Atelier des Ors: Blanc Polychrome and Rouge Sarây

Hey Posse, Atelier des Ors is one of those consistently revered houses. They make smooth, gorgeous and elegant fragrances. Just off kilter enough to be interesting to perfumistas but super wearable and plush. The bottles are gorgeous. Floating gold leaf a la snow globes or Goldschläger is also a fab kitschy, retro, reminiscent idea that pops. My mate Megan is in their marketing team and she sends me decants of their newest stuff to try. Getting a Megan padded envelope is ALWAYS an exciting thing. One arrived a few days ago with the new 2020 releases: Blanc Polychrome and Rouge Sarây. I’m going to try them and write in real time how they wear.

Atelier des Ors: Blanc Polychrome and Rouge Sarây

Atelier des Ors

Blanc Polychrome

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin orange, Lemon, Rhubarb
Heart: Petitgrain, Jasmine, Fig leaf, Lavender
Base: Ambroxan, Moss, Musk

OOOOH! Open is a fizzy citrus with lovely rich green overtones beautifully buoyed by white flowers. A tart blend and the first time my nose has been really able to smell the rhubarb. It’s like fresh picked from the garden. If you like that rhubarb note you’ll love it continuing well into the heart. I’m smelling torn leaves but they aren’t necessarily fig and the lavender doesn’t make itself down to me at all. TBH I’m getting hints of broken tomato leaves. I’ll be interested to see how other reviewers and wearers perceive Blanc Polychrome.

It’s amazing how the perfumer Marie Salamagne has treated greenery. There’s a wildness, Blanc Polychrome is a little bit witchy, yet manages to do it so beautifully there’s no hint of indie or natural perfumery. Does that make sense? Like all the witchy greenery but none of the dank swampiness or shady-creek moss. The base continues the green story but adds a cold metallic twang and some vegetal musks. Seriously, this is not what I was expecting from the note .list, or the brand. A space age, green, sunlit, herbaceous weirdo of a perfume. You know how they have plant rooms in space movies, where they grow food? Usually hydroponics with drip systems. That’s the smell, wet metal and vegetation.

Fully unisex, a challenging and gorgeous new composition.

Atelier des Ors

Rouge Sarây

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, Cinnamon, Plum
Heart: Heliotrope, Date, Patchouli
Base: Peru balsam, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Gaiac wood

OOOH! Cinnamon, plum and a dried date, drizzled with sweet, chocolatey patchouli. Rouge Sarây lays its cards on the table early and has a beautiful warmth and coziness. As we move through to the heart the vanilla makes its way into the equation. It is vanilla but smells caramelised, without being gourmand, amber-ish. No, I’m wrong. It is gourmand, but not a sickly, super rich one. Foody but not fairy floss. We see how broad Marie Salamagne’s talent is in this pairing, opposite ends of the spectrum but both such complete and interesting offerings.

I think this will be the hit of the pair. Not nearly so challenging and a perfect winter warmer. It smells like an expensively produced fragrance, though I’m no expert on ingredients and costs. The richness feels lavish and tapestried. Personally I can much more imagine myself wafting Rouge Sarây even though I’m more impressed by the ingenuity of Blanc Polychrome. Dry down is sweetly resinous and dark woody, beautiful all the way to the base.

Unisex again but leaning traditional winter fem. I think this will smell mazing on Jin too.

 

Do you love Atelier des Ors yet? Patty wrote about her love for them too.
Portia xx

  • HeidiC says:

    I’m not sure that I’ve sampled anything of theirs! But the Blanc Polychrome sounds fantastic — I’m crazy for anything with rhubarb in it. And I’m not so big on gourmands. The Goldschläger bottle reference made me hoot!

    • Portia says:

      YAY HeidiC, I’m so glad you got the booze reference! So many nights lost to shots, he he he.
      If rhubarb is your thing then Blanc Polychrome is definitely worth seeking out. I think you’ll be super impressed.
      Portia xx

  • Amy says:

    Oh dear, now Blanc Polychrome is calling my name. Thank you Portia! I have one from the line and could easily have others since I like them, but haven’t sprung for them.

    • Portia says:

      Hey Amy,
      It seems to be the big winner for Posse peeps of the pair.
      Yes, sometimes I have to curb my completionist tendencies too.
      Portia xx

  • VerbenaLuvvr says:

    AdO is one of my very favorite houses and their Lune Feline is in my top five. I also own Choeur des Anges, Blanc Polychrome, and Riviera Drive (that blue bottle!). Although I expected to love it, Rouge Saray to me just felt too masculine.

  • March says:

    These both sound absolutely fantastic, and those BOTTLES! Those bottles are gorgeous!!!!

  • Dina C. says:

    Great descriptions Portia! I hadn’t heard of this line before. What marvelous presentation — gorgeous bottles. The green outer space one sounds very intriguing.

    • Portia says:

      Hi DinaC,
      Oh yes, the flacons are like lavish little cognac bottles! So glam. Plus they have the gold flakes swirling through like a snow dome for grown ups.
      I’m so happy so many of you are leaning towards Blanc Polychrome.
      Portia xx

  • Musette says:

    omg. You had me at ‘space age, green’ – hon, this sounds like it was made for me!
    I have only tried one AdOrs, I think – the Iris Fauve……? I remember liking it a lot – but not enough to plump for a bottle…? Can you tell I’m struggling to remember (but that’s not the fault of the perfume. Iris, which I adore, can be very tricky for me to conjure in my memory) xoxoxo

  • Queen-Cupcake says:

    “A space age, green, sunlit, herbaceous weirdo of a perfume.” That description has Blanc Polychrome calling to me! hahaha I don’t know any Atelier des Ors perfumes…yet.

  • Cinnamon says:

    Congrats on your anniversary. A hotel room and room service sound so perfect and luxurious. I’m not at all familiar with AdO. Rouge Saray sounds very inviting for the season though. Will have to go investigate if I can get samples here.

    • Portia says:

      Thanks Cinnamon,
      We had a wonderful, low key time with ferry rides, walks through the CBD at midnight, gifts and a queen size bed each. We have been congratulating each other on our genius since.
      I think you might like the Atelier des Ors oeuvre, they make very good perfume.
      Portia xx

  • Tara C says:

    I love this brand and own all but Bois Sikar of the black cap collection. Rouge Saray was an instant buy for me, an oriental/gourmand lover. Not really into citrus or green scents so I haven’t really explored the white cap ones.