Sira des Indes
was one of the most special modern creations of Jean Michel Duriez for Jean Patou with its accord of champaca-sandalwood-milk-banana set in a very oriental context. If this exceptional fragrance was set in an exotic Indian palace with opulent decoration, the new perfume from Penhaligon`s takes us to the jungle for an exotic experience of a rare scent. With a name that is close to a famous base used in the classic Jean Patou formulas, Amaranthine is the sensual and opulent cousin of Fleur de Liane. What was fresh, green, airy and somehow rooty by the use of patchouli, becomes now the 24 hours of a tropical imaginary flower. From the very green top, almost pungent, like the scent of vegetal buds (and curious banana flowers or several Thai vegetables) it goes through all stages, to the over-ripe fruit with its liquorish scent up to the very sensual stage, almost dirty-indolic-sweat-cumin that is hidden behind the apparent freshness.The top note has that cumin-pungent metallic note find in many green flowers (even in lily of the valley or mock orange). The structure of the perfume is not easy - the scent evolves on several stages with multiple accords that could be summarized like this
- the exotic white flower with ylang-jasmine-vanilla
- the rain freshness with white rose, freesia and a very green lily of the valley
- the sensual feminine drydown with sweet sandalwood, musk, lactonic notes, spices
plus the accents that are very strong on all evaporation stages:
- the very green natural leaf top note
- the green fruity notes plus the over ripe fruits (pineapple-litchi-banana-fraise des bois)
- a soft and almost aldehydic fruity powdery note
The official description, "a corrupted floral oriental for those private moments when everything is anticipation", is very close to the scent - it smells indeed like some flowers or fruits when their perfume is a delicious mixture of pleasant and "corrupted" notes (fermented leaves, over ripe fruits, durian and passion fruit, indolic flowers) with that sparkling effect of champagne.
Special and unusual if you follow the evolution of the notes, Amaranthine is not about an easy prettiness.
There is something very risqué inside this flower and this effect can be noticed on all stages - it suggests the scent of a feminine skin delicately perfumed with Eau Première (Chanel), naked and posing in a cornucopia of exotic flowers with a lethal spicy nectar mixed with her salty sweat.
Official main ingredients for Amaranthine by Penhaligon's - green tea, white freesia, banana tree leaf, coriander, cardamom, rose, carnation, clove, orange blossom, ylang ylang, Egyptian jasmine absolute, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, condensed milk and tonka bean.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
