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Post by Ainslie Walker

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Or du Serail by Bertrand Duchaufour for Naomi Goodsir 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Apple, red berries, mango, sweet orange
Heart: Rum, artemisia, sage, coconut, geranium, ylang-ylang, mate
Base: Labdanum, beeswax, honey, tobacco, amber, oak tree, cedar, musk and vanilla

Tart, citrus and dried fruits – mango, sweet orange are the top notes that grab me at first whiff. Followed immediately with golden, sparkling, not smokin’ tobacco. It’s pretty and reminds me of midsummer hot hot heat. The tobacco journey continues, and with a touch of bitter cocoa, and clary sage, it forms the under laying and robust foundation of this beauty. It’s savory underneath, and yet sweet gourmand notes play about delightfully on top. It’s as if someone dropped a basket of dried fruits and rum on a freshly mulched tobacco haystack, and now its warming in the sun.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

I first tried this, after I had just bought a bottle of Frapin’s 1270 from Peony in Melbourne (a rummy pineapple and chocolate love of mine – thanks to Portia’s review). My beautifully wrapped parcel arrived, and to my delight I noticed Jill had been generous and included some new release samples, of course Naomi Godsir’s Or Du Serail being one- She had said on the phone; “If you like 1270, you will LOVE Naomi’s Or du Serail”. She was right!

Thirty minutes on and its notes are all humming the same tune – perfectly attuned strings, all singing a big tobacco song. I keep thinking of golden light, at the end of a summer’s day -the streaming golden light I’m always happy to see cropping up on my instagram feed as friends in various countries conclude their days activities.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The fruit drenched tobacco notes and light smoke remind me of London, I lived around the corner from a particular Turkish restaurant (Gallipoli on Upper St, Angel – in case you wish to visit), where people smoked shish and the smell would waft down the street – dry, fruity tobacco with mango and apple flavors.
Its here, and with the rum notes, lies the similarities with Frapin’s 1270, but put side by side, they are actually quite quite different. 1270 goes off on a flirty fun, yet sophisticated, pineapple fruit cocktail tangent, held into line by bitter chocolate undertones. The Or du Serail focuses in on the golden scents of tobacco, honey and mango, seeming to be deeper, more serious. ODS is like the steadfast, sophisticated fruit-cocktail sipper, tobacco pouch in hand, cedarwood pipe nearby, enjoying the last of the golden rays of afternoon sunshine. 1270, is more camp, and probably inside preparing for a fun night of dancing and dressups later. I’m not anyone needs a bottle of both, I would recommend trying both and seeing how you go.

The deep dry down of vanilla-rum and honeyed orange-amber, almost sued, smokey in parts, hinting sweet and humming beautifully, is just so tasty and robust. I really do love it. It does not project too strongly. It’s one of those yummy ones you have to get up nice and close to someone to really enjoy. I would recommend this fragrance for both men and women.

Further reading: Colognoisseur
LuckyScent has $187/50ml
First In Fragrance has €125/50ml
Surrender To Chance has $5/.5ml

I would love to hear others experiences…..I feel like I am now in love with 2, non-identical, twins from different makers!!

Ainslie Walker x