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L'Antimatière


An invisible ink that leaves a trace,
Foreseen rather thanfelt,
Persistent
Yet whispered,
Like a creased bed linen scent wandering along your curves...
(Isabelle Doyen)


L'Antimatière is the most innovative, yet the most easy to wear (for me, anyways) of the trio. Initially, it seem simple. Once worn, the simplicity works a spell in the shape of the softest angora sweater just coming out of the drier. It’s probably shrunk, but it smells great. A clean musk scent, with an unmatched warmth that resembles ambergris tincture. It’s there but it isn’t... After dry down the reason for its charm is revealed – there is vetiver in the base, and the woods add depth and interest and turn an everyday routine to an out of the ordinary sensation.

Flawless, invisible, I don’t think I could describe this better than Ms. Doyen did herself in her minimalist poem. I think the fact that this scent is so functional (i.e.: wearable and flattering to the skin) makes it even more artistic. It’s like a breath of whispered inspiration floating around, comforting with its presence. It’s like a muse, a spirit, one sneaky warm breath-of-wind in the middle of winter.

l'Antimatière is so versatile and flawless you could make it anything you want it to be… It can be easily mistaken for one’s own skin. I imagine it will layer very well with other scents if desired. It has the potential and versatility for becoming a signature scent or at least a wardrobe staple.

Although this perfume did not remind me of a fantasy book, this scent is fantasy. If The Unicorn Spell is wondering around the forest in search for a unicron, l'Antimatière is petting the unicorn's soft plumage on its pure white nose.

Image credit: Antimatter, by Nicolas Lloyd

Let Me Play the Lion


Scents of dusty trails,
Of lightly sweetened ochre,
Of sun-weathered wood,
Of silence swept by mild breezes,
Of skies open like an endless azure cut oozing signs of the coming storm.
(Isabelle Doyen)
Let Me Play the Lion is the warmest and spiciest of the trio. It opens with a burst of cayenne pepper – dry and warm, notes of burning cedar and dusty frankincense. It can be compared to other perfumes that contain cayenne pepper – i.e.: Piment Brulant, Poivre Samarkand – only softer. My associations run between a dusty, temperamental desert lion, yet with a mane so soft you want to sniff it; and than I am reminded of a secluded cabin in the forest where the fireplace is burning with fragrant cedar and I am meditating with frankincense incense…

The lion association reminded me of a favourite chapter of one of my most favourite childhood books: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It reminded me of the lion Grograman, the king of Goab, the Many Colour Desert.
Image credit:
Makhtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater, Negeve Desert, Israel), by David Haberlah

The Unicorn Spell


If by dawn still linger on your skin mixed scents of leaves, frost and violet
blooms, and that relentless yearning for stellar sights, you will know that,
at night, you felt the milky breath of a unicorn.
(Isabelle Doyen)

The Unicorn Spell is an iris scent, and a very magical one at that. It starts off like a shake of frost from a unicorn mane, with a cool tinge of violet, and crisp, frost-bitten white rose petals in a crisp foggy November day. There is an underlining softness, milky indeed, of the orris and a tad of wood. This is the most floral of the trio, and the least approachable for me as it has that coolness, slightly sharp greenness that makes most green scents difficult for me to wear. But after overcoming the first sharpness I can enjoy the rose and the softness of milky orris.

Like Mandragore, which was inspired by the Mandrakes in Harry Potter’s herbalism class, I can’t help but associate this scent with the trails of silvery glowing spilled blood of the dying unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. This perfume is like searching for the unicorn in a dark, damp forest. The unicorn’s presence is there, the steam of its breath as its running away frozen in the air, the trails glistening with the quiet mist of its magical spell, but we can’t find it yet…

New Perfume: Kinmokusei


, originally uploaded by titanium22.

Ayala Moriel is pleased to announce the launch of our new perfume – Kinmokusei.

Kinmokusei is the new member of Ayala Moriel’s soliflore collection – perfumes that are celebrating the unique essences of flowers from around the world.

Osmanthus is a unique Asian flower, with a smooth and rich scent of green tea, apricot and suede leather. It is used to scent green tea as well as special confections and Chinese baked goods. The peak of the osmanthus flowers season is now, end of September until mid October, when the days start to become short, and rainstorms fight to take over the last sunny days. The osamnthus flowers falls to the wet ground and release their dusky aroma which fills the moist, air.

Kinmokusei is an unusual osmanthus soliflore is unusually dark and rich, and is as soft as suede. It opens sparkling with apricot, peach, wild orange and raspberry undertones; rejuvenates like cool green tea, yet unmistakably smooth and floral. The base is surprising – musky and woody, with underlining leathery note of cured tobacco leaves. Kinmokusei is the Japanese name for osmanthus, and also is pronounced like the name of an Anime planet.

Top notes: Green Pepper, Wild Orange, Coriander
Heart notes: Osmanthus, Linden Blossom, Green Tea, Jasmine Sambac
Base notes: Tobacco Leaf, Hay Absolute, Ambrette, Sandalwood Vanuatu

Kinmokusei is available from AyalaMoriel.com in:
8ml Pure Parfum $90
8ml Pure Parfum + 15ml Refill $180
1ml Sample $5

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