Dreams of the Orient: Scents and Scentsibilities

Just about everyone I know is feeling a bit grumpy this time of year. Never the easiest of times, the first couple of months following the holidays always seem full of irrational resolutions, unpaid bills, tight waistbands, and unflattering winter coats. No wonder I prefer wandering the perfume counters looking for an antidote to chilly winds and bleak news in opulent and hard-to-find fragrances! Luckily for me, I found two fragrances that perked me up enormously. Both are rather grand and expensive—sumptuous treats to look forward to and treasure.

The Great Empresses of Japan (Les Impératrices Japonaises) by Roméo d’Améor

French niche house Roméo d’Améor debuted in 2008 with no less than seven perfumes, all of which are marketed as tributes to women who made a lasting impression on history. With names like the Sovereigns of Egypt and the Grand Inca Priestesses and a tale spun about each woman, of course I had to try them out! My first impression was that they all smelled pretty much the same, variations on the craze for fruity florals. After I got over my snit, I went back later, tried them all on different days, and changed my mind about several of the perfumes. The Great Empresses of Japan is by far my favorite of the seven—a graceful accord of floral and incense, with nary a hint of fruit to be found anywhere.

Listed notes are freesia, melon, ylang-ylang, violet, rose, lily-of-the-valley, peony, heliotrope, iris, orris root, vetiver, teak wood, sandalwood, and tonka bean. The opening is heavily floral, with the heliotrope making its presence known immediately. I love heliotrope’s vanilla-musty scent and the scent moved nicely from there into a powdery iris that lingers before finally flowing into subtle floral incense. While this scent may not be for everyone, I really had a blast wearing it and got a lot of compliments. The lasting power is excellent, and I suggest a light hand at first because the opening notes are pretty strong.

The bottle is a graceful, tapered column of glass, with a pretty blue tassel.

Eau de Parfum, $135; sample vials for $3. Available at Luckyscent.