If you’ve read my Day One Report you will know that I sniffed my way through a number of perfumes but with only one and a half days at Pitti my Day Two report is a little shorter. Knowing that I didn’t have a full day there made decisions about who to visit a little tricky. So many perfumes on the list and not enough time. C’est la vie!

So let’s go on a quick tour of Day Two’s sniffing round up of new perfumes and perfumed people.

First visit of the day was to Parfums de Nicolaï and the charming and very personable Damien Flynn who is the PR, communications and sales manager for the house (as well as a recent prize winner on a French television quiz show). He introduced me to new fragrance Incense Oud. Patricia de Nicolaï made Oud Sublime this year primarily for her Middle Eastern clientele but wanted to introduce a more accessible, yet real deal oud for Western tastes. Incense Oud is the result and I’m a fan. It has magnetism and a healthy amount of incense  that may win over those who aren’t oud lovers but enjoy perfumes with a strong signature.

Next onwards to Etat Libre d’Orange, a brand that kick started the crazy concept and slick marketing before anyone else. On the face of it at least, they don’t take perfumery so seriously. They are renegades and have fun while producing some great perfumes including Like This (a collaboration with Tilda Swinton) and my favourite Fils de Dieu Du Riz Et Agrees with rice and lime. Thomas Lindet (with the charming moustache) talked about their new perfume Attaquer Le Soleil Marquis de Sade,  a collaboration with Hughes de Sade (a descendant of the Marquis de Sade) and perfumer Quentin Bisch for the house’s 10th anniversary. The perfume is all about cistus and smells rather delicious but not what I expected.  My mind wanders to chains and whips with the mention of the Marquis, so expect a hard core leather fragrance. This is definitely not where this heads but it’s rather lovely anyway. There is also a gorgeous anniversary coffret with 10ml sizes of best sellers Divin’Enfant, Jasmin et Cigarette and Putain des Palaces featuring artwork by Pat Andrea.  Think Alice in Wonderland gone mad. It’s a limited edition and looks fabulous. Etienne De Swardt talked about the brand in the lecture room but unfortunately I didn’t get to hear it.  I’m now rather disappointed that I didn’t!

Next I had a peek at Oriza L. Legrand perfumes. This is a restored French perfume house that I confess I’m a little behind on. I had the original sampler pack but the range has grown and grown to include many more perfumes that I haven’t yet sniffed. Apparently there are hundreds of original perfume formulations in their possession so there is no shortage of future releases. The packaging is all out retro and the soaps in particular look absolutely fabulous.  The new perfume is Villa Lympia, a marine fragrance and was  unexpected. It was definitely channeling the beaches in the South of France and why not? If you were wondering what the best seller in the range is, well that would be Reve d’Ossian featuring incense and pine.

Photo : Lucas (Chemist In The Bottle), Pissara and Megan 

Opposite Oriza L.Legrand was Parfums Dusita. I first tried Pissara Umajavani‘s perfumes at Esxence and she kindly offered my dear readers 3 x giveaway sets of perfumes. Thank you Pissara. Her three original perfumes (Oudh Infini, Issara and Melodie De L’Amour) have been very well received, so I was very pleased to see that she has two new fragrances waiting in the wings to be released in a few months. The perfumes are polar opposites and will appeal to fans of the line but in very different ways. La Douceur de Siam is a sheer gourmand that isn’t over the top and obviously will appeal to those who like their sweeties. The fragrance contains a lovely frangipani and ylang ylang facet, grounded by sandalwood. It played out slightly fruity on my skin and my verdict is yes please.  Sillage Blanc is another kettle of fish altogether. It turns out that Pissara is a huge vintage fan. She and a friend have a collection of vintage perfume and one of her favourites is the Germaine Cellier classic Bandit. Personally I find Bandit a rather challenging perfume. I can respect it but it’s not a love. It’s a bitchy fragrance. It’s what I imagine Madonna would wear even though we all know she prefers Fracas, that other Germaine Cellier classic. So Sillage Blanc is a homage to Bandit and quite frankly I prefer the Dusita gorgeous beauty any day to Cellier’s green eyed monster. Sillage Blanc opens with an amazingly fragrant orange blossom and neroli but morphs into a green leather that I know perfumistas are going to adore.  So yet again, Dusita has pulled out another set of show stopping perfumes. Bravo.

Aedes de Venustas the New York perfume store has a darkly chic perfume line and I’ve previously written about Copal Azur,  a scent that I was infatuated with a while back.  The new perfume is Grenadille d’Afrique and it’s another beautiful addition to the line by perfumer Alberto Morillas.  It features vetiver and a resinous tone with a darkened vanilla vibe, yet also has strong flashes of light shining through via its lavender and violet hues. With this addition the range is coalescing into one of the best in perfume land.

Stéphane Humbert Lucas‘s perfumes (SHL777) were right next door and I always crave a hit of O’Hira whenever I spy it. It’s a sensational amber and easily one of my favourites but the price not so much. I sprayed it and let it take me through the rest of the day. This is a big love. If you haven’t tried any of the perfumes I would start with this if you’re an amber lover and also try Khol de Bahrein, an iris with violet and dashes of powder.

Then onto a Spanish brand called Oliver & Co that has been around for a few years but it was the first time I’d encountered it. I quite liked  Vaninger (perhaps not the best name for English speakers), a dark vanilla with hints of ginger and Gincense, a spiced up ginger and incense combination.

Photo : Murat Katran (L) and Mert Guzel (R)Nishane are a Turkish brand that many niche perfume lovers will now have heard of. Mert Guzel and Murat Katran poured five years of love into their perfumes before they were released and it’s really exciting to see their brand do so well. Nishane’s two new releases this year are Fan You Flames and Hundred Silent Ways. I can highly recommend their sampler set. It’s one of the loveliest treats imaginable. The red box and the notes are gorgeous. They have a wide selection of perfumes now, so I think it’s always best to sample first to find your favourite/s. I always have a good conversation with Nishane and look forward to meeting them. I’m always interested to know more about the politics of a country so conversed about the developments in Turkey with Murat. He always offers a fascinating insight into a country that I would love to visit. It’s on the bucket list and I do feel that the perfumes in some way are a scented romp through this great land.

Photo : Enrico, Megan and Angela

Angela Ciampagna has a beautiful collection of perfumes and it was great to see her as I always enjoy our conversations. On the face of it her line isn’t uber trendy or overly marketing led. Let’s remember most niche lines are in fact highly marketing driven, even if they like to tell us this is one of the ways they  differ from mainstream perfumery. Yes there aren’t the huge budgets for advertising billboards or campaigns that include Shazaam or Spotify (hello Zadig et Voltaire) but the concepts through to the  packaging and communications are important, maybe too much so. However if you don’t have these aspects nailed, the brand doesn’t get heard these days as the competition is stiff.  I get the feeling from Angela that her line is very genuine with less emphasis on the fizz. She of course makes excellent perfumes including one of my favourites Liquo and now works with Roberto Greco who has taken beautiful photos of new fragrances Ignes and Fauni. These perfumes by the way are now ready for sale, they hadn’t macerated fully at Esxence. Both smell great although I do have a preference for Ignes with it’s amazing tobacco absolute sourced from Mane.

Photo : Sarah McCartney

4160 Tuesdays is an English perfume house helmed by Sarah McCartney who I must add was resplendent in a fabulous brightly coloured floral coat. I had 4160 Tuesdays down on my list of brands to sniff at Pitti. I’d read so much about her perfumes but never had the opportunity to sniff them until now. I’ll just add first off that I loved the display. Sarah had a fabulous area incorporating teacups  infused with the scent of each perfume to sniff. Classic English teacups of course, in various floral patterns. OK I’ll be honest and say that the first thing that made me take notice was the names of the perfumes. They’re fun, quirky and slightly bonkers. Examples are The Sexiest Scent On The Planet. Ever. IMHO, Sunshine & Pancakes, Tart’s Knicker Drawer and Doe In The Snow.  Now it’s just as well that they smell good too. I was particularly fond of Sunshine and Pancakes, a sunny warm orangey lemony scent and What I Did On My Holidays that was strange but instantly appealing with a beachy mint vibe. Sort of reminded me of wearing fluro at the beach. I’m pleased I’ve finally found the brand and can get more cosy with the perfumes.

Photo : Jean-Philippe Clermont

My final stop of the day was with Jean-Philippe Clermont and one of my favourite brands Atelier Des Ors. Clermont is building a luxury perfume house that is definitely worth investigating. The scents have a decadent Middle Eastern slant and I’ve reviewed them here. His new release Iris Fauve is another  wonderful perfume by perfumer Marie Salamagne. Not quite as full bodied as the previous scents, to me it smells slightly lighter in texture, although I’m probably speaking in minute degrees here as really it is still lavisciously thick and gorgeous. It smells absolutely divine and I’m enjoying this more and more each time I wear it. It’s a floral iris with no evidence of the earthy carrot that gives some the shivers. There’s a heavy musky quality along with a thick vanilla that’s layered and textured. Iris Fauve is simply stunning and a must try. There is also another Atelier Des Ors perfume ready for release as a Harrods exclusive called Musc Immortelle that I may like even more than Iris Fauve. Let’s hope it’s eventually released into the main line. Clermont and I were sidetracked into French politics and more when we caught up so it was a pleasant diversion peppered with snippets of cultured conversation. I’ll be posting more on Atelier Des Ors so watch this space.

And that was a wrap on Day Two as I had a date with the Uffizi Gallery and it was calling my name. Now I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to : Unum, Olfactive Studio, Le Galion, Paul Emilien, Mark Buxton and so many more but that was it folks for this time around.

I hope you enjoyed Day Two’s round up and readers please let me know which perfumes you’re looking forward to trying.

Notes : All images by Megan In Sainte Maxime