Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Roses and Pomelo: Sud Magnolia by Atelier Cologne



Don't let the ad-copy fool Sud Magnolia is neither a southern scent nor a opulent magnolia scent on the other hand it is a very pretty fresh scent with a few tricks up its sleeve.

I'll say it now the best part of Sud Magnolia for me is the opening. It is a wonderful mix of the cool bubblegum note you can get from magnolia with orange and a vibrant note of saffron. The saffron is a fun addition that you don't usually see in fresh floral fragrances and after smelling it in Sud Magnolia I think someone needs to run with the idea. The saffron highlights the spicy coolness of the scent and keeps the orange in check.

As the saffron and orange retreat out comes a fresh rose, which is very peony-esque, and it is coupled with a gorgeous pomelo note. I happen to love the scent of pomelo finding it to be a combination of grapefruit, jasmine, and lime it is wonderfully heady, sweet, and tart all at the same time. The rose and pomelo combination create a cheery and fresh floral scent that cheerfully sticks around. Every once in awhile you catch a hint of cedar but the scent is mainly anchored by musk, the usual clean musk, but one of the trademarks of Atelier Cologne is they are able to keep the citrus around also.

Sud Magnolia has good longevity and should definitely appeal to fans of spritely fresh florals.

Try if you like Dame Perfumery's Cassis, Rose, and Sandalwood, Cacharel's Noa Fleur, Atelier Cologne's Orange Sanguine, Keiko Mecheri's Sanguine, or Kenzo' s Eau de Fleur de Magnolia.

first image from ateliercologne.com
Second image from fashionbombdaily.com

3 comments:

Marzipan said...

I finally tried all of the new Ateliers when I went to Sephora this weekend. Out of the four this was my companions favorite as to her it smelled of San Pelligrino Limoncella Soda.

And, totally off topic, but I must tell you that one of the reasons I am so enjoying your posts is the fact that you are not a "perfume snob"....I love that you mention and enjoy inexpensive perfumes and there are no reviews on Amouge or any other niche that would be completely out of my perfume budget...thank you for reviewing the more affordable lovelies!

Unknown said...

Out of curiosity which Atelier did you like?

As for what I call the uber-niche I'm never quite sure they are putting out anything all that interesting. And the thing is eventually someone does a cheaper copy of it, it feels like. You won't see me reviewing because it is super expensive. I actually think that is why some older perfume reviewers have posted less and have been on the record talking about the exorbient prices found frequently in "niche" an example is Bois de Jasmine or Perfume Shrine.

I actually don't like to use the term "niche" any more because I associate it with absurd pricing, I prefer indie for the perfumers I think that are offering good quality products without the insane price, mind they are not cheap but frequently they are within affordable luxary, examples Dame Perfumery, Tauerville (a great example of someone basically going off the rails and saying I want people to afford my perfumes), and Sonoma Scent Studio and many more.

No, I'm not a perfume snob there are things released at the mass market level that smell good, but frequently that involves a lot of sifting unfortunately. I like indie because indie frequently works with their customers recognizing smaller sizes sell.

Marzipan said...

I liked the fig one but right now the name escapes me, Figuer Ardent?
Agreed on all that you said. If I am going to spend my hard earned money I would rather support artisanal/indie lines...so far I have been intrigued and happy with all from Dame Perfumery. I also like a few from Ineke (Field Notes, Balmy Days and Evening Edged) and 1000 Flowers (Reglisse Noire and fleur no.1). I used to be a big fan of SSS and still enjoy the scents but I find the prices have increased dramatically. Not too long ago you could get a 1oz spray for $34 (the mid-late 2000s). Recently I had intended on purchasing a bottle of Jour Ensoleille..it was $75 and the shipping has crept up to $13 (which is a bit high if you are only getting one bottle) so I did not order. I tried a few Tauers but they did not work for me (Zeta, Lonestar Memories) however I hear that Vanilla Flash is wonderful. But right now I have so many other bottles that really need to be drained I am not going to seek out any new perfumers. I also like many of the Jo Malone offerings but I don't order unless it comes with a nice free gift (ie: one or two travel sprays).