Discontinued

Gilded Lily by Ineke
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Gilded Lily by Ineke

Hey Looking Glass-ers, If you’ve been a perfumista for a few years you might remember the days when the whole scentbloggosphere was completely full of the brand Ineke? It was really fabulous. There were all the mass-tige brands vying for attention and a few women also getting us all excited. Brands like Keiko Mecheri, Miller Harris, Annick Goutal and Ineke were all high on my radar and every new release from these crews would be met with widespread interest. Gilded Lily always struck me as a bottle that was delightfully festive. Red glass, golden pickings and black. It was the bottle that caught my eye yesterday when looking for something else. I just looked it up and sadly it has been discontinued to make way for their new Jaipur Chai. Ineke’s perfumes have stayed very affordable at US$145/70ml. Unheard of in the modern day of ridiculous aspirational pricing. They also do an affordable 7 x 1.5ml Discovery Set.

Gilded Lily by Ineke 2010

Gilded Lily by Ineke

Ineke gives these featured accords:
Top: Pineapple, rhubarb, grapefruit, elemi.
Heart: Goldband lily
Base: Patchouli, oakmoss, labdanum

The sweet screech of pineapple and grapefruit opens Gilded Lily, almost cartoonish in its intensity. I’m no perfumer but I think there is also the sparkle of aldehydes running through. The fireworks are quickly damped by smooth, calming, resinous elemi. Suddenly we are in the gilded age of perfumes. Very movie star glamour like a vintage Caron or Dior. Smooth but glittering. The lily plays through here. It’s not a white floral but a does have pieces of that scent profile. I’m going to say it sits halfway between a yellow flowering bulb and iris. Beautiful.

The base is not a typical 1970s chypre but a less dry and resinous amber adventure. A clean patchouli and some earthy woods. Forest-like. Calming. Gilded Lily ends in a peaceful mountain retreat.

Were you a fan? Are you sad to see Gilded Lily go?
Portia xx

 

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)
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Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur (Long Gone)

Hi Crew, Cote d’Amour byL’Artisan Parfumeur was released way back in 2009. I remember first trying it a few years later and it was already impossible to find, especially out here in Oz. Then it turned up on Surrender To Chance a few years later in the 8ml sale. So I bought some. My decant is nearly 2/3 gone and after that there will be no more. I thought you might like to enjoy one of my last ever wears of this beauty together.

It caught my eye that this is a Celine Ellena fragrance. Cool!

Cote d’Amour by L’Artisan Parfumeur 2009

Cote d’Amour by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rosemary Grapefruit Tangerine
Heart: Immortelle Cypress Rose
Base: Pine Woodsy Notes Laburnum

My memories of first smelling Cote d’Amour are very fuzzy now, the where is completely gone. I do remember being told that L’Artisan were trying an All Natural route but smelling its now that seems highly unlikely. What I do remember is thinking how differently the pieces were put together. That it smelled like pieces of things I knew but nothing smelled quite like it. Also the name, it felt like love as an adventure. Something you’d travel great distances to find. Haven’t we all?

Anyway, let’s smell this long lost beauty eh? The happily strange greenly herbaceous citrus is gone way too quickly and overtaken by crisp green woods. There are still tinges of the opening, hollow reminders. The immortelle is clean, all that gooey, sticky, stanky fabulousness shorn off. It’s still recognisable but barely. This is immortelle light and if its presence is often a huge no for you then this will sit quietly enough I’m sure. I’m getting some very vanilla vibes, and some cedar-ish pencil shavings. Funnily, Jin just bought persimmons and the scent is a little like them with woody overlay.

Cote d’Amour L'Artisan Parfumeur

Though this has very typically L’Artisan low longevity when it starts to fade off and meld with my scent it becomes a sexy me but WAY better. So manly. Well, clearly that’s some connection I’m making from past olfactory experience. Can’t place it but that soft overtone on my own smell is bloody good. Not fragrant anymore but a sheer overlay. Very cool.

Do you remember this? Did you get to try it?
Portia x