Thoughts? Comments? Opinions?
Imagine that on one side of that Japanese shoji screen there is a world of arid greenery, while on the other there is exotic lushness. Imagine that you have a set of top notes that bears more than a passing resemblance to the very austere Caron Yatagan, and a heart and base that reminds you of the creamy drydown of Parfums de Nicolais Sacrebleu. It would seem a difficult marriage to pull offa difficult transition between the twoyet thanks to the gauzy weave of musk that holds them together, it works.
The notes for Eau des Iles include spices, coffee, precious woods, ylang-ylang and patchouli, and the company website describes it as a remembrance of perfume islands in which coffee fragrances intermingle with stately rare woods and smooth exotic flowers that have a strange beauty of their own. Thats actually a pretty accurate description. The coffee note is not a gourmand coffee note: it is bitter and green and lightly smoky. It doesnt stick around too long, but enough to evoke the perfumes coffee-island theme. Other arid and woodsy green notes do linger, playing yin to the warm, enveloping ylang-ylang that is the yang in this fragrances yin-yang equation. And musk, while not listed in the official notes, is there doing its job and doing it beautifully: balancing both sides of the equation, letting each side sustain itself to some degree while tempering the interaction between the two.
I do have to put it behind PdH and Santal Nobile as my 3rd favorite from MPG personally, but it carries the same quality and composure. A must try.
Better than Route de Vetiver, too?
I thought it was similar to Yatagan. Now, before the dissenters start in on me, let me say that it is not the same thing as Yatagan, but it is in the same genre IMO. It has that "sharpness" to it.
It does have some sweetness added into the base which comes through in the drydown. I think it's from the blackcurrant that is in a lot of MPG frags.
It is NOT gourmand, but there are hints of smoke and coffee. There's also some vetiver and patchouli. Maybe some civet or labdanum. I'm not really, sure, I haven't seen the notes.
Its got a lot of greenness tucked under woods and a hint of leather and then finally a touch of sweetness to it as it dries down.
It's a very complex frag and a great one. I do have to put it behind PdH and Santal Nobile as my 3rd favorite from MPG personally, but it carries the same quality and composure. A must try.
I found this informative...
From Suzanne’s Perfume Journal:
Sounds like it is a must try. I find that while I enjoy aspects of many gourmands, the sweetness turns me off. This sounds like it might strike more of the balance I'm looking for.
Better than Route de Vetiver, too?
When Jean Laporte founded this house in 1988, his bold, and unique take on fragrances pushed the envelope of blends that led the way for other house's to follow. ... In my humble opinion Jean Laporte is a frigging genius.
Better than Route de Vetiver, too?
You thought you had conquered this particular AD Randy?
Good point, Henry. No, I have no such delusions.