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Post by Ainslie Walker
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Hello APJ gang!
During the windup of last year I popped into Agence de Parfums Head Quarters and found Nick Smart bent over an interestingly archaic looking machine. It was in fact a leather embossing tool and array of cool looking metal fonts that went with. It was the personalizing tool for the Atelier Cologne travel cases I heard were coming into Australia in time for Christmas. Four of the machines will be on circulation in Australia and New Zealand, ongoing, so perhaps you’ll get to go see?! I know Myers Melbourne had an event in December and Sephora have one planned for the early 2016.
I sat down for a demo and had a play with the range, making a few delicious discoveries from the brand I have neglected until the recent renaissance Down Under! A curious creature, I sniffed about until I had a good overview and here are some snippets I learnt about Atelier Cologne
Atelier Cologne: Big Fuss About Atelier Cologne!
The brand started in 2009 aiming to be the first fragrance house to exclusively “deal” in cologne. However owners Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel pushed boundaries and have given the classic cologne a big squeeze (get it??), inventing the Cologne Absolue…designed not to disappear but evolve on the skin.
The formula? Take an overdose of traditional citrus notes for transparency, add to these additional raw materials for depth and richness then add a high percentage of this “juice” (15-20%) to the base! The result should be longer lasting power out of cologne style fragrances.
So have they managed it?
My instant eyebrow raises went to:
Blanche Immortelle was an instant knockout. Packaged in a metallic bottle, smelling unique, heavy and beautiful. Australian sandalwood, immortelle absolute, jasmine, rose, patchouli and vetiver give great velvety depth and impact. Orange, mimosa, mandarin and bergamot add sparkle. For development on skin this is just WOW. Quite a beautiful, intimate journey. I will buy a bottle of this as autumn kicks in.
Trefle Pur – I JUST LOVE IT. Listed as bitter orange, violet leaves and patchouli I also get a fig and freshly GREEN cut wet grass, moss, patchouli and basil. So so very green and cooling. I feel like a frog hiding under rainforest canopy!
Bois Blonds – Light, crisp, musky-wood and citrusy white floral blend. It was my final pick to go in my personalized case. Orange blossom for me is always my “happy place”. Combined with jasmine, amber, musk, bergamot, lemon and neroli, it’s an easy to wear, portable fragrance for the upcoming heat of summer. I want to layer this with other fragrances in the day as a “top up” and it will live in my handbag. Not sweet, but CRISP. Perfect.
How cute that Atelier Cologne invites wearers to create their own signature spray bottle by engraving a 30ml leather case for free, to complement any purchase of a full sized bottle! Do you have a stockest near you? Which of the range have you tried? Which were your favourites?
Further reading: Now Smell This
Libertine Perfumerie has the range
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml
I look forwards to hearing!
Ainslie X