness that follows a heavy meal.

Top notes: Neroli, Bitter Orange, Petitgrain, Rose Absolute from Grasse (Rose de Mai)
Middle notes: Rose abslute from Morocco, India, Turkey, Heather Absolute
Base notes: Vetivert, Vanilla, Plant musk

P.s. I'm experiencing some serious issues displaying the Flickr author information and links. Even though they were entered twice and I can see them in the blog editor, they dont' show on the blog. If you click on the photo you'll see who took it though. Any tips/advice/explanation for why this is happening and how to fix it?


IMGP3555, originally uploaded by elvis_hitler2000.

Scent Systems


Some of you may have been familiar with Scent Systems from the days it was a posh niche perfumes retailer in London that included custom scents as part of their services. A few years back, the company underwent a shift and became a perfume house that uses only natural building blocks in their perfumes, and the bespoke fragrances are also 100% natural. Scent Systems was founded by Hiram Green, a Canadian that followed his dreams and ended up on the other side of the pond. He now works with George Dodd, a perfumer and a renown fragrance consultant and researcher in the field of fragrance and psychology. His book, His book “Fragrance: The Psychology and Biology of Perfume” (co-edited with S. Van Toller) includes some of his researches as well as other researchers (including the infamous inventors of the Colour Rosette Test), which were key to understanding the impact of fragrance on human beings. He now operates from a small studio in the Highlands of Scotland, and his connection to this landscape is reflected in the choice of some of the aromatics used in the floral collection he designed for Scent Systems, such as heather absolute and Scottish bog myrtle.

Last week, Scent System’s coffret of the 5 floral perfumes arrived in the mail. While the five are quite different from one another, the line has a style, and it’s as if there is a thread that connects them all. Each is named after a flower, and that note is distinct and present; yet they are far more complex and rich to be categorized as soliflores. Aside from the natural perfumery staples, the line uses some rare natural essences that even I am not familiar with (i.e.: heliotrope, basmati flower and heather absolutes), and also some natural isolates (i.e.: aldehydes that occur in plants rather than synthesized from an unrelated source). The perfumes are all dense, rich, and have a slightly oily opening (which I’m guessing is the aldehydes) that reminds me of the scent of blood, yet not in a disturbing way. The line is intriguing and original, yet has a solid foundation in classic perfumery principles and the perfumes have an interesting evolution and are long lasting.

I intend to give a full review of the scents soon, but would like to use this post to give them all a first-impression introduction:

Jasmine - the freshest of them all, and slightly grassy jasmine, paired with herbs (basil and verbena) overtop vetiver base.

Rose - opens overly fruity and ripe with spicy, turmeric-like after-note and rose isolates dominant and sharp, but softens into more complex rose territory after a while. The dryout reveals a patchouli and curry-like base.

Wild Violet - I found this to be more spicy than I expected, rather than a fragile, powdery floral. An opoponax note comes forth right away, than replaced by roses; and only later on the iris notes glide in and create a more violet-y impression.

Tuberose - I thought I would love this one the most, as it smells most delicious from the vial, but it ended up very different than the opening. Starts off as a creamy, heady and slightly juicy, and reminds me of Miller Harris’ Noix de Tubereuse, which I like, but once the tuberose subsides it’s not as intriguing.

Oeillet is by far my favourite of them all, and is a dusky, dark seductive green, herbaceous and spicy oriental. Sage is the key note though, in my opinion, and having grown up surrounded by sage this might explain why I’m partial to it.

Full reviews will be posted over the next couple of weeks after I wear each a few more times. If you have already experienced Scent Systems' floral collection please do comment :)
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