Trudon – Olim – Powdery, spicy with a touch of Guerlain- 7/10.
The other day I was waxing lyrical about the fragrances from luxury French candlemaker, Trudon. Aphelie, released last year, is a brilliant green scent that I had just sampled and thoroughly enjoyed. However, please don’t sleep on the rest of their line. Olim is the one to try if you love old-school scents from Guerlain like Jicky, Shalimar, and Habit Rouge. It reminds me most of Jicky.
Right off the bat, it’s a touch herbal, citric, and medicinal, thanks to the amalgam of lavender and bergamot. Then, Lyn Harris reaches for the spice rack unleashing a sweet, powdery combination of cloves and anise. Finally, benzoin, myrrh, and patchouli give Olim a creamy, smoky finish. With its resemblance to classic Guerlain’s, perhaps Olim loses a few points in the originality stakes. Olim lasts for 8-10 hours and comes in EDP form.
Dusita – Issara – Fabulous fougere – 8.5/10.
I knew I’d enjoy Issara as soon as I saw the note breakdown:
The top notes in Issara include pine needles and sage, the mid consists of tobacco, coumarin and bourbon vetiver and the base is made up of oakmoss, woody notes, musk and ambergris. It may well be my favourite from the house.
Pine can often go down the path of smelling like household cleaning products. Fortunately, it does not do that in this beautifully blended perfume. Instead, it transports the wearer straight into a pine forest—an all-natural feeling. The forest is lined with aromatic, herbal sage, a clever substitute for lavender. Its herbaceous qualities complement the revitalising green of the pine needles.
Issara heats up in the mid-notes. Here, the dry but fresh accord of tobacco and coumarin comes into play. It’s almost as if we’ve left the forest behind and have happened upon a clearing, gazing upon a hay field glistening under the warming sun. The dry, aromatic tobacco teases out the hay-like facets of the coumarin. Thankfully, this tonka/tobacco accord never becomes saccharine and oppressive. And there’s only a slight honeyed sweetness to Issara, so it’s suitable for year-round use.
But is there tobacco in Issara? Interestingly, I’ve read that there is no actual tobacco absolute in Issara. Instead, it’s the impression of tobacco—this impression created by the accord of clary sage, coumarin, and woods.
The woody mossy component of Issara gives the scent a strong but perhaps masculine backbone. However, I think both men and women can wear it. Issara doesn’t smell like your typical shaving cream Brut or Old Spice-style fougere scent. Maybe the only criticism I can level at the perfume is that it rushes a little too quickly to its drydown, particularly for an extrait. After about 6 hours, it is essentially a skin scent for me. Though that’s not a deal-breaker, as all in all, Issara is a joy to wear and a fine example of a modern fougere. Fantastic work by Pissara Umavijani. Do check it out, but don’t blind buy, perhaps sample first, because this one is expensive.
Above are some pink and purple flowers I took pictures of at the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens in Brisbane. They remind me a little of the sun-filled peaceful serenity offered in Dusita’s Issara.
Have you tried these two scents? Do you have a favourite from either brand?
Note: Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica.