Voilà, the new Rajasthan by Etro. I have been waiting for a long time to experience the Italian interpretation of India. I thought I would get an oriental perfume, of course, and was really surprised when I smelled something so delicate and shy. Soft, clean, powdery – it seems as if they have even added some ambroxan which I can only smell the next day. The rose is slightly sour, similar to Chloé, mixed with lemon and mimosa. The pink pepper adds a little spiciness but only as much as pink pepper is able to reveal in general. Somewhere hidden I sense a sandy wood. Amber and labdanum may sound oriental, but they are added sparingly. Hours later I can still smell some sugar with a hint of vanilla.

A very beautiful and silent perfume, nothing typically Indian, maybe an idea of cardamom which is not listed. Compared to the powerful, loud perfumes of Neela Vermeire in collaboration with Bertrand Duchaufour which are overflowing with metaphors, Rajasthan breaks ranks. The state of Rajasthan has mesmerized many brands and perfumers before. Take the wonderful Jaisalmer by Comme des Garçons which is inspired by the desert city Jaisalmer.

When I smell Rajasthan I rather picture a European beauty lying in the middle of nowhere at the poolside of a luxurious desert resort. Rajasthan is an absolutely wearable scent for the daytime in summer. Do Italians imagine India this way? I think of how they will pronounce Rajasthan with a rolling r and I suggest: other name, other story, wonderful addition to the perfume collection. And please give the vial a textile coat. That would be a better fit for a fashion house.

Category: unisex
Year: 2013
Notes: lemon, Rosa damascena, mimosa, amber, white musk, pink pepper, labdanum, acacia

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary celebration in 2011 Diptyque launched 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Named after the address of the first Diptyque boutique in Paris the unisex scent presents a mixture of green notes, spices and a woody base. I smell geranium and finest suede and think it is a very delicate scent for men.

Now the French perfume house has released the unisex fragrance L’Eau du Trente-Quatre, the white companion and a homage to the change of seasons on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Perfumer Olivier Pescheux created a soft spring melody with citrus notes like bitter orange, lemon, grapefruit and verbena in combination with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon on a base of incense, patchouli, moss and musk. The result: A great citrus scent with longevity that doesn’t drown in the quicksand of thousands of other citrus scents. The longer I wear it the more I love it. Bitter orange and musk are the two dominant elements of this creation. For me this one is for the girls! And as a lover of purism I adore the simple chic of the vial with its magnetic white cap and the sheathed atomizer tube.

If you prefer a scented candle I have good news for you: Diptyque has added a new spring candle to its collection – Jonquille, the French term for narcissus. The funny thing is that I don’t smell narcissus but jasmine. Try it out yourself…

Category: unisex
Year: 2013
Perfumer: Olivier Pescheux
Notes: bitter orange, lemon, verbena, grapefruit, lavender, juniper berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, geranium, tuberose, musk, patchouli, incense, cedar wood, cistus

www.diptyqueparis.com

I got my first X-mas present: Gucci sent me a bottle of Gucci Première with my name engraved on the stopper. I like! And by the way… great idea for an individual present. I never thought about engraving perfume bottles. Maybe I would prefer my initials, but… I don’t want to complain.

Gucci Première is a very elegant perfume, for me a little bit too flowery for an autumn/winter launch. The sensual base could be more intense but don’t try this scent on paper. Try it on your skin and give it a little bit more time to develop. The base smells very sophisticated.

Category: women

Year: 2012

Creative Direction: Frida Giannini

Notes: bergamot, orange blossom, white flowers, leather, wood

When I heard, that the new perfume Volutes by Diptyque has been inspired by a childhood memory of founder Yves Coueslant, namely by a passage from Marseille to Saigon, I immediately thought of one of my favorite books – The Lover by Marguerite Duras. I also love the movie and its soundtrack. It’s a blue, bittersweet melancholia amidst the scenery of the fertile landscape of Vietnam.

Perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin has created the image of elegant ladies on a steamboat, standing at the rail smoking Egyptian cigarettes and sending smoke rings into the cool sea air. I imagine the famous scene from The Lover, the little French girl wearing a man’s hat and braids, putting her worn down stiletto on the rail while the Chinese man is observing her.

Volutes is a very feminine, soft scent with spicy nuances, yet cool. Sweet-smoky-spicy-cool to be precise. Iris is very dominant in the composition and functions as a metaphor for the silk dresses fluttering in the wind. It is also a very good contrast to the sweetness of honey tobacco. Dried fruits and oriental spices reveal an aroma of an oriental market, maybe a stopover of this journey. Resins represent the ship’s engine room. Volutes is a very round and strong composition, an intense woody oriental perfume. I don’t find it suitable for men. Amber pulls us into the depths of the ocean while the smoke rings fly to heaven. Volutes spreads the word into all cardinal directions.

Category: unisex

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Fabrice Pellegrin

Notes: pink pepper, pepper, saffron, clove, tobacco, honey, suede, hay, strawflower, amber, iris, myrrh, opoponax

www.diptyqueparis.com

The journey of Coco Chanel to Venice in 1920 served as an inspiration for Chanel’s in-house perfumer Jacques Polge. Coco Chanel travelled to Venice after her lover Boy Chapel had died. The opulence of the Byzantine architecture impressed her deeply.

The day of Coco Chanel’s birthday, August 19th, Chanel launched its new flanker Coco Noir in an elegant, amazing black vial. After Guerlain had launched La petite robe noire (Little Black Dress), the item which made Chanel famous, Coco Noir is not such a bad idea – as we have seen many black perfumes become bestsellers, e.g. Black Orchid by Tom Ford, Back to Black by By Kilian, the classics Arpège by Lanvin or Narcisse Noir by Caron. Black sells.

For me Coco Noir smells less like the deep oriental Coco as than the romantic Coco Mademoiselle. It could also have been named Coco Mademoiselle Eau du Soir. The Coco devotees will be rather disappointed, I guess.

Coco Noir is sensual and yes: sweeeet. Even sweeter than Coco Mademoiselle (of which I only use the Brume Fraîche Version, which I find the best), nearly as sweet as Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf. The scent reminds me of all these rather pink perfumes: Flowerbomb, Miss Dior Chérie, Mademoiselle Coco or Jimmy Choo.

On a blotter Coco Noir is very intensive, on skin there has been written a lot concerning longevity. It works for me: even the next day I can smell Coco Noir everywhere – on my skin, on my clothes, in the apartment. It’s a statement.

Coco Noir is a typical fruitchouli. Fresh and sweet in the opening, sweet and fruity in the middle notes and musky, woody and sweet in the base. The pink pepper is very present and overlaps the sweetness, which saves the scent from being mundane. Coco Noir is very well done but not innovative. But I like its kind sweetness with an oriental touch without the heavy spices from Coco. The floral elements of rose and jasmine are softened by vanilla and contrasted by geranium leaves for some tart effects.

To be honest, I expected something completely different, but I am not disappointed. Coco Noir for me is an interesting alternative to Coco Mademoiselle and I am sure the scent will become a bestseller.

Category: women

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Jacques Polge

Notes: grapefruit, bergamot, pink pepper, jasmine, rose, narcissus, geranium leaves, vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, frankincense, vanilla, tonka bean, musk

www.chanel.com