The blooming jasmine in my garden gave me the inspiration for this article. As I remarked in my previous post, my jasmine seems to grow during every season. So, I decided to survey my collection and pick out four scents (one for each season) that include jasmine. As a disclaimer, not all these scents showcase jasmine as the star ingredient. However, the note sits relatively high in the pecking order in each.
Furthermore, I didn’t want to go down the obvious route of picking famous jasmine scents such as Alien, A La Nuit, Grand Bal, etc. Instead, I’ve chosen somewhat more obscure perfumes. Let’s get started with the current season, summer.
There was no other choice for summer than the perfume titled “Summer Water.” And it lives up to its name. Nicolaï Parfumeur Créateur’s Eau d’Été in simplest terms, smells like sipping on a fizzy glass of cola in a garden of jasmine flowers—the citrusy top notes of lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit sparkle right from the off. The jasmine here is green and fresh, relatively easy on the nose. The cinnamon note spices things up and, combined with the citrus top notes, augments the “cola effect.”
Even though Eau d’Été is quite fleeting, there’s more intrigue than expected from the usual garden variety cologne. The base comprises clean musk and a clever resinous accord of benzoin and amber. All of these add body and structure to the overall framework. Patricia de Nicolaï’s expert blending and the brand’s traditional French stylings make the underappreciated house and this perfume well worth checking out.
After summer comes the melancholy of the autumnal months. The iris/jasmine union of Tapis Volant from Liquides Imaginaires fits the bill for when the leaves start to fall. Advertised by the house as a “suspended silk garden in the clouds” and “a golden oriental carpet caressed by the sky,” Tapis Volant means flying carpet. It certainly takes me on a ride, but it’s a ride that always feels grounded closer to Earth than whooshing through the heavens on a magic carpet.
Tapis Volant opens airy and earthy with a vegetal carrot seed note before the prominent powdery florals of jasmine and iris come into play and begin to take over the composition. The earthy, chalky iris and spicy green jasmine become the floral nucleus of Tapis Volant. They lend the scent a slight air of gloom and grey. However, it’s not as cold or metallic as the effect encountered in something like Iris Silver Mist. More appropriate descriptors for it might be dreamy, hazy, or fuzzy. After a couple of hours, the silky, creamy base of sandalwood and tonka begins to appear. If you enjoyed Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau, this one may be for you. Superb work from Quentin Bisch and Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillié.
Even though it’s in the name, my winter choice might be the perfume where jasmine is least noticeable. The French house, BDK, isn’t one of my favourite houses. But I like a few of their more engaging, innovative earlier releases. They have an excellent leather scent that’s a fruity spin on Bvlgari Black and a nicely done tobacco/rose scent. Their 2016 release, Wood Jasmin, is my favourite. Just be mindful that this composition has a lot more wood than jasmine.
The dried fruit accord of plums and pears opens Wood Jasmin on a somewhat syrupy, boozy note. The opening reminds me of Desert Suave from Liquides Imaginaries mixed with Rouge Sarây from Atelier des Ors. There are slight hints of Arabie from Serge Lutens, too. However, Wood Jasmin veers clear of Middle Eastern marketplaces and thoughts of food, transporting me into a forest and away from the souk. Resinous woods, ambery balsams, and smoky indolic jasmine mix with vanilla and patchouli, giving Wood Jasmin an intriguing, mysterious, animalic finish. Very dark work by Camille Leguay.
Let’s get out of the woods and brighten things up for spring with my final choice, Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie. I talked about this one a couple of months ago, and it’s certainly appropriate for the summer months, too, if not all year long.
California Reverie forms one part of the higher-end line of Van Cleef & Arpels. It’s an underappreciated line that is well worth exploring. Even more so than Eau d’Été, California Reverie is an example of a seemingly simple fresh composition with good throw and heft. The fresh opening courtesy of neroli and mandarin gives way to a jasmine-centric heart. After some time, the tropical creamy frangipani aspect develops. Eventually, the beeswax (honey is not usually something I enjoy, but I do here) combines with vanilla to give the composition an interesting twist and some bulk and longevity. Antoine Maisondieu composed California Reverie.
So, there’s my choices. Have you tried any of these? Do you have a favorite jasmine scent?
Note: All the pictures are my own. I purchased all the scents featured in this post.
