AbdesSalaam Attar / La Via del Profumo - official fragrance discussion thread

[hoschhti]

A place to talk about the perfumes of Dominique Dubrana, the all-natural perfumer from Rimini.


He has released some new stuff: IHRAM, AMBER OUD and AMBER JASMINE. They can be found here: http://www.profumo.it/perfume/outsiders.asp

IRIS DI FIRENZE, a new perfume from the "Italian Series" is in the pipeline.


Surrender to Chance has now its own fragrance line created by Dominique Dubrana as well: http://surrendertochance.com/brands/Surrender-to-Chance.html

 

[iodine]

Thanks for starting this thread, hoschhti!

I'm still pondering on which fragrance minis I'd like to order- Mecca Balsam, Holy Water and the super costly Venezia Giardini Segreti are in pole position, but can't make up my mind on the others...

I'll be reading all your ideas, suggestions and opinions! :smiley:

And my SOTD is the great Hindu Kush!

 

[Colin Maillard]

Pretty much anything I've tested/owned by this brand was "really good" to "great".... Sharif, Venezia Giardini Segreti, Milano Caffè, Muschio di Quercia, Chilum, Tartar Leather (which I own) are all scents I would surely advise to anyone approaching this house - I reviewed them here too. Some are a bit costly but at least, you know what you're paying for (good materials). Plus, Mr. Dubrana is a lovely man, one of the kindest and humblest persons I've ever known. His blog is also worth a read!

I did not know about that collaboration with Surrender to Chance, that's great news!

 

[badarun]

2015 might be the year I finally start looking into 2 houses I've ignored - Profumo.it & ASAQ. So I'm hoping to gather as much from this thread...

 

[hoschhti]

Thanks for starting this thread, hoschhti!

I'm still pondering on which fragrance minis I'd like to order- Mecca Balsam, Holy Water and the super costly Venezia Giardini Segreti are in pole position, but can't make up my mind on the others...

I'll be reading all your ideas, suggestions and opinions! :smiley:

And my SOTD is the great Hindu Kush!

Based on my own taste I would choose these six minis: Gringo, Mecca Balsam, Don Corleone, Seawood, Sharif and the gorgeous Tawaf.

They are all easily unisex despite the names.


By the way Hindu Kush is one of my favourites as well. :smiley:

 

[thebeck]

I've just haven't gotten the longevity from this house that I require in a scent, but you may find the longevity just right for you.

The man, the perfume, the quality of ingredients, and the service are simply the best in the business.

 

[juanderer]

Hindu Kush is amazing.

 

[Diamondflame]

Longevity varies with the nature and weightage of components used. Deeply complex orientals like Balsamo della Mecca with its resins and labdanum lasts a respectable 4-6 hours on skin, and longer on fabric. Ethereal ones like Holy Water's aqueous incense is frequently gone in 2-3 hours tops. YMMV but I'm not one to begrudge nature. A citrus note which lasts longer than is customary simply doesn't smell natural at all. Try smelling Xerjoff 1861 if you get the chance.

Today I wore Iris di Firenze from a 3-4 ml spray sampler which Dubrana has generously included with my custom blend. I have no idea if it is the final product as he has yet to list it on the website. I used 4 sprays - 2 to the chest, one to each crook of the arm.

The opening is unmistakably iris-y: rooty and slightly buttery, with a hint of cold wet earth/clay that I smell in Lutens' Iris Silver Mist. It settles quickly into something warm, floral-woodsy and just a tad creamy. Could well be a combination of violets, vetiver, cedar and sandalwood on the road towards the base but I'm only guessing here. The blending is seamless as usual. Projection is modest but I got some of it on the fabric of my undershirt so it probably radiates up to an arm's length with a little body heat. If you're not particularly anal-retentive about longevity, this has one of the best, most natural iris notes I have ever smelled.

 

[Diamondflame]

Amber Oud reminds me of Chilum. A warm yet unforgivably masculine scent, it feels more dusty than resinous, with a trace of charred woods and dried medicinal herbs. Definitely not my kind of fragrance, it's too parched for my tastes. But as it progresses, the burnt smoky aspects dissipate to bring the herbal facet into focus. If you like your amber scents on the sweet side, look elsewhere. Amber Oud amplifies the herbal-sappy-resinous aspects of amber with the tarry, slightly animalic edge of Indian(?) agarwood.

Amber Jasmine uses a similar amber component, but here the sappy-yet-resinous character is a better match IMHO, tempering the opulent and heady floralcy of jasmine to create a resinous almost incense-like green floral.

 

[iodine]

Thanks for your reviews! Now I must wait Firenze to be avaialble!
Regarding longevity, among those I have tried- HK, Milano Caffé, Tabac, Seawood, Venezia, Chillum, NightFlower and Amber Chocolate- the only one that is really weak is Amber Chocolate, it lasts less than one hour. All the others have a decent longevity- I used 4 sprays of Milano Caffé this morning, around 8 hours ago, and still definitely smell it.

 

[Diamondflame]

Jasmine Shehrazade

An unadorned yet astonishingly stunning solifloral composition centred on the jasmine sambac. Greener, less heady and less indolic than the grandiflora, this is a green floral pitched at just the right tone to snag my vote for best jasmine fragrance ever. It smells like a magical night spent under a starlit sky, the air redolent with the intoxicating scent of the nocturnal bloom. Clearly something I would be glad to catch whiffs of for the next 1001 nights!

 

[hoschhti]

Your description of Amber Oud surprised me in a positive way. Normally I tend to dismiss everything that has the word "amber" in it, but it actually sounds like it could be my type of scent.

Can you compare the Scheherazade to Tawaf, if you have tried it?

 

[Darvant]

Mecca Balsam, Hindu Kush, Patchouly (not listed yet on Basenotes), Muschio di Quercia, Legno di Nave, Castoreum, Don Corleone , Milano Caffè, Venezia Giardini Segreti and Sharif are probably my favorite. Looking forward to test Iris di Firenze (Dubrana told me to have used the best quality of Iris oil around, the precious and expensive Iris Florentina).

 

[Diamondflame]

Darvant, I can believe that. Which means a full bottle will cost a pretty penny. That's why I didn't include iris in my custom blend as it will cost me an additional £220 to the final bill.

Hoschhti, I'm with you on most designer amber. I've not had the pleasure of smelling Tawaf yet so I can't make the comparison. I'll try to get a sample with my next purchase.

 

[Diamondflame]

[img=http://s20.postimg.org/wijh0sh2x/DSC04761.jpg]


Just sharing a recent custom blend order from composer perfumer Dominic Dubrana, a gift to myself to celebrate 5 years on Basenotes. My brief was simple : create a scent inspired by my childhood memories of days spent mucking about in the grass and tall weeds and trampling on mimosa leaves, just for kicks. I got to pick 7 ingredients, of which 3 are to form the central accord.

My pick of 3 primary notes: violet leaf, mimosa, oakmoss

Other 4 secondary notes: cardamom, elemi, galbanum, castoreum

Dubrana first composed the central accord which is a burst of softly powdery mimosa layered with the bitter deep greens of violet leaf over a bed of oakmoss. This accord smells complete to me - cool, balmy and vegetal and I was offered the chance to keep the fragrance as it is. But both of us were curious to find out just how the remaining 4 elements could be incorporated to complete the composition. The result was interesting - the fragrance is now a little brighter, spicier and a touch more resinous but the central green vegetal accord remains intact. Unfortunately I found the mimosa note got lost in translation. In his wisdom, Dubrana had taken it upon himself to gift me a small decant of the original central accord with which to layer my custom blend, to my satisfaction. Now I'm the proud owner of a unique fragrance completely of my own design!

 

[james1051]

Really looking forward to trying the Iris F and the Jasmine S!

Tawaf is stunning.

 

[bigbloke]

That sounds awesome Diamondflame! How much is a custom blend roughly?

 

[Diamondflame]

That sounds awesome Diamondflame! How much is a custom blend roughly?

Iirc around £170 with La Via del Profumo FB discount. But the custom option is not always available.

 

[hoschhti]

The juice has an impressive colour. :smiley:

 

[bigbloke]

Iirc around £170 with La Via del Profumo FB discount. But the custom option is not always available.

Cool!

 

[iodine]

Enjoy your own fragrance, D! The central accord sounds fantastic, as you describe it....
:smiley:
And Jasmine Sherazade"best jasmine fragrance ever"?! :shocked:

 

[Andrew_B.]

Do any of you know a way to order samples that are smaller and cheaper than those mignon samples he has on the site?

 

[thebeck]

Do any of you know a way to order samples that are smaller and cheaper than those mignon samples he has on the site?

It's just easier to get them from surrendertochance - they carry almost everything from the line.

http://surrendertochance.com/brands/

 

[hoschhti]

Yep, STC or TPC.

STC is also the only way to get the perfumes Surrender and Cold Water Canyon which were specially made for STC by the perfumer. I mentioned it in my first post.

 

[Diamondflame]

Yes, Hoschhti. Love the color of the juice as 'green' happens to be my favorite color. Interestingly, the central accord in the smaller but no less impressive bottle has a browner hue as you can see from the picture. I wonder what makes the final juice green? Any thoughts?

And Jasmine Sherazade"best jasmine fragrance ever"?! :shocked:

Lol. That's probably a stretch but it IS my favorite jasmine so far, as far as jasmine soliflores go and I've smelled my fair share of jasmine-centric fragrances. Maybe I just prefer my jasmines on the greener and unadulterated side.

 

[Andrew_B.]

It's just easier to get them from surrendertochance

Yep, STC or TPC.

Thanks. I've never tried those places, but now I will. This will make my sampling life much easier.

 

[hoschhti]

A review of Cold Water Canyon and Surrender: http://www.kafkaesqueblog.com/2014/12/08/surrender-to-chance-cold-water-canyon-surrender/#more-13971

Another one: http://colognoisseur.com/new-perfum...e-surrender-cold-water-canyon-jumpin-jasmine/

 

[Andrew_B.]

I wonder if the Coldwater Canyon is the one in the Santa Monica mountains. From time to time I've thought back to when I was young, and the smells associated with hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains. http://www.lamountains.com/parks_plants.asp

 

[Diamondflame]

Thanks for the links, hoschtti.

. Kafkaesque's rather precise description on a scent projection distance is questionable. 2.5 inches? 0.5 inch? Seriously? Did he actually use a tape to measure the distance between his nose and his perfumed skin?? My own experience is that fragrance performance varies with application areas. A scent lingers longer if the area has more of the skin's natural oils. Similarly projection varies with surface temperature. Clearly some areas of the body feel warmer than others.

 

[hoschhti]

I wonder if the Coldwater Canyon is the one in the Santa Monica mountains. From time to time I've thought back to when I was young, and the smells associated with hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains. http://www.lamountains.com/parks_plants.asp

Here is some more info about the inspiration behind the perfume. Looks like it was inspired by some Los Angeles Canyons. I'm not sure but Santa Monica is a part of Los Angeles, right? So your assumption was correct. :smiley:

http://perfumeposse.com/2014/12/12/surrender-chance-cold-water-canyon/

 

[hoschhti]

I received my samples of Cold Water Canyon and Surrender today. I will post in-depth reviews in the next days. What I can already say is that Cold Water Canyon is very promising, Surrender is slightly disappointing to be honest. More soon.

 

[hoschhti]

Here is my take on Cold Water Canyon:

This is a great perfume! It really captures the open-air feel one would associate with a canyon landscape where you go hiking. The pairing of Jasmine and Sage is a very fortunate one, creating a light green, airy, slightly milky scent together with a barely detectable Pine and tiniest hints of Tuberose and something that could be Mint (although I'm not sure if there is any Tuberose or Mint in the blend). If this perfume was a colour I would say it's a bright jade-green. The Jasmine is not nearly as ferocious as the one in Tawaf (none Jasmine is), it rather reminds of Venezia. Whereas Venezia has a distinct Mediterranean, slightly spicy feel, Cold Water Canyon smells truly like breathing clean mountain air perfumed with the most delicate Jasmine flowers. Longevity is not the best and the perfume stays close to the skin.

 

[Andrew_B.]

Here is some more info about the inspiration behind the perfume. Looks like it was inspired by some Los Angeles Canyons. I'm not sure but Santa Monica is a part of Los Angeles, right? So your assumption was correct. :smiley:

http://perfumeposse.com/2014/12/12/surrender-chance-cold-water-canyon/

Yes, The Santa Monica Mountains run through Los Angeles County. I didn't hike specifically in Coldwater Canyon, but it could be the same smells as where I lived.

 

[hoschhti]

Somehow I didn't realize that a Coldwater Canyon really exists. I thought it's a fictional name, just for the perfume. :smiley:

 

[Diamondflame]

Thanks for the impressions, hoschtti. Sounds like a wonderful and refreshing scent. Tuberose and jasmine, just like many other white flowers may may acquire that tiny minty hint to their central floral accord when in full bloom ( an aspect amplified in L'Artisan Tubereuse Criminelle.) Hope to try this one soon.

Btw I'm curious, just what exactly was so disappointing about Surrender? Or was it more a case of misplaced expectations? Dubrana seldom disappoints though his interpretation may not always be exactly the same as the client expects.

 

[hoschhti]

Only slightly disappointig. :smiley: The perfume is a bit too cozy, too warm and too sweet. I assume it was intended to smell that way which is okay, but it simply doesn't suit my taste. Misplaced expectations? Could be! I expected the pairing of Jasmine and Hyraceum to smell more animalic, but I have the feeling that both ingredients absorb each others energy instead of amplifying it - an unfortunate pairing in my opinion, but this is just my opinion. :smiley:

I will post a review of Surrender soon.

 

[Andrew_B.]

Somehow I didn't realize that a Coldwater Canyon really exists. I thought it's a fictional name, just for the perfume. :smiley:

Here's a page for Coldwater Canyon Park http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=72

Never been to that park, though.

 

[Andrew_B.]

Would be interesting to compare Coldwater Canyon to Yatagon. I don't have a Yatagon sample anymore. but one thing my notes say is there was a sourness in it I didn't like. Coldwater Canyon has no sour that I can make out.

 

[Profumo]

Only I have the feeling that both ingredients absorb each others energy instead of amplifying it -
I will post a review of Surrender soon.

Hello Hoschhti, it is only a feeling of yours, in order to be sure, you should have tried both as did Lisa and Patty. with and without Hyraceum. You are right that there is little Hyraceum. Too animalic is difficult to sell. Subliminal animalic makes any perfume more easy to sell.
I made a bunch of the perfume mistaking a concentrate Hyraceum for the diluted one, I could not present it to Lisa so I brought to Cyprus to sell to tourists and they like it very much.I can add a sample of this one for you next time.

I add something to the benefit of all Basenoters. There are 3 full bottle of Oud Caravan number 2 (made in Basenotes) as a giveaway on the profumo's group. The value of each bottle is 79 euros. They have been there for month because I have not yet the 60 names required for the draw. I suggest you let all your friends know about it and leave their name there.

 

[hoschhti]

Something very interesting: A summer perfume course in Italy!

http://www.kafkaesqueblog.com/2015/02/02/la-via-del-profumo-summer-perfume-course-italy/