There are a few notes in fragrance which are kind of Goldilocks notes. These are notes which really test the patience of a perfumer to get it “just right”. One of the more crowd-pleasing notes is also one of the more difficult notes to find the sweet spot with. That note is vanilla. Too much and it is oppressive and cloying. Too little and it becomes an afterthought. Even with that warning a perfumer who wants to work towards the edge of the too much barrier really has to be sure to pull back just enough. Perfumer Marie Salamagne has displayed that kind of precision in the new perfume Atelier des Ors Lune Feline.
Atelier des Ors is a new brand founded and creatively directed by Jean-Philippe Clermont. The brand has released five fragrances this year all composed by Mme Salamagne. The ethos of the line is to reinvigorate the French style of perfume making. There is also a kind of throwback elegance as each bottle contains flakes of gold inside which turn the bottles into decadent snow globes with golden highlights.
Marie Salamagne
Lune Feline is the gourmand representative of the debut releases. Mme Salamagne chose to go for a spicy green shade of vanilla. She also decided to let the vanilla carry some more presence than might have been wise. The end result is an encompassing vanilla but not an overwhelming one.
The opening of Lune Feline is the sizzle of spices as cardamom, baie rose, and cinnamon heat up the early going. The cinnamon is the focal point with cardamom and pink pepper providing a bit of cool on one side and bit of snap on the other. The heart gets green and woody as cedar frames a set of verdant notes. A touch of ambergris adds an interesting grace note to the straight-forward cedar accord. The vanilla begins to rise. At first it has some delicacy but it doesn’t take long for it to become more insistent. A bit of Peru balsam and some musks try and restrain the vanilla from getting out of control. It is a battle which they will fight all the way to the end as the vanilla stays intense but not overly so.
Lune Feline has crazy longevity I detected it 36 hours after application. The sillage is moderate.
Mme Salamagne managed to make a vanilla perfume that was more than “just right”. She made a vanilla perfume with real strength but without being irritatingly sweet. If you are a vanilla fan this should be on your sample list.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample I received at Esxence 2015.
–Mark Behnke
Header Photo via Fragrantica.com
