Monday 16 August 2010

L'Artisan Parfumeur: Coeur de Vétiver Sacré



Coeur de Vétiver Sacré (the sacred heart of Vetiver) is the new L'Artisan Parfeumeur scent (exclusive to Liberty of London).

Vetiver is a star ingredient in perfume and it has a strong, powerful personality. It is dark chocolate, butter and espresso. Unlike more widely known perfume ingredients Vetiver isn't derived from a flower but is in fact a grass, the perfume oil being extracted from its roots. Pure vetiver does smell of grass, warmer and richer than a freshly mown lawn but having something in character with it and perhaps something in character with its cousin lemongrass (though non of the spice) it's salty and deeply earthy but dry. Vetiver is profoundly green and extremely seductive on a man or a woman. For me personally, together with jasmine, Vetiver is my favourite scent in pure oil form.

Vetiver is very widely used as a basenote and is likely to be in your perfume in some form but also has several stunning fragrances built around it, notably Guerlain's Vetiver- famously made for men but adopted by many women (because they love it and because men love them with it on).

Karine Vinchon is the perfumer who created this scent for L'Artisan (she was also responsible for their Jatamansi fragrance). They describe her as 'wanting to 'create a different, mysterious vetiver by revealing all its facets: its sparkle, enlivened by black tea with bergamot; its peppery side with touches of saffron, coriander, ginger and pink pepper berries; its hints of dried fruit, date and apricot; its vibrant heart accompanied by roses, iris and osmanthus flowers; its woody soul backed by sandalwood, white cedar and gaiac wood; its trail of balsam wreathed in incense, amber, cistus, tonka beans, vanilla and musks; and its shadowy character, animal and smoky, enhanced by labdanum, castoreum and birch'.

So as with many soliflores (scents that seek to replicate a single smell) a great deal of skill and many fragrance notes have been combined to make this interesting, individual and indulgent perfume. This is not a scent you would find in your local pharmacy and it is not a perfume for someone who would want to find a fragance there.

I would urge anyone interested in smell to pick this up because it's the closest perfume I have ever smelled to the vetiver oil I tried in a perfumer's studio (the oil in pure form is extremely expensive and smells beyond sublime). This is a scent that reminds you of the wonder of smell. It would work on anyone and would make them more interesting for their fabulous choice of scent.

Coeur de Vétiver Sacré is exclusive to Liberty of London and is available in the shop and online here.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I can't wait for that to come across the pond!

Vanessa said...

Crikey - is that spam above me?

This sounds like a must try - it seems to have a longer than average note list, too!

Rose said...

Hi Kjanicki- hope it doesn't take too long!

Hi Flittersniffer- it was spam- it's been busted! I agree the note list is really long- that's why I quoted it. It mostly just smells of really good Vetiver, definitely try it

Metropolitan Mum said...

Sounds like a sent after my own taste. I like all things green and a bit citrus-y, though for winter I would love to have something a tiny bit heavier. Vanilla, maybe rose, honey, cinnamon, pink pepper... any thoughts?

Rose said...

Hi MM- this is green and there is some citrus but honestly it's not fresh and green which is what I think you might be describing.

Whoah! recommendations, where to start? I think I might need to talk you through what you like and when we meet up! for vanilla, rose honey I would say you couldn't go wrong with Nahema by Guerlain but it's rose and honey with some vanilla. Good vanilla scents- Serge Lutens, Annick Goutal- but they are straight vanillas and heady. You've got me started now! Pink pepper- the best one of those is Lancome Miracle but the rest of that perfume might not be to your taste! perhaps we can discuss when we meet up- or go to Harvey Nichols and smell some stuff!

Bellatrix perfumes said...

for your information: http://be-bellatrix.blogspot.com/2010/08/winner-of-my-first-giveaway.html

lady jane grey said...

Sounds ab fab - especially the part with "it's the closest perfume I have ever smelled to the vetiver oil". Now I only have to get to London (live in Vienna...)

Tenuous Links said...

Hi I'm on a mission to leave a message on every blog on the web. Yes I am a bit board.

Love your blog

TL

eula_w said...

I remember this perfume but never did smell it. Thanks for your well-written description. Sounds captivating! I'm really enjoying your blog. :)

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