Bring on the Earthy Scents

My partner-in-crime, Brian, who co-writes I Smell Therefore I Am with me, is the best because he puts up with my incessant emails about perfume. I’ve noticed, from reading the email threads back and forth between the two of us that my taste in perfume has begun to change. I wonder if this happens to other perfume-addicts? Eight years ago I would never have longed to wear Tabac Blond, Bandit, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur or Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Heck, even three years ago I probably would have considered Caron’s Narcisse Noir slightly unusual, whereas I now think of it as a pretty little number. I emailed Brian recently to tell him that lately all I want are deep, dark, earthy perfumes with loads of vetiver, balsam, sandalwood, tobacco, leather, ambergris and patchouli. Underworld by Soivohle’ is a current holy grail. The Different Company’s Sel de Vetiver has been making me swoon all summer long. Hermes’ Eau des Merveilles, has been a favorite for a few years now and I love the ambergris note. Avignon, Kyoto and actually all five from the Comme des Garcons incense series are the sort of scents I crave now. Perhaps this is a normal reaction from becoming bored with all my citrusy, clean, light florals for the summer. Or maybe it’s a contrariness I've developed because perfume offerings have been dominated by fruity-floral-cocktails for so long. Oh, and how could I forget Mousse de Chine by Ava Luxe (previously known as Moss) and Madame X. It surprises me that I love Montale’s Black Aoud, but I do, and lately all I want to smell is the earthy stuff.

Monk by Michael Storer: A Review

This is a long overdue review of Monk. Michael Storer has six fragrances in his line and Monk is my favorite. I like all the others, too (Kadota & Stephanie are my two other faves), but Monk is the one for me.

Here are the listed notes from Mr. Storer: Birch tar oil, frankincense, civet, musk, cocoa absolute and sandalwood.

I smell much more than the above list of notes. I also smell a smoky tobacco and leathery note which is just sublime. The musk has an ambery edge and if I really really focus I can detect the cocoa absolute but you wouldn’t notice this unless you read the notes. The cocoa absolute is probably what gives Monk is easy-wearing appeal. While it’s dark, sensual, gothic and musky, that cocoa note adds a smidgen of sweetness that rounds it out and makes it easily wearable and not truly a weird gothic creation. To me, Monk seems like a very modern take on old classics like Bandit, Tabac Blond and Cabochard by Gres. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bandit, Tabac Blond and Cabochard, but these aren’t the perfumes I wear to the office or on a day when I need to consider others. Monk manages to simultaneously be a perfume I can wear anywhere, yet still maintain it’s slightly unusual and musky aroma. Monk is a well-blended fragrance, none of the notes stick out obtrusively over the others, and it’s a smooth and balanced smoky/musky/leathery masterpiece. Monk, like most musky fragrances, wears pretty close to the skin. Congrats to Michael Storer for creating a gorgeous fragrance that is unusual yet completely wearable. And at $82 for 2 fl oz, Michael Storer’s fragrances don’t break the bank and that is always appreciated.

Caron Tabac Blond Parfum vs. EdT and in general

This evening I’m only wearing two perfumes. On one arm is Caron’s Tabac Blond in the EdT concentration and on the other arm is Caron’s Tabac Blond in parfum extrait concentration. I love making these sorts of comparisons. Next week I plan to get Caron’s Narcisse Noire parfum to compare with the EdT I already have. Sometimes I find there is very little difference or that I actually prefer the EdT concentration which is usually easier to find and less expensive. Tonight, however, I think the parfum version is taking the lead. Yes, in my mind it’s a bit like a horse race. I keep sniffing every 15 minutes or so to see how things are changing in the various phases. I’m in the dry down phase now and it’s definitely the parfum Tabac Blond that’s the clear winner.

In the beginning, after the initial spritz, the EdT smelled mostly like alcohol and the parfum smelt immediately like buttery suede with spices (clove and carnation). The parfum stayed surprisingly true to form from the first spritz all the way through the dry down and it’s about 3 hours later now. The EdT on the other hand (on the other arm I should say) was the one that morphed the most. The EdT started off much like an unsettled blast of alcohol, almost gasoline like, but after 5 minutes began to exhibit the lovely suede-leathery spicy carnation smell that I adore so much about Tabac Blond. The EdT stays a bit tamer in the dry down, exhibiting more sweet vanilla spicyness compared to the truly rebellious parfum, which stays in a smoldering tobacco, leather, spicy mood throughout.

I’ve read Chandler Burr’s interview with Luca Turin where Turin describes Tabac Blond as (paraphrasing here) “dykey (for dykes), dark, angular and unpresentable.” By the end of Turin’s statement, I believe him to be saying that Tabac Blond is quite edgy, unusual, interesting and truly chic. I don’t think I’d call Tabac Blond “dark,” either in EdT or parfum, but it is definitely edgy and not something Laura Bush or the country club set would wear. Tabac Blond is for the woman who is completely confident, comfortable in her own skin, opinionated and has a sharp witty sense of humor.

While I think the parfum extrait version is the clear winner in a side-by-side comparison, I still think the EdT concentration is a beautiful perfume. If you can’t easily find the parfum, don’t fret, the EdT is less expensive, easier to find and still a knockout. Tabac Blond in either concentration blows most leathery, spicy, tobacco perfumes out of this stratosphere.