Dense: Sensual Evocation

SENSUAL EVOCATION:

Photography: Jeremy Coleman / Creative Director: Jo Phillips / Beauty Editor Alexis Day

Evoke and re-awaken all your senses with our select of some of the richest, most intense scents and candles available.  Go back to the essence of smell with the richness of tradition from this exquisite story by Jeremy Coleman, shot exclusively for .Cent.  We spoke to exciting new boutique perfumer Tom Daxon for his thoughts on the idea of Dense.  Check out Tom’s take at the end of the story.

Shot 1: Left to right

Acqua Di Parma Iris Nobile Candle: A limited edition candle to celebrate the 10th anniversary with a floral and fruity scent.

Jovoy Parfumeur Relais de Chasse Crackling Fireplace 1923: A robust candle with top notes of mugwort and base notes of musk and sandalwood. The heart scents include cedar, scorched wood, juniper, and styrax, all coming together to capture the scent of a hunting lodge.

Shay & Blue Blacks Club Leather: This scent was inspired by the private members’ club Blacks of Soho, London and fills the room with a scent of English leather, cognac, firewood, bohemia, mahogany, and beeswax.

Diptyque Paris Tubereuse Rouge Candle: The scent of this heady candle that is inside a tinted mouth-blown glass recalls dusk.

Rigaud Cypres Candle: This Rigaud original green candle that burns evenly, has a scent of lavender mixed with pine needles and cedar wood.

Shot 2: Left to right

Aqua Manda Fragrance London: A revival of the 60s and 70s classic perfume that includes essential oils of mandarin, lavender, ginger, patchouly, cinnamon, and other herbs. The top note is mandarin with an Oriental base note.

Terry De Gunzburg Ombre Mercure: A scent made of a blend of iris, violet, rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang that creates a powdery and feminine scent for passionate characters.

Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan: This fragrance contains notes of coriander, amber, oregano, bay leaf, sandalwood, vanilla, and more.  This scent oozes sexuality with it exotic, unforgettable scent.

Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum: In 1921 Mademoiselle Chanel launched this fragrance that includes top notes of bergamot and lemon, then transitions into jasmine and rose, and ends with a woody touch of sandal and amber.

Chanel Coco Chanel Eau De Parfum: An oriental-floral, warm, and sensual fragrance by Chanel.

Yves Saint Laurent Opium Eau De Parfum: Controversial in name, this fragrance’s top notes include Casablanca lily, gardenia, and mandarin, followed by middle notes of peach, scorched wood, rose, and incense, and finally base notes of hookah accord, tobacco, and amber.

Van Cleef & Arpels Precious Oud Eau De Parfum: This fragrance has top notes of bergamot combined with pink peppercorn and incense. The heart note is a vibrant bouquet of flowers mixed with jasmine and tuberose. There is also a woody note of sandalwood and amber and base notes of mythical Oud.

Shot 3: Left to right

Jo Malone Tuberose Angelica Cologne Intense: This intoxicating and irresistible scent includes notes of white florals, angelica, and amberwood.

Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Desert Oud Eau de Parfum: This fragrance floods the sense quickly and powerfully with incense , dark wood, and deep amber notes.

Tom Ford Tobacco Oud Eau de Parfum: This fragrance explores the addictive Arabic passions by using notes of Oud wood resin and smoking tobacco. This fragrance was inspired by “Dokha”– an Arabic tobacco.

Karl Lagerfeld for Men Eau de Toilette: This fragrance for me echoes his edgy style combined with sophistication. This modern, timeless fragrance includes notes of lavender, mandarin zest, crispy apple, violet leaves, sandalwood, and amber.

Commes Des Garcons Wonderoud: This fragrance is an incarnation of wood and Oud that combines with Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, and Guaiac Wood.

Shot 4: Left to right

Cire Trudon ‘Calabre’ candle: The Calabrian coast of Italy inspires this licorice blended with myrrh and incense scented candle to create a reminder of the Mediterranean.

Dominique Ropion Un Gardenia La Nuit: This scented candle diffuses the smell of the eponymous flower and can be thought of as milky, fruity, spicy, but also fresh. (x2)

Comme Des Garcons CDG2 Candle: This candle is a combination of incense, white smoke, saffron flowers, nutmeg, kumquat, fresh crinkly mint, vetiver roots, mahogany wood, and leather to produce a powerful scent.

Shot 5: Left to right

Miller Harris La Fumee Scented Candle: The fragrance of this candle encircles dry and sensual woods in an arrangement of citrus, smoke, and spice. Top notes include lavender and elemi, followed by the heart of cardamom and cumin, ending with base notes of cedar wood, birch, and amber.

Mizensir Ambre Oriental Candle: This candle is a mixture of mandarin, bergamot, and vanilla extract scent to create an enchanting contrasting fragrance.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pour le Soir Candle: This candle suspends people in time by combining a mixture of honey, musky, and woody scents.

Urban Apothecary Fig Luxury Candle: This candle from the London based company combines the scents of ripe and sticky figs with violet, clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, and amber to create a sensual aroma.

A Life with a View A View of New York The Loft Scented Candle: This candle’s fragrance is a mix of woodsmoke, chamomile, thyme, rose, cedarwood, sandalwood, and vanilla to create an illusion of Central Park.

Roja Parfums The Exclusive Aoud Candle: This perfume was created by one of the perfume industry’s most respected perfumers, Roja Dove.  His experience, knowledge, and passion for perfume make his products some of the best out there.

Shot 6: Left to right

LM Parfums Couture Collection Figuissime: This candle is a deliciously fruity fragranced candle with soft and bitter notes from fig wood. Along with the fig wood, there are notes of Amalfi lemon and almond.

Acqua di Parma Black Cube Candle: This cube-shaped engraved candle leaves a woody aroma throughout the room.

Fornasetti Profumi-Pistole Nero-Scented Candle: This candle with the decorated ceramic vessel covered in pistoles has top notes of thyme and lavender, with a heart of orris and cedarwood, and base notes of tolu balsam, incense, and birch.

Byredo Parfums Vanquish Bougie Parfumee: This house candle has top notes of rose, with a heart of ginger and incense, followed by a base of cedarwood, guaiac wood, and ciste labdanum.

Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot Candle: This candle transform the atmosphere into a mysterious smoky one with bergamot and orange granite accord.

Guerlain Foret de Sumatra Candle: This fragrance, inspired by the Indonesian rainforest, combines patchouli and cedarwood to create a scent to awaken every sense.

Odin New York 07 Tanoke Candle: The fragrance of this candle comes from the notes of balsamic resin, smoky incense, black pepper, spicy ginger, and bitter orange to create a smell of invigorating freshness mixed with a woody smell of wilderness.

Shot 7: Left to right

Diptyque Paris Eau Rose: This fragrance is part of Diptyque’s floral family that is a tribute to the queen of the flowers, the Rose.

4711 Original Eau de Cologne: The exact composition is still a closely guarded secret. The conscious emphasising of the light and vitalising top note of 4711 Original Eau de Cologne gives it its characteristic and pleasant fragrance.

Sisley Eau du Soir Eau de Parfum:  This rich fragrance that balances between freshness of citrus, sensuality of floral notes, and intensity of amber and musk is crowned with an 18-carat matte gold-plated stopper making it an outstanding and timeless product in the world of perfumes.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Onde Sensuelle Eau De Parfum: This fragrance is layered with many contrasting smells including ginger, saffron, cumin, juniper berries, and cardamom.

L’Occitane Ambre & Santal Eau de Toilette: This fragrance is a mixture of Oriental spice and Mediterranean wood and is part of the ‘La Collection de Grasse’ because of its roots. The top nots of bergamot and rosemary lead to a heart of fig and rose, then combine with the base notes of santal and cedar woods with vanilla and labdanum.

La Perla In Rosa Eau de Toilette: This fragrance is a mix of sweet, raspberry and crisp pear, mixed with spicy, pink pepper, and a touch of rose, followed by amber and sandalwood to add sensuality.

Shot 8: Left to right

L’Occitane Eau des Baux Eau de Toilette: This fragrance features head notes of red peppercorns and cardamom essential oil combined with a heart of Provencal cypress and incense, and finally base notes of vanilla and Tonka bean.

L’Occitane Eau de Cade Eau de Toilette: This fragrance is a mixture of spicy and woody with top notes of bergamot, a heat of cedar wood and pink pepper, and a base of cade wood and citrus that lingers on the skin all day.

Ferrari Leather Essence Eau de Parfum: This fragrance was created to evoke the refinement of Ferrari’s leather-clad interiors. The top notes are bergamot, clove, and bitter orange, with a heart of Tonka bean and cardamom, and base notes of patchouli, cedar, and gaiac wood.

Valentino Valentina Assoluto: This fragrance is sensual and magnetic with fresh bergamot and white Alba truffle notes that mix with Smeggia peach, followed by jasmine, tuberose, and vanilla, which is then finished off by cedar to give it a woody note.

Balmain Carbone Eau de Toilette: This fragrance is “dedicated to the urban man” due to the scents of spicy, like the musk and vetiver, that create a modern, elegant feel.

L’Occitane L’Occitane Eau de Toilette: This fragrance was created by combining lavender and a peppery, nutmeg scent to put Provence in a bottle. For men, but women love it, too.

Shot 9 : Left to right

Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac Eau de Parfum: This fragrance blends rich woods, tobacco leaves and spices to replicate the romantic feel of Paris’s Saint-Germain brasseries and cafes. With notes of Cuban Cascarilla Oil, Pimento berries, pine needles, velvet sage, tonka bean, patchouli, and tobacco leaves, this fragrance gives of warmth and a creative vibe.

Diptyque Paris Vetyverio: This fragrance is part of Diptyque’s ‘woody’ family of scents and brings thoughts of dense foliage and tropical flowers with blooming vegetation.

Thierry Mugler Angel A*Men Eau de Toilette: This fragrance is rugged, durable, and in the light blue signature bottle with the star on it. The notes of this fragrance include peppermint, patchouli, coffee, cedar, and leather.

Paco Rabanne Black XS L’Execs Eau de Parfum: This is an excessively sensual oriental floral fragrance with a touch of cashmere wood to make the scent a little more mysterious and dense.

Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet:  A floral fragrance with top notes of pink pepper, blackberry, and orange blossom, along with middle notes of Japanese osmanthus flower, and base notes of Ambergris and vanilla.

Shay & Blue Oud Alif Fragrance Concentree: This fragrance is a layered creamy and soft scent inspired by the Middle East. The top notes include Oud Agarwood and Arabian woods, followed by a heart of dark chocolate and saffron, and finished off with base notes of Napa leather and patchouli.

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Tom Daxon is fast becoming a name to watch in the world of perfume, not only thanks to his family heritage but through his fantastic range of exciting new fragrances.  We were lucky enough to grab 5 minutes with Tom and discover his take on the idea of “Dense.”

CENT: Regarding the world of perfume and colours, do you see fragrance in a sense of ‘colour’  ie do smells have a colour for you?  You mentioned there are a couple of yours where you see colours but you felt generally perfume does have colour, please do tell us what that’s like for you:

TD: I think when we smell, it invariably evokes some sort of picture in our minds, be it a colour, a place, a person, anything. Colour is entirely rational because it succinctly carries lots of deeply personal connotations; it’s a shorthand for things we might struggle to express. When I smell Iridium my overriding image is silvery-grey which I interpret as a smooth to the touch, urbane, sophisticated, modern, even tranquil colour.