Sunday 26 October 2014

Absolue Pour le Soir

Sometimes you don't need many words to describe a perfume. The kinkiest scent around is probably all you need to know about Absolue Pour le Soir by Francis Kurkdijan. Amazing.

My visual interpretation of Absolue Pour le Soir


How and where to wear:
You will be under no doubt once you've tried it.


Wednesday 15 October 2014

Elegant hippy: Patchouli 24 by Le Labo


Once a hippy, always a hippy? I do have pictures of me wearing purple, hand died dungarees, a Palestine scarf and about 2 dozen badges showing all my caring for the world's problems. I used to burn a lot of incense, drank gallons of vanilla flavoured tea and liked patchouli. Still do. These days my patchouli just has to be a bit more sophisticated. And Le Labo's creation certainly delivers on the sophistication front. 

My visualisation of Patchouli 24 by Le Labo

What I mostly get from this fragrance is a smokiness that manages to be both wet and dry, stays away from the churches AND the BBQs, and is harsh and soft in pretty equal measures. My friend Nick described it once as sexy bacon, and while I agree that there is an edible element to this, for me it's not bacon. I hate the smell of fried bacon! This perfume far more evokes the image of smoked chestnuts. And because there is a strong leather element coming through it feels like holding a bag of hot chestnuts in a leather gloved hand. Not that the perfume actually smells of chestnuts. That's confusing, I know, sorry for free associations running wild. Patchouli 24 pops up on my skin with a surprisingly herbal patchouli note. A very short Bang! From then on the note stays very silently in the back. Leather, resin and burned woods take over. Wet leaves in autumn fires is another image that comes to mind, and right now, with autumn finally in full swing, is a great time to wear this perfume. It has earthiness and elegance in perfect balance, and that is what autumn very much means to me. A time for long walks in the countryside but also the best season for indulging in fashion. I have worn P24 during a 4 hour walk in a damp forest in Kent and it did work splendidly on slightly sweaty skin.  The perfume finally settles in a vanilla, which is a tiny bit too sweet for the entire composition, I find. For once, I had wished for the woods to continue. It has remarkable staying power, over 10 hours on me, which doesn't happen all that often. This will probably smell quite different, but nonetheless most delicious on a man.  

How and where to wear:
Guy Fawkes night, here we come!


P.S. I had my finger on the purchase button for a 15ml bottle of this from the Le Labo website. £37.50 isn't cheap for such a small amount, but at least they do offer bottles under a 100ml..... But, dear LeLabo people, do you think it's clever to add the VAT sneakily at the very end, when all the form filling and credit card numbering is done? It's not

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Whiter than white: Pure eVe by The Different Company

This Pure eVe (pretentious spelling alert!) by The Different Company was originally released as Pure Virgin, a name that probably only Etat libre d'Orange would be able to get away with. They'd make it smell anything but virginal, of course. The Different Company on the other hand, created an extraordinary washing detergent. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. 
Baby powder, whitest musk, a hint of something floral and an almondy aftertaste. This perfume won't allow dirty thoughts, never mind acts but it is certainly very suitable as a cover up. The perfect olfactory camouflage for the urban sinner. Innocence in a bottle. Like most things innocent, it's pretty, but also pretty boring and linear. Purity is an unforgiving concept that doesn't really allow for change and ambiguity. Pure eVe has excellent staying power but whether that's a good or a bad thing is debatable. It is not something I'd like to wear, not even occasionally, but if you like to smell squeaky clean and soft, then this is the scent for you. 

Pure Eve

Going back to the name change I mentioned, I would love to hear the reason. I assume it's something copyright related, but the switch from Virgin to Eve is an interesting one. Isn't Eve the ultimate sinner? The seductress responsible for our rather abrupt dismissal from paradise? May be she should have worn this fragrance...



How and where to wear:
Might come in handy when you're anything But innocent...