The Bosphorous is the river that one crosses to get to Istanbul, and this scent was made by Bertrand Duchaufour as a representation of that journey.
L’Artisan Parfumeur says that the scents of Istanbul include:
“The men sit around in an endless, casual debate, the tobacco smoke rising lazily from their hookahs. The scent of hot juicy apples floats up into the air.
Gardens bursting with a thousand dazzling tulips exude green notes carrying a hint of saffron. The delicate fragrance of the saffron becomes almost overwhelming as the spice market draws near, blending deliciously with the aroma of leather that scorches the air around the tanneries.
It is easy to lose oneself wandering through this maze of tiny streets at random, escorted and intoxicated by the suave, soft perfume of Turkish Delight, oscillating between rose and pistachio. A swirl of gentle musk emanates from every unhurried step, which slow and become almost aimless as dusk approaches.”
The thing is that when I wear the scent, I don’t get apples or Turkish delight, and having bought a leather bag almost fresh out of a tannery, I can tell you that I definitely don’t want to smell like it.
What does come out is a vanilla-amber opening that seems to last throughout the scent. I have a problem with scents turning sweet on my skin very quickly and this definitely did that. The hints of amber in the opening led to a definite tobacco and smoke note that was pleasing – it’s definitely unusual to find it perfumes, that’s for sure. The vanilla and amber keep coming through and it is indeed mixed with the soft buttery scent of pistachio that makes this a gourmand scent.
Though it’s quite sweet, I keep having the feeling that this one is more for men than women, and the warm blend of notes makes it entirely different from any other men’s scent out there. Indeed, it would take a man confident in his olfactory choices to wear this scent, but it would make him stand out like nobody else.
This has excellent sillage and lasting power. One spray will do you!
The scent is now available wherever L’Artisan Parfumeur is sold and is an Eau de Parfum. 100 ml is $155, and 50 ml is $115. It is also available as a scented candle, which I want to get because I know this would be heavenly as a room scent. The candle is 175 gr and costs $60.
I’ve been wearing this scent all week, and I keep getting compliment upon compliment on it. On the By Kilian website, they describe this as inspired by the scent of rum and the Caribbean.
There is also a lipstick and pure matte lipstick in the mix ($30 each). The lipstick itself is awesome. Called Tzigane, this is a nude pinky brown that will look good on almost anyone. It is an easy to wear, sheer colour. The pure matte lipstick is called Madere and I know that most people will not be able to wear this. The colour is a light beige peach, that will only suit the fairest complexions. It may serve well as a base to lipgloss because it will make your lips look devoid of any colour.
Nina Ricci introduces a new version of their 2006 scent Nina. The new perfume is called Nina L’Elixer, and comes in a pretty red glass bottle with chrome-gold details. The original Nina Ricci bottles were designed by Marc Lalique in the ’50’s and that explains the timeless appeal of the bottle. The original bottle was named “Fille de Eve” and paradoxically hinted at Eden – the bottle has since been modified for different Ricci creations but remains beautiful.
