Guerlain Ambre Samar, Marc-Antoine Barrois Aldebaran, Spoturno showcase and other reviews

Regular readers will know that I don’t consider a perfume’s ability to attract compliments to be especially important; it’s not a factor I think about when deciding what to wear. But when a scent garners extraordinary reactions from passersby, I feel its superpower mustn’t go unmentioned. One such perfume formed part of a recent set of Love At First Scent reviews, which featured releases from Guerlain, Marc-Antoine Barrois, Acqua Di Parma and several others. Here are links to all the videos, followed by timestamps (where relevant) and further thoughts on some of the fragrances: Guerlain Ambre Samar review — Acqua Di Parma Buongiorno review — Marc-Antoine Barrois Aldebaran review — Armani Stronger With You Sandalwood, Glossier You Fleur, Celine Un Ete Francais, Quartana Beaut’Air, Indult Cuir 404 and Escentric Molecules travel atomiser reviews — Spoturno showcase review — Anatole Lebreton showcase review.

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Armani Stronger With You Sandalwood (Cecile Matton) 3:40
Glossier You Fleur (Dora Baghriche) 16:32
Celine Un Ete Francais 23:22
Quartana Beaut’Air (Christina Christie) 33:03
Indult Cuir 404 (Francis Kurkdjian) 41:01
Escentric Molecules travel atomiser 48:25

Alphee (Christopher Sheldrake) 6:39
L’Ame Du Phenix (Christopher Sheldrake) 11:38
Barbicaja (Christopher Sheldrake) 15:34
Spoturno 1921 (Christopher Sheldrake) 21:17

L’Eau De Merzhin (Anatole Lebreton) 6:40
Brioche (Anatole Lebreton) 10:26
Racine Carree (Anatole Lebreton) 14:42
L’Eau Guillerette (Anatole Lebreton) 19:11
Grimoire (Anatole Lebreton) 23:49

Do seek out the discovery set from Anatole Lebreton, if you can. I’d particularly recommend the lighter-than-a-whisper lily of the valley note of L’Eau Guillerette (one of the most convincing modern lilies I’ve had the pleasure of encountering for ages) as well as the strange, yeasty, dough-y, citrusy complexity of Brioche. Grimoire is a must-try too, although some might find its funky, let’s-get-to-know-each-really-well-in-a-sweaty-sauna cumin note rather hard to take.

Founded by Francois Coty’s great-granddaughter, Spoturno is an interesting new outfit. The woman in question, Veronique Spoturno, is clearly intent on bringing her famous ancestor’s elegant aesthetic back to life, which no doubt explains why she’s enlisted Christopher Sheldrake — that most elegant of contemporary scent-creators — to put together her debut. I confess that, when taken as a whole, I didn’t find the opening quartet as exciting as some others have, precisely because the scents are a touch too respectful of the past. However, the suave chypre sensibility of Barbicaja (combining greens with decorous jasmine and orange blossom) is worth seeking out, while the retro glamour of Spoturno 1921 is very difficult to resist.

Fans of Indult may be interested to learn that their Reve En Cuir has been reworked by its original composer, Francis Kurkdjian, and is now called Cuir 404. Broad-chested, 80s-style leathers are an easy sell where yours truly is concerned, but I’d suggest even those not partial to suede would struggle to argue that this isn’t a ravishing piece of work. Retro in all the right places and ’21st century translucent’ in others, its serves as a reminder that we really ought to pay more attention to Indult’s output.

Acqua Di Parma Buongiorno and Celine Un Ete Francais are commendable entries in the light, ready-for-summer genre. The former combines citruses and mint to produce the love-child of Guerlain Pamplelune and Herba Fresca that we never knew we needed: a truly radiant affirmation of the joys of a new day. The latter is notable for its strange, green-metallic, mustard-oil-like facet (could that be the gorse in the notes list?) which adds an unexpected touch of intrigue to the more familiar, cologne-like tones. A shimmer of dangerous heat in an otherwise innocent pastoral setting.

The Marc-Antoine Barrois universe welcomes another star. Aldebaran, composed by Quentin Bisch, is similar to last year’s Tilia in that it displays a more accessible, less challenging personality, when compared to the likes of Ganymede and Encelade. However, there’s nothing simplistic about its presentation of tuberose. Via the medicinal facets of Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle, it bursts through a cloud of pepper to give us the flower as an imposing marble statue — perhaps of the sort that used to be created to represent the virtues or the graces. Indeed, Hope And Fortitude might have been an apt alternative name for this highly wearable piece of work.

And finally, what was the compliment-winner? None one other than Guerlain Ambre Samar. I wore it daily during a recent trip to Sri Lanka and please believe me when I say that on every single one of the days while I was there, at least one person told me they thought it smelt amazing. Certainly, its spicy, honeyed, incense-y heart is attractive, but I didn’t think it would capture people’s attention in quite the way it did. And yet there must be something about its sillage — perhaps the contrast between sweetness of the amber notes and the hay-like facets of the honey? — that prompted countless individuals to declare their admiration for it. I was quite bowled over.

Persolaise

[Review samples provided by the brands, with the exception of the Guerlain, Marc-Antoine Barrois, Spoturno and Anatole Lebreton, which were obtained by me.]

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