Io Carthusia

Desirability: Full Bottle

Source: Fragrantica

Philosykos EDT was the first fig perfume I owned and while I still enjoy it, I've since discovered other figs to love. There is Dambrosia which morphs from fresh fig fruit to delicious fig desserts as the hours pass to Ichnusa from the same brand Profumum Roma, an intricate green fig so very different from the gourmand Dambrosia. Another love has to be Ninfeo Mio that manages to be fresh, sweet and green at the same time, exuding a natural air that Annick Goutal excels at. 

Having had a very good first experience with Ligea La Sirena from the house of Carthusia, I was eager to try more from the line which has led me to Io. I'm not the biggest fan of aromatic scents or colognes but the thought of fig, mint and tea together sounded too good to pass up. Io is marvellous, like a bottled Spring that revives the spirits instantly or a holiday in the Mediterranean (which would definitely revive my spirits). Dry, green, fresh, sweet, woody, aromatic...Io is all of that at once and lies on the same side of the scale as Ichnusa and Ninfeo Mio.

Fresh mint, sweet fig and tart green notes are the major players in Io. I don't detect a tea note but it does smell like herbs were thrown into the concoction and in any case Io is as good a healer of the soul as a cuppa tea. It's a fig scent without being fig-centered, clearly there is more to it than just fruit and leaves. Io is not just a scent but an experience, it takes you under the cool shade of fig trees over which is a blistering sun of a hot summer's day, sipping mojitos on a hammock and watching distant waves lazily kissing the shore, not near enough to hear them but the wind sweeps in the cool salty air which rustles through the leaves above you, the music of Nature putting finishing touches on this idyllic moment.

Projection is ok and longevity about average but it's such a joy to reapply this! 

Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue Bond No. 9

Source: nitrolicious.com

Spiced crème brûlée. 

It starts off like a spicy gourmand, a spiced crème brûlée literally making me want to eat my arm. It's as if someone stole the chai latte notes from Five O'Clock Au Gingembre to jazz up the custard. Fresh figs and plums decorate the dessert which smells like a well-proportioned combination of fruit, vanilla and spices, none dominating the others.The sweet and milky sandalwood here reminds me of Le Labo's Santal 33, which is all the sandalwood I need and never fails to garner compliments. As it dries, the scent becomes even warmer and bundles you up in a downy blanket of contentment. All in all Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is perfectly balanced between woody, spicy and sweet, smooth and rich but not too much, beginning with dessert and ending up with you satiated and comfortable on a cushy sofa all ready for a snooze. 

One common trait amongst the Bond No. 9 range whether I like the perfume or not, is that all the ones I've tried have mega projection and longevity. For example the little spot where I've dabbed Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is outperforming my SOTD Annick Goutal's Ambre Fetiche. 

On a side note a lovely friend sent me this and I thought I would share it with you in case you ever need a spot of sunshine.

Source: inniepoo.wordpress.com

Philosykos Diptyque

Casual Friday at work and Philosykos is very much unisex and casual. My first true "figgy" perfume and while over the years I've met and appreciated other figs such as Profumum Roma's Dambrosia, I've not felt the need for another fig...yet. Although I've got my eye on a discounted full bottle of Dambrosia. 

While Dambrosia takes you on a journey from a ripe fig to a glazed fig tart in its drydown, Philosykos smells like I'm standing under a fig tree, or many fig trees. Or even wearing a fig tree, leaves and all. It's a linear amalgamation of sweet juicy figs, green trees and fresh coconut water drunk straight from the shell. Crisp, woody, light...absolutely delicious and natural smelling.    

The only downside to the EDT is that it fades really fast and stays close to the skin. I've heard that the EDP smells remarkably similar to the EDT but with much improved staying power. 

Dambrosia Profumum Roma

Source: Fragrantica

I love eating figs fresh or dried and have recently started looking to expand the fig section of my scent wardrobe, Diptyque's green and woody Philosykos having been the stand alone fig for the past three years. 

Caramelised Figs with Hazelnuts. Source: teaforsix.com

Profumum Roma offers both options when it comes to fig, Ichnusa a herbal non sweet green fig that I recall was interesting and quite special but not something I would wear often therefore a 100 ml would be wasted on me and then there is Dambrosia on the opposite end of the spectrum of fig, that's more like a fig dessert and is perfect company for the other gourmands in the Profumum Roma range. 

On paper it's sparkling and green but the freshness is more transient on skin and it's a lusciously sweet fig and pear fruit salad that develops on skin with a dollop of cream to make it just a bit sinful. My cravings go haywire as the day progresses with Dambrosia evolving from fig as a healthy fruit to fig in a fruit salad to a caramelised fig served with vanilla ice-cream, one of my favourite desserts, it's heaven crunching through the thinly glazed outer shell and biting into the succulent ripe belly of the fig. Also in the dry down I smell a sweet woody note that reminds me of Le Labo's Santal 33, an airy sweet sandalwood that's perfect for tropical weather and matches perfectly well with my fig dessert. 

Fig+Pear Tart w/Honeyed Goat Cheese & Balsamic Caramelized Onions.
Source: meritandfork.com

Dambrosia in mythology is nectar for the gods and compared with the other gourmands that I've tried from Profumum Roma such as Vanitas, Confetto, Dulcis in Fundo, Sorriso etc, Dambrosia is not as sweet as Vanitas and is more on par with Battito d'Ali's level of sweetness which is mildly sweet (apart from the candied orange blossom opening) and not tooth-decayingly so. Dambrosia may not be as unique as Ichnusa (based on my quick sampling of Ichnusa anyway) but I'm more of a Dambrosia girl and would prefer to smell Ichnusa on someone else. Projection and longevity are superb for Dambrosia.     

Bois Naufrage Parfumerie Generale

Source: Fragrantica.com

Bois Naufrage was inspired by a photograph entitled 'Nu au Bois Flotte' (naked on driftwood) by the legendary Lucien Clergue in 1971. In French, bois flotté is translated to driftwood; naufragé means shipwrecked.

This is a warmer and more polished ode to driftwood and the sea in general, as compared to the cool and bracing air of Arran Aromatics' Driftwood. I smell and envision a warm, salty sea air on a sunny afternoon by a beach dotted with washed up bodies of driftwood, polished smooth by the sea.

 There is a subtle sweetness in Bois Naufrage that reminds me of figs, more green like in Profumum Roma's Ichnusa as compared to the milky fig Dambrosia from the same house. The wind carries the smell of wildflowers and grass that cling tenaciously to what soil there is by the seashore. Where Arran Aromatics' Driftwood takes me back to the cold shores of the Atlantic in fall, Bois Naufrage takes me to the warm blue-green waters of the Mediterranean, accompanied by the light-hearted freedom of summer holidays.

It has a raw and piercing opening but quickly settles into a snugly, wind-swept, brine-encrusted woody scent that would lounge comfortably on both smart attire or casual wear. Bois Naufrage has an average projection and longevity on me after settling down from its brash start. I think its easily unisex but personally I would prefer to smell this on the right guy.