Racine by Jean Laporte for Maître Parfumeur et Gantier 1988

Heya APJ Crew,

Ever get so swept away by a review that you go hunting for the fragrance immediately? I too am no slouch in the lemming stakes. Here is a happy ending story…

Racine by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier 1988

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vetiver, oak moss, while musk, citruses

To give you the complete truth I have been dying to own one of these bottles but the ones I tried were too close to things already in my collection. It’s hard to believe that this fun crew, Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, have been around since the 1980s that is a 4 decade run in a business notorious for its patrons fickleness. Quite an achievement.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

The opening on my skin is a zesty burst or citrussy goodness slightly warmed by what I think must be the musk/vetiver but it reads to my nose like almond. If you are yawning and switching off at the ubiquitous citrus opening you would be missing out on something fun and a little daring, the citrus is mildly effervescent, dry and bitter without any of the household cleaner aspect, whatever they have put with it keeps it playing nice. The citrus stays! Even through the soft, earthy greenness of the vetiver. For a change I get no salt shimmer from this vetiver at all.

Beyond 2 hours Racine goes quiet on me, it hasn’t gone and continues to pump a low level hum through the day with bursts of waft. On Wednesday I wore Racine for cleaning the house. Always a 3-4 hour marathon that stretches to 5 because when I finish each chore I gift myself 10 minutes on the computer with a drink, coffee or tea. Even as I was doing my last chore of the day, steam mopping the tiles, I was getting radiant whiffs of very soft Racine. Do I like it? I LOVE IT!!

Photo Vetiver used in Aqua Culture in Brazil Stolen vetiver.org

From The Black Narcissus: Usually in perfumes of this type, the lemon or bergamot in the opening will disappear fairly quickly and be taken over by the usual contemporary architecture of cashmere woods and the like, and this is where Racine is different: rather than the constrained urbanity of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver or Lalique’s Encre Noire and their debonair, besuited attractiveness, Racine, from the Les Caprices du Dandy collection, entwines a predominant, fresh-as-a-vine, sinuous vetiver from the Réunion Isles with a sucked-on-a-lemon, imperious citrus note, combined beautifully with a mauve-hued, satin plum cushion of prune, oakmoss, geranium, and, gently intertwined, a touch of equally dry, deep-octaved patchouli.

Photo Stolen thebeeskneez DeviantArt

Further reading: The review that had me swooning enough to go get Racine was The Black Narcissus and looking at old & new variants The Non Blonde
FragranceNet has Racine for $99 but with the Coupon DCRT3 it comes down to around $78
The Perfumed Court starts at $3/ml

Do you have any of the Maître Parfumeur et Gantier range? Maybe you’ve spent some Racine time? Don’t you love the bottles?
Till tomorrow,
Portia xxx

Portia’s Christmas For The Boys Shopping Guide

Hello Fraught Funies,

OMG!! How is it Christmas again? I used to be a done all my Christmas Shopping by the end of the July Sales kinda person but the last few years I have put it off and put it off and then end up in a mad December scramble. I am composing a list of the things I’d like to grab for my partner Jin this year and letting you look over my shoulder as I do it. He will probably only get one from this list as I have a couple of other things in mind to add in.

Photo Stolen GraysOnline

Caswell – Massey Sandalwood Soap 3 x 5.8oz: This is a well packaged and deliciously scented set of Sandalwood smelling soaps. They act as a great base for loads of mens fragrances and give back a little of the rich buttery sandalwood missing from so many modern incarnations. There is also a 243ml body lotion pump pack. They both come in boxes for ease of wrapping. At FragranceNet I found the pair of them after discount for under $35

Caron, Yatagan EdT: Named after the curve bladed Turkish sabre Yatagan is a green, woodsy, leather, spice and sweat mixture that is surprising, interesting, masculine and dead sexy. Released back in 1976 Yatragan is a manly masterpiece for a super great price. FragranceNet has 125ml Edt spray for under $40

Lorenzo Villoresi – Fragrance Collection – Sample Set: I found this stunning set and have been panting after it for myself. 16 x 1.5ml sprays showing a fabulous selection of the range for only €30 on FirstInFragrance and a little hint, if you are shopping Internationally you pay no tax so spending around €100 and the shipping will be the same as the saved tax. Woo Hoo!

Photo Stolen L’Artisan

L’Artisan Parfumeur, Batucada EdT: Spicy, salty citrus tempered by flowers, flesh and sea in a lovely nod to cocktails and samba in Brazil on Ipanema Beach. Bright, bold, fresh and daring while being a completely modern masculine, and those engraved hexagonal bottles look so rich and have great heft in your hands. Parfum1 has 50ml for $100

Photo Stolen lovelypackage

Penhaligon’s, Juniper Sling: Recently I was lucky enough to win a bottle of Juniper Sling from TheCandyPerfumeBoy and I can’t stop spritzing. It is a fabulously boozy cool climate forest walk that gives you a sharp slap in the face to wake you up and then warms on skin into a deliciously warm masculine clean body smell. OMG! Seriously gorgeous stuff and EssentialMall has 50ml for as little as $101. BTW The box is even more lavish looking in real life

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier – Les Masculins – Discovery Set: Discover the universe of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier. A choice of 15 fragrances presented in 13 ml refillable atomizers, personally I think this is ridiculously good value and look at the presentation. FirstInFragrance has this gorgeous set for €119

Slumberhouse, Pear + Olive: If you want something so completely different to anything else available, you are buying for a perfumista, want to look like you are all over the best new stuff by the coolest crews and are way ahead of the game then this is the best buy you could wish for. The juice is a surprising almost clash of sweet and savoury, is dense and light simultaneously, warm, ferocious, cool and charming and comes in a killer engraved bottle with plenty of heft that will look totally now and retro on every vanity. Get onto the Slumberhouse site where 50ml will cost $150 + $12 International Postage. this is the good shit!

Photo Stolen Libertine

INeKE, Evening Edged In Gold: I know that you wouldn’t normally pick this as a masculine fragrance but it smells terrific on my partner Jin, a spicy, floral woodsy fragrance that sizzles on him in the most alluring way and makes me want to get really close. The bottle is a beautiful work of art too. Libertine in Australia has 75ml $160 including postage

Photo stolen LucyScent

Amouage EdP Miniatures Men’s Gift Set: Really want to spend some money on a lavish gift? Try the six best selling Amouage Men’s Fragrances in miniatures. Each 7.5ml bottle is a perfect mini replica of the real thing. Included are: Lyric, Jubilation XXV, Reflection, Gold, Dia & Silver. Many of the world’s stores are sold out but Libertine still has some in stock for $280 including Postage

Did that help at all? It has certainly sorted some stuff out in my head. What fragrant gifts are you thinking for the men in your life?
See you tomorrow,

Portia xx