The best of 2012. - BL'eauOG's Laurel Wreath

It's time to summon up the best of 2012. The end of the year always provides insight into the perfume delicacies. It wasn't as fertile as some previous years, but hidden diamonds can be found.

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Vrijeme je da se sažmu najbolji iz 2012. Kraj godine uvijek pruža pregled svih parfemskih delicija. Godina možda nije bila plodna kao što su neke znale biti, ali ima skrivenih dijamanata.

 

 

 

 

 

It's the end of the year. Well, it's already the New Year and the very last moment for such kind a list. This is BL'eauOG's first review of the year and the start of a new tradition. I have decided that my awards will be called BL'eauOG's Laurel after the famous emperors of  Ancient Rome. The emperors were given laurel wreaths as a symbol of their rule. Olympic winners were also given wreaths as a sign of victory. Some perfumes were disappointing, but some of them are true discoveries. Let's start with my choices.

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Kraj je godine, zapravo, već je nova godina i posljednji tren za ovakvu listu. Ovo je BL'eauOG-ov prvi ovakav pregled godine i početak jedne nove tradicije. Odlučio sam da se moje nagrade zovu BL'eauOG Lovorov Vijenac koje su imali i rimski carevi u znak vladavine. Također, olimpijski pobjednici su dobivali lovorove vijence kao simbol pobjede. Neki od parfema su zaista bili razočarenje dok su drugi zaista veliko otkriće. Pa, počnimo s izborom.



 

 

Mainstream perfumes taken into consideration:

 

Mainstream parfemi koje sam uzeo u obzir:

 

 

1. Dahlia Noir Eau de Parfum Givenchy
  2. La Petite Robbe Noir Guerlain
3. La Vie est Belle Lancôme
4. Opium Vapeurs de Parfum Yves Saint Laurent
5. Pour Femme 2012 Dolce & Gabbana
6. Tom Ford Noir Tom Ford
  7. Miss Dior Le Parfum Dior
8. Potion for Women DSquared2
  9. CK One Summer 2012 Calvin Klein
10. Coco Noir Chanel
11. Florabotanica Balenciaga
12. Guerlain Homme L'Eau Boisee

 

 

 

Niche perfumes taken into consideration:

 

Niche parfemi koje sam uzeo u obzir:

 

 

1. Vol d'Hirondelle LM Parfums
2. Sensual Orchid LM Parfums
3. Seville a l'Aube L'Artisan Parfumeur
4. Santal Majuscule Serge Lutens
5. What We Do in Paris is Secret A Lab on Fire
6. Mad Madame Juliette has a Gun
7. Oud Maison Francis Kurkdjian
8. Musc Intense Parfums de Nicolai

9. Byredo Black Saffron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

BL'eauOG's Laurel Wreath for feminine mainstream fragrance of the year goes to:

 

BL'eauOG Lovorov vijenac za najbolji ženski mainstream parfem godine ide za:

 

Dior - Miss Dior Le Parfum

 

 

Even though it was little bit confusing due to its name change, the Miss Dior line remained one of the best within Dior. Miss Dior is a beautiful perfume with a highlighted feminine note, but with this version all of its characteristics improved. High quality perfume was finally launched from this mass produced brand. I really do love patchouli in feminine perfumes because it distinguishes the usual florals from the more dominant and more attractive fragrances. Scent usually resembles the character of the one who's wearing it. Beautiful amber and moss are still here and hopefully those natural note ingredients will not be forbidden because it would be a shame to lose this nice perfume. Seductive, flirtatious, determined, and classy best describes the one who's wearing this perfume. It deserves a Laurel wreath.

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Iako su uveli pomutnju s izmjenama imena, Miss Dior linija ostaje jedna od boljih u Dioru. Miss Dior je sam po sebi jako lijep parfem, ženstven, ali s ovom verzijom, sve karakteristike mu se još više naglašavaju. Napokon da je brend s masovnom proizvodnjom nakon podosta izbacio jedan fantastičan parfem. Jako volim kada ženski parfem u sebi sadrži note patchoulija jer to označuje da je parfem dominantan, malo drugačiji od uobičajenih cvijetnih mirisa, a i da je žena koja ga nosi, isto takva. Ostala je ljepota mahovine i ambera, a to su sastojci koji bi mogli čak biti i ukinuti, a ako se to dogodi, bit će velika šteta da budemo zakinuti za ovaj miris. Zavodnica, ona koja flertuje, samosvjesna, sa stilom - takva djevojka nosi ovaj parfem. Zaslužuje Lovorov vijenac.

 

 

Small Laurel

 

 

La vie est Belle (Lancome) - I have considered whether I should include this on my list or not. It's very sweet but it's not a teenage kind of sweetness. It's more mature than Guerlain's Petite Robbe Noir. At first, Guerlain intended for it to be an exclusive scent only sold on the Champs-Elysees, but they made a fancy launching of it worldwide. The reason why I think Lancome is a good scent is because of its niche qualities. Honey has been already used in other mainstream fragrances, but La vie has extreme qualities of  a niche perfume: sweet, strong, and feminine.

 Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme 2012 & DSquared2 Potion - It may be questionable whether D&G is really a new perfume, but presuming by the scent, I think it is. Duo from D&G says it is only fine-tuning, but I see it as a new scent with an old name. I like it a lot because it exudes with femininity and sensuality. That's my type of a feminine scent. The original was very popular and seductive par excellence, while versions in the last decade were not worth mentioning until the one from last year. I also have a huge respect for DSquared2 fragrances because of their quality and appearance that are very unique. Potion is playing on the ultimate sensuality and I like it a lot!

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La vie est Belle (Lancome) - Razmišljao sam bi li ga uvrstio ili ne. Jako je sladak, ali nije to teen slatkoća u njemu, zreliji je od Guerlainovog Petite Robbe Noir. Iz početka, Guerlain je zamislio da bude ekskluzivan i da se prodaje samo u dućanu na Champs Elyseesu, ali su se ipak odlučili za svjetsko fancy lansiranje. Razlog zašto mislim da je Lancom dobar miris je zbog njegovih niche karakteristika. Med je već bio korišten u drugim mainstream parfemima, ali La vie ima izvanrednu kvalitetu. Sladak, jak i ženstven.

 

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme 2012 & DSquared2 Potion - Moglo bi biti upitno da li je D&G lansirala novi parfem, ali sudeći po mirisu je. Duo je to naveo kao fino usavršavanje, a ja to vidim kao potpuno novi miris sa starim imenom. Volim ga zato što odiše senzualnošću i ženstvenošću, apsolutno moj tip ženskih mirisa. Original je bio iznimno popularan i bio je za zavođenje par excellence  dok verzija posljednjeg desetljeća nije bila ni vrijedna spomena. Također jako cijenim i DSquared2 parfeme zbog njihove kvalitete i unikatnosti s kojom su se pojavili. Potion igra na ultiamtivnu senzualnost i meni se to jako sviđa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BL'eauOG's Laurel Wreath for the best masculine mainstream fragrance of the year goes to:

 

BL'eauOG Lovorov vijenac za najbolji muški mainstream parfem godine ide za:

 

Tom Ford Noir

In 2012 Noir became a very popular name for perfumes. It should resemble mystery, darkness, deepness, black & white, just like the noir movies. In my opinion, there are too many noir or "black" perfumes today. Just as oud entered the perfumer’s palette, so was noir included in the name for their perfume. Many of them do not deserve to be named as noir, like Byredo Black Saffron or Givenchy Dahlia Noir. Tom Ford is also very questionable, but it has the dose of mystery. It may be unoriginal, but it is its best feature - like a softened and powdery Habit Rouge from Guerlain. Habit Rouge is a great scent and Guerlain is actually missing a fragrance like Tom Ford Noir in its line. I like masculine scents with iris and, unlike Dior Homme, this really is a noir Tuscan iris. It is a perfect blend of powdery florals with dark notes of pepper, patchouli and civet while the violet note reminds me of eternity somehow. It's masculine and very elegant. I wonder if Mr. Bond would wear it? 

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Noir je postalo jako popularno ime za parfem. To bi trebalo označavati misteriju, tamu, dubinu, crno i bijelo, baš kao u noir filmovima. Previše je noir i "black" parfema danas. Kao što je oud postao dio parfumerove palete sastojaka, tako je i noir postalo učestalo ime za miris. Mnogi od njih ne zaslužuju da bi bili imenovani noir, kao što su Byredo Black Saffron ili givenchy Dahlia Noir. Tom Ford je također pomalo upitan, ali ipak u sebi ima dozu misterije. Možda u sebi također sadrži i dozu neoriginalnosti, ali to je njegova najbolja i najveća karakteristika - miriši kao mekan i puderast Habit Rouge od Guerlaina. Habit Rouge je velik miris i Guerlainu u liniji zapravo nedostaje Tom Ford Noir. Jako volim muške mirise sa irisom u sebi i za razliku od Dior Hommea, ovo je zaista noir toskanski iris. Parfem je savršeni blend puderastih cvjetnih nota s tamnim notama papra, patchoulija i cibetke (životinjski miris) dok me ljubičica podsjeća na neobjašnjivu nedefiniranost. Vrlo muževan i elegantan. Pitam se da li bi Mr. Bond nosio ovo!?

 

 

Small Laurel:

 

Homme L'Eau Boisee (Guerlain) - Some are discussing that this version should be Guerlain Homme in the first place but I disagree. It's nice, but it doesn't have the same beautiful dry down as the original. It's fresh, soft spicy and woody. It has the same aesthetics as the rest of the line and is the most green. It is refreshing and the only notable men's fragrance launched last year.

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Homme L'Eau Boisee (Guerlain) - Diskutabilno je da li je ova verzija trebala biti original Guerlain Homme, no, ja kažem da nije. Lijep je, ali nema istu notu nakon što odstoji na koži kao original. Svjež, lagani začinski i drveni miris. Ima istu estetiku kao i ostatak linije, a uz to je i najzeleniji. Jako dobar osvježavajući miris i jedini muški koji je vrijedan pažnje iz prošle godine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BL'eauOG's Laurel Wreath for the best unisex mainstream fragrance of the year goes to:

BL'eauOG Lovorov vijenac za najbolji unisex parfem godine ide za:

 

Calvin Klein One Summer 2012

One of the big surprises from Calvin Klein was One Summer 2012 . CK usually produces generic scents with unoriginal formulas and synthetic components. One Summer 2012 has synthetic notes as well, but the scent really is remarkable. It is one of the very few fragrances that provide freshness with note of cucumber. You can read a complete review here Calvin Klein One Summer 2012. It is one of the best unisex fragrances recently created.

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Jedno od velikih iznenađenja iz Calvin Kleina. CK obično proizvodi generičke mirise s neoriginalnim formulama i sintetičkim komponentaa. One Summer 2012 također ima sintetičke note, ali miris je odličan. Jedan od rijetkih mirisa koji odiše svježinom bazirajući se na miris krastavaca. Cijelu kritiku možete pročitati ovdje Calvin Kleain One Summer 2012. Jedan od najboljih unisex mirisa u posljednje vrijeme.

 

 

 

 

Disappointment:

 

 

 

As I have already said, noir became a very common perfume name in 2012, due most likely to the marketing and sales departments.  Any noir perfume should be mysterious. Coco Noir is reminiscent of what we have already seen before in Chanel's perfumes. It's a shame because the story behind Coco Noir is very intriguing. It is based on sweet floral notes with a dose of tuberose, anything but serious and noir. Givenchy Dahlia Noir EdP is a very beautiful perfume, but with poor quality. I really like it a lot and would even like my girlfriend to wear it, but the quality of ingredients is horrible. It is impossible that such strong notes listed in the perfume concentration actually disappear within an hour. Patchouli is listed as a note, but it's simply not there. But one thing is certain - it's noir unlike any other Chanel. 

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Kao što sam već bio spomenuo, noir je postalo vrlo često ime za parfem. Vjerojatno zbog dobrog marketinga i poboljšane prodaje jer je noir sada redovno u paleti proizvoda. Svaki parfem nazvan noirom bi trebao biti misteriozan. Coco Noir na žalost, podsjeća na već postojeće Chanelove parfeme. To je jako velika šteta jer je priča koja stoji iza Coco Noira zaista intrigantna. Baziran je na slatkim floralnim notama s dozom tuberoze, sve samo ne ozbiljno i noir. Givenchy Dahlia Noir EdP je jako lijep miris s lošom kvalitetom. Osobno mi se jako sviđa i volio bih da mi djevojka miriši na njega, ali kvaliteta je užasna. Nemoguće je da tako snažne note u parfemskoj koncentraciji nestanu unutar kratkog vremena. Patchouli je izlistan kao mirisna nota, no njega uopće nema. Jedna stvar je zato sigurno - zbilja je noir za razliku od Chanela.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For niche

 

 

BL'eauOG's Laurel Wreath for best niche fragrance of the year goes to:

BL'eauOG Lovorov vijenac za najbolji niche parfem godine ide za:

 

LM Parfums Sensual Orchid

 

 

Even though it doesn't have 'noir' in its name, it really is and it's all about sensuality. Founder Laurent Mazzone is a big fashion lover and he translated his love of fashion into perfumes. Just as a model captivates you on a catwalk, so does this perfume. Here is a perfume that evokes all of your senses with its blend of almonds, citruses, balms and a warm woody base. It is a pure delight for complex perfume lovers and admired by those who truly appreciate that kind of structure. Jerome Epinette mastered pure sensuality and fulfilled LM's quest for sensuality with orchid flower. Niche perfumes do not have gender and they shouldn't be separated by sex. This one has no gender. It's a beautiful perfume in a form of Extrait de Parfum. The superb qualities of the raw materials used make this scent refined and remarkable. It was a very tight race between this one and What We Do in Paris is Secret. They're quite opposite judging by the scent. Sensual Orchid is one step further with a quality and artisinal craft. It is creamy, warm and woody, dark and mysterious and since it's inspired by fashion, it shines like Claudia Schiffer on the catwalk.  

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Iako nema u svom nazivu 'noir', zaista je noir i sve se vrti oko senzualnosti. Osnivač, Laurent Mazzone je veliki ljubitelj mode i uspio je preliti svoju ljubav prema modi u parfeme. Kao što Vas supermodel hipnotizira ljepoto, isto čini i ovaj miris. Parfem koji je sposoban pobuditi sva naša osjetila sa svojim blendom badema, citrusa, balzama i tople, drvene baze. Zaista je čista delicija za one koji vole kompleksne mirise, a objekt divljenja koji cijene takve kompozicije. Jerome Epinette je uspio napraviti bočicu senzualnosti koju su u LMu zamislili da se ostvari putem cvijeta orhideje. Niche parfemi nemaju rod niti bi trebali biti odvajani po spolu. Tako ni ovaj parfem također nema rod, ovo je prelijep parfem u obliku parfemskog ekstrakta. Iznimna kvaliteta korištenih sirovina čine ga rafiniranim i upečatljivim. Bilo je vrlo tijesno između ovog i What We Do in Paris is Secret, prilično su različiti, ali oboje napravljeni od istog parfumera. Sensual Orchid je ipak za jedan korak više svojom kvalitetom i umjetničkom izradom. Miris je kremast, topao, drven, taman i misteriozan, a pošto je inspiriran modom, sjaji poput Claudie Schiffer na pisti.

Jérôme Epinette

 

 

 

Small Laurel:

 

What We Do in Paris is Secret (A Lab on Fire) - It is a great scent and really, a lab must have literally been on fire when Dominique Ropion made this scent. A sweet, dangerous, gourmandish scent with a powdery trail. It reminds me as a follower of Turkish Delight aesthetics which L'Artisan Traversee du Bosphore started.

Seville a L'Aube (L'Artisan Parfumeur)- Seville at dawn is one of the most beautiful inspirations. Seville is a magical, oriental city and I am remembering orange trees by the river. Seville a L'Aube transcends the exact picture into scent. With Kurkdjian's APOM you get the most beautiful orange flower scent with hints of lavender. 



Santal Majuscule (Serge Lutens) - Totally new aesthetics that Hermes started and Le Labo followed. Santal is a very interesting perfume. It is dry, smoky, and leathery. Serge Lutens Santal is full of spices and dry, an uncompromising scent.  

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What We Do in Paris is Secret ( A Lab on Fire) - jako dobar miris, i zaista, laboratorij je zaista bio on fire kada je Dominique Ropion stvorio ovaj miris. Sladak, opasan i gurmanski s puderastim tragom. Podsjeća me na turski specijalitet lokhoum i kao da prati estetiku koju je L'Artisanov Traversee du Bosphore pokrenuo.

 

L'Artisan Seville a L'Aube (L'Artisan Parfumeur) - Sevilla u zoru je jedna od najlijepših inspiracija. Sevilla je magičan, orijentalan grad i sjećam se drvoredna narančinih stabala uz rijeku. Seville a L'Aube proslijeđuje takvu sliku u miris. Uz Kurkdjianov APOM, ovo je najlijepši miris baziran na cvijetu naranče uz dodatke vanilije.

 

Santal Majuscule (Serge Lutens) - Potpuno nova estetika koju je Hermes započeo, a Le Labo zapratio. Santal je interesantan u parfemima. Vrlo je suh, dimast i kožnat. Serge Lutens Santal je začinski i iznimno suh. Bezkompromisan miris.

 

 

 Disappointment:

 

It follows the rest of the line and it doesn't bring anything new. It is promoted as one of the 'craziest' JHAG perfume so far but it didn't fulfill the expectations.

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Prati ostatak linije i ne donosi ništa novo. Promoviran je kao jedan od 'luđih' JHAG parfema do sada, ali nije uspio nadmašiti očekivanja.

 

 

 

 

 BL'eauOG Discovery of the year:

 

BL'eauOG otkriće godine:

 

LM Parfums

 

 

You have probably noticed by now that LM Parfums are superb quality fragrances. Some were made in 2011 and some in 2012, like Sensual Orchid and Vol d'Hirondelle. I didn't come across any low quality perfume in the line. Also, all of them have excellent artisanal craft and art as the ultimate criteria. Poetically manipulated perfumes, perspiring with passion. The niche market needed something like this, a new living soul among the liquids.

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Vjerojatno ste primijetili do sada da su LM Parfums parfemi visoke kvalitete. Neki su napravljeni u 2011., a neki u 2012., poput Sensual Orchid i Vol d'Hirondelle. Još nisam naišao na parfem niske kvalitete iz linije. također, svaki od nih ima odličnu umjetničku izradu, a umjetnost mora biti ultimativni kriterij. Poetski manevrirani parfemi koji odišu strašću. Niche tržište je trebalo nešto poput ovoga, novu živuću dušu među tekućinama.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any of the mentioned perfumes or would you like to have?

 

 

 

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