Liquo
Angela Ciampagna (2015)

There is much that comes to mind with Liquo. First, there are licorice sweets from Finland, known as "salmiakki," flavored with ammonium chloride, stimulating the salty and sour taste receptors. Then there's the bundles of dried lavender that are sold after a harvest, all cool and dusty-sweet. Third, the echoes of wistful, dew-dappled violet that is found in Apres L'Ondee. Lastly, there's the phenomenon we know as coumarin, that can at once seem to represent shaved tonka beans in a galette des rois, but then also carry with it bales of hay on a damp late summer day, or tobacco leaves hung to dry over barn beams.

There's a velvet melancholy to Liquo, yet it also lends a sense of comfort to me. It is well-mannered in a way often lacking from artisanal perfumery, but also seems to reveal that sweet liminal space between realism and dreamscape that is uncommon in the mainstream. It isn't one that protrudes; it lives intimately in one's space and nudges its refrain now and then. It's important that there are fragrances of this nature: olfactory nuance would be all but lost if we were expect a scent to sing in a loud tenor, as textures would begin to scratch and agitate, spaces in between would melt away with the resulting blobs unable to carry the same emotional weight as a pianissimo. 

A box of tonka beans having been my first introduction to the joys of perfumery some 60 years ago, I have remained enamoured of coumarinic scents ever since. This one is rich, nutty, suggestive of hay and tobacco flavours, and generally delightful.

Ouzo, Sambuca, yum! An immediate shot of licorice liqueur followed by water-logged straw. What an invigorating slap to the nostrils! Lavender and violet rise up combing with the licorice and straw. Anise and coumarin later appear giving Liquo an unusual, artistic presence. The wet straw always wants to antagonize. It adds a urine undertone. I would certainly not wear this with any frequency in public but, I am amused by this fragrance.

I get a hint of nut. Toasted nuts. A hint of smoke, too. The straw note goes on and on. I still get a whiff of licorice now and then. Nutty-straw odor lasts.

Licorice and violet are the first thought than go through my mind when the first molecules enter my nasal cavity, and fairly soon aniseed is added to it. This results in a soft and slightly sweet mix, with whiffs of lemon adding some brighter moments.

The second stage adds more floral elements, mainly a restrained lavender as well as a vanilla impression with touches of a gentle spiciness thrown in.

I get moderate sillage, adequate projection and four hours of longevity, with the last hour or two being very close to my skin.

A pleasant autumnal scent for days and evenings, with clear nods into the direction of the gourmand section of the olfactory spectrum. The main strength is the gery good quality of the ingredients; the main weaknesses are the thinning of the intensity of the notes in the second half of the development of this composition, as well as the limited performance. Still, overall a good product: 3.25/5.

Southern France BY Amedeo Modigliani 1919

It is hard to find fragrances that work well in the hot tropical climate of Singapore, at least for a professional setting. Certain mainstays of Western perfumery like patchouli or oakmoss do very strange things. Very linear florals fare better, but can be a bit boring. Middle-Eastern powerhouses are too much.

Liquo is, to me, exactly between hay and liquorice. It is a great match. Liquorice alone would be too sharp, too acidic, too sweet. Hay absolute is close enough to blend well, whilst giving it dryness and depth. The remaining ingredients are the canvas on which this accord is painted.

It does not work on humid days as the hay can suggest a mouldy feel, but if the sun is out it is an enjoyable and original scent for more formal occasions to stand out from fougere variations without offending your interlocutors.

Projection is relatively poor, so this one needs a liberal application. Longevity is fine, up to the next day depending on quantity.