Comments on: Frederic Malle Dans tes Bras and Roja Dove Enslaved

By: Tara

Tara — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:19:34 +0000

Just waiting for it to sail in… site says early December. I am tapping my foot impatiently.

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:40:14 +0000

I’m crossing my fingers and hoping really hard that you’ll tell me Indult’s new Reve En Cuir fits within the “magic” category.

By: Tara

Tara — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:07:24 +0000

I have a list too – I am dying to smell Le Labo Poivre 23. I think I’m going to order a sample of that one and the Vanille 44 tomorrow.
As for your comments about spraying things and having to wrack your brain to analyze whether you like it or not or if it has any redeeming qualities, I totally agree.
I love it when I spray something on and get a deep and immediate “yes” feeling in my heart. Doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s magic.

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:24:06 +0000

I do have to admit that it’s so nice to spray on a sample and not have to sit there for hours thinking, “Do I like this? Will it ever get any better than it is now? Is there anything positive I can say about it? Anything at all?”
Dans tes Bras was a perfect yes from the first second. Beautifully done from top to bottom and front to back.
And let me know when you’re gearing up for your maybe, hopefully, sometime in the future Harrod’s excursion — I have a list . . .

By: TaraT

TaraT — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:16:35 +0000

High five! I am so glad to hear you loved Dans Tes Bras as much as I did. This scent just blew me away – I had Barneys on the phone to order a 100ml bottle as soon as I got through my first official day of testing it. It is utterly fantastic. Another home-run for Maurice Roucel, my hero.
The Enslaved sounds great too, I hope to make it back to London some day so I can visit the boutique again. I was supposed to go last year, but fate intervened and I never made it.

By: Nathan Branch

Nathan Branch — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:57:50 +0000

Laura — Roja Dove Enslaved is sweet in the way that genuine ambergris mixed with labdanum is sweet, which means, yes and no.
There’s an animal secretion/wood resin undertone to the sweetness that keeps it from being overpoweringly so, if that makes sense. Yet the powder still hangs lightly in the air, accompanied by a vaguely sugared note that smells raw and unprocessed. The florals are also big, but leaning dark, as in true Jasmine from Grasse dark. When I was testing it, I actually did think of you and figured this would be something you would definitely enjoy.
Enslaved is less overtly feminine than Solange Stoned — I mean, it’s less traditionally “pretty” than Stoned. Enslaved is extremely feminine, but it’s got a whompin’ kick of earth and animal that gives it some teeth. It most certainly qualifies as one of your “beautifully rich, saturated scents that say, ‘Here I am!’”

By: altodiva

altodiva — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:42:19 +0000

Nathan, I totally concur with you re the wimpiness of so many perfume companies, niche and mainstream. I’m afraid the aesthetic that I tend to prefer is of a bygone era. Ellena, Jo Malone and others of their ilk have left an indelible (yet transparent) mark on modern perfumery. Couple that with the fact that we live in a very clean age, olfactorally speaking (everyone’s noses have become so attuned to odor since there is so little around us that’s unpleasant or even masking anymore), and you get these washed out, simplistic excuses for perfume. I am very much a fan of old school perfumery: beautifully rich, saturated scents that say “here I am!” not “I am afraid to offend you.” I am glad to see that here’s at least one other person out there who shares my perfumed worldview!
Say what you will about Malle, but I find all of the line very daring, even if there’s only one I like enough to own. (Iris Poudre. Big surprise, huh?) I feel like no expense is spared with that line. And one day, I WILL get to the Dove boutique. I will…I will…I think I will…
Anyway, I’m intrigued that you describe–and so many other people describe–the Dove scent as “powdery-sweet.” To me, powdery and sweet are two different scents that can and do converge sometimes, but not always. (For instance, Mecheri’s Loukhoum–powdery sweet; Royal Secret II or Bois de Paradis–powdery and not at all sweet.) Is the Dove truly sweet?