BDK Velvet Tonka, Commes Des Garcons ERL Sunscreen, Rook and Bulgari Falkar – Skin Time October 2021

Rook

Here’s a perfect interview subject, if ever there was one: a man who is not just a self-taught perfumer, but also a trained actor and a fully-qualified doctor. That is the impressive CV of Nadeem Crowe, founder of Rook, the London-based brand enjoying a rapidly growing following. While I see if I can get him to agree to a chat over on my YouTube channel, I’d advise you to treat yourselves to his discovery set.

Amber is probably the weakest of the six in the collection**, presenting a somewhat mono-dimensional take on the familiar accord. And Thurible, with its nod to the cloves and roses of Malle Portrait Of A Lady comes across as somewhat unfocused, although there is an attractively dangerous, kiss-from-a-vampire quality to it. But once you’ve dispensed with those two, things start to get interesting.

Forest features a pine note that is noteworthy partly because of how diffusive it is, but mainly because it somehow manages to dodge the ‘cleaning product’ trap. Linked with the likes of rosemary and cypress, it offers a vision of a sylvan landscape that is equally bracing and shady. Suede is a sharp take on leathery tobacco, with a strange, sour element thrown into the mix, presumably to add a sense of intrigue. Wear it, and picture hands warming against a fire in a darkened room.

The standouts are Undergrowth and Rook. The latter is not unlike an improved version of the aforementioned Suede, with cardamom and burnt hide introducing unexpected shapes to the composition and turning the whole into a still from a German Expressionist movie: all skewed angles and disorientating framing. And the former is both super green and super cold, with mint, grass and vetiver creating a commendably unforced effect of naturalness. Shards of ice spiked into rich, brown earth.

Comme Des Garcons ERL Sunscreen
and BDK Velvet Tonka

From earth, we head towards the sea, with Comme Des Garcons ERL Sunscreen** (composed by Nelly Hachem Ruiz). ‘Holding back’ isn’t a recommended strategy when you’re trying to make a sun cream perfume, but clearly the folks at CDG think otherwise. To give them their due, they have made an attempt to frame the ‘solar’ accord (coconuts, fruit and white flowers) in a manner we don’t often get to smell: a style that aspires to a notion of elegance. But I’m not sure ‘elegant’ and ‘sun cream’ have ever made easy companions. If this kind of thing is to work, it needs to be done with a wholehearted embrace of trashiness. And Sunscreen is just too po-faced. For a more convincing execution of this idea, check out the Vacation scent I featured in a recent video.

There’s no shortage of room-filling ballsiness in BDK Velvet Tonka* (Alexandra Carlin). And that’s part of the problem. At its core is a superb tonka bean accord, full of the contrasts and complexities associated with the material: an almond facet; hay notes; cherries; sweet overtones; a powdery feel. All are presented and accounted for. However, they’ve been placed over a nail-bed of pretty strident woody ambers, making the whole rather coarse. The sophisticated restraint displayed in many other BDK releases would have been welcome here.

Bulgari Le Gemme Falkar

Finally, the blade-like chill that always accompanies the start of autumn has made me reach for my bottle of Bulgari Falkar* several times in recent weeks, much to Madame Persolaise’s delight. I know, I know, I may have mentioned this Jacques Cavallier beauty once or twice before. But compliments are always worth repeating. Yes, the combination of leather with saffron and oud is hardly novel. But here, thanks to Cavallier’s skill, it takes on a potent, combustible life of its own: a flame that sustains and devours, without ever appearing to lose any power.

Persolaise

* sample provided by the brand
** sample obtained by me

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