CHRYSOLITHE #11 BY OLIVIER DURBANO

CHRYSOLITHE #11 BY OLIVIER DURBANO

Photo Credit: + Q PERFUME BLOG

Launch: 2015

Perfume House: Olivier Durbano

Olfactive Family: Woody-Aromatic-Spicy

Olfactive Notes: Hyssop, cumin, Vervain, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, sage essence, rosemary, jasmine, cedar wood, vetiver, sage absolute, ambergris, musk.

Description by the brand: Chrysolithe combines ancestral virtues and the mysterious aroma of hyssop, symbol of purity and humility, with the precious and majestic power of cedar, pungent fragrance and revitalising properties; infused with white sage, "desert sage', with its purifying power, and mixed with black cumin, known as "the seed of blessing" invoking all the virtues of strength and harmony, Chrysolithe gives out and pure luminous vapour, marked by peace and wisdom.

Description by + Q Perfume Blog: soft, illuminated, dry, spiced, fresh, timeless, genderless. (⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️)

In 2009 I asked Olivier what he considered an excellent perfume. Back then the answer was "Sincere, gentle and devoted to make women look beautiful. A very personal and essential "skin", like an emotional story, a pure dream, a movie between soul, or mind and body...Something also with memory, in the past and at the moment... and why not to the future. Something that elevates your being, in order to transform life into something better and more beautiful".

Chrysolithe #11 has definitely all that. 

Being mystical, the perfume was named after the ancient Greek Khrusolithos which means gold stone. The stone, referred in the Torah in Hebrew as Peridot, meaning "transparent", is the 10th precious stone that adorned Aaron's breast plate (representing the tribe of Dan) and the 7th of the foundation stones of New Jerusalem.

"We are told not to seek treasures in this life where moth and rust will destroy them, but as we can see, God has chosen to build this city with the finest of gems, and the richest of materials.  And each of the materials used in the construction of this New Jerusalem has a divine purpose and reason to be used where it is.

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it was transparent glass".   Book of Revelation 21:19-21.

The perfume bottle is also is numbered - Chrysolithe #11. According to the perfumer, the number eleven in the Arab culture represents the number of steps one must take to understand God. In China, it represents the TAO, the mother earth, the path through heaven. To Jewish culture 11 is a master number for the elevated spiritually.

In that sense CHRYSOLITHE #11 is indeed a fragrance that uplifts the spirit for its purity and freshness. 

To me the perfume has the smell of Israel. To be more specific, of the Galilee. This combination of spices is found in a typical landscape of the Mediterranean region called in French Garigue which is described as a low open scrubland with many evergreen shrubs, low trees, aromatic herbs, and bunch grasses found in poor or dry soil. Chrysolite #11 has the smell of Garigue herbs and bushes. A smell that I captured in 2011 in a trip to Israel. At that time I was already interested in smellscapes of countries and cities. I brought back with me a booklet with all the herbs I collected and when I flip the pages of this booklet, I smell a scent that is very similar to some of the notes in the composition Olivier's perfume. I travel in time and space to Israel in a fraction of second.

Galilee

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

Now it would be odd to us perfume wearers to smell like the Galilee. You won't, I promise.
CHRYSOLITHE #11 is a woody dry scent, with a freshness of an early morning bath and a flowery powdery touch that is simply lovely.  It brings a rather spicy and strong opening, but as time passes it becomes a gentle perfume with a mellow dry down.

Needless to say that it reflexes 100% the personality of its creator. 

To add a mystery in the whole thing I must tell here what I have already told in my facebook and something that I think it is quite magical:

As I progressed in my meditations I started to see the number eleven everywhere. Mostly the hours 11:11 (am or pm). No matter what I was doing, every time I checked the time or made a phone call or entered to facebook via cell the hour was there 11:11. I began to see it in car and street plates, in websites, in movies. EVERYWHERE. If I wished to see, it would not appear before my eyes. It did and it does only when I am not thinking about it.
I had a major question mark in my mind about what could it mean. If it had any meaning at all... The answer came the day the fragrance arrived. Not only it contains the number 11 in its name, but in the description of the fragrance written by Olivier Durban he explains about the meanings of number 11. I was in a total shock when I read the flyer that came with the perfume. It all made sense. I now know that it has to be with my spiritual elevation. For that I will be FOREVER grateful to Olivier.

RUBINI Fundamental

Photo credit: + Q PERFUME BLOG

Launch: 2015

Country : Italy (Verona)

Perfumer: Cristiano Canali/ Olfactive Director: Ermano Picco/ Package Designer: Francesca Gotti/ Brand Owner: Andrea Rubini

Olfactive Notes: Bergamot, Tangerine, Hesperidic Flowers, Soave Grapes, Maquis, Florentine Iris, Beeswax, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver Java, Velvet Accord, Leather

Description by the brand: "Verona, 1937. The brightness of colognes and brillantines Pietro Rubini provided to barbershops of the town is the first welcome getting into the small perfume shop downtown. A face powder says a lady and suddenly the air is filled in the fine powder and alluring smells. The heart of the scene costumes and lights exalts the dense smell of greasepaint he often gives as a gift to opera singers at the Arena to promote himself. The most daring smells though come at the evening mixing smoke and mischievous talks to the perfumes and coquetries Pietro sells in the wore houses after work. So I imagined these aromas layer and shine in the golden light of September that ripens Soave grapes to render a special man, his courage and passion for beauty as basic values now distilled in fundamental."
Description by + Q Perfume Blog: waxy-leathery, bubbly , relaxing chic!

Market price/store: USD145 at Luckyscent.

RUBINI Fundamental

Photo credit: RUBINI

In a blogger's life sometimes you face difficult situations. Once you are very active in the perfume community you start building relationships and sometimes long lasting friendships with perfumers and brand owners. Truth is that every time I am sent a fragrance to review, or simply as a gift, there is a moment of breathless fear when I open the envelop or box. What if...? What if I will find the fragrance a total fiasco and the person sending is a friend of mine? Yes, there is always that moment of pure fear and suspense. Sometimes followed by a huge smile; sometimes followed by a profound sadness and worry. When my dearest friend and confidant and blogger (http://lagardenianellocchiello.blogspot.it/) Ermano Picco  said he had been developing a fragrance together with Cristiano Canali for an Italian brand and that he wanted my address to send me samples, my heart simply stopped! Anxiety installed at maximum grade, I waited impatiently for those samples to arrive. I remember like it was yesterday the day the samples finally arrived. I opened the envelope and said to myself "you don't have to worry, after all Ermano has a magnificent nose and taste. He would never be involved in a fiasco!". I was right. Rubini's fundamental is simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

If you loved Voluté EDT and EDP by Diptyque or Absolue EDP by Mona di Orio you will certainly love fundamental. They kinda have the same "aura".

It is no secret to me that Ermano loves irises Fiorentine and a beautiful solar Hisperidic note, after all he is 100% Italian and so it is the brand. The surprise really came for the fact that the perfume is around a grape note. Researching I got enough info to understand the idea:

"The Soave Blend refers to the combination of Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave (or Verdicchio) that make up Soave DOC wines, arguably one of Italy's most famous white wines. This crisp and fruity white wine, made mostly in the Venetian hills near Verona, is now enjoyed around the world, offering a simple and refreshing wine experience.

Garganega forms the bulk of Soave wines. In dry whites it provides structure, with its steely mineral character and fruit components of citrus, peach and apricot, and in sweet Recioto di Soave wines, it adds richer tropical fruits and honey notes. The Soave DOC laws stipulate that at least 70 percent of the blend must be Garganega..." (edited from wine searcher.com)

The grape note enhanced the irises' minerality. Beewax amplified the honeyed facet of the grape. Crispy and fruity, chic and elegant, the fragrance opens with a luminous hisperidic bouquet that later will develop into a more masculine experience.

The sensual masculine base took me to a trip to the Italian wineries holding hands with an Italian man whose casual elegance is the perfect mix of classic chic and effortless whimsy. 

Rubini Fundamental express style and grace, with a studied carelessness and a hidden sophisticated attention to details, that is the very essence of the Italian way of doing all things. 

Bravo Ermano!

Many thanks to you, Canali and Rubini for bringing a modern breath to classic Italian style!

Baci mille!

NICHE PERFUMERY LECTURE/ CURSO DE PERFUMARIA DE NICHO

The lounge minutes before starting

This blogger has a long term relationship with CDCP - A center for diffusion of perfume knowledge in São Paulo, Brazil. Through this partnership I have been invited to be one of the jurors of the perfume award Atualidade Cosmética and I have been making brainstorming sessions with fragrance houses and marketing strategy projects.

This year they invited me to give a lecture on Niche Perfumery as part of the studies of perfume in a year round course they offer to professionals of the industry of perfumery and cosmetics.

It was a 3 hours lecture where I told them the history of Niche Perfumery; the concept of niche; the classifications of niche brands an niche perfumery as it is today and its future. We explored many brands and many different concepts in a whiff & think session.

It was very interesting to share ideas with marketing managers and perfumers and how professionals of the cosmetic industry and packing developers could use some of the ideas of niche perfumery in their businesses.

The brands presented were:

Annick Goutal, Jo Malone, Antonio Alessandria, Heeley, Yosh, Mona di Orio, Keiko Mecheri, Olivier Durbano, Maison Kurkdjian, Jovoy Paris, Victoria Minya, Editions de Parfums Frederique Malle, État Libre d’Orange, CB I Hate Perfume, S-Perfume, Blood Concept, A Lab on Fire, Juliette Has a Gun, Nasomatto, Histoires de Parfum, biehl parfumkunstwerke, Fueguia 1833, Olfactive Studio, Clive Christian, Creed, Xerjoff, Puredistance, Ormonde Jayne, Rancé , Creed, Penhaligons’, Fragonard, Maitre Parfumeur e Gantier,  Lubin, Santa Maria Novella, Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 156, Les Parfums de Rosine, Le Labo, Byredo, Ego Facto, Bond Nº9, Mandy Aftel, Rich Hippie, Pacifica, Tsi-La, Rebel Intuitive Perfumerie, Strange Invisible Perfumes, Honoré des Prés, Neela Vermiere Creation, Kerosene, The Vagabond Prince, Aus Liebe zum Duft, Aedes de Venustas, Min NY, Comme de Garçons, Aesop, Costes, Ladurée, Les exclusifs, Van Cleef & Arpels Colection Extraordinaire, Tom Ford Private Blend, Estée Lauder Private Collection, Cartier Lês Heures de Parfum, Dior La Collection Privée.

Shops mentioned: 

Aedes de Venustas, Min NY, Campomarzio 70, Nose, Crème de La Crème, Hip-Nose; and websites luckyscent and  Aus Liebe zum Duft.

LE PETIT GARÇON EDP - MY VERY OWN BLEND

LE PETIT GARÇON EDP

Launch: 2015 – Customized Edition

Perfumer: Ane Walsh

Olfactive Director: Simone Shitrit

THE COMPOSITION

Olfactive Notes of: Cedrat, white grapefruit, mimosa, genet, tagetes, osmanthus, roman chamomile, calendula, fabriana imbricata (pichi), adesnemia boroinoide (paramela), honey & pollen tincture, ambergris, musk algazal.

Olfactive description: Yellow-ish radiant, sweet, waxy-honeyed, slightly fruity, hay-ish and herbaceous, with a balsamic, warm leathery, animalic - mineral undertone. Unique, sensual and slightly inebriating.

INSPIRATIONS

Continuing to work on discrepancies in perfumery, this time I wanted to work the concept of incongruity, in such a way that we would not have either contrast nor opposition.

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys... But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world...” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944)

The Little Prince character represents the open-mindedness of children, as the prince is an explorer who restlessly asks questions and is willing to engage the invisible secret mysteries of the universe. The beauty of Saint-Exupéry's poetic writing goes into such details that in the original French version of the book he has never used the word adult. Instead, he calls adults "les grandes personnes" (the big people). What he meant with that was to say that what matters is the attitude of a person and not his actual age. In that sense children can act like "grandes personnes" and adults can also see the word as little children. Which brought me to an intriguing question that has been challenging me for a while: Do we all have a little prince (child) inside of us?

Continuing to explore psyche as inspiration the brief that I shared with perfumer Ane Walsh was the thought of creating a fragrance that would evoke this child that we have inside of us and what it means to have one when you have already grown. 

Having an inner child means that you are constantly questioning and opened minded without limiting your perspectives. You are aware of and sensitive to the mysteries and beauty of the world. 

But what happens when you let your inner child run your life?

“…The inner child comprises and potentiates these positive qualities. But it also holds our accumulated childhood hurts, traumas, fears and angers. "Grown-ups" are convinced they have successfully outgrown, jettisoned, and left this child and its emotional baggage long behind. But this is far from the truth. In fact, these so-called grown-ups or adults are unwittingly being constantly influenced or covertly controlled by this unconscious inner child. For many, it is not an adult self-directing their lives, but rather an emotionally wounded inner child inhabiting an adult body - A five-year-old running around in a fifty-year-old frame. It is a hurt, angry, fearful little boy or girl calling the shots, making adult decisions. A boy or girl being sent out into the world to do a man's or woman's job… And then we wonder why our relationships fall apart. Why we feel so anxious. Afraid. Insecure. Inferior. Small. Lost. Lonely. But think about it: How else would any child feel having to fend for themselves in an apparently adult world?" (Stephen Diamond, PH. D., edited)

In a nutshell: if the little child does not have an adult making the rules of the game there will be a lot of suffering. I asked the perfumer to stay away of tantrums! Suffering was not the aspect I wanted to explore because I wanted to come up with something that I would like to wear; that brings out beauty, not pain. For that matter I had to detail the brief in a more personal level and explain to her that it all came from the fact that a friend of mine once called me little prince and that I also have a little friend that needs my constant attention and that the fragrance had to be about him...and me:

MY IMAGINARY FRIEND

Garçon is a little boy born in the northwest part of France called La Bretagne (French Brittany), part of the six Celtic nations. In the Celtic language his name means warrior.

To bring the aura of Britanny I asked Ane Walsh to compose a bouquet with mimosas and genet. Mimosas brought a soft, delicate, sweet, powdery floral note with a suave green honeyed undertone, while genet added a hay-honey-like scent with a tenacious herbal tone. To add a marine sensation of a coast line ambergris was added. 

MIMOSAS

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

Following the thoughts of the little prince's friend the fox, in the excerpt of the book cited above, Hervé is not just like a hundred thousand other little boys. He is a unique little warrior who has tamed me. He is my inner child, my imaginary friend. 

The inner child embodies innocence and openness; love and joy; creativity and curiosity; wonder and awe; appreciation and devotion; beauty and playfulness; forgiveness and unity; determination and strength; gentleness and enthusiasm.

Hervé has all that. He inspires me to create; he challenges my curiosity; he is the fine-tuning of my appreciation and determination; he brings unity to my thoughts. Garçon is the little child in me and he is responsible for what wonders and awes me and this is exactly what I wanted the be the core of this perfume.

In that line of thought the fragrance had to be about The Little Prince’s idea of grandes personnes and what Hervé represents to me. The name LE PETIT GARÇON EDP was my idea of a merger of both.

The funny thing is that this composition not only had to have a scented composition of La Bretagne, but it also had to have the golden locks of the little prince and myself (I also have them!). Garçon, my imaginary friend, has red hair and freckles. 

TAGETES, CAMOMILE, PARAMELAS, CALENDULAS 

Calendulas were added to compose an orange yellow-ish bouquet, adding a warm creamy texture (like redheads' skin) with an herbal undertone. Tagetes (marigolds) and a bright crisp, sweet-herbal balsamic chamomile with its apple notes brought the essence of little children and a fruity sprinkle. Honey and pollen tincture were not only the final golden touch but they added a spring-y solar aura to the fragrance.

“WONDER IS THE FIRST OF ALL PASSIONS”

René Decartes (1596–1650)

“Passion may be a friendly or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, discovery, or activity or love – to a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject. 

The origin of the word passion is found in the Latin word "passio" which means suffering. On the surface, the word “passion” can stir emotions in us inspiring, motivating and elevating us to live life at a more exciting fulfilling level. But just as the core of an apple cannot be separate from the apple itself, “suffering” is always at the core of passion. We cannot have one without the other. In that sense could Hervé inspire passion without making me suffer? 

Both Garçon and myself are solar souls. So I wanted this aura for the very first whiff. I also wanted the notion of freshness because both children and passions have in its core the freshness of a new adventure, the excitement for life. Cedrat and white grapefruit were added to give this freshness that only citrusy notes can give, but also to balance the sweetness of the fragrance with a zesty varnish. Paramela notes were also added to bring a sensation of well being and fluidity.

LA BRETAGNE

So far the idea was a solar fresh orange yellow-ish Breton composition which brought me back to the question of incongruity (the proposal mentioned at the beginning of this post) and other questions that came along: is it possible to create a fragrance that is slightly carnal and yet, take you to a spring/summer trip to the blooming coasts and still make sense? And if we can't have passion without suffering how can I leave pain out of the brief?

The term passion is particularly used in the context of romance or sexual desire though it generally implies a deeper or more encompassing emotion. For that matter the perfume had to contain both wonder and awe, but in a different tone  - the tone of passion. Ane Walsh surprised me by adding Fabriana Imbricata, a note that is said to have inebriating effects when inhaled. By the way, I learned that Paramela smell is also very attractive. Both notes combined with ambergris and musk algazal ended up developing a rather disturbing stimuli. Something that it is kinda difficult to explain. Provocative and instigating.  Sensuality with a fleshy-warm-sweet kinky touch was added, bringing the sensation of touching skin, of instinctive sex, of something rather chemical (chemistry of attraction). Osmanthus came to compose the flowery bouquet with a sweet, warm, rich, honeyed leathery note and an elegant animalic undertone. Fact is that smelling this perfume on my skin makes me blush.

So, answering my very own question, as incongruent as it seemed, passion, desire, wonder, awe, the coast of La Bretagne and my imaginary friend were brought altogether to compose one fragrance. LE PETIT GARÇON EDP ended up being artistically conceived and unpredictable exuberant as passions are. 

***

Cole Porter was an all-time talented composer and song writer. In 1936 he composed a song about the incongruity of passions and in 1946 Frank Sinatra brought a beautiful romantic tone to the lyrics. 

Wearing LE PETIT GARÇON EDP puts a huge smile on my face and it feels as silky as Sinatra's version of I've got you under my skin.   It makes me travel to La Bretagne.  It fells like lying on the warm sand. It brings me closer to my inner imaginary friend Hervé.



I've got you under my skin
I've got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me
I've got you under my skin

I've tried so not to give in
I've said to myself this affair never will go so well
But why should I try to resist, when baby I know so well
I've got you under my skin

I'd sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear

Don't you know little fool, you never can win
Use your mentality, wake up to reality
But each time I do, just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
'Cause I've got you under my skin