Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

January Scent Project - Treebuoy Parfum Oil When I heard that perfumer John Biebel had added another fragrance to his lineup, it piqued my interest.   Currently available as an exclusive with Avé Parfum and later available on the January Scent Project website, Treebuoy (2018) is an oriental woody fragrance offering. It’s no secret that I am a fan of Biebel as a perfumer.   An artist in addition to a perfumer, his approach to fragrance is that of an artist (this is not to say that I don’t respect perfumery as an art form in itself).   It’s one thing to create a beautiful fragrance and quite another to create a beautiful fragrance which also tells a story or shares a journey or perspective; I find Biebel’s scents to fall into the second category. With Treebuoy, Biebel tells us the story of a dense conifer forest.   Like any good storyteller, Biebel makes us a part of the story; this is a personal journey.   I get the rich balsam fir with it’s deep, r...

January Scent Project – Vaporocindro The notion that art imitates life is as old as Aristotle (the notion of an inherent memetic nature) and yet it has been conversely proffered that life imitates art.  With Vaporocindro, I would argue that that the perfumer, John Biebel (an artist himself) has managed to demonstrate that both art and life are inextricably bound together. Vaporocindro opens with a gorgeous, airy lilac laid over a fresh green leaf.  I sense much of the same soaring upward green that he gave us in his juice Eiderantler.  There is a crispness to the lilac/green that I can only assume comes from the apple; although the apple is not detectable as an individual note to my nose.  There is a delicately handed hint of turmeric and black pepper spice that serves to warm the juice without becoming overbearing; though you know you smell spices.  With the opening, I get the beginning hints of a warm, rich, old mahogany with teases with a touch of leathe...

January Scent Project - Eiderantler Eiderantler is an aromatic fougere.  So, like all fougeres it follows a certain note development.  That said, what John Biebel has done with Eiderantler is taken the stogy old fougeres and given it a modern feel. Fougeres and I rarely see eye to eye.  I confess, I’m not a huge fan of lavender.  In Eiderantler, however, the lavender blends so seamlessly with the greens that it becomes more than the sum of its parts.  At its opening, I get a beautiful lavender tinged green leaf.  The note soars like leaves turning upward toward the sun.  I get a balanced sweet woodiness from the champa leaf mellowed by the pink pepper.  The ivy in Eiderantler is fresh and green and almost reminds me that fresh green smell of new growth branches.  The lavender continues its journey through this fragrance with the addition of lavandin yet it never becomes overpowering.  Elemi and vetiver bring a subtle citrus to the p...