This review is based on the 2013 Nocturnes release that is part of the Caron La Selection collection of fragrances.
WHAT I SMELL: Nocturnes opens bright and beautiful and very similar to one of my all time favorites, Givenchy Ysatis. It’s bold with florals highlighted by gorgeous ylang-ylang and warmed rose with hints of pepper; although this is perfectly blended so that notes are hard to distinguish on their own. Soon enough the Ysatis like boldness upon first application starts to retreat and you start noticing the tuberose a bit more. But it’s a soft tuberose and one that’s rather comforting and pretty. The fragrance doesn’t change much after this except that the vetiver woodiness becomes more prominent. Nocturnes is pretty, close to the skin and an overall lovely surprise.
Nocturnes Notes: Top notes are orange, rose and neroli; middle notes are jasmine, tuberose and ylang-ylang; base notes are sandalwood, vetiver and musk.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A lilting melody.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOCTURNES: uncomplicated, pretty, endearing
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOCTURNES: Perfume Shrine. I can only find additional reviews for the older version of the fragrance.
BOTTOM LINE: I can’t say how this compares to the older version of the fragrance, but this is really quite pretty, but nothing groundbreaking. Nocturnes is the perfect fragrance for when you just want to feel content and happy as there’s nothing dark about this at all. It would be perfect for the office, or running errands in your jeans. I have read some complaints about the new Caron bottles that are part of the La Selection collection where people thought that the bottles were too boring and masculine. I think they’re better in person than in pictures. They’re simply designed, heavy in weight and the cap is magnetized so that it won’t fall off of the bottle. For me, the new bottles definitely work!
WHAT I SMELL: Ecstasy opens with a honeyed pine, quickly followed by a nice hefty patchouli that has a top coat of rose. It’s a bit spicy and rather golden. After around five minutes, the pine which disappeared quickly before, comes back to the front. However, this time the pine is more pine fir, meaning that it’s more woody like that of a fresh-cut Christmas tree. Then after a couple more minutes in comes a warmer sandalwood. Ecstasy seems to have a great deal a movement to it which I rather like. After around the 15 minute mark, Ecstasy adds an almost sweet oudish tinge to the mix, but I think it’s just the pine that is playing some tricks on my nose…or just maybe just the pine and tonka bean combination that feels that way. After a few more minutes, add a little tobacco to the mix as the fragrance now smells like sweet pipe tobacco. It’s all rather intoxicating. In the end, Ecstasy dries down to a sweetened dried wood that reminds me somewhat of the drydown of Cuir Noir by Armani Prive’.
The most intense journey into the “sacred fire”of the soul, in search of total authenticity in the suspended gravity of absolute beauty. It is an encompassing, mystical fragrance: original and with a strong personality. This fragrance was created the day of the death of Padre Evelino, in a kind of creative delirium inspired by the power of eternal and surreal feelings. The emotion and transformation of these moments are captured in an indelible and cathartic memory describing the sudden spiritual transition from boyhood to manhood. It is a fragrance which strikes you immediately and completely, with the same force as a punch in the face. This is thanks to the powerful, rich top notes of frankincense; immediately after, though, it slowly opens in a loving embrace and inner awareness to the chanting of white floral notes, the mystic power of Bakhoor, and fine wood. At that moment, you sense the power of the timeless love of someone dear, a love that merges with our soul in a religion of memory that gives a new sense of security and eternal strength. Your ego merges with the great cosmic one. In your soul there is “click” as in an instant you open up to the full dimension of being “grown up”.
Top notes: pine, spruce, stone powder
Middle notes: incense, patchouli, rose, violet
Base notes: sandalwood, amber, cistrose, tonka, forest land, ancient wood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cozy cabin in the middle of the woods.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ECSTASY: woody, comforting, content
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ECSTASY: I only found a couple of comments on Fragrantica.
Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 – 145 for 100ml Parfum Extrait
WHITE FIRE
WHAT I SMELL: White Fire opens with bergamot and a somewhat artificial green that almost smells to me like I was smelling wax florals sprayed with a faux scent. Soon enough some jasmine comes in with some clean linen smelling musk. And there it sits.
The silence of the snow; its dazzling white brought alive and sparkling by the flickering flames. The good,clean fragrance is simple and silvery, like the carefree laughter of a child, and innocent and gentle as a loving caress. The high elevation campfire on a glacier in the Italian Alps; one phase of an adventurous and arduous ascent to the summit of Mount Cevedale; the excitement of waking up at sunrise to the wild and immense silence of the Dolomites. The crisp clean air, the energising fresh smell of snow, the intoxicating oxygen, and the dampened smell of fire on ice, all in the glow of the first light of dawn. This fragrance embodies the unique power and beauty of nature, crystal clear in our eyes, hearts, and our most intimate olfactory memories.
Top notes: green leaves, fresh ice, oxygen
Middle notes: Chinese jasmine, fern, white amber
Base notes: sandalwood, amber, musk
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Clean sheets that have been hanging to dry on a clothesline.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WHITE FIRE: musky, clean, safe
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WHITE FIRE: I only found a couple of comments on Fragrantica.
Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Aquatic
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 – 145 for 100ml Parfum Extrait
BOTTOM LINE: Ecstasy was a pleasant surprise. I liked it, but found in the end that the drydown became a bit tedious, but for many that probably won’t be the case. Funny, I was expecting something named Ecstasy to be over the top and outrageous, but instead it turned out to be a comfort scent. As for White Fire…nice, but boring. The prices are pretty good for extraits though!
WHAT I SMELL: Christopher Street opens with afig like citrus that has this swirling effect on my skin. It also has this semi-petroleum like kick to it. Hmmm, in other words, it’s a like a ripened bag of oranges and lemons being kicked by a pair of Doc Martens. After a few minutes there’s a bit of sourness to that comes to surface. It’s salty and sweaty, like the mix of sweat and body odor from a hot day mixed with the coolness of the air conditioning when you step inside. It’s kind of repulsive, but there’s something rather natural about it which isn’t too off putting. But with all this sweat, you would think that the fragrance would run hot…but it doesn’t, it’s rather cool. After around 10 minutes, the soured orange remains, but the sweaty aspects start to dissipate as they’re replaced with an undercurrent of oakmoss and warmer hues of subtle spice. At this point the fragrance is almost split in two as it seems to have this top aura that sits like an orb on top of grounded spice. It’s odd in that the various layers of the fragrance seem to pull from the middle moving in opposite directions. After around an hour there is something remote about Christopher Street. It projects and has power for a citrus scent, but there is nothing soft there as it’s bold and rather removed. After a couple of hours, I get a slight appearance of leather, but just barely. For the most part I am left with this sour orange citrus sitting on a base of very dry oakmoss.
Christopher Street notes as well as the information on the fragrance’s namesake and inspiration from the Charenton Macerations website:
New York City’s Christopher Street is one of the oldest and longest streets in the West Village. Designed as a diagonal road against a rectangular grid, Christopher Street has always been known for its subversive character. A street of merchants and misfits, along with the occasional mob front, Christopher Street has played home to a cast of unlikely heroes that has included everyone from Beatniks to Bohemians to homosexuals. The neighborhood is a spectrum of vibrant personalities that shatter traditional notions of gender.
Developing a long-standing reputation for celebrating individual freedom, Christopher Street is most notably known as the location of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Over the years, its promises of hope have made it a chosen destination for those individuals moving to New York City in search of openness and acceptance. “The Shangri-La of the West Village.” All around the world, the name Christopher Street has become synonymous with the word “liberation.” Stemming from its rich history, its architecture, and its quintessential connections to New York City activism,Christopher Street was seen as the perfect inspiration for the first Charenton Macerations fragrance.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: If I lift my wrist to my nose, I am inclined to get a headache. From afar the scent smells rather good. As such, it’s like there’s a party going on down the street, but there’s a fence that separates me from the fun!
OK, this is not the visual I was looking for, but this is a store on Christopher Street and depending on your definition of a party…the work zone might just keep you away!
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CHRISTOPHER STREET: sharp, raw, bold
BOTTOM LINE: I really want to love this fragrance because the backstory and thought in its creation is just so wonderfully thought out and unique. However, my body chemistry doesn’t always mix well with orange blossom and that’s what I mostly get from this boldly different creation. I do look forward to what Charenton Macerations offers us next.
This review is based on the 2013 Nocturnes release that is part of the Caron La Selection collection of fragrances.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A lilting melody.
The Scented Hound 