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For a change this week I’ve decided to review three new and very different, but most definitely jasmine scents – one zesty, one spicy and one dirty.
Jasmine Angelique by Atelier Cologne is the latest release in the company’s main cologne line. As we have to come to expect from Atelier Cologne this is a fresh, vibrant and zingy fragrance where the jasmine concoction is very much lead by an opening of tart lemon rind which rises above the pretty white flower.
There are additional notes of angelica, incense and tonka bean which, along with a soft wood base, guide the scent through the later stages of its development.
For me though Jasmine Angelique, along with the majority of the Atelier Cologne collection, is all about the fresh and photo-realistic citrus fruit and flowers first hour where people will thank you for wearing it and brightening up their morning.
Jasmine Angelique by Atelier Cologne, 100ml £110.
Sarah McCartney is wonderful with flowers, as well as many of other things, with her UK-based and fantastically charismatic fragrance house 4160 Tuesdays. Her Sleep Knot replaces the zest of Jasmine Angelique with spice. Lots of black pepper and an assertive but respectful jasmine make for an invigorating top note combination that has a brilliant push-pull, warm-cool effect.
I wore this a lot in the summer and found it very cleansing and bright, a real pick-me-up, but it would also wear very well in the cooler months as there is plenty of comfort to be found in the smooth sandalwood base. Sleep Knot lasts all day on me and projects well for the first 90 minutes or so, like Jasmine Angelique it is perfect for any gender.
Sleep Knot by 4160 Tuesdays, 30ml £50 100ml £95.
This year’s limited edition Essences Insensées Eau de Parfum from French brand Diptyque is nothing like the other two, better-behaved jasmines that have proceeded it.
The home fragrance and perfume brand have not done anything that has grabbed me for many years now and some of their most interesting scents have been discontinued- never a good sign. So imagine my surprise when Essenes Insensées 2015 turned out to an almost offensively pungent knock-out.
This is jasmine that is indolic and depending on your viewpoint, swoonsomely beautiful. Rich, decadent and animalic the wearer of this will have to be a brave soul who likes attention as it stays put for a long time and will take you as high as a kite for the first 60 minutes.
The jasmine here, and that’s really all I can smell, is on the turn and has a fruity sweetness that is like a cracked crème brûlée floral-dessert. It’s not a gourmand but Essences Insensées is indulgent, not for the faint hearted and highly recommended but maybe try on a paper strip first.
More feminine than masculine, I would say, and of the three, the most difficult to wear.
Essences Insensées 2015 by Diptyque, 75ml £100.
