In bed with Mitsouko

Serge decided to stay in bed this morning instead of accompanying his mama while she went about her daily blitz about the bedroom before rushing to work. Since he was being unusually docile, I decided to use him as an unpaid model to pose with my Mitsouko EDP bottle. He seems to like the smell of it ( I had just spritzed some on before taking the photo) enough to jump off the bed and nuzzle me before going back to his snooze sans Mitsouko who was lounging in the safety of my bag.

Anyone with a passion for perfume knows Mitsouko whether they love her or not and even her admirers are divided amongst her various reformulations. Thankfully I have never felt the need to venture into vintage Mitsouko and apart from preferring the EDP to the EDT I am quite content with my bottle of EDP pre-2013 reformulation ( I think the batch code on my bottle points towards 2011, I used Raiders of the Lost Scent's "How to recognize Guerlain perfumes" to date mine). I do intend to get hold of a bottle of the 2013-thereafter Mitsouko since it's been widely acclaimed to have recaptured the old glory of Mitsouko and I am curious to know what the current formula smells like in comparison. 

I've never smelt oakmoss or tree moss dried or fresh and like many other ingredients I've not had the good fortune to come across in their natural state, I compare what I'm smelling to what it's meant to smell like according to various articles, blogs and whatever information source I can get my hands on. P.S: Dear Santa, I would really like to have  Steffen Arctander's Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin for Christmas this year please.

Mitsouko is hauntingly beautiful. I can't do justice in describing the experience but it's a melancholic beauty despite its name "Child of Light", a powdery haze, darkness, rich and earthy, a touch of ripe fuzzy peaches, spicy musk, all these elements blended seamlessly together to create a special fragrance that is distinct and unique with a soul of its own that carries cherished memories and hidden desires. Reformulated or not, still beautiful.

Like Serge is in the photo above, Mitsouko tends to leave me daydreaming and lost in its plot weaved with complexity, sophistication, romance and tragedy. 

Kiki Voile d'Extrait and Kiki Eau de Parfum

Firstly, let me just say it's embarrassing when one's colleague walks in to find one with nose stuck in crook of elbow. But it's Kiki! It's Vero Profumo! That's my defense except I would just get strange and/or blank stares if I try to explain it. I was not willing to spend my weekend in a strait jacket so I just kept quiet and red-faced. 

Anyway. So here I am with Kiki EDP on my left elbow and Kiki Voile d'Extrait on my right elbow.

They both start out similar with a blitz of citruses that you can smell a mile away. From there on, they split up and go in different directions. Like Alice Prin and Kiki?

Kiki de Montparnasse, Moise Kisling

The inspiration behind this creation was the Queen of Montparnasse, Kiki, who was born Alice Prin, illegitimate and in abject poverty, She was adored for her easy-going manner and boundless optimism which earned her the title of Queen of Montparnasse during les Années Folles (The Crazy Years). She was also known for her multiple talents including being a artist's model, nightclub singer, memoirist, actress and a painter. 

Montparnasse like Montmarte before it, was a hive of intellectual and artistic souls in Paris. The community embraced all oddities without reservation and people came from all over the world to partake in the bohemian lifestyle. Marc Chagall describe Montparnasse as such, " I aspired to see with my own eyes what I had heard of from so far away: this revolution of the eye, this rotation of colours, which spontaneously and astutely merge with one another in a flow of conceived lines. That could not be seen in my town. The sun of Art then shone only on Paris."

La Ruche et Montparnasse, Chagall 1978

Kiki EDP emphasizes the passion fruit. The sweet sourness of passion fruit pairs beautifully with the herbal bitterness of the lavender and the fresh minty smell I associate with geranium (think of Frederic Malle's Geranium pour Monsieur with its invigorating spicy freshness). I sense some powdery notes and musk in the base of the EDP, which help keep the passion fruit in check. I find the sillage of the EDP to be much stronger than the Vd'E but I think it's because my skin tends to project fruity notes well. 

Kiki Vd'E is a different bundle of herbs altogether. The bitter herbal lavender here is matched with caramel, unusual and stunning actually. I used to find lavender hard to like and a tad boring due to it's long association with sleep aids and colognes. However Serge Lutens' Forreau Noir which turns sweet creamy tonka and almonds with lavender into a sumptuous gourmand beauty, taught me to be more open-minded and less jaded. Kiki Vd'E is another fine example of how to be creative with lavender and make it a subliminal example too! The musk is more apparent in the Vd'E than the EDP and the passion fruit played down but still noticeable. I get an earthy patchouli in the drydown of the Vd'E but not in the EDP, that stays quite fresh and aromatic throughout its lifespan

Lavender in colognes tend to smell cold and unfriendly on me but not here. In Kiki EDP, it's all smiles and fruity sweetness. In the Vd'E it's not as bubbly as the EDP but it is still warm and personable. 

Both are seriously amazing creations and my mind is piqued as to what the extraits of Vero Profumo must smell like, but I will leave that musing to another day after I win the lottery (but in that case I won't muse over it, I'll buy the whole line in a heartbeat). I've added both Kiki EDP and the Voile d'Extrait to my want list. Bittersweet, special and a bit of a bohemian. 

Kiki de Montparnasse, Man Ray.

Testing Onda Voile d'Extrait and Eau de Parfum, Vero Profumo

Onda Voile d'Extrait has a smoky green effect whereas the EDP has a fresh fruity green scent, the passion fruit is evident straight away upon smelling the EDP, whereas it's more suggested behind the opening smoke screen (the vetiver?) of the Voile d'Extrait. 

The Voile d'Extrait has a huge helping of coriander, the lemony yet weirdly nutty smell of the seeds and green herbs (basil?) and grated fresh ginger, I almost feel like I am in the kitchen watching my mother prepare a meal for the family as these are ingredients used often in Asian cooking. I'll be honest and admit that the coriander is a bit too much here for my stomach today. I will try again on a different day when I'm not already taking the nausea-inducing Doxycycline. If there's such a thing as a green leathery musk, Onda Voile d'Extrait would be it. Interesting and original, definitely unisex but I personally will have to bow out as I can't breathe with Onda in my space.



Addendum: I enjoy this sprayed around me but not on me, the coriander gets too close for comfort.

Onda Eau de parfum smells of bright citruses, sweet passion fruit and cooking ingredients. The basil/herb note is here like it is in the Voile d'Extrait. The coriander is less voluble but very much present in the EDP. More breathable and less leathery than the Voile d'Extrait. The drydown smells sweet, green and mossy. Nice but not my cup of tea. I appreciate the beauty of a classic chypre but I much rather wear an oriental.