Parfums DelRae- Mythique

I'm thinking about other iris perfumes I love. From the cold earth and carrots of Iris Silver Mist to the dry leather of MPG's Iris Bleu Gris, each one is beautiful and captivating, but they aren't very sensual, at least not in a human skin way. That's what makes Mythique, the 2009 Yann Vasnier creation for Parfums Delrae, so special.

Mythique starts out a bit juicy and fruity, like some iris-violet perfumes. But the brightness of scent and color goes away quickly and lets in a sheer floral accord. The perfume lowers its tone considerably at this point. It's a little abstract, or maybe would be more accurate to say impressionistic, until the iris itself takes hold of the composition. Then you can see it clearly, a dry, almost papery iris. It's delicate but holds its own with little adornment and absolutely no hint of powder.

The drydown is even more quiet and elusive. There's no sillage left after a couple of hours. The first few times I tested Mythique when it first came out I gave up on it, thinking it was gone. But it's actually still there if you pay close attention. I had the Blond sniff my skin and he commented that it was hard to tell where the perfume stops and my skin starts. Me, I just plant my nose in my cleavage (hey, I never claimed to be very graceful) inhale and smile.

Mythique ($135, 50 ml) is available from Aedes, Luckyscent and Barneys, though the latter seems to be in store only.

Art: Wild Iris by Susan Faye

Parfums DelRae- Mythique

I'm thinking about other iris perfumes I love. From the cold earth and carrots of Iris Silver Mist to the dry leather of MPG's Iris Bleu Gris, each one is beautiful and captivating, but they aren't very sensual, at least not in a human skin way. That's what makes Mythique, the 2009 Yann Vasnier creation for Parfums Delrae, so special.

Mythique starts out a bit juicy and fruity, like some iris-violet perfumes. But the brightness of scent and color goes away quickly and lets in a sheer floral accord. The perfume lowers its tone considerably at this point. It's a little abstract, or maybe would be more accurate to say impressionistic, until the iris itself takes hold of the composition. Then you can see it clearly, a dry, almost papery iris. It's delicate but holds its own with little adornment and absolutely no hint of powder.

The drydown is even more quiet and elusive. There's no sillage left after a couple of hours. The first few times I tested Mythique when it first came out I gave up on it, thinking it was gone. But it's actually still there if you pay close attention. I had the Blond sniff my skin and he commented that it was hard to tell where the perfume stops and my skin starts. Me, I just plant my nose in my cleavage (hey, I never claimed to be very graceful) inhale and smile.

Mythique ($135, 50 ml) is available from Aedes, Luckyscent and Barneys, though the latter seems to be in store only.

Art: Wild Iris by Susan Faye

Parfums DelRae- Mythique

I'm thinking about other iris perfumes I love. From the cold earth and carrots of Iris Silver Mist to the dry leather of MPG's Iris Bleu Gris, each one is beautiful and captivating, but they aren't very sensual, at least not in a human skin way. That's what makes Mythique, the 2009 Yann Vasnier creation for Parfums Delrae, so special.

Mythique starts out a bit juicy and fruity, like some iris-violet perfumes. But the brightness of scent and color goes away quickly and lets in a sheer floral accord. The perfume lowers its tone considerably at this point. It's a little abstract, or maybe would be more accurate to say impressionistic, until the iris itself takes hold of the composition. Then you can see it clearly, a dry, almost papery iris. It's delicate but holds its own with little adornment and absolutely no hint of powder.

The drydown is even more quiet and elusive. There's no sillage left after a couple of hours. The first few times I tested Mythique when it first came out I gave up on it, thinking it was gone. But it's actually still there if you pay close attention. I had the Blond sniff my skin and he commented that it was hard to tell where the perfume stops and my skin starts. Me, I just plant my nose in my cleavage (hey, I never claimed to be very graceful) inhale and smile.

Mythique ($135, 50 ml) is available from Aedes, Luckyscent and Barneys, though the latter seems to be in store only.

Art: Wild Iris by Susan Faye

Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis

My bottle of Bois de Paradis was bought on a whim. It was a summer day and I was sniffing bottle after bottle at Aedes after taking inventory of my own perfume cabinet and deciding I'm seriously lacking in the feminine fragrance department (I must have conveniently forgotten the vintage classic Guerlains, Fracas in parfum, a bunch of Goutals, several vanilla-musk scents and enough others that spell GIRL).

I was determined to find something pretty and unquestionable ladylike, and the first whiff of Bois de Paradis seemed all that and then some. I rarely buy any fragrance after only one try, but the 15 minutes I spent with my nose planted firmly on my wrist didn't leave me much choice. Here was a jammy rose I not only liked, but also loved me back without turning sour. It was lush with ripe fruits, but firmly held on the sophisticated side by a woody drydown. I did the only thing one can be expected to do when falling in lust and took it home.

Later, doing some research I've learned that once again I fell for a supposedly unisex perfume. It has fans among the guys at Basenotes, who seem to be getting more of the ambery-wood base than the fruity-floral (in the best possible way). Everyone agrees on its richness and depth, though, and I could swear there's a chocolaty musk somewhere in the composition. I find it sexy in a similar way as Visa by Piguet (the modern version) or a more civilized Black Orchid (which I adore), but probably better composed.

While I started wearing Bois de Paradis over the summer, it's much more suited for winter. This juice is strong and assertive, survives showers and would clear an elevator faster than Anna Wintour. One full spray is all I need in winter and a light dabbing in summer.

So, can a man wear this? Depending on the man, I guess, and Nathan Branch agrees. I know some men prefer the feminine version of Amouage Lyric. They'd probably love Bois de Paradis, which hits a similar spot. My scent twin is a 6'4" guy, and I guess I'll need to spray him with this next time we're in ScentBar and see what happens. As for me, I'm seriously coveting the matching body cream.

Bois de Paradis by Parfums DelRae ($135 for 50 ml) is available at At ScentBar/Luckyscent, BeautyHabit.com and Aedes, which is where I bought mine.

Image: Torch of Paradise by N. Robert Wagstaff. I want to live in his world.

Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis

My bottle of Bois de Paradis was bought on a whim. It was a summer day and I was sniffing bottle after bottle at Aedes after taking inventory of my own perfume cabinet and deciding I'm seriously lacking in the feminine fragrance department (I must have conveniently forgotten the vintage classic Guerlains, Fracas in parfum, a bunch of Goutals, several vanilla-musk scents and enough others that spell GIRL).

I was determined to find something pretty and unquestionable ladylike, and the first whiff of Bois de Paradis seemed all that and then some. I rarely buy any fragrance after only one try, but the 15 minutes I spent with my nose planted firmly on my wrist didn't leave me much choice. Here was a jammy rose I not only liked, but also loved me back without turning sour. It was lush with ripe fruits, but firmly held on the sophisticated side by a woody drydown. I did the only thing one can be expected to do when falling in lust and took it home.

Later, doing some research I've learned that once again I fell for a supposedly unisex perfume. It has fans among the guys at Basenotes, who seem to be getting more of the ambery-wood base than the fruity-floral (in the best possible way). Everyone agrees on its richness and depth, though, and I could swear there's a chocolaty musk somewhere in the composition. I find it sexy in a similar way as Visa by Piguet (the modern version) or a more civilized Black Orchid (which I adore), but probably better composed.

While I started wearing Bois de Paradis over the summer, it's much more suited for winter. This juice is strong and assertive, survives showers and would clear an elevator faster than Anna Wintour. One full spray is all I need in winter and a light dabbing in summer.

So, can a man wear this? Depending on the man, I guess, and Nathan Branch agrees. I know some men prefer the feminine version of Amouage Lyric. They'd probably love Bois de Paradis, which hits a similar spot. My scent twin is a 6'4" guy, and I guess I'll need to spray him with this next time we're in ScentBar and see what happens. As for me, I'm seriously coveting the matching body cream.

Bois de Paradis by Parfums DelRae ($135 for 50 ml) is available at At ScentBar/Luckyscent, BeautyHabit.com and Aedes, which is where I bought mine.

Image: Torch of Paradise by N. Robert Wagstaff. I want to live in his world.

Parfums DelRae Bois de Paradis

My bottle of Bois de Paradis was bought on a whim. It was a summer day and I was sniffing bottle after bottle at Aedes after taking inventory of my own perfume cabinet and deciding I'm seriously lacking in the feminine fragrance department (I must have conveniently forgotten the vintage classic Guerlains, Fracas in parfum, a bunch of Goutals, several vanilla-musk scents and enough others that spell GIRL).

I was determined to find something pretty and unquestionable ladylike, and the first whiff of Bois de Paradis seemed all that and then some. I rarely buy any fragrance after only one try, but the 15 minutes I spent with my nose planted firmly on my wrist didn't leave me much choice. Here was a jammy rose I not only liked, but also loved me back without turning sour. It was lush with ripe fruits, but firmly held on the sophisticated side by a woody drydown. I did the only thing one can be expected to do when falling in lust and took it home.

Later, doing some research I've learned that once again I fell for a supposedly unisex perfume. It has fans among the guys at Basenotes, who seem to be getting more of the ambery-wood base than the fruity-floral (in the best possible way). Everyone agrees on its richness and depth, though, and I could swear there's a chocolaty musk somewhere in the composition. I find it sexy in a similar way as Visa by Piguet (the modern version) or a more civilized Black Orchid (which I adore), but probably better composed.

While I started wearing Bois de Paradis over the summer, it's much more suited for winter. This juice is strong and assertive, survives showers and would clear an elevator faster than Anna Wintour. One full spray is all I need in winter and a light dabbing in summer.

So, can a man wear this? Depending on the man, I guess, and Nathan Branch agrees. I know some men prefer the feminine version of Amouage Lyric. They'd probably love Bois de Paradis, which hits a similar spot. My scent twin is a 6'4" guy, and I guess I'll need to spray him with this next time we're in ScentBar and see what happens. As for me, I'm seriously coveting the matching body cream.

Bois de Paradis by Parfums DelRae ($135 for 50 ml) is available at At ScentBar/Luckyscent, BeautyHabit.com and Aedes, which is where I bought mine.

Image: Torch of Paradise by N. Robert Wagstaff. I want to live in his world.