Floral Chypre

Mood Scent 4 Jewels In The Crown Perfumes

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It’s Mood Scent 4 time again! Our monthly blogging project where Portia, (on A Bottled Rose) , Samantha  (I Scent You A Day), Megan (Megan In St Maxime) and I write about a different subject linking perfume to mood or occasion. This time we picked jewels in the crown, those treasured perfumes we can never be without.

I hope you started the new year well with everything that is going on in the world and manage to keep (relatively) calm, safe and positive. Not to mention healthy! We are in our second lock down at the moment in The Netherlands, most shops are closed and celebrating Christmas with a few family members on a schedule who got to visit when which was a bit strange. But I was very glad to be able to visit some of my family members including my dad and sister.

Back to perfumes again. In this article I have included 5 favourites from my perfume collection which can still be bought online or in a shop, so you are able to try them too if you like, starting with glorious Amber/Oriental Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. (Continue Reading After The Photograph)

Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 

There are several perfumes I can’t be without and Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan is definitely one of them. Ambre Sultan is filled with warming benzoin, resinous labdanum, sweet vanilla, topped with spices and herbs found on the Marrakech souk (market). This warming fragrance gets a lot of wear during wintertime each year. Ambre Sultan is very well blended, not one specific note sticking out. If I could only have one amber fragrance it would be Ambre Sultan. Notes include coriander, amber accord, oregano, bay leaf, myrtle, angelica root, sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin and vanilla. Ambre Sultan is said to smell after the markets or souks in Marrakech, Serge Lutens Moroccan residence. (Continue Reading After The Photograph)

Hermes Caleche 

Soft, clean and floral Caleche is another elegant perfume jewel I can’t be without. Named after a special type of light carriage, Hermes Caleche invokes a feeling of Parisian sophistication with timeless classic brown satin dresses, expensive leather Hermes bags, exquisite hand sown silk scarves, pearl necklaces and the softest dark brown leather gloves. Caleche was created by master perfumer Guy Robert in 1961 as an elegant easy to wear refined fragrance.

It features notes of aldehydes, bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, gardenia, iris, ylang-ylang, oakmoss, sandalwood, cedarwood and vetiver. .(Continue Reading After The Photograph)Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte 

Another jewel in the crown is Hermes Eau d’Orange verte. Eau D’orange verte is an extraordinary uplifting scent adding sunshine and light to grey rainy days. True to its original name which was Hermes Eau de Cologne, Eau d’Orange Verte smells very much like a cologne focussing on freshly squeezed bitter orange tree leaves.

Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte was created in 1979 by French perfumer Francoise Caron. According to official Hermes training material Eau d’Orange Verte features notes of petit grain lemon, mandarin, bitter orange tree (bigadier) leaves and peppermint. Some online sources mention oakmoss and patchouli as well. This fragrance has been in my collection for 20 years, back in the days when I wore the same scent every day. (Continue Reading After The Photograph)

Guerlain Shalimar 

Guerlain Shalimar is one of the perfumes I can’t be without either. It is one of the perfumes which feel custom made to me and I reach for on many occasions. Sparkling green Bergamot lemon. smooth floral Rose and Jasmine, seductive balsamic Opopanax, comforting Vanilla, powdery Iris and Tonka Bean make Shalimar very soothing and relaxing. Shalimar feels like one of those fragrances which suit any occasion or mood. (Continue Reading After The Photograph)

Dior Miss Dior original 

Miss Dior has many faces nowadays but I am referring to the perfume from 1947 which is now very well named Miss Dior Original. Created by perfumers Jean Carles and Paul Vacher this classic masterpiece is another jewel of the crown. It has probably been changed many times in the meantime.

Some people might find Miss Dior Original too nostalgic for their taste which I can relate to as this was created in the “New Look” period of Christian Dior, at the end of the 1940ties. I rather like this elegant perfume which feels like wearing a made to measure exquisite dress, impeccable red lipstick, a well powdered face, some black eyeliner and a stylish large designer hat.  Personally I am glad we don’t have to wear these dresses anymore but have the choice to wear what we like and still get a glimpse of this elegant period by scenting and wearing Miss Dior Original. A bit of nostalgia after all!

Notes include: Aldehydes, Galbanum, Clary Sage, Gardenia, Bergamot, Narcissus, Iris, Carnation, Lily of the Valley, Orris Root, Jasmine, Rose, Neroli, Oakmoss, Leather, Vetiver, Patchouli, Labdanum, Sandalwood and Amber accord. (Continue Reading After The Photograph)

These are my top 5 Jewels in the Crown picks. Have a look on Samantha’s blog I Scent You A Day Megan’s blog  Megan in St. Maxime  and Portia on A Bottled Rose,  to read they choices too!

I Love To Hear From You
I hope you are able to share your favorite perfumes you can’t live without and let me know what you think of my choices too.

Disclosure: All photographs were made by me and are meant as creative expression. The perfumes on the photographs were all bought by me. Some fragrances are sold in other bottles now.

 

In Conversation With Satori Osawa – Parfum Satori

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A few weeks ago I meet Japanese perfumer Satori Osawa at the niche perfume shop The Perfume Lounge in Amsterdam. The Perfume Lounge is the only store which sells Parfum Satori in Europe (except a pop-up store in Paris) at this moment.

Satori Osawa was born in Tokyo and opened her perfume salon Parfum Satori in 2000. She studied Japanese culture intensively. Its tea ceremony called Sado. The incense ceremony named Kodo. The Japanese art of flower arranging known as Kado and Japanese dance. Japanese culture is the base from which she works. I had the impression Satori had a clear mission to explain her fragrances and Japanese culture to people coming from other cultures. Part of our talk was in explaining aspects of Japanese culture to me which I found very interesting. Satori explained the idea behind her five fragrances as well: Wasanbon, Sakura, Satori, Iris Homme and Hana Hiraku.

Wasanbon 

Wasanbon is a special refined Japanese sugar. The Wasanbon sweets are called Rakugan. They are hand made in several stages. The Wasanbon sugar has a less sweet, more creamy and buttery taste than ordinary refined sugar. Rakugan are used for the Japanese Matcha (green tea) tea ceremony as part of the tea ritual. First you take a small piece of Rakugan in your mounth afterwards you take a sip of Japanese Matcha tea. In this way combining two kinds of flavours, sweet and bitter.

Satori explaned she created Wasanbon Eau de Parfum as a not too loud dry gourmand fragrance. A scent for adults unlike other very sweet bombs which can be found nowadays. This fragrance is meant to be gentle, happy, innocent and sophisticated. Satori uses this fragrance on moments she wants to take care of herself. To me personally Wasanbon Eau de Parfum is a pink light fluffy scent. Wasanbon is not too sweet, quite delicate and girly.

Notes: Lemon, muscat grape, mimosa, muguet, almond, sugar, honey, vanilla, iris, guaiacwood

Sakura 

Sakura means cherry blossom. Contrary to what one would think the cherry blossom in itself is not a blossom which smells fruity. Sakura eau de parfum is supposed to bring a feeling of happiness, delightfulness and innocence. The joyful feeling of spring arriving after winter. Cherry blossoms filling the air with their pink petals all at once, creating a beautiful pink carpet when they fall on the ground. Satura eau de parfum contains incense, spice and sandalwood. It wears very close to the skin. I really like this scent and could fully wear it.

Notes: cherry blossom, shiso, perilla frutescens, cherry, jasmine, rose, moss, musk, woods, incense

Satori 

Satori is the best seller in the Tokyo perfume salon. This fragrance is based on the Japanese ceremony of incense, Kado. In this scent the 5 Japanese elements of taste are combined, spicy, bitter, sweet, sour and salty.  Kyara is known to have these 5 tastes. Satori eau de parfum was formulated based on the image of it. Kyara is a not very dominant precious agarwood and more refined than the oud we are used to in Western perfumery.  Cinnamon and clove are used for the spicy notes, cocoa for the bitter, vanilla adding sweetness, oakmoss, cypress and bitter orange for its sour and saltyness.

I find Satori to be the most outspoken one of all her fragrances. Some compared it to the original Shiseido Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois. Not being an expert on vintage Feminite du Bois I am curious how these two compare to each other. From all fragrances I like this one best together with Sakura. It is a very refined, warm cozy scent. If Satori eau de parfum had a colour it would be the autumnal colours of dark red and brown leaves of a tree like Indian Summer colours of leaves. The texture which comes to mind is very thin but warming wool.

Notes: Bergamot, coriander, cinnamon, clove, cacao, vanilla, frankincense, sandalwood, oak moss, agarwood (oud)

Iris Homme

The iris flower is only used in Japan for decoration and not in fragrances. It is used to decorate kimono’s, paintings and in haiku poems and very much part of Japanese culture.  Iris Homme starts with a sparkling citrus note of lemon and bergamot to change to a dryer powdery heart with iris and finish with a woody amber/sandalwood base. Although not mentioned in the official notes it has galbanum and elemi as well. Iris Homme wears quite close to the skin. I find it quite a refined scent for men to wear.

Notes: bergamot, cardamon, orange flower, iris (nioi-ayame), violet, jasmine, amber, sandalwood, light musc

Hana Hiraku

Hana Hiraku is the latest release of Satori. It means blooming flower and was made as a Magnolia scent. The fragrance has an interesting combination of sweet melon, creamy jasmine and salty german blue camomille. The blue camomille was added to add a miso and soy sauce note. The Japanese magnolia tree (Magnolia Obovate) smells like melon, creamy and at some stage even carnal. The carnal note was added by tuberose absolute. Hana Hiraku is meant to portray the emotion of a new beginning after wintertime.

Hanu Hiraku was the most challenging fragrance for me as I am not too fond of melon as an accord. It struck me as very odd in the beginning and not as refined as the other Satori perfumes. But after learning the explanation of the fragrance of the Magnolia Obovate tree I understand why the pronounced melon accord was added. The flowers of the magnolia tree I know near our Dutch garden smell more like soap which is very different I imagine from the Magnolia Obovate.

Notes: bergamot, galbanum, melon, magnolia, iris, jasmine, tuberose, rose, ylang ylang, blue camomille, miso, shoyu, guiac wood, opoponax resin, sandal wood, bees wax

Most of these Eau de Parfums are very subtle and quite exquisite fragrances. I would not wear all of them but I could certainly wear Sakura during Spring and Satori with colder weather in Wintertime. You have to take a quiet meditative moment to fully appreciate these fragrances and let them sink in to value them. Before buying a bottle, I would recommend to sample them at ease at home as these fragrances need their time and attention to be valued. Samples can be bought online at The Perfume Lounge in Amsterdam.

I would like to thank Satori Osawa and The Perfume Lounge for the opportunity for this interview.

Disclosure: all photographs were made by Esperessence, the samples which were used for this article, were a gift from The Perfume Lounge I did not get any compensation to write this article. More information can be found on: The Perfume Lounge and Parfum Satori.