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Report on the phone conversation with Clement Gavarry and a review of the latest mods

 Posted by Marina, 5 Dec 2006

This concludes Marina’s Round 4 with mod R4/L and R4/M.

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I had a wonderful opportunity to talk on the phone with Clement Gavarry, the wonderful perfumer who is creating my Holy Grail. He said that my idea behind the scent was very “niche” and “avangarde”…and that is the best compliment I have received in a long, long time. In turn, I told him that I loved one of the two latest mods, R4/M, and that I thought that we were on the right track.

R4/M has all the qualities I am looking for in my ultimate fragrance. It has soft spiciness (cardamom), sweet amber, quite prominent leather and musk, and a comfortable and comforting but not too “fluffy” vanillic drydown. What I want now is for all these qualities to be amplified and emphasized. I would like more spice (I asked Clement to experiment with pepper and coriander), more leather, more musk, even more vanilla. Plus I’d love for the scent to acquire a distinctly smoky undertone. Not so realistically smoky as to be borderline disturbing, like CB I Hate Perfume Burning Leaves; I am looking for subtle, elegant and softly-enveloping smoke of Bois d’Armenie.

The other mod, R4/L, although not drastically different from R4/M, still had, on my skin, the saffron note that I apparently cannot stand anymore. I realize that I actually specifically asked for saffron in my proposal. I loved the note but now the love is gone. I wonder if perfumers in general and Clement in particular find their clients’ ever changing requirements exasperating. I also wonder whether working with one individual client is actually harder in that respect, whether it might not be easier to deal with a committee who submit their brief once and don’t mess with it again, like I do with my “brief” for Holy Grail. In other words, I wonder if it is easier to satisfy a corporation than it is to satisfy one fickle perfumista.

 Filed under: - M's Round 4, Made by Blog, Marina's Project
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  1. This is the trick in living well though, isn’t it? A willingness to change one’s mind? Perhaps this goes the same with perfume, as well. It’s one thing to have something in your head, but quite another to have it made actual and real. I wonder if many perfumers must not tend towards the sanguine rather than feeling exasperated over changes, since they must make them often enough during the course of their work.

    Pepper and coriander, sounds very exciting!

    Comment by Katie — December 6, 2006 #

  2. Marina — I wanted to take my time smelling your latest mods with an open mind. I confess I’m still partial to the saffron, but, hey — it’s your Holy Grail, not mine, and I do wonder whether saffron’s a note I’m going to find myself tiring of at some point.

    M seems more like you — it stayed on me a long time, all day and even through handwashings and a bath. Now it’s still there faintly on the back of my hand. It’s lovely. There’s something peppery that emerges (re-emerges?) deep into the drydown that I think is the perfect foil for the leather.

    Comment by March — December 6, 2006 #

  3. Katie,
    They would have to be sanguine …if I personally had to deal with a clinet like me…I’d have ended up hitting that client up the head with a big heavy vial :-)
    I am very excited about pepper and coriander…right now :-D

    Comment by Marina — December 6, 2006 #

  4. March,
    Thank you for bringing up the question of longevity. I completely forgot to mention that the mod is indeed very long-lasting and has the kind of sillage that I like, not overwhelming, but constant and enveloping.
    So do you think too that we are on the right track?
    Sorry about Saffron. I still like it in Safran Troublant, for example, and in some other rose blends, but when there is too much of it…no, can’t do anymore :-)

    Comment by Marina — December 6, 2006 #

  5. I really liked the opening of R4/M! It was scrumptious. I think it’s the cardamom that I like, although it could be the vanilla and amber. Hrm… I’m going to have to retry these when my cold is completely gone.
    How many sprays do you apply? One spray doesn’t give me any sillage really. I have to be within an inch of my skin to detect anything. It’s like an invisible layer. But definitely constant and I can see the enveloping effect.

    Comment by kuri — December 13, 2006 #

  6. C,
    When sprayed once, I got a strong sillage. When I sprayed 3 or 4 times, I could smell it for two days :-)

    Comment by Marina — December 13, 2006 #

  7. Sorry for being so late–I really liked M: it had a great stinky opening on me! The drydown was good, too. I can see how some more smokiness would be nice. Sorry–not too articulate today (very rushed)!

    Comment by Judith (lilybp) — December 16, 2006 #

  8. Judith,
    Thank you for your comment! You know, normal people would sea you and me being delighted that something is stinky and skanky and would think, what the..? :-D

    Comment by marina — December 16, 2006 #

  9. Actually, I was mistaken, 1 spray developed some sillage after a while :) 2 days though! Hee.

    Comment by kuri — December 20, 2006 #

  10. Interesting…like good wine, it takes time to mature and…um…develop sillage :-)

    Comment by Marina — December 20, 2006 #

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