Back when I was a child and distractions came in less technological forms there was always a jigsaw puzzle on a card table in the house. Everyone in the family would spend time adding pieces until we were finished. I was always intrigued by the shapes of the pieces I had my own terminology for them. There was always a full sense of completion when we all finished a puzzle and sat there looking at the completed puzzle as all of the many fragments came together to make something pleasant to look at.
Martine Micallef also has her own perspective on jigsaw puzzles, “A jigsaw puzzle is a game of patience and enigma like the love between two beings building their life together.” The two latest releases from Parfums M. Micallef are part of the Art Collection and are called Puzzle No.1 and Puzzle No. 2. Geoffrey Nejman and Jean-Claude Astier worked together on both fragrances. As I wore both of these they reminded me of the names I used to give my jigsaw puzzle pieces and each one came to represent a specific piece in my mind.
The piece you see above I used to call “two-head” I always saw it as two heads and the shoulders that support them connected in the middle. Puzzle No. 1 reminds me of this as it has a heart consisting of two “heads” in osmanthus and jasmine. The top notes are the shoulders which support the osmanthus enhancing the apricot character of it. The base notes make sure the jasmine is sweeter and more demure keeping the indoles in check. Together there is a definite division of two distinct phases.
Puzzle No. 1 opens with a fuzzy peach and berry fruitiness; lemon and orange add a bit of citrus foundation but the early moments are peach and berry. I notice the apricot character of osmanthus first as it fits in with all of the fruit on display once the rest of the osmanthus joins in the soft leather quality continues the plush beginning. Then the jasmine arises and at first I notice the indolic core but it is rapidly overtaken by vanilla which keeps it sweet and floral. Tonka, and bezoin add some texture to that sweetness in the final phase of development.
The piece above I called “spade square” because I thought the corners looked like spade symbols on playing cards. Puzzle No. 2 feels like it is made up of those two spades vectoring in different directions. The first vector is blackcurrant, citrus, and geranium. It is bright with a sense of green sticky earthiness and for well over an hour it stays that way. Then jasmine, patchouli, vetiver, and musk build up a much darker accord very different from the opening.
Grapefruit sparkles and blackcurrant leaf is present to tease out some of the sulfurous facets of grapefruit. Not too much and it always stays light. The blackcurrant itself follows the leaves and geranium comes along to keep the green nature of the leaves front and center. Puzzle No. 1 seems to linger here for a very long time it is easily an hour or two before the jasmine starts to signal some progression and it is a slow bit of development until the jasmine is ascendant. Once it is patchouli comes along and the herbal facets accentuate the indolic jasmine. Musk doubles down on the sensual nature. Vetiver finishes it off with the same tinge of green the geranium provided earlier.
Puzzle No. 1 and Puzzle No.2 have 10-12 hour longevity and above average sillage.
Putting together a fragrance must be a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle as you keep putting pieces together until they start to fit. Once you have them all together and they have formed a whole fragrance there should be immense satisfaction. Especially when a perfumer can look down upon such a pretty picture as Puzzle No. 1 and Puzzle No. 2, there should be smiles all around.
Disclosure: This review was based on press samples provided by Parfums M. Micallef.
–Mark Behnke
