Siena the Luminous: the New Scent by Evody

by: Serguey Borisov

The Parisian perfume house Evody Parfums released a new Collection d'Ailleurs fragrance, Blanc de Sienne, devoted to the bright sunlight of Italy. The design of the line was also changed.

The previous perfumes of the collection all had some olfactory and geographical dedication as well: Noir d`Orient was dedicated to amber nights in India, Ombre Fumée was dedicated to the world famous vetiver of Reunion island, D`Âme de Piquehas its roots in the Bulgarian Rose Valley.

 
When a fragrance is made as a tribute to Italy, quite often it becomes a refreshing and funny sparkling citrus eau de cologne. The technique has been known by perfumers since the time of Giovanni Maria Farina. For the new fragrance, Blanc de Sienne, its Parisian perfumers, Anne-Sophie Behaghel and Amélie Bourgeois chose a different but still Italian way.

Of course, the opening has some citrus notes—there's no way to escape from lemon, bergamot and mandarin in an Italian perfume. But the perfume diffuses into something opaque that reminds me of the warm beige color of dried orris rhizomes, the colors of  delicious warm milk and creamy caramel. Light, sweet earthy shades of the medieval Siena terracotta walls and roofs, the pink walls of the Agra fort and golden walls of the Jaisalmer fortress—Blanc de Sienne's heart smells of a siesta and highly magnetic cushions on the veranda. Dried figs and the dusty freshness of carved fig leaves, the dry wood bark and milky sweetness of white flowers, the sweet smoke of benzoin and bitter coffee breath—all that is just the accompaniment to Tuscan orris sweetened by milky caramel and benzoin resin.

Siena under the snow

Do not believe those who would say that a similar theme of sweet oriental figs was discovered by Neela Vermeire and Bertrand Duchaufour in their creation Ashoka. While the pyramids look similar, they represent very different pictures. Ashoka tries to show itself strong and bright in the first few minutes, while Blanc de Sienne is totally relaxed from the start, right after performing its daily ablutions. There are no evidently expressed flowers or other bright notes—it's a watercolor perfume of pale orris and benzoin shades. Some resemblance may please fans of the classic Dior Homme and other iris scents. Blanc de Sienne gives the gourmand-iris-woody theme another chance and is not the most difficult perfume to understand. The gorgeous beauty of sunset-pink cumulus clouds can be understood by the physicist who can give a lecture about their form, and by the poet who will praise their ever-changing character and timelessness, and by a child as well, who will smile and point at them with a finger. Thus, the creamy salted caramel taste can be appreciated by everyone, regardless of education and experience.

Siena

If you are interested, just like me, in what the name Evody Parfums means, you need to discover the story of the brand. Originally it was the name of the niche perfume boutique, opened by Régine Droin and her daughter Cérine Vasseur in the Saint Germain des Prés in 2006. Here were picked and chosen all the best niche brands of France—all the rare, little-known and intriguing perfumes. For example, it was the first and only niche boutique in Paris to present Parfumerie Générale fragrances. Parisians have never particularly loved the creative impact of Clermont-Ferrand (just as any capital city is snobbish about other towns). It was announced that all the best niche perfumes would be presented in Evody, and the name was derived from the name of the Asian tree Evodia (genus Tetradium), known in Chinese medicine for its small bitter fruits that have a warming effect on the body. This tree is known also for its generous flowering as the “tree of hundreds of thousands of flowers,” so it is a great symbol of the wide palette of perfumes presented in the boutique. Later, when Régine and Cérine gave up the business idea of defeating the French Goliath (Sephora) by David (the niche approach), and started their own niche perfume brand, they decided to keep the name, as it symbolizes niche perfumer fertility as well. The first collection,Collection Première, includes eight perfumes that cover some of the most popular perfume topics. The second, Collection d`Ailleurs, now includes four perfumes and it looks like we should await some more.

Evody Parfums Blanc de Sienne

Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Basil
Heart notes: Fig, Cypress, Orange Blossom, Iris
Base notes: Woods, Resins, Coffee