Atelier Cologne

by

Cafe Tuberosa

cafe tuberosa
Atelier Cologne sample spray on test card with image of yellow bottle with red label.

Fun.

Cocoa and loud roses, orange zest and white flowers. Coffee kicks in after 15 minutes and settles into personal space for another quarter hour.
The chocolate sticks to the skin, but the citrus lingers longer on clothes.

I’d like it on a guy, too–a laid back type who wears floral print shirts and has a good belly-laugh.

This one is also fun and laid back.

by

Vanille Insensee

vanille InsenseeThere’s a pun here, because it opens with a breath of incense, like a burning vanilla bean–
Then it settles to the skin with a sheer dry cedar-y vanilla warmed by amber, and slowly fades to nothing.

I wish it had better performance–I’d love it on the artist with rough hands who eats from bowls they’ve made and has a houseful of rescue dogs.

Here’s more Vanille, with Follow the Sun.

 

by

Oud Saphir

oud saphir
Sample vial on printed photo of bottle with maroon cap and marine blue label.

Moody woods and spicy leather. I like it.

The bergamot and pepper opens bright, then the suede turns up the volume. A hit of wintergreen fades into forest within an hour.

This might be marketed as unisex, but I find it very masculine, with smoke and dry musk between the trees.

I still like the original of this one.

by

Clementine California

clementine california
Sample spray on a test paper with image of a clear bottle with bronze cap and aqua label.

This one missed the mark on me.
There’s a weird rough plastic note that swallows up the fruit–like the mesh bag holding the Halos is consuming them–then some vague pine arrives and immediately soaks into the skin.

The ad copy talks about spices and herbs but I get nothing fun like that. Maybe I’ll give it another try when the weather is less January.

A more fun California.

by

Citron d’Erable

Citron d'ErableCitron d’Erable is exactly what Atelier Cologne says it is: lemon maple, with a sequoia base.

Opens with the brand’s signature burst of citrus: fresh sharp zest, with sweet custard underneath. Slowly settles to lemonade sweetened with maple syrup, which seems like a weird description, but it works in a lovely Vermont hippy way. Lasts a good half hour before fading into dry rich woods.

It’s very non-flirtatious and personal–wear in autumn on “me days.”

Macy Gray makes self indulgence necessary, rather than vanity.

 

by

Orange Sanguine

orange sanguine
Spray sample on scratch paper with photo of yellow glass bottle with dark cap.

I like blood oranges, and this is a nice ripe one.

Opens with a bright hit of sweet juice then settles to peel, with a breath of green underneath. Sits two inches above the wrist for an hour or two, then fades to candied citron and sandalwood on the skin.

It’s a little pricey for the lack of longevity and projection, but maybe not for a citrus aficionado.

Blood Orange is amazing and this video is a giggle. The costumes are brilliant–I keep wondering what scents they all might be wearing–

by

Cedre Atlas

cedar atlas edgesLight Blue Lumberjack, by Chainsaw & Gabbana.

Opens with a splash of lemony cassis tea, then peaches. Twenty minutes in the cedar develops, spectacular sweet woody pines–summer forest floor with wild berries, rather than winter yule tree–that lasts an inch above the skin all day.
The amber and vetiver on the bottom are very sheer, and surprisingly faint on clothing.

It’s actually quite nice.

Love this tune by Vetiver (with guests.)