Making the transition from perfume enthusiast to brand owner and creative director is much easier to write than it is to achieve in reality. In my review of Eris Parfums Night Flower I previously recounted the story of how Barbara Herman has done this. Working with perfumer Antoine Lie she produced three debut releases. Today I am going to review the remaining two; Ma Bete and Belle de Jour.
Barbara Herman
Ms. Herman’s passion for vintage perfume would be what eventually drive her to trying to make them like they used to. Ma Bete is the one of these first releases which wholeheartedly embraces a vintage aesthetic. If there is anything most modern perfumes shy away from it is the animalic. For a perfume which translates to “My Beast” this is not going to hold back in any way.
For a fragrance which wants to be “perfumed fur” M. Lie makes a smart choice to lead with a healthy dose of neroli lifted on the classic mix of aldehydes with a pinch of nutmeg. Neroli has become so safe in recent years. M. Lie reminds us that it has a feral nature all its own with its indigenous indoles. The neroli is here in such a concentration that the indoles provide the low growl, warning of the animal in the shadows. In the heart that stylish brute presents itself in a cloud of M. Lie’s “animal cocktail’. Pinned to its lapel is an iris which floats over the animalic nature. Patchouli and cedar provide the base accord with the patchouli in the ascendance. Ma Bete is a reminder that modern brands can still make them like they used to if they have the courage to do so. Ma Bete has 12-14 hour longevity and moderate sillage.
Antoine Lie
If Ms. Herman and M. Lie had just decided to do two more vintage smelling perfumes to finish this first collection it would have been redundant. Night Flower was an exercise in taking the long-lost ingredients of the past and finding a contemporary way to display them. Belle de Jour displays that there is a way to create a contemporary perfume using modern ingredients which can still carry the presence of vintage perfume.
Belle de Jour begins with a lovely juxtaposition of coriander and orange blossom. Baie rose complements the pungent coriander. The unusual pairings continue in to the heart as Egyptian jasmine is matched with pimento. This is not a vintage accord but it has a faux-antique feel to it. I’m not sure if I would have necessarily gone there if I wasn’t sort of trending towards it but when I was wearing Belle de Jour it was how it felt to me. The base accord is where the present day really arrives as M. Lie uses seaweed absolute as his keynote with musk and cedar. This is a domesticated kitten compared to Ma Bete. The animalic is present but it is also given a fresh twist with the seaweed absolute. I really enjoyed the final hours of Belle de Jour as I wore it. Belle de Jour has 10-12 hour longevity and moderate sillage.
These three debut scents as a collection are a laudable effort from Ms. Herman and M. Lie. It seems like the enthusiast has completed the transformation from enthusiast to creative director,
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Eris Parfums.
–Mark Behnke
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