Royal Water by Creed : Perfume Review

It’s normally hit or miss with me and Creed, but to be honest, I didn’t know what to make of this one at first. I doubt I would have given this the time of day had I just sniffed on a blotter; Royal Water takes its sweet time to unfold to its full splendor and the skin’s warmth makes the perfect catalyst. Still, I’ll tell you it is not an easy perfume to love: Royal Water can’t decide on its gender, daydreams endlessly (not pointlessly however!) before it reaches its destination, can’t make up its mind on whether it is cool or warm and generally teases the wearer endlessly. And yet, instead of finding it insufferable, I find myself inexplicably charmed. Do you know… the feeling is not unlike being manipulated by a talented lover with a sinister touch that knows exactly how to stroke a body while refusing to let it climb over the edge. You understand then, this is a perfume that gets better and better with time. The question is, do you have the patience?

The opening is old fashioned and rather severe, a true eau full of citrus. Along with lemon, the official notes list green mandarins and clementines which would have you expect something altogether juicier and perhaps sweet, however this is an exceptionally dry perfume. After this entirely neutral, unisex blast of clean freshness Royal Water takes a rather unexpected turn, slowly manifesting itself as a beautiful classic fougère, gentlemanly and proper. Undeniably green (yet never aggressively so), the fern theme is interpreted with astute perfection. The perfume’s cool, indifferent character is underscored by a peppermint note which adds superbly to its blasé attitude. I know peppermint is a make-or-break note for many but I will vouch for the fact that here it is rendered very carefully and only serves to add a frosty undercurrent, never once screaming for individual attention. I get not a single whiff of the resinous green warmth from the purported juniper berries in the heart notes: Royal Water continues to be aloof and cool as a cucumber even as it progressively has the completely opposite effect on me - cool and aloof it might be, but it keeps on intensifying, slowly changing and I find myself slightly breathless, awaiting the outcome… Which is mysterious in and of itself, for this is not my type of perfume at all! What is this perfume laced with, anyway?! Again, this strange scent takes me by surprise by suddenly gender-bending its way to femininity as it quiets down to a mysterious softness. From ferny green coolness, Royal Water has transformed to gentle ambers, spices and sexy musks, touched by a whisper of something that smells indistinctly floral and improbably feminine. Despite these warm notes the perfume still somehow manages to retain its exceptionally dry character - how, I don’t know. Regardless, it refuses to show even the slightest sign of sweetness or fullness. This in essence is the theme that ties all the changes Royal Water undergoes together: Despite how different it smells now, its beautiful, haughty dryness disallows it from succumbing to throwing away the mask of cool detachment, despite its obvious climactic arousal. In this respect I can imagine this perfume would be worn beautifully by a woman to compliment a provocative outfit or lustful curves, for it denotes an air of unavailability, thus making it a perfect balancing factor. Having said that, it can just as easily (and beautifully) be worn by a man. One word of warning however: don’t let this one be sprayed on clothes: the cumin note which remains rather quiet (and only apparent in the drydown) on the skin manifests itself fiercely on fabric and lingers, smelling rather sweaty and unpleasant as cumin often tends to do.

Note: I was sent this sample by Essenza Nobile, where it is sold for 125 E (75ml). To visit the Essenza Nobile webshop click here.

Images: Royal Water bottle via www.creedfragrances.co.uk and fern via Flickr by Nick Coombe

Feerie by Van Cleef & Arpels : Perfume Review

Feerie (pronounced “FAYrie” and meaning Fairy in Flemish as well as Fairyhood in French) is Van Cleef & Arpels’ newest fragrance. The flacon’s marvelous design echoes the theme of their Midsummer Night’s Dream jewelry collection, which even though too archetypically girly for my tastes, is so breathtakingly beautiful it makes your heart break a little just looking at it. Now, even though I am not a girly jewelry type of girl, anything whimsical, fanciful, capricious and extraordinary in the perfume bottle department catches my eye and attracts me in the same manner a magpie is attracted to anything that glimmers. When I saw pictures of this bottle I couldn’t help but feel compelled to buy it. Surely this looks like something that one just has to own? If this isn’t a perfume bottle meant to sit on a dresser, then what is? Well, call me finicky, but unfortunately the bottle doesn’t quite live up to expectations ‘in the flesh’. Don’t get me wrong; it is beautiful, just not as stunning as the pictures originally led me to think. Whatever could be my problem with it, you ask? I am afraid it is the faceted blue glass part of the flacon that I find disappointing. In the pictures it appears to be delicate enough to allow light to permeate through, allowing one to gaze upon the perfume within as though it were a starlit blue lagoon over which Titania, Queen of Fairies was ever present. In reality, it is a thick, hefty, almost opaque and rather dull-colored blue hand grenade that does nothing to excite the imagination. And if I’m allowed to complain just a little bit more, I’ll just have to say that I really wanted Van Cleef & Arpels to pull a Lolita Lempicka on us and let us spray through the fairy, instead of making her just a cap. Well all right. It’s still rather pretty, I guess.

I am just as surprised at rather liking the juice within as I am at not falling in love with the bottle. The opening is briefly gentle and light – a tiny bit of buttery iris, a smidgen of green freshness and slightly sugary violet leaves. After the subtle, pretty intro, the intensity suddenly picks up: the aroma of dark cassis berres, appropriately and quite realistically sweet and sour fills the air. At first their edible aroma is briefly touched by sparkling citrus fruit, subsequently is it rounded beautifully with a certain nutty flavor and when that too (all too soon!) disappears the fragrance settles into its longest stage: berries strewn over dusty yet effusive rose. At once sweet and dry, this interplay should normally hold my interest, but unfortunately I find the intense rose scent very, very disagreeable and I cannot detect the promised jasmine at all. A great disappointment, since I found the first ten minutes of Feerie’s development extremely promising. The drydown is simple, gently floral in an abstract way, greenish and quite delicate, with hints of musk. For my tastes it lacks warmth and depth and I have to say that this is the most generic and insipid stage of a quite well done perfume, which is a shame. All in all I found the top and middle of the development quite interesting; they resemble, as Abigail astutely pointed out Creed’s Love in Black “minus the edginess”.


Images: Folie des Pres Fairy Clip, Envole Bracelet, Feerie bottle and Feerie Timepiece images, all www.vancleef-arpels.com

Love in Black by Creed : Perfume Review

Although I am by no means acquainted with their entire line, which means that what I am about to say should be taken with a grain of salt, Creed perfumes have left me underwhelmed for the most part – something that is probably reflected in the fact that I have not reviewed any of them so far. However, their newest offering has taken me by surprise. Love in Black, also briefly mentioned in this month’s Perfume for the Occasion is the first Creed perfume that has really grabbed my interest. As it is absolutely perfect for fall, I believe this is the best time for a more extended review.

Okay, lets start with the good news: Love in Black has an absolutely breathtaking opening! A couple of seconds of bracing, almost fruity sharpness shocks the nose into attention. What follows is pure indulgence: a delicious (and I mean mouthwateringly so) blend of nutty notes that unfolds ever so gently while still presenting the wearer with full-bodied appeal. If I absolutely had to be more specific, I’d have to name hazelnuts, fresh, sweet almonds and hints of chocolaty nougat, but in all honesty, the full effect is quite abstract. Aside from delicious, this nutty blend is also extremely comforting. As it is soon joined by the most marvelously creamy, whipped and oh-so buttery iris and sweet violet, the scent’s embrace becomes all the more satiny and luxurious. Slowly, the scent starts changing, first by becoming earthier and then by acquiring beautiful dry/dusty quality that reminds me a bit of pomegranate skin. About an hour later, the wonderful, warm buttery scent shows the first signs of freshness (uh-oh) and the woody scent of cedar also becomes more obvious, although it will still remain quite mild for a while. Now for the bad news: (I sort of tipped you off at the beginning there, didn’t I?) About an hour and a half or so after application you will notice some extreme changes. The nutty flavor is by now completely gone and the lovely iris-violet is hiding somewhere in the background, requiring deep inhalations to be detected. Having detected the biggest crime, lets move on to what we’re left with, shall we? Dusty pomegranate and berries, cedar (which has by now acquired a good bit of the smokiness one expects from good essential cedar oil), and conventional rose. I am not trying to say that Love in Black falls apart in the drydown; that would be unfair. It does however pull an extreme transformation, which I am most definitely not happy with. The drydown is completely incongruent with the beautiful, dark, comforting top and heart notes that I have admittedly fallen in love with. This leaves me feeling a bit cheated out of a fragrance-love and I can’t help but lament the disappearance of all that goodness. I would have honestly preferred a more linear scent; I’d have sacrificed the full development for the very special, luxurious and warm scent this could have been. Having said this, I definitely recommend you try this yourself. Not only so that you can experience the full glory of the top and heart notes, but also because you just might be able to tolerate the drydown better than me. I still believe this is one of the best releases for this fall. As for me? Well, I won’t be buying this one but having almost fallen in love with it I am once again motivated to explore the Creed line better.

Images: www.creedperfumes.co.uk and www.nougat.co.za

Perfume for the Occasion: Harvest Moon

“Won’t you light the fire darling? I don’t think the summer is coming back...”


The last two weeks of August hid behind a silvery curtain of rain, but still I held hope that the blissful warmth of summer would make a comeback, allowing me to get a little more wear out of my sandals and chiffon shifts. But even as the sun shone the last couple of days, painting the university campus with colorful dots of students studying, smoking and laughing outside the buildings, the wind had carried a chill that sent shivers down our spines. We wore boots instead of sandals, thick jackets instead of light fabrics. The leaves are falling, producing a satisfying crunch under our footsteps. The first mushrooms can already be seen growing next to the thick trunks of trees. It’s Fall.

September must truly be the prince of Fall, full of promise for the year to come, full of novelty for business, academics and a social life that is warming up again and starting to roll as friends come together again after their summer vacations. Swathed in autumn’s new, deeply hued fabrics, it’s out with the old and in with the new for fashion. And the riches keep coming in: September’s knee deep in grapes, making wine. The Harvest Moon brings with it an abundance of grains, nuts and mushrooms. It’s the time of plenty. All this richness has inspired me to suggest that this month we not only embrace, but also pay homage to the season’s prince with perfumes befitting his precious gifts.

Rice: My favorite rice-scented perfume is Kenzo’s Amour, which just induces me to keep sniffing my wrist whenever I have it on. Its opening might seem slightly off-putting to some, since there is a strange heliotrope-plastic accord there, but if you wait just a bit you will be rewarded with a beautiful milky rice-scented heart with all the goodness of rice pudding. YUM! Kenzoki Rice Steam (Sensuel), also by Kenzo, is a fragrant mist meant to be sprayed all over the body, which perfumes and moisturizes the skin at the same time. Its steamed rice accord smells warm, gentle and comforting. It slowly fades into a soft skin-scent smelling vaguely of musk and clean skin. Ormonde Jayne’s Champaca is a gorgeous creation that will perfectly complement this Fall’s richly hued floral dresses but will also comfort the senses with its fragrant, basmati rice accord.

Nuts: I love perfumes with a distinct nutty accord and to my pleasant surprise many recent releases seem to be taking full advantage of the nuts’ autumnal appeal. Bond No. 9’s newest, Lexington Avenue, reveals an intense, beautiful roasted almond paste scent in its opening that is absolutely delicious. Even though the scent thins to reveal a blooming heart as time progresses, this nutty aspect remains a constant in this gourmand’s development. Secret Obsession’s heart in turn, is filled with the earthy nuttiness of a freshly cracked walnut. This beautiful walnut note is rich, buttery and very sexy indeed. Lastly, Creed’s brand new Love in Black, includes the most delicious, mouthwatering blend of nuts whipped with iris butter and cacao. Mmmmm!

Fruit: Burberry is the line I most readily turn to for my dose of Fall fruit. Burberry Brit, with its crystalline note of pear is sure to bring cheerfulness to any dreary old day, and even though I must admit I favor it in warm weather, I’ve lately found that it is perfect for early fall. Burberry Classic on the other hand, is an excellent example of apple rendered perfectly in a dry sophisticated composition, instead of the usual cinnamon laden wintry offerings (nothing wrong with those), or in an awful saccharine juice (the latter however are very wrong indeed!). I love Burberry Classic, which transforms into one of the most glorious fuse-with-my-own-skin-scents I know of in its drydown. It never fails to garner compliments and I always feel wonderful when I wear it.

Celebration: Are you familiar with the Harvest Moon Festival? Why not wear I am a Dandelion by CB I Hate Perfume on the day of the full moon, in honor of the traditional dandelion leaf custom of the day?

...and one for the house: It has to be my beloved Pumpkin Chestnuts candle by L’Occitane of course. Don’t be fooled by the way! Pumpkin might be more associated with October, but the truth is they make their appearance in September, along with squash, waiting to be made into delicious soup. This candle smells deliciously buttery, earthy, nutty and vanillic and will make the room smell oh-so-delightfully cozy.

The end of summer is always difficult to accept, but I hope this month’s Perfume for the Occasion has not only given you many ideas, but has also inspired you to embrace September with a smile and of course, the appropriate scent.

Images: www.imageafter.com, Flickr by Surplusparts, Visualpanic and Spiralz, www.sxc.hu