Evody Parfums is a French fragrance house created by mother and daughter team Regine Droin and Cerine Vasseur. Capitalizing on Regine’s background in the cosmetics industry and Cerine’s passion for fragrance and haute couture fashion, in 2006 the pair opened a boutique that specialized in artistic perfumes. Since then they have collaborated with many perfumers to materialize their ideas and their latest collaboration with Cecile Zarokian produced a trio of perfumes called Collection Galerie, inspired by contemporary art movements.
I had the opportunity to try them at the freshly opened Jovoy perfume store at Conduit Street where I met with Cecile Zarokian and Cerine Vasseur and hear about how this project came to life.
Couleur Fauve was inspired by Fauvism and more specifically Matisse’s painting «Happiness of Life».
“Nude, lascivious women open to the pleasure of love, a flute player, dancers carried away in a bacchanalian circle. The colours are pure, as distinct as the fragrance notes making up Couleur Fauve: gold, orange, red, all conveying a palpable sense of the vibration of life and a state of bliss.”
The notes are: Sichuan pepper, pink peppercorn, bergamot, amber, cistus – labdanum, patchouli, vanilla, benzoin, castoreum & ambergris infusion.
It’s a happy and sensual perfume, spicy and warm in the opening; it turns soft and animalic quite quickly and envelops your skin and senses with a luscious aura of seduction. I’m visualising myself wearing it both during summer and wintertime as I think seduction knows no season!
Sens Abstrait was inspired by the abstract art movement and although Cecile Zarokian didn’t use a specific painting for it I can’t help but envision my favourite painting from Kandinsky, Eurographics in Blue when I wear it.
“Abstract art is an appeal to emotion through shapes and colours which, once assembled, neither represent nor suggest reality. Sens Abstrait was conceived using this same principles, arousing emotions with intertwined and echoing raw materials.
The notes are: Citrus fruits, green notes, floral notes, woody and amber notes
This perfume was conceived and materialised in the abstract sense very successfully as you can smell all the notes but can’t quite make out the individual components. It opens fresh and lively and moves on to a floral heart that mingles with woods and amber to result to a very interesting composition that echoes and reflects an idea of the notes. Very interesting and quite impressive to achieve!
Tubéreuse Manifeste was inspired by the surrealist movement, and is a complete reinterpretation of the tuberose flower. Much like Magritte’s thought provoking art work, this is not your usual tuberose.
“Playing with its fragrance, releasing the unconscious, breaking with the codes, taking tuberose to the unexpected grounds of provocation. Turning it into a narcotic, addictive, intoxicating experience. A travel through an erotic dream, carnal, sensual.”
The notes are: rum, roman chamomile, green and crispy notes, davana, tuberose, rose absolute, iris butter, labdanum, vanilla absolute, animal & leathery notes.
My favourite of all three, you can’t help but think of sensuality and provocation when you hear about tuberose and this one takes the game to a different level; it starts boozy, dipped in sweet rum while the green notes provide some lift and air. When the rose appears it enhances its floral facet and with the help of iris butter it becomes a soft, heady and sweet lingering scent. After a while the labdanum and benzoin notes appear and with the help of leather and animalic notes, it becomes a bit abstract, you know it’s there, centre stage, but it’s transformed into an idea, vanilla adds extra sweetness but it remains very balanced as it enhances the natural sweetness of the tuberose. Truly beautiful!
The new line will be available at Jovoy at the end of the summer and I highly suggest you visit the store to try them as well as the rest of the Evody line!