This month Puredistance invited me to discover their collection of perfumes, which launched in 2008. Whilst a trip to the Netherlands, where the brand is based, was not possible at this point in time; through the magic of the Internet and international courier services, this reconnaissance was possible.

The brand:

I first discovered Puredistance perfumes in 2011. As a perfume collector, I am always on the look out for new perfumes that speak from a point of difference. Before knowing about the brand’s story, smelling M, I knew I had uncovered something special. It is that immediate sensation you get from smelling something exceptional for the very first time that drives a collector like myself to explore and discover new olfactory experiences, whether they are bottled or simply in nature. This month I rediscovered M as well as three other perfumes that make up the Puredistance line.

The story begins with Puredistance’s creator, Mr Jan Ewoud Vos. It is a cosmopolitan brand with a main office and design centre in the Netherlands. Mr Vos engages perfumers in New York and London, namely Annie Buzantian from Firmenich and Roja Dove, Professeur de Parfums to create perfumes for his brand.

Puredistance is founded on a deep … Read More »

It must be increasingly hard for perfume brands to make their products stand out in a rapidly expanding market. Even niche perfumery is now subject to a high and frequent number of new product launches every month. Fragrances of the World reported 307 new masculine perfumes were launched in 2012. This compares to just 130 in 2002 and 35 in 1992. So for the consumer, finding diamonds among the coal is the reality of perfume shopping in 2013.

The first time I smelled M by Puredistance, it stood out as something unique and I was immediately a fan. Whether it is the intensity with which this extrait de parfum vibrates on skin, the skill in which the fragrance is constructed, or the beautiful way M captures elements of the past whilst still presenting an olfactory idea that is so relevant for today, it is one of my favourite perfumes in this genre of dry woods.

Puredistance describe M as an oriental, leather chypre. The visionary behind M is Professeur de Parfums, Roja Dove. And like one of the author’s books, M is a textbook lesson in the history of perfume. Elements of M raise thoughts of the past, of works by the … Read More »

If ever there were a flower that symbolized perfume it would be the rose. It continually crosses the boundaries of time as well as culture and today, almost every modern perfume contains at least one aspect of this complex flower that contains more than 300 odorous components. Ancient Egyptians consider the rose to be sacred to the goddess Isis and in the classical world the rose is connected to the goddess of love, Aphrodite or Venus. In medieval Christianity the flower’s five petals symbolize the five wounds of Christ and later becomes associated with the Virgin Mary. Towards the end of the medieval period the rose is already being cultivated for its scent in the Middle East.

As early as the 10th century roses flourish under Persian rule, particularly in the city of Shiraz. During the 15th century Ottoman merchants trade rose through the Balkans and a newly formed town in Bulgaria that would later become known as Kazanlik, literally Turkish for ‘the place of stills.’ These stills are responsible for producing fine rose oil, known as Rose Otto. The essential oil is distilled from the flowers and has a different odour compared with the absolute created by solvent extraction or … Read More »

After traversing the world in search of unique scented stories, L’Artisan Parfumeur’s latest travel story is set closer to the house’s headquarters in Paris. For 2013, Caligna journeys south to the French Mediterranean and the township of Grasse. Nestled on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean coast, the small town has been referred to as the ‘balcony of the Cote d’Azur’ and many consider it to be the birthplace of the French perfume industry, which fully emerged in the 17th century. This is the setting that inspires Caligna, a truly Mediterranean scent.

Last year L’Artisan Parfumeur released a new line, La Collection de Grasse. This new line includes candles inspired by Grasse’s seasonal landscapes and leather gloves perfumed with the house’s popular Mure et Musc fragrance. Perfumed gloves are significant to Grasse because the town’s expertise for perfuming leather was the flint that ignited a burgeoning perfume industry in the 17th century.

Caligna is the work of a relatively young perfumer from the Firmenich stable, Dora Baghriche-Arnaud. The perfumer was raised on the Cote d’Azur so no doubt; this was a project close her heart. To find an olfactory language to describe the hills surrounding Grasse she uses a variety of raw materials … Read More »

Gypsy Water is the third Byredo fragrance (with Fantastic Man and Bal d’Afrique) I have added to my collection. It is a relatively recent purchase after I converted credit card reward points into department store gift vouchers. The irony of receiving vouchers to buy more perfume from a credit card most likely used to purchase perfume amuses me; do I really need another perfume? Of course I do!

The offer at Myer’s Mecca Cosmetica concession store is diverse and includes Frederic Malle, Le Labo, Serge Lutens and Diptyque. I knew I would have no problem finding something to exchange for vouchers here. I narrowed my selection down to two lines, Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Byredo. I love Kurkdjian’s APOM Femme; an exotic burst of orange flowers wrapped in oriental notes. I’d also been looking for an excuse to buy a Byredo leather travel case, which would of course require a fragrance to go inside. I decided on Byredo over APOM Femme however I am fairly confident this will be added to my perfume collection in the near future. Indolic orange flower scents make me go weak at the knees.

As my nose made its way through each of the fragrances at Mecca, … Read More »