Vanilla

Mood Scent 4 : Mainstream Perfumes : Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Tendre Jasmin, Accord Chic, Vanille Noir

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Welcome to MoodScent 4!

We are four perfume bloggers based in France, Holland, England and Wales who post on a different joint subject every couple of months. This time we have chosen Mainstream perfumes. You will find links to the other blogs at the end of the post. We hope you have fun reading our different choices and adding your own selection in the comments!

The Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection 

As some of you already know, I love the Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection so I chose a couple of fragrances from this product line for mini reviews: Accord Chic, Tendre Jasmin and Vanille Noir. I reviewed Rose Oud earlier this year (see link at the end) and I plan on writing about Neroli soon.

The Secrets d’Essences Collection focuses on raw materials in perfumery like vanilla (2010), jasmine (2008), neroli (2013), iris (2007) and rose (2006). The Collection launched in 2005 with Voile d’Ambre.

I have all fragrances from this line as they can be found regularly on Marktplaats (Dutch eBay) for a decent price. Small 5 ml bottles can be bought at Yves Rocher for sampling. Recently they had 3 bottles on sale for 5 euro. Personally I find most of the scents fairly linear but very well made for a decent price and excellent to layer with, except for the intriguing dark Rose Oud.

Tendre Jasmin 

Perfumer: Jacques Cavallier(Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey and Jean Paul Gaultier Classique)

Notes: Jasmine Grandiflorum Abs., Jasmine Sambac Abs., Mimosa Abs., Orange Blossom Abs., Lemon, Mandarin. Orange

After starting with rather annoying synthetic aromachemicals, Tendre Jasmin continues as a clean floral bouquet with a bit of a green fresh touch. There is nothing edgy about this scent, no animals or índoles but a beautiful light jasmine fragrance.

Layer with: Accord Chic

Tendre Jasmin in a few words: happy, careless like a butterfly, light, virginal floral, pristine Jasmine

Accord Chic 

Perfumers:  Olivier Cresp (also known for creating Thierry Mugler Angel) and Marie Salamagne

Notes: pink pepper, elemi, iris, benzoin and frankincense

Starting with a spicy note of activating pink pepper and elemi with a sweet balsamic undertone probably from the benzoin, this fragrance changes quickly into a slightly dusty, sweeter and smoother scent. The frankincense adds a greener and slightly damp note to the whole fragrance. After a few hours what remains is a smooth scent which reminds me of liquorice. Longevity is excellent after 7 hours I can still smell a trace.

The image I get, when I smell Accord Chic, is from a well dressed elegant lady in a thin black wool sweater and long white wide wool pants. Looking closer you can see these are luxurious designer clothes. The name Chic in the perfume is very fitting but I find Accord horrendous as a perfume name. If this scent was sold by a niche perfume house this fragrance could easily become a bestseller. This fragrance is well worth a try.

Layer with:  Tendre Jasmin to enhance the floral heart or with Vanille Noir to link the benzoin in Accord Chic with the vanilla in the Vanille Noir to create a warmer fragrance.

Accord Chic in a few words: casual elegance and chic, refined, introverted, calm, intriguing

Vanilla Noir 

Perfumer: Jacques Cavallier

Notes: mandarin, mimosa, Vanilla Bourbon, Ugandan Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla, leather, cedar wood, orange blossom

This slightly dry vanilla seems to go directly to the base with sweet powder, liquid caramel and comforting woody notes. After a few hours what remains on the skin is a warm woody anisic skin scent.  I find Vanilla Noir to be quite linear and not very interesting in the beginning but it turns into a  fabulous warm comforting fragrance after a few hours. It is an excellent fragrance to layer with Guerlain Shalimar or Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Cologne to enhance the vanilla in both.

Vanille Noir in a few words: warm, smooth, feels like a protective thin black soft wool blanket, comforting skin scent, not a gourmand vanilla

Layer with: Voile d’Ambre and Accord Chic, it probably works well with Neroli to create a fresh top note as well.

Bottom line: Tendre Jasmin, Accord Chic and Vanille Noir are all well worth a try, I find Accord Chic the most intriguing and Vanilla Noir the one I grew to like most.

Read my review of Annick Menardo’s dark rose creation for Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences and favorite from this collection here:  Rose Oud

Tara’s choices from A Bottled Rose, Megan’s from Megan in Sainte Máxime and Samantha’s from I I Scent You A Day can be found by clicking on the names of the websites. I am curious about their choices, aren’t you?

Have you tried this Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection? Do you have a favourite fragrance? Which one do you like most or would you like to try?

 

Slow down with scent: L’Artisan Parfumeur Traversee du Bospore

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Traversee du Bospore was inspired by a trip to Istanbul in 2010 by French perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. The notes of sugared sweet apple, Turkish delight and very soft dusted powder, almonds and vanilla make it a rather original but well balanced easy to wear fragrance. To my surprise I found it to be very relaxing like a sunny beach holiday on a luxurious resort with nothing to do but read in the sun and enjoy the sound of the sea. I had several of those holidays years ago in Turkey and quite enjoyed them.

The fragrance opens with a sweet Turkish apple tea note dusted with a bit of cinnamon. I remember this tea being served in Turkish shops to tourists. The apple is slightly covered with powdery sugar and smells more like apple softly baked in butter with sugar than fresh green apple. The Turkish apple tea note is mixed with Turkish delight, a very sweet note as well. Both are quite original to use as top notes. What I really like about this fragrance is its originality by using these notes while still remaining very wearable.

Traversee du Bospore is the interpretation of Turkish (Eastern) scents by a Western perfumer which clearly shows he used notes he smelled as a visitor/tourist the Turkish delight, leather, apple tea. Bertrand Duchaufour did not notes more commonly used in an oriental fragrances by Western perfumers like Rose/Oud combinations, more ambery or resins notes.

While I recall reading online some people having problems with its sweetness to me it had the right amount. I get almond notes as well after some minutes although it is supposed to smell like pistachio nuts. The base smells of vanilla with some sweetness probably of the apple and Turkish Delight.

What does it do? I find the fragrance to be very relaxing and I use it to slow down or unwind. My bottle recently arrived but I have used it quite often as I really enjoy wearing it. I have to admit I bought this bottle without smelling it first and it was love at first sniff.

Notes: Apple, pomegranate, tulip, iris, leather, saffron, Turkish delight accord (rose and pistacchio), vanilla, musks.

Origin of sample: my own acquisition, tested on skin. Photograph: made by Esperessence

The title was inspired by photographer Christina Greve Slow down with stills Hashtag.

Have you smelled Traversee du Bospore? Do you like it?

 

Mood Scent 4 Blogging Project: Rainy Day Fragrances

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Welcome to the first joint blogging project by MoodScent4!

We are four perfume bloggers based in France, Holland, England and Wales who will be posting on a different joint subject every couple of months. Each time we will individually pick a selection of five or so fragrances to fit a particular mood or occasion. You will find links to the other blogs at the end of the post.

We hope you have fun reading our different choices and adding your own in the comments.

The first joined theme we picked are rainy day fragrances. As I live in Amsterdam, I experience quite some days of rain. On those days I like to wear fragrances contrary to the grey weather to add some sunshine and light to my day. These are generally energizing or uplifting citrus (with for example notes of bitter orange tree leaves or lemon) or cologne style fragrances like Hermes Eau d’orange verte, Annick Goutal Neroli Cologne. On other rainy days I choose more comforting oriental fragrances like Keiko Mecher Vetiver Velours, Guerlain Shalimar, Miller Harris Fleur Oriental or Mona di Orio Vanille.

One of my favorite scents to add sunshine and light to a day is the Eau de Cologne Hermes Eau d’orange verte. Eau D’orange verte is an extraordinary uplifting scent. True to its original name, Hermes Eau de Cologne smells very much like a cologne focussing on freshly squeezed bitter orange tree leaves. The Eau d’orange verte shower gel smells just like the Hermes Eau D’orange verte Eau de Cologne and is well worth a try for an energizing shower on a rainy morning.

Another very suitable fragrance for a rainy day is Annick Goutal Neroli Cologne. Neroli Cologne smells very much like a blossoming bitter orange tree filling the air with its magnificant scent, adding a feeling of a sunny spring morning near the Mediterranean coast.

A more comforting scent would also be a good choice for a rainy day to bring the feeling of being wrapped up in soft blanket, hanging on your couch reading a book with a cup of tea or Netflixing. Keiko Mecheri Vetiver Velours from the Les Merveilles Collection (previously The Bespoke Collection) is very suited for a grey rainy day. It is an elegant and sofisticated dry oriental woody fragrance leaving a soft powdery veil on one’s skin. Vetiver is very well blended into the whole fragrance by perfumer Yann Vasnier by not making it a dominant note.

One could also choose for the classic oriental Guerlain Shalimar or one of its modern (and one of my favorite) siblings Miller Harris Fleur Oriental. Fleur Oriental has amazing longevity and leaves a warm balsamic powdery scent. The soothing Mona di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Vanille would be an excellent choice as well. Vanilla is known for its comforting and uplifting properties. Mona di Orio Vanille is a more woody oriental fragrance. The perfumer Mona di Orio was inspired by an oriental romantic fantasy of an old ship travelling to Madagascar for vanilla pods, rum barrels, precious spices and sandalwood.

Have a look at the scented suggestions of Tara from A Bottled Rose, Megan from Megan in Sainte Maxime and Sam from I Scent You A Day for fragrances on a rainy day. I am curious what they have chosen, aren’t you?

What fragrance do you use on rainy days? A comforting one or do you choose an energizing scent? Let us know your choices!

The other blog posts on rainy days fragrances can be found here: A Bottled Rose, I Scent You A Day and Megan in Sainte Maxime.

Disclaimer: all perfumes mentioned in this article were bought by me.

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