I was lurking about the purple vial for weeks. Several friends of mine, who came to my house, fell in love with it, but De Profundis (From the depths) hasn’t touched my soul.

Chrysanthemum flower calling. I don’t refrain the Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde inspiration, much has been written before. This strange flower sits on a musky base like an accusation. It seems as if it is telling me “Why don’t you love me?“ – “I don’t know, because you look like poison and I love life.“

How many times did I dab a little bit of De Profundis on the back of my hand to retry the fragrance. Deep under the surface I smell warm skin, but the chord of funeral flowers is too heavy and smells quite synthetic. De Profundis is sweet but too sharp at the same time. The musky base isn’t bad but too clean for being seductive. Overall very artificial, too much aldehydes, very artsyfartsy. After one hour De Profundis remains very close to the skin, later on it fades out quietly. The passing bell.

No, we will never be lovers. And now my friends can come to steal the prey.

Have you already tried De Profundis? Do you like it?

De Profundis is from the Paris exclusive range and only available at Les Salons du Palais Royal or via the website of Serge Lutens.

Category: unisex

Year: 2011

Perfumer: Christopher Sheldrake

Notes: chrysanthemum, dahlia, violet, green and woody notes

www.sergelutens.com

Libertin Louison of the Paris based niche perfumery house Technique Indiscrète shows a great altruistic gesture. He is selling 1000 bottles of the Eau de Cologne For them and donates 100 per cent of the profits to the victims of the great tragedy that Japan is suffering right now. The money is dedicated to the small city of Minamisanriku which was destroyed by the tsunami.

The lavender Eau de Cologne was originally created for a different cause but Louison revamped the bottles and the packaging and created a limited edition of 1000 flacons For them to support people in Japan.

However, because of the internet the world has gotten smaller during the past decades and this is why Japan doesn’t seem so far away anymore. Many of us have friends there. Louison remarks: “on est un seul peuple”– „we are only ONE people“.

Thank you so much Louison!

35 Euro for 50ml via the online store of Technique Indiscrète.

www.techniqueindiscrete.com

The trees are stripping bare in front of my window. I love the smell of autumn and the leaves decorating the asphalt with different shades of yellow, rust-red and brown. There is no scent that fits in better with this scenario than Feuilles de Tabac (tobacco leaves) by Miller Harris.

Imagine an untouched Cuban cigar and some dry leaves that have fallen from a tree. Add some cloves and a gentlemen’s shaving soap. To give it some depth there is a little patchouli, some pine needles for ethereal glow and a hint of leather. Last but not least: sweets for my sweet, perfectly represented by the tonka bean. Pure sophistication. Feuilles de Tabac is by far one of the best men’s perfumes I know and my favorite of the Miller Harris line – a real womanizer and nothing for shy guys. If I were a man I would choose this one as my companion to make women turn their heads. It has something clean and on the other side it is really intriguing. Like a face that you look at and know this person is keeping a secret.

A former colleague of mine sometimes wore the scent at work and I had always wondered what he might wear. I never asked him what it was, don’t ask me why, normally I always do. Some weeks ago he visited me at my house. We were talking about different perfumes, as he is a patchouli lover. He told me that Feuilles de Tabac by Miller Harris is one of his favorite perfumes. I found a sample in my archive, tried it out and was immediately smitten by this spicy, earthy, warm and seductive elixir. I especially love the opening that reminds me of suede.

Category: unisex

Perfumer: Lyn Harris

Year: 2000

Notes: Cuban cascarilla oil, pimento berries, pine, sage, tonka bean, tobacco, patchouli

www.millerharris.com

The France-Russia-Year, which will take place in both countries in 2010, was the perfect occasion for Thierry de Baschmakoff, Art Director of The Different Company, to pay tribute to his Russian origin. In collaboration with Céline Ellena he has created De Bachakov, a nearly botanical scent with an Asian touch – Baschmakoff’s ode to Russia: “Peppery and mineral notes of herbs which are softly swinging in the wind… The smell of the first sunrays on wood of Siberian forests – driven by Asian offshore winds which bring a fresh breeze of The Steppe.“

De Bachmakov smells like an entire herb garden. One note that is not listed by The Different Company dominates the opening: clary sage. I like this unique and slightly sharp smell, which is present at all stages of this fragrance. Thai basil, coriander leaves, nutmeg, bergamot and woody notes dance around this rather sharp outlaw. A crystal clear composition that seems to be mixed with vodka and ice cubes. Anyway – if I had not known that this was supposed to be a Russian scent I wouldn’t have figured it out.

The creations of The Different Company are all very natural scents, not only the ingredients but also the smells. That applies to De Bachmakov too. I can imagine that this perfume is a very refreshing elixir at the end of a hot summer day when it’s cooled in the fridge.

Category: unisex

Perfumer: Céline Ellena with Thierry de Baschmakoff

Year: 2010

Notes: clary sage, Thai basil, coriander leaves, nutmeg, bergamot, freesia, cedar wood, musk, vodka

www.thedifferentcompany.com

There is a lady riding a tiger on the bottle. What do we expect? A roar and a dzing with a whip? Far from it! If Dzing! were a wild animal, it would be a sleeping feline beauty immersed in sweet dreams. Not in a negative sense  – this scent is so soft and close to your skin that I can’t stop sniffing myself. Close your eyes and you’ll smell a woman’s glove made of the finest leather.

When I first read about Dzing! and the notes inspired by the circus such as candy floss and vanilla, I thought this could be another overly sweet, intrusive leather scent. Not at all. The leather note is present but discreet at the same time, the same goes for the nutty notes of vanilla and tonka bean. There seems to be a total absence of floral notes. I can understand what Luca Turin means when he talks about “pasteboard”. It reminds me of old books – the leather bindings combined with pasteboard. It doesn’t compare to anything I’ve ever smelled before and I can’t say it any other way other than: this scent is unique and amazing. Bravo!

Category: unisex

Perfumer: Olivia Giacobetti

Year: 1999

Notes: leather, vanilla, tonka bean, saffron, woods, iris, musk

www.artisanparfumeur.com