Quick Sniffs: i Profumi di Firenze Ambra Grisea, Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique, Trance Essence Genie In A Bottle, Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir

I PROFUMI DI FIRENZE AMBRE GRISEA: God love the Italians -- they've given the world cheese-stuffed ravioli, Sophia Lauren, Prada shoes and now i Profumi di Firenze, a non-synthetic (is that just a new way of saying all natural?) line of fragrances out of Firenze, Italy.

I've brushed up against their oh-so-serious Cuolo di Russia and Muschio Nero in previous postings, and Ambra Grisea faithfully adheres to the general blueprint I've come to expect from an i Profumi di Firenze fragrance. Linear, bittersweet and the epitome of animalic, Ambra Grisea takes ambergris and features it in a way that showcases its fleshy, dirt strewn qualities. I've enjoyed ambergris in Profumum's Ambra Aurea and Fiore d'Ambra, but this is the first time I feel like I've really experienced it in a way that's true to its "whale phlegm that's been coughed up onto the surface of the ocean and baked in the sun" nature.

That may not sound like a recommendation, but it is. For real.

If you're the the type that complains regularly of Ambers being too sweet, then the dry, musky and oddly attractive Ambra Grisea should be right up your alley.

ORMONDE JAYNE ORRIS NOIR: Linda Pilkington is fast becoming one of my favorite perfumers. Even if I'm not personally wild about a fragrance of hers (Ta'if), there's no denying that it's creative and well executed, but when she hits my personal nail square on the head (Seraphim), I'm a mess of gibbering adjectives on the floor.

Orris Noir is described on the Ormonde Jayne site as featuring the black iris of Amman, going on to say that "it is a rich, purple black flower of smouldering beauty" -- and while oris fragrances are comprised of the essence of the iris roots rather than the purple black crowns, Orris Noir is indeed rich and smouldering and it's easy to see why this particular fragrance caused a stir among perfume devotees when it was first released.

A host of essences and notes team up with the iris root to result in a husky voiced bombshell on the skin: davana, pink pepper, cardamom, coriander seed, bergamot, sambac absolute, pimento berries, bay, cinnamon, incense, myrrh, patchouli, Chinese cedar, saffron and civet. Needless to say, if you're not a fan of bold, musk-flavored, spice and resin perfumes, then it would be best to pass this one by.

While Orris Noir doesn't flip my gibber switch, it's still an impressive piece of work and should at least be sampled by anyone curious as to what all the fuss is about regarding the house of Ormonde Jayne.

PARFUMERIE GENERALE UN CRIME EXOTIQUE: Maybe it's the downturning economy, gloomy winter weather and general pessimism lately in the 24 hour news cycle, but to me, Un Crime Exotique sits on my skin and screams "Get your ideas half-baked!" while actually thinking I might be sucker enough to pay for the privilege.

Do I like the smell of warm gingerbread topped with a generous dollop of vanilla whipped cream? Yeah, sure, why not? It's delicious, but that doesn't mean I feel a great, burning desire to sloth around the house (or, worse, schlep around the neighborhood) stinkin' like a slice of fresh gingerbread on two legs with a humungous scoop of invisible whipped cream dumped over my head. I'll admit, the juice has a very nice woodsy-vanilla drydown, but so does half the known perfume universe, so no real points are scored in that regard.

I could understand Un Crime Exotique if it were a limited edition experience, a special holiday season party scent trotted out every month of December so festive consumers can engage in cooing sessions over its yummy gingerbread soul and frothy, vanilla-sugar aura, but when considered as a permanent addition to a high-priced French fragrance line, it seems a bit of a joke.

TRANCE ESSENCE GENIE IN A BOTTLE: Genie in a Bottle is described as "seductive, potent . . . exotic" when it's actually a fairly tame number that smells alternately like fresh green leaves and candy. I think it's the jasmine and vanilla fighting for the position of top dog (chocolate and frankincense duke it out in the background).

Allegedly inspired by "a sultry Moroccan nightclub in the summer," Genie in a Bottle is part of a line of all-natural fragrances created by perfumer Janna Sheehan, with each fragrance said to contain up to twenty-five essential and perfume oil elements.

Arhianrad at Winterstorming blog describes Genie in a Bottle as "vanilla bubblegum on top of incense, like an early Christina Aguilera rolling around in a headshop" and that's probably about all the description you'll ever need. It isn't an outright terrible fragrance, but it's not all that great, either.

Genie in a Bottle is also available as a scented candle, and I think that's probably a more appropriate function for it.

OFF TOPIC (but oh so seasonal!):

The iTV is playing Christmas tunes and we finally got the tree up and running, and by "running" I mean the decorations are on and the color wheels are in full force.

I have a total soft spot for aluminum trees with color wheels -- it's not just retro, it's nostalgiac.

I also like how an aluminum tree requires very little in the way of decoration, since it's Mr. Shine and Sparkle all on its own. It appeals to the lazy minimalist trapped inside me.

click for day version

I believe it was Yohji Yamamoto who said that minimalism was "just another word for sloth" . . .