Almond, marzipan and Tonka Latte by Dusita

 

Marzipan, the almond paste soft enough to mold into shapes, on the other hand, has known commercial success long before hazelnut became a household name. 

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There is Hypnotic Poison of course to thank for that. a staggering success across all age brackets, to the point that for many this is the archetypal Poison (especially millennials who did not recall the original Poison from the 1980s). Pi (Givenchy) was also strong, especially in the years following since its launch in 1998, opening the vista for masculine fragrances into something unapologetically sweet. Jour de Fête, again from L’Artisan Parfumeur, took the almond note into a special preparation in 2004: sugared almonds (also called Jordan almonds for some). And then Tonka Impériale from Guerlain folded the almondy paste into the glorious effect of a baroque serving table in 2010. 

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 Dusita Tonka Latte is the latest offering on the edible deliciousness of almond, launched in 2025. Soft marzipan is an understatement. As I had written, back when picking the best launches I had tried until the first weeks of summer, "The gourmand genre is overshadowing everything in its stride, commercially dominating the market, especially in the 17-40 age group. It's not something to cry about, of course, people need the jolt of newness to respark their interest in perfumery. The French brand Dusita recreates the milk-almondy genre with their newest creation Tonka Latte in a refined way. It therefore makes it possible to indulge in a gourmand fragrance without being overwhelmed by the diabetic proclivities of so many other scents. If you're searching for that easy-to-wear milky-creamy scent of toasted almonds and posh body lotions, the scent to wear after a bath and on silken sheets beside a loved one, you've arrived. Look no further."

Elena Vosnaki: I am being interviewed on Skai.gr

Journalist Myriam Kiassou and radio-tv media group Skai.gr proposed an interview which we conducted in two parts. Below the direct links (in Greek) 

Mου παίρνουν συνέντευξη στο Skai.gr, η δημοσιογράφος Μύριαμ Κιάσσου, σε δύο μέρη (στα ελληνικά), κάτωθι οι απευθείας σύνδεσμοι. 

Roman alabastra 

This is the first part, where I talk about the Business side of perfume and perfumery in Greece and abroad (mainstream and niche). And this is the second part, where I talk about the largely unknown archaeology and history of perfumery and offer insights on how memory, culture and fragrance interweave throughout the ages. 

Εδώ το πρώτο μέρος για την πλευρά Business του αρώματος στην Ελλάδα και διεθνώς (κλάδος πολυτελείας και κλάδος niche, με εμπορικές πληροφορίες για την αγορά). Κι εδώ το δεύτερο μέρος όπου μιλώ για την άγνωστη αρχαιολογία κι ιστορία του αρώματος και πώς ο πολιτισμός συνδέεται άρρηκτα μαζί του. 

Thanks for reading and more to come soon! Ευχαριστώ για την ανάγνωση και περισσότερα σύντομα!

Annick Goutal Nuit et Confidences: fragrance review

Nuit et Confidences is the most typically sensual, sweet, and stereotypically "evening" of the series originally named Oiseaux de Nuit and later renamed Les Parfums de Géraldine, after the moniker Annick Goutal took in her 1970s modelling years. Nevertheless it is not the darkest one -that is rightfully Tenue de Soirée which I reviewed here.

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Drunk (as in intoxicating, for lovers) vanilla forms the heart of the fragrance, soaked in rum and with a slightly almondy marzipan texture at the edges of this fragrance's spectrum. It is set with white jasmine, more innocent than carnal. I'd call Goutal's Nuit et Confidences a cross between rich, multifaceted vanillas like Spiritueuse Double Vanille (Guerlain) and the darkness of Eau Duelle (Diptyque). It is intended for occasions when a lack of imagination is required. This trait almost promises a best seller, and yet it was not meant to be. However, it is like a topaz in gold-bronze tones, suggesting the diamond qualities of a diamond in cognac tones: even if it does not approach the mentioned examples in strength of character, it exerts its own attraction. 

 Like the moniker "nightwear" in the series, the fragrances do not betray the quality of Goutal perfumes, even if the perfumer-stamp of the first and middle releases, which established the "small brand for exquisite perfume lovers," has since changed from Isabelle Doyen to Mathieu Nardin of Robertet.

 

 Les Parfums de Géraldine, of which Nuit et Confidences is part, are available in 30ml (1 fl.oz), 50ml (1.7 fl.oz.), and 100 ml (3.3 fl.oz.) bottles of Eau de Parfum concentration at select stockists

Annick Goutal Etoile d' une nuit: fragrance review

 Étoile d'Une Nuit is the delicate "boudoir fragrance" that the viewer of period TV series fantasizes about - fragile, nostalgic, sometimes stuffy. However, Goutal does not plan to join the banality and convenience of ready-made "cosmetic powder" perfume bases, which are precisely the ones that risk anesthetizing the noses of the unfortunate males who will come into contact with them. Instead, the brand looks back to her older lacy fragrance La Violette, creating the most delicate of the "night birds" quartet. Here, she retransmits that ethereal atmosphere of La Violette together with the frambinone molecule to "cut" the excessive old-fashionedness. Light musk, of superior aesthetics, subtle, clear, not at all like harsh detergent, fills the composition, imparting cleanliness and a clear powdery and light skin scent sensation. It is closely related to Kenzo Flower and its powdery-violet aura.

pic via pinterest

Goutal perfumes possess that je ne sais quoi that we admire about femininity in older paintings, movies, poems, literature... and this is no exception. It is subtle, but discernible, and in an era when the gender borders have expanded, it is rather retro, but not in an obsolete way. It is pearlescent and ethereal. It has its own charm. And charm has always been at the very heart of the Annick Goutal brand. Dainty, delicate, beautiful, and with the innocent love of a budding young woman opening her wings to the world. 

 Like the moniker "nightwear" in the series, the fragrance does not betray the quality of Goutal perfumes, even if the perfumer-stamp of the first and middle releases, which established the "small brand for exquisite perfume lovers," has since changed from Isabelle Doyen to Mathieu Nardin of Robertet. Les Parfums de Géraldine Etoile d' une Nuit is available in 30ml (1 fl.oz), 50ml (1.7 fl.oz.), and 100 ml (3.3 fl.oz.) bottles of Eau de Parfum concentration at select stockists. More info on the official Goutal Paris website.

Annick Goutal Tenue de Soiree: fragrance review

 Goutal Paris has been through a few changes in the last few years, which we have been following with the rapt attention of someone journaling a favorite artist's track. From changing hands to redirecting their aesthetics, the Goutal brand has surprised fans with its rebranding, but also disappointed some of the acolytes of its distinct style. A quartet of their fragrances, of which Tenue de Soirée is the object of this review, deserves more attention, as it didn't get the interest it merits when they first launched. 

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The series under Amore Pacific was initially called Oiseaux de Nuit (Night Birds), a name with inescapable and erotically-charged Anais Nin overtones, and was later renamed Les Parfums de Géraldine, following the heritage of the deceased founder of the house, Annick Goutal, who made a career under that name in the 1970s. 

 Tenue de Soirée is the most suggestive, flirtatious, and subversive of this series. The hint of blackcurrant liqueur wraps the chocolate patchouli of the composition in the pleasure of night romance, revealing it in a silky garment (with leather straps) full of promises. The sensuality is close to that of Bottega Veneta's eponymous and sadly discontinued fragrance, with hints of eroticism rather than overt displays of flesh. Notes of powder, vanilla, and the freshness of bergamot (which unexpectedly emerges AFTER the scent of edibles has subsided, like dewdrops of the first dawn) make Tenue de Soirée fragile, sensitive, truly lacy. It is feminine without clichés. The sweetness and bitterness are distributed in equal amounts in Tenue de Soirée and do not betray the quality expected of Goutal perfumes.

The perfumer is Mathieu Nardin and the concentration is Eau de Parfum, available in 30, 50, 100 ml sizes.