Patchouli & Inoubliable Elixir Patchouli by Reminiscence : Perfume Reviews

Patchouli:
Affectionately known as the “soul of Reminiscence”, Patchouli is the brand’s “flagship fragrance”. As I have mentioned in a previous review, to me, the particular brand has a lovely neo-hippie essence, and this feeling is both confirmed and underscored by their choice to place Patchouli as their central perfume. Offered in a clear bottle adorned with a girly smattering of stars, the cinnamon-colored juice too is closer to the hippie potions of the ‘70s than most modern interpretations of the note. Itself created in the ‘70s, Reminiscence’s Patchouli still manages to smell rather airy and playfully French, despite its retro feel. According to the official website, it completely lacks top-notes, but I find this rather hard to believe: spray Patchouli on your skin and you will find a boozy top accord of beautifully fermented grapes (akin to the scent of grappa) and light citrus notes that lend the fragrance a lovely vintage feel. As the top notes flutter away, the patchouli note takes over, but not once does it come on too strong. Its presentation throughout the development is always in tandem with the supporting notes, creating a soothingly soft blend. Cinnamon has the honor of the first dance, and together with the camphorous character of the patch, their twirling motions become slightly dizzying. This is not a metaphor! Two analgesic-related scents at once and I can’t help but get the impression I am being under the influence of something. Soon, the spiciness is toned down in favor of sweetness: the ambery base notes start showing through beautifully, lending the fragrance a soft yet very clearly discernible balsamic profile. Most salient is the sweet, round scent of tolu, only marginally tamed by the bitter resinous character of labdanum. In the drydown, the patchouli turns into a hushed whisper, leaving the very addictive sandalwood-vanilla blend to take over. The drydown is probably my favorite stage of Reminiscence’s Patchouli, due to the creamy, musky sweetness it imparts on the skin. What I absolutely need to mention before moving on to the Elixir, is that if you hate patchouli because of its headshop/indian-jewelry-cum-bead & fabric-store associations, this is probably not the right patch scent for you. It might be a soft scent, especially if you apply with a light hand, but it smells exactly like the sweet blend of amber-patchouli incense burnt in headshops. The sharpness is missing, but you can liken its scent to what you’d find if you buried your nose in one of the colorful fabrics sold there, just to find layers and layers of burnt incense smoke which has drenched the fibers. Although I can appreciate the particular scent for its playfulness, its balance and the way it showcases each note, I have to say that it is definitely not for me.

Inoubliable Elixir Patchouli:

“…and this one is for serious patchouli lovers only” the owner of the little jewelry boutique informed me as she handed me a sample of the Elixir, looking at me critically, no doubt trying to size up my patch love meter. I remained unblinking, open smile frozen in the grinning grimace of a terrified chimp. Regaining my composure, I decided to distract her equally unblinking avian stare by pointing to the bottle. “It is a beautiful bottle!” “Yes it is, it is a bit more expensive than the original, but well worth it to serious patchouli lovers.” …Seriously, the woman will NOT let go, she knows all about me, she knows I only recently started liking patchouli, she knows I am still exploring, she is soon going to kill me! (pause) …How will I come back here? I love her shop! I love the jewelry. (pause) Run now, consider later, I thought to myself as I made my exit as graciously as possible under the circumstances. Back in the comfort of my home, I eagerly ripped the gold-foil packet to reach the promised contents within. Surprisingly, the juice of the elixir is lighter colored than the original, the hue of light flower honey. Originally launched in 1970, the same year as its sibling, Inoubliable Elixir Patchouli was reissued in 2007. My first instinct upon spraying it is to go “Mmmmmmmm”: A full on pure, high quality dark chocolate cloud rises from the skin upon first contact. This stuff is rich and magnificent! Soon, the sumptuous oriental opening reveals glimmering facets as its soft core is cut through by a bright metallic tinge which lends it an air of luxury. The patchouli core at the center of this perfume is earthy and moist, while at the same time prickly, teasing the senses like long, playful fingers. In many ways, it feels like this is a heavily amped version of the original: I smell the very same notes that I did before – cinnamon, sandalwood, the beautiful amber blend of tolu and labdanum… Yet still, despite the obvious recognition, despite having found the match in the patterns, my senses still insist this is a very different perfume. Where Patchouli wore sandals and a colorful woven vest, Inoubliable Elixir wears YSL flats and a crisp tailored jacket. Where the original wore a playful smile, the elixir wears a naughty grin. Absolutely yummy and potent, this deep smelling, slightly medicinal dark blend keeps inviting me to re-sniff my wrist every few minutes. While it isn’t my favorite patchouli by far, this luxurious composition has something mysterious that keeps attracting me back for a little more. Until my sample finishes at least! Definitely sniff worthy - this will probably hit all the right spots for certain patch lovers.

Both perfumes come with their own ancillary products. Patchouli has its own deodorant, shower gel, body lotion, candle and “satinee” body oil, while Inoubliable Elixir Patchouli has a matching, ultra-luxurious body cream, dressed in the same gold-foil outfit of the bottle.

Mi Fa by Reminiscence : Perfume Review

Brand identity is a valued concept in today’s market, however sometimes with our in-built motif seeking and pattern recognition capacity we manage to classify and even pigeonhole brands in ways they doubtlessly never intended to be defined. I’ve hardly ever been exposed to any marketing efforts by Reminiscence, but even so, the brand has been irreversibly connected in my mind with a number of images, ideas and concepts. For first, it is a line that is truly niche, continuing to fly under the radar even while it is being offered through big stores such as Douglas. Secondly, it is a line that seems to keep doing its own thing, with utter disregard for what is currently on trend, rendering it slightly bohemian. Further, it is a line that is very clearly youth orientated: the bottles leave no doubt in one’s mind on the issue of the target audience, but a visit to any one of their psychedelically cute boutiques can speedily close the case with overwhelming evidence. Finally, and perhaps most characteristically, Reminiscence is a line charmingly catering to the neo-hippie: the gorgeous, modern, flighty and unconventional hippie muse, folksy and favoring flats over heels, she is a novel translation of the 60’s-70’s model updated for our age.

For me personally, there is one last defining characteristic, harder to pin down and this time pertaining to smell: Reminiscence perfumes all feature a disturbance, a dissonant note or accord that manages to perturb me while at the same time keeps me with my nose glued to my wrist, my interest piqued beyond logic, even while I am bothered. Mi Fa is no exception to this rule. Belonging to a series of perfumes all named after musical notes (the rest of the perfumes in the series are named Do Re, Sol La, Si Do, while the series itself is collectively called “Les Notes Gourmands”) with all of them exploring the gourmand theme, Mi Fa delights even as it disturbs in equal measure. The opening is full of neroli and mandarin zest, with the former being very realistic and the latter juicy sweet and lacking in freshness. Quite heavy, the neroli note does not fly away, but instead remains, as the main theme of the fragrance –namely a delicious, soft, puffy note of marshmallow develops. Candied and sweet, the marshmallow heart smells exactly like the moment you open a bag full of the soft treats and find yourself surrounded by the sugary cloud. Belatedly, fresh notes kick in the background, tampering the sweetness and adding the slightest touch of masculinity: rosemary and lavender, with the merest undercurrent of something marine. Further down the road the gourmand character of Mi Fa intensifies as the aroma of nuts becomes ever more prevalent. I smell the officially listed almond (very marzipan like), but also roasted pistachio. Creamy sweet vanilla joins in the chorus loudly and proudly, underscored by heliotrope with cerise aspects and warm musk. Mi Fa lasts simply forever and remains rather unchanging after having reached this stage until the drydown, many, many hours later (in fact you will probably wake up with it the next day). The drydown is a faint gourmand shadow of cherries and vanilla.

So what is the odd note out? In this case I am sure it will come as a surprise, but it is in fact the neroli, strong and distracting from the fluffy character the rest of the notes present. It does however add something valuable to this gourmand/oriental: It makes it highly appropriate for summer, with its cheerful sunny disposition. Mi Fa is described as childish and mischievous on the official website and I can’t overstate how true this description is. In fact, before ever taking a peak at the website, my very first thought upon smelling the perfume was how childish it was. I find this absolutely delightful: This is definitely a feel-good perfume, with the power to lift mood and spirits. It does bring a smile to my face every time I wear it, and it makes life’s troubles seem not quite so heavy after all. Even though this is a sweet gourmand, it is not heavy or cloying. It has this amazing ‘whipped’ character, this frothy, soft as clouds lightness that rests on the skin like sparkling dusting sugar. Gourmand lovers will rejoice in being able to wear this beautiful fragrance in any weather, hot or cold.

Images: Joss Stone, the neo-hippie poster child. Les Notes Gourmands collection and the Mi Fa bottle, both sourced from www.reminiscence.fr