Vaporocindro

Vaporocindro is the latest release from perfumer John Biebel for its independent brand - January Scent Project. After analyzing his first three fragrances in Eau de Parfum concentration (Eiderantler, Smolderose, and Selperniku), I have the feeling that John is an avant-garde perfumer as few, because his fragrances break with established patterns, creating a sense of pioneering in the current perfumery. Vaporocindro is a floral-spicy perfume and full of woody and smoky nuances. The creator himself defines it as a " Wood, Spice and Flower Vapor Perfume". Its fragrance features notes of lilac, green leaves, apple, turmeric, black pepper, jonquil, mahogany, cedar, agarwood (oud), davana, black currant, cumin, coffee, sandalwood, and ambergris. Before talking about the fragrance, it is worth explaining that the turmeric (also known as Indian-saffron) is that yellow one, often used in cooking, commonly called saffron and that has nothing to do with the real saffron (red), which is extracted from the pistils of the Crocus Sativa flower and sold as expensive as gold. Many fragrances in the market bring the note of saffron in their compositions, but believe me: rare are the cases where the real raw material is used, opting for the synthetic called Safraleine. Turmeric is from the ginger family and its aroma is earthier, while the red saffron offers smoky and leathery nuances. And the jonquil? Well, here's a lot of confusion. Some say that jonquil is the same thing as freesia. However, in theory, jonquil is a type of narcissus (Narcissus Jonquilla) and is part of the family Amaryllidaceae. The freesia, however, is part of the Iridaceae family. Vaporocindro is incredible! It touches the skin with floral nuances that dance between lavender and violet, bringing a powdered facet, which is slightly sweet. I do not feel any apple in the output. At the same time, a floral of dry and green aspect, as if it were a vegetal extract, mixes with the sweet scent of before and the fragrance begins to gain new format. Then, a hotter and spicy side emerges. Until this stage, that type of man who only wears extremely masculine fragrances can become annoyed and abandon Vaporocindro for once. A fatal mistake! The magic of Vaporocindro happens slowly and its base brings denser nuances, which are sexy and smoky, resembling a type of incense. Here is the "vapor" quoted by John. But there is no frankincense or myrrh. There is a perfect application of cumin – spicy and aniseed –, which blends with the oud in harmony. The ammoniac side comes from blackcurrant and the longevity is the result of the strong presence of mahogany and ambergris. Do we have more? Yes, a facet that resembles tobacco, but is a result of the coffee note. Vaporocindro is like those perfumes from the past that accompany you all day long and lets you notice every change in its evolution. I know I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: it's incredible!

I've really come to appreciate Vaporocindro from John Biebel's January Scent Project over the years. It is light and wispy with incredible staying power, which I love a lot in this perfume. You can spray lightly, but still smell it and enjoy it's vaporpcindorous trail for the whole day. I love the opening perhaps the most with it's lilac and green notes of apple and deciduous leaves. There is also an almost soil/dirt vibe mingling in with the lilac and apple/leaves accord that brings an outdoor garden feel which I really enjoy. As we transition into the mids, I get a spicy accord along with the narcissus flower. Some perfumes are very narcissus forward, and I enjoy many of them, but Vaporocindro doesn't push the narcissus too far out in front, and I think that John used this note perfectly for this particular perfume. Excellent blending for my tastes on this one. The spiciness is achieved with a noticeable black pepper and apparently turmeric, which I don't recognize in isolation as a note here, but I should familiarize myself with turmeric more. The drydown has a slight saltiness which I've always felt, more than smelled from narcissus flower anyway, but is representative of ambergris at this point, along with a quiet black currant, which is another note I'm quite fond of. There is some woodiness and thankfully the cumin isn't jumping out at me like a yellow armpitted gym sweater...no, it is blended into the overall composition and is well behaved. Oud is also quiet in this mix, but the coffee note is noticeable and smells nice as the sandalwood is very reserved and adds to the overall smoothness of the perfume. Just a great wear on skin that doesn't tire out my nose, which is a good thing as it has excellent longevity as mentioned in the beginning of this review. Wonderful fragrance by Mr. John Biebel

Rather than speak about the individual notes, I would like to speak about the effects. In a swirl of candied violets and cool green lilac is a fog of smoke--not birch tar or cypriol but the kind of soft velvety smoke that dry ice makes or a smoke machine on halloween; slightly perfumed and dry, enveloping and mysterious. I've never smelled a perfume like this; the closest in spirit is Vanille D'Iris by Ormonde Jayne. Hints of sweet violet candy peek out over the life of the scent but are always perfectly balanced by the drier, greener elements which eventually settle down into what ultimately reads as a slightly sweet tonka leather on my skin. Vaporocindro is light and at the same time extremely present and long lasting. It's an extraordinary perfume, my favorite of the line.

Of the 4 from John's library, Vaporocindro has now taken the #1 spot from Smolderose. Upon first spray, I was reminded of dry fig leaves even though it is not listed as a note. Thankfully though, there is no sweetness intertwined in this image of dry fig leaves. The Lilac accord mixes well with the green leaf accord. I noted that while there are several floral components to this composition, it is not overpowering as a lot of floral powerhouses often are. The jonquil provides a Gardenia-like airy spice along with the turmeric. To my nose, I do not pick up on the apple, agar, or black currant, but they may become more apparent as I spend more time with the sample I snagged. Overall, job well done.

Very strange, very interesting, not for me. All of John Biebel's perfumer's are masterpieces, in my opinion, and I'm grateful to experience all of them. This is a compelling scent, but I can't really imagine wearing it out and about (although I've said that before about perfumes that ended up being favourites so who knows). This is totally unique and has a lovely balance of lilac and turmeric. Unique spicy!