HS3

Pure Oud by By Kilian. It’s expensive. The bottle’s gorgeous. I have no idea the cost of the actual formula. I want it.
It’s fabulous – it is the most natural, smoothest oud centric scent I’ve tried. I don’t know if that means it is any more or less authentic than other oud scents, but I do know that it’s wonderful. It has magnificent staying power as well. Just a few swipes on my hand and 7 hours later, it’s still going strong. It’s a silky smooth oud trip with touches of scratchy spice here and there to help out. I doubt I’ll buy it in its standard packaging, but the much better $/ml of the 100ml refill is much more appealing. Check out Pure Oud at Luckyscent.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Passage d’Enfer. Passage from Hell. It’s one of my top 5 or 6 Artisans. It’s loaded with a light, shimmering white incense and a great, dry frankincense, all smoothed with just a bit a clean musk. Does it have a slight touch of what seems like bug spray? Sure. It might. That part is not totally unlike the same experience you’ll get with Kyoto by Comme des Garcons. It’s a good bit “lighter” and vastly easier to wear though. When the GF wears it, it’s so unique on her that I sometimes don’t even recognize it and have to ask what she’s wearing. I’d recommend trying this one, but it needs to be sprayed fully rather than just dabbed to get the whole experience. This is also one of the few incense based scents that’s great in all temperatures (and also great to people new to incense scents).

Oh, and I buckled. I ordered the great pyramid Comme des Garcons LUXE Patchouli bottle from Luckyscent. I really need to buy a new digital camera so I can start putting more pics on here (and the GF’s cybershot doesn’t quite cut it ).

Orange Blossom scents are some of my favorites. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the wonderful Fleur d’Oranger 2007 by L’Artisan Parfumeur from their Exceptional Harvest series. The $295 pricetag is a bit offputting, but it really is one of the most incredible, full orange blossom scents, and I’m a sucker for limited edition, blah, blah. I asked my Barney’s SA (who is also the L’Artisan mgr) and the 2005 is nigh impossible to find, even from the source…. so 2007 it was.

It arrived and it’s gorgeous – even more so than what I’d experienced from the sample that I’d worn a couple times. It’s not just the orange blossom – it’s the whole experience. The leaves, the blossoms, the wood, and the roots. It’s made entirely of orange blossoms from Nabeul in Tunisia. It’s wonderfully unisex and it sticks around, I think, longer than most think it does (a bit of anosmia after a few hours seems to be common with this type of scent). Others notice just a few sprays on me many hours after applying. I’ve even gotten an “Mmmm, you smell like spring in Florida.” That works for me!

Here’s what you can expect if you snag a bottle. They made much more of this one (6000 bottles) than the two thousand something they did for the ‘05 version, no doubt because of its popularity. Mine is 499/6000, so unless they ship them out in a really odd order, there’s not an immediate chance of them selling out.

According to LuckyScent, the paper it’s wrapped in is a silk paper, but from what I can tell, it might as well just be (really nice, of course) tissue paper. It’s presented really well though – and the box is really gorgeous wood in person.

No question – best orange blossom I’ve tried. I think I might even be able to park my quest for orange blossom. On to the next scent!

I’ve had a sample of this for a while and will occasionally dab it on and enjoy it, but I’ve never really paid close attention to it until now.

Fleur de Liane opens up with luscious green notes. Imagine walking through a path surrounded by lilies in the morning after the first sun is hitting them. The smell of grass being mowed and the air filled with kicked up pollen and earth that you can taste. Though I can’t find it listed in the published notes, I get a distinct honeysuckle note (perhaps just the combo of lily and magnolia) that is strong and persistent. As it transitions, some of the melon notes come through, but not in a way I’m used to. There’s a stickiness to it, like pulling the flower off a honeysuckle vine to suck the liquid from it… jammy and tart, like a green apple Jolly Rancher.

It mellows to a soft, nicely crafted floral with the backdrop of crushed green vines with a velvety feel and a touch of earthy vetiver to keep it standing. It is in line with L’Artisan’s transparent feel, but it is by no means invisible. The dry down holds some great surprises – you’ll find some of the spice reminiscent of the pink pepper in Timbuktu, another from the Travel Series, and some of the zing similar to Piment Brulant’s opening. Duchafour’s signature is quite apparent. There is great presence all the way into the dry down in this; the evolution is pretty remarkable. I think this could certainly be unisex and anyone looking for a mouth-watering floral with crushed green notes on a bed of spices should add this to their list to try. The opening may lean slightly more to the feminine side, but the development of it moves it neatly back into the middle.

I don’t think this has gotten as much praise as others in their line, but don’t let that deter you. It’s a great release and is more than worthy of attention.