To conclude our theme week on the French brand Les Bains Guerbois, I would like to introduce you today to the two new launches Damier and Oud Laqué, about which fragrance house founder Jean-Pierre Marois has already told us in our interview. I’ll link you to all three parts of the interview here, here and here.
As you could already learn, today’s two fragrances are from a new collection of the brand Les Bains Guerbois, called Formes et Matières. “Shapes and Materials” is the English translation, a collection that revolves entirely around the Parisian establishment, which can look back on a history of some 140 years and an eventful past. From the noble spa of intellectuals and artists to the cult nightclub, where stars and starlets came to dance the night away, to the luxury hotel and its associated fragrance brand. Les Bains Guerbois tells a story that fascinates, that captivates, and that really belongs on film.
But back to the collection Formes et Matières. This one deals with different fabrics, patterns and materials used in the house, while the first collection Une date, une histoire looks at the temporal component and translates it olfactorically.
Damier – dance on the chessboard
The nightclub’s dance floor – designed in the late 1970s by none other than today’s star designer Philippe Starck – features a black and white checkerboard pattern. This floor has already experienced many a wild party in its life. Numerous celebrities walked around on it, danced and celebrated.
To this iconic checkerboard pattern Damier was created as a fragrant monument. Perfumer Fanny Bal was entrusted with the development of the creation, which may well have presented her with a challenge. Because the task was to use only fragrances that evoke black and white associations. And so, in addition to black pepper and pink pepper, the composition of Les Bains Guerbois also includes milk, jasmine, cashmeran, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood and white musk.
Move, dance, play, track on the giant chessboard at Les Bains Paris. A mythical place. A hint of perfume. Dance floors. Playgrounds. Treasure hunt. Kinetic impressions. Small tiles, large squares, black and white diagonals.
Black and white fragrance
Dry, powdery and tart, Damier starts the fragrance progression with a gentle but typical pepper spiciness that plunges into a sea of the finest milk powder and creamy jasmine. Light and dark meet, creamy and dry, sharp and soft.
A fragrance that combines and unites opposites in the most harmonious way. Clouds of cashmeran drift by, underpinned by the soft earthy notes of surprisingly bright patchouli bedded on clean cedarwood and musky powder.
Damier is a creation dedicated to contrasts, light and dark colors and combines them in a beautiful way. Transparent, airy and rather light, the Eau de Parfum presents itself as a well-dosed and finely balanced fragrance companion for almost every occasion and every occasion. Ideal for those who love softly spicy woody scents and are still looking for a unisex creation suitable for everyday life and office.
Oud Laqué – lacquered wood
Oud Laqué, Jean-Pierre Marois told us in an interview, is about lacquered wood, located in the Hotel Les Bains in the center of Paris. The wood is treated in such a way that it looks like mirrored. The guests of the hotel and restaurant are – according to Marois – so fascinated by this wood that it was only natural to take it up as a theme for the Formes et Matières collection.
A game with mirrors. Meandering, shimmering, warm, exotic, precious: in Les Bains Paris, our silhouettes are reflected in the intricately lacquered wood. Spaces, like a mythical place. A hint of perfume. Spiritual Potency. Radiant transience. Dark sensuality.
With which fragrance notes does the perfumer Mathieu Nardin implement the wood so specially worked? I’ll tell you: with cardamom, dried fruit, geranium, leather, clove, benzoin resin, guaiac wood and gurjun balsam. Somewhere the eponymous agarwood (oud) will surely hide in it, even if we do not find it listed in the official fragrance notes.
Beautiful wooden panel
Fruity, leathery and with a subtle cool spiciness, Oud Laqué actually reminds me of something lacquered. Whereas the typical varnish smell that one knows from spray paint, for example, is not to be found in the creation of Les Bains Guerbois, but it is a fragrance that definitely reminds of some form of varnish or polish.
Waxy, resinous, and still fine-leathery, with a delicate smokiness underneath and slightly spicy, the wood in Oud Laqué creates a beautiful and warm atmosphere. In the basis, the creation slowly becomes more sweet and gains comfort, before the fragrance finally fades very gradually.
Oud Laqué by Les Bains Guerbois is a warm, soft and leathery woody fragrance that carries resinous-smoky accents and a certain sweetness. The fragrance fits perfectly in the coming cooler season, I believe. A sample that goes directly into my daily-use box and will certainly be used more often in the coming weeks. Ideal for those who are still looking for a suitable and comforting fragrance for autumn and winter, which has a good presence and durability, but can also be worn at any time in the office and everyday life. My favorite today, although of course I would recommend testing for both creations. 🙂
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