Grenadille d'Afrique by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: bergamot, juniper berry, lavender, violet, milky white tea accord, African blackwood, Haitian vetiver, cistus labdanum, musk

"Aedes de Venustas' seventh scent explores the age-old landscape of Africa in a tribute to ancient ebony..."

Also known as African blackwood, which is a member of the rosewood family (from the Dalbergia genus) and is no longer regarded as ebony (exclusively reserved for the Diospyros genus), Grenadille d'Afrique is categorised as a balsamic woody offering and was created by Alberto Morillas.

Compared to Alberto's previous fragrance for this house, Grenadille d'Afrique is a notable improvement over the synthetic woody-amber mire of Palissandre d'Or. While musky, powdery and subtle in its general demeanour, it exhibits a pleasant combination of creamy, woody, vegetal, balsamic and flint-like attributes.

With a lovely juniper-led opening, the star of the show is ultimately the Haitian vetiver, with its nutty earthiness weaving throughout the composition. Also, discreet traces of violet are occasionally discernible. Exuding a soft sweetness from the labdanum, the transition from beginning to end is relatively smooth.

Although Grenadille d'Afrique doesn't reach the heights of the first four frankincense-based releases, it's still an improvement on Aedes de Venustas' last two duds. However, what prevents an extra star from being awarded is its lack of presence on the skin, which is a pity as its low-key woodiness does possess some charm.

Cierge Lune by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: crystalline accord, pink pepper, black pepper, ylang-ylang, Madagascan vanilla, frankincense, suede, amber, musk

"Inspired by the scent of the mysterious night blooming cereus, also known as the Queen of the Night..."

Supposedly a rendition of "the dark side of vanilla", Cierge de Lune was developed by Fabrice Pellegrin, who's also responsible for many of Diptyque's more recent offerings.

Overall, it's a highly synthetic vanilla scent, with a prominent waxiness, that's along the lines of a lesser version of Givenchy's Organza Indecence or even the ghastly Pi Eau de Parfum. With a floral core, its general aroma is very similar to low-quality benzoin, infused with hedione and some other harsh aroma chemicals.

Providing moderate sillage and reasonable longevity, it smells woefully artificial, cheap and nasty. Undoubtedly, it's the worst Aedes de Venustas release to date and is a complete scrubber.

Palissandre d'Or by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2015

Notes: ambrette seed, coriander, pink pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, patchouli, Virginian cedar, Chinese cedar, Alaskan cedar, copaiba balsam, Sri Lankan sandalwood, ambroxan

"Palissandre d'Or is a journey into the quintessence of wood."

Palissandre d'Or is a stylistic departure for this house, not only due to the surprising omission of frankincense but also because of the composition's general aroma.

Composed by Alberto Morillas, it's a sweet, sharp and slightly fruity exploration into spices and woods. Where previous Aedes de Venustas offerings were variably airy, Palissandre d'Or is both darker and denser. Consisting of three different types of cedar, smoky tea-like nuances are discerned amongst an obscure woody sweetness. With the ambroxan ever increasing its presence, the creamy emergence of the sandalwood smooths out some of the rough edges.

Personally, one found it to be a bit of a disappointment, especially concerning the cedar and ambroxan cocktail (smelling sharper and more artificial as the drydown progresses). However, on a positive note, its staying power is admittedly excellent.

Copal Azur by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: salty notes, ozonic notes, cardamom, patchouli, amber, myrrh, three different extractions of frankincense, almond, tonka bean

"Mayan incense, rising from age-old temples. Lashes of sea spray and whiffs of the jungle..."

With Bertrand Duchaufour once again at the helm, Copal Azur is both a unique and interesting interpretation of the incense theme, which utilises a tropical premise.

Consisting of three different extractions of frankincense, the copal-like opening possesses a cerulean hue, with an oriental underscore of amber, myrrh and tonka bean. Such an unorthodox introduction is utterly captivating – cardamom fused with ozonic and salty notes, which is more chlorine fresh than marine fresh. Sadly, once this highly intriguing mélange of accords fade, all that's left is a sweet and generic ambery frankincense trail.

Performance-wise, it provides moderate sillage and good tenacity.

Oeillet Bengale by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: bergamot, white pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, frankincense, cardamom, turmeric, clove, saffron, China rose, ylang-ylang, vanilla, benzoin, labdanum, Tolu balsam

"A rose that wants to be a carnation, set ablaze by an exotic spice explosion."

Based on the listed accords, as well as Aedes de Venustas' previous two releases, it's become very clear that, like Amouage's golden era, frankincense is integral to this house's olfactory identity.

With Oeillet Bengale harbouring the French name for 'carnation', it actually refers to a variety of China rose (or Rosa Indica Caryophyllea), bred by the late floral painter and botanist Pierre Joseph Redouté. But, interestingly enough, the aroma of Aedes de Venustas' third fragrance is inspired more by the name and appearance of this genus of rose than its actual scent.

Conceived by Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Oeillet Bengale is a spicy floral-oriental, which smells like a more feminine version of Amouage's Jubilation XXV. With a fruity-floral core, this aspect is sandwiched between a rich array of exotic spices and a creamy oriental foundation. As for the frankincense, it's delicate and wispy throughout the composition's lifespan.

Unfortunately, the drydown is too dull and tellingly synthetic. That's a shame as, with admirable projection and lasting power, Oeillet Bengale is probably Aedes de Venustas' most potent offering to date. However, this could possibly be due to the generous serving of ambroxan in the base.

Iris Nazarena by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2013

Notes: ambrette seed, juniper berry, star anise, clove, Rose de Mai, iris, frankincense, leather, oud, patchouli, vetiver, woods, musk

"The rare Iris Bismarckiana is also known as Iris Nazarena because it grows mainly in the mountains east of Nazareth."

Created by Ralf Schwieger, Iris Nazarena opens with a wonderfully bone-dry and vegetal iris note, accentuated by some ambrette seed and a hint of juniper. Any sweetness discernible, at this stage, is more of a carrot-like sweetness, with spicy nuances from the star anise.

For a few moments, the composition is further sweetened by some rose and frankincense, before a dark suede accord directs things into a woodier, earthier direction. Resting on a woody-musk base, the impending drydown emits dusty, salty and leathery facets, with faint traces of the iris-infused opening still persisting.

Never too heavy or cloying, it's a lovely union of iris-leather that initially offered so much promise. Unfortunately, sillage is underwhelming and a liberal application is required to make it last beyond the four hour mark.

Aedes de Venustas by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2012

Notes: rhubarb, red berries, green apple, tomato leaf, honeysuckle, frankincense, hazelnut, Madagascan vetiver

"Aedes de Venustas honors the past, present and future of perfumery with its first signature scent."

Founded in 1995, by Robert Gerstner and Karl Brandl, Aedes de Venustas is the name of the Manhattan niche fragrance store. After 17 years providing hard to find niche scents to their customers, they released their debut niche fragrance of the same name. Aedes de Venustas is an alluring and well-constructed fruity-green incense offering, which alone illustrates just how in touch the two owners are with quality niche perfumery.

Composed by Bertrand Duchaufour, it opens with succulent fruity-green accents tightly interwoven. The rhubarb takes centre stage and is bolstered by some red berries, while the green apple provides a tart verdancy to the proceedings. Lightly supplemented by some tomato leaf and honeysuckle, this aspect of the composition rests on a slightly nutty vetiver bed, infused with a soft, clean and transparent frankincense accord.

With a tender woody-incense drydown, the overall effect is both gracious and delectable. Overall, it's a beautiful creation, significantly marred by that fact that a liberal application is required for it to truly satisfy. Pair that with its expensive price tag, one would love to rate it higher but is unable to (which is a pity).

Projection is moderate, with below average staying power.