Métaboles by Ys Uzac

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: bergamot, Mentuccia mint, black pepper, clove, liquorice, galbanum, tomato leaf, ivy, geranium, raspberry honey, labdanum, amber, benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood, white musks

Comment: Métaboles is part of the Prêt-à-Porter Collection

Ys Uzac is a Swiss niche house, established in 2011 by perfumer Vincent Micotti. Under the artistic direction of Vera S. Yeoh, their ethos is "individuality, classical chic and extravagant expressions". With the name taken from a 1960s concerto by Henri Dutilleux, Métaboles is a classified as a contemporary fougère.

With an aromatic-green opening, similar to Frédéric Malle's Geranium pour Monsieur, the verdant acuteness of both the galbanum and leafy facets are disappointingly ephemeral. However, the mint and geranium are evident for a while, as the clove and liquorice infuse a delicate aromatic sweetness to the proceedings.

During the mid notes, one is hard-pressed to detect any resins, but the raspberry honey appears to spearhead this stage. Some benzoin manages to peek through but, by this point, the sandalwood and white musks are in the process of hitting their stride. With most of the interesting accords having almost completely dispersed, all that remains is a humdrum musky oriental base.

Once again, it's another Ys Uzac creation that starts off promisingly, but is let down by a bland base of resins, woods and white musks. Sillage is no better than its siblings but it does persist for at least eight hours, which is of very little consolation.

As always with this nice house, it's well-blended but its general performance is insubstantial.

Monodie by Ys Uzac

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: pink grapefruit, red mandarin, rhubarb, mirabelle, plum, galbanum, freesia, cyclamen, rose, caramel, sandalwood, white musks

Comment: Monodie is part of the Prêt-à-Porter Collection

Monodie is a musical term for "one solo voice singing a melodic part, usually with considerable ornamentation, over a rhythmically independent bass line".

It commences with an exquisitely rich and succulent parade of citruses, plums and rhubarb. The citrus accords are more candied than fresh, and the verdancy from the galbanum is both soft and non-intrusive. However, when the delicate floral backdrop combines with the fruits, one can't help but equate its aroma to that of bubblegum. Possessing a woody-musk base, the caramel passes by virtually unnoticed.

Ultimately, it's a quintessentially feminine fragrance but more for the young at heart. Ironically, while its opening is the strongest of the initial Ys Uzac releases, it also has the worst staying power of under four hours.

An alluring opening but nothing more besides that.

Lale by Ys Uzac

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: bergamot, orange, mandarin, apricot, pink pepper, saffron, white tea, wintersweet, osmanthus, rose, amber, benzoin, frankincense, leather, blond woods

Comment: Lale is part of the Prêt-à-Porter Collection

"In French, 'la' means 'the' in the feminine, while 'le' is the masculine, which is fitting since Lale is a scent for men and women."

Lale is a fruity-floral that exudes a tart citrus opening. With quick succession, a smooth and warm osmanthus and apricot coupling emerges, adding some extra sweetness. Some saffron is discernible, but the gentle hints of rose and pepper are sporadic.

It should be noted that its evolution is very rapid, with resins and frankincense coyly peeking through. A leather note is also faintly present but stays in the background. With a hefty serving of woody musks, the composition continues to pulsate at the lowest volume possible.

While the osmanthus and apricot provide a certain edge, the base notes are somewhat generic. Furthermore, it has almost zero sillage, although it does have stellar longevity of at least eight hours. Sadly, the best part of its development is during the first hour – beyond that, it's nothing more than a woody-citrus musk affair, with some resinous remnants and faint floral traces.

All in all, it's a relatively pleasant unisex release but far from being bottle-worthy.

Pohadka by Ys Uzac

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: sage, shiso leaf, grass, liatrix, jasmine, davana, labdanum, immortelle, leather, blond tobacco, vanilla

Comment: Pohadka is part of the Prêt-à-Porter Collection

With the name taken from a cello sonata by Leoš Janáček, Pohadka is the best release from Ys Uzac so far, being a leathery-green with lashings of immortelle.

The green aspects come together with the light florals, to convey a sun-baked hay aroma, while the immortelle and tobacco impart an aromatic warmth. With regards to the immortelle, there's no indication of any cumin-like facets – just a smooth intertwining caramel aura. In addition, the leather isn't as prominent as the davana, but its suede-like nuances aren't overlooked. A moderate serving of vanilla rounds off what, overall, is a rustic yet tranquil blend.

It's truly a compelling composition but, yet again, its general performance is too soft on the skin to fully satisfy. However, its longevity of at least eight hours is rather good. After exploring this Swiss-based niche house, one does wonder why all their scents are awfully discreet. Of course, not everyone wants to wear a loud fragrance but, at the same time, others would reconsider investing in something that's too sheer.

So, while the sample vial is worth retaining, any further personal (or financial) commitment is completely out of the question.