Blind Test #4

As the fourth and final blind test we chose Reminiscence’s the lesser-known perfume: "2000 Ans d'Amour." In the shops it’s hard to find and even on the internet it’s not easy to find. I don’t understand why, since scents playing between an intensely woody feeling (which can be patchouli, oud, sandalwood or cedar) and a floral heart (rose, mainly etc) have been starring in these last two years. Almost every brand has launched a similar perfume, but… Reminiscence did it 10 years in advance (this perfume was released in 2000).
A jewel of elegance and balance, bright, round, which passed almost unnoticed. Oriental woody, it opens with bergamot and sweet orange, and continues with a nice set of woody notes: cedar, patchouli and vetiver; in the base to sew and to give a liquorous texture to all the mix, benzoin, balsam of Tolu, while tonka bean and and vanilla dip the composition into a poudrèe cloud, almost impalpable. As you can see from the pyramid, this fragrance is characterized by the almost total lack of heart notes, except an unmentioned, delicate, luminous flowery feeling which I associated with palmarose, an idea of ethereal, teenage rose feeling which, instead of balancing woods, is wrapped and pampered by them. The presence of many base notes of this depth make the scent diffuse gently but steadily and with persistence. All recognized the base notes, and Alberto even mentioned another fragrance by Reminiscence: Patchouli. And indeed, here, exactly the same moldy, earthy, patchouli is used.  Several of you, including Eleonora, mention aromatic notes I don’t detect (in particular, no lavande), but since almost everyone associates with “aromatic” a dusty, powdery feeling, I'd say the catch comes from there: the shimmering, soft powder you get here is especially due to the tonka bean, which blends with the moldy part of patchouli, giving that effect.

Arianna
Woods like sandal or patchouli? Amber? The scent feels different on the paper and the skin, where I like it more. It’s something never tried before, that makes me feel good: "I know my own way and there’s no question about it". Original, intelligent, warm, with a hint of sensuality (and a bit of a headache due to constant smelling!).


Alberto
Liquorous fragrance, complex with sweet tobacco, amber, tonka bean, leather, wood and patchouli. Sweet but not sticky, moist forest floor. Elegant with a strong personality, mature and uncompromising. Perfect choice for wearing a 5-wires cashmere garment in a gloomy day, walking on the moors in the company of an Irish wolfhound.  I would call it an "Oriental Fougère", I may imagine that among its progenitors may be fragrances such as Rive Gauche for Men, Zino Davidoff, Patchouli Les Nereides, Ecuadors and Rem, which I find very similar.


Marco
(...) Perhaps we’ll all agree that the precious liquid in #4 is a "creature" of the past, beautiful, radiant and very sensual! It suggests this kind of image: a woman of class and refinement, in a black gown. This woman’s body walks with firm step, controlled, and passes me by. The distance between us is minimal in that precious moment, but I perceive the smell of the skin: clean, fresh and tasty. I can’t help but look at her, trying to capture the lines of her face, which I can’t see because it’s covered by a black silk hat. One moment, decisive and intense as the opening of the fragrance, a quickening to my senses, probably notes of rose, aldehydes. The sight of this woman is so impressive, special, but fleeting at the same moment. Jealously and discreetly I try to retain the look on her slender body and but it's useless. Now she's over me, I try to memorize the details. Now our bodies are far away but that moment was eternal. Vanilla, amber, woody accents of notes between the heart and a massive base, full-bodied and really well balanced. A delicious and impressive sillage. A very special fragrance, from other times, yet still modern. The creator seems to arrive from another era, where he has certainly upset the perfumery rules! I perceive it like this. I emptied the vial, I sniffed anything there was to sniff and now I try to stick the fragrant molecules in my brain.


Flinndudu
In the vial # 4 I smell:
- Patchouli
- Medicinal notes
- Spices
- Coppertone from 60s, including its plastic bottle (and cap)
- Spice mix speaking of cloves
Masterly composed (apart from Coppertone), I don’t particularly like it, but after the poisonous No. 3 anything would seem fantastic! Family: oriental spicy. I couldn’t place it, but it could be a successful commercial scent, or a humorous try of a jolly good perfumer... I really don’t know. Even if it gives me joy, I can’t resist but wash it off, even if it passes the half hour, so what a record!


Eleonora
It was difficult to identify the structure of this, no doubt this vial # 4 is the one that less evokes me strong memories. However it’s a very interesting fragrance, I can even define it “Machiavellian”. After a huge explosion of top and heart notes reminiscent of aromatic plants used in cooking... I smell a distant sage and rosemary, it’s probably only subjective but I also smell a hint of lavender, also already present in the top notes, less intensely in which remained unchallenged in the base notes. It conveys a powdery feeling (reminiscent of talcum powder) offering a sense of cleanliness and comfort.


Michiko
The juice color is amber. On paper I get citrus: lemon, bergamot... also honey! The feeling is this perfume "comes at you", that is leaves the touche to reach your nose: the light is clear and bright, almost dazzling. After a few minutes of light, it begins to blur, as if the sun was obscured by clouds, everything gets more "dusty", notes turn brown (leather, cuir?). I don’t distinguish a dominant note, but rather a multifaceted composition in continuous evolution. As the minutes go, it gets a warmer, golden light with sensual ambery notes. Notes on my skin are not "ringing" anymore, but go sweeter, more shadowy. A few minutes later there's a hint on spices (red pepper?), woods, maybe a bit of oud ... is very soft and warm, exotic, with a powdery feeling (patchouli?), I would say "masculine", but also feels so good on my skin!

Nebulosa
If the other three were under the sign of water, this is under the sign of fire. At least compared to the other 3, this is more for me, slightly "after shave" in the opening, with amber and resins, and a nice flower; this scent smells Oriental (slightly incense-y at the base?). At the beginning I feel like opening an interesting woody door, but then the door gets stuck... what a pity! However, my favorite among the 4.