New Perfumes & New Line: After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, & Derring-Do by Ineke
The Ineke perfume house made its debut this fall introducing a line of four fragrances created by its owner and nose Ineke Rühland, a San Francisco based classically trained perfumer in the French school tradition (ISIPCA and Grasse). Her eponymous line comprises After My Own Heart, Balmy Days & Sundays, Chemical Bonding, and Derring-Do, the latter being labeled as a men's fragrance. To each perfume corresponds a letter of the alphabet...
After My Own Heart has top notes of bergamot, raspberry, crisp green foliage. The heart is composed of lilac. Base notes are sandalwood, heliotrope, musk.
Balmy Days & Sundays starts with notes of freesia, leafy greens, and grass. Heart notes are honeysuckle, rose, and mimosa. Base notes are a Chypre accent and musk.
Chemical Bonding (I will tell you later why I had a sensory shock when I smelled that one) has top notes of smooth citrus cocktail, tea, and blackberry. Heart rests on a dewey peony. Base notes are vetiver, amber, and powdery musk.
Derring-Do is composed in the top notes of fresh citrus blend, rain notes, cyclamen. Heart is made of magnolia, fougère accents. Base notes are guaiacwood, cedarwood, musk.
My first impressions are that Ineke's perfumes are clean, pure, modernist, and original. They have a definite very contemporary feel to them. The author rejected any accord that would seem too obvious or cliché and one can tell that demanding critical thinking was injected into the process of making these very personal fragrances. Despite their conscious artistic orientations, the fragrances remain eminently wearable and do not fail to smell simply good. They are interesting fragrances, ones that will provoke your nose into thinking that the frontiers of perfumery art can be pushed further away.
I will plan to review them at a later date.
A 2.5 oz bottle retails for $78. You can find more information on the Ineke perfume house's website.
Source: press release
Previous Posts in New Perfumes:
New Perfume: Blue Agava & Cacao by Jo Malone
New Perfume: Essential for Men by Angel Schlesser
New Perfumes & New Line: The Unicorn Spell, Let Me Play The Lion..., & L'Antimatière by Les Nez.com
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Hello, Helene !
I ordered the sample set, which is gloriously presented and artistically exquisite down to the last detail...
As for the fragrances, they are very pretty and have a modern feel, very clean and fresh.
To my nose, they feel relatively pared down and uncomplicated, regardless of notes listed; streamlined, if you will.
While this is merely my perception, I found the olfactory part somewhat disappointing.
It can be a double-edged sword to be openly known as apprentice to renowned noses- I think that the expectations and pressures are much greater, which is unfair.
I feel like an ogress, admitting this: not my cup of tea, but they will certainly appeal to many.
Posted by: chayaruchama | October 5, 2006
Hi Chaya,
I don't know with whom Ineke apprenticed as I didn't do that research. I know Cait wrote a series of reviews and had an interview with her but I haven't had had the opportunity to read those yet.
Yes, the perfumes are streamlined but I wouldn't say that they lack complexity personally.
I personally liked Derring-Do and Chemical Bonding best, also After My Own Heart I think.
To me their mode of writing if you will is more modern and creative than that of the Malles for instance who retain more classical elements in them. At least, that's my impression of them.
Posted by: Mimi | October 5, 2006