Saturday, April 30, 2016

Imaginary Authors, Part Three


Today is the last in a three-part series of reviews of perfumes in the Imaginary Authors line.  It does not include some of the more recent entries, just the ones I've been able to sample. The two reviewed today are the most gourmand leaning of the ones I've tried. Both perfumes are well done and they are my favorites from the brand.

Yesterday's Haze

I enjoy fig perfumes. They are malleable and perfumers can emphasize various characteristics of the fruit, even though fig itself is a distinctive smell. Fig can smell sweet without coming across as a sugary mess. The green note gives fig a clean smell, not unlike the feeling you get with lavender but it lacks the sterility you sometimes find with lavender. Some perfumers emphasize coconut notes which takes fig in a tropical direction. Any one of these facets can be amped up so that there is a surprising amount of diversity in fig perfumes.

Yesterday's Haze seems to get everything right. It is a touch gourmand in that the fig smells ripe and succulent but it is not so gourmand that it treads into fig cake territory. There is the green feeling that is inherent in fig perfumes but it does not overpower. When the green note in fig perfumes is strong the scent can take on an austere air to me. Here the green just tempers the sweet. I get no coconut in this fig. Coconut is not necessarily a bad thing, but for me it does segregate a scent into beach territory and mainly wearable in summer. While wearing Yesterday's Haze I kept lifting my wrist to my nose. It is very delicious.  

On first spray the scent is soft and hazy. The fig comes out first but it is gauzy. Listed notes are fig, iris, cream tonka, tree bark, walnut bitters, and orchard dust. The tonka is very nice and gives the effect of warmth and a balmy lassitude.
“Just as sunsets are more beautiful on hazy days so, too, are the memories of yesterday.  -Lenora Blumberg
The pseudo novel, Yesterday's Haze, imagined by perfumer Josh Meyer, is reminiscent of a novel like The Postman Always Rings Twice. An orchard farmer in the San Joaquin Valley discovers his wife has been having a decades long affair with a cropduster and tragedy ensues. The perfume does have a bit of an alluring and hypnotic effect with its luscious fig and vanilla-like cream. Yesterday's Haze it my favorite of the perfumes I've tested so far in the Imaginary Authors line.

Memoirs Of A Trespasser

The backstory for this perfume concerns the writer Philip Sava, whose exotic travels spawned many famous novels. The author has retreated into hiding on his ranch in Madagascar to avoid fans and publicity.





“Who needs love when there is still cognac in the glass?” -Philip Sava
Notes  in Memoirs Of A Trespasser are Madagascar vanilla, guaiacwood, myrhh, benzoin, resin, ambrette seed, and oak barrels. This is the vanilla entry to the Imaginary Authors line. The opening is pure vanilla but almost immediately the perfume goes darker with the addition of guaicwood. I love vanilla, even sweet gourmand vanilla, but it can have the effect of making me crave cupcakes!  So I love getting my hit of vanilla without the sugar shot. The addition of myrrh and benzoin make Memories Of A Trespasser even creamier without veering into sweetness. Ambrette seed is ued to add a richness, both sweet and nutty to the fragrance, as well as give a cognac smell. 

This perfume reminds me a little of Serge Luten Bois de Vanille, but if SLBdeV  is the guy at the bar commanding everyone's attention through loud talk and showy demeanor, Memories Of A Trespasser is the nice guy sitting at the end of the bar who is more interested in getting to know you than in trying to impress . This is a nice mellow vanilla that would be great on a guy, but I love wood and resin notes so I also love it on myself. The fact that it is more woody than sweet makes it a great pick for males, but if you're like me and don't fancy overly sweet vanilla perfumes, give Memoirs Of A Trespasser a try.

These two are the most gourmand leaning fragrances in the line of the ones I've been able to try and both are very well done and enjoyable to wear. To read the other reviews see Part One and Part Two.

Top painting vintage Al Parker. Bottom photo vintage travel poster on Google. Samples my own.


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